JCSU Alumni A Present Help In Campus Summer Renovation Project
James ’78 and Valerie ’80 Vanderhall met on the campus of Johnson C. Smith University as undergraduate students.
They dated throughout their time at JCSU. James joined Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., while Valerie joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. They focused on their academics, graduated, married and started their careers. Decades later, the couple found themselves and their business, V&D Corporation, back on campus assisting in the renovations of the residence halls they stayed in as students.
“About three years ago, I came over to meet Ms. Perkins-Jones and she and I started working together,” said James Vanderhall. “We still had to do bids and quotes to make sure my price was in range with the project budgets, but I ended up being blessed enough to do a lot of work for my alma mater.”
The residence hall updates are a part of a massive Summer Renovation Project spearheaded by Erna Perkins-Jones, director of the Department of Facilities. The department is working diligently to transform campus into a reimagined space while celebrating the legacies left behind by Smithites like Vanderhall.