Beaming with pride and wearing a big smile, Betty Oxendine Mangum proudly posed for photos in front of a black and gold backdrop honoring the names of UNC Pembroke’s seven founders.
The commemorative backdrop was positioned in front of the steps of Old Main as part of a Founders’ Day event marking the 135th anniversary of its founding on Monday.
Mangum placed her palm on the display near the sixth name–John J. Oxendine–her great grandfather. A farmer from the Red Banks community, Oxendine was one of the university’s seven founding trustees.
“You have to have vision to move people, and my family has been visionary people,” said Mangum, a 1960 graduate and daughter of former longtime professor Dr. Clifton Oxendine. “They have made many sacrifices. I am so thrilled to be here on this special day. This means a lot to my family and me.”
Family members of the other six founders–Isaac Brayboy, James E. Dial Sr., Preston Locklear, W.L. Moore, James Oxendine and Olin Oxendine–attended the ceremony, which included several speakers. Established as Croatan Normal School on March 7, 1887, to train Lumbee Indians to be teachers, UNCP began as the only state-supported American Indian college in the nation.
“Founders’ Day is about bringing our community together–to remember our story, to honor the promise this place represents and to recognize the shared responsibility of this community and this region, this town, in upholding our mission of changing lives through education by building on the future potential of our university,” said Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings.
“Our founders were visionaries who set out to establish a school for their children, and the next seven generations, to have access to education, and 135 years later, UNC Pembroke stands as a testament to their vision,” Cummings said.
Dr. Lawrence Locklear, university historian and director of the Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity, shared a brief history of the university before welcoming other speakers to the podium, including Tribal Chairman John Lowery, Pembroke Town Councilman Channing Jones and Dana Hunt-Locklear, student body president.
Chancellor Cummings also recognized several of the university’s oldest alumni in attendance, including Catherine Locklear, Charles Oxendine, Bernice Brooks Lowry, Dorothy Blue, Rosa Dial Woods and Mable Moore Cummings.
Kellie Blue, an alumna and member of the UNC Board of Governors, also attended. Chancellor Cummings announced plans to create a memorial honoring the seven founders during his remarks.
“UNCP has had a proud history, indeed a remarkable history,” said Lawrence Locklear, a descendant of Isaac Brayboy. “What once was a dream of the Lumbee people and our founders is now a living legacy. Each of us present today and the institution’s 30,000 living alumni are a testament to that legacy.
“Today is a great day to be a member of BraveNation!”
