The decision to establish the Atlanta Chapter was made in the fall of 1983. A group of Valley State alumni who had recently moved to Atlanta decided to get together to attend the MVSU--Morris Brown College Football game. The Valley football team was excellent, and Jerry Rice and Willie Totten were receiving national attention. We knew Mississippi Valley would win and we proactively rented a Suite at the famous Paschal's Motor Lodge to celebrate. The Valley won 49 to 7 and we were ecstatic. During the celebration the group discussed the idea of continuing to support the Mississippi Valley by establishing an Atlanta Alumni Chapter.
The following Monday Dr. Gary McGaha called Carl Roberts, the first Director of Alumni Relations at Mississippi Valley and he walked Dr. McGaha through what was required to establish the chapter. Mr. Roberts requested to come to Atlanta to meet with members of the proposed chapter. We called the group together, decided on a date and time, Mr. Roberts came for the visit and the chapter was established. We always used the date of the game, September 3, 1983, as the official beginning date for the chapter.
The chapter started with a blast. Extensive support was provided for the Valley each year. The first fundraiser was an Alumni Banquet held at Mount Zion Second Baptist Church. The Director of Alumni Relations at The Valley and several other officials attended the banquet and a contribution was sent to The Valley. A donation was also given to the Church. National Alumni presidents (Dollye Hodges and Devera Ball) came to Atlanta on a regular basis. The chapter was also instrumental in co-hosting a National Alumni Convention. In addition, the chapter worked on several occasions with Mrs. Gladys Flaggs, to locate housing for Mississippi Valley students who came to Atlanta for internships.
Some of the original members of the chapter who assisted with the development of the chapter are listed below:
Barnett Birch
Elizabeth Ruffin
Caleb Ruffin
Helen Harris
Will Jernigan
James Davidson
Carl Gammage
Attorney Jim Collins
Henry Collinsworth
Earl Scurlock
Gary McGaha
