His enthusiasm is infectious and once you hear the Coppin State neighborhood story of Kevin Carr, you’ll know how and why higher education and the legend of Fanny Jackson Coppin is alive and well in West Baltimore. Take a lifelong journey with the Eagles’ proudest alum and his pitch for how education changed his life and how to bring the next generation along for the ride.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Coppin State University, 125th anniversary, Dr. Anthony Jenkins, Kevin Carr, graduate programs, alumni engagement, Fanny Jackson Coppin, basketball upset, student internships, senior waiver, jazz concerts, community involvement, educational growth, campus events, Baltimore positive.
SPEAKERS
Nestor Aparicio, Kevin Carr
8
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T, am 1570 Taos, Baltimore. We are Baltimore positive. We’re positively into the summer months around here trying to have a little bit of fun. We are taking the Maryland crab cake tour out on the road. We began this week at the Y in Randallstown. Why? Because they had a pool, and it’s summertime, and Councilman Julian Jones joined us, as well as John Hoey from the Y we also had a beautiful visit with Barry Williams, one time Randallstown high school principal, one time director of Parks and Recreation for Baltimore County. Great conversations. We had a delicious crab cake from our friends at clean cuisine up in the Owings Mills area. And we’re gonna be doing our 27th anniversary beginning on August the third. Why 27 years? Because once you get above 25 I celebrate them all. Every day. Is a good reason to celebrate. But I’m going to be doing like 27 favorite things to eat around town. All of that brought to you by our friends at Curia wellness, in addition to liberty, pure solutions keep my well water clean. And our friends at Coppin State University. We’ve been their flagship for, I believe, 14 years now, for sports. Over the last couple of years, I’ve gotten to know Dr Anthony Jenkins, and we’ve talked so much about their 125 years. And you know, when I got this shirt? I got it about a month and a half ago because they were kicking off the 125th anniversary. It was a huge event down at the Hippodrome. Beautiful music, great people. Brian Pinnick, from care first, gave a big endowment from care first to the to the university. And I got this shirt, and I looked at it, I’m like, I don’t really wear sort of polo, long sleeve, especially summertime, whatever. But then I put it on and like, it jumped off of me with this navy blue and I thought it’s a good looking shirt. So I’ve been wearing this shirt on the air. It’s a Coppin State University 125 years and I have Kevin Carr on, who is joining us from Coppin and and Kevin comes with this honestly. I mean, he is a real a graduate, someone that loves Coppin, someone that grew up right here in Baltimore. He’s West Baltimore. I’m East Baltimore. We’re meeting halfway here at NSD at Baltimore positive. And the first thing I did when I got on with you, you said to me, that’s good looking. You don’t have one of these shirts.
Kevin Carr 02:07
Yes, I do. I have it and I wear it often. I didn’t wear it today. I got on our volleyball team t shirt this morning. As you can see, I am copping down. I have
Nestor Aparicio 02:20
a lot of Eagle stuff here, but this has become my favorite. Piece. It’s comfy too, but I didn’t like it when I saw it. It was circle. Is this an as above? I’m like, is it gonna look good on the air? It almost makes me look like I went to cop it, or something. Like, I’m smart. You brought all the energy that night. Um, you, I mean, Dr Jenkins brings his own level of energy. And there’s just something about Coppin, whether it’s the music, the band, the culture of being there, all of the alums who are all bunch of women and teachers and disco dancers and line dancers and I mean, there’s so much enthusiasm when I come to cop and events that I literally and my wife will tell you this. I got to take a nap before I come and hang out with you all, because I you know everything it really is, and you’re sort of in the middle of it. There’s just a lot of enthusiasm there. And it’s an inclusive place where I’m like, I didn’t even go to competent I’m here, although I knew Fang, I brought the guys, the basketball team out in the 90s, that’s how long I’ve been doing this. So I’m confident, sympathizer, supporter, but when you’re in the middle of it, I mean, you guys have cheers and sounds you make and refrain, I feel like I’m getting ingratiated, Kevin, it’s because people like you bringing the
Kevin Carr 03:35
8energy, man. Well, thank you so very much, and thank you for this interview. You know I love Coppin so much, so much, and great things that’s happening at Coppin under Dr Jenkins tutelage, and we are so grateful that he has taken the university to another level, to another level.
Nestor Aparicio 03:58
Start at the beginning. What’s the first time you heard the words Coppin State University or Teachers College? Maybe one, one point in your life.
