UNC system committee: Raise tuition by average of 8.8 percent

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Chapel Hill, N.C. — A University of North Carolina Board of Governors committee on Thursday recommended raising tuition and fees at all campuses by an average of 8.8 percent. The full board will vote Friday, and then it will go before lawmakers.

The Budget and Finance Committee agreed with UNC President Tom Ross’ recommendation to raise tuition and fees by more than $400 on average for the 2012-13 school year.

“Our board is struggling. We are all struggling with this decision,” Ross said.

Student groups from across the state are planning to march Friday, just before the Board of Governors votes on the proposed increases.

“This has not been an easy process at all,” said board chairwoman Hannah Gage. “As I said, we’ve got members of our board that wanted zero percent. We’ve got members of our board that thought the market should drive and it should go as high as possible.”

The cost increases Ross recommended are well below what some campus leaders said they needed and will make up just 17 percent of the $414 million cut by state legislators last year.

The budget cut forced the 16 university campuses and the School of Science and Math in Durham to drop more than 3,000 employees, cut library hours at Appalachian State University and UNC-Wilmington and prevent hundreds of North Carolina Central University students from enrolling in general education math courses, according to a UNC system report.

Undergraduate North Carolina resident students pay an average tuition and fees of $5,294 a year, not including books and living expenses. It is higher at the system’s two flagship schools, with UNC-Chapel Hill students paying $6,823 and North Carolina State University charging $6,964.

The bills would increase by 4.3 percent, or $199, next year at UNC-Pembroke. At the high end, costs would rise by 9.9 percent at UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Asheville, Winston-Salem State University, Western Carolina University and the UNC School of the Arts. That means tuition increases ranging from $447 at WSSU to $676 at UNC-Chapel Hill. Referenced from WRAL.COM

Man charged with rape for incident on Alabama A&M campus

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An 18-year-old male has been release from jail following his arrest for sexual assault by Alabama A&M University police.

Jefferson Le’Frank Chandler was booked into the Madison County Jail at 10:20 p.m. Wednesday. He has been charged with first-degree rape, according to jail records.

The alleged incident took place on the Alabama A&M campus, according to school officials. Campus police took Chandler into custody, according to jail records.

Chandler has been released on a $10,000 bond. Referenced from aL.com

The Gamma Delta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Makes A Heroic Return to Johnson C. Smith

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What would the yard be like without those pretty girls who rock 20 pearls? Well, that’s the question the campus of Johnson C. Smith University has been asking , while getting accustomed to the Gamma Delta chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. not being on the yard for almost five years.

All that changed recently, as the campus welcomed back Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Balloons soaring, crowds screaming, people cheering, tears flying, all these actions were taken place on December 1, 2011 in Brayboy Gymnasium, as we shared in part of the probate for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

With the sorority being gone since 2007 and year after year went by with no line brought out, the campus went into a place where “we may not even have any A.K.A’s,” said eager students who will remain a secret because they planned to pledge in the near future.

So what did the sorority plan to do on the campus of Johnson C. Smith University, which has become new ground for the AKA’s? “With the “heroic return” of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc, Johnson C. Smith University will be seeing creativity, great programs, dedication, leadership and a sorority that is full of intelligent, driven women who serve all mankind,” explained Hanoi Darden, President of the Gamma Delta chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.

As chapter president, Ms. Darden stated: “Being president, I want nothing but the best for my sorority. Because we were not on the yard for so long, I wanted us to be supreme in all that we do and make our mark on this campus,”.

The sorority seems to be exploring new measure on the campus and showing why these lovely ladies run the yard. Johnson C. Smith University welcomes back the Gamma Delta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.

VIDEO: Alcorn State University vs. Jackson State University, SWAC Basketball Matchup 2/9/12

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The Alcorn State Men’s Basketball team rolls to victory over Jackson State, 57-46. The Braves Women’s team couldn’t complete the sweep, as they fell to Jackson State by the score of 76-55.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuZImOM580A&w=610&h=443]

SIAC Player Spotlight- Sammeika Thomas of Miles College: Supermom

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What if as a senior in college, you had the responsibility of being a full-time student-athlete as well as a single-parent of two while also maintaining a job to support yourself and two kids? For most, this would probably seem like an impossible scenario, but for Miles College senior forward Sammeika Thomas this is a reality and one that she handles like a champion.

