101-year-old Burnece Walker Brunson will be TSU’s grand marshal in homecoming parade

(top row) Burnece Brunson and Damon Lee III (bottom row) Yvonne Y. Clark and Edward L. Graves
(top row) Burnece Brunson and Damon Lee III (bottom row) Yvonne Y. Clark and Edward L. Graves

This year’s celebration marks Tennessee State University’s 104th anniversary and like every year they will celebrate with a homecoming parade on Saturday, October 15, 2016 at 9A.M.

The university will also celebrate the contributions of several former students and numerous supporters, including Burnece Walker Brunson, a 101-year-old member of the Alumni Cheerleading squad, who will serve as co-grand marshal for the Homecoming parade.

“I’m really looking forward to (this year’s) homecoming,” Brunson said in a recent interview.

She will be joined as grand marshal by Damon Lee III, who along with his sister Kimberly Lee-Lamb, earlier this year contributed $250,000 to the university on behalf of their late parents Damon and Rachel Lee, who attended TSU 80 years ago.

Yvonne Y. Clark (affectionately referred to as “TSU Lady Engineer”), who served the university for 55 years as instructor and associate professor of mechanical engineering; and Edward L. Graves, retired professor and bandleader for 35 years, will serve as honorees for the Homecoming.

The homecoming parade to the campus will start at 14th & Jefferson Street and end at 33rd & John Merritt Blvd.

Greek Letter Organizations Serenades and other Activities will take place at Welton Plaza (Greek Row) immediately after. The Showcase of Bands will take place at noon at theWilliam Jasper Hale Stadium. The cost is $5 per person.

Black Music Month celebrates legacy that continues to shape America

Black Music Month honors the enduring legacy of African American artists, from gospel and blues to jazz and hip-hop, and the advocates who helped secure

Trustee Gilmore’s Faith Leaders Walk rescheduled to June 9 due to weather

Metropolitan Trustee Erica S. Gilmore’s 4th annual Faith Leaders Walk has been rescheduled to June 9, inviting Nashvillians to join an interfaith community walk promoting

Charlane Oliver vows to keep fighting after senate punishment over redistricting protest

After being stripped of key committee roles for protesting Tennessee’s new congressional map, Sen. Charlane Oliver vows to keep fighting what she calls an attack

Nine states redraw congressional maps as redistricting reshapes 2026 midterm landscape

Nine states have redrawn congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms, with changes in Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and others poised to shift House control and

Fair Housing Alliance sues CFPB over rollback of longstanding lending protections

The National Fair Housing Alliance has sued the CFPB over a new rule that rolls back decades‑old lending protections, limiting disparate impact enforcement and threatening