 Good morning everyone and welcome to Elizabeth City State University's 130th Founders Day Convocation. Although today's convocation is virtual, it is important that we celebrate the history and great legacy of our beloved ECSU. Today's celebration will be a blend of prerecorded segments and live presentation. We will now have the National Anthem performed by ECSU student John Klingman Chackle, followed by Lift Every Voice and Sing performed by the 105 HBCU Voices of History. Oh, say can you see what so proud whose broad stripes and the bright stars. Methodist Church, Elizabeth City will deliver the invocation. Pastor Oaks will be followed by Miss Makayla Stokely, Miss Elizabeth City State University, who will provide the occasion. It is an honor to be here. Thank you for the invitation. Let us pray. New every day are your mercy, so gracious God of all creation. We give you thanks as we celebrate the 130th anniversary of the foundation of Elizabeth City State University and the journey that started so many years ago, so many plans ago, and so many dreams ago. We celebrate all the joys that we have come to fruition in these 130 years. We remember all the happy times, all the accomplishments, and all the triumphs. Thank you Lord for blessing ECSU. We also acknowledge there been and will continue to be struggles and heartaches. And remember we travel together during that wilderness journey under your protection, provision, and your love. You are our God, Emmanuel who is with us in good times and bad. We ask Lord that you would continue to protect us, guide us, and sustain us during our time together today. This 130th Founders Day Convocation. Praying all this in the strong name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit live and reign one God forever and always. Amen. Chancellor Dixon, Mr. Freeman, program participants, founding families, faculty, staff, students, alumni, ECSU retirees, and friends of Elizabeth City State University. Good morning. I am Michaela Stokely from Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and I currently serve as the reigning Miss Elizabeth City State University for the 2020 2021 academic year. Our stado once stated, education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity. Elizabeth City State University was founded on March 3 1891, when House Bill 383 was enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly. With the specific purpose of teaching and training teachers of color to teach in the common schools of North Carolina. The founding fathers, Hugh Kale, Peter Witterick Moore, and John Henry Byes worked vigorously to pave the way for ECSU. As we continue on our journey, over a way that with tears have been watered, we pay homage to our founding fathers and their legacy. Because of the founding fathers sacrifice, we are compelled to do our best to give our best and to achieve our best. Hugh Kale, Peter Witterick Moore, and John Henry Byes, we say thank you for your living was not in vain. Thank you, Pastor Oaks, and thank you Miss Stokely. Elizabeth City State University exists today because of the visionary leadership and sacrifice of its founders. It is fitting for us to appreciate their service by acknowledging members of the founding family. At this time, I invite Mr Abdul Rashid, President of the ECSU National Alumni Association for this recognition. Good morning. I am Abdul Rashid, President of the Elizabeth City State University National Alumni Association. Congratulations to Elizabeth City State University on 130 years of providing outstanding educational opportunities for aspiring leaders. I am proud, I am a proud product of this great university and honored to join Chancellor Dixon, City Manager Freeman, and program participants to celebrate this historic milestone. The Elizabeth City State University continues to rise, and it is because of the determined and dedicated founders, Hugh Kale, Peter W Moore, and the honorable John Henry Byes. We appreciate the foundation they provided, and I know they are proud of what this great institution has become. I am extremely pleased to have several members of the John Henry Byes family joining this virtual event today, and we thank you for being with us. Please know that we appreciate your support over the years, and look forward to having you back on campus when it's once again safe. A load of thanks to Mr James Cofield, who shared a video with the university, commemorating the life and great works of his grandfather, John Henry Byes. This sales certainly become an important part of the Elizabeth City State University archives. On behalf of all Elizabeth City State University alumni, we salute and celebrate our alma mater at this is 130th anniversary and look forward to many years of continued success. Thank you. Thank you, Mr Rashid, and members of the founding families for being here today. At this time, greetings will be extended by the chair of the Board of Trustees, Ms Jan King Robinson, followed by the chair of the foundation board, Dr Peter Feely. Thank you Chancellor Dixon and good morning Vikings and all our supporters out there they've joined us today. I'm truly delighted to be here with you and bring greetings on behalf of the Board of Trustees, as we celebrate this founder's day. It was just a mere nine days and 130 years ago that represented Hugh Kale sponsored House Bill 383 to establish the path forward for generations of