FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Seth Coleman

(404)215-2680

ATLANTA, Sept. 17, 1998 - In yet another effort to show Morehouse College's commitment to the surrounding community, President Walter E. Massey and his wife Shirley - along with scores of students, staff, faculty members and other volunteers - will hit the streets Saturday morning for the Morehouse College Community Clean-Up Cooperative.

Though this is the beginning of the fourth year of his administration, Massey (a 1958 graduate of the College) officially declared himself "home" Thursday, with the dedication of DAVIDSON HOUSE, Center for Excellence - a brand-new on-campus facility which serves as the president's home as well as a venue for meetings and official dinners and receptions.

Just as DAVIDSON HOUSE illustrates a commitment to being a viable and active member of the community, Massey said the Clean-Up Cooperative takes it one step further.

"We want to continue in the spirit of doing all we can to make not only our campus, but our community a better place to live and learn," Massey said.

An army of Morehouse students and employees, along with other concerned residents and students from Booker T. Washington High School and Agnes Scott Elementary School will pick up trash and debris in an area bounded by Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the east, West End Avenue in the west, Lawton Street to the north and Pascals Boulevard to the south. The initiative will last from 9 a.m. to noon, and all community participants will receive a free ticket to the Morehouse-Albany State football game that afternoon (1:30 p.m.), at B.T. Harvey Stadium.

The Clean-Up is being coordinated by Eddie Gaffney, vice provost for student affairs. Individuals interested in joining the effort can call the student affairs office at (404) 215-2634.

Founded in 1867, Morehouse is the nation's only historically black, private liberal arts college for men. The College enrolls approximately 3,000 students and graduates 500 each year, conferring bachelor's degrees on more black men than any other institution in the world. Prominent alumni include Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize laureate and civil rights leader; David Satcher, U.S. surgeon general and director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Samuel L. Jackson, motion picture actor and Academy Award nominee; Spike Lee, filmmaker and president of 40 Acres and A Mule Productions; and Edwin C. Moses, Olympic gold medalist and financial consultant for Robinson-Humphrey Co. Inc.