BRENDA POPE
Member, Alumni Association Board of Directors
Term: 2007-2011

When fifty Cleveland-area alumni first gathered in 1986 to help form BGSU's Cuyahoga County Black Alumni chapter, Brenda Pope '77 was there as a founding member and saw great opportunities on the horizon.

"That was when I started volunteering and letting people know about BGSU," says Pope. "I was just so excited to work with young people in the greater Cleveland area and spread the word about the University, my experience there, and what a great institution it is."

Once the chapter was formed, it began holding 2-3 fundraisers each year and pioneered what are now known regionally as Falcon Flock Parties: send-offs for local BGSU incoming freshmen held each summer. Cuyahoga County Black Alumni Chapter fundraising events were designed to raise funds for our annual scholarships to local students.

"The chapter came up with the idea of having a Send-Off for freshmen students so that they could meet administrators, alumni and fellow freshmen entering college. The event helped ease the current students’ anxieties of going away to college, but the parents are very appreciative as well."

Other events included a yearly brunch at Thistledown race track near Cleveland, where chapter members would meet and greet the winning jockey. These activities kindled what was already a strong passion with Pope, who also serves on the alumni board of East Technical HIgh School: supporting high school and college-age youth.

"I love working with young people," she says. "One of my first jobs out of BGSU was working with a youth program for inner-city youth that had dropped out of high school and we were helping them prepare for their GED so they can graduate. That was a fulfilling position for me as well."

Since joining the Alumni Board of Directors—something she refers to as an "honor and privilege"—Pope feels that her most important role is that of an advocate on behalf of the University and its students. In addition to helping mentor future alumni that are at BGSU now, she notes that it's also important to share news and progress, bring graduates back to town, and encourage alumni to get involved.

"I've taken it upon myself to let friends of mine know about next year's Centennial, which will be a wonderful celebration of the University, and to just come back to campus to see what has changed."

Recounting her own experiences, speaking to local high school guidance counselors about Cleveland's send-off parties, Pope drew inspiration from a fellow alumnus and BGSU staff member.

"I want to pay tribute to Clarence Terry. He was instrumental in our freshman send-offs being as successful as they were. He came almost every year, representing the office of admissions, and no matter what we needed, he was always there for us."

A 35-year BGSU employee who retired as director of multicultural recruitment not long before his death in May 2008, the first scholarships in Terry's name were recently awarded. 

Brenda M. Pope is a financial analyst for the Department of Defense at the Defense Finance & Accounting Service in Cleveland. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology (1977) from BGSU, where she was a member of the Gospel Choir. She is the Cuyahoga County Black Alumni Chapter leader. In 2006, she was inducted into the East Technical High School GradsNet Hall of Fame for the Cleveland Municipal School District. Brenda is a founding member and President of the East Tech Class of 1973 Scholarship Committee. She obtained her Masters in Public Administration from Cleveland State University in 1992. She resides in Shaker Heights, Ohio.