Vikings to come. President Spear Moore and John Henry Byes picked up that torch and elevated our school from a two to four year college, the expansion of educational opportunities continued with each leader. Thank you Chancellor Dixon for continuing the legacy of the long line of torch bearers and your vision to execute, taking us into the metaphorical and literal skies. The trustees salute the ECSU foundation on its 50th anniversary, and for the years of making access to a life changing educational experience, affordable to countless Vikings. Thanks to our keynote speaker, alumnus Montray Friedman, you make us so proud. You exemplify the dream of our founders. You've made history as the first African American to hold the seat of the city manager for Elizabeth City. And thank you by his family members who've joined us today. Your presence continues to underscore the importance of remembering how far we have come, and what is possible for our future. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, congratulations Vikings. We look forward to many, many more memories as we're making today. Have a blessed day. Thank you Chancellor Dixon. Mr Freeman Board of Trustees ECSU Foundation, governmental officials faculty staff and students of ECSU. Good morning. My name is Dr Peter Ealy and I serve as chairman of the ECSU Foundation Board. It's a great day to be a Viking. This being the 130th founding of our great university. In a virtual space. I'm happy that our impact is real. Viking alumni canvas the world and are in many industries that have a direct impact on our lives. Our founders Hugh Cal Peter W Moore, John Henry bias, were not only visionaries, but they were prophetic as ECSU has prepared thousands of educators to meet the current and future needs of our state country and world. Over the years ECSU has transformed from a normal school to a university that trains to fly multimillion dollar aircraft. As an alum, I have closely watched a dramatic transformation over the last 21 years since I walked the hollow grounds of ECSU as a student. I am in all of the best opportunities that students are currently afforded. And as chairman of ECSU Foundation. I'm happy to work to support that. In the short weeks we will welcome the reopening of the historic bias residence hall. This building has been fully renovated to embrace our institution's history and falsely the future with modern amenities, which provide a perfect balance of vintage and modern. As we all look forward to a post pandemic world. I'm eager to see the many new faces on campus campus and they will be many as evident of the consistent increase in enrollment. The significant changes result from a team effort and the strong leadership of our Chancellor. Each day, northeastern North Carolina, there's a diamond that is shining a little brighter. And as ECSU has been recognized for significant financial investments such as the $15 million donated by Miss Mackenzie Scott. The stock of ECSU is rising, and you have time to get on board. Starting this day make an intentional decision to speak, support and stand with ECSU. ECSU as we continue to be Chancellor Emeritus, Jimmy Jenkins would say, when you look to the northeast, you see a rising star, and that star is Elizabeth City State University. I bid you God speed, happy 130 founders day. And as you come to discover and leave to conquer. Thank you. Thank you so much to Chair Robinson and Chair Ely for those warm greetings. Great remarks bring that energy on as we celebrate our Vikings today. This time, it is my pleasure to introduce our founders day keynote speaker, Mr. Montray Freeman. Mr. Montray Freeman currently serves as city manager for the city of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and is the first African American to serve in this role. As a manager, Mr. Freeman is responsible for the city's $67 million budget and keeping the council informed on matters that impact the citizens of Elizabeth City. Mr. Freeman earned his bachelor's degree from Elizabeth City State University in criminal justice in 1996 and went on to earn a dual degree of Juris Doctor and Master of Public Administration in 2017 from North Carolina Central University. I know that he would do great things for our city, and I look forward to partnering with him and supporting opportunities and initiatives here at Elizabeth City State University. Please join me in welcoming our new city manager, Mr. Montray Freeman. Thank you so much. Now, since we are in a virtual space, let's go ahead and get some housekeeping things right out of the way first. Wherever you are, whether you're sitting on your couch or still in the bed or down at your kitchen table and you have logged in, you are finishing breakfast, go ahead and pour your favorite drink of choice. My father is watching, so I know that they are pouring a fresh cup of coffee. However, I have some colleagues and schoolmates that told me they would be pouring fresh mimosas, to say one for me. And then I have some family friends and prayer warriors that are pouring their favorite cups of coffee, so go ahead and be comfortable, because we in this pandemic space, we're going to celebrate it, and we still going to have a ball doing so, so go ahead, get comfortable. While y'all are doing that, just because we were not able to get Harlem Renaissance sharp and show up on the campus of Elizabeth City State University and celebrate 