News Of Our Douglass Friends And Neighbors

2012 Black History Month Events in Kingsport

2012-01-30T10:27:00.000-08:00

Negro History Week began in 1926, launched by Carter G. Woodson, an early scholar of African-American history. Now, nearly 90 years later as Black History month, it has become a monthlong event, celebrated each February, to recognize the accomplishments and culture of African-Americans and promote awareness of black history.

Below are some events set to take place in Kingsport and the region to commemorate this very important part of our nation’s history.

• FROM NOW UNTIL FEBRUARY 29TH: Black History Month Art Exhibits, Kingsport Renaissance Center, Atrium, 2nd Floor, Center Street, Kingsport. Event free of charge. Display featuring African-American Professionals and Business Owners from Riverview. Also, artwork displays, featuring William Menya, Ethnic Art by Mark Anthony, and others.

• THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH: The Cultural Arts Division of Kingsport’s Parks and Recreation Department will present jazz singer Connye Florance in concert at 7 p.m., Feb. 9 at the Kingsport Renaissance Center. Tickets for “Colors of Jazz” are $12. The concert is sponsored by the Cultural Arts Division of Kingsport Parks and Recreation, Leisure Services for the city of Kingsport and Engage Kingsport. For more information or to order tickets to the concert, call (423) 392-8417 or visit www.EngageKingsport.com.

• TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH: Pro-Art Association, Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, Va., and the University of Virginia’s College at Wise in Wise, Va., will host two concerts by jazz vocalist L’Tanya Mari on Feb. 14. The first concert will be held at 12:15 p.m. in Phillips-Taylor Hall of MECC’s Goodloe Center. The second performance will be an evening concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Chapel of All Faiths at UVA-Wise. Admission is free to both programs. For more information, call (276) 376-4520 visit www.pro-art-va.org.

• FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH: City of Kingsport Parks and Rec Division of Community Services, in partnership with Riverview Boys & Girls Club and Riverview Residents Association presents Annual Soul Food Gathering, Friday, Feb. 17th, 4 PM to 5:30 PM, Riverview Community Center, 301 Louis Street, Kingsport. The event is free of charge. Come enjoy foods from past and present: homemade mac & cheese, collard greens, fried cracklin' bread, deer meat and rabbit, neck bones and potatoes, soup beans, chicken, sweeet potatoes and casseroles and more, with drinks and desserts. For more information, contact Johnnie Mae Swagerty, 429-7553 or Jessica, Riverview Boys & Girls Club, 392-2517. Everyone welcome. MM, MM Good, Fun, food & fellowship!

• SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH: "Come Get on the Bus" with New Vision Youth and Kingsport Parks & Rec, Community Services Division, Saturday, Feb. 18th, from 12 to 2 PM. Bus to Rogersville to tour the Swift-Price Museum. Pack lunch and Swift-Price will provide drinks. Everyone welcome, all ages. The event is free of charge. Contact Johnnie Mae Swagerty 429-7553 or Chassie Smiley-Freeman, 224-2420.

• SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19TH: New Vision Youth presents its annual Black History Program, Sunday, Feb. 19th, 4PM, St. Mark United Methodist Church, 929 Maple Street, Kingsport. Enmtertainment by various choirs, soloists & praise teams. Theme: Honoring Women of Color. Asking all women of color to attend, and be recognized. Contact Johnnie Mae Swagerty, 429-7553 to nominate a local woman of color. Everyone welcome!

• MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH: Help Our Potential Evolve (H.O.P.E.) will host workshops from noon to 6 p.m., Feb. 20 at the Kingsport Renaissance Center, 1200 E. Center St. Workshops to be offered include drumming, hosted by Rick Hick and Jenny Roger; an art class, hosted by Mark Anthony; African cuisine, hosted by Jerri Harrison; and face painting with the Boys and Girls Club. A Michael Jackson Wii Competition will provide first-place winners in different age groups with $100 Visa gift cards; second-place winners will receive $50 Visa gift cards. Workshops will be available for all ages, children and adults. For more information, email Stella Robinette at stella@hopetricities.com.

• THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD: In honor of Black History Month, East Tennessee State University’s Mary B. Martin School of the Arts will host Jeff Obafemi Carr at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 23 at the V.A. Memorial Theatre stage in Johnson City. Carr’s one-man play, “How Blak Kin Eye Bee?” will feature Carr portraying a full cast of seven true-to-life characters who take audiences on a funny, touching and thought-provoking journey of discovering what it means to be African-American in today’s world. The 90-minute play features music, multimedia and audience participation. Tickets are $5 for students; $15 for seniors; and $20 for general admission. For more information, or to order tickets, call (423) 439-8587 or e-mail artsinfo@etsu.edu.

Voices of Praise, Maryville College
• SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH: South Central Kingsport Community Development, Inc. presents 2012 COMMUNITY UNITY DAY, 5PM, at the Nancy Pridemore Little Theater, Dobyns-Bennett High School, 1200 Legion Drive, Kingsport. The event is free of charge. Entertainment: VOP (Voices of Praise) from Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee; TCB (Tri-Cities Blessed); Full Gospel Mission Church #2 Choir and Praise Dancers from Greeneville;
Kingsley United Methodist Church from Kingsport; Soloist Will McClintock; Hayden Thompson from the Bethel A.M.E. Zion Church, Kingsport performing a Gospel Mime; and Eddie Knight of Greeneville, reciting the poem "Two Halves."

Carver seeks history competition entries

2012-01-28T07:53:00.000-08:00

• JOHNSON CITY — Carver Recreation Center in Johnson City is seeking entries for its Black History Month competition. The competition is open to all youth, and entries may be submitted in three categories: essay, PowerPoint and artwork. Fee is $5 per entry, and the deadline is Feb. 10. Gift certificates will be presented for first, second and third place in each category. Winners will present their works during a Black History Month program at the center, 322 W. Watauga Ave., on Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. A “Taste of the Community” will take place immediately following the presentations. Program admission is $5. For more information call Herb Greenlee, center supervisor, at 461-8830.

Jubilee Singers preserving Negro spiritual tradition: Greeneville Appearance on Saturday

2012-01-24T08:45:00.000-08:00

On Nov. 16, 1871, a group of unknown singers — all but two former slaves and many still in their teens — arrived at Oberlin College in Ohio to perform before a national convention of ministers.

After a few standard ballads, the Jubilee Singers presented a selection of spirituals and other songs associated with slavery. It was one of the first public performances of the secret music African-Americans had been singing in the fields and behind closed doors for generations.

“All of a sudden, there was no talking,” said Horace C. Boyer, a musicologist and former musical director of the Jubilee Singers. “They said you could hear the soft weeping…and I’m sure that the Jubilee Singers were joining them in tears, because sometimes when you think about what you are singing, particularly if you believe it, you can’t help but be moved.”

Nearly a century and a half later, the Fisk Jubilee Singers — an a cappella ensemble made up of vocal artists and students from Fisk University in Nashville — remain dedicated to keeping the Negro spiritual tradition alive and well.

The Singers will perform for a local audience at 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 28 at Niswonger Performing Arts Center in Greeneville. The show is sponsored by Walters State Community College.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students and $17 each for groups.

The original Jubilee Singers introduced “slave songs” to the world in 1871 and were instrumental in preserving this unique American musical tradition known today as Negro spirituals.

They broke racial barriers in the United States and abroad in the late 19th century and entertained kings and queens in Europe. At the same time, they raised money in support of their beloved school.

In 1999, the Fisk Jubilee Singers were featured in “Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory,” a PBS award-winning television documentary series produced by WGBH-TV, Boston.

The Jubilee Singers went on a sacred journey to Ghana in 2007 at the invitation of the U.S. Embassy. It was a history-making event, as the ensemble traveled to Ghana for the first time and joined in the celebration of the nation’s Golden Jubilee, its 50th independence anniversary.

In 2008, the Fisk Jubilee Singers were selected as a recipient of the 2008 National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artists and patrons of the arts. The award was presented by President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush during a ceremony at the White House.

The Singers continue the tradition of singing the Negro spiritual around the world, allowing the ensemble to share this rich culture globally while preserving the unique music.

NPAC is located adjacent to Greeneville High School at 212 Tusculum Blvd. in Greeneville.

For tickets or more information, call the NPAC box office at (423) 638-1679 or visit www.greenevillenpac.com

Enthusiasm undaunted at belated MLK observance in SW Virginia

2012-01-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

MLK Day observance was delayed to allow students from UVa-Wise and the Flatwoods Job Corps Center to return from the holiday break and take part.

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By STEPHEN IGO
sigo@timesnews.net

Stephen Igo —sigo@timesnews.net

From left, UVa-Wise students Shaqueth Green of New York City, Hantz-Jerry Pierre of Haiti, Rouqui Toure of Mauritania, and Blain Bekele of Ethiopia enjoy dinner for a belated MLK Day observance Monday at the Wise Church of God.

WISE — Folks in Wise held honors for the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a week later than the rest of the nation on Monday, but that made the tribute all the more special for the area faithful to his cause.

Sponsored by the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, MLK Day organizers wanted to hold off this year’s observances to allow students from the college and the area’s Flatwoods Job Corps Center to return from the recent holidays and take part as usual.

The wait provided some international flavor for at least one table at the annual fellowship dinner at the Wise Church of God. UVa-Wise students Hantz-Jenny Pierre, 22; Rouqui Toure, 21, of Mauritania; and Blain Bekele, 21, of Ethiopia, joined their pal Shaqueth Green, 21, of New York City to get a taste of a down-home MLK tribute, mountain style.

“I know he was an activist,” said Toure, amending her comment to “civil rights activist” prodded by discreet coaching from Green. “I know he fought his life for minorities.”

“For all people,” Green continued to coach.

Asked why they attended, Toure had a better question for her Caucasian table mates. “Why are you guys here?” she asked. “Support,” replied Sandy Meade of Pound. “Keep it alive.”

A week late or not, another upbeat crowd kept alive the Wise MLK Day observance, which would include the annual candlelight march from Wise Christian to Wise Baptist Church. Wise Baptist Pastor Ray Jones was featured speaker this year, and the always popular Mount Sinai Spirituals, an allmale gospel group from Lynch, Ky., was on hand for a sequel.
“Our group formed at our church just for us men to hang out. Then we started singing, and we’ve been at it ever since,” said Roy Stephens. “It’s a privilege to do it because we do it for God. We’re singing for the Lord.”

“It means a lot to me,” said group member Cleophas Maxie. “We like to spread God’s gospel around and just have us a time doing it.”

The group’s president, Rutland Melton, said the annual MLK observance “is a good thing, and we really enjoyed last year.”

Member Bennie Massey added the group has “been over here since they started doing it, what? Sixteen years? It’s just good to see the community coming together. That’s what it’s all about.”

Some other Spirituals members chimed in, including Patrick Perry, Ray Wilson and Terry Tinsley. “This has been going on about 16 years, so I’m very excited to be here again. Just serve the Lord, sing, and just glad to be here,” said Wilson.

Arthur Mabry of Lebanon brought his 4-year-old fireball of a son,
Peyton, for the celebration.

“I’m here about every year,” he said. “I’ll sort of get (Peyton) in on it early. Start bringing him every year so he’ll start catching on and see what it’s all about.”

Libby Stephens of Lynch brought her children, 9-year-old Carlee and 12-year-old Terrance, to partake of the celebrations as well. Libby is white and wants her children to delve into as much of their dual-race heritage as much as possible.

“Something like this helps give them some of their black heritage,” she said. “There’s not a lot in this part of the country for African Americans heritage-wise. So anything you can give them, you give them.”

Keystone residents in Johnson City dismayed by impending closure of Food Lion

2012-01-13T07:55:00.000-08:00

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By REX BARBER
NET News Service

Photo by Ron Campbell

Keystone area resident Delores Delaney talks about the impact that the closing of the Food Lion on East Main Street in Johnson City will have on her and her family. She will no longer be able to walk to the grocery store. Food Lion is the building on the right in the photo.

JOHNSON CITY — Keystone community resident Barbara Andes was wondering Thursday where she was going to get groceries when the nearby Food Lion closes down next month.
“I go there all the time,” Andes said. “It’s the only place around here, so that’s where we go all the time.”
Food Lion’s parent company, Delhaize America, based in Salisbury, N.C., plans to close 113 underperforming Food Lion stores, including the one at 1420 E. Main St. in Johnson City, the company announced Wednesday. This store will be closed in the next 30 days, the company said.
Andes has lived for about nine years in Keystone, a government housing complex in east Johnson City adjacent to the Food Lion. She said her family depends on Food Lion for groceries.
She had hoped the store would remain open because she has no car to conveniently go to another large grocer.
“I don’t want it to (close) because then me and my kids would be without food,” Andes said. “We don’t have no transportation to go get groceries. I don’t know what we’re going to do if we lose Food Lion.”
There are several discount stores near Keystone that sell food, and there is a gas station within walking distance. But Keystone resident Elizabeth Greer, who has nine people in her household, said those options are not sufficient because she makes one big grocery trip each month to Food Lion for everyone in her home.
“When you have to buy groceries enough for nine people, it’s going to be hard and stuff to buy that much groceries from one month to the next,” said Greer, who also has no car.
Food Lion still operates a store in Johnson City at 1320 Bristol Highway, but that is not within walking distance of Keystone. The nearest large grocery stores to Keystone would be two Hometown IGAs on North and South Roan streets and a Food City on South Roan.
Delores Delaney has lived in the Keystone community for about 17 years. She said there has always been a grocery store at the Food Lion location.
She said the loss of a convenient large grocery option within walking distance was a shock to many in the Keystone community.
“It’s going to hurt a lot of them because a lot of people around our community, they don’t have cars, and they have to walk to the store or grab a buggy and bring a buggy back with food, which is kind of inconvenient if they’re closing,” Delaney said.
Delaney goes to the store several times a week herself, she said. That loss of a grocer within walking distance will hurt, she added.
“It’s going to be a bind now because we’re probably going to have to get on the bus to go to Food City or (Hometown) IGA instead of going to Bristol Highway to the other Food Lion, which is a long distance from here,” said Delaney.
Greer agreed that it would be hard to go to another store for groceries without a car, especially carrying back a large load of groceries.
“It’d be hard to get there and back,” Greer said. “You’d have to either take transit or get food and come back in a cab.”
Other local Food Lion stores that will be closing are the Greeneville store at 2325 E. Andrew Johnson Highway and the Bristol, Va., store at 2012 Lee Highway.
For more information about the closings visit Food Lion’s Web site at www.foodlion.com.

2012-01-02T19:36:00.001-08:00

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Thanksgiving Dinner 2011 - Johnson City

2011-11-10T22:23:00.001-08:00

An Open Letter to the Community

2011-10-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK:

TO OUR FELLOW ALUMNI, FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS IN THE DOUGLASS-RIVERVIEW-SOUTH CENTRAL COMMUNITY:

The Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Executive Board is aware of an appearance scheduled for early November in Kingsport and Johnson City of Dr. Umar Abdullah Johnson, descendant of Frederick Douglass, a name we hold dear to our hearts, as our former School is named in his honor.

While we acknowledge the historical lineage of Dr. Johnson with Frederick Douglass, after further and careful examination of Dr. Johnson's views on race relations and black/white society, we the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Executive Board, on behalf of our alumni, feel that his appearance would not be appropriate for our approval and support.

Therefore, the Sons and Daughters of Douglass, Inc (also known as the Douglass Alumni Association - Kingsport) will NOT be a participant in Dr. Johnson's appearance, nor do we endorse, approve of, or otherwise support his appearance for our community or our children.

We also need to make mention that Sons and Daughters of Douglass, Inc (also known as the Douglass Alumni Association - Kingsport) has no control over the Douglass Community Room, nor the V.O. Dobbins Sr. Complex that it is housed in, including the ballfield, gymnasiums, rooms and offices. We are tenants in the building and we are governed by the same rules and regulations as all the other tenants.

Respectfully Submitted
Virginia (Jenny) Hankins, President
Sons and Daughters of Douglass, Inc.

Umoja Festival: Event growing into new downtown venue

2011-08-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

NET News Service

JOHNSON CITY — The Umoja Festival may be 15 years old, but it was held at Freedom Hall Civic Center through 2009, so the festival is only two years into its life as a downtown Johnson City festival. And it continues to grow into its new surroundings.

Umoja Festival organizers came away from last weekend’s event happy with things, said Ralph Davis, Umoja Committee chairman. The festivities brought in thousands of people for live music, food, arts and crafts, a 5K run, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, storytelling, kids’ events and more.

The festival promotes unity and cultural diversity; the word “umoja” is Swahili for “unity.” While the Umoja organization largely comes from the black community, the festival prides itself on making everyone feel welcome and on offering something to interest everybody.

“We were pleased,” Davis said. “We thought the festival on a whole was very good. We didn’t have any major incidents that we heard about, the weather held off and was beautiful, and the firstever road race was a great success. We were really happy with that for our first time out.

“We feel like moving to downtown was the move we needed to make, but we’re still in that learning curve. It may take two or three more years to get everything the way it needs to be, but overall I think this year was great, and we had great response from the people about it.”

As for overall festival attendance, organizers had estimated 30,000 as last year’s figure, but it’s largely a guessing game and Davis said they’re waiting for some more data for this time around.

“We were pleased with the crowds Friday and Saturday nights,” he said. “The Saturday daytime crowd wasn’t what we wanted it to be, but the night crowds brought it back up.

“We’ve got some surveys out to help us do some counting, so we may know a little more when we see those. But it’s hard to gauge attendance if you don’t have ticket sales to go on.”

The festival headliners — Shirley Murdock and Zapp Band on Friday night and Chocolate Buttermilk and Con Funk Shun on Saturday night — drew rave reviews.

