FAMU President James H. Ammons' sense of humor will be tested this Thursday evening as a few of his closest friends and colleagues will good-naturedly 'roast' him with quips and wisecracks for a good cause. Ammons is this year's honoree during Roast & Toast, the annual scholarship fundraiser for the Capital Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA- Capital Chapter). The event is scheduled for this Thursday, July 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Alfred Lawson, Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium. Roast & Toast, now in its 13th year, serves as the FPRA Capital Chapter's signature event and fundraiser. Money raised provides scholarships for public relations students at FAMU and Florida State University. "This year's Roast & Toast serves two purposes," said FPRA Capital Chapter President Heidi Otway, APR. "First, it gives this community an opportunity to honor Ammons for his work to provide a quality education for individuals at a historically black university, and second it raises scholarship dollars for students who are the future of the PR profession."
Otway, who is a 1992 graduate of FAMU also noted, "We get to have a little good-natured fun at his expense!" The lineup of roasters this year includes Dr. Frederick S. Humphries (past president of Florida A&M University), Ken Armstrong (CEO for United Way of the Big Bend), and Marjorie Turnbull (Florida A&M University Trustee) and the Honorable Alfred "Al" Lawson (State Senator).
"Educational Excellence Defined: Dr. James H. Ammons, a Scholar & a Gentleman," is the theme for this collegiate-focused event that will include an elegant and sumptuous menu, live music by the FAMU Jazz Ensemble and performances by the world-renowned FAMU Marching "100."