[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 26 (Tuesday, February 14, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E190-E191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN RECOGNITION OF MOREHOUSE COLLEGE'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 14, 2017

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor and pleasure to 
rise today to recognize my alma mater, Morehouse College in Atlanta, 
Georgia, as it celebrates 150 years of educating, training, and 
empowering outstanding leaders. The year-long Sesquicentennial 
Celebration began in January 2017 and will include many events for 
students, faculty, staff, administrators, donors, families, and friends 
of Morehouse College. The theme of the Celebration is A House United, 
which highlights Morehouse's position as a unifying force around the 
globe and here at home.
  Tracing its roots back to the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War, 
Morehouse College was founded in 1867 as the Augusta Theological 
Institute in Augusta, Georgia. The school was founded by Rev. William 
Jefferson White with the encouragement of Rev. Richard Coulter and Rev. 
Edmund Turney, and it aimed to prepare black men for ministry and 
teaching.
  In 1879, the Augusta Theological Institute moved to the basement of 
Friendship Baptist

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Church in Atlanta and was renamed the Atlanta Baptist Seminary. In 
1885, the institution relocated to its current site in Atlanta's West 
End community. The seminary became a liberal arts college and was 
subsequently renamed the Atlanta Baptist College. During these early 
years in Morehouse history, the institution expanded its curriculum and 
established the tradition of educating leaders for all areas of life. 
In 1913, Atlanta Baptist College was renamed Morehouse College after 
the corresponding secretary of the Northern Baptist Home Mission 
Society, Henry L. Morehouse.
  Throughout its 150-year history, Morehouse College has made a 
significant mark on our state, our nation, and the world. Here, many 
notable men gained the knowledge and training that enabled them to 
become some of the greatest influencers of our time, including Dr. 
Martin Luther King, Jr.; noted theologian, Dr. Howard Thurman; civil 
rights leader, Julian Bond; filmmaker Shelton ``Spike'' Lee; Olympic 
gold medalist Edwin Moses; CEO of the Silicon Valley Community 
Foundation, Emmitt Carson; and many more.
  Morehouse principles often instill a desire for public service to 
benefit mankind. In the United States Congress, Representative Cedric 
Richmond, Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, as well as many 
staff members and former Members of Congress, hold degrees from 
Morehouse. U.S. Presidents have relied on alumni such as former 
Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson; former Secretary of Health 
and Human Services, Dr. Louis Sullivan; former Surgeon General, Dr. 
David Satcher; and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, James 
Nabrit. Around the country, state and local governments have been led 
by alumni such as Maynard H. Jackson, the first African-American mayor 
of Atlanta, Georgia.
  As a 1968 graduate of Morehouse College, this one-of-a-kind 
institution has a special place in my heart. During my matriculation, I 
got to know on a personal level the late Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, the 
most renowned President of Morehouse who was a mentor to Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr. Through him, I met Dr. King during his life, followed 
him in protest marches, and sang at his funeral, which was held on the 
campus and attended by many national and international luminaries.
  Today, under the leadership of the 11th President of Morehouse 
College, Dr. John Silvanus Wilson, Jr., also an alumnus, the school 
continues to be consistently ranked as one of the top colleges in the 
nation and among the highest respected Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities. As the nation's largest liberal arts college for men, 
Morehouse has conferred more bachelor's degrees on black men than any 
other institution in the world.
  Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing 
Morehouse College for 150 years of preparing young men to aspire to 
unique and distinctive goals while leading lives of leadership and 
service. This institution was born out of the death of slavery in 
America, it guided young black men through the era of segregation in 
the South, and it continues to empower marginalized populations against 
the oppression still prevalent in the world today. It is my hope that 
the generations of Morehouse Men of today and tomorrow will continue 
the progress and continue to leave their marks on our nation and the 
world.

                          ____________________