Music included national acts as well as local ones, plus a stage geared toward a younger audience. Davis said the Young Adult Stage was a success, and they plan to bring that back next year, “with a little tweaking.”

Vendors, musicians offer good time at Umoja Festival

2011-08-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By AMANDA MARSH
NET News Service

JOHNSON CITY — When people show up for the Umoja Festival, they expect sights, sounds and a good time. Vendors like Nema Saho and musicians like the 4.0 Band supply those key festival qualities to give everyone just what they’re asking for when they step onto the streets of downtown Johnson City.

Saturday’s festivities provided a welcome home party of sorts for Cybil Holman and her family. Originally from Johnson City, Holman’s visit from Murfreesboro coincided with Umoja for the second time.

“I still feel like it’s home,” she said. “I think the Umoja Festival brings a lot of people here and there is something here for the entire family.”

Music is just one part of the family-friendly atmosphere. The 4.0 Band made its public debut at Umoja cranking out an array of funk tunes inspired by bands of the past. Avery Deakins, the group’s youngest member at 15 years old, is broadening his horizons by performing a type of music he’s always liked, but hadn’t played much of on his electric guitar. Deakins said the band practiced for months to give people an entertaining set of groove records.

“We worked our fingers to the bone during long, long, practices,” he said. “I’m more nervous about equipment malfunctioning than us. We’ve got it down pat. Unless something explodes, I think we’ll be fine.”

The 4.0 Band blasted out renditions of “Brick House,” “Mustang Sally,” plus Kool & The Gang’s “Fresh.”

Umoja attendees looking to wander around rather than watch entertainers from a lawn chair in front of the stage may have searched through the piles of African fabrics under Saho’s tent at the corner of North Roan and East Main streets. The Gambia, West Africa native travels to different parts of the country to gather authentic crafts like masks, handbags, clothing and beads. He says traveling to diverse festivals like Umoja enable him to present his wares to a new set of customers who are mixed in age and ethnicity.

Holman, like other festivalgoers, combined the two elements of performers and vendors, and spent the day in a watch-and-shop routine. She had already purchased a pair of earrings and said she wouldn’t leave without buying a few CD’s. Holman’s family also watched the parade Saturday morning.

“Festivals bring you different experiences because you meet a lot of people good and bad, but mostly good,” Saho said. “Umoja is interesting because you have such a variety. I get a chance to teach people about each other because while you are traveling, you’re still learning.”

Umoja ‘a festival for everyone’

2011-08-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By DOUG JANZ
NET News Service

JOHNSON CITY — It’s unity in the community. That’s what the 15th annual Umoja Festival hopes to bring to downtown Johnson City.

The festival starts today at 3 p.m. with an opening ceremony and call to the drums, featuring Shaka Zulu and the Zulu Connection, on the Main Stage at Fountain Square. Then it’s music all night plus a host of other festivities throughout downtown today and Saturday.

Umoja promotes unity and cultural diversity. It originates from Johnson City’s black community but, as Umoja Chairman Ralph Davis emphasizes, “It’s a festival for everyone.”

Admission is free. There will be music on the Youth Stage at Roan Street and on the Main Stage. People can see both local and national talent, with headliners Shirley Murdock and Zapp Band tonight, then Chocolate Buttermilk and Con Funk Shun on Saturday night.

The weather report calls for a high of 85 degrees today, mostly sunny, with not much chance of rain during a pleasant evening. For Saturday, there’s a 40 percent chance of late-evening thundershowers, so people should come prepared.

Wristbands to bring beer on the streets (in a plastic cup) cost $3 per night and can be purchased at all downtown clubs. People are required to keep their beer within festival boundaries, which are clearly marked. Friends of Olde Downtowne is in charge of wristbands.

Festivalgoers are reminded not to bring backpacks or glass bottles, and pets are not allowed.

The festival will be highlighted by the Kings of the Blacktop 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament in the parking lot on Spring and Tipton streets. It will be going on each evening, with a cash prize to the winner. East Tennessee State University great Tim Smith is giving a pre-tournament free clinic for ages 16 and under at 5:30 p.m. at the tournament site.

The Umoja Unity Race 5K is tonight starting at 7:30 near the Main Stage, and runners will go up into the Historic Tree Streets before returning to the start/finish.

“We’ve had a tremendous response for the 5K and Kings of the Blacktop,” Davis said. “We hope those events turn out great.”

The Umoja Parade will take place Saturday starting at 10 a.m. at Carver Park and will finish at Fountain Square. U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-1st District, will lead the parade in a limousine provided by The Charles. The parade is a tradition of the festival and always highlights the African dancing and drumming of Shaka Zulu and the Zulu Connection, stilt walking, dancing and drumming along Main Street.

The Children’s Carnival takes place Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m. at Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church. There will also be graffiti art on display and a graffiti artist who will give a demonstration.

As always, Umoja will offer a health fair Saturday starting about 10 a.m. with free medical screenings.

A hot wing-eating contest will take place Saturday about 5 p.m. in front of the Youth Stage. Elmer Washington, a festival organizer and co-owner of Taste Budz, will provide the wings, and he’ll be adding some extra kick to how he usually serves them.

Entry for the contest is free, and people will be given a short amount of time, and a bottle of water, to see how many wings they can eat. The winner gets a cash prize.

For more information visit www.umojajc.org or find Umoja, Johnson City Tn on Facebook.

Appalachian Training, Central High & Bland High School 2011 Reunion

2011-08-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

The reunions of 2011 continue, with our friends in Southwest Virginia celebrating the reunions of the old Appalachian Training School, the Central High School of Appalachia and Bland High School of Big Stone Gap, Virginia.

Please click here to go to the schools' new website!

You'll find a schedule of activities this weekend by clicking "Activities" on that page.

We also hope to have pictures from one of the celebrations, whose link will be posted on this page.

UMOJA festival unites cultures

2011-08-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By GRETCHEN GRANT
ggrant@timesnews.net

For 15 years, the UMOJA/Unity Festival has brought diversity and entertainment to downtown Johnson City, and this year will be no exception, given the unique events and activities that are scheduled to take place.
The festival will begin on Friday, Aug. 12 and conclude on Saturday, Aug. 13.
“The festival will be 15 years old this year and the initial purpose was to bring all the different cultures and diverse ethnic groups that are in the region together,” said Ralph Davis, UMOJA chairman.
When the festival began in 1978, it was held as an annual Unity Picnic with members of the local NAACP, Concerned Citizens Group, Herb Greenlee of Carver Recreation Center and many other community residents. Unfortunately, the picnic eventually lost the interest of the community.

In 1997, some of the original founders decided to reinvent the picnic with a different format.
Since the original purpose was to blend different cultures and ethnic groups, the founders agreed on revamping and renaming the picnic the UMOJA/Unity Festival. “We have a lot of different ethnic groups and a lot of different races and we just want to bring everyone together and let everyone see what they have to offer,” Davis said.
Davis emphasized that the festival is not aimed specifically at African-Americans.
“One of the things that we always hope for is that people don’t say that this is an African-American festival. This is a unity festival, and we stress that every year,” he said.
The weekend will consist of music, food, entertainment and fun for all ages and ethnic groups.

“This is a festival for all to come out and enjoy,” Davis said. “That’s the main purpose, for everyone to come out and have a good time, listen to the good music, eat the good food and let the kids play,” he added.
Returning to the festival this year will be The Zulu Connection stilt walkers, along with storytellers from East Tennessee State University, who will spin tales at the gazebo.
Music headliners on Friday night include Shirley Murdock along with Zapp. Taking the main stage Saturday night will be Chocolate Buttermilk and Confunkshun. Comedian and DJ M.C. Lightfoot will perform both nights.
In addition to the usual events and vendors, festival attendees will have the chance to participate in some new events this year, including a “Kings of the Blacktop” threeon-three basketball tournament to be held Friday and Saturday, and a film festival, showing both days on the youth/young adult stage.
One of the most anticipated new events is a 5K run that will take place on Saturday night.
“We’ve been trying to do a run for the last few years,” Davis said.
Thanks to volunteer Charnita Hammonds, the 5K run will finally make its debut.
“She’s done a fantastic job of getting it started, so we’re really looking forward to that this year,” Davis added.
Davis gave a special thanks to the people who have attended the festival for many years and he also encourages everyone to take part in some of the new events that will be held this year.
Volunteers are still needed to help out during the festival. Anyone interested in volunteering should call Davis at (423) 426-2851.

Transient JC teen finds family on football field

2011-07-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By SUE GUINN LEGG
NET News Service

JOHNSON CITY — During his senior year at Science Hill High School, Cray Brittian’s life was often compared to that of Michael Oher, the homeless teen who, with help from a coach and family who loved him, went to college on a football scholarship and on to play in the NFL.
Oher’s life story was made famous by 2009’s semi-biographical film “The Blind Side.” Brittian, whose transient life took him through no less than 14 different schools, including five other high schools before his final year at Science Hill, is on course to follow Oher’s path to college football.
He’s taken the first steps. He’s found a wealth of love and support in Johnson City. But to win the Division I football scholarship, the degree in communications and the career in public relations he dreams of, Brittian needs help with tuition at Virginia Sports Academy (VSA), a Christian training academy for collegiate athletes in need of academic coaching that comes at a cost of $5,500 a semester.
Bonnie White, coordinator of Johnson City Schools Homeless Education Program, has been Brittian’s lead advocate since he enrolled at Science Hill at the start of the last school year. And it’s White’s connections with leaders in the city’s charitable community — the Kiwanis club, a group at Eastman and Dave McAuley at Summit Leadership Foundation — that has put him close to making his fund-raising goal for his next big play in Virginia.
Arriving in Johnson City last August with his mother and a new baby brother, White said “Cray probably thought this was just another community he had to get used to.” But this time out, Brittian found a couple of things different, a team he quickly came to love like family and a place where he at last felt grounded.
With that, White said, Brittian dug in, worked hard and started making the most of his opportunities and what he, better than anyone, knows is his best shot at completing a four-year degree. He began the year with only 10 of the 26 high school credits he needed to graduate. Because of that challenge, he opted to attend class at Johnson City’s adult high school, where courses are taught via computer and students progress at their own pace under the supervision of a teacher and counselors. In May he walked the stage with Science Hill’s class of 2011 and received his diploma.
On the football field, Brittian made the starting lineup as a defensive lineman. And over the course of the season, his ability and his 6-foot, 5-inch and 250-pound frame helped Science Hill into the playoffs.
“He wasn’t the best player, again because he’s never lived anywhere long enough to have that consistent coaching it takes,” White said. “But the team loved him. His coaches loved him. Everyone loves Cray. He’s polite. He’s always there doing everything he needs to do. He’s just one of those kids you meet and you love without knowing anything else about him.”
Before the school year ended — the first entire school year Brittian had ever spent in a single school — he was preparing for college, choosing his college path and proving himself on his entrance exams. He counts the 91 percent he scored on the reading portion of his entrance exam at New River Community College in Dublin, Va., among the greatest accomplishments of his 18 years.
On Aug. 7, Brittian will leave Johnson City for Dublin where he will attend New River while living, training and honing his study skills at a nearby VSA satellite campus. “He has the drive and his coach at VSA believes,” like other, less academically motivated VSA students, Brittian could be picked up by a Division I or Division II school his first year, White said.
Brittian is shooting for Division I in his first semester. And for once, he’s excited to be leaving town. But there are people in Johnson City, particularly the Science Hill High School football team, to whom Brittian will always be grateful.
“I want to say thanks to Science Hill football, the team and all my coaches,” he said. “I just feel like Science Hill football was like family to me. I just thought this is where I needed to be. And that thought has been confirmed.”
In a short and poetic piece Brittian wrote in summary of his year in Johnson City, titled “A Place to Grow,” he described himself as a potted plant placed in a window “trapped inside” and “staring out at the world, longing for an open field where I could reach for the sky.”
“This tiny pot full of dirt of my past has led me to a place where the sun shines a little brighter and my hopes of taking root somewhere started to actually seem possible. ... I may not have roots in a town that I know like the back of my hand or friends that I can brag I have known all my life. But I have roots on this high school football field and the winds of change are coming.”
Still working to raise Brittian’s first semester tuition at VSA and additional money for the tuition and books at New River his financial aid will not cover, White asked that any others who would like to help contact Jeff and Bonnie White at 542-4221 or 607 Pine Hill Road, Elizabethton, TN 37643.

Stephen Dixon named Senior Vice President

2011-06-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

JOHNSON CITY — Bank of Tennessee recently promoted Stephen Dixon to senior vice president.

In his position, Dixon oversees the bank’s community reinvestment activities, which include promoting and enhancing the Bank’s CRA efforts in the areas of lending, investments, services and education. He also works with area agencies as well as the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati to promote home ownership and community development.

STEPHEN DIXSON, THIRD FROM RIGHT (BESIDE LOUETTA HALL), HELPS BREAK GROUND FOR THE RIVERPLACE HOMES IN RIVERVIEW BACK IN OCTOBER, 2009

A Clinchco, Virginia, native, Dixon has been an employee of Bank of Tennessee for more than 15 years. He is a graduate of East Tennessee State University and a member of the ETSU College of Business & Technology Hall of Fame. Dixon is a graduate of the Southeastern School of Commercial Lending at Vanderbilt University.

Dixon is a member and past president of the Optimist Club of Johnson City, board member and past president of the board of directors for the Johnson City and Washington County Boys & Girls Club, vice chair of Eastern Eight Community Development Corp., board member of Good Samaritan Ministries and treasurer of the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Johnson City.

Dixon and his family live in Johnson City.

‘A real honor’

2011-06-08T08:04:00.000-07:00

Coeburn teenager named one of 10 Huggable Heroes
Each Huggable Hero will receive a $7,500 scholarship and a $2,500 cash prize to be donated to his or her charity of choice.

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By CARMEN MUSICK
cmusick@timesnews.net

COEBURN — Sixteenth birthdays don’t get much sweeter than the one Deventae Mooney just celebrated.
Two days before the party celebrating his “Sweet 16,” the Coeburn High School sophomore learned that he was one of only 10 youths from the United States and Canada to be named one of 2011’s Huggable Heroes.
“I got an e-mail that said they had some exciting news for me and that I should call in. As soon as they told me, I started dancing around the house. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t wait to tell everyone,” Mooney said.
The only problem was he’d have to wait — more than a week.
“Initially, I could only tell my immediate family,” he confirmed.
Build-a-Bear Workshop received approximately 1,200 entries in the eighth annual search for Huggable Heroes, which rewards youth for giving back to their communities, their schools and the world. Over the next several months, the field was pared to 75 semifinalists, 25 finalists and eventually to the 10 Huggable Heroes announced last week.
Each of the Huggable Heroes receives a $10,000 prize — a $7,500 educational scholarship and a $2,500 cash prize from the Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation to be donated to the charity of the hero’s choice. In addition, they will travel to Build-A-Bear Workshop World Bearquarters in St. Louis on July 20-22 to be honored for their achievements.
“I’m not sure anybody from little Coeburn, Virginia, has ever been selected for something like this. It’s a real honor,” said Mooney.
By the time Mooney actually marked his 16th birthday on June 5, the official announcement had been made, and he could finally celebrate his achievement with the rest of the world.
“They gave me a key to the town at the school’s awards ceremony. That was a big honor for me,” Mooney said.
“I don’t think a lot of people knew about all the things I’d been doing. When they read the list at the ceremony, they gave me a standing ovation. That was pretty amazing,” he said.
Coeburn High School Principal Dante Lee, who will accompany Mooney to the awards ceremony in St. Louis, and Coeburn Town Manager Loretta M. Mays were among those who believed all along that their hometown hero would be among those selected.
“I immediately knew that I wanted Mr. Lee to go with me (to St. Louis) because he was the one who got the scholarship and really got the ball rolling for me,” said Mooney, who himself wants to become a teacher and coach, and eventually a principal.
Collectively, the numbers associated with all that was donated and built by the 10 young people, ages 12 to 18, selected as the 2011 Build-A-Bear Workshop Huggable Heroes are staggering: 30,000 brown bag lunches; 10 tons of fresh produce; 29,000 books; 10,700 gift boxes; 2,500 sports uniforms; 250 soccer balls; 31 drinking wells; 18 homes; eight soccer fields; and four school libraries.
“These 10 young people elevate the bar on giving,” said Maxine Clark, Build-A-Bear Workshop founder and chief executive bear. “They selflessly accept challenges and devote their time and energy to make a difference. They demonstrate kindness, compassion and leadership and motivate grass-roots change.”
On its own, Mooney’s list of charitable works is astounding.
He volunteers as a coach and referee for youth sports, serves as the secretary of the Coeburn Little League, tutors summer school students, and has raised more than $20,000 for cancer patients and $21,000 more to benefit youth sports in his hometown.
Yet, it’s the Brown Bag Lunch Program at Friendship Baptist Church that Mooney is most passionate about. It’s the program that will benefit most from his being named a Huggable Hero.
“I’m going to donate the money ($2,500) to my church for the Brown Bag Lunch Program,” Mooney said. “We just had a meeting where we talked about not being sure how we were going to be able to do it this year, and someone made the comment that ‘If it’s meant to be done, God will provide,’ and I think he has.”
Each summer, the church prepares and delivers lunches to children in need. Mooney started volunteering with the program when he was in the sixth grade and has since had a hand in making and delivering an estimated 30,000 brown bag lunches.
“Seeing a kid standing on the porch waiting for you and knowing that your being there means that they’re going to get a lunch today — or that they’re going to eat at all that day — makes it all worthwhile,” Mooney said.
Giving back and helping others is, after all, what the Huggable Heroes program is all about.
“I think a lot of people see me as little happy Deventae. But every person has their own difficulties, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I have mine,” Mooney said.
“I get help. People take the time to help me, so I feel like I owe it to them to try to give my best to help someone else,” he said.
Before his trip to St. Louis, his first by airplane, Mooney will join some of the other Huggable Heroes on the “Tell Your Story Project.” The video clips will be available for viewing online.
To watch the clips or to learn more about the eighth class of Huggable Heroes visit the Web site at http://heroes.lovehugssmiles.com/.

