Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” The marriage of the Rev. Nelson Johnson ’86 and Joyce H. Johnson ’90 has stood the test of time, lasting for nearly 55 years. Their impactful story was featured in Essence Magazine’s January-February 2024 edition on Black Love. The Johnsons are the founders and co-executive directors of the Beloved Community Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, a community-based, grassroots organization rooted in the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of seeking racial and economic justice, democracy and a beloved community. They…

For generations of Aggies, there is one name that fully embodied the right combination of music, stage, glamour, theater, and worldwide fame. That Aggie alumna was international opera star, Margaret Tynes ‘41, who passed on March 7, 2024, at the age of 104. As far as it is known to the university archives, she was not only the eldest living alumna and the eldest Miss A&T, but possibly the last living Aggie to have attended the university before 1940. She was an international star with an incredible voice, living in Italy, and with beginnings as a little girl in America’s segregated south, her life was compared to a fairy tale…

In the fall of 1984, freshman and sophomores, Lamont Christian ‘87, Charles “Shon” Yancey ‘94, Michael Humphrey ‘87, Gerald Tharrington ‘89, Darrell McNeil ‘17, and Stephanie Simon ‘87 would embark on what we now call the greatest percussionists of all time – Cold Steel. In the December 2023 N.C. A&T Alumni Times, Bluford Library Archives reported the first official mention of Cold Steel that was in printed form in 1993. The editorial team of the N.C. A&T Alumni Times met with the original members of Cold Steel to learn more about the origin story. In the fall of 1983, Lamont Christian was a freshman at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical…

Siobahn Day Grady ‘18, Ph.D., stands on the shoulders of hidden figures – women of color who worked in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and never acknowledged for their significant contributions to society. A passionate professor, speaker, author and role model to women and girls interested in STEM education, Grady was the first woman to complete her doctoral degree in computer science at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Grady, a native of Hillsborough, North Carolina, grew up influenced by her parents’ passion for technology. In elementary school, she fell in love with mathematics and science. When she decided to attend college, she wanted to attend a historically…

On March 15, two North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alumnae, Wanda Gardiner ’87 and Victoria Revelle ’11, were honored during the CAA Tournament as Hometown Heroes. Both recipients received recognition basketballs during the 2024 women’s CAA basketball Championship at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. The CAA Hometown Heroes program recognizes individuals who have made a positive impact within their community or on the campus of a CAA institution. Over the past several years, the conference has been proud to honor members of the military, police, fire and rescue departments, teachers and many others who have provided an important service to aid people in their local…

A lifetime native of Forsyth, Georgia, David Sewell Jr. ’53 recently celebrated 70 years as an Aggie in 2023. He is 90 years young and will turn 91 in July. He attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in 1950 at the age of 16. During that time, he stayed in the new dorms called the barracks and majored in masonry. He graduated at the age of 19 and returned back to Forsyth, GA. During Sewell’s career, he served as an inspector with the Georgia Department of Agricultural General Fields Forces until his retirement. Sewell has traveled back to North Carolina A&T three times in his lifetime and loves…

For five years, the alumni chapters of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University have organized the February One Reading project to encourage children across the United States to learn about the history of the A&T Four. The book, “Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down” by Andrea Davis Pinkney has been read annually during the month of February. Durham Alumni Chapter Goldsboro Wayne Alumni Chapter Wilmington Alumni Chapter Columbus, Ohio Alumni Chapter Cleveland, Ohio Alumni Chapter Fayetteville, N.C. Alumni Chapter Twin City – Winston Salem, N.C. Alumni Chapter

The World War Memorial Stadium is the home to the North Carolina A&T baseball and softball teams today. However, as many Aggies know, the seats and fields hold a century of memories. It was home to Aggie football for over 50 years, and countless games, concerts, and performances. The stadium’s connections to N.C. A&T go back a century and comes with a surprising beginning. Following the “The Great War,” multiple cities in the United States pledged to complete structures to honor fallen soldiers. A $100,000 stadium was announced for the city of Greensboro to be completed in 1926. The World War Memorial Stadium was dedicated on November 11, 1926, the…