Students honored during Black Excellence Awards Banquet

Academic achievement awards highlighted Elon's Phillips-Perry Black Excellence Awards Banquet, held Saturday, April 22. The banquet was recently named in honor of Elon's first black student, Glenda Phillips, and the first black graduate, Eugene Perry. Details...

The Black Excellence Awards Banquet celebrates the academic success of full-time black students at Elon and serves as an inspiration to all black students to excel academically.

More than 90 students received awards for a 2005 fall semester GPA of 3.2 or higher, or a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. Special plaques were presented to the following students for having the highest grades:

  • Freshman female–Miya Stodghill
  • Freshman male–Erick Brown
  • Sophomore female–Jessica Young
  • Sophomore male–Bernard Coston
  • Junior female–Eden Esters
  • Junior male–Michael Brandon
  • Senior female–Raechel Hester
  • Senior male–Phillipe Charles
  • Female athlete–Grace Ilevbare
  • Male athlete–Michael Brandon

Steve Walker ’93, a financial manager with the Department of the Navy, presented the keynote address. L’Tanya Richmond, director of multicultural affairs; Leo M. Lambert, Elon president; and J. Earl Danieley, president emeritus, shared remarks with the group.

The Board of Trustees recently approved naming the banquet the Phillips-Perry Black Excellence Awards banquet in honor of Glenda Phillips, the first black student to attend Elon in 1963, and Eugene Perry, the first black student to graduate from Elon in 1969. The new banquet name was officially adopted during this year’s event.