Kevin Carr 04:05
Well, I grew up in the neighborhood right down the street on dukeland Street, four blocks away from the school back in the 60s. Yes, back in the 60s. What was Coppin State
Nestor Aparicio 04:18
in the 60s? What? What did a young boy like you see four blocks away. It probably looked like it
8Kevin Carr 04:25
was. It was just one building up there. We, we, we did not have this vast spatial space on North Avenue comp, and it was a lot of woods, a lot of trees, where on the south side of the campus, there were 130 some houses over there. So Coppin was not the space that was mon
Nestor Aparicio 04:48
diamond mall at that point, where everybody’s familiar. If you ever been to Coppin center, you park the malls right there. There’s the subway stop. What was the mall? I remember when the subway came in the. 80s. I wrote in the early 80s, the mall was there by then. Madam existed in 81 I’m assuming it didn’t exist in the 60s,
Kevin Carr 05:06
right? Um, well, I believe it was coming around. But Mondawmin started as an open Mall. A shopping said, Not, right? It did not have a top so as as it involved, the mall became this big money making mall, because that’s the number one money making mall in the in the city, cash flow. That mean
Nestor Aparicio 05:31
8to me. There’s a point with mandamine and growing up in that because I grew up across from East Point mall, like I was a mall. I mean I literally, I was a kid who could walk to a mall. My parents lived on the bus line because my father never drove and he worked at the point back in the 50s and 60s and 70s. But like growing up near a mall or being near a mall, I I always go to that side of town, which has always had challenges that we tried, always trying to overcome. But the part of it was the commerce of seeing the malls there, and I shopped at the mall. Everybody knows about madam and but like the college growing up into the university in that footprint of being it’s right there. And the university, to your point, has grown so much. I remember when Fang was playing games up on North Avenue in a little it looked like a little middle school gym, right? Yes, absolutely. That’s the coffin you found as a young man,
Kevin Carr 06:20
though, right? I came to Coppin in 1999 I transferred from Morgan State University. So I was all at Morgan. I said, Well, let me go to a smaller institution to get my footprint and to get what I need. So that’s, that’s where it all started. In 1999 I stepped my foot on Coppins campus as a part time student, and I’ve been there ever since.
Nestor Aparicio 06:48
Well, it had nothing to do with Fang with the big upset 98 nothing like that. He went to save time, though.
Kevin Carr 06:55
No, right? No, no. I came in 99 so Fang had did his thing, but me and Fang did work together as me singing singing at the basketball games directly in the choir now, and we’re singing the national anthem at the game. So yes, I am quite aware with Fang. I’ve worked with Fang for many years while he was at copping. I’ve been at Coppin for now 22 years as a student and as a worker at Coppin State University. So Coppin, to me, is a place where nurturing potential transforming lives. That’s our slogan, and that’s what Coppin did for me. It changed the trajectory of my life, and I owe my debt to compensate University. That’s why I’m still there. I haven’t retired yet. I’m not thinking about retirement because there are other students that I need to, you know, to nurture and to help, to transform their lives. That’s why I’m still a cop.
8Nestor Aparicio 07:58
Kevin Carr is here. He’s still a cop, and the Coppin State is our partner. They’re celebrating 125 years. And Kev, I’ll tell you this if Fang were here, and I can channel him a little bit if I get enough coffee in the morning and get my voice so so Fang brought all the players out to my studio back in 1998 that’s how long I’ve been doing this. And I have these great pictures. I fed him pizza that probably would have gotten them, you know, thrown out of the NCAA, according to Fang, that $5 worth of free pizza was too much to give to the students back in the day. But if he were here, he’d say, young man, tell tell the community what that win did for Coppin State and what did draw national reputation, because it really, yeah, I was going to say that you took the words right out of my I was going to say that, but not for you, because you brought four blocks away, you know, that cop in your whole life, but all of a sudden you put ESPN on, you put the news on. It wasn’t a sports story. It was a 15 taken down at two. It was a historically black university in West Baltimore that nobody, people didn’t even know how to pronounce it, and they, they shocked the world. It was the greatest upset until UMBC did it as a 16 and a one or whatever. But we talked about it for years and years and years, and then I see these young kids on campus realizing, Oh, they were all born in like, 2006 789, right? And I’m thinking, you’re the gray haired guy that can say, man, we want a basketball game around that, boys, it really was something special.