Currently the reigning SIAC Player of the Year and the conference’s leading rebounder thus far this season (9.8 rpg), Thomas had her first child at the age of 20.  The full-time Early Childhood Education student and security screener at the Birmingham Airport is a single mom to not only her 4-year-old son, Glen, but to Sa’Naiya as well, who turned three on February 4th.

How does she balance these core responsibilities?  Creating new life caused her non-stop schedule and is now what influences her to keep it up.

“If I didn’t have kids, I would never work, play ball, and be a full-time student,” Thomas said.  However she also states, “My kids are happy and I never wake up and hate what I do.”

Waking up at 7:00 a.m., getting Glen, or “Lil’ G”, to pre-school, and trying to find a sitter for Sa’Naiya before her 10:00 a.m. class is now routine.  She feels motherhood influenced her new world views, from campus life to her teammates.

Despite being a Birmingham, AL native, initially stepping foot on Miles’ campus was a bit of a culture shock for Thomas, who played at Rutgers University prior to joining the Lady Golden Bears as a junior.  She compared the culture of the two schools as students who seemed focused on education and not necessarily their dress versus students who seemed to make their daily fashion a priority– Miles representing the latter.

“What are their intentions?” she remembers thinking.  As a mother, she couldn’t grasp the message of their dress code, at least not at first.  “But since I’ve been here, I’ve learned that the kids are really smart…You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

Thomas experienced differences athletically too.  She’d learn to play a more well-rounded game rather than trying to beef up a single statistical category.

“I prefer to be statistically even,” she said, “[Miles] wanted me to dominate offensively, but I’ve been taught to do what you can across the board.”  She also mentioned the level of knowledge differed as she expected players to execute fundamental moves, like setting screens or boxing out, without explicitly being instructed to do so.

“At first, I didn’t talk to nobody on my team,” she said it seemed her team thought she was arrogant as the new 6’2’’ forward coming from a major Division I program. “Now, they know what type of person I am, so they look up to me.”  And while she’s out on the court, two little babies are also looking up to her.

Thomas sets positive examples for her children to follow.  Glen loves sports and Sa’Naiya imitates everything her mom does.  “I try to do stuff for them to remember that’s positive, both in performance and the way I carry myself during games,” she said.  Displaying upbeat and encouraging images for her children is because she feels she can’t tell them to do something if she didn’t.  “I can’t tell them to finish school if I don’t do it,” she said as she recalled her experiences with her own mother.  “My mom couldn’t help me with the recruiting process, she was just happy that I got the opportunity.  I want to be able to give my children insight about college.”

Her two bundles also taught her that you can’t always take advantage of things. She describes being around her teammates, who are mostly in their early 20’s, as a way to relive that age.  “I was a mom of two when I was their age, so there are certain things they do that I don’t understand and can’t see myself doing,” but on the other hand she finished with, “God does everything for a reason.  My early 20’s were taken away, but I still get to see them (teammates) live through them.”

Thomas’ name is prominent among the SIAC’s statistical leaders again this season, maintaining her “statistically even” teachings.  In addition to leading the conference in rebounds, she ranks fourth in the SIAC in blocks (2.2 bpg), ninth in scoring (12.4 ppg), eleventh in assists (2.4 apg), and sixth in free throw percentage (.754).  She also ranks seventh in offensive rebounds, averaging 2.8 per contest, while averaging a league-leading 6.9 defensive rebounds per game.  Thomas, who was named SIAC Player of the Week three times as a junior, has received the same honor twice this season.

“I’d like for us to win the SIAC Championship game and repeat my player of the year award,” she said, expressing her season-ending goals.  After playing since the seventh grade, she will exit the court this year.  She’s always wanted to teach and coaching could possibly segue into it.  Until then, she continues to tackle responsibilities in every facet of her life, especially maternally.

“Do not let your circumstances stop you from doing whatever it is that you want to do in life,” she said of single motherhood.  Besides, Glen and Sa’Naiya didn’t prevent Thomas’ from finishing school or even playing basketball, they facilitated her successes

Tennesse State Upsets Murray State in 72-68 Thriller

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Robert Covington had 17 points and eight rebounds to lead Tennessee State to a 72-68 victory over No. 9 Murray State on Thursday night, handing the Racers their first loss of the season.

Tennessee State basketbal players celebrate their upset over Murray State. (Lance Dennee/AP Photo)

Isaiah Canaan had 31 points and six rebounds for Murray State (23-1, 11-1 Ohio Valley Conference), which was the last unbeaten team in Division I.

