Two Dillard alumni have been tapped to be inducted into the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame. They are among the 2021 inductees and will be honored at the virtual induction ceremony, 5:30 p.m. CDT, September 24 during the 36th Annual NBCA Hall of Fame Weekend. Gerald K. Harris Sr. ‘77 will be inducted for his work in community service and Alden McDonald Jr., L.H.D. ‘15 will receive the Chairman’s Award.
Each year, NBCA Hall of Fame Foundation recognizes those who have received degrees from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for “significant contributions made in their respective fields.” The foundation’s aim is to promote the value of HBCUs by highlighting the accomplishments of their alumni. The foundation was established in 1986.
Harris is the founder and president of Insurance Support Systems, Inc. as well as the Windy City Dolphins Youth Football and Cheering League. He has served as executive vice president of Be Strong Stay Strong, a committee chairman of Young Executives in Politics and co-founder and treasurer of Living Colors. Harris earned his degree in accounting from Dillard in 1977.
McDonald rose to prominence as the president and chief executive officer of Liberty Bank and Trust Company. He has been highly influential in the New Orleans business community through such accomplishments as helping to establish the Black Economic Development Council, becoming chairman of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, serving as co-chair of the New Orleans Education Foundation, and becoming the first chair for Greater New Orleans, Inc. In 2001, he received The Times-Picayune’s Loving Cup; and in 2006, McDonald was named to Fortune’s “Portraits of Power” list. He received a Doctor of Humane Letters from Dillard in 2015.
Other Dillard alumni who have been inducted into the NBCA Hall of Fame include: Dr. William W. Sutton Sr. ‘53, L.L.D. ‘91 (Education, 1998); Joyce Roché ‘70, L.L.D. ‘91 (Community Service, 2009); Dr. Ruth Simmons ‘67, L.H.D. ‘96 (Lifetime Achievement, 2014); Hon. Revius O. Ortique Jr. ‘47, L.H.D. ‘06 (Lifetime Achievement, 2016); and Ellis Marsalis Jr. ‘55, Mus.D. ‘89 (Special Salute, 2020). In 2020, Dillard University National Alumni Association’s Washington, D.C. chapter received the Small Chapter of the Year Legacy of Leaders Award and Shirley Williams-Kane ‘97 received the National Alumni President of the Year Legacy of Leaders Award.
The other 2021 inductees include:
Athletics: Gregory L. Lloyd Sr. – Fort Valley State University
Business: Dr. Tyrone A. Burroughs – Benedict College
Civil Rights: Melanie L. Campbell – Clark Atlanta University
Education: Dr. Adena Williams Loston – Alcorn State University
Faith: Rev. Dr. Kevin R. Murriel – Jackson State University
Government: Retired Major General John F. Phillips – Jarvis Christian College
Law: Dorothy (Rabb) Brown Cook – Southern University and A&M College
Medicine: Dr. Alvin V. Blount Jr. – North Carolina A&T State University
Science: Dr. Valerie L. Thomas – Morgan State University
Lifetime Achievement: Dr. Lorene K. Robinson – Delaware State University
Lifetime Achievement: Dr. Anne R. Gayles-Felton– Fort Valley State University
Lifetime Achievement: Lauretta Hasty Holloway– North Carolina Central University
To register for the induction ceremony, which is free and open to the public, go to https://nbcahof.org/2021-hof-induction-ceremony/.