130 years of this beautiful institution, we're still going to celebrate it. I'm trusting everybody is kind of settling back down there, you got your drinks, you got your coffee, your mimosas, your teas. Now, I shall go see. Good morning, Chancellor Dixon. I pray all as well and thank you so very much for that introduction. It was indeed an honor and a pleasure for you to do that for me. To Pastor Oaks, thank you for your heartfelt prayers. You invited him into this place during this celebration, thus confirming the fact that this is a joyous occasion. And in time and in a place in the state of this world, all while battling a pandemic, being able to be part of a joyous occasion feels real good. Chairwoman Robinson and members of the Board of Trustees, good morning, and thank you for the amazing work that you do. Mr. Rashi, thank you for your service as the President of the National Alumni Association for the city State University, and thank you for that information around our founding families. Thank you. Dr. Ely, and members of the Board of the Foundation Board, I'm sorry. Good morning, and thank you for the work that you do. And helping us sustain the lifeline of Elizabeth City State University. Your works are not in vain and they do not go unnoticed. Thank you. Ms. Gwendolyn Sanders, Deputy Chief of Staff for the City State University. You have been absolutely amazing to me and I cannot thank you enough. The distinguished faculty, illustrious staff, President of SGA, Mr. Jimmy Chambers, Ms. ECSU, Ms. Makayla Stokely, and the Royal Court, and the amazing student body of this great institution. I am Montray D. Freeman, class of 1996 of the Elizabeth City State University. Good morning. Now to the elite group of men and women across this world, both here in body and those we celebrate in spirit, the alumni of the Elizabeth City State University. Now to the student watching, I'm going to say that one more time for the people in the back that didn't hear me. The alumni of the Elizabeth City State University and the friends and families and prayer warriors of ECSU. Good morning to you all. I greet you all in the warmest of love and a resounding Viking pride. It is indeed an honor and a pleasure to be with you all virtually this morning on this beautiful Friday morning, March 12, 2021. I bring you greetings from the City of Elizabeth City. On behalf of our Mayor, Mayor Betty Parker, the first female mayor of the City of Elizabeth City, a 1971 graduate of the Elizabeth City State University who was a math education major, and a council that boasts its Mayor Pro Tem, Mayor Pro Tem Johnny Walton, a 1969 graduate of health and physical education, a biology major, pro football quarterback and recent inductee into the CIAA Paula Fane, and all the members of the City Council of the City of Elizabeth City. To the committee that voted to grant me this very high and esteemed honor to bring this keynote address for this 130th Founders Day Convocation celebration with the utmost heartfelt energy of thankful and gratefulness, I say thank you again. It was started out as the Elizabeth City State Colored Normal School on March 3, 1891. Today, we celebrate her 130th birthday. She has aged beautifully. To my wife, the Honorable Teresa R. Freeman District Court Judge for Judicial District 6 with Sirs Halifax, Northampton, Perfin and Bertie Counties, who is watching without children. Good morning, beautiful. I hope your day is as beautiful as you are. To our daughter, Malia, at least, good morning, pretty girl. I love you. And to our son, Kingston Lennox, good morning, big guy. I love you much. You both make me better every day. And I want to thank my wife as well for always supporting me and listening to my ideas. I get really, really creative in my ideas. She provides affirmation. And she pushes back when she is necessary. Thank you as we are. I do want to call out her full name though in this place. And now we do this every time I speak. Her full name is Teresa Raquel Robinson Frank. She kept all of her names, but there is no hype. Her last name is Freeman. Make no mistake about that. Chancellor Dixon, if I may, just let me pause right here in this moment and remember this feeling in this moment in my life while I become another part of the history of ECSU. That felt really, really good. Now, the remaining portion of my address is only for the dreamers and those who choose to believe with an insane belief that difficult takes a day and impossible takes a week. For those who have dreams and aspirations and goals and anything like that, the rest of this address is for you. So I'll start like this, Attorney Goodson, my central law brother. In the North Carolina Central School of Law fashion, I will identify the relevant taxpayers. Fact, I was a boy from Bertie County with a dollar and a dream when I reported to ECSU for the first football meeting in 1992. I moved into Walmart Hall with the hopes and dreams of my future and the prayers of my family undergirding me. Coach Alvin Kelly told every ball player in that room that we could win both on and off the field if we took care of business both on and off the field. I believed in fact, every time Dr. Ealy, every time that Dr. Jimmy R Jenkins would close out his features to students and faculty, he would close with these words and all over the world, say them with me. If you look to the northeast, you will see a rising star