Howard University - Bison Yearbook (Washington, DC)

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Howard University1 VA8UINUTON 1. D. C. Omon at- TitK Pitniiikut I am happy to salute you, the members of the Classes of 196 3, on the occasion of your graduation, and to congratulate you most warmly upon your achievements which have sustained you thus far in your pursuit of knowledge. I hope, however, that as you leave the University, you will bear in mind that the process of learning is never-ending, and that your lives will be fuller and richer if you will forever cherish an inquiring mind and an enduring interest in broadening and deepening your knowledge and understanding. You are bringing to a close one phase of your formal training at a time when there is a sense and feeling of excitement and adventure in the world. Alas, there is heard also the rumble and roar of the gods of war threatening man with the possibilities of a nuclear destruction of civilization. Yet, freedom too is in the air, nation after nation emerges from the yoke of imperialism and men dream of life amidst the stars. I trust that you have learned in this part of your education something of the nature of man and his environment, something of the factors which operate to affect it materially and something of the theories and concepts underlying the swiftness of our scientific advance. I also hope that you take away with you from these hallowed walls a deep and abiding faith in and understanding of the inherent possibilities of people of all classes, races, nationalities and colors living together in peace and harmony. I am confident that you will dedicate your energies and skills to the task of removing the chains of ignorance and intolerance which bind men in many lands and climes, of encouraging and strengthening the weak and defenseless, and of causing every man to be looked upon with that inherent respect and dignity intended by his creator. Through all the years that lie ahead, and wherever you may go, you can be assured that you will be accompanied by the best wishes of your Alma Mater for a happy and useful life. •6-

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DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF E. FRANKLIN FRAZIER 1894-1962 'That man is great, and he alone. Who serves a greatness not his own. For neither praise nor pelf: Content to know and be unknown: Whole in himself. Owen Meredith, A Great Man May 17. 1962, marked the passing of Dr. Edward Franklin Frazier, professor of sociology and former head of the Department of Sociology at Howard University, and signaled the end of a brilliant career as a teacher, scholar, and author of the highest order. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 24. 1894. F.. Franklin Frazier had an outstanding school career which began at Baltimore High School, continued through Howard and Clark Universities, and culminated at the University of Chicago where he obtained his doctorate degree in Sociology in 1931. Because of his unique insight into the nature of the great social problems confronting contemporary society and his expansive knowledge of the nature of race relations. Ins talents gamed for him immediate recognition. He was awarded fellowships by the American Scandanavian Foundation to Denmark, and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation to study the Negro family in Brazil, and the West Indies. Dr. Frazier was a prodigious and indefatigable writer whose works included The Negro Family in the United States which won for him the Ainsfield Award, and the monumental Black Bourgeosie. for which not only did he gain the Maclver Lectureship but he also received worldwide acclaim. The tradition of Howard students enrolling in Sociology 198, and the presence there of a large number of visitors to this class was a strong indication of the impelling influence which Dr. Frazier exerted over his students. For it was his forthrightness and fearlessness in presenting his views on the Negro in America' w hich commanded the interest and respect of his listeners. In effect, he held up a mirror to society and thus provided it with all the means necessary for self-scrutiny and improvement. In his passing. Howard University has suffered the loss of one of its most distinguished alumni and teachers. The staff of the 1963 Bison is honored to dedicate this volume in memory of this great man. Michael Winston, president of the Liberal Arts Student Council, 1961-62. presents citation to Dr. Frazier at special program in his honor.

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Our president... In 1961, at the time of his inauguration President James M. Nabrit was called a man with a great dream and a curious problem,” both related to Howard University. After nearly three years of President's Nabrits administration we arc able to see somewhat more clearly into the nature of the man and the form of the dream. Maybe it is this that we should talk about here for neither can be separatcd--for the Man is the Dream and the path that Howard will take, the role it will play is dependent upon the courage and wisdom of the one and the greatness of the other. What then of the man? In an age where administration is become synonymous with bureaucratic nearsightedness, where organization is substituted for imagination, and where even education is no longer a creative individual pursuit but is in danger of being collectivized into a kind of mass exercise. President Nabrit is an anachronism, a throwback to an older time. We are struck by his ability to brush aside pretentiousness and posturing and to get to the essential. We have frequently been grateful for his willingness to cut through the redtape and the ritual in order that important things might be done quickly In an age of ponderous and empty platitude and ambiguous statements we have been impressed with the President’s refusal to evade issues and his readiness to speak plainly and openly. President James Madison Nabrit, Jr. He has said to us that without a commitment to freedom we arc not free; that we must affirm, use. and guard the freedoms that we have and fight for the ones that we ought to have; that we must avoid timid conformity and try for new courage, new imagination and a new integrity. Wc have said that he is not given to speaking lightly. He means these things. They are a part of the vision for this university and the kind of student it is to produce. If wc, the University, fail to support the Man and to realize this dream it is our loss. At home, the President poses with his daughter-in-law, Roberta, son James M.. Ill and his wife, Norma.