Morgan State University

As the 1000 guests entered the lobby of Martin's West, they were greeted with the sweet, cool tunes of the Morgan Jazz Ensemble. Bouquets of orange and blue balloons led the way to the ballroom, where tables were covered in more of the Morgan State University colors. Naturally. After all, this was the MSU "Gala XVII." In a room nearby, some of MSU's biggest supporters gathered for a pre-gala VIP reception, catching up with old friends and sampling appetizers like fried shrimp, chicken marsala and vegetable quesadillas.

Putting together a historical list of the most outstanding athletes in Maryland history could not have been an easy task. But leaving out Morgan State University track legends George Rhoden and Art Bragg was a real stunner. Rhoden, one of the finest 400 meter runners of all time, won the gold in that event in the 1952 Olympics. Baltimore-born and bred, Bragg won several major and national titles in the sprints during his era. Josh Culbreath won the bronze in the 400 meter hurdles in the 1952 Olympics.

MARGARET JONES PROCTOR, retired Administrative Assistant of The Carnegie Institution of Washington in Baltimore and former Baltimore City English and History Teacher, quietly slipped from this life on December 29, 2005. Born Margaret Lee Jones in Richmond, Virginia on September 5, 1911 to William and Leonade Jones. At the age of two she and her brother moved to Baltimore. She was educated in the Baltimore public school system and graduated from then Morgan College. While in college she became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.

Rudolph James "Rudy" Redd Sr., an engineer who spent his nearly 40-year career with the Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground and was an advocate for the mentally ill, died April 27 of a cardiac arrest at his home in the Versailles Apartments in Towson. He was 88. Mr. Redd was born in Charlottesville, Va. After the death of his mother when he was very young, he moved to a home on Druid Hill Avenue, where he was raised by Irene Scott, a close friend of his mother's.

There was no better place to check out current fashions recently than at the Ebony Fashion Fair show at Morgan State University's Murphy Fine Arts Center. And we don't mean what was on stage. MSU student Ashley Williams was a great example of eye-catching style in the audience. The 18-year old Frederick resident loves to mix and match to fit her mood. And she knows how to do it on a student's budget. "I feel that you should always incorporate fashion into your life because you never know who is watching."

Kenneth Francis Jerkins Sr., a popular biology professor at Morgan State University who had been department chairman, academic dean and vice president for academic affairs during his nearly 30 years on the campus, died Saturday of cancer at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He was 68.Colleagues often called him "a teacher's teacher." He specialized in teaching biology to non-science majors.Mary E. Robinson, director of development at Morgan, who studied under Dr. Jerkins in a master's program there in 1968, recalled, "He was so skilled at problem-solving and so understanding.

Charles Robert Salters, a retired assistant dean of graduate studies at Morgan State University, died of lung and brain cancer Sunday at his home in Randallstown. He was 56. Mr. Salters, known to friends as "Bobby," worked for Morgan State as a science instructor and administrator from 1972 until his retirement in April. Friends and colleagues said he was exceptionally devoted to the university and its students, frequently reaching into his own pocket to help buy textbooks or other supplies for those who needed assistance.

If Jordan Milton looks like a model, that's because she is. The 19-year-old Morgan State University sophomore occasionally models in the Baltimore area, as well as around her hometown of New Castle, Del. "Fashion is very important to me because I feel as though I have to look the part. Where I go, I like to have that attention. It's good to have people say, 'Oh, you look like a model.' " This broadcast journalism major certainly got our attention when we "glimpsed" her in between classes at Morgan's Student Center.

A 23-year-old man who was killed in a double-fatal car accident Thursday night in Fells Point was a homecoming king who was close to graduating from Morgan State University, according to police and school officials. Julian Benson was the 2010 Mr. Morgan, according to university spokesman Clinton R. Coleman, and was a popular student on campus. He was studying telecommunications and had interned for two years in the communications department at the Maryland Transit Administration.

Morgan State University is establishing a student exchange program with Hubei University in China. The presidents of the two institutions signed an agreement formalizing the program Thursday afternoon on Morgan State's campus in North Baltimore. Hubei University was founded in 1931 and is located in central China, about 500 miles west of Shanghai. Hubei has established international student exchange programs with almost 70 universities, according to the university's website.

With regard to the production of "Porgy and Bess" to be presented at Morgan State University ("Morgan State to stage 'Porgy and Bess,'" March 23), it is interesting to note that the role of Sportin' Life was created by Avon Long, who along with Anne Brown, creator of the role of Bess, were graduates of Frederick Douglass High School. At Douglass, Brown and Long were taught by H. Llewelyn Wilson, Baltimore's most prominent black music educator. Wilson also taught at Morgan and was the conductor of the Colored Symphony Orchestra and Colored Chorus, which, along with the Colored Municipal Band and Colored Park Band, were funded by the Baltimore Municipal Department of Music.

A 22-year-old Morgan State University student was found shot to death inside his Charles Village apartment Thursday night, a killing that police said could be drug-related. The victim was identified as Brandon Hudson, who lived in a first-floor apartment in the 2900 block of N. Calvert St. Police said he had been shot in the head while lying on a couch. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi there was no sign of forced entry, and it was unknown when the shooting occurred. Guglielmi said detectives were "exploring multiple angles for a motive [and]

A 25-year-old man was shot and killed Wednesday night on a street in Northeast Baltimore, near the Northwood Shopping Center and in front of an off-campus dorm near Morgan State University, according to city police. The shooting occurred about 9:10 p.m. in the 4300 block of Loch Raven Blvd., in Original Northwood. Police said that detectives believe the victim was walking in an alley behind houses when he was confronted by a gunman and chased to the 4100 block of Loch Raven, where he was shot.

A 23-year-old man who was killed in a double-fatal car accident Thursday night in Fells Point was a homecoming king who was close to graduating from Morgan State University, according to police and school officials. Julian Benson was the 2010 Mr. Morgan, according to university spokesman Clinton R. Coleman, and was a popular student on campus. He was studying telecommunications and had interned for two years in the communications department at the Maryland Transit Administration.

Regarding your recent article "Morgan president says campus needs facelift" (Oct. 11), Morgan State University students, faculty and staff do indeed deserve a world-class campus, but they also need a world-class administration dedicated to the best interests of everyone at the school. As the union representing Morgan employees, our experience has been that Morgan cuts corners and does an exceptionally poor job of oversight, especially in the maintenance of the campus. Morgan has been assigning state maintenance projects, primarily in the physical plant, to private companies that do mediocre work yet continue to receive lucrative contracts from the school.

Morgan State University awarded scholarships of incorrect amounts because of lax review procedures, according to a state audit released Thursday. A review of five athletic and three honors scholarships in the 2009-2010 academic year found that four students received too little money and two others received too much. No one checked the amounts dispensed by the financial aid office against those offered in the original scholarship letter sent to students, the audit said. In its response to the audit, the university said that beginning this fall, supervisors will perform monthly checks to make sure students receive the scholarship amounts they were promised.

Ruby Friese Shubkagle, a retired Morgan State University educator whose teaching career spanned more than 50 years, died Nov. 3 in her sleep at College Manor in Lutherville. She was 97. Dr. Shubkagle was born and raised in Westminster, where she graduated from Westminster High School in 1931. She earned a degree from what was then the Towson State Normal School and earned a master's degree from the Johns Hopkins University. She earned another master's degree and her Ph.D.