Bulldog Class Notes for Nov. 20. 2024
Retired Brig. Gen. George Price
Class of 1951
Retired Brig. Gen. George B. Price died on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Columbia, Maryland, at age 95.
General Price was the first of South Carolina State University's alumni to reach the rank of general officer.
He graduated from what was then South Carolina State College with a bachelor's degree in physical education ain 1951 and was commissioned as an infantry second lieutenant. He retired from the U.S.. Army after 28 years at the rank ofbrigadier general.
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan named General Price to be a member of the Board of Visitors to the United States Military Academy.
General Price was inducted into the SC State Army ROTC Hall of Fame in 1978 and honored with the university's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1988.
A visitation for General Price was held Saturday, November 23, 2024 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Witzke Funeral Homes Inc., 5555 Twin Knolls Road, Columbia, MD 21045.
Dr. Margaree Seawright Crosby
Class of 1963
In 1960, she made her first mark in the fight for civil rights and equality as one of the “Greenville Eight.” This group of students, including the Rev. Jessie Jackson, sat in protest, resulting in the desegregation of the Greenville County Public Library.
In 1963, Dr. Crosby graduated from what was then South Carolina State College, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. While there, she met her soulmate, the late Dr. Willis Herman Crosby Jr. They were later married that summer on June 22 and were happily married for almost sixty years until he passed away in 2022.
In 1973, she earned her Master of Education in Reading from Clemson University. In 1976, she earned her Doctor of Education in Reading/Elementary Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
She began working at Clemson University in 1977, becoming a full reading and language arts professor. Crosby made history when she became the first African American woman professor to earn tenure at Clemson University’s College of Education. Dr. Crosby retired in 1985 as Professor Emerita of Clemson.
Crosby was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated and the first female member of the board of trustees at the Greenville Hospital System.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held 3 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 at Macedonia Baptist Church, 1 Horton Street, Greenville, South Carolina.
Beasley Funeral Home, Greenville is in charge of arrangements.
John W. Stroman
Class of 1969
As a student at South Carolina State College, Stroman was a leader in civil rights demonstrations as a co-founder of the Student Action Committee. He was among the leaders in the February 1968 protests that led to what is known as the Orangeburg Massacre.
He was born on Nov. 25, 1942, in Orangeburg to Johnetta Maxwell and Moses Clay Stroman. He was raised by his maternal grandparents, John and Emma Maxwell.
Stroman was educated in the public schools of Savannah, Georgia, and graduated from Beech High School in 1960. John received his bachelor's degree in professional chemistry from SC State in 1969 and a master’s degree in education in 1976.
Stroman spent his career in education, having taught in Orangeburg and Walterboro schools.
Jamie Ulmer
Class of 1992
Ulmer has a long history of dedicated service and leadership in the healthcare sector. Since July 2022, he has served as president and CEO of Healthcare Network, a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) providing primary healthcare to all, regardless of income or insurance status.
Ulmer earned his Bachelor of Science in psychology from SC State in 1992 and was commissioned from the Bulldog Brigade as a US Army officer in the Medical Service Corps.
Ulmer began his healthcare career during his 24 years of military service, where he rose through the ranks to become the executive/operations officer at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
After retiring honorably from active duty, he continued his healthcare leadership journey, serving in various public health and FQHC leadership roles. His career has spanned positions at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and the United States Army, as well as CEO of Heart of Florida, an FQHC serving Marion County, Florida.
His father, James Ulmer III, also is a proud SC State alumnus, Class of 1968.
Gregory B. Morrison
Class of 1982
He is a director for the public companies Veritex Holdings, Rollins Inc. and RB Global, and private companies Amerisure and IEWC.
Morrison is the former senior VP and corporate chief information officer for Cox Enterprises Inc., a role he held for 18 years until his retirement in January 2020.
Prior to his role at Cox, Morrison served as chief operating officer of RealEstate.com and held various technology leadership roles, including chief information officer, at Prudential Financial Inc.
Morrison was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. He received a bachelor's of science in mathematics and physics from South Carolina State University and a master's of science in industrial engineering from Northwestern University.
Jonathan R. Whitfield
Class of 2010
He is the third African American to hold this position since the school’s founding in 1855.
Whitfield is a graduate of South Carolina State University, where he majored in fine and studio arts. He holds a master of divinity degree from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta.
Prior to joining Berea, he was a chaplain resident for Prisma Health in Greenville County, South Carolina, and youth pastor at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in the greater Atlanta area.
Micheal Summers
Class of 1988
Summers has decades of experience in capital project management, most notably, serving as director of physical plant and vice president of operations for the University of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia. Summers serves as chairman of the board of Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro. He has also been an independent business owner and began his career as director of education marketing for Coca-Cola United Eastern region, before pivoting to construction.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in agribusiness from South Carolina State University and a Master of Arts degree in collaborative educational leadership from Fielding University. Summers serves on several community boards and is an inductee into the SC State Athletic Hall of Fame. SC State recently named Summers among its "Stellar Alumni for 2025," in the public service category.