08-04-2025
ASU founder's great niece offers keynote address during Founder's Day ceremony
ALBANY – Sitting on a brick retaining wall around a tree on Albany State University's lower campus area, athletic trainer Michael Moore reflected on the three gifts he has been blessed with at his alma mater: his education, standard of living and 'my beautiful wife of 34 years.'
Moore was among the audience that attended the annual convocation that highlights the four days of Founder's Day activities at the institution, which included a Friday program at the Billy C. Black Auditorium, followed by the laying of wreaths at the graves of founder Joseph Winthrop Holley and former President William H. Dennis.
'I always come back for Founder's Day,' the 1984 graduate, former basketball coach and Millidgeville native said. 'It represents a past to cherish and a future to fulfil.'
Prior to the ceremony, Holley's great-niece, Nikeya Taylor reflected on her family's involvement in the origins of the Albany Bible and Manual Institution in 1903. Her great-uncle, one of a large family whose parents were freed slaves in North Carolina, traveled to Albany to start the college.
Inspired by W.E.B. DuBois, who wrote about Albany in his book 'The Souls of Black Folk,' Holly was joined by some of his siblings.
'When we were young, we were told one of our relatives built a college in a small town in Georgia,' Taylor said. 'I pictured one old shack that was long gone.'
Later she learned about the history and became familiar with how the college dedicated to Bible studies and training teachers had become an important educational institution that thrived. Making the trek to Albany to 'strike a blow against ignorance,' Holley succeeded, she said.
'Today, we find ourselves under an attack on the foundations of our very democracy,' Taylor said. 'We're seeing attempts to roll back civil rights … all in an attempt to divide us. All of you sitting here right now are our next business leaders, professors, politicians and activists. Will we take action? Will we strike a blow to the ignorance?'
Reflecting on the theme for 2025 — 'From Foundations to Frontiers: 122 Years of Progress and Promise' — Taylor said it is fitting for the times.
'This year's theme reminds us that while the founder laid the foundation, we are responsible for shaping the future,' she said. 'When you graduate, please do not forget where you came from.
'Return and invest in this institution and this community. This will ensure future generations have what you had. Make sure that you give back. Help continue the community Dr. Holley worked for. Let us promise to keep strong, to keep pushing barriers, because if not us, who will?'
In learning her great-uncle's role as a leader, Taylor, who serves as president of the Jacksonville Chapter of the NETwork BICP (Black Integrated Communications Professionals) through which she leads initiatives in mentorship, professional development and service, said that she learned to be a leader herself.
'It is not about what we've achieved, it is about what's possible,' she said. 'I have learned it is important to keep our history alive.'
Each year, ASU's Founder's Day programs bring alumni back to the school. Among those returning on Friday was Anne Brown of Atlanta.
'I come back every year for Founder's Day, for Homecoming, the Classic (football game) in Columbus,' Brown said. 'It's beautiful. I come back every year just to support the school.'