Kevin Carr 09:30
Yes, absolutely. And we always a channel back to that, because that’s how Coppin has evolved. Because with that game, we can always say we won that game. And maybe you need to get the new basketball, female basketball coach on the line. I will mention this to him, and mention it to the president’s office. You need to get him on here, because he is going to come and have you. Uh, gotten um, Mitchell, um, Steven, um, I’m
Nestor Aparicio 10:06
on it all summer long. I’m this whole thing started with me just talking about basketball around here, and now it’s evolved into, like, a whole fun thing where people like you come on, what do you do for the university? Other to bring a lot of energy and tell folks about it. Because I would think on any campus you you want graduates to be enthusiastic about having graduated. You wanted to come back have great lives. You wanted to make a billion dollars and give it all back to the you know. You want to do all of that stuff. You really come at it honest. It’s like when I talk about Dundalk, it’s where I’m from. It’s not hard for me to talk about it, but you’ve really invested your life in Coppin, and you said the dirtiest words ever. You said, I was at Morgan came back over, and that’s why. But making a life at Coppin and seeing what it is, and seeing graduates coming, people from all over the world come to Coppin now, and you’re at the front door saying, this is a great place. What do you what would you tell my audience that maybe he’s never been down for a game, maybe they know about the basketball game 30 years ago? What would you tell them about the cop and they find if they come today? Okay?
Kevin Carr 11:14
8What I tell people, and I’m telling you a personal story about a couple of years ago this parent called the school with their son on the the line, and they were interested in coming to Coppet. I want to hear about Coppin. I’m on the phone. I’m the enrollment and graduate specialist in the School of Graduate Studies. I get this graduate students to come to Coppin. So I said, Well, Coppin is a great place. His name was Gerard, and his mother, beautiful family, beautiful family, and we are friends. To this day, I sold Coppin to that family over the phone in Florida. They drew they came up to the campus. The following week, I took them around the campus. Their son graduated a couple of years ago with his master’s degree just by me selling the school over the phone. It is always so important that we that are on the front line, we sell the cop and story like never before, if you want to come to a place where you are known by your name and not your social security number, not a student number, but people know you by name. I know my students by name. We are that institution that love to mentor students. We get into the heart of the students, anything that the students need. Or at Compton State University, we staff members are there for them. They can never say, well, that person don’t care for me. That person don’t care for me, if I hear about it. And I’m also the alumni president. I graduated in 2004 with my undergrad. I came back. I didn’t leave. I took around, and I graduated in 2004 with 2006 with my master’s degree. So I’m I’m there. Copping is all in my DNA. Hey, Coppin, and I tell students, as the alumni President, I want you to come back. You don’t have to go to no other school. You are here. We already know you by name. There’s no need to go to another school and start all over. You need to stay here, get rooted and grounded, and then go out and let the world know that the Eagles compensate eagles are here forever. We saw her. We do great things, and that’s because of what we have received at compensate University. And that’s what I do every day.
Nestor Aparicio 13:53
Kevin Carter’s here. He showed me, you know, you’re making me want to go back to school. I mean, like I, you know, maybe just want to drop all this and get back down to Coppin. Um, when you talk about graduate studies, and you’re talking about people that have already, they’re four years in, maybe they have a job. Maybe it’s, you know, maybe they can’t drop everything to I mean, in the modern world now, where we work at home, school, at home, do all sorts of different things, there still is sort of a hands on part of your campus that isn’t like no offense to Towson or some bigger campuses. And I went to Dundalk Community College and I went to the University of Baltimore. We didn’t even live on, you know, like I was just trying to get my degree and get out, I think, the coffin experience in the modern experience of what a graduate degree can do financially for you and moving you along to a different level. You clearly, you never, you never hiccup, right? You went through the program and stayed and got the Masters, got it all done, so 20 years later, you could sit here and talk about it. For some people, it’s not that easy. Some people go back into their 30s, into their 40s. They live here. Maybe they went to school. School at State University, somewhere else, or whatever. But you have programs here that if you live in the area and you’re here, Coppin can really do wonders for you.
Kevin Carr 15:09
Absolutely we have. The state of Maryland has, and I always sell this our seniors who are retired and want to do something, the state of Maryland has initiated a program at Coppin State University called the senior waiver, where seniors who are 60 years old retirement receiving a pension, they can come to Coppin State University and take courses or get their degree on the state of Maryland.