Murray State has won the last eight meetings against Tennessee State (16-10, 9-4) dating to 2008-09.

Covington hit a 3-pointer with 4 minutes left that gave Tennessee State a 65-62 lead.

The Tigers led 69-68 when a turnover gave Murray State the ball with 11.2 seconds to play. Tennessee State stole the inbounds pass. Covington was fouled with 9.7 seconds left but he missed both free throws.

Canaan turned the ball over and committed a foul with 3.5 seconds to play. Kenny Mooremade two free throws to make it a three-point lead.

Murray State again turned the ball over on a long inbounds pass and Jordan Cyphers made one of two free throws to seal the upset.

Courtesy of ESPN

White Students Are Becoming More Drawn to Attend HBCUs

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Michael Roberts has done more than study finance at historically black Benedict College. He’s played football for the college, joined a fraternity and proposed to his girlfriend.

Pretty typical, except that Roberts is one of the few whites who attend one of the nation’s traditionally black colleges. “When I tell people I attend Benedict, they comment, ’Well, you’re not black,”’ Roberts said. “But it’s still a school, I’m still getting an education. You don’t have to be black to attend.”

Michael Roberts poses next to Benedict College founder Bathsmeba Benedict. (Mary Ann Chastain/AP)

Officials for the nation’s historically black schools say Roberts’ experience is not that unusual. White students are being actively recruited, and attracting them has become easier for a variety of reasons, including the offer of scholarships and lower tuitions than those paid at non-black schools.

Private, historically black schools cost an average of $10,000 less per year than their traditionally white counterparts, according to the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education.

‘Increasingly black and brown world’ The head of the association says lower costs are not the only thing the schools have to offer. Whites who attend the schools are preparing for an “increasingly black and brown world,” said Lezli Baskerville, the association’s president and CEO.

“If you want to know how to live in one, you can’t grow up in an all-white neighborhood, go to a predominantly white school, white cultural and social events, go to a predominantly white university and then thrive in a world that is today more black, more brown than before,” Baskerville said.

White students say they’ve taken valuable experiences from their time at black colleges. Skin color, the students say, is much more of a factor away from the campuses than it is on them.

“You should get to know people based on who they are,” Roberts said. “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

Read more at MSNBC

Myrlie Evers-Williams Named Scholar-in-Residence at Alcorn State University

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Alcorn State University in Mississippi announced that Myrlie Evers-Williams will be appointed scholar-in-residence at the university later this month.

Evers-Williams is a native of Vicksburg, Mississippi. She enrolled at Alcorn State in 1950. On the first day there she met her future husband, Medgar Evers. The couple married a year later. Medgar became the Mississippi state field director of the NAACP and was one of the leaders of the civil rights movement in the South. In 1963, he was gunned down by an assassin in the driveway of his home.

Myrlie Evers-Williams fought for 30 years and went through three trials to finally bring her husband’s murderer to justice. During this period she earned a bachelor’s degree at Pomona College in California, twice ran for Congress, and was co-founder of the National Women’s Political Caucus.

At Alcorn State, Evers-Williams will teach in the department of social sciences and develop a research center focused on social justice and civic engagement. She will also work on organizing her papers for donation to the university’s archives.

“My relationship with Alcorn State University is at the core of who I am,” Evers-Williams said. “I met and married my husband on the Alcorn campus. It means so much to me now to be able to continue our work.”

Courtesy of JBHE

Jennifer Holliday, Ruben Studdard to Sing at HBCU Baseball Tournament

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Jennifer Holliday and Ruben Studdard will be part of the proceedings at Minute Maid Park on Feb. 18 as part of the fifth annual Urban Invitational, a round-robin baseball tournament designed to give better exposure to players at historically black colleges and universities.

Studdard, who earned fame by winning the second season of American Idol, and Holliday, who has won Grammy and Tony Awards for her work in the stage play Dreamgirls, will sing pregame anthems that will be carried live on MLB.com and MLB Network.

Studdard, who attended Alabama A&M, will sing the national anthem before the 4 p.m. ET game between UC-Irvine and Alabama State. Holliday will perform “America the Beautiful” before the 8 p.m. ET game between her alma mater, Texas Southern, and Prairie View A&M.

Major League Baseball and the Astros will also host a “battle of the bands” between Texas Southern’s “Ocean of Soul” and Prairie View A&M’s “Marching Storm” at 7 p.m. ET.

