By Doni Glover, Publisher
(BALTIMORE – September 27, 2023) – First and foremost, thank God for tonight’s Coppin State University Alumni TOWN HALL. It was both in-person at Coppin’s new Health and Human Services Building on the south side of North Avenue and it was virtual. A litany of topics were covered. To say the least, as the moderator – it was simply beautiful to witness first-hand the very strong, multigenerational Coppin pride, love, and admiration on the faces of the beautiful people in the room.
Each and every one of these alumni has a story. It’s not your story. It’s not mine. It’s their story – the story of how they came to Coppin. Having spent much of my childhood in this very neighborhood, I have met a lot of folks who have attended this institution named after Fannie Jackson Coppin. She was a woman who insisted that we gain the wealth of higher education. And to say the least, her mission continues today.
Coppin is so much larger than when I was a child. Many of us have seen the campus expand from Gwynns Falls to Baker Street. People once lived there. Today, it is a sprawling campus in wonderful West Baltimore with Walbrook Mills Apartments just to the west in the 2600 block of West North Avenue.
Toward Pennsylvania Avenue, Citywide Youth Development has built a $3+ million factors, home of Made iN Bmore Apparel and Frozen Desert Sorbet which is sold at Camden Yards.
The campus and the surrounding communities are growing. Despite a lot of foolishness constantly painted about our communities, I can truly say that Coppin is and always has been a beacon of hope in this part of the Westside. For many of us, Coppin was that second chance. It was that opportunity that some of us really needed. Further, a lot of us older students – I was 28 – found Coppin to be warming and welcoming to the soul.
That’s what Coppin will always be special to me: T’was that very special place that provided me with the unique opportunity to be a part of a most sacred community at a time when I needed it most in my life.
Tonight, Mrs. Peaches Camphor showed up in the room, as always. She was married to Mr. Winkey Camphor, the Coppin star basketball player. While he now has his wings, that woman continues to represent that Coppin spirit like no other. Many of us recall how they walked the Coppin State campus and we’d pause and smile. We knew we were witnessing that one couple that truly adores Coppin to the hills.
That is what the Coppin Alumni Town Hall was about tonight. It was an ever-pleasant reminder of the spirit, the greatness, and the Black Excellence that was so bountifully instilled into our souls at Coppin. Dr. Guilbert Daley. Dr. Judith Wilner. Dr. Robert Cataliotti. Prof. Ronn Nichols. Dr. Neverdon-Morton. Dr. Halsey. Dr. Calvin Burnett. Dean TJ Bryan. Prof. Ron Collins. Dr. Clayton McNeil. Coach Fang Mitchell. Dr. Amini Quartz. Dr. Mary Wanza. Dr. Barney Wilson. These and so many other esteemed Coppin professors poured platinum-plated purpose into our very beings and it still runs deep like a river. They tested our mettle and strengthened our resolve. They prepared us all for something more. They challenged our character. And today, so many Coppin alumni – even if they went there briefly – know just like I do … that Coppin is home!
As one alumni star basketball player, Gary Barnes, said tonight, “I’m a leader!”
If you went to Coppin, more than likely that applies to you, too.
Listen, the Coppin State University Alumni Association needs all Coppinites to please visit the alumni page
and sign up to be a part: https://www.coppin.edu/alumni.
Kevin Carr is the new president; his email is kcarr@coppin.edu.
Sign up for the email newsletter here.
Also, follow the alumni association on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CSUAlumniAssociation
And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/csualums/