2011-06-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

Jr. Toppers Youth Football will hold registrations on Saturday, June 6 and Saturday, June 18 at Legion Recreation Center.

Jr. Toppers will offer 5-6 tackle, 7-8 tackle, 9-10 tackle and 11-12 tackle teams will be conducting registrations for the upcoming Fall 2011 season.
This will be the first season that Jr. Toppers has offered 5 and 6 year old tackle. Age cut off is July 31, 2011.

Registration fee is still only $50.00 per child.

The summer practices will start July 25 and the season will end late October or early November.
Most games played on Saturdays in the fall.

2011-04-22T21:50:00.001-07:00

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2011-04-22T21:47:00.001-07:00

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2011-03-06T18:13:00.001-08:00

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Black Violin Concert, Johnson City, TN

2011-03-06T18:08:00.000-08:00

Black Violin performed to a sold out crowd at the Science Hill Auditorium Sunday February 27, 2011. A lot of positive feed back from the community was received by the Umoja Members. The concert was definitely unique with the style and high energy as Wil B and Kev exercised their skills.

To see a slideshow of the Black Violin Concert, please click here. Pictures courtesy HIS PRODUCTION TOO.

ETSU Black Faculty Banquet

2011-03-06T18:04:00.000-08:00

To see a slideshow of the banquet, please click here. Pictures courtesy His Photography Too.

ETSU Black Faculty and Staff Association held their annual Black Heritage Banquet on Feb 12, 2011. The following individuals were honored:

Black Pioneers of ETSU

1st Black student/graduate (1955): Eugene P. Caruthers

1st Black undergraduate students (1958) Elizabeth Watkins Crawford, Clarence McKinney, George Nichols, Mary Luellen Owens Wagner.

1st Black faculty member: Howard Young (Dept. of English)

1st Black Staff (1915): Chef Hyder Bundy (Dinning Services)

Black Pioneers of James H. Quillen College of Medicine
First Black Graduates Male and Female: Dr. Gregory Patterson (1983), Dr. Emma Thompson (1984)

First Black Faculty Member: Dr. Elton G. Fennel -Family Medicine/Obstetrician & Gynecologist

Black Pioneers of ETSU Athletics

First Black athlete (basketball): James Thomas (Tommy Woods (1964)

First Black Athlete (football): Johnny Russaw (1964)

First Black Head Coach (women basketball): Karen Kemp (1994)

2011-02-13T18:10:00.001-08:00

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2011-02-13T18:08:00.001-08:00

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Young Ambassador has ties to Riverview

2011-01-19T16:00:00.000-08:00

Hunter Muller has been chosen to represent Tennessee as an ambassador to Europe. This entails travel and study in England, France, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Switzerland. After being invited, Hunter passed an interview that confirmed this honor.

Hunter Muller is the son of Pepper Muller and the grandson of Gary and Valorie (Davis) Thompson. He is a sophomore at Volunteer High School.

Some of Hunter's past accomplishments include winning the National History Award Winner, the Tennessee Academic Award, the Citizenship Award, an award from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and several ACE awards. Hunter is also a member of Who's Who Among American High School Students. He has been recognized by the United States Achievement Academy.

Hunter received a personal letter from the President, as a winner of the Outstanding Academic Excellence Award.

Lost holiday forces reshuffling of Johnson City MLK Day observances

2011-01-13T08:36:00.000-08:00

THIS STORY COUTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By SUE GUINN LEGG
NET News Service

JOHNSON CITY — With the Johnson City Board of Education’s decision to begin making up snow days on Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday forcing a last-minute rescheduling of two children’s activities planned at the Carver Recreation Center, reaction from the community’s MLK Day Steering Committee and others was mixed Wednesday.

Herb Greenlee, supervisor of the recreation center that has historically served as a hub of activity for the city’s black community, said Wednesday that tentative plans are to move both the student research presentations and African-American storytelling previously planned for 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday to Tuesday afternoon “somewhere in the 4 to 6 time block.”

“It kind of hurt our annual celebration and put a damper on us,” Greenlee said. “We’ve had kids here every afternoon for the past two or three weeks working on computers doing research on the history of King and the civil rights movement for PowerPoints and collages they present on the holiday. It’s a pretty big program. Last year we had about 150 kids. But we’ll do all of that on Tuesday.”

Greenlee was still working Wednesday afternoon to reschedule a group of storytellers from East Tennessee State University.

“We don’t know how many we’ll have, but hopefully they will be able to come,” he said.

In a specially called meeting Tuesday evening, school board members voted to make up the first of three snow days not built into the yearly school schedule on Monday’s holiday, Jan. 22 and Feb. 21. If needed, subsequent makeup days set by the board will see school in session on March 14 and April 22.

By scheduling the makeup days Tuesday while the snow was still flying, Greenlee said the board had “put the cart before the horse.”

“They just came up with a quick fix rather than waiting for the snow to clear. They’re not going to reconsider. But they should have had an alternative, a day of spring break or at the end of the school year. They had plenty of alternatives,” he said.

Adam Dickson, a leader on the local MLK Day Steering Committee, said he was made aware of the board’s consideration of the holiday prior to Tuesday’s meeting.

“(Director of Schools) Dr. (Richard) Bales assured us he would be working on structured programs focused on Dr. King and his legacy at each of the schools, and so as long as that is the case, my two cents is it’s another opportunity to emphasize Dr. King to a larger number of students and a larger segment of people,” Dickson said. “Dr. Bales contacted myself and Ralph Davis (vice president of the local NAACP) by e-mail. They were very cordial e-mails expressing his willingness to work together.

“I do encourage the board to work with the community. And I expect the school board to follow through, and it’s all going to work out for the good.”

The Rev. C.H. Charlton, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church and a former member of the school board, said he was certain the MLK and Good Friday holidays were not singled out or that there was any ill intent in the board’s action.

“Some people may think that but, being very candid, I don’t think they were trying to take anything away from the King holiday, and if they could have observed it and had Good Friday they would have. They’re both important days,” Charlton said.

“In a perfect world, it would be nice to do all the things we want to do. But their schedule is kind of tight. I’m not in the system, and I don’t know what they are looking at with their TCAP testing. But they sat down and looked at it, and these are the only days they had to make it work out right,” Charlton added.

Bales told the board members Tuesday he was brainstorming with teachers and principals about potential activities at each school to honor King, such as inviting community members to share their experiences during King’s era with students.

Charlton, who was the first African American to serve on the school board in his hometown of Radford, Va., and also served two years as Johnson City’s vice mayor, said he had not been contacted to speak at the schools but would be happy to do so if invited.

“I’m sure they are getting these things together, and this being Wednesday, they don’t have much time to do it,” Charlton said.

Mary Alexander, a former Washington County commissioner and an organizer of the community’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast, noted that Johnson City schools are not alone in the difficulty.

“They’re in a tough situation, but not only area schools have a problem with snow days. There are schools all over the Southeast that are having to make up snow days, and I believe they’re going to have more snow days to make up,” Alexander said.

Alexander also said she believes the two snow days built into the city schools’ yearly calendar are not enough.

“They have to make these days up. They have no choice. But last year should have said to the board, ‘Two snow days are not enough.’ ”

Wesley UMC to host MLK prayer breakfast

2011-01-12T07:55:00.001-08:00

• JOHNSON CITY — A Martin Luther King Jr. prayer breakfast will be held Saturday beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, 225 Wesley St., Johnson City. The theme is “We are the Dream and the Future.” The breakfast is being held in conjunction with the Centennial Celebration at East Tennessee State University. The speakers, Marisa Williams and Demtrius Lattany, are representative of families that are the second generation of students and graduates of ETSU. The ministers of music are the Chinese Church, 300 Roan St., Johnson City, and the Hopwood Christian Church, Milligan College. Tickets may be purchased at Money Services, 1111 N. Roan St., Johnson City, through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or by contacting Angela Smith-Harris at 929-3084 or Wayne Robertson at 232-6219. Tickets will also be sold at the door.

2011-01-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

LEGION REC. CENTER WILL HOST THE ANNUAL M.L.K. BASKETBALL CLASSIC

JAN. 15-16 IN JOHNSON CITY, TN

BOYS AND GIRLS DIVISIONS. 4TH GRADE, 5TH GRADE, 6TH GRADE AND 7TH GRADE

3 SCHEDULED GAMES

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT BART LYON AT: bartlyon@hotmail.com or (423) 461-4850

After-Christmas Celebration

2010-12-23T09:07:00.000-08:00

Come join "ADMC" and Family and Friends for an After Christmas Celebration of Jesus' Birth, featuring the sparkling vocals of Adrienne Tarter, Deborah Grey, Mia Jamison, Cheryl Rhea with Roslyn Saunders, Taleah Rogers, Jasmine Potter and Brianne Murray.

JESUS IS THE REASON

Merry Christmas and hope to share with you and yours on Sunday, December 26th @ 4:00 p.m. at the Thankful Baptist Church, 1501 East Watauga Ave.

Wall of Fame Awards Banquet - Johnson City

2010-12-17T14:34:00.000-08:00

INFORMATION FROM HIS PHOTOGRAPHY TOO, VIA BURCHETTE'S MORTUARY:

The 29th Annual Wall of Fame Awards Banquet was held at Carver Recreation Center on December 9, 2010 at 6:00 PM. The event was sponsored by Mountian States Health Alliance.

Click here to see photos of the Wall of Fame Awards Banquet from HIS Production Too Photography

Click here to see a slideshow of the Wall of Fame Awards Banquet from HIS Production Too Photography

The 2010 Wall of Fame Inductees included Sam Barnett, Georgia Carveretta Gillespie, and Ernest D. "Ernie" Reed.

Other Individuals or organization receiving awards were:

Outstanding Youth Volunteer Award: Chris Meadows, Trevor Gage, Mickey Archer, and Nikki Hughes.

Rick Sanjid Most Outstanding Youth Volunteer Award: Cal Klem

Searl J. Robbins Most Outstanding Official Award: Tom Whittemore

Most Outstanding Church Award: First Christian Church

Most Outstanding Civic Club Award: Morning Rotary Club

Arts & Humanities Award: Dixie Webb

Friends of Nature Award: Adam Stitt & Adam Chapman

Media Award: News & Neighbor

Most Outstanding Employee Award: Charlie Stahl

Most Outstanding Business Award: Coca-Cola of Johnson City, TN

Lonnie E. Lowe Most Outstanding Friend of Recreation Award: Earth Fare

Friends of Recreation Award: Mary Kate Litchfield, UT Extension of Washington County, Home Depot, Bill Henderson, Lee Woody, Milligan College Link,.... Dr. Vic Young, Vincent Dial, Beverly Bennett, Elaine Evans, Community Gardeners, RCI Cleaning, and Public Works-Solid Waste Division.

Attention: Honoring All Veterans

2010-11-10T08:09:00.000-08:00

Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11th

The following places are offering free meals or free items:

Applebees - free meal 7 entrees to choose from http://www.applebees.com/vetsDay/default.aspx

Chili’s - free meal 6 entrees to choose from http://www.chilis.com/images/fb/veteransday/CUS%2010-053B%20VetDayMenu.pdf

Golden Corral - free meal http://www.goldencorral.com/military/

Outback - free bloomin onion and beverage http://www.outback.com/pressroom/pr_101018.aspx

Hooters - free meal off specialty items menu http://www.hootersveteransday.com/

Chick-fil-a - free spicy chicken sandwich

Veterans must provide proof of military service in the form of an ID Card, VA Card, VFW Card, etc., or any other Veterans ID.

Carver Rec Center to hold Halloween fest

2010-10-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

• JOHNSON CITY — Carver Recreation Center in Johnson City will host its annual Halloween Festival at 6 p.m. Saturday. The festival features a carnival atmosphere with games, prizes, bingo, costume and karaoke contests, and loads of fun. Admission is $2 per person, and children in costume will be admitted free. Game booth tickets are 50 cents each. For more information, call Carver Recreation Center Supervisor Herb Greenlee at 461-8830.

2010-10-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

Price-Swift Makeover Planned

2010-10-23T22:13:00.000-07:00

The historic Price Public Community Center and its companion, the Swift Museum are in for a makeover, one of the most extensive the Rogersville-Hawkins County community has ever seen.

"First, we're trying to upgrade the museum to bring it up to a 21st century-designed museum."

Price-Swift Executive Director Stella Gudger has applied for several grants to help with the renovations, and says, she and the museum-community center supporters have their work cut out for them.

""TVA has worked with us," she says. "They've done all the drawings, and they look nice. We're very excited about them and what they'll do for the museum. Eastman Chemical has given us 10-thousand dollars. Humanities Tennessee has also given us a grant of 10-thousand dollars."

With the grants, will also come a lot of work on the grass-roots level.

"People are really using the Price Public Community Center," says Mrs. Gudger. "It's hosted an art show and we're all just excited about that and the exposure it brought to the museum. We do want it to be a first-class museum."

Towards that end, Mrs. Gudger attended the National Conference of Black Museums, held this summer in Pittsburgh.

"It was wonderful," she says. "I got to do a lot of networking, talking to the right people and got to visit a lot of black museums to see what they were doing, and how successful they are. One of them, the August Wilson Cultural Center in downtown Pittsburgh was really nice."

"When I was working with Humanities Tennessee," Mrs. Gudger remembers, "they asked me 'why would people want to come back to the museum after visiting it the first time? Why would you want to spend $10,000 for a permanent exhibit?' I told them that it is very important that African-Americans do not lose their culture, in large cities and small communities like Rogersville, Tennessee. The people of Rogersville know the history of Swift College and what it means to the community, and that spirit needs to be kept alive. And Swift had a huge impact on the community outside Rogersville, too, ultimately all over the United States. Students from all over the country came to Swift..it was a very elite college in the rural town of Rogersville. Most people who don't know the Swift history, are surprised by that."

And that begins the storyline that is the Swift Museum, and the Price Community Center is its backdrop.

""Hopefully with the grants," Mrs. Gudger says, "we'll start with telling the Swift-Price story in a timeline, which will not just bpictures and captions, but it will actually tell the story of the struggles that African-Americans had to go through, just to get a higher education."

"That's going to be our storyline, and I'm excited about that. Hopefully, Rogersville people and the surrounding communities will be, too."

2010 Umoja Festival

2010-10-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

These are pictures from the 2010 Umoja Festival, held in downtown Johnson City this year. The pictures were taken by HIS PHOTOGRAPHY TOO.

Click here to see a slideshow from the 2010 Umoja Festival.

Click here for a slideshow from the Friday Umoja festivities.

Click here for a slideshow of the "Carver Back to School Stay in School" event.

2010-10-13T07:15:00.000-07:00

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Langston Reunion Pictures

2010-09-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a selection of Langston Reunion Pictures from HIS PRODUCTION 2 Photography.
The Langston Reunion was held over the Fourth of July Weekend in Johnson City.

Please click here to see a slideshow of the Langston Reunion.

Sullivan Central community gives thanks

2010-09-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

‘Night of Praise and Thanks’ celebrates the school’s life and spirit emerging from the recent gunman incident and the death of a student.

By RICK WAGNER
rwagner@timesnews.net

BLOUNTVILLE — Death came twice to Sullivan Central High School in one week, on a Monday to an armed intruder, and on the following Friday to a senior fighting cancer.
But Principal Melanie Riden says the school is alive and stronger — and its students more spiritual — than anytime in her more than three years there.

David Grace —dgrace@timesnews.net
Kim Kirk, Keith Gibson and Gee Gee White are shown with School Resource Officer Carolyn Gudger at Central on Friday during a program honoring Gudger.

