The Aggie Legacy Project is an opportunity to honor families who decided to attend North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. The Office of Alumni Relations has discovered generations of families stem from the early 1900s when HBCUs like North Carolina A&T created a safe haven for communities of color. Our institution created a home away from home environment that fostered the motivation for families to continue their education where people cared for their loved ones.
Families like the Stanley’s are examples of how important it is to continue the legacy of Aggie Pride.
Their story begins with George W. Walker ’56 who grew up on a farm in a rural area of Virginia and set a goal to do something more with his life. He found his way to N.C. A&T, graduated with a degree in biology and went on to become a dentist. He stayed in the profession for nearly 50 years with his wife, Queen, by his side until his retirement.
Walker is the father of Berdenia Walker Stanley ‘87 who opted to attend A&T to pursue a career as an electrical engineer. After graduation, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to work at Honeywell when a coincidence happened in 1990.
“I was in the airport on my way to A&T’s homecoming when I met my husband, Thomas, on his way to Greensboro, N.C.,” said Berdenia. “We were on the same flight and we knew each other in school but we did not start dating until we reconnected at the airport.”
Thomas Stanley’88 started his computer science career in Rochester, Minnesota working for IBM. He and his wife dated for five years and married in 1996. Throughout their marriage, the two have experienced various career moves in the areas of engineering and technology that have taken them from Dallas, Atlanta, and now Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Thomas serves as the chief revenue officer at Tanium, an information technology service company based in Emeryville, California. Berdenia is a full-time entrepreneur working in the areas of real estate and business development.
The Stanley’s have three daughters, Briana ‘20, who is a recent graduate of A&T, earned a degree in kinesiology, and Tori, a junior at A&T majoring in bioengineering. The third daughter, Sania, is a junior in high school.
“North Carolina A&T represented the best in culture, community, and academic excellence. There was just something about that Old Aggie Spirit. From my dad to other individuals who had gone before us, it was clear that the passion and pride were unique,” said Berdenia. “We transferred that same opportunity to our daughters. People often asked if we made them attend A&T, and we always say, ‘They could have chosen any school they wanted to, but if they choose an HBCU other than A&T, we may have a problem.’
“Our youngest daughter will have multiple opportunities as well, but she has made the decision that the A&T legacy of great experiences, history, character development, nurturing, love, and academic excellence are unmatched anywhere else.”
The Stanley family has three other family members who attended A&T, Karen Stanley ‘88, a first cousin of Thomas; and Juan Brooks ’91 and Chris Brooks ‘93, cousins of Berdenia.
The Stanley’s are a great example of Aggie Pride, who have been actively engaged on the N.C. A&T Board of Visitors, established the Stanley & Walker Endowed Scholarship in Engineering, and have made a significant contribution to the new, Engineering, Research and Innovation Complex (ERIC) building, and to Aggie athletics.
The Aggie Legacy Project is the newest effort to share stories about A&T alumni. If you would like to be a part of this storytelling project, please submit your information to http://bit.ly/ncatlegacy.