Nestor Aparicio 15:42
Hang on a second, because Hang on. I’m getting old. I don’t know if you I know you look and you’re like, hey, he’s still young. And right? I did for the first time, my wife, I went to the movies couple weeks ago, and it said senior discount. I clicked the button just to see and it said 60. And I’m like, I ain’t 60, but I’m turning 57 this year. So, so So you’re saying, in like, a couple, three years, if I just want to, like, come down and do and I used to love this at Dundalk Community College back in the 80s, because I had older folks at the community college. It’s everybody, right, like I was the 18 year old kid at that time in my life, in the 80s, but there were people in their 50s, 60s, whatever, personal enrichment. You know what I mean? So I could get some enrichment if I wanted to that. So courses like that talk to me about that and what people I’m studying up on. Ai a little bit this summer, right? And I know you guys do cyber, you’re doing stuff that’s real career oriented, but I’m trying to do my own sort of, I never want to stop learning. You know that, Kevin, we never stop learning. Guys like us, but that never stop learning is committing to a course or committing to something new. For me, I think the AI space is in a place. I need to learn more cyber. I’m a little intimidated by I just want to be safe, because I’ve talked to some of your professors about cyber ready. I’m not ready for all that yet, but I mean taking on new challenges. And you talk about this when you talk to graduate students, what is popular at Coppin? What do especially young people coming to you and saying, Hey, I’m 25 I’m gonna come back and we get my masters. What are they getting their masters in at Coppin?
8Kevin Carr 17:12
Okay, it’s a variety of programs. We have a good criminal justice program, our nursing program, Family Nurse Practitioner. We have the doctoral of nursing practice. We have human services. That’s a program that’s a dual program at University of Baltimore and Coppin. So if a student go into that program, they will give both of the schools logo on their degrees. We have masters in the art of teaching those that want to teach about a lot of our students are coming into the clinical, clinical mental health program, addictions counseling. We have health information management. We have, we just started a couple of years ago science programs, and that that program is really coming together. We have a few students that’s getting ready to graduate. Our first cohort that’s maluca sciences. I mean, those people that’s into the sciences and biology, that program has really
Nestor Aparicio 18:23
taken that program, I’m not stem, no, no, I’m out. I know what I’m good at, what I’m not, you know, I mean, I’m
Kevin Carr 18:31
absolutely a lot of us are not. But that program, they get a lot of grants. You’re talking about a program, um, one of the professors there, Doctor udom, he gets a lot of grants for that program. That’s why that program is so successful. But most of our students, the criminal justice, the investigative sciences, anything that the students want to do that, like you said, hands on, that’s when they come to Coppin. And we are really at a place where our programs are growing. We need more space. That’s why the President is building we’re building a new dorm now because we have ran out of space. We got the largest freshman class get ready to come in this year. So I’m going back into the classroom and teach freshman seminar so they can know how Coppin really is by a first hand experience. And like I tell the students all the time, when before you graduate from this institution, you need to be getting your job. I was a student intern in my last two years at Coppin, back in 92,003 I was given a student intern. That’s how I started working at Coppin, and I’ve been here 22 years later, I was a student intern. They said, give him a job. He does a lot for. Us give him a job on this campus, and I haven’t stopped yet. Well,
Nestor Aparicio 20:04
8you’re not stopping right now. Kevin cohers Here, I got to meet him a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve seen you out at the other events as well. But we gave Kevin the mic at the 125 kick. This a big year. 125 years, it has gotten me to learn a lot. And by the way, on the basketball side, I ran into coach Stu like two weeks ago over in Catonsville, Dale mosey I’m coming to find you. So for you, with 125 and what that represents for the university, and you, you’ve got at least 25 of it into it, you’re
Kevin Carr 20:37
27 on your own. Yeah, I’m going, I’m going on the 25
Nestor Aparicio 20:42
Yes, I when I talk to folks about the university, especially folks that have been around a long time, it just really is this incredible path of growth. And you’ve already mentioned they’re putting up dorms, that it’s just getting bigger and it’s getting better and and you’ve seen this happen, and you know over the last 25 years, you’re a witness to all of it, more than anything else.
Kevin Carr 21:01
Absolutely, I remember when they tore down the old gymnasium and where the parking lot was that is now gone, that’s where the new dorm, 303 100 beds, 350 beds are now coming. So we will have, between all the three dorms, we will be able to house 1000 students living on the campus. And the President Jenkins goal is to have all the freshmen for their first year living on the campus. And I think that will help to get our freshmen rooted and grounded into what they supposed to come to college to do. They do the other stuff, but we want you to come and get the education that your parents are sending you here to get. So that’s why it’s so important to get these young people on the campus so that we can really look out for them and help to nurture their lives.