More than 250 people came together Friday night for “A Night of Praise and Thanks” at Northeast State Community College.
The hourlong occasion centered around the two traumatic events that have affected the school.
One was the death of 62-year-old gunman, Thomas Richard Cowan, a Kingsport resident who entered the school building the morning of Aug. 30, refused to put down his loaded pistol and eventually was shot by officers.
The second was the Sept. 3 death of Bradley Michael Brock, 18, who had been battling bone cancer. Students gathered around the flag pole at the school frequently to pray for Brock, including the Friday before the gunman shooting, and they held a prayer vigil after that night’s football game.
“I’m very humbled. I know the last three years at Central it seems like every year’s a huge challenge,” Riden said after getting an award before students, parents, school employees and others gathered for the thanksgiving event at the college’s Wellmont Regional Center for the Performing Arts.
“I probably haven’t lived up to your expectations. But I love these students,” Riden said, adding that she has a special bond with the class of 2011.
“They’re the first freshman group that came through, so they are truly mine,” Riden said. “We fuss and I’m like their mother sometimes and we yell, but I always tell them I love them.”
Riden also said she “loves the Lord” and is a Christian.
“I’m not allowed to speak about the Lord in school. I don’t have have to. The kids do it,” Riden said.
“I know I made a lot of changes and haven’t always made you happy,” Riden said, adding that she, her fiancé and others prayed throughout the summer the “prayer of Jabez” in I Chronicles 4:12 that she said went something like: “God bless me, indeed, and expand my territory. May your hand be over me, protect me from evil and prevent me from harming others.”
On the Monday of the shooting, Riden said many more students and others were praying during the lockdown of the school. Cowan was lured down a hall by School Resource Officer Carolyn Gudger and then shot by Gudger, Lt. Steve Williams and Officer Sam Matney.
Gudger went back to work this Tuesday, and Sheriff Wayne Anderson said the other two were back in uniform officially for the first time Friday night.
“The tides of losing and giving in to circumstances are over at Sullivan Central,” student Justin Calhoun wrote in the program for the event. “In its place have risen attitudes of success, desired achievement and expected victory. It’s great to be a Cougar.”
Many in the crowd wore “The Gudge” T-shirts, designed by a graphics arts class at Central and sold to raise money for a graphics arts club. The back of the shirts reads, “She’s got our back.”
Gudger and Riden each got two standing ovations from the crowd.
“We all know our real hero, our God,” Gudger said. “He got us to it, he took us through it.”
The gunman pointed his pistol at Riden before Gudger came between the two and also pointed it at Gudger and the other two officers.
Director of Schools Jubal Yennie has lauded Riden and her staff for getting the school in lockdown quickly, as well as the work of law enforcement. SROs are in all four county high schools, but Yennie and Anderson said they plan to work toward getting SROs in the county middle schools as well.
“You could write a book on how you reacted,” Anderson told Riden and her staff and faculty. “This is really, really teamwork at its best.”
After the event, Anderson said the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has not concluded its probe of the shooting and that multiple theories exist about Cowan’s motive.
More than a decade ago, the incident would likely have been handled by a SWAT team, but Anderson during the event said protocol now is for the first on the scene to take care of the situation, with school personnel instructed to “slow them down” until officers arrive. He also lauded students for staying put in the lockdown and not panicking.
“Your lives were in danger, but you did what you were supposed to do,” Anderson said.
Riden said sheriff’s office personnel are always welcome at Central for drills, and Anderson said his department plans to use the Central response as a model and for training at other schools.
Award plaques were presented to Matney, Williams, Gudger, the faculty and staff, Riden and the student body, accepted by Hunter Stephens, senior class president and leader of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Central.
As for Brock, event spokesman and moderator Alan Novak said the youth left a lasting impact on his peers.
“Bradley wanted to be a youth minister, and he was and is,” Novak said.
Also during the event, five students presented winning essays on what a hero is to them.
To Holly Nelms, a 14-year-old freshman, a hero has changed from a comic book or TV persona to the three officers who shot the gunman.
Taylor Campbell, a 14-year-old sophomore, said a hero to her was Brock, someone she never personally met or knew but was her brother in Christ.
“My brother meant everything to me,” she said of Brock, who she said kept fighting cancer even with a grim prognosis, outliving doctors’ predictions.
“He has seen the light, held hands with Jesus and sat with God,” she said. “I love my brother, but it must let him sleep.”
Tyler McClain, a 14-year-old freshman said his definition of a hero has evolved.
“Heroes live around us and among us,” McClain said, adding that they are “the kind of people you can trust and trust to be there when you need them.”
“I leave you with a question. Will you be a hero?”
And Savannah Benton, a 16-year-old junior, said a hero is someone who is courageous, takes responsibility for his or her actions, is selfless and leads.
“No one looks at a faculty and says, ‘Oh, I’m sure they would be good during a code red,’ ” Benton said. “When you look at her (Gudger), you see a hero.”
Novak said Brock’s fight with cancer and the way the gunman incident was handled are prime examples of heroes.
“Ordinary people are the ones that make this world a better place,” Novak said. “There are occasions where ordinary people do extraordinary things.”

A GOSPEL MUSIC TRIBUTE

2010-08-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

AUGUST 28, 2010 5 P.M.
GRACE TEMPLE CHURCH
208 GARDEN DRIVE

FEATURING:

AGNES HORTON

CHERYL RHEA

LORETTA BOWERS

SHANA LIVINGSTON

SHIRLEY DUNN

GLENDA TINNNER

NOLAN WOLFE

SHELBY REDD

INCLUDING A SPECIAL TRIBUTE HONORING LOCAL PIONEERING GOSPEL GROUP

“THE HEAVENLY ECHOES”

AND JULIA COUSINS

THIS WILL BE ON THE BEHALF OF THE GRACE TEMPLE CHURCH EXPANSION FUND

COME AND BE A BLESSING AND YOU WILL BE BLESSED

Tri-Cities Ladies Conference

2010-08-24T09:30:00.001-07:00

Tri-Cities Ladies Conference
"Falling in Love with Jesus"
September 23 - 25, 2010
Hosted at The Carnegie Hotel
Johnson City, TN
CONFERENCE AGENDA:

Thursday, September 23,2010

4:00 pm - Hotel Check-In & Vendors Set-up

5:00 pm -6:30 pm Vendor Tables Open

6:30 pm - Pre-Service Prayer

7:00 pm - Praise & Worship by Tri-Cities Praise Team

Evening Speaker: Sis. Jina McCool

(Vendor Tables Open immediately following service.)

Friday, September 24, 2010

9:00 - 10:00 am Vendor Tables Open

10:00 am - Music by Sis. Jina McCool

Morning Speaker - Sis. Lori Wagner

11:30 am - 1:30 pm Vendor Tables Open

12:00 noon - Lunch Provided at Carnegie Hotel for all registered conference attendees

1:30 pm - Afternoon Sessions

3:00 pm - 5:00 pm Break

5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Vendor Tables Open

6:30 pm - Pre-Service Prayer

7:00 pm - Praise & Worship

Evening Speaker: Sis. Lori Wagner

Saturday, September 25, 2010

10:00 am - 1:30 pm Tri-Cities Community Luau Outreach Service. This outreach is open to the public and will be held on the grounds of The Pentecostals of Johnson City. We will have the opportunity to impact the community by inviting them to join us in music, worship, "Kidz Corner", food, and fellowship!

To go along with the "Luau" theme, everyone is encouraged to wear your Hawaiian/ Luau Attire or a colorful shirt/skirt will be great!

1:30 pm Conference Closing

For more information, call 423.742.0346.

Visitors to JC’s Umoja Festival impressed by display of unity

2010-08-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

THIS ARTICLE COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By MADISON MATHEWS
NET News Service

When Carolyn Abbot, a native of Washington, D.C., began talking about downtown Johnson City and the 14th annual Umoja Festival, the word “impressive” kept popping up.

The unity-themed festival was a nice surprise for Abbott, who was in town Saturday visiting her daughter and other family members.
“This is not something I was really expecting to be perfectly honest with you. I’m impressed with how everybody’s getting along. There is actually a lot of unity,” she said.
Abbott found out the festival was taking place and thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce her grandson, Jaiden Miles, to different cultures.
“African-American events are big in Washington D.C. ... So I wanted to come down and see what it was like. Brought my grandson down so that he could get a feel of African heritage,” she said.
The eclectic music lineup, with everything from gospel to bluegrass, and the laid-back atmosphere of the festival was a welcome change of pace for Abbott.
For Abbott, diversity amongst the crowd was another aspect of the Umoja Festival that stood out. “There is no people separating. It’s really showing the unity and everyone getting together and getting a good time,” she said.
Despite the searing heat, a steady crowd of people kept the downtown streets filled as the festival celebrated its first year in its new location after spending many years at Freedom Hall.
Set up much like the Blue Plum Festival, Umoja’s new location seemed to be hit with just about everyone.
With the location change and expansion of the festival itself, media relations coordinator Wayne Robertson said this year’s festival was a success.
“A lot of people that’s come to this also came to Blue Plum and they’re familiar with this layout and it helps a lot. I think they really like it and it being down here,” he said. “When you do changes there some things that you forget about ... but we’ve not really had any problems at all. It has been a really lovely festival this year.”

Umoja Festival moves to downtown Johnson City

2010-08-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

THIS ARTICLE COURTESY THE KINDSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By DOUG JANZ
NET News Service

JOHNSON CITY — Following the theme of the Umoja Festival, which promotes unity and diversity, organizers have lined up an entertainment schedule that touches on a lot of genres and demographics.

The 14th annual unity-themed festival opens Friday in downtown Johnson City. It will offer plenty of music, food, and arts and crafts, much of it with an African-American theme. But the idea is to attract people from across the social and ethnic spectrum.
“That’s why our lineup is so diverse. We’ve got something for everybody,” said Elmer Washington, one of Umoja’s main organizers and director of the entertainment lineup. “There’s Mexican, there’s Latin jazz, there’s rock, there’s roll, there’s soul, there’s old-time, there’s blues.
“We’ve got storytelling, comedians, dancers — something for everyone. The entertainment is as top-notch as it possibly could be.”
It’s the first time for Umoja downtown after a long stay at Freedom Hall Civic Center. Organizers are hoping the shift in location is a boost for the event as it follows the same outlines and general plan as the successful Blue Plum Festival held downtown each June.
“By coming downtown, we’re hoping to get more exposure and more sponsorship, which will help us bring in better entertainment,” Washington said. “We just think it’s a great thing to come down and be a part of helping to grow downtown.
“So far everything is going very smooth. All the businesses are very supportive, the people are kind, and they just want to help — to make a better festival.”
The festival’s opening ceremony is Friday at 3 p.m., and then the music kicks in and includes the Call to Drums with the Rev. Vincent Dial and Zulu Connection.
Then it’s on to a night of music and comedy featuring local bluegrass/traditional artist Amythyst Phillips, rock oldies cover band Bag a’ Cats, acclaimed old-time group the Brother Boys, the young local jazz/funk band Unlimited, and headliner Plunky and Oneness playing horn-based soul, smooth jazz and funk.
“The reason we chose Plunky as our headliner is because he has a following here,” Washington said. “He’s played here, and people remember him and like him.”
tinged style of soul and R&B.
“Everybody pretty much knows them,” Washington said. “And if they don’t remember, then once people hear them they’ll remember them. They’ll probably remember where they were back then and probably get that same good feeling again.”
For the first time in the festival’s history, beer will be sold, and people who have bought a wristband can take their beer outside into the streets, as long as it’s in a plastic cup and they stay within festival boundaries.
Umoja organizers have followed the same city ordinance and guidelines as Blue Plum on beer and boundaries.
For more on the festival, visit www.umojajc.org.
The lineup includes popular local comedian Xavier as well as Atlanta’s touring professional, MC Lightfoot, who sets the stage for Plunky.
Lightfoot also performs on Saturday night.
“We thought it would be a good avenue to have a big-time professional comedian come in. So we’re real happy to have MC Lightfoot,” Washington said. “We saw him in Las Vegas and thought he’d be a good one for Umoja.”
The Main Stage will be set up at the same place as Blue Plum’s Main Street Stage, while Umoja will have Stage Two at the other end of the festival featuring several acts each day, including Zulu Connection, JaB Band, the 4.0 Band, the mariachi band Mombra de Mexico, and even a drum circle percussion ensemble from Lake Ridge Elementary School.
Saturday’s schedule is packed, with the annual parade at 10 a.m. starting at Carver Recreation Area, a free Health Fair from noon to 5 p.m., Water Wars and a Children’s Carnival going from 4 to 9 p.m., a Gospel Fest from 1 to 4 p.m., and a lineup of more live entertainment on the Main Stage.
There’s Appalachian dance (Stoney Creek Cloggers) and Latin jazz (local jazz hit Frito Puente), blues (Bleu Jackson, “godfather” of the local blues scene) and the Heartbeats, a Johnson City R&B/ Motown group.
The headliner SOS Band had some big hits in the 1980s and still plays a smooth, danceable disco.

2010-07-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

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Click here to go to the UMOJA website.

2010 Douglass-Slater Reunion: "Proud Traditions Forever United"

2010-07-07T10:01:00.001-07:00

CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM BIGGER

Neither Fred Delaney with the Douglass High School Alumni Association in Bristol, Virginia, nor John Hogans with the Slater High School Alumni Association in Bristol, Tennessee expected a big turnout at the 2010 Douglass-Slater Reunion. The economy and dwindling alumni numbers were obstacles difficult to overcome.

They were wrong.. and pleasantly surprised at the same time.

The reunion was a huge success, with numbers that were up over the last reunion in 2008.

"When the folks arrived, they immediately started looking for their friends," says Mr. Delaney. "They start asking about everybody and talking about what they used to do. Some great memories are brought back, by old friends just getting back together."

"Nobody ever reads the newsletters we send out," laughs Mr. Hogans, "so the first thing they want to know is 'where is such-and-such event happening, what do we need to do, where do we need to go?' The only thing that really sticks in their minds is 'when do I need to be there?"

For years, Bristol, Virginia's only African-American high school and Bristol, Tennessee's only African-American high school held separate reunions, despite the schools being less than a mile apart. The state line has always divided the school districts, but not the black community of both Bristol's.

"Both Douglass and Slater held separate reunions since the 80's," says Mr. Hogans, "but since our families were always visiting the other school's reunion, we decided to join both reunions in the year 2000. We've been having reunions together ever since."

Both schools still hold separate business meetings while together for the combined reunion, and are fortunate enough to still have their old school buildings to celebrate, although both buildings have different purposes now. The Douglass building on Oakview Avenue is now the "Douglass School Apartments" and the Slater building on McDowell Street is now the Slater Community Center. Both buildings have undergone extensive renovations, but still resemble the learning institutions of old.

Please click here to see a slideshow of the 2010 Douglass-Bristol Alumni Business Meeting.

Please click here to see a slideshow of the 2010 Slater Alumni Business Meeting.

One cannot look at the buildings, and not think of fellow classmates.

"We also look back at the ones we have lost over the past two years," says Mr. Hogans. "I can think of at least 4 right now that are missing, that have passed. At our picnic at Steele Creek Park, we have a memorial service for the ones who have gone on. It's the last thing we do before we all go home."

A special treat for the reunion attendees was the 2010 Bristol 4th of July parade. This year, the Douglass-Slater Reunion group was in the huge parade.

Please click here to see a slideshow of Douglass-Slater in the 2010 Bristol 4th of July parade.

Click here to see downloadable pictures of Douglass-Slater in the 2010 Bristol 4th of July Parade.

"Last reunion, we had our own parade by ourselves, that went from Slater through downtown to Douglass and then back, but this past year, the city invited us to have a few cars in the big Bristol 4th of July Parade downtown," Mr. Hogans says. "We'd never done that before, and appreciated the invitation. We had three cars and it worked out really well. This year, they invited the whole group to be in it. We usually have a lot of people in our separate parade, so to have that many in the big parade was really good. The whole community got to see us, and it was a great experience."

And then, there was the big banquet. It is always a dress-up affair that reunites all the alumni at one time for a wonderful dinner.

Please click here to see a slideshow of the 2010 Douglass-Slater Reunion Banquet.

Click here for downloadable pictures of the 2010 Douglass-Slater Reunion Banquet.

"There's one of our alumni who brought her daughter and son to the reunion this time," says Mr. Delaney. "She said she just wanted to bring them to a black affair, because they had never been to one. Before the reception was over, I went up to the young lady who was about 21 or 22, and I said 'how do you like this event, and she said 'man, this is great..you all do this all the time?' I told her we do something this big every two years. She said, 'she was so excited about being there and she was out there dancing and having a good time. Her mother told me she knew she'd enjoy it."

Both Mr. Delaney and Mr. Hogans say, getting the young people interested in continuing the traditions of the schools, is always a challenge.

"Some of the young people are receptive to what we're trying to do," Mr. Delaney says. "Of course, once you start talking about it, they don't realize it....they just don't understand the history of the school, so what I've been thinking about, is having a tye of career club for the young people. We can help them with their careers, plus introduce them more to our history. If we did that and get them involved, hopefully they'll think 'well, we just can't take things for granted. Somebody sacrificed for us to be able to be here in Bristol to be and do what we want to do."

"We always had a tradition when we were in the black school, and we think it is important to carry on that tradition," says Mr. Hogans. "We're more cohesive now than we were back then, 'cause when we played basketball and football, it wasn't really like it is now. It's a better sense of cooperation now, and we love it."

And the message to the alumni from the other African-American school alumni in the area? Mr. Hogans has a quick answer to that one.

"I hope they're having as much fun as we are."

DOUGLASS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 2010-2012 OFFICERS
Lillian Davis, National President
Fred Delaney, President
Margo White, Vice President
Mary Hardin, Recording Secretary
Verdia Bradley, Correspondence Secretary
Norman Cook, Treasurer
Mae Duff, Chaplain & Historian
Frederica Cook, Scholarship Chairperson

SLATER ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 2010-2012 OFFICERS
John Ed Hogans, President
Rita Howard, Vice President
Penny Walker, Secretary
Hattye Broady, Treasurer & Historian
Thomas McDaniels, Chaplain
Drucilla Hogans, Scholarship Chairperson

COMING UP IN A FUTURE ARTICLE: Proposals for the "REUNION OF ALL REUNIONS" that hopefully will reunite all of the African-American schools in the area at one big gathering to talk over shared times, old rivalries and wonderful traditions. Please watch for the article.

2010 Langston School Reunion: Enter to Learn - Depart to Serve

2010-07-04T17:24:00.000-07:00

A VISIT TO THE GRAY FOSSIL MUSEUM WAS ONE OF THE BIG HIGHLIGHTS OF LANGSTON'S 2010 REUNION

CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM BIGGER

"Everybody's had a good time."

That pronouncement from Langston High School Reunion Chairperson Barbara (Bobbie) Watterson, only underscores the excellent turnout for the 2010 Reunion.

And no wonder.. it was a free reunion.

Yes friends, you heard correctly... The entire 2010 Langston Reunion was free of charge.

"Because we're crazy," laughs Mrs. Watterson. "Years ago, we promised the alumni that one day we would have a free reunion, with just the 25 dollars for dues. Lo and behold, back in March at one of our organizational meetings, Reverend James (Litt'l Man) Whiteside, a Langston alumnus, stood up in the group. I had my agenda all laid out and ready, and in the agenda where it called for suggestions, he gets up and says 'I think this time we ought to have a free reunion.' Well when he said that, everybody just went ape. I said, 'well we'll table this until the next meeting and I told everybody to just be thinking about what they wanted to do about this free reunion."

