The FAMU Board of Trustees, today, will consider a proposal to honor longtime benefactors Bernard and Shirley Kinsey by naming the Marching 100 Band Rehearsal Hall in their honor.
The move recognizes the couple’s transformative philanthropy, which has spanned decades and impacted nearly every facet of the university’s music, athletics, and scholarship programs.
Since 2017, the Kinseys, both FAMU graduates, have donated millions in direct contributions to the university, including:
$250,000 in 2017 to fund new marching band uniforms and an equipment trailer.
$65,000 in 2018 for sousaphones, trumpets, and the Marching 100’s historic appearance in the 2019 Tournament of Roses Parade.
$350,000 in 2020 as part of a $700,000 matching grant to renovate the Galimore-Powell Athletic Fieldhouse.
Their generosity extended beyond music: they also donated flat-screen televisions for the athletic department and amplified student opportunities through Bernard’s leadership as co-chair of FAMU’s Industry Cluster (1985–1992). Under his tenure, corporate partnerships surged from 3 to 126 companies, raising over $11 million for the “Life-Gets-Better” Scholarship Program—a key factor in FAMU earning TIME Magazine and Princeton Review’s “College of the Year” title in 1997–1998.
“The Kinseys’ legacy is woven into FAMU’s excellence,” said Interim President Timothy Beard. “Naming this space celebrates their unwavering belief in our mission and their investment in student success.”
The Bernard and Shirley Kinsey Rehearsal Hall will stand as a permanent tribute to the couple’s vision. Trustees are expected to vote by this afternoon.