and that star is the Elizabeth City State University. I believe in fact, never ever did I dream that I would serve as the first anything and yet here I stand in 2021 as the first black city manager of the city that houses my beloved Elizabeth City State University. Based on those facts, I have no choice but to be eternally thankful and grateful. As I'm again to think about the Honorable Who Cal and the Honorable Mr. Moore and the Honorable Mr. Byers, the founding families of this great institution. I asked myself, what exactly did they want me to take away from the decisions they made, the sacrifices they endured, and the fervent prayers that were whispered on my and thousands of others' behavior. We all are institutional sons and daughters of ECSU, children that they never knew, yet they knew of the gravity of the goal that they had embarked upon. The Honorable Three is what I will call them, were men of great thought and expansive movement, high vibrational beings, if you will. What in the world did they see in those obvious and very vivid dreams of theirs? As I asked myself this question, I quickly realized that the creation of Elizabeth City State University was a two-part process. The aha moment or the light switch moment was when I realized the dream was free, but the hustle was sold separately. Who Cal and the founders of this great institution dreamed the unconquerable dream, that we, if we could just educate our people to be teachers, then we could shift our culture by having us to teach us. Who Cal and the founding fathers were the original foolbook for us and by us. The same men that by today stand at most a wealth accumulation in the 1800s that would mirror those of a multimillion. They proposed, Honorable Who Cal proposed a bill that started it all for us. This is where the hustle began. But how? How did the man and the founders that make this into a time and a place where free did not mean free for us? I submit you the definition of hustle to work hard every single day. It means you do things that other people will not do. And you do them because you want to do them with joy and purpose because you love it. That Viking pride was already beginning. We know that Who Cal and the founders were a businessman. Who Cal was a merchant and served on different boards of trustees. But how did they dream the dream of a better tomorrow for folk they never knew. A lot of people will follow their dreams for free. If they experience enough failures and hardships, they will just give up and never look back. Marlene would say to me often, Montray, you can do anything you want to do if you put your mind to it and don't let anybody stop you. My boxing coach, Coach Roy, would say if you can conceive it in your mind and believe it in your heart, then you can hold it in your hand. And then he would say if you held it in your hand and you wanted to add something else to your hand, you have to hustle three times as hard. One time to keep what you got and two more times to get something new. Frederick Douglass taught us that he taught himself how to read. I'm going to let that sink in. He taught himself how to read. And he went on to become one of this nation's best artists ever. Dr. Jimmy Jenkins dream of the dream of the rising star in the Northeast, and then he went on to be about the business of doing the work to transform little Liz into Liz City as we affectionately called it in the night. Dr. Bynum followed him and began to dream even bigger. And for ECSU immediately began to be about the work of lifting ECSU to heights, never seen before, and maybe even never dreamed of. But understand your dreams are not your dreams only. But if you let those dreams die, you may be killing off an entire generation. Where would we be today had the Honorable Huckel and Honorable Mr. Bias and Honorable Mr. Moore allowed those dreams to die. Had they only dreamed and never hustle. The hustle is the reason that Elizabeth City State University is a tier two school now that is on the same level in C state in North Carolina and C State University with this amazing aviation science program. Without the dream and the hustle in the intentionality of Chancellor Kerry Dixon. We are not there. And hundreds of students are not on track to enter careers and aviation science that will undoubtedly impact the quality of life and lifeline of that program and this institution. The crux of the matter is that ability to dream couple with your discipline to hustle has life attached to it. I'm so thankful and grateful that the Honorable three dream, the incomparable dream. Dr Jenkins dream and hustle. Dr Bynum dream and hustle. Dr Conway dream and hustle. Dr Gilchrist dream and hustle. And Dr Kerry Dixon is still dreaming and still hustle and experiencing growth on our university that we have not seen in 20 plus years. The matter is the dream has filled us all but I'm more motivated by their hustle. They're great. They refuse to lose attitude. It is only because of their hustle that the door for Chancellor Dixon was built and the passage for Monterey Freeman was created. So faculty staff students and alumni wherever you are. Make sure you dream. The impossible dream. In fact, if your dream don't make you nervous when you wake up, I need you to go back to sleep. Go back to sleep and start playing with the culture. Stop playing with your dreams of millionaires and billionaires. Stop playing with your