She continued, "I was so mad," laughing again. "When he said that, two or three people joined in. Nobody realized the preparation that would go into this thing, so at the next meeting, I said 'well, let's put it to a vote.' The folks I needed to help defeat it didn't show up to the meeting, so it passed 5 to 4."

But Mrs. Watterson says, once the process got started, things began falling into place.

"I asked around and contacted Herb Greenly, the director of the Carver Recreation Center to see if we could use the center for three days on the July 4th weekend. He said he was happy to reserve it for us.

Please click here to see a slideshow of the Langston Alumni activities at the Carver Recreation Center on Saturday of the 2010 Reunion.

Click here to see downloadable pictures of the alumni activities at the Carver Rec Center.

And then there were the little things that make up a reunion.

"When we had a hotel, if somebody got tired or needed to freshen up, they could always go upstairs to their or somebody else's room and rest, but where could we do that at Carver? I asked Herb about a hospitality room.. if we could take one of the Carver rooms and make it a lounge area. He said we could take the Community Room and he's got some friends in the rent-to-own business, and he had them bring in lounge chairs, couches, tables, a big-screen TV set and that was settled."

Oh yeah.. the food. How could the reunion organizers possibly feed dozens of guests.. on a continuous basis.. for 3 straight days?

Turns out, the solution to that problem turned up in a true volunteer.

"Irma Smith decided she would do the cooking just like back in the old days," says Mrs. Waterson, "so we made up a menu, checked all the prices, decided what we all wanted, and she went and bought it. But since we had to have some kind of food all day long to feed the people, I thought 'well, let's ask the churches because they've got connections to feed a lot of people during funerals and receptions. I wrote a letter and sent it to the churches, reminding them how in yesteryear, the churches all worked together with us, to feed the alumni. We only asked for two trays of food from each church and all 15 of them stepped forward to help.. we had five trays from each one. Friday morning (July 2nd), it all started coming in."

Mrs. Smith was reimbursed for the food she purchased. "The alumni board voted to split the food cost between the board members and reimburse her for her generosity."

Even the music ended up being free of charge.

"Miss Irma, she's the cook, and the D-J was her nephew, Paul Faw," Mrs. Watterson says. "He supplied the music for our reception, and the sound system for our banquet, and he donated his time and equipment. He was wonderful, and had a great musical selection."

One of the big tasks was deciding on a nearby event that would give the alumni something extra to do during this year's reunion.

"This year, we decided to go to the Gray Fossil Museum in Gray, Tennessee," Mrs. Watterson says. "Turns out, nobody realized what a jewel that was.. fossils, bones and evidence of prehistoric life discovered right in our own backyard. It's amazing that we had that many prehistoric animals in this part of the state, right in our back door. It did cost at the door for those alumni who went, something like 10 dollars, and we let them know up front, so they could have their money ready. They said it was well worth it."

Please click here to see a slideshow of the Langston Alumni touring the Gray Fossil Museum in Gray, TN, and the old Langston School building in Johnson City on the Saturday of the 2010 Reunion.

Click here to see downloadable pictures of the tour.

The reunion committee also arranged a bus tour of many landmarks to their memories, both past and present. Those included the historic buildings at the Winged Deer Park, the sports complex there, Freedom Hall Civic Center, the new Science Hill football stadium, ETSU, the new Sherrod Library, the old Seavers Bakery.

Certainly, many good memories were stirred up by a visit and stop by the old Langston High School building at 225 Myrtle Avenue. The tour spent several minutes there with most visitors remembering favorite classrooms, favorite teachers, and favorite school events the building brought back to memory. The building is now used for storage by the Johnson City Board of Education, and is flanked by the Langston historical marker from the Tennessee Historical Commission.

The Langston Alumni Banquet was held in the large multi-purpose room and easily held all of the visitors to the Reunion. Besides the dinner, highlights included two spiritual selections from Ms. Denise Greenlee, and the main speaker Norman Howard, Langston Class of '65, retired from the Kellogg Foundation of the famous cereal name, whose foundation motto stands for "helping communities stand up for children."

Please click here to see a slideshow of the 2010 Langston High School Alumni Banquet at the Carver Recreation Center.

Click here to see downloadable pictures of the banquet.

The reunion was quite an accomplishment, considering it didn't cost anything.

A FREE REUNION.

"We didn't want to get carried away with the freeness of it all," says Mrs. Watterson. "Our big reunion will come up next time in 2010, and we don't want to take anything away from that. If we give out too much free, folks might not want to pay the 95 dollars next time, and if we do what we need to do for the next reunion, which is the 112th anniversity of Langston School, we might not get things done that need to be done.. things do cost money."

But Mrs. Watterson promises a return to business in 2012.

"It was so good to see everybody once again, and now we're working on 2012," she says. "That one's going to be a biggie."

COMING SOON... AN ARTICLE ON THE POSSIBILITY OF "THE REUNION OF ALL REUNIONS:" A homecoming for all the alumni from all the African-American schools in the area.

Owens to challenge Crowe for Tennessee Senate seat

2010-07-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

From staff reports at the Kingsport Times News

Former 1st Congressional District candidate T.K. Owens of Johnson City has announced his candidacy to run for Tennessee’s 3rd Senatorial District seat.

Owens will run as a Democrat against two-decade Republican incumbent state Sen. Rusty Crowe of Johnson City in the November general election.
Owens, like Crowe, is unopposed in the August primary, according to the Tennessee Division of Elections.
Two years ago, Owens ran for Congress as an independent and finished fifth.
The 3rd Senatorial District includes all of Washington and Carter counties in Northeast Tennessee.
“Some of the district’s needs are simple,” Owens said. “It needs infrastructure and roads. The quality of water in Carter County is less than what it needs to be. So those are things I can vie for in Nashville ... and then I can be open-minded to some of the initiatives that have already been started, like the (federal) stimulus package and the health care (reform) bill and get folks on the list who are not currently on a health care package.”
Owens did not want to talk about Crowe’s job performance.
“What I know that I can do is be an excellent spokesperson (for the district),” Owens said.
Owens’ resume includes interning for former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and holding a bachelor’s degree in political science from East Tennessee State University.
He served as a videographer and reporter at WJHL-TV and did some substitute teaching while he ran for Congress.

Tri-Cities Ladies Conference

2010-06-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

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Langston High School Yesterday Celebration Weekend

2010-06-23T19:52:00.001-07:00

LANGSTON HIGH SCHOOL

GOLDEN TIGERS

YESTERYEAR CELEBRATION WEEKEND

JULY 2-4, 2010

CARVER RECREATION CENTER

Friday, July 2nd
Registration 9:00AM-4:30PM
Membership Fee $25.00

Events beginning @6:00PM, Music, getting reacquainted @7:30PM.

Saturday, July 3rd
Registration 9:00AM-11:00AM

Bowling, Golf, Corn Toss, Bid Whist
Bus Tour of Gray Fossil Site

Sunday, July 4th
Memorial Service 1:30PM
St. Paul AME Zion Church
Lunch will be served on the grounds at Carver Center

Contact Mrs. Barbara (Bobbie) Watterson
Home # 423/282-8895
Cell # 423/483-8611

Letter to the Douglass-Slater Alumni!

2010-06-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

PLEASE CLICK ON PICTURES TO DISPLAY AND PRINT OFF REGISTRATION FORMS FOR THE 2010 DOUGLASS/SLATER REUNION IN BRISTOL, JULY 2,3, AND 4.

FROM 2008 DOUGLASS/SLATER REUNION, BRISTOL

Dear Douglass/Slater Alumni and Teachers:

We are working hard to make sure everything is as it should be for Reunion 2010. Our Committees are in place and working. All we need is for our Alumni to start to send your monies for your dues and for the activities that we have planned for you. Enclosed you will find all the schedules, fees and dates for the Reunion.

We all know that this is not the best of economic times but we hope you have been putting a little aside in preparation for this Reunion.

It will be worth it. As always we have one or two pleasant surprises that we hope you enjoy.

Hope to see you in July. Have a safe trip here.

Sincerely,

John Edwards III John Ed Hogans III
President, DSAA President, SHSAA

REUNION – 2010 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

FRIDAY JULY 2, 2010 - REGISTRATION – RECEPTION/COCKTAIL PARTY

THEME “OUR TRANSITION TO SUCCESS – 44 YEARS OF CHANGE”

2:00 – 6:00 P.M. REGISTRATION – HOLIDAY INN

6:30 P.M. DOORS WILL OPEN - HOLIDAY INN BALL ROOM

7:00 P.M. WELCOME ASSOCIATIONS VICE PRESIDENTS

7:15 P.M. HORS D’OEUVRES – CASH BAR

8:00 p.m. LOOK AT DISPLAYS

SIGN UP FOR CARD GAMES

9:00 P.M. - DANCE WITH THE DJ - MR. JOE SAUNDERS

9:00 P.M. – UNTIL PRIZES RUN OUT – BINGO, SPADES, BID WIST, HEARTS

SATURDAY JULY 3, 2010

7:30 A.M. PARADE – MEET AT SLATER TO DECORATE CARS

8:30 A.M. LEAVE SLATER AND GO TO MORRISONS BLVD AND LINE UP

10:00 A.M. - PARADE

12:30 P.M. TO 1:30 P.M. ALUMNI MEETINGS, AT RESPECTIVE SCHOOLS

9:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M. GOLF TOURNAMENT

1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. BOWLING TOURNAMENT

6:00 P.M. BANQUET & DANCE

6:00 P.M. DOORS OPEN AT THE HOLIDAY INN BALL ROOM

6:30 P.M. DINNER BEGINS

7:30 P.M. AWARDS PROGRAM

8:30 P.M. EMPTY THE BALL ROOM

9.00 P.M. TO 12:30 A.M. - DANCE WITH THE SCAT KATS / WELLS BROTHERS

SUNDAY JULY 4, 2010

8:00 A.M. TO 2:00 P.M. – ATTEND THE CHURCH OF YOUR CHOICE AND VISIT WITH FRIENDS AND RELATIVES

2:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. PICNIC AND MEMORIAL SERVICE AT STEELE CREEK PARK – LODGE

3:00 – 4:30 P.M. PICNIC LUNCH

5:00 P.M. MEMORIAL SERVICES

7:00 P.M. PICNIC ENDS

WE WILL CLOSE WITH A MEMORIAL SERVICE AT STEEL CREEK PARK

2010 Debutant Ball in Johnson City

2010-06-14T08:10:00.000-07:00

These are unedited photos from the 2010 Debutante Ball that was held at the Holiday Inn June 12 in Johnson City, TN. This was truly an elegant affair. The perfect event to get all dressed up and honor 10 beautiful young ladies, the escorts and their parents.

Contact Paul Braxton if you would like to get edited copies of the pictures. contact email: paul@pbrax.com or phone: 423.218.0201.

Click here to see a slide show of the 2010 Debutant Ball held in Johnson City.

Click here to see pictures of the 2010 Debutant Ball held in Johnson City.

Carver Recreation Center Community Service Awards

2010-05-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

PICTURES AND TEXT COURTESY OF HIS PRODUCTION TOO PHOTOGRAPHY

Click here to see pictures of the Carver Recreation Center Scholarship Awards Banquet.

On May 20, 2010 Carver Recreation had a celebration acknowledging community service members for their help, as well as the academic progress made by its youth and the community. The guest speaker was Pastor Vincent Dial who spoke to the students under the title of "And Then They Were Gone." He was referring to the students that were graduating and moving on to college, the next grade, and in life. He stated that they need to have a relationship with their God, faith in their belief, and the right attitude in order to be successful.

Awards were also given out to the undefeated kickball team; and the T-Ball championship team.

The William Melvin Stevens Scholarship Award were given out to 8 deserving students.

Awards in the following categories were also given out:

Paul E. Christman Award
Charles McConnell Award
Progressive Young Men Award
Robert McKinney Award
Charles F. Moncrief Award
Dorthy Christman Award

Congratulations and Best Wishes for a successful future.
From: Carver Recreation Center, Johnson City Parks and Recreation, and the William M. Stevens Scholarship Committee.

Times-News Wants Our Input on Use of Rebel Flag at South High

2010-05-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

THE TIMES-NEWS NEEDS OUR OPINIONS ON THE USE OF THE REBEL FLAG AT SULLIVAN SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL. SULLIVAN SOUTH IS LOCATED ABOUT 2 MILES FROM RIVERVIEW. SCIENCE HILL HIGH SCHOOL HAS ALREADY ASKED THEM NOT TO BRING THE FLAG TO GAMES PLAYED IN JOHNSON CITY. WE NEED TO RESPOND ACCORDINGLY TO THE USE OF THE FLAG AT SULLIVAN SOUTH. PLEASE SEND YOUR OPINIONS TO THE NEWSPAPER AT THE ADDRESS BELOW:

FROM THE EDITORIAL PAGE OF THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS, MAY 20, 2010

In schools here and elsewhere, mascots are beloved symbols that are used to identify and rally support for various sports teams.
But what if the choice of a sports mascot is more divisive than unifying? Should it be changed?
That, in essence, is the question outgoing Sullivan County Director of Schools Jack Barnes says a special committee at Sullivan South High School will be examining over the summer.
Sullivan South’s nickname of longstanding is the Rebels, and its mascot is known as Col. Reb, a caricature of a gray-uniformed colonel with a mustache and goatee in the Confederate Army. Although the school has never officially adopted the rebel flag’s use, fans commonly wave them at home football games and display them on vehicles outside the school on game days. Barnes says the school system has received a complaint from at least one individual who finds display of the flag as part of a school-sponsored activity offensive.
That’s why, Barnes says, that a committee consisting of South faculty, South administrators, a Board of Education member as well as a Central Office representative has been tasked to address the issue.
“Our whole point is to try to have an environment people don’t consider hostile or harassing,” Barnes explains, adding that applies to South students, the community, and students and community members who visit the school for football and other events.
One possible option, Barnes says, would be to substitute the school’s official flag for the rebel flag at football games.
No matter what the Sullivan South committee eventually decides, it’s a sure bet the choice will be an emotional and controversial one.
On one side are students and other longtime fans who embrace the rebel flag as a positive symbol of courage, tenacity and spirit. On the other side are those who regard the rebel flag as a painful reminder of slavery, or at least as a racially insensitive symbol that has no place in a modern and culturally diverse society.
In the interests of beginning a public discussion, we’d like to know what readers have to say about this controversial subject.
Is display of the rebel flag at South High School a harmless, even positive example of school spirit or an unacceptable example of bigotry that needs to be eradicated?
We believe this issue, like all public issues, is best served by a rigorous, respectful dialogue where everyone’s views and concerns are given a chance to compete in the marketplace of ideas.
We’re eager to hear from you.
Send us your letter (less than 300 words) to the editor to 701 Lynn Garden Dr., Kingsport, TN. 37660 or contact Managing Editor Ted Como at tcomo@timesnews.net. Please be sure to include your address and phone number. We call to verify all letters to the editor.

Johnson City Transit offers Free Ride Week

2010-05-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

• JOHNSON CITY — Johnson City Transit is offering citizens a chance to try public transportation for free. All fixed-route fares will be waived from Monday through May 29. May monthly passes have been reduced to $16.50 because of Free Ride Week. For more information, call 929-7119 or visit www.johnsoncitytransit.org.

2010-05-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

Top high school athletes from across the region converged at Sullivan North on Friday for the 32nd Times-News Relays. At left: Science Hill’s Ryan Mitchell completes his winning leap in the boys long jump. Just below: Dobyns-Bennett’s Haley Phipps, center, reaches for the baton while starting the final leg of the girls 4x100 meter relay — which D-B won;

At Bottom: From left, Nick Groves of Patrick Henry, Sullivan South’s Seth Watterson and Appalachia’s Forrest Stuart vie for the lead in the boys 110-meter hurdles at the
32nd Times-News Relays at Sullivan North on Friday. Stuart won the event.

2010-05-03T22:08:00.000-07:00

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Message from the NAACP President

2010-04-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Calvin,

Yesterday, America lost a hero.

Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks was among the greatest Americans of the 20th century. A crusading lawyer who fought against oppression and a courageous, committed organizer who used communication to move mountains -- Dr. Hooks lifted the Civil Rights movement, breaking down racial barriers.

But above all else, he was a believer -- a believer in righteousness, justice and truth.

I'll never forget being a young organizer, watching Dr. Hooks address the '93 March on Washington. He stood there in front of the Washington Monument in his blue blazer and starched white shirt. In my eyes, Dr. Hooks was Superman. For those of us who came of age in the '70s and '80s, he was the most visible advocate for civil and human rights, the man who dared to push corporate America to opens doors to people who looked like us.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Hooks family in this tragic time. Will you take a moment to share your stories or sympathies with them?

Click here to visit the NAACP website and share your stories or sympathies with the Hooks family.

As we grieve over the loss of this incredible individual, we must remember to be thankful for the legacy he leaves behind and continue to honor Dr. Hooks by fighting with 'truth, justice and righteousness on our side.'

Yesterday, we lost a hero, a patriot and above all a friend. But in Dr. Hooks' passing his legacy remains -- a legacy that will improve the lives of generations to come.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Todd Jealous
President and CEO
NAACP

2010-04-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

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Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C.

2010-04-06T22:22:00.001-07:00

RECEIVED THIS FROM LOWELL DEMPSEY TO THE DOUGLASS HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, AND OTHER ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS IN THE TRI-CITIES, UPPER EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AREA

Hi Calvin:

The month of April marks the 42nd anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We are commemorating the life and work of Dr. King by creating a memorial in our nation's capital. The Washington, D.C., Martin Luther King, Jr., National Memorial will honor his life and contributions to the world through non-violent social change. I'm reaching out to ask if you and your readers would help spread the word by posting about this wonderful project on News Of Our Douglass Friends And Neighbors.