The Urban Invitational will be held in Houston for the first time this year, and it will begin and conclude at the Urban Youth Academy’s facility at Sylvester Turner Park from Feb. 17-19. Grambling State and Southern will be the other two schools featured in the tourney.

Access to games at Sylvester Turner Park will be available on game day for a suggested $5 donation, and tickets to the events at Minute Maid Park will be made available to the general public for $5. Parking at Minute Maid Park is also available for $5.

All proceeds from donations at the Academy will benefit the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Foundation, a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation. There are also Urban Youth Academy facilities in Puerto Rico and Compton, Calif., with another expected to open soon in New Orleans.

Courtesy of MLB

Grambling State drops three straight after losing to Alcorn 57-55

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“We beat our selves every single time,” said Tigers head coach Bobby Washington.

After failing to convert on an alley oop at the buzzer Monday night, the Grambling State (3-18, 3-8 SWAC) Tigers dropped their third straight game in a 57-55 loss to Alcorn State (7-16, 4-7 SWAC), despite getting double-digits from three players other than Quincy Roberts.

GSU has been on a swoon recently. The Tigers lost their first of three games on Jan, 28.  In a matchup against Mississippi Valley, the Tigers shot 36.8 percent and were out rebounded by 12 as they suffered a 77-59 loss at Harrison Complex in Itta Bena, MS.

That gamed was followed by the inaugural Bayou Classic on the Hardwood, where the Jaguars erased a 16 point first half deficit and Jameel Grace scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half for Southern to defeat Grambling State 57-53 in the Hobdy Arena.

The teams in the SWAC have been more intense on the defensive end to slow down Roberts and their strategy has been quite successful. In the first half of SWAC play Roberts averaged 27 points, but in the midst of the losing streak Roberts’ average has dropped 10 points.

Roberts, SWACs leading scorer, stated, “In the first half they played me man to man, so I was able to get to my own shot and create, but in the second half they played more of a face guard zone so it’s was really hard to get my shot off.”

Roberts scored 28 points against Southern on Saturday night, 21 coming in the first half and only eight in the second. His shooting slump carried over in the Tigers ensuing game as he tallied only one point in the first half and finished with nine, his career low since joining the SWAC.

Coach Washington stressed that although the team consisted of six walk ons and four scholarship players someone needs to step up and help Roberts out.

“The word is out that Quincy Roberts is the best player in the SWAC, everybody knows it,” said coach Washington. “It’s no secret. They are running two or three guys at him and they’re saying you know what don’t let him beat us because no one else on the floor can beat us.”

He also said that they are certain things that need to be done in order to be an integral part of men’s basketball and one of those things is a to get a bigger budget for recruiting.  He feels that more funding will result in possible solutions in overcoming their offensive obstacles. Even with six walk ons and four scholarships, Washington said his team competes all game but continue to give games away.

The Tigers’ next game will be on Feb. 11, against Texas Southern in the P.E  & Health Center and a number to take note of is seven. Last time these two teams battled the Tigers gave up seven points late in the game and TSU rallied for a victory. The rematch tips off at 4 p.m.

FAMU President James Ammons Launches Research Initiative on Hazing

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Florida A&M University (FAMU) President James H. Ammons has launched a $50,000 research initiative that would give faculty at FAMU the opportunity to study the nature and extent of hazing behaviors among campus organizations and groups.

“Hazing is one issue that many colleges and universities face; yet, it presents a serious challenge to uncover and address as a hidden culture, shrouded in secrecy,” said Ammons. “I want our faculty members to be leaders in finding solutions and creating a body of work as FAMU becomes a part of this national discussion on hazing.”

The announcement of the research project comes on the same day the FAMU

Board of Trustees announced the appointment of the FAMU Anti-Hazing

Committee, an independent committee tasked with providing recommendations on determining the most effective and indelible approach to end hazing on campus.  Both the Committee and grants are part of FAMU’s overall efforts — both immediate and long-term  — to eliminate hazing.

The “FAMU Anti-Hazing Research Initiative with a “Focus on Evidence-Based Measures” will offer small grants for faculty to conduct collaborative research across disciplines to study the nature and extent of hazing behaviors among campus organizations and groups. This anti-hazing research initiative will serve as a mechanism to stimulate additional FAMU participation in research to help better understand hazing at FAMU and around the nation that will lead to the development of strategies to eradicate hazing from our midst. The specific focus areas of this initiative:

1. Promote interdisciplinary approaches to study the nature and extent of hazing behaviors among student organizations, unofficial sub-groups and off-campus entities;

2. Develop strategies that offer alternatives to hazing and promote respect and dignity;

3. Develop novel approaches to eliminating the fear of retribution and encourage unencumbered reporting when hazing incidents occur to include administrative structure, alignment and reporting; and

4. Identify effective education, training, communication, and awareness mechanisms for existing students, faculty, staff and alumni as well as new entrants into the university community.

