Charles H. Moore Legacy Society to Induct 16 Honorees on Sept. 8 

Established in 2011, the Charles H. Moore Legacy Society was created to recognize and to thank the individuals who have invested in North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s future through a planned gift. On Sept. 8, the society will induct 16 honorees who have made a commitment to the university during a ceremony at the North Carolina A&T Farm Pavilion

The legacy society is named in honor of Professor Charles H. Moore, who was instrumental in the founding of the state A&M College for Negro youth, through dedicating his time, talent, and assets to the efforts to bring the college to Greensboro, N.C. Through personal contributions and his fundraising efforts, Moore collectively secured a 25-acre site, donations of $8,000, and a bond issue of $7,000, which served as the property and funds necessary to build the first building on the site for the new land-grant college to be known as the College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts for Negro youth. In addition, he spent 13 years as Vice President of A&T College and was an invaluable member of the leadership and initial foundation of the school.   

Charles H. Moore Legacy Society members are individuals who have invested in North Carolina A&T State University’s future through a deferred gift commitment of $25,000 or more supporting the university or any of its related foundations. Members are vital partners whose generosity sustains a legacy of giving that directly impacts A&T’s success as a leading research-intensive, land-grant university. Through their thoughtful intentions, this expanding community of individuals has shown foresight and commitment to the future of the University and its students, faculty, resources, and facilities. 

Here are the 2023 Inductees of the Charles H. Moore Legacy Society: 

Dr. Wesley L. Boykin, Ph.D., M.P.H. is a magna cum laude graduate of North Carolina A&T State University.  He received an M.S. and Ph.D. in research, evaluation and statistical analysis in Educational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee as well as a post-doctoral Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has more than 30 years of successful experience as a researcher, program evaluator, strategic planner, and executive administrator in education, public health and community services in both the public and private sectors. His education, career, and research have focused on critical issues such as performance improvement and accountability, learning technology, student achievement, and psycho-social correlates of human learning and conditions of various populations. He recently retired and currently serves as a planner and organizer of Global Vision International Learning Tours to Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America with AARCO Travel. These learning experiences are rooted in the teachings of the late Dr. Asa Grant Hilliard and attempts to enhance communities by connecting people of different backgrounds.  

Margaret L. Champion was born on November 23, 1949, in Jacksonville, Florida.  She graduated from William M. Raines High School in 1967.  She continued her studies at Massey Business College, Jacksonville, Florida in 1969.  She served as a supervisor at Independent Life Insurance Company from 1974 until 1984.  Counts served as an administrative assistant at the University of Central Florida from 2002 until her retirement in 2016.  Counts is married to Clarence W. Counts, Jr., and they have two children and three grandchildren.  Mrs. Counts says that her passion for giving stems from the great support that her husband and fellow Charles H. Moore Legacy Society member, Clarence Counts received from North Carolina A&T.  She stated that the education that he was afforded from A&T allowed him to support his family, so she was inspired to give to pay it forward. 

Angela D. Eaddy is a 1990 Summa Cum Laude graduate of North Carolina A&T State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications. She has over 25 years of federal service with the U. S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, Illinois. While in Chicago, Angela was a member of the Chicago Alumni Chapter. She is currently a member of the North Carolina A&T Washington, D.C. Alumni Chapter, where she is a member of the Scholarship Committee and has previously served as the chapter’s Correspondence Secretary.  She is also a member of the Washington, D.C. Aggie Athletic Foundation, where she previously served as Secretary and as a member of the Dr. James R. Lanier DC Aggie Golf Classic committee.  She is a native of Scranton, S.C. and a 1986 graduate of Lake City High School. As a proud Aggie Alumna, Angela has established the Angela D. Eaddy Endowed Scholarship and appreciates this opportunity to establish a legacy gift for future generations of Aggies.   

