Lane Faculty and Staff Members
Receive National Honors

Dr. Unoma Azuah, Instructor of English at Lane College, is this year’s winner of the National Black Book Award as the nation’s best African-born writer for his novel, Sky-High Flames. During its annual meeting in Denver last month, judges declared Azuah’s novel as the best from a field of over 180 entrants. Book submissions and contributions to the field of literary arts went through a strict and grueling review process. Dr. Azuah will be formally recognized and honored in the February 2006 issue of the newsweekly Urban Spectrum.


Mrs. Clara Hewitt, Director of the Lane College TRIO program, received the Rocking Chair award from Cracker Barrel Industries during the regional TRIO conference that was held in Greensboro, North Carolina earlier this month. Mrs. Hewitt was one of only three persons in the nation to receive this reward in recognition of her 40 years of service to TRIO, a federal program designed to serve low-income, first-generation college students.

Christmas Concert Attracts More than 1,700
Archival Room Dedicated to Cooke

The Lane College Concert Choir and Wind/Brass Ensemble ushered in the holiday season during their Annual Christmas Concerts on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, December 1, 2, and 3, respectively.



On all three nights, more than 1,700 people listened with excitement as the 56-member choir, under the outstanding direction of Mr. Allen Franklin Todd, II, and the 25-member ensemble, under the dynamic direction of Mr. William Henry Harrison, shared their unique renditions of traditional and contemporary Christmas music.“This is an event that the entire Jackson community looks forward to,” said Board of Trustees member Dr. Melvin Wright. “This is a great tradition for the Christmas season.”

Local businesswoman Beverly Shaw, and husband, Earl, brought their children, Earl, III and Chandler to the event. “We are looking forward to hearing great singing and music to really get us in the Christmas spirit,” said Shaw prior to the concert. She and her family have been coming to the concert for years and arrived 30-minutes early on Saturday night in order to get a plum seat.

A beautifully decorated auditorium set the mood for the musical performances, which have become a rite of Christmas for thousands of Jacksonians over the years.

“The choir and musical directors are to be commended for the variety and breadth of their repertoire,” said Lane President, Dr. Wesley Cornelious McClure, who attended the concerts all three nights. “Because of the outstanding presentations by the choir and ensemble, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to determine which rendition I enjoyed the best. I especially enjoyed Hosanna and Mighty God,” McClure added. Other selections included the ever popular, Angels We Have Heard On High, O Come All Ye Faithful, This Christmas, Hallelujah Chorus (From The Messiah), Silent Night, What Child Is This, Joy To The World, and O Come All Ye Faithful. The beautiful Christmas décor of the auditorium complemented the concert attire… brilliant black gowns for the ladies and superb black tuxedos for the gentlemen. Vocal soloists for the concerts included soprano Krystal Reaves, alto Sherinee Johnson, and tenor Marvin Thompson.

Immediately after the Saturday night concert, the college held the official dedication of the Dr. Anna Lee Cooke Archives Room. This suite of rooms, which will hold all of the historic documents of the college, is dedicated to Dr. Cooke in honor and recognition of the substantial and significant contributions that she has made to Lane College and to the entire Jackson, Tennessee community. Dr. Cooke, a 1944 graduate of Lane, served the college well during her 25 year tenure as an assistant and head librarian, Director of Alumni Affairs and Public Relations, and Editor of the Lane College Reporter. She was also instrumental in expanding the Lane College Negro Heritage Collection. As an author, Dr. Cooke has chronicled the history of Lane College through the 1987 publication of her book, Lane College: Its Heritage and Outreach 1882-1982. Because of her rich and unique sense of history of Lane College, Dr. Cooke was selected as the inaugural speaker for the annual Jennie E. Lane Lecture Series that was launched on the campus in 1993.

At the beginning of the dedication ceremony, President McClure set the tone by stating that “Dr. Cooke has distinguished herself like no other alumnus of this college. She has single-handedly preserved the history of Lane College, and has passed the torch of its heritage and the dreams and realizations of its founder to a new generation of students. For this, all of us who are members of the Lane College family are rightfully proud and eternally grateful”.

During the dedication ceremony, Mrs. Clara Hewitt, Director of the TRIO programs at Lane, and City of Jackson, Tennessee Councilman, Attorney Ernest Brooks, II, read proclamations from Lane College and the City of Jackson, respectively, honoring the outstanding deeds of Dr. Cooke, and declaring Saturday, December 3 as Dr. Anna Lee Cooke Day in Jackson, Tennessee. Also, tributes and floral bouquets were presented to Dr. Cooke by her daughter, Mrs. Elsie Cooke Holmes; Mrs. Rosie Cobb of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; Mrs. Velma Wilson of The Links, Inc., and Messrs. Stephen Brooks, II and Blake Tyler Brooks.