“As academicians across this country engage in research in this area, we want to ensure that FAMU is represented in a very significant way among these scholars,” said Ammons. “We view this as seed money for faculty to be involved into the greater pool of resources available to address this issue.”

Before You Become Greek, Ask Yourself: Who Am I?

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Quality begins on the inside… and then works its way out.  ~Bob Moawad

Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) were created for a purpose. The push behind why anything was ever done, created, or exists was due to individuals with a focused and prepared mind. The respective organizations that make up Divine 9 were created to serve the communtiy and to advocate equality, civil rights, political activism, all for the betterment of the African American community. But in today’s times, we are seeing more and more young men and women join organizations and then change. Change into something different, something completely different from the person they were before Greek Life.

Do those 3 Greek letters define you, or do you define the letters?

Does the popularity which comes with crossing blur the bigger picture, and encourage those with no self identity to be caught up in the hype and not the purpose? I worry about those who are now interested or wish to one day become Greek. Do people who aspire to become Greek know who they are? Or are they attracted to the glamour of being Greek?

What exactly pushes those who want to join to actually be Greek? Is it to serve a greater purpose, or to shimmy like the Kappas and stomp like the Deltas, because it’s the “thing” to do? Joining an organization such as the ones in the Divine 9 does provide opportunities that are once in a lifetime. However, if you have clear reason of what you’re doing or why you’re doing it, then why do it at all? There is a lot of work that goes into being Greek.

Everyone needs a clear understanding of who they are, if not you are cheating yourself. Try to be fully aware of how every single thing that you do, thought that you think, and feeling that you sometimes feel, affects your life and shapes your destiny.

Take a step back, and understand the responsibilit of being Greek. It will no longer be about you. Joining any organization of any kind requires responsibility, maturity, selflessness, and a undying love that no one can take away.

So when joining a BGLO, don’t get so caught up on who knows you but get caught up in how many lives you actually touch and impact. If you don’t have an understanding of who you are then, maybe you should think twice about joining a Greek letter organization, until you can actually answer the question: who are you?

Two Howard University Students Awarded Luard Scholarships

Posted by Michael Livingston II
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Two students from Howard University have been awarded Luard Scholarships from the English-Speaking Union of the United States. The scholarships offer tuition and expenses for study abroad at one of 18 British universities. The scholarships are awarded to students attending Hampton University, Howard University or another HBCU affiliated with the University Negro College Fund. Since the 1969-70 academic year, 69 Luard Scholarships have been awarded.

Packwood is a graphic design major from Orlando, Florida. She plans on a career in animation. At Howard, she serves on the executive board of the Japanese Culture Club.

Burton is a biology major from St. Louis, Missouri. He plans to become a transplant surgeon. At Howard, he is the vice president of programming for the Phi Delta Epsilon International Medical Fraternity.

Courtesy of JBHE

Central State student jailed for alleged gun threat

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An Ohio college student has been arrested after allegedly telling campus employees he wouldn’t be afraid to carry out a mass shooting along the lines of the 2007 Virginia Tech killings.

A jury trial has been scheduled next month for 27-year-old Charles McCornell, a Central State University student charged with inducing panic and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors.

The Dayton Daily News reported Thursday that McCornell remained in Greene County Jail on $10,000 bond following his arraignment a day earlier.

The paper quotes an incident report from the university’s Department of Public Safety that says McCornell had become frustrated while trying to schedule a meeting with professors to discuss a disputed grade.

The report says McCornell threatened to “pull a Virginia Tech.” Jail records don’t list an attorney for McCornell.

Information from: Dayton Daily News

Buzz Spotlight: Ciara Boderick of Johnson C. Smith University

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It is a warm sunny day, classes are on a break; lunch and recess has started and the fun is now beginning.  These are the thoughts of the young girls at Bruns Ave. elementary school.

Ciara Boderick, a senior at Johnson C. Smith University, whose mission has been to surpass the impossible, has taken on a new journey towards building and shaping the future for young ladies. Known around campus as the creator and Founder of Blank Canvas Magazine, an on campus publication that showcases the talent of art and expression from the students of JCSU, has created an outreach organization entitled Sistah2sistah.

