On February 5, 2020 Chowan University held the annual Rev. George T. and Luvenia B. Rouson Memorial Lecture in Turner Auditorium at 11:00 am. Minister to the University, Rev. Mari E Wiles opened the program with a warm, enthusiastic welcome. Rev. Roger C. Myrick Jr., Minister at Mill Neck Baptist Church, followed Rev. Wiles with the invocation, recognizing the lecture as a “family reunion” where audience members have gathered to “remember their history”. 

Staff Pianist Dejuan Lee and student Joshua Bryant musically led the congregation in singing “The Star Spangled Banner” and “Lift Every Voice And Sing.” After a brief greeting from The Honorable Hal Thomas, Mayor of Murfreesboro, Rev. Berna L. Stephens, a member of the Murfreesboro Town Council, recounted the Rouson Legacy and the Reason for Gathering. She also presented awards to the Futrell/ Ruffin Community Service Award winner, Rev. Dr. Claude M. Odom and the Minnie Wood Perkins Humanitarian Award winner, Mr. Joseph G. Minton. 

Mrs. Eresterine Parker Guidry took the podium next as the 2020 Rouson Lecturer to give her speech entitled, The GLOW UP is REAL: How a Country Girl Conquered the City!. Mrs. Guidry’s address focused on personal anecdotes revolving around her message of what it means to be an individual glowing and thriving on the inside and out. Among her many tips for how to achieve a more radiant and fulfilling lifestyle, Mrs. Guidry stressed the importance of proper education, being proud of one’s heritage, respecting oneself and others, staying disciplined, and most importantly, believing that God hears His children’s prayers and petitions. 

Following her address, Mrs. Guidry was presented the Rouson Award by Murfreesboro, NC mayor, The Honorable Hal Thomas. Senior Ministry Chaplin and CCSA Scholar Shakira Harris gave The Benediction where she prayed that God would grant all in attendance “grateful hearts and a servant’s mind”.