Col. William Gore (Ret) graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with a BS in Agricultural Education. He later received a Master of Divinity from Hood Theological Seminary. He worked for RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company from 1968-1993. He married Elnora Gore in 1965 and she graduated from St. Augustine’s College in 1968 with a BA in Elementary Education and received a Master’s Degree in 1977 from North Carolina A&T State University.  Mrs. Gore is a retired educator from Davie County Schools.  The Gores believe that giving is important because they were fortunate to receive scholarship support for their education and they wanted to pay it forward through qualified charitable distributions from their Individualized Retirement Accounts. 

Lisa Diane Hopson (posthumously) was born June 24, 1968, in Durham County, N.C. to the late Jesse Hopson and Lillian Sheridan Hopson. Ms. Hopson passed away on May 16, 2022.  Lisa Hopson graduated from Chapel Hill Senior High School. She always wanted to be a nurse and after high school graduation, she moved to Greensboro, N.C. to attend North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Lisa was a nurse for over 27 years. She was employed as a nephrology nurse for over 16 years. She moved back to Chapel Hill in 2007 to care for her father.  She was compassionate, dedicated, and committed to her patients and friends.  She was a member of Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Inc. According to her dear friend Anneka Perry, “Lisa’s passion [for giving] came from growing up not having anything, but being able to give as much as she could when she was able to.”  

Stephanie Woodland Kelly is originally from Landover, Maryland but has called Clinton, MD her home for the past 27 years. She is a first-generation college graduate; specifically, a 1990 graduate of North Carolina A&T State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. She attended A&T after an interaction with Dr. Quiester Craig, the former Dean of the School of Business & Economics. She began her career at Mobil Oil Corporation which ultimately merged with Exxon Corporation to form ExxonMobil. During that time, she met and married Brian Kelly. After 15 years in corporate accounting, she transitioned to the not-for-profit sector and since 2007, has been the controller for a large, Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Va. Brian is a graduate of Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Engineering Technology. He completed his MBA at Johns Hopkins University. He began his career at Mobil Oil Corporation and held a number of jobs in the corporate sector. Currently, he is the President & CEO of Kellys IT Solutions, Incorporated, an IT Consulting firm specializing in IT Security. The Kellys recognize the significance of largesse and the role that philanthropy plays in creating a harmonious and productive society. Its influence cannot be overstated as it has the power and potential to influence lasting societal change. They feel compelled to be a part of that change. 

Charles A. Luther received a B.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering from the North Carolina A&T State University in 1960, and a M.S. Degree in Engineering Administration from the George Washington University in 1972. He began his career as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force, stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WP-AFB) in Dayton, Ohio. He did a three-year assignment as Engineering Project Officer, developing flight simulators. In 1972, he served as the Scientific Program Officer at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in Arlington, Va. He led ONR’s basis research programs in sea ice microwave remote sensing. While at ONR, he was instrumental in establishing the first major program among Federal Agencies for involving Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the conduct of research supported by these agencies. He directed the ONR program for many years, providing hands on advice and guidance to HBCUs to facilitate their transition from primary teaching institutions to the conduct of basic research as well.  In addition, he is recognized internationally for his long involvement with sea ice remote sensing, and his planning, management, and participation in the conduct of multi-agency and multinational sea ice remote sensing research programs, both in the laboratory and in the field using Synthetic Aperture Radar, active and passive microwave techniques.  

Ernest A. McCoy Jr. graduated from North Carolina A&T State University in 1964 from the College of Arts and Sciences.  He is a licensed clinical social worker by trade and his expertise is in Cognitive Behavioral Strategies. HE retired in February 2021, and he previously worked as a Counselor and Assistant Dean at Guilford College. He is passionate about supporting the North Carolina A&T Marching Band and he enjoys swimming and traveling as hobbies.  

