ALUMNI MERCH
Publications
TACARDRA ROUNTREE
BOOK: “HELLO QUEEN”
Tacardra Rountree is a native of Augusta, Georgia and a 2001 Graduate of FVSU. She was a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Early Childhood Education. Rountree also received Departmental Honors by graduating with the highest average in her major in 2001. Rountree was one of the first two students from FVSU to participate in the Common Ground Consortium Program at the University of Minnesota and received a fellowship to attend this insititution. In 2003, Rountree graduated with her M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Elementary Education.
"Hello Queen" is a poetic portrayal of what a Queen represents–beauty, intelligence, determination and more. It is an affirmation and reminder that there is a Queen in each of us regardless of your age or profession. Through beautiful paintings and graphic illustrations, readers are able to learn about African culture. Young girls and women will be able to boldly say, I am a Queen!
dr. vanessa siddle walker
BOOK: “THE LOST EDUCATION OF HORACE TATE”
In the epic tradition of Eyes on the Prize and with the cultural significance of John Lewis’s Marchtrilogy, an ambitious and harrowing account of the devoted black educators who battled southern school segregation and inequality
For two years an aging Dr. Horace Tate—a former teacher, principal, and state senator—told Emory University professor Vanessa Siddle Walker about his clandestine travels on unpaved roads under the cover of night, meeting with other educators and with Dr. King, Georgia politicians, and even U.S. presidents. Sometimes he and Walker spoke by phone, sometimes in his office, sometimes in his home; always Tate shared fascinating stories of the times leading up to and following Brown v. Board of Education. Dramatically, on his deathbed, he asked Walker to return to his office in Atlanta, in a building that was once the headquarters of another kind of southern strategy, one driven by integrity and equality.
Just days after Dr. Tate’s passing in 2002, Walker honored his wish. Up a dusty, rickety staircase, locked in a concealed attic, she found the collection: a massive archive documenting the underground actors and covert strategies behind the most significant era of the fight for educational justice. Thus began Walker’s sixteen-year project to uncover the network of educators behind countless battles—in courtrooms, schools, and communities—for the education of black children. Until now, the courageous story of how black Americans in the South won so much and subsequently fell so far has been incomplete. The Lost Education of Horace Tate is a monumental work that offers fresh insight into the southern struggle for human rights, revealing little-known accounts of leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois and James Weldon Johnson, as well as hidden provocateurs like Horace Tate.
dr. vernard hodges
BOOK: “BET ON YOURSELF: FROM ZERO TO MILLIONS”
No matter what you want to achieve in life, you need money. School teaches us almost nothing about money or how to make it. At best, school tells us how to become an employee. But for many people employment means limited options and low pay. And if you lose your one job, you’re in big trouble. There is another way.
BET ON YOURSELF: From zero to millions explains:
• How to create multiple streams of income
• Money 101
• What the stock market is and how it works
• How to get started investing in rental properties
Dr. Hodges shares his personal life lessons, often funny, but always meaningful, from hanging out with crack dealers as a teenager, to being mistaken for Mike Tyson on the other side of the world in South East Asia. Options were limited for people growing up in Dr. Hodges’ community; most people worked at the local bus factory, went into the military, ended up in jail, or got killed. The first part of this book shows how a poor African American kid failing in high school became a business owner and a respected veterinarian. Dr. Hodges stresses the importance of making friends wherever you go, and more. Getting fired from his first professional job was a blessing. It taught him to bet on himself, and he never looked back. There are important messages in this book about doing the right thing when no one is looking, the importance of role models, and being nice. As Dr. Hodges’ favorite rapper Jay-Z said on Moments of Clarity, The Black Album, 2003: And I can’t help the poor if I’m one of themSo I got rich and gave back to me That’s the win, win. Read this book. It could change your life.
Nikki Kerr Conley
BOOK: “COME ON BEAUTIFUL, MOVE!”
"Come on Beautiful, Move!" examines what’s holding you back from living an active and healthy life. It is time, money, family obligations or a lack of motivation? Has your doctor told you it's time to make some lifestyle changes, but you truly don’t know where to start? Or perhaps, you do know where to start, but you just need some major motivation. Whatever it may be, this book is the key to helping you manage the change you want to see and be. "Come on Beautiful, Move!" will guide you with real solutions and practical advice. It’s not about being skinny or having six-pack abs, it’s about taking real control of your life, your health and your overall well- being. It's the guide for every size and shape of Beautiful Woman who is finally ready to Move!
Nikki is a graduate of Fort Valley State University. She was a member of the Wildcats girls basketball team throughout her college career. Additionally, she is active in the FVSU Savannah Alumni Chapter. On June 1st, they held a fundraiser and she played an integral role in the planning and implementation of the event. After graduating with her Bachelors degree in Health and Physical Education, Nikki continued her education at the University of South Carolina with a Masters of Public Health. In addition to her work in the public schools and with military serviceman, Nikki has ran a successful nonprofit, Health Quest Solutions, Inc. (www.healthquestsolutions.org) since 2005. She is a third generation Fort Valley State Graduate. Her Grandmother (Bessie J. Calhoun), parents (Paul and Geraldine Kerr) and their children (Nikki, Shantia, and Jelani) are all graduates of Fort Valley State University. Nikki consistently gives back to the University with her time and finances.
