November 7, 2025

For more information, contact:
Laura Brelsford | hcnews@hawks.huntingdon.edu | (334) 833-4563

Patricia Guy ’69 Honored at Annual Birthday Luncheon

Montgomery, AL – On Friday, November 7, the Huntingdon family gathered in Stallworth Dining Room to participate in the fifth annual Patricia Guy Birthday Luncheon. 

The event began in 2020 to remember and pay tribute to Huntingdon’s first Black student and graduate, Patricia Guy ’69. Since 2020, on or near November 8, Patricia’s birthday, students, faculty, and staff are invited to share in a time of reflection on the importance of Patricia’s presence and actions at Huntingdon and her legacy.  

It is the tradition of the event that a junior student reads a brief biography about Patricia’s life along with an account of her first few year at Huntingdon from the book, Journeys that Opened up the World: Women, Student Christian Movements, and Social Justice 1955-1975, written by Huntingdon alumna, Shelia McCurdy ’66. This year’s biographer was Isaiah Matthews ’27. 

After Isaiah shared the biography, senior speaker Charity Shaw ’26 offered her reflections on Patricia Guy’s legacy and celebrating the “firsts” in the Year of Celebration at Huntingdon College. Below is the text of Charity’s speech. 

Good morning. 

This morning, we gather in the spirit of gratitude, pride, and remembrance to not just say happy birthday, but honor a woman whose courage changed the history of Huntingdon College: Ms. Patricia Guy, the first Black woman to attend and graduate from Huntingdon College in 1969. 

As many of us know, this year’s theme for the college is “A Time to Celebrate.” We are not simply talking about joy, but we must also take notice of the legacy. We are talking about the kind of celebration that comes from recognizing not only the journey but the sacrifices, struggles, and triumphs that shape who we are. 

In 1969, our nation was in a moment of change, schools were still desegregating, and courage was not just a virtue; it was a requirement that many people needed to have, and right here in Montgomery, Alabama, a city known for its history of the Civil Rights Movement, Patricia Guy walked through the doors of Huntingdon College and made history, even if she did not realize she was. 

Being the first is never easy. It means carrying the weight of both progress and possibility on your shoulders, it means walking a path that has not been cleared, and it means sitting in rooms where no one looks like you and still lifting your head high. 

And yet, Patricia Guy did not just enter; she excelled, and she graduated. She did not let fear, doubt, or loneliness stop her. She became the foundation where others could rise. 

People like Alfred Williams, Class of 1973, became the first Black male graduate of Huntingdon College. Iva Davis, Class of 1982, became the first President of the Black Student Union, creating a community where voices that had once been isolated could now unite. Linda Brown, Class of 1999, was the first President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. chapter on campus, a sisterhood of scholarship, service, and excellence. Bria Rochelle Stephens, Class of 2018, made history as the first Black Homecoming Queen, a moment that symbolized how inclusion and representation had blossomed into celebration, and Ariel Dixon, Class of 2025, was the first Black Miss Huntingdon in 2023, proof that generations of leaders, scholars, and dreamers are still growing and being noticed. 

Each of these names represents not just achievement, but continuation. A living, breathing testimony that being first is not the end of a story, it is the beginning of a movement. 

It is written in Galatians 6:9: “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” 

Today, we see that harvest. The harvest of courage, of resilience, and faith.

But let us also remember, this celebration calls us not to rest, but to continue. To keep pushing boundaries. To keep creating spaces where every student, regardless of their race, gender, or background, can feel seen, heard, and valued. 

As we celebrate Patricia Guy and those who followed her, let us be reminded of the words of Maya Angelou, who once said: 

“I come as one, but I stand as ten thousand.” 

When Patricia Guy crossed that graduation stage in 1969, she carried with her the hopes and dreams of thousands of students yet unborn, voices yet unheard, and possibilities yet unimagined. 

And today, in 2025, we celebrate not only her bravery but the brilliance of every student who walks this campus with purpose, pride, and promise. 

So yes, this is a time to celebrate. A time to honor the past, a time to cherish the present, and a time to invest in the future. 

To Ms. Patricia Guy, we not only say happy birthday, but we say thank you. To those who followed in her footsteps, congratulations. And to those who will come next, keep walking. Because the path has been paved, we must just continue to walk it.”

Thank you.

###