Courtesy of Savannah State University
Savannah State University (SSU) will celebrate its 132nd Founders’ Day on Thursday, Nov. 10, with alumnus Alfred D. McGuire, Jr., Class of ‘03, as speaker. An awards ceremony and observance of the university’s history, the annual event recognizes outstanding alumni and/or community members and those who have contributed to its success. Free and open to the public, the event will take place in the Student Union Ballrooms, 3219 College St., at 9:30 a.m.
A native of Lithonia, Ga., McGuire is the principal of Woodville Tompkins High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Savannah State University and a master’s degree in middle grades education from Armstrong University (Georgia Southern University). He also graduated from Mercer University with an Educational Specialist degree in educational leadership (K-12).
As a student at SSU, he was one of the founders and organizers of Achievers of Today and Tomorrow, Inc., a student organization committed to developing the professional, academic, and social lives of its members while serving the campus and surrounding community. McGuire began his career in the field of education with the Educational Talent Search program at Savannah State University, a federal outreach program designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds and ultimately prepare them for post-secondary education.
Founded by an act of the general assembly on November 26, 1890, Savannah State University is the oldest public historically black university in the University System of Georgia. A preliminary session of the school was held between June 1 and August 1, 1891, at the Baxter Street School building in Athens, Georgia, with Richard R. Wright as the principal and three other instructors. In 1892, the school was moved to its present site in east Savannah and officially named The Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth. Richard R. Wright was the first president. His son, Richard R. Wright Jr., received the first degree awarded by the college in 1898.