Dr. Cooke responded to the accolades given to her by stating “of all the honors given to me, this one is the most precious. I love Lane College, and I am deeply humbled by the affection shown to me tonight.”

Lane College Forensics Science Class visits TBI Crime Lab

Last week, criminal justice students enrolled in Forensics Science at Lane College visited the new Tennessee Bureau of Investigation state-of-the-art crime laboratory in Nashville. These students, under the instruction of Dr. Patrick Banwine, were personally led on a three-hour guided tour of the facility by Regional Director Richard Moore, and Quality Assurance Manager, Dr. Sharon Horton-Jenkins. Following the tour, class members participated in a 30-minute question and answer session in the Director’s Executive Conference room, at which time many thought-provoking questions were asked and answered. As a result of the positive scholastic and mannerly impressions that the students displayed, they were encouraged by the TBI staffers to apply for employment as the earliest possible time.

According to Dr. Banwine, “experiences of this kind are vital to the furtherance of these young people’s dreams. Participating in a site visit, speaking directly with the movers and shakers of the crime lab, and witnessing the actual workings of the crime lab staff will provide a greater insight among my students toward the workings of their future careers.”

Lane featured Fastest-Growing College in Tennessee

In the September issue of EBONY magazine, Lane College is featured as the fastest-growing college or university in the State of Tennessee, and described as an institution of traditional values and enabler of the unleashing of students’ Power of Potential in the New South. The college is prominently featured in a five page spread, replete with pictures of the campus, administrators, faculty, and students.

To be selected for a feature story by EBONY magazine, one of the top echelon magazines in this nation, is a unique and special honor for Lane College. This proves that Lane College and its brand, The Power of Potential, is gaining momentum, growing in stature, and gaining the attention of persons across this nation”, said Lane’s President Dr. Wesley Cornelious McClure.

During the past academic year, Lane has been the host of a number of national figures, most notably U.S. Representatives John Lewis (D-GA) and Harold Ford, Jr. (D-TN); Rev. Dr. Samuel Billy Kyles, the last person to be with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the last hour of his life; Linda Brown Thompson, the subject of the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas; U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist; and political strategist Donna Brazile. Additionally, Lane was selected as the Tom Joyner Foundation HBCU School of the Month for November 2004; rated #2 in the nation in graduation rates by U.S. News and World Report magazine; rated by Consumers Digest as the third Best Value Private College or University in the nation; listed in the Princeton Review as one of the top 100 colleges in the Southeastern United States; selected by USA Today as the recipient of the NCAA Academic Achievement Award; and winner of the Southern Inter-collegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Basketball championship.

“With a 26% increase in our enrollment within the last 2 years…not 4 years; with a student population in which male students exceed females…no other school in Tennessee can duplicate that fact…the future of Lane College is bright well into the 22nd century. We are pleased with what we do, and we are humbled to have the caliber of students that allow us to pursue our passion for teaching”, added McClure.

Press Release

Sounds of glee, friendly hugs, and hopeful words of grand expectations were given and received by students, faculty, and the administration of Lane College as a record number of students descended on the campus for the start of the 2005-’06 academic school year. Twelve hundred students have registered and chosen Lane as their college of choice for the ensuing year. This total enrollment represents a 14% increase from the record levels achieved in the 2004-’05 academic year, and an unprecedented and astounding 75.6% increase from the 2001 cohort year. No other private or public college or university in the nation can match these tremendous numbers!

In the first chapel/assembly program of the new school year held on Wednesday August 24, President Wesley Cornelious McClure enthusiastically welcomed all new and returning students, and reminded them of their purpose at Lane. “You are here to learn and to find your place in society. Many sacrifices have been made by your family to get you to this day. To honor them and invest in yourselves, your focus should be on going to class, learning as much as you can, honoring women, respecting your elders, serving your community, and graduating on time. You are not here to party! You will have plenty of time to party later. Party in Paris, cajole in Copenhagen, revel in Rio, frolic in Frankfurt, but learn at Lane”, McClure said to thunderous applause.On the heels of this tremendous growth in student enrollment is the recent news that Lane College has, for the second consecutive year, been selected by The Princeton Review as one of the best colleges in the Southeast. Lists of the top 20 ranking colleges in 64 categories are in the latest edition of The Princeton Review's annual college guide, "The Best 357 Colleges". The Princeton Review is a New York City-based company known for its test prep courses, education services, and books. It has conducted the survey since 1992, when it first published its annual "Best Colleges", the only guide offering college rankings based on student ratings of their schools and reports of their experiences at them. All of the schools in this book are academically outstanding. The Review reports ranking lists in many categories to help college applicants and their parents decide which college is best for them. The college will convene its Fall Convocation, which traditionally recognizes the official beginning of the new school year, on Wednesday, September 7 at 10:30 a.m. in the J.F. Lane Health and Recreational Complex. The public is cordially invited to attend, and is asked to be seated no later than 10:20 a.m.