Franklin & Marshall College

The African American Alumni Council (AAAC) was founded in 1989.
Council membership is open to all Franklin & Marshall College students and graduates of color. The council likewise encourages supporters of F&M's community of color to join.

The AAAC embraces our collective responsibility to those who led the way among F&M’s community of color, and to those who will follow, both on campus and in the world at large.

Our council engages current students and alumni in a network that connects them to the College and each other through effective rewarding communication, programs and events.

The group also celebrates and promotes the rich history of F&M alumni of color by building upon meaningful traditions and dynamic accomplishments. In addition, the AAAC represents the interests and issues of alumni of color in the conversations that affect the current and future directions and conditions involving the F&M Community.

This year, we celebrate 70 years of African Americans at Franklin & Marshall College. Read more here. 

The Pioneers Club

In the fall of 1946, Dr. Sumner Bohee ’50, Franklin & Marshall’s first African American student, began his undergraduate studies at the College. Today, that pioneering spirit lives in students and alumni. The Council has created a giving society, The Pioneers Club, to honor the connection between student and alumni of color and the College. Follow the link to read more about the Pioneers Club

African American Alumni Council Executive Committee

Anthony Ross '91 – Chair

Shadoe Tarver '10 – Vice Chair

Dr. Cherise Hamblin Murphy '03 – Member

Michelle Russell '99 - Member

Video Spotlights 

This honor is presented to Franklin & Marshall alumni of African descent for outstanding achievement in a chosen profession or endeavor. Mr. Bridgett is a dedicated F&M alumnus who, after becoming the second African American graduate of the College, served as a civilian employee of the U.S. Air Force and went on to a distinguished career as an educator in the Lancaster area.

In addition, he is a founding member of the African American Alumni Council and a longtime supporter of the Black Student Union.

Alumni selected for the Bridgett Medal come from diverse personal and professional backgrounds, exerting influence and providing support in a wide range of areas including research studies and publications, leadership development, education, academic achievement, community service and the arts.

Bridgett Medal recipients provide positive examples to which current students can aspire, and they remind fellow alumni of our shared responsibility to ensure the continued vitality of F&M’s community of color.

The AAAC Executive Committee heartily commends the recipients of the Bridgett Medal, and it extends its most sincere thanks for their extraordinary work as well as the equally extraordinary manner in which they represent alumni of Franklin & Marshall College.

Past Recipients