I've put together this blogger-friendly micro-site to help get the message out - there are videos, photos, banners, and even a web toolbar that, when used, donates money to the creation of the memorial:

Click here to go to the memorial's website.

After years of fund raising, the memorial is now $14 million away from its $120 million goal. This will be more than a monument to a great humanitarian, the National Memorial will be a place for visitors from around the world to share the spirit of love, freedom, and peace. If you are able to post or tweet about this please let me know so I can share it with the team. If you have any questions please pop me an email. And if you are able to help, thank you so much.

Lowell

--
Lowell Dempsey,
BuildTheDream.org
Twitter @mlkmemorial
Facebook.com/MLKNationalMemorial

"It's a Family Affair" Conference

2010-03-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

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Jonesborough community gathers to reminisce at old Booker T. Washington

2010-03-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By HEATHER RICHARDSON
NET News Service

JONESBOROUGH — Walls were talking Friday afternoon at the old Booker T. Washington School as community members — many of whom attended the school when it was still open — gathered to reminisce and talk about the future of the building.

The hall of what once served as a school for Jonesborough’s African-American children was filled with community members, black and white, sharing stories about the school, its classrooms and the gymnasium. For most, Friday’s open house was the first time they had seen the inside of the once-beloved building in decades.
Community Performance Inc. has been working with Jonesborough, collecting the stories from its residents in an effort to document their lives and their history so the town can better tell its own s t o r y.
“We are the storytelling capital of the world,” Town Administrator Bob Browning told the crowd gathered around the old gymnasium’s stage. “We’ve done a lousy job of collecting our own stories. We do a lousy job of telling our story to other people.”
Jules Corriere of Community Performance Inc. stepped forward to share with the crowd some of the stories they have heard.
“Charles came in here the other day, and he started pointing out where he used to sit. He pointed to the window where sometimes when he was late his daddy would drive him up to school. He would drive him right by the side of the window. They would open the window, and his daddy would lift him and toss him through the wind o w. ”
Corriere went on to tell stories she heard of the older girls in the school leaving in the middle of classes to go to the kitchen to stir the soup.
“Everybody would bring a bowl and a cup and a spoon to school every day, and they would have their hot cocoa and their soup, and that’s what they would have for lunch every day. Can you imagine being in a classroom now and the girls would have to excuse themselves, ‘Sorry, I have to run to the cafeteria. I’m cooking lunch today.’ I thought that was amazing.”
Richard Geer, founder and artistic director of Community Performance Inc., said many of those stories were also accompanied by a disappointment with what the school has become.
“We also heard that now people who attended one time here turn their eyes away when they drive by because it hurts too much to see what it’s fallen to.”
Faces in the crowd nodded in agreement.
“A year from now when this place is beautiful once again we’ll hear these walls talk,” Geer said. “It won’t just be a play. It will be walking in here into a gallery, a dance, a film, a story that will bring this place alive again and the wisdom of this place alive again. We see, because we know the power of story in community ... that event as being a ripple in a pond that will move out through this community and help us once again be in touch with the wisdom that is here in this place, that’s here in our elders and that’s here in our young people too.”
The town has been working for some time to revive the now dilapidated building into a multi-use cultural arts center.
The facility, recently renamed the McKinney Center for the Arts at Booker T. Washington School, was renamed in honor of community leader and former principal at the school Ernest McKinney and his family.
McKinney passed away last year. His wife, Marion, and members of his family attended the open house.

Lyons Chapel Choir Seminar

2010-03-04T08:08:00.000-08:00

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Free legal clinic scheduled for Saturday in JC

2010-03-04T08:01:00.001-08:00

• JOHNSON CITY — The Washington County Bar Association will host a free legal clinic Saturday. March 6th, 2010 at Good Samaritan Ministries from 9 a.m. until noon. The clinic is staffed by volunteer attorneys and legal staff for financially challenged individuals and families who need legal assistance. For better service, appointments can be scheduled through Legal Services by calling 928-8311.

2010-02-25T10:17:00.000-08:00

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Langston School’s founder an accomplished doctor, teacher

2010-02-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

THIS ARTICLE COURTESY THE JOHNSON CITY PRESS

By Rex Barber
Press Staff Writer
rbarber@johnsoncitypress.com

A deadly cholera epidemic swept through this region in 1873.
Local doctors struggled to cure their patients. Most did not succeed.

It was reported the patients of Dr. Hezekiah Hankal, though, lived. Hankal’s reputation as a superb physician grew among his peers in Johnson City following the epidemic and his advice was commonly sought, according to Ray Stahl’s “Greater Johnson City: A Pictorial History.”

Hankal was also ordained as a minister. He conducted a successful ministry in the region through the establishment of churches in Jonesborough, Bristol and on land he purchased on Market Street in Johnson City, according to one volume of the “History of Washington County, Tennessee.”

Hankal’s service as a Johnson City alderman beginning in the late 1880s has been well documented.

Perhaps one of Hankal’s most well known accomplishments was the establishment of Langston Normal School, a school in Johnson City for black students.

According to Stahl, Hankal taught at Langston and was probably the first black man in the state certified to teach in the public school system.

Hankal was only one of many notable and influential black leaders in the early history of Johnson City. Mary Alexander noted the history and development of Johnson City’s black population from the middle 1800s to 1965 for her master’s degree thesis in history at East Tennessee State University.

Several pages in her thesis were devoted to Dr. Henry Johnson, another prominent physician in Johnson City. In fact, when Johnson died in 1955, there would not be another black physician in Johnson City until the Quillen College of Medicine was opened in 1978, Alexander wrote.

Johnson’s medical office was located at 111 1/2 Fountain Square in 1921, Alexander reported in her thesis. Johnson was also on the medical staff at Memorial Hospital in the late 1940s or early 1950s.

Following his death, black patients had to rely on white doctors for care. That care was typically provided after hours because blacks and whites could not be in the same waiting room at the same time in this period.

According to Alexander, many black businesses existed in Johnson City in the early part of the 20th century. She quoted the 1909 edition of the Langston Voice, a local publication, that included an ad for Edith J. Weems’ dress-making business at 404 E. Fairview Ave. and J.W. Owens’ brick masonry business at 214 Welborn St. Another black business in that issue of the Langston Voice as well as the 1915 city directory included residential contractor George W. Rhea, residing in the Carnegie area.

Alexander said some of the most vital businesses for Johnson City’s black community in the early days of the city were mortuaries and cemeteries.

The most notable is probably West Lawn Cemetery, located on a plot of land near Forrest Drive and Broadway Avenue. Both Hankal and Johnson are buried there, along with many other black families.

In the late 1800s, Harrison Whiterston donated land in the southern end of the city for blacks to have a cemetery. Some years later, a wealthy city commissioner and doctor liked the location of the cemetery and wanted the land for his own. He had the bodies exhumed and moved to what is now West Lawn.

The graves of Hankal and Johnson make the old cemetery a historical site.

2010 Martin Luther King Prayer Breakfast in Johnson City

2010-01-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

The Langston Heritage Group (LHG) hosted the Martian Luther King Jr. Breakfast at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in Johnson City, Tennessee on Saturday, January 16, 2010.

To see the slideshow of the event from HIS PRODUCTION TOO PHOTOGRAPHY, please click here.

2010-01-24T21:24:00.000-08:00

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2010-01-24T21:23:00.000-08:00

ANNUAL BLACK HERITAGE DINNER

SPONSORED BY ETSU BLACK FACULTY AND STAFF ASSOCIATION

February 13, 2010

E.T.S.U. D.P. CULP CENTER
6:00 P.M.

Speaker- Mr. Nathan Vaughn

Former 2nd District Representative

Tickets: $25.00 per person

Tickets may be purchased at Taste Budz (423) 926-9304(Corner of South Roan and East. Main) or by contacting Dr. Keith Johnson at 439-7810 or any member of the Black Faculty and Staff Association.

2010-01-24T21:21:00.000-08:00

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Stories help Johnson City youth learn about Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

2010-01-19T07:42:00.001-08:00

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By CHRISTOPHER ALEXANDER
NET News Service

JOHNSON CITY — Youth filed into Johnson City’s Carver Recreation Center Monday morning to learn about slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Carver Recreation Center, 322 W. Watauga Ave., held its 10th annual Martin Luther King Jr. story time for children ages 6-12. About 60 attended. The goal was to celebrate King’s life and educate the children about his work.
James Stukes has participated in the event in years past with his son. This year Stukes brought some of his fraternity brothers from East Tennessee State University’s Alpha Phi Alpha.
“Sometimes they fall short with hands to help facilitate the activities the kids have,” Stukes said. “So we called and told them we’re willing to help them.
“In the past it was interesting because a lot of kids didn’t know a whole lot about Martin Luther King Jr. It was good to see them learn and absorb that information. They were eager to learn more about him.”
Jaron Parks, 12, has attended the story time five years now.
“Martin Luther King was a minister,” Jaron said. “He brought blacks and whites together. He brought them together in a nonviolent way.”
This year was 12-year-old Serena Thompson’s first year at the story time.
“It was a bunch of fun,” she said. “I learned a lot of stuff.”
When asked what she learned about King, Serena said, “He made a difference in segregation.”
Mary Grace Walrath, from the Jonesborough Storytellers Guild, entertained the children.
“Stories are an important part of any culture, not just African-American culture,” Walrath said. “Stories not only teach, but they entertain. Many times the people that are listening to the stories don’t realize that they’re learning while they’re hearing the stories.”

MLK prayer breakfast Pays Tribute to Former Langston Students

2010-01-17T12:42:00.000-08:00

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By CHRISTOPHER ALEXANDER
NET News Service

JOHNSON CITY — The Johnson City faith community, elected leaders and area citizens came together Saturday morning to celebrate the life and work of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

To view a slideshow of the MLK Prayer Breakfast, please click here.

Some folks like to download the pictures for family and friends, and sometimes, just for themselves. ”If you'd like to download the pictures, please click here to see the individual pictures.

The Langston Heritage Group hosted its eighth annual prayer breakfast at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, 225 Princeton Road, and about 150 people participated.
Organizer Mary Alexander described this year’s theme as, “a generational connectivity program.” The breakfast was a tribute to pioneers of the area’s civil rights roots and a symbolic passing of the torch to a new generation of African-American leaders.

Youth groups from five area churches organized a program reciting scriptures, highlighting important portions of King’s speeches and leading prayers for peace and justice.
The program began by paying tribute to some of the surviving members of the student led protest at Langston School, Johnson City’s former all-black middle and high school. On April 14, 1954, 140 students carried signs and marched to the office of School Superintendent John Arrants.

Before Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus boycott in 1955-56, before the march on Washington in 1963, and almost a decade before President John F. Kennedy ordered federal troops to integrate the University of Alabama, students at Johnson City’s Langston School marched to protest the unfair firing of their beloved principal, J. Neil Armstrong.
Alexander, a local history professor, said Armstrong was fired because one student clapped at the completion of a prayer at an assembly. The school board said this was an indication Armstrong was unable to maintain order within his school.

Alexander, as well as the surviving Langston students, said the real reason for his dismissal was that Armstrong was on the cusp of earning an advanced degree that would lead to a promotion and threaten the power structure of the board.
Armstrong had been the school’s principal for 17 years.
This is the sixth year Mayor Jane Myron has participated in the prayer breakfast. “This is part of the history of Johnson City,” Myron said.
“It just warms my heart to see that these women are being honored for the difference they’ve made in our city.

UVa-Wise to mark MLK Day with dinner, march, speech

2010-01-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

FROM THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEW SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA BUREAU:

WISE — Brian Wills, the Kenneth Asbury Professor of History at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, will be the featured speaker during the college’s 14th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Jan. 18.
The public is invited to all elements of the observances, including a free dinner at 5:30 p.m. at the First Church of God in Wise. A candlelight march from the church through downtown Wise will begin at 6:30 p.m. and proceed to the Wise Baptist Church, where the formal program will begin at 7 p.m. Transportation will be available for those unable to participate in the candlelight procession.

A nationally recognized Civil War historian, Wills is the author of “Gone with the Glory: The Civil War in Cinema,” “No Ordinary College: A History of The University of Virginia’s College at Wise,” “The War Hits Home: The Civil War in Southeastern Virginia” and “The Confederacy’s Greatest Cavalryman: Nathan Bedford Forrest,” along with numerous scholarly articles, essays and book reviews.
A member of the UVa-Wise faculty since 1992, Wills is the 2000 recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award presented by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. He also received the college’s Outstanding Teacher Award in 1998 and the UVa-Wise Outstanding Research Award in 1995.
In 2003, Wills was named the Kenneth Asbury Professor of History in recognition of his accomplishments as a scholar, teacher and leader. Wills is also a contributing columnist for the Kingsport Times-News.
Prior to Wills’ presentation, Justin Preston will recite King’s revered “I Have a Dream” speech. The Angels of Praise from Big Stone Gap will perform special music. During the dinner, Ritchie Kennedy and Mark Wooten of Wise will perform.

2010-01-01T12:28:00.000-08:00

EVENT: EIGHTH ANNUAL MARTIN L. KING, JR. PRAYER BREAKFAST

THEME: “GENERATIONAL CONNECTIVITY”

FROM: The Langston Heritage Group

LOCATION: Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church

225 Wesley Street

Johnson City, NT 37604

TIME/DATE 9:00 A. M. / January 16, 2010

Greetings, it is time for our EIGHTH ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. PRAYER BREAKFAST. With the beginning of the second decade of the 21st Century, the youth of our area will explore the relevance of Dr. Kings’ speech to today’s society. They will connect their generation’s concerns with the concerns voiced by Dr. King approximately 50 years ago with ‘The Church’, ‘Consumerism’, and ‘Service to Others’.

Our honorees this year are the students of the 1954 Boycott and Demonstration at Langston High School. This event is featured in the AT&T 2010 Tennessee African American History Calendar. Northeast State Community College Choir will provide music.

Tickets remain $10.00. Ticket may be purchased at Money Services, 1111 North Roan St., Johnson City, TN, M-F, 9:30-5:30 P. M. You may also contact Angela Smith-Harris 929-3084 or Wayne Robertson at 232-6219.

Mary H. Alexander
Director
Langston Heritage Group

WATCHNIGHT SERVICES

2009-12-26T12:30:00.000-08:00

WATCHNIGHT SERVICES

at

ST. PAUL AME ZION CHURCH

201 WELBOURNE (corner of Millard)

SERVICES BEGIN 10:45 P.M.

(New Year's Eve)

BEGIN THE NEW YEAR WITH SONGS OF PRAISE AND PRAYER!!!!

2009-12-03T09:34:00.000-08:00

THIS IS THE SISTER OF PASTOR VINCENT DIAL, BETHEL CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF JONESBOROUGH, TN

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NAACP Freedom Banquet in Johnson City

2009-11-28T10:17:00.000-08:00

The Johnson City Washington County NAACP Branch hosted their annual Freedom Fund Banquet at Carver Recreation Center on Saturday November 21.
Over 200 Guest enjoyed an evening of great food, entertainment, and inspiring words from outstanding speakers.

To see the picture slideshow of the event, please click here.

The evening started out with Mr. Will Rhea introducing John Russaw who presided over the event. Rev. Dr. Calvin Crocker gave the invocation, followed by Johnathan Radford with the welcome.

Music selections were professionally done by Melvin and Emma Conley. Johnson City's own Heartbeats brought down the house with their Mowtown Moves.

A prayer for the nation was given by Elder Mark Redd. President Joyce Goines and Vice-President Ralph Davis gave out awards to business and individuals for their dedication to the Community and the NAACP.

The Guest Speaker for the evening was Gloria J. Sweet-Love President Tennessee State Conference (NAACP).

The 2010 Debutantes also made an appearance at the Banquet.

2009-11-26T08:28:00.001-08:00

2009-11-18T08:32:00.000-08:00

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2009-11-18T08:31:00.000-08:00

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Educator Thomas Harville to be honored in Elizabethton

2009-11-18T08:28:00.000-08:00

THIS STORY COURTESY THE JOHNSON CITY PRESS

By John Thompson
Elizabethton Bureau Chief
jthompson@johnsoncitypress.com

ELIZABETHTON — Thomas Harville has enjoyed a long list of accomplishments in his 94 years and he will certainly enjoy the honor he receives Saturday night when he is inducted into the Elizabethton/Carter County Educators Hall of Fame.
Throughout his remarkable career, Harville has been a man of faith. He always demonstrated great faith in God, in himself and in his students. That faith allowed him to see remarkable, seemingly impossible accomplishments many times in his long life.

He began his life on the Fourth of July 1915 in Plantersville, Ala., near Selma, the son of a tenant farmer. His parents had no formal education, but Harville said his father wanted him to get an education if possible. That was not always possible. The family moved to Harlan County, Ky., shortly after an incident in which a man chased 11-year-old Thomas and his 14-year-old sister Willie Nell as they were walking their normal 2.5-mile walk home from school one day. Harville thinks the man intended to rape his sister and kill him.

Harville thrived at East Bentham School in Harlan County even though he had to be put in the third grade as an 11-year-old because of the spotty education he had received in Alabama. That turned out to be somewhat of a blessing because the school only went through the 10th grade when he enrolled, but 11th and 12th grades were added during his time there and he became one of the first seven to graduate from the school in 1936. He wanted to continue his education, but his parents had no money during the depths of the Great Depression. Harville said he was going anyway. He told them “I am going by the grace of God. I just believe God’s grace and mercy will get me through.”

