Excelsior At 81: Giving Thanks on Founder’s Day

Saturday | January 28, 2012

Alumni in South Florida were fulsome in their praise of their alma mater as they marked Founder’s Day 2012 with the second annual Service of Thanksgiving at the Holy Family Episcopal Church in Miami Gardens on Sunday, January 22.

There was no scrimping on the hosannas as about two dozen members of the Excelsior Alumni Association of Florida lined two pews of the church and joined other alumni—regular members of the congregation—arrayed around the sanctuary, to pay homage to Excelsior’s 81st anniversary.

Three-quarters of the way into the service, inside the ornate church with its spare white walls and soaring ceiling, President Althea Brown Robinson made her way to the pulpit to deliver an eloquent and well-received synopsis of the Excelsior story.

“The disappointment of one individual at 15 years old and the seeming bad decision of another gave birth to a wonderful dream, an idea, a resolution, a commitment, and a reality,” she said, recounting how a young A. Wesley Powell was turned away from a prominent Jamaican high school because he was deemed too old, and was inspired to found his own institution.

“We can only feel blessed that our beloved founder, A. Wesley Powell, followed through on his pledge on January 19, 1931, some 81 years ago,” she continued.

“As alumni, we cannot let that day go unnoticed. As Excelsorians, we walk through life remembering and being inspired by the significance of our school crest, our school name, and our motto.”

Alumnus George Harris, a member of the church’s vestry, introduced the president, and Reverend Ward, the lead pastor, later formally welcomed the visitors to his church and encouraged them to return more often.

“It was great to see so many alumni,” said alumnus Anthony Hudson, one of the visitors. “It was a very nice service, and Althea really made us proud with her speech. We should make this church our home church and publicize the function earlier. I am confident that our Founder’s Day Service in Florida will grow each year with an increasingly larger number of alumni attending.”

This sentiment is shared by the Board of the Alumni Association as it seeks to make the annual Founder’s Day Service a permanent fixture on its calendar.

Following the service, the group retired to the church’s basement to socialize and enjoy refreshments sponsored by the alumni organization.