dreams and futures of many generations of you becoming powerful educators and doctors and lawyers. Stop playing with your dreams of becoming big airline palace and business owners and technology experts and pro ball players. Stop playing with your dreams of being presidents and chancellors of universities that my babies will attend one day. Stop playing with your dream of being surgeons. Stop playing with the power in your dream. Speak to the general curses in with your tongue and break those curses with your hustle. Stop playing with them. Now, this time when you wake up and your heart is pounding because you were intentional when you went to sleep this time. Your dreams were so vivid that you're breathing hard. Your palms are sweaty. Sweaty because you drink your dream felt so real that you thought you were flying an airplane. You thought you were performing surgery on someone that saved their life. You cured cancer. You thought you were arguing in front of the United States Supreme Court. You thought you were playing a professional sports team and you scored the winning basket. You thought you were playing for a professional football team and you scored the winning touchdown. You saw yourself serving as superintendent of schools where you grew up. You saw yourself teaching in the neighborhood that some ill informed adult said that you were dying. You saw yourself closing that billion dollar bill. You saw yourself writing that check to Elizabeth City State University that Miss Scott wrote look like pennies and we thank you Miss Scott. You saw yourself coaching on the sidelines of ECSU basketball. You saw yourself as the city manager of the city of Elizabeth City. You saw yourself as chancellor of this university. Now that you're sitting up on your bed and you're sitting up on your couch and your heart is still racing and you're looking around trying to figure out how in the world was that dream so real. I want you to grab a pen and pay it and I want you to write down what you saw be extremely explicit and attention to detail as you write. Research shows that parts of the brain activated high levels when you write writing also increases the brain's ability to record thus improving your ability to recall. Write down what you just dreamed about but be extremely specific about what you saw. Then I want you to be about the business of using that quantum physics that you just experienced to hold that dream in your hand. That's right. I want you to hustle and I mean hustle like your life depended on like a loved one that you love depending on like your father's life depended on like your mother's life depended on. Fill one tray. I just dreamed that I performed surgery. I'm from a small town in North Carolina. Nobody in town is a doctor. We travel to the next biggest city just to see a doctor. How exactly am I supposed to perform a surgery and save a life. I'm glad you asked. Let me help you. In Denzel Washington said that dreams without goals remain dreams and ultimately fuel disappointment. Let that sink in. The next secret is to protect your dreams. Don't cast your pearls among the swine. In other words, don't tell everybody your dreams. Keep them safe and protected and stay loyal to them. And do time. You will know who and what parts of your dream to share. It shall be revealed unto you. Just be about the business of the hustle. Remember that look is where opportunity and preparedness Mary. Well my trade did you hear what I told you what I dreamed of and where I am today. Are you crazy man. Yes, I am. Now remember this. Dreams are never achieved. Without discipline and consistency. Discipline and consistency. Secret number two. You will fail on that. Get over your fear failure. Learn to take the power back from failure and use it to fuel excitement and intentional growth. Here's the key. If you fail often. And that way, when it's your turn to stand and deliver, you will do it at such a level that you hadn't even dreamed of yet. The fact that the matter is that when you dream of it, it became yours in that instance. And the only thing that separates you from me is the ability you have to just dream and hustle repeatedly. Just watching TV or scrolling social media and a big spider or a snake just popped up on your screen and you jumped. Or just watching a spider crawl on the next of someone and it make you feel like it was crawling on your neck just saying it kind of gives me that feeling. The mind conceptualize those feelings while you are thousands of miles away from those occurrences. The mind also has the ability to conceptualize and transform those dreams that you just dreamed into reality. The moment you begin to hustle, the universe will start to get in line for you. After all, you do have dominion over all things. Kids want bomber from Weldon, North Carolina a retired first round draft pick into the NFL was asked doing an interview. What he thought about the fact that he came from a small one day high school in rural North Carolina to achieve a full scholarship at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill to be a first round draft pick by the San Francisco 49. And he replied, if the dream is big enough, the facts don't matter. After that, all you got to do is hustle. So dream big, write those dreams down then hustle because the dream is always free but the hustle is so separate. Pay for your hustle with laser focus and insane belief