After completing his two years at Morristown College, Harville transferred to West Virginia College to complete his bachelor’s degree. His last year was a struggle, because at the beginning of the year his father suffered a stroke in the mines and died. His mother received a $1,000 payment from the coal mine company, but Harville refused to take any of the money, telling his mother to use the money to meet her needs and those of his younger brother. After graduation in 1940, Harville returned to Harlan County, where he was offered a teaching position. He soon began taking graduate courses in the summer, first at the University of Chicago and then at the University of Kentucky.

While taking a course under Dr. Lucille Lurry at Kentucky in 1958, Harville heard her give some advice that would change his life. She told her class that if they were teaching their classes the same way they were taught 25 years ago, they were out of step with the educational process. He took that to heart and when he returned to class at East Benham he told his students what Lurry had said and told them they were going to help him teach a better way. After recovering from the shock, the students came up with the idea to learn by creating a mural on the school wall. The mural would be on “The Exploration of the United States.”

After obtaining permission from the superintendent, the students began to conduct research on the history of each of the 50 states. The students wrote to every state capital, chambers of commerce and libraries throughout the nation. All of the research and planning was done by the students under his direction. Before long, the whole school was involved in the project. It was such a success that the Harlan County superintendent of the schools had the students to explain the method to all the other social studies teachers in the county.

When one of the social studies teachers asked the students how they had benefitted from the method, Harville said one of the boys stood up and said, “one thing about it, when this project began, I had no interest whatsoever in social studies and hardly anything else. But when we’re put on our own and responsible for getting a unit of work together, all of us students found that the teacher meant that we had to do it and we got busy and planned it. This kind of teaching has meant more to me than any I have received.” News of the successful method soon reached T.A. Dugger Jr., the superintendent of the Elizabethton City School System. In 1960, he invited Harville to come to the city’s segregated Douglas School.

Not long after he arrived at Douglas, he saw a serious problem. The fifth and sixth grade students were a year and a half behind the other city school students in English and science. Harville had long endured receiving substandard material and funding, but he would not tolerate his students trailing so far behind. He immediately went to East Tennessee State University and found help in Professor Madison Byar.

Byar encouraged him to spend time reading in the library to find an answer. After spending many hours there, Harville found his answer: team teaching. He told Dugger’s successor as superintendent, J. Howard Bowers, who endorsed the plan. Soon, teachers, students and parents were sold on the plan. Members of the community were also brought in who could provide assistance.

The results became apparent when the state report cards came out. The students in the white schools still had higher scores, but the students at Douglas had shown much greater gains than the whites over the year. The experiment continued to be successful until an unexpected event took place in 1970, the Elizabethton schools were integrated. Harville was asked to become assistant principal at Elizabethton High School, but he decided to accept an invitation from Marjorie Cardwell to become director of in-service at Greene Valley Developmental Center.

While in that position, Harville was asked if he could suggest a way to get some of the residents more involved and disciplined. After praying about it, Harville said he came up with a suggestion to organize a basketball team to compete against the other county schools. It was the first time students from other schools had a chance to interact with Greene Valley. The arrival of the big yellow buses sent a thrill through the campus and the residents would provide warm greetings.

Because of the team, the center had to decide on a team name and mascot. They chose to become the Greene Valley Green Dragons. There were soon cheerleaders cheering, often cheering the opposing team’s goals as well as their own. After the successful year, Harville got a phone call from Elizabethton’s new superintendent, Mack Pierce. He told Harville they were getting ready to open a new high school and they wanted him to be the principal.

He said he was reluctant at first because he was enjoying his frequent trips to Washington, D.C., that came with being in-service director at Greene Valley, but he finally agreed. Once again he found ways to make improvements. He led the effort to develop a student handbook and made changes in curriculum, once again enlisting the help of Dr. Byar. His efforts in improving curriculum led to his appointment as the coordinator of curriculum throughout the school system before his retirement in
1977.

Harville has remained busy during his long years of retirement and his latest efforts have been devoted to writing a book about his life and work called “Divine Guidance.” The writing has been finished and he is now searching for a publisher. When asked about the title, Harville paraphrased Psalms 127, “unless God builds it, they labor in vain.” He said that was one of the foundations of his work, along with the belief that “if you give students the opportunity to think for themselves, they will surprise you with what they will accomplish.”

2009-11-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

Price Public School to host its sixth Soul Food Dinner

2009-10-08T07:50:00.000-07:00

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

Menu will include beef brisket, pinto beans, cornbread, slaw, collard greens, cabbage, sweet potato casserole, buttered potatoes, corn, iced tea and a wide assortment of desserts.

By JEFF BOBO
jbobo@timesnews.net

ROGERSVILLE — Food is a big part of our heritage, and as Heritage Days begins in Rogersville on Friday, visitors will have an opportunity to experience some good old-fashioned American “soul food.”
For the sixth consecutive year, the Price Public School Community Center (PPSCC) and Swift Museum are hosting a Soul Food Dinner on Friday night as Rogersville’s Heritage Days festival kicks off.
The event will be held at the Price Public School on Hasson Street — which for decades was Rogersville’s segregated African-American school.
Thanks to donations and untold hours of volunteer work, the old school has been reborn as a community center and museum with artifacts from the old Swift College and high school, which had its campus nearby.
PPSCC Director Stella Gudger said this year’s soul food menu will include beef brisket, pinto beans, cornbread, slaw, collard greens, cabbage, sweet potato casserole, buttered potatoes, corn, iced tea and a wide assortment of desserts.
“Nothing is coming out of the can,” Gudger said. “It’s all cooked from scratch with fresh ingredients. I guarantee you, it is a wonderful meal, and hopefully everyone will try to make it.”
The American Legion Ladies Auxiliary Post 231 will do all the cooking.
The price per meal is a taxdeductible donation of $25 per person. Last year, 180 people were served at the Soul Food D i n n e r.
“I like to tell people, you’re not paying for your meal,” Gudger said. “It’s a donation. The meal is a bonus.”
Tickets are being sold in advance at the PPSCC and at U.S. Bank in Rogersville through 2 p.m. Friday, but Gudger said walk-ins are welcome.
There will be four serving shifts beginning at 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the PPSCC dining room, and Gudger said carryouts are also available. In fact, Gudger said she’d already received an order from local onduty police officers who will be having soul food carry-outs that night.
All money raised will go toward the PPSCC daily operations, as well as to help fund some projects the community center is currently working on.
The Tennessee Valley Authority has partnered with the community center on its current main project, to upgrade the Swift Museum.
TVA recently donated furniture, architectural plans and $1,000 toward the project, but Gudger said more funding is needed to bring the plans to fruition.
The museum upgrade includes a wall-sized photo of the old Swift College building, which closed in 1965 and was subsequently demolished, as well as a flat-screen TV that will show a video of former Swift students sharing their memories of the historic facility.
TVA is also helping with the development of a fifth-grade curriculum that will eventually be used for school field trips to the museum.
In conjunction with the Soul Food Dinner the PPSCC is also selling commemorative engraved bricks that will be placed at an entrance to the building.
For more information about the Soul Food Dinner or the commemorative brick sale, contact the PPSCC at 921-3888.

Bone Marrow Drive in Johnson City Reaches Out to Minorities

2009-09-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By TERESA HICKS NET News Service

JOHNSON CITY — Andrew Dover has been fighting leukemia since April. In order to beat it, he needs a bone marrow transplant, but a bone marrow match has been tough to come by because Dover is black.

“They said it’s a 25 percent chance that I’ll find a match,” Dover said.

Blacks make up just 8 percent of the national marrow registry, but officials with the National Marrow Donor Program are working to change that figure. The Cooperative Appalachian Marrow Program will hold a donor registration drive Saturday at Carver Recreation Center in Johnson City on behalf of Dover, with a goal of reaching as many minority donors as possible.

“We’re still looking for diversity in the registry. If you’re a minority or mixed race, you just don’t have the chance that the Caucasian patients have,” said Linda Hilton, co-coordinator for the Cooperative Appalachian Marrow Program. “We do a drive on behalf of an individual because it does show that there’s a need, even in our own community.”

Individuals who register at Saturday’s event will be entered into the national registry to help any of the 10,000 people who must look for a transplant match outside their own family each year. Because tissue type is inherited genetically, a patient is most likely to find a match within his or her own ethnic group.

Patients like Dover have a hard time finding matches not only because there are so few blacks in the registry, but also because there is much genetic diversity within the black community itself. According to the National Marrow Donor Program, “Those who migrated out of Africa have gone to many places all over the globe. As a result, African-Americans are 50 percent more genetically diverse than those of European-American heritage.”

Myths about bone marrow donation and transplantation are common and frequently keep eligible donors from entering the registry. Some people don’t realize that the only thing required to enter the registry is a cheek swab. “We do cheek swabs to get the DNA testing that we need,” Hilton said. That information is stored in the National Marrow Donor Program Registry until a match is found. The DNA information obtained from potential donors is kept under strict security and is not shared with any other agency, Hilton said. Some people fear that the donation process is painful, but Hilton pointed out that when bone marrow is extracted from the donor’s hip bone, the donor is under general anesthesia and feels no pain. There is often residual soreness in the lower back and hip area afterward, but the donor is usually able to return to work within a week.

All symptoms usually disappear within three weeks, and the healthy bone marrow grows back within four to six weeks. Some people do not enter the registry simply because they don’t think there is actually a need for donors. This could not be further from the truth, Hilton said. Although some patients are able to find bone marrow matches within their own families, 70 percent do not have a family match and must rely on the registry.

Saturday’s bone marrow registry drive is sponsored by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. The event will last from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. For more information visit www .bethematch .org or call (866) 680-0137.

New Zion Faith Center Event - Johnson City

2009-09-04T10:53:00.000-07:00

NEW ZION FAITH CENTER
“ 2009 OVERFLOW SERVICES “

THURSDAY SEPT 10 TH. 2009

12:00 PM MINISTER CHRISTINE SCURRY >
“ LADIES WORKOUT “ Carver Recreation Center

12:30 PM REV. VINCENT DIAL
“ Ministering the Word “

2:00 PM REV. E.E. WIDBY SR. work shop on establishing a “ Living Trust. “

3:00 PM SISTER ROSE BLANTON workshop on “ Healthcare “

4:00 PM REV REV. ROCKY PEELER
“ Ministering the Word “

5:45 PM “ DINNER “ served in dining area.

6:45 PM REV. SCOTTIE SEXTON workshop on “ Blood borne pathegenes “

7:45 PM MS. CONNIE BAKER “ Grants for home repair “

St. Paul AME Church Event - Johnson City

2009-09-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

Grace Temple Gathering - Johnson City

2009-09-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

TVA helping Swift Museum Preserve Memories of Old Rogersville School

2009-08-31T07:36:00.000-07:00

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS, PICTURES BY CALVIN

‘We want to preserve all this. We don’t want it to be lost.’ — Stella Gudger

ROGERSVILLE — The Tennessee Valley Authority is helping Rogersville’s Swift Museum preserve memories of the city’s segregated Swift College and Price Public School for generations to come.

Last year the TVA donated $2,000 to the Price Public Community Center and Swift Museum, located in the refurbished Price Public School building on Hasson Street.

Last Thursday, however, TVA volunteers got more hands on, delivering donations of furniture and $1,000 to the center, as well as professional architecture plans for a proposed new design of the museum.

Swift Museum contains artifacts and photos from the old Swift College, which was located on the current grounds of the Hawkins County School central office in Rogersville from 1883-1955. The college later became the segregated Swift High School which closed in 1963, and the building was subsequently demolished.

Vyrone Cravakas, who is TVA’s manager of diversity management based in Knoxville, was among the TVA employees who came to the Swift Museum Thursday to lend a hand.

“Today was a day of service, and basically it’s a shift in focus from in our diversity efforts to get away from corporate contributions and focus more on community involvement,” Cravakas told the Times-News Thursday.

Jeff Bobo — jbobo@timesnews.net

Several volunteers from the Tennessee Valley Authority visited Rogersville Thursday, August 27, 2009 to help give the Price Public Community Center and Swift Museum a donation of furniture and $1,000. The TVA also donated architectural plans for a redesign of the museum.

Cravakas added that he is very impressed with the museum, which he described as “a testimony to not only the rich history of this area, but also a testament to the pride that the individuals who attended this school still have.”

TVA architects compiled several drawings for the Swift Museum redesign and presented them Thursday to PPCC Director Stella Gudger. The TVA volunteers also carried in donated furniture and set it up in the museum as dictated by the drawings.

There were other aspects of the proposed redesign which will have to be accomplished at a later date including installation of a blown up photograph of the old college building, which will take up an entire wall.

Another wall will receive a large timeline which follows the significant historical events of Swift College as they coincided with significant events in the history of African-Americans.

Although the college closed its doors in 1955, many of its alumni are still living and return often for reunions or just to visit and reminisce. Gudger said another addition to the museum will be a flat screen TV which will play a continuous loop of video testimony from former Swift students about their experiences.

Ultimately Gudger hopes to make the museum an annual field trip destination for Hawkins County fifth-graders.

“We want to give back to the community and we want people to really know our history and our culture,” Gudger said. “We want to preserve all this. We don’t want it to be lost.”

Completion of the overall redesign is contingent on fund raising. Gudger said the PPCC is currently selling commemorative bricks which will be placed on a wall outside the south entrance. For more information about buying a brick contact Gudger at 921-3888.

Bland High School Reunion: "I Got My Education, You Got Yours to Get, So You'd Better Walk the Chalk Line"

2009-08-14T18:38:00.001-07:00

Gilbert Pride remembers that saying quite well, as he walks among his fellow graduates and alumni of Bland High School in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.

The reunion was held the weekend of August 7th, 8th and 9th, bringing folks back to the coal-mining mountains of Southwest Virginia one more time.

To see pictures of the gathering, click Bland Reunion Picnic.

"At Bland, you had to walk that chalk line," Pride says. "That was just the way they taught..everybody had a goal, and that was to be on the Honor Role. We didn't have the television influence that kids have nowadays. I remember finishing my lessons at 9 PM, and then you went to bed. The home, the school and the church worked together back then, to form a moral fiber. All the adults had to say was I"m gonna tell your mama...I'm gonna tell your daddy. If they had to give you a whipping, you can count on another one when you got home."

James Bland High School opened in 1954, as a combination of Bland, Central High School in Appalachia, and the Appalachia Training School, which both closed. The Bland building now houses the Big Stone Gap Town offices.

"There was a need for a larger black school in the early 50's," says graduate Richard Lomax and chief organizer of the 2009 Bland High School Reunion. "Blacks were scattered all over Wise County, and spent many hours on the roads to and from school. But once we got to Bland, that was it. Our teachers loved us and we loved them. It was wonderful."

Lomax says he had already graduated by the time Bland closed for integration in 1965. "I was worked at Eastman at the time. Integration was something they did not teach you back then, nobody was really ready for it. Some of the Bland teachers were actually kept from teaching, and that was sad. Those teachers had taught all of us 'one-on-one.' If we ever went to another school, well we'd already had chemistry, algebra and all that stuff. We got it in the black schools."

Pride, a native of the coal-mining camp in Stonega, Virginia, graduated from Bland in 1960, and also spent 3 months attending Douglass High School in Kingsport during his freshman year, remembering that "I stayed with Reverend and Mrs. Edge on Lincoln Street." When he went back to Bland, he remembers several teachers very well.

"I always remember Mrs. Murphy, she was our English teacher, and she took an interest in all her students, just an exceptional teacher to learn from," he recalls. "All of the teachers would invite you into their homes, they did special activities for you. Near the end of the school year, there would be parties at their homes."

He says those teachers crossed many bridges, trying to keep the students out of the 'school of hard knocks.' "But some of them were not satisfied until they went to the college of adversity," he says.

"I did get a paddling in school once," Pride remembers. "I got into a fight on the bus, then there was silence. Nobody said anything. You got dismissed off the bus if you said anything after a fight. Somebody did something, and I hauled off and hit 'em, and it was reported to Principal Shorter that I was fighting. He always settled things with three paddle licks in the hand, and that was it. I never fought any more."

Many students remember Principal Shorter as having little patience with students he KNEW were capable of doing better.

"In his mind, if something was simple, then you just missed the concept," Pride says. "In his algebra and geometry classes, I used to get tickled at him when he would say 'now, I gotta watch these girls because they can memorize without understanding.' Well I was a BOY and I couldn't understand a word he was saying. I would go to someone and ask them how to do something, and I'd memorize every word they said. Then, I'd go to the board and explain it, and it would sound so good, and Professor Shorter would smile real big. I had no plausible concept of what was going on, but in HIS mind, it was clear."

"If he only knew."

Emma (Craven) Flannagan, a Central graduate, remembers Professor Shorter well. "He, Professor Ryan and the others inspired us to do well," she says. "Professor Shorter would call the boys 'muleheads,' but not the girls. He called them that, because they wouldn't behave."

"He would always get real frustrated with the boys," remembers Pride. "He'd call out 'mulehead, mulehead, what's wrong with you?' Another schoolwide form of discipline was having to write something on the chalkboard 50 or 100 times. Sometimes, he'd make you write something just to repetitive, because he knew if you wrote it that many times, you'd always remember it. I wasn't an 'A' student, but he and the other teachers always made learning a challenge."

Athletic competions always brought out the school and community spirit. Bland High School was part of the Tri-State Athletic Conference.

"All our competitors were tough, but our biggest competitor was Langston High School in Johnson City," Pride remembers. "They always had a good football team, and I remember playing them once for the Tri-State Conference title. We got a touchdown that put us ahead of them and somehow or other, the refs said we had an ineligible man in the backfield and they took the touchdown away from us. Although we didn't like anybody in the conference, Langston was our arch-enemy."

"If we could beat Langston, we could beat anybody."