The organization’s focus is to help enrich the young female mind into understanding their full potential and positive outlook on life. The program has been quite a success garnishing more college women to join the movement.

Recently Ciara has established a weekly visit to the Bruns Ave. to dedicate time and effort toward being big sisters and mentors to these little princesses. Her huge contribution has allowed her to see many young girls become better students, better friends, and better selves.

The sistah2sistah movement has swept the campus of Johnson C. Smith University with over 30 women vowing time to go to these elementary schools to help empower these wonderful little girls that will one day help the nation.

“I take pride and dignity in helping my young girls see a better future, and if I just see one girl become that beautiful princess she is destined to be, I am fulfilled,” said Ciara, who was joyously smiling and in awe of what amazing things were to come for her little women as she would call them.

As the movement continues to strive, Ciara wants the dedication to continue on as she gears up for graduation this upcoming May. Imagine smiles, laughter, music, games, lessons, friendships, these are what these little girls or as stand corrected Princesses feel and hold on to with this organization.

“seeing my princesses inspires me to continue to be better and do better, I take what I see from them and help myself so I can help them,” explained Ciara as she headed out the door towards the car to journey off to yet another visit to Bruns Ave.

The futures of these little girls are so bright and sistah2sistah is there to open up the blinds and let the light shine. Ciara Boderick, woman of a calling and woman of excellence.

Remembering Reginald F. Lewis of Virginia State University

Posted by Michael Livingston II
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Black America has a rich history of successful entrepreneurs and business executives. But none had quite the success in the world of international finance as Reginald F. Lewis.

Lewis was a Wall Street financier who, through a number of shrewd business moves, became one of the nation’s richest businessmen and a major force in the world of corporate-takeover deals in the 1980s and 1990s.

A lawyer who was raised in Baltimore, Lewis gained attention in the business world in 1987, with his $1 billion acquisition of the international operations of the Beatrice Companies, a food company. With that acquisition, he formed his own company, TLC Beatrice International, and amassed personal assets of $400 million, according to Fortune magazine.
Additionally, the formation of TLC — which stood for The Lewis Company — led it to become the largest company in the United States that was run by an African-American executive.

Lewis was born in 1942 and raised in a middle-class family in Baltimore; his father was a postal worker and his mother a teacher. He often told the story of how he began in business by selling newspapers when he was 9 years old, a job that allowed him to earn about $20 a week, he said. He added that he saved $18 of that.

He was a graduate of Virginia State University and Harvard Law School, from which he graduated in 1969. He then joined the New York City law firm of Paul Weiss Rifkin Wharton & Garrison. Within a few years, he opened his own law firm, Lewis & Clarkson, which specialized in venture capital projects.

Overall, he had a flourishing business career that resulted from two significant business deals. The first was in 1983, with Lewis’s purchase of the McCall Pattern Company. He made headlines by using $1 million he saved from his work as a corporate lawyer to lead a $34 million leveraged buyout of McCall, a small dress-pattern company.

Lewis sold the company four years after he bought it, selling it to the John Crowther Group of Britain for $63 million in cash. He made a personal profit of $50 million from that deal.

What came after that was the deal that cemented his place as a major Wall Street financier. The Beatrice Companies placed for sale its international operations, which included a collection of 64 companies operating in 31 countries, ranging from a sausage producer in Spain to an ice cream maker in Germany. Lewis, with the assistance of the firm Drexel Burnham Lambert, put together the financing to buy the operations for $985 million in 1987.

“I’m very proud of the accomplishments of African-Americans,” Lewis once said in an interview shortly after he purchased Beatrice. “And I’m delighted that people feel this accomplishment adds to that list. But to dwell on race — to see that as something that becomes part of my persona — is a mistake, and I do everything I can to discourage it.”

He lived a lavish life, with homes in Paris, Long Island and Manhattan. He shuttled from between the United States and Europe on his own jet. But he was also a generous philanthropist, contributing vast sums to a number of institutions and organizations, including the NAACP and Virginia State and Howard Universities. In his adopted hometown of New York City, he also gave large contributions to the Abyssinian Baptist Church and the scholarship foundation of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, of which he was a member.

Lewis died in 1993 of a cerebral hemorrhage related to his having brain cancer. He was 50 years old.

Courtesy of BET