8Nestor Aparicio 21:57
Well, it’s a pleasure to have you on I chased you down all summer. I gave you my card that female Absolutely, at least I got the good shirt to wear today. So I’m good, yeah, and I do appreciate everything you all have done to invite us out. There’s still a lot going on at Coppin. You go out to the website, learn about people think kids are out of school. I’m like, they’re not done working over there. And it happens quick, right? Like you blink and the freshman class is here, right? They arrive earlier, right?
Kevin Carr 22:24
Yes, yeah. I would like to even invite you to some of our alumni meetings. Are you coming out to our jazz concert that start on next Thursday, June the 26th
Nestor Aparicio 22:35
I like jazz. What are we doing? I’m doing my show that day out of readers, but God, what are we doing?
Kevin Carr 22:40
8It’s a free we every year we do a free dance concert June, July and August, the last Thursday of the month, and we that program has grown. I was one of the ones that helped to initiate it. 10 years later, 11 years later, we are now to over 3000 people on the campus, out on the lawn across the street between SCC and Human Services, listening to jazz free concert. We have vendors. We have vendors coming selling food. We have vendors coming selling T shirts, all kind of items that will happen, June the 26th starting at six o’clock on the south side of the campus, right off the North Avenue. Why
Nestor Aparicio 23:28
am I right up here? You go to coppin.edu the information. I googled it. June 26 July, 24 August, 21 it happened 2500 West North Avenue on the south quad 69 on Thursday night, gonna be beautiful out there, lawn chairs, food, beverages, family, friends and vendors on site, and most importantly, jazz music going on. So
Kevin Carr 23:52
and secret society from DC will be our first featured artist on that night. We we invited them last year. They had a great time our our fans love them, so that’s why they’re coming back to open us up this year.
Nestor Aparicio 24:07
Alright, sunset jazz music, Thursday nights, easy, that’s easy and free, free, the keyword,
8Kevin Carr 24:14
right? Free, absolutely, but you have to go online to register, so we can just keep a number of who, who is attending, well, make
Nestor Aparicio 24:23
sure you got enough drinks for me there, you know, make sure we have enough food for Kevin Carr is here. He, one day, he’ll run the whole show over there. He’ll tell Dr Jenkins that, but he’s running some alumni stuff, taking care of people over there. They, you know, they sent me. You’re the only guy I met that has as much energy as Dr Jenkins. So maybe he gets, I think he might say he gets it from you, I’m not sure, but really a pleasure to have you on. I I tracked you down. It took me a month or two to find you, but it will take now I know where you are. You’re hanging out listening to jazz music
Kevin Carr 24:53
on the 26 absolutely, absolutely anytime I could come on and give some of my exact. To the board members on I would love for you to meet them. We’re going to be sworn in to our new offices again. I’ve won the election again for the alumni president. So August the 20th, we will be installed as the new executive board for Coppin State, National Alumni Association,
Nestor Aparicio 25:19
8and you’ll have the biggest freshman class ever at Coppin to go meet and get them ingratiated. Absolutely, I’m sure you will. You will, what is your favorite thing on Coppins campus? What’s, what’s the thing? If I were a kid and said, What’s, what’s your favorite thing, Mr. Carr, what would you
Kevin Carr 25:34
say? I would say the favorite thing is, um, Dr Jenkins, when he came, he put our namesake in the middle of the campus, Fanny Jackson Coppin statue. Every student, when they come to campus, when you see the toy, oh, let me get a picture here. Let me get a picture that statue that stands in the middle of our campus is a selling piece to our great institution for lasting 125 years. Go cop and go,
Nestor Aparicio 26:06
I’ll give everybody go to coppin.edu, Google, Google that, and find out about the statue. Find out where the Coppin name comes from. Google that. And I, because I did not know until this year. So you know the legend of Fanny and the legend of teaching and the legend of West Baltimore and the HBCU tradition. So I appreciate you. It’s great having you on you thank you. I knew we’d have a lot of energy in this segment. I knew that, because I lack energy around here, people know that. No, you don’t.
Kevin Carr 26:39
Yes, I’m going on his show. I love his energy. I’m going on his show, and I thank you for the positive Baltimore connection here conversation,
8Nestor Aparicio 26:50
well, I feel like an old ELO song. Don’t bring me down. I am Nestor. We are wnst. Am 1570 Dallas, the Baltimore proudly represent Coppin State University, telling their 125 years of stories and bringing good folks like Kevin Carr on to tell their story. More than just basketball. These days we’re talking about all sorts of things, but I will talk some basketball, I promise you. We’re Baltimore positive. Stay with us. You.
