By GC Staff Report

GRAMBLING, La. —  Huston-Tillotson University President and CEO Dr. Melva K. Wallace brought energy, humor, and heartfelt inspiration to Grambling State University’s 124th Founders Day Observance, delivering a powerful keynote that blended faith, history, and a touch of “magic.”

The day began with the university’s traditional wreath-laying ceremony honoring founder Charles P. Adams near Lee Hall. GSU President Dr. Martin Lemelle Jr. and Grambling Mayor Alvin Bradley joined together to sign a proclamation officially designating November 1 as Founders Day 2025.

Later that morning, the celebration continued inside the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center, where Dr. Wallace—herself a two-time Grambling alumna—took the stage before a packed audience. Themed “Honoring Our Legacy, Building Our Future,” her address invited listeners to reflect on the enduring power of words and vision.

“Abracadabra — The Grambling Way”

Wallace opened with a childhood story about hearing the word abracadabra for the first time at a birthday party magic show in her hometown of Grambling. Years later, she discovered the word’s deeper meaning: “I create as I speak.”

“It’s not about magic,” Wallace said. “It’s about manifestation—believing in what you speak until it becomes reality. And for those who know the Lord, that’s a biblical principle. That, GramFam, is the Grambling way.”

She reminded the audience that she truly learned the meaning of abracadabra not from a magician, but on GSU’s very campus—“the place where everybody is somebody.”

Honoring the Visionaries

Wallace celebrated the humble beginnings of Grambling State University, which was founded through the determination of “farmers, preachers, mothers, and dreamers” who turned faith into a foundation for education.

“Those founders didn’t need a wand, a cape, or a top hat,” she said. “They used words, work, and willpower—and with a poof of perseverance, abracadabra—Grambling State University appeared, a light in North Louisiana that has never gone dim.”

From Dirt Roads to Digital Impact

Reflecting on her own student experience, Wallace said she didn’t realize at first that she was “walking into destiny.” But Grambling did.

“Grambling knows that in every student there is brilliance waiting to be called forth,” she said. “From the dirt roads to the digital age, from chalkboards to global impact, Grambling has always created as she spoke.”

She cited Grambling’s legacy of overcoming barriers and redefining excellence.
“When they said there was no room for Black teachers, Grambling said abracadabra and built a teacher’s college. When they said we couldn’t build champions, Grambling said abracadabra and sent legends to the NFL, NBA, MLB, and Olympics. When they said excellence couldn’t come from the piney woods, Grambling said abracadabra and produced doctors, judges, journalists, and CEOs—and even two university presidents standing here today.”

A Call to Create and Believe

Wallace urged students, alumni, and supporters to keep that same spirit alive.
“Not sleight of hand, but strength of purpose,” she said. “Not illusion, but illumination. Keep speaking light into this place. Keep believing that what we declare with purpose will manifest with power. Keep creating as you speak, not for a cause, but for legacy.”

She celebrated GSU’s continued progress—its expanding programs in cybersecurity, nursing, and digital media, along with the “World-Famed Tiger Marching Band” that continues to “move to the beat of excellence.”

Continuing the Legacy

Looking to the future, Wallace challenged the Grambling community to not only preserve its founders’ vision but expand it.

“When history is written, let it be said this generation didn’t just inherit the vision of Grambling’s founders—we expanded it,” she said. “We owe that to Booker T. Washington, who sent Charles P. Adams to start a school for African Americans right here in North Louisiana. We owe it to Adams himself, who led for 36 years. We owe it to Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones, to Coach Eddie Robinson, to Paul ‘Tank’ Younger, and to Thomas Moorehead, whose recent $10 million partnership with the College of Business continues that legacy of building.”

Wallace even nodded to popular culture, invoking Grammy-nominated artist and former GSU student Erykah Badu and rapper Cardi B—both connected to Grambling through the university’s cultural footprint and the World-Famed Band’s unforgettable performances.

“And yes,” she added, “we owe it to my brother and our current president, Dr. Martin Lemelle Jr., for saying abracadabra and telling the world, ‘We are building.’”

As her speech drew to a close, Wallace left the audience with a final charge:
“GramFam, I say to you—abracadabra. Keep using your words to build, to believe, and to bless this sacred ground. Because as long as there is a Grambling State University, there will always be a place where everybody is somebody.”