Dr. Patricia Dugas
BOOK: “DUE SEASON”
Dr. Patricia Dugas is a 1969 graduate, having majored in Secondary Education, with an English concentration. She began my teaching career in Vienna, GA, which spanned 33 years in education, having retired from DeKalb County. She attended GA State Univ., renewing her teaching certificate, multiple times. After retirement (January 2007), she attended satellite locations of Life Christian University, whose home is in Lutz, Florida. Dr. Dugas acquired a Bachelor of Arts, Masters and Doctorate of Theology in Ministry. Currently, she serves as an associate minister, under the tutelage of Rev. Jerry D. Black, at Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, 2340 Clifton Springs Rd., Decatur, GA 30034. The telephone number is 404.241.3307. The congregation has grown to about 10,000 members. The church was on Sage Lane in Decatur, when she first heard of its existence. The current location was a golf course. But, 2019 is its 20th year at the Clifton location. She received her Call into the ministry before she retired from teaching; the year was 1999, Thanksgiving morning. She had already written my novel by then, but she did NOT understand that her ministry was connected to its purpose–to teach that life boomerangs, that one reaps as one has sown. It is meant to entertain, yet teach this life lesson. Dr. Dugas has had autograph parties in a few states, i.e. Georgia, Florida, SC, and Michigan. Just as she was about to close this chapter, Father God reminded her that her "work" is undone. Teaching this concept is a lifelong Calling. She is to take the story to the screen, because MANY who NEED this life lesson do NOT read.
TO PURCHASE THIS ITEM IT MUST BE MADE VIA PAYPAY ACCOUNT AT PATRICIA DUGAS. THE COST OF THE NOVEL IS $20. SHIPPING IS CONTINGENT UPON THE PURCHASER’S DECISION. NORMAL SHIPPING COST IS ABOUT $5.
JOE N. LESTER
BOOK: “BAPTIZED BY FIRE”
Feuds within churches have been around as long as religion itself. No matter one’s faith, this lone subject has managed to divide families, friends, colleagues, even communities.
A division within a religious community in a small town in rural middle Georgia is the subject of Baptized by Fire. The novel begins with an old-fashioned church revival at a prominent African-American church in Hawkinsville, Georgia. Joe Fry, the story’s protagonist, returns home expecting a weeklong refreshment of heart and soul. Instead he finds himself caught between two men of faith so blinded by their own desires, they don’t see the enemy that has unleashed an army of demons on the town. Joe’s vision is clearer, however, and when he won’t back down, soon his own life is in jeopardy.
Baptized by Fire is suspense-packed, fast-paced, realistic and unfiltered Christian fiction about love, religion, deceit, and loyalty, played out through the fields and swamps of the farming region of Pulaski County.
The author, Joe N. Lester, grew up on a farm in Hawkinsville, and is now a dentist in private practice in Conyers, Georgia. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Fort Valley State University and his dental degree from Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry. He was a candidate for US Congress in Georgia’s Third District in 2002, and is the author of four books.
Baptized by Fire is a pot-licking good read spiced with suspense and tragedy, uniquely romancing life in the rural south, and drills into religion, power, and real-life consequences.
JOSCELYN WARD
BOOK: “THE POWER OF THE BLACK VOTE AND GOVERNMENT TACTICS TO BLOCK IT”
My name is Joscelyn "JoJo" Varlack Ward, a proud graduate of the Fort Valley State University (College), Lifetime Member, Treasurer of the Washington DC Metro Area Alumni Chapter, and the former Miss Fort Valley State College 1983-84. As a first time author, the past five to six months, I have been writing a book titled, "The Power of the Black Vote and Government Tactics to Block It." It identifies past and current tactics our Government uses to disenfranchise the Black and Brown votes; explains why all elections are important, provides instructions from registering to vote to doing your homework on each candidate to actually voting, and shares links to interviews of former Slaves and Sharecroppers, amongst other things.
The exciting news is I recently launched my Book Campaign. The publishing company, New Degree Press (ND Press), Washington, DC, thinks the topic is perfect for this time in our history and I agree. To prove to ND Press I have a book worth publishing, I would really love your support during the next 30 days by purchasing one of the six book packages. The presales help defray publishing costs.
There are six book packages. Depending on your selection, you will have an opportunity to take this journey with me, because you will receive a copy of the draft to provide input, a signed copy of the book when it publishes December 2020, (in time for Christmas), participate in selecting the book cover, your name mentioned on the Acknowledgement page, and a personal Thank You note from me.
Please feel free to share with friends and family, and thank you in advance for your support.