in your in yourself and extreme attention and detail. To all of you I get you infinite prayers of infinite health, wealth, peace, prosperity and abundant love energy. And to the rising star in northeast, the Elizabeth City State University. Happy 130th birthday beautiful. I love you and thank you for everything. Thank you. Thank you, Mr Freeman for your inspiring yet passionate message. Dream Vikings dream set goals and it will come to fruition. I'm so honored that one of our alumni, a second generation Viking, who hails from Bertie County has returned home to lead and join us in strengthening communities here in Elizabeth City. Our Viking village wanted to thank you with a small token of our appreciation that will be delivered to your office today. So thank you so much Mr Freeman we look forward to our partnership. We look forward to the vision that you will set for this city and the partnership with Elizabeth City State University. We thank you so much for bringing those words to our Viking family today. Now be favored with a recorded selection by the university choir titled go down Moses. Following the musical selection. We will watch a prerecorded video of the memorial candle light ceremony, over which Dr Farah Jay Ward provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs presides. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let them go. Let Let us pray gracious and loving God, how grateful we are for this precious and priceless privilege. We thank you God for it was on March 3rd, 1891. Hugh Kale, an African-American representative in the North Carolina General Assembly from Pasquitain County, sponsored House Bill 383, which established a normal teaching school for teaching and training teachers of the colored race, teaching the common schools of North Carolina. The bill passed and the origin of Elizabeth City State University was born. For that, this day, God, we celebrate you. We thank you because we realize that where we are, you brought us what we have, you gave us, and who we are, you made us. So we thank you for it. We thank you for the leaders who have passed this way. We thank you for our current leadership. We pray your blessings upon her, the faculty, and the staff as she continues to lead this institution in a more excellent way. So God, as we learn and as we prepare leaders for tomorrow, we ask now that you continue to bless us as only you can do. It's in that wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. The Reeves that are placed before you serve as a testimony to the love and respect we have for the rich legacy left by these outstanding educators and leaders. The Reeves will be placed on the respective graves. Mr. ECSU, Nomar Proctor, will now assist me with the Memorial Candlelighting Ceremony. It is with great honor that I acknowledge the outstanding contributions and leadership of the founders of Elizabeth City State University through the placing of Reeves and candlelighting. First, I ask that you join me in silent meditation as Mr. ECSU lights a candle for the honorable Hugh Kale, a representative from Pasquitain County, who sponsored House Bill 383 to establish a school for the purpose of training African-American teachers. Initially, the school began operations with 23 students and a budget of $900. Now join me in paying tribute to Dr. Peter Wettermore, who was the first principal and chief executive officer. During his tenure, Dr. Moore achieved the remarkable goal of increasing enrollment from 23 to 355 students and expanded the curricula to nine different programs. Finally, let us remember Dr. John Henry Bias, who was the second president to serve the university and was instrumental in elevating the institution from a two-year school to a four-year teacher's college. The first Bachelor of Science degree was awarded during his tenure. Please join me for a moment of silence in a memory of these visionary leaders. We will be remiss if we fail to remember other members of the Viking family who have passed since our last Founders' Day convocation. We finally remember our retirees and alumni who passed away since our last Founders' Day. Let us pause for a moment of silence in memory of these beloved individuals and for the families who have been left to mourn. Thank you. Mr. Jamari Williams will now play The Sounding of Taps. Blessing to us. Thank you, Provost Ward, Reverend Dr. Ricky Banks, and Mr. Nomar Crofter for your participation in the candlelighting ceremony. A special thank you to Mr. Jamari Williams for playing Taps and Ms. Melva Smith for providing videography services. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has afforded us the opportunity to operate differently, I appreciate everyone who collaborated to make today's events successful. Reverend Oaks will now deliver the benediction. And now may you go forth full of Viking pride, full of God's blessing, and in the strength of that blessing, may you dream God-sized dreams to be able to set audacious and ambitious goals that you might also have the self-discipline and strength that God gives you to live your life in such a way so that those to whom love is a stranger will find in you a generous friend. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. This concludes our Founder's Day program. Thank you all for joining us. Have a very wonderful, very blessed day. And remember, Viking pride, Viking pride, Viking pride. Thank you all.