"Some of those competitions were fierce," remembers Lomax, "Among our teams were Douglass in Bristol, Slater in Bristol, Douglass in Kingsport, Langston in Johnson City, Clem in Greeneville, Douglas in Elizabethton, Rosenwald in Kentucky. Anybody in the Tri-State Conference could have played the white teams in Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky and beaten them. Badly. That's why they never would let us play 'em. It would have been something to have the black team embarrass the white team."

When Bland High School closed, its athletic program suffered the same indignation that many of its Tri-State Conference brethern did. Some of its athletic trophies somehow disappeared into the sunset.

"Our trophies went to the Girl Scout House here in Big Stone Gap," says Lomax, "and the Headstart kids got ahold of them. They played with them, shared them with other kids, and some of them got broken up and tossed out. Over the years, we have been able to salvage many of them, and we hope to display them again someday."

Bland High School has been celebrating reunions with its graduates and Central-Appalachia Training graduates, since 1973. "One reunion in 1981, we had 452 alumni present," says Lomax. "That year, we had to take our stage down and make tables from it, we had so many people.

"This year, it is hard for me," Pride tearfully recalls, "because I lost one of my best friends and didn't even know it until I got here. If I had just gotten on the Internet, maybe I would have found out before. But just getting back here with these people, is worth it. They're my family and I love them. These reunions are important because of the friendships they renew."

"It's the heart.. the love," he says. "We're all at the age where we've got grandchildren, and we're swapping pictures. This is my golden anniversary, since I graduated 49 years ago. Others, even further back than that."

The sense of urgency in continuing the get-togethers every two years, is echoed by all of the other Bland alumni.

"It's heavenly coming back to these mountains," says Mrs. Flannagan. "A few months after graduation, I left, married and moved to Pennsylvania. But just to come back and see friends, family and these mountains, just makes you appreciate the kind of close life that you had, the kind that makes friends part of your family."

"I'd like to keep these reunions going," Lomax says, "although many people left the mountains years ago because there were no jobs. Those jobs are slowly coming back, and I'd like to have the alumni come on back home to live someday."

"If I win the lottery, the first thing I'm gonna do is bring 'em all back home."

Bland High School 2009 Reunion!

2009-07-23T09:48:00.001-07:00

THE BLAND HIGH SCHOOL 2009 REUNION, BIG STONE GAP, VIRGINIA (ALSO CENTRAL AND APPALACHIA TRAINING SCHOOLS)

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2009

7 - 8 PM: Registration, Holiday Inn, Norton, VA (551 Highway 58 East)

Business Session Immediately After Registration
Singing of the School Songs
Invocation
Karoke Competition
9 PM - 1 PM: DJ and Music

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2009

11 AM: School Reunion Picnic, Bullitt Park, corner of West 3rd Street and Wyandotte,
Big Stone Gap (hot dogs, chips, etc.)

Individual Homes for Dinner

9 PM - 1 PM: Reunion Dance, Holiday Inn, Norton,THEME: "Harlem Nights"
Dance Contest. Best Dressed Contest

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2009

Memorial Service, First Baptist Church, 108 Wood Ave E, Big Stone Gap.
(KFC hosts the meal for reunioners at the church)

FOR MORE DETAILS, CONTACT RICHARD LOMAX, 276-523-0199

Swift Junior College-High School Reunion

2009-06-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Swift Reunion Pictures are posted here. Please click below on the events and once there, just click on the pictures themselves to enlarge them:

Swift Business Meeting

Swift's Bus Trip to Historic Jonesborough

Swift Reunion Picnic

Swift Reunion Banquet

Stories from the Swift Reunion Celebration will be posted here in the next few days.

Area Black Athletes Flash Back

2009-06-29T07:54:00.001-07:00

Phil Hoard

THIS ARTICLE COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

Bill Lane is a Times-News sports writer. E-mail him at blane@timesnews.net.

Born: Aug. 22, 1946 Where: Kingsport High Schools/College:
Swift, Church Hill/East Tennessee State University

THEN:

Any concerns Phil Hoard had about breaking the color barrier at Church Hill in 1963 when integration brought changes to the high school level were eased by the friendly reception he got from students. He was the Panthers’ first black athlete.

“It was just a formality,’’ Hoard said. “Everybody was very nice. I always figured the Lord had a thing for me to be a go-between. The cheerleaders greeted me wanting to know which sport I played.’’ His reply: “Baseball, basketball and football.’’ The bus route to Swift in Rogersville from Hoard’s home in Hawkins County’s Rotherwood community was 35 miles long. The transfer to Church Hill cut his travel to 10 miles. Hoard, a 6-foot, 180-pound guard, averaged 33 points a game as a sophomore basketball player at Swift, going against the likes of Johnson City Langston standouts Kenny Hamilton and Johnny Russaw. This came on the heels of his 17 per game clip as a freshman. His shooting range was 22 to 25 feet. He blazed in 54 points in a game against Dante, Va., and twice hit 45 against Newport Tanner. Five times he scored more than 30.
“We didn’t win many games, but we could run with anybody,’’ Hoard said. “Our team was comparatively small, averaging just 5-11 in height.’’
His scoring was reduced considerably at Church Hill, which had a more deliberate offense. But Hoard was a nice fit with teammates Carl Seaver, Roger Montgomery, Bobby Tranbarger, Bill Christian, Onzie Woods, David Morton, Jerry Stubblefield, Jerry Lifford, Larry Thurman and Johnny Adams.
Hoard sat on the bench a lot in the first 11 games before coach Oran Blackburn decided it was time for him to play. The Panthers lost their first seven contests, won the next seven and finished with a respectable record.
The team scoring was more balanced than it had been at Swift. Hoard, also a dominant rebounder, averaged 12 points as a junior and 13 as a senior.
“Coach Blackburn took me under his wing and was a father figure to me,’’ Hoard said. “He’d go out of his way to give me a ride home when I needed one after practice.’’
He rates Sullivan’s John Shelton, Lynn View’s Tom Roach and Ketron’s Dale Burns as the best players he faced.
Hoard was a utility player on the football squad. “Coach (Jay) Salley and I had an understanding that my playing time would be limited,’’ he said. “I came in as a junior and there were players who’d been there a while.’’
He kicked off and played sparingly at fullback, offensive end and linebacker.
“I was assigned to carry the ball in a thirdand-1 situation against Ketron,’’ he said. “I received bite marks on my leg and lost some blood. I didn’t get the first down.’’
Football was nothing new to Hoard. He had been a backfield starter on the Swift varsity as an eighth-grader.
“We played in a league where some of the opponents’ players were 23 or 24 years old,’’ he said. “Our program was dropped in November 1960 after a Jefferson City player died as the result of an injury suffered playing against us. They tried to start the program back up in 1962 but never got it off the ground. Nobody had the will to play again.’’
Baseball turned out to be his best sport. Hoard had been a terror in the youth leagues, sometimes pitching doubleheaders. At age 14, he appeared in three games on the same day during a tournament at Morristown, winning two and saving another. Spectators came from miles around to see Hoard, referred to as “the pitcher from the country,’’ throw the ball.
Blackburn was Church Hill’s baseball coach as well. He played Hoard at eight different positions. In a 22-7 win over Rogersville, Hoard drove in eight runs despite a disputed call on a home run that was ruled foul.
Pitching was his forte. Accurate radar guns were still a thing of the future but it was estimated that his fastball occasionally reached 90 mph.
Hoard twice outdueled Sullivan’s Alvin Sells, who became a No. 2 draft choice of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Church Hill won those games 4-1 and 4-3. Hoard’s win-loss records were 7-3 and 7-3, with earned run averages of 2.10 and 2.05 and eight strikeouts per game.
“One batter who gave me plenty of trouble was Lynn View’s Roy Waye,’’ Hoard said. “He hit one ball that I don’t think they ever found.’’
Morehead State offered him an academic scholarship but Hoard walked on to play basketball and baseball at ETSU. He managed to shoot a few rounds with Hamilton, Russaw, Tommy Woods and Bill Wilson before his plans changed abruptly. He received a broken ankle and a hand injury in pickup games at Kingsport’s Douglass gym.
“I thought I would have a career,’’ he said, “but sometimes it doesn’t happen.’’
He did get to play on a championship team at the Air Force base in Tucson, Ariz. During a 10-month tour of duty in Vietnam, Hoard was exposed to Agent Orange and still has health issues because of it.

NOW:

Hoard, who completed an apprenticeship in maintenance at Eastman Chemical Co., retired at age 54 after 32 years of service. He is married to the former Linda Lyons of Church Hill. They have three grown children — Lynda, Sherman and Walter. Sherman played on a state-ranked basketball team at Dobyns-Bennett. Walter is serving in the military. The Hoards’ have five grandchildren. Phil is a cousin of former Tennessee High and University of Kentucky basketball star Derrick Hord, whose last name is spelled differe n t l y.

WWII Veterans from Johnson City Share Grim Memories

2009-05-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS
By REX BARBER
NET News Service

JOHNSON CITY — War is much more than notable battles mentioned in history books.
Of course, war has tales of terror, loss, carnage, destruction and other terrible things that happen in the heat of epic battles. But war also takes supplies. Bullets, bombs, parts, gasoline, food and other material must be sent to the front and then doled out as needed. Soldiers serve this function while also facing the enemy in any combat zone today as in the past.

Allen Harris, 89, and Hugh Collie, 85, both of Johnson City, were such soldiers in World War II. Harris was a mess sergeant in the South Pacific. Collie was a buck sergeant with the Red Ball Express in Europe.
“I remember it was a terrible war,” Harris said.
His first experience in the war was in a medical sanitation company, or graves registration. When he arrived at a staging point on an island in the Pacific, he was ordered to unload wounded and dead soldiers being shipped out of the war zone. Some soldiers were blind, others had only one arm or no arms. Harris unloaded soldiers that were burned and missing legs and other parts.
“And that was pretty gruesome for a young fellow,” Harris said. “You know, unloading dead bodies and seeing all of the wounded in every shape you could possibly think of.”
Another lasting impression Harris got from WWII was the smell of death that hung constantly in the battlefield. “That was the main thing you had to get used to,” he said. “And I always associate that smell with war, because once we got out in the field and you’d run across bodies that had been there for a time and they were in different stages of decomposition... I don’t have any kind of pleasant memories of the war to recite.”
The Japanese were terrifying fighters and uncanny masters at camouflage, Harris said. He had to develop a sixth sense to be able to know when an enemy was nearby.
Harris was a mess sergeant. As such he was in charge of feeding the men he was attached to. To do that he had to protect his rations from Japanese attack. He said he would have to arrange the food dump so it appeared as though it was insignificant, placing no guards near it because Japanese soldiers would sneak close enough to lob grenades into the camp. One of their main targets was the food supply.
Even though he was in charge of the food, he did not get out of combat operations. He was part of a group that would patrol the perimeter of camp. Most of the time he was assigned to night patrol because of his duties as a cook. He said the Japanese would set traps for American soldiers.
“You couldn’t tell the earth had been disturbed,” Harris said. “You’re walking through those little fine leaves, you couldn’t tell. And suddenly they step into that trap cover and down they’d go. And they’d have these sharpened spikes that would spit you like you would put a chicken on a rotisserie.”
He saw this happen several times.
Harris said the only way he came back from the war was by the grace of God. Collie, his friend and neighbor, shares the same sentiment about his war experience in Europe.
Hugh Collie got drafted in 1942 and went into the Army in 1943 after graduating from Langston High School. He went to Europe and served as a truck driver in the 3415th Quartermaster Company.
“We hauled gas for what they called the Red Ball,” he said. “We hauled gas for (Gen. George) Patton. You don’t hear too much about the Red Ball, but if it hadn’t been for the Red Ball, Patton would have run out of fuel, too, just like the Germans did.”
He was a buck sergeant in charge of 24 men driving trucks. They hauled everything needed to wage war.
“It was dangerous because a lot of times airplanes would come by and strafe our column,” Collie said.
Most of the time Collie would use the back roads that were more out of sight. At night he would sleep in cemeteries for safety.
He left Europe after Germany fell to prepare for an invasion of Japan, but Japan surrendered after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So he was shipped back to France and got attached to a graves registration.
“We had to go out and pick up bodies,” he said. “And a lot of them had been out two or three months and you’d go to pick them up and the flesh would come from their bones. We had gloves and things on, but it was awful.”
Collie and Harris both think that war is not worth waging. Their experiences showed them what a terrible effect combat has on hum a n i t y.
“I don’t think it benefits anybody... even the winner in the long run,” Collie said.

Upcoming Marriage Class

2009-05-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

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Pennington Church in Property Dispute With Former Conference

2009-05-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

The conference says it owns the property because of a trust clause signed by the church’s trustees in the 1940s.

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By WES BUNCH
wbunch@timesnews.net

JONESVILLE — Members of Well’s Chapel Church in Pennington Gap say they are fighting to keep what is rightfully theirs.
At a hearing last Wednesday in Lee County Circuit Court, the Well’s Chapel Board of Trustees filed a complaint to keep the church’s former governing conference — the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in America — from selling its house of worship.

David Grace —dgrace@timesnews.net
Shown is Well’s Chapel Church in Pennington Gap.

Because of the complaint, the hearing was continued and rescheduled for May 26.
The two parties were originally in court because of a petition, filed by the A.M.E. Zion Church in early April, to advertise the sale of Well’s Chapel Church of Pennington Gap.
The conference says it owns the property because of a trust clause signed by the church’s trustees in the 1940s.
Sandra Mitchell, a 44-year member of Well’s Chapel who is on the church’s board of trustees, said the congregation believes it is the rightful owner of the property, regardless of what the A.M.E. Zion Church claims.
“We’re fighting to keep the church because we feel like it belongs to us,” Mitchell said. “Everything that’s been done and all the work that’s been done on it, it’s been done by us. The conference hasn’t done it. We’ve asked them to help us, but we’ve never received anything.”
A hierarchical religious organization, the A.M.E. Zion Church contends its Book of Discipline contains a trust clause stating that local churches and congregations that own property do not own it for themselves, but for the conference instead.
In addition to claiming ownership, the petition, which was filed by a trustee appointed by the Mid-Atlantic II Episcopal District, contends that Well’s Chapel accepted pastors appointed by the conference and used its “names, customs and polity” in such a way “as to be known to the community as part of that denomination” prior to its split from the organization.
Calls to the Mid-Atlantic II district, which oversees the A.M.E. Zion Church’s East Tennessee and Virginia Conference, were not immediately returned.

David Grace —dgrace@timesnews.net
Pastor Charles Robinson, front, poses with members of the Well’s Chapel Church in Pennington Gap. From left, are: Sandra Mitchell, Jill Carson, Ron Carson, Shirley Taylor, Roy Carson and Raily Taylor. Church members believe they are the owners of the property.

Jill Carson, who is also on the Well’s Chapel Board of Trustees, said one of the main reasons the church — which has roughly 20 active members — split from the conference was money.
“In 2003 we decided we had to drop out of the conference because we couldn’t afford to remain in it,” she said. “The church has been here since 1940. It needed a roof, it needed repairs, but we could not continue to pay those huge annual assessments, pay the pastor and do what we needed to do to maintain it. So, it was with much prayer, and discussion, that we came to our decision.”
The complaint to quit title, filed by attorney Joe Wolfe on behalf of the Well’s Chapel board, objects to the sale and says that the property was originally conveyed through a constructive trust to the “A.M.E. Zion Church of Pennington Gap, Va.” for local use.
It further asks the court to determine the actual ownership of the property through a jury trial and questions the legality of the conference-appointed trustee tasked with handling the sale, asking for trustees that “hold the property for the benefit of the local congregation of Pennington Gap as stated in the deed” to be appointed instead.
The complaint goes on to state that the A.M.E. Zion Church failed to provide monetary assistance of any type since Well’s Chapel joined in 1901 and lists numerous expenses the congregation paid.
It also contests some of the claims in the petition, stating that Well’s Chapel was associated with the A.M.E. Zion Church in name only and that a Book of Discipline was never provided and the congregation was never advised it was subjected to it.
In addition, the complaint claims the conference did not have “clean hands” in its dealings with the congregation because it had allegedly appointed a pastor with a prior felony conviction.
Although a decision won’t be reached until the end of May at the earliest, Carson said losing the church would not only impact the members of the congregation, but the community as well.
“This is family, it’s family property that has been passed down from generation to generation,” Carson said. “There are two black churches in this community, one is a Baptist church and one is this one, and it’s real important, no matter how we look at it.
“To take that away would be huge. It would have a tremendous adverse impact on our community. And the contributions that this small black community has made to this church are tremendous.”
Until the case is settled though, Mitchell said members of the Well’s Chapel congregation will rely on their faith and hope for the best.
“I’ve been in it all of my life, and it doesn’t look now like it did then because of all of the renovations and improvements, but it’s still the same place and same values,” Mitchell said. “We want to keep it, but I know God’s in charge of every decision and however he wants it, that’s how it’s going to be.”

Friends Mourn Death Of Longtime Virginia High Basketball Coach, Ballard Lee

2009-05-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

THIS ARTICLE FROM THE BRISTOL HERALD-COURIER

By Allen Gregory
Sports Writer / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: April 30, 2009

Gentle giant. Role model. Pioneer. Those were just some of the terms used to describe Ballard Lee.
The former long-time Virginia High boys basketball coach and star King College athlete died late Wednesday night at age 64. The exact cause of death has not been determined.

Jim Norton, who served as assistant coach to Lee at VHS, said he was deeply saddened when he heard the news Thursday morning while on a trip to Alabama.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Norton said. “Ballard was a great coach and an even better person. He was like a brother to me, and I will miss him.”

Lee, who retired from coaching in 1990, earned respect throughout the Mountain Empire as an athlete, coach and mentor.
After starring in football and basketball at now defunct Douglass High School, the tall