Major General Hawthorne L. “Peet” Proctor retired from the Army after over 34 years of service in 2004.  Upon completion of his studies at North Carolina A&T State University in 1968 as a Distinguished Military Graduate, he entered the Army in 1969 as a Second Lieutenant. As a company grade officer, he served in a variety of units as a Platoon Leader, Company Commander and as a Logistics Staff Officer including service in Vietnam, Thailand and with the 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.  Following his first of his three assignments at Schofield Barracks, he was assigned to the Defense Industrial Supply Center as the Chief, Production Management Branch. Upon promotion to Major, MG Proctor attended the Army’s Command and General Staff College prior to being assigned to the Republic of South Korea as a Logistics Staff Officer.  He was then assigned to the Department of the Army’s Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics and upon promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, he was reassigned to Schofield Barracks to command the 25th Supply and Transport Battalion. After command of the battalion, he was assigned as a student at the US Army War College.  He went on to serve as a Division Chief at the US Army Quartermaster School and the US Army Military Personnel Command before being reassigned for his third tour of duty at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii to command the 45th Corps Support Group. He is married to the former Faith Blackburne of Queens, NY.  They both enjoy golf and performing community service as members of the NAACP.  

Janeen Uzzell is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the largest Black STEM community impacting society and industry. She also serves as an advisor for the White House HBCU Initiative where she was appointed by President Biden in 2022.  In her former role as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the Wikimedia Foundation, which operates Wikipedia, she drove process improvement and helped launch the Wikimedia Knowledge Equity Fund to address racial inequities in free knowledge. For nearly two decades, she held various roles at General Electric (GE), working in healthcare technologies in some of the world’s most challenging environments. As the head of Women in Technology, she accelerated the number of women in technical roles. Her previous roles at GE included Global Director of External Affairs and Technology Programs, Director of Healthcare Programs at GE Africa (where Janeen lived for several years as an Ex-Pat in Accra, Ghana), Director of Global Healthcare Programs, Director of Healthcare Disparity Programs, and Director of Service Operations. She is a recipient of numerous awards, including the United Nations Global Leadership Award and one of ADWEEK’s Top Black Women Trailblazers in Tech. She received her Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from North Carolina A&T State University, and an MBA in International Business from Fairleigh Dickinson University.  A thought leader, a voice of influence, and a source for good, Janeen fuses her passion for social justice and her leadership to shine light on inequality in tech spaces and forge opportunities for others. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis and spending time with her family and friends in Washington, D.C.  

Edward Wells (posthumously) is a native Washingtonian and graduated from North Carolina A&T State University in 1956 with a degree in Business Administration.  He also attended Columbia University where he earned his Master of Arts degree. In 1956, Wells was the first recipient of the Jack Gibson Memorial Award, an honor for the most outstanding athlete of the year as voted by all active A&T athletes. He continued his belief in the team concept at A&T and was honored for his contribution to the basketball team and to the university with induction into the Sports Hall of Fame in 1997. His gratitude to his alma mater and his interest in the education of young people led him to join the Aggie Heritage Friends (now defunct), which was organized in 1992 to promote interest in the university’s planned giving program and to honor planned gift benefactors.  Thus, in 1999, he established the Edward Wells Memorial Scholarship Fund to assist deserving students in their educational endeavors.  This fund administered by the university became active upon the death of Edward Wells on June 20, 2020. 

Rev. Dr. John L. Williams, originally from Greenwood, S.C., now resides in Florence, SC. He is a graduate of North Carolina A&T University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering. He also completed a Master’s in Business Administration from Webster University and Doctorate of Ministry (D.Min.) from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He is an Army Veteran of (Operation Desert Storm). His wife, Elnita Williams is an educator and instructor with assignments in public schools and technical colleges in South Carolina and North Carolina. Mrs. Williams did post graduate studies at Clemson University, in addition, to completing a Master of Education degree in Counseling. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Furman University. She authored the book; entitled; “I’m First Lady, Now What?” which examines issues that pastor’s wives encounter, especially during their first five years as First Lady. Dr. Williams and Elnita value education and continue to serve the church and community by giving through two Endowed Scholarships at Piedmont Technical College in Greenwood, S.C. and the Dr. John L. and Elnita L. Williams Endowed Engineering Scholarship at N.C. A&T. They enjoy mentoring the leaders of tomorrow and encouraging them to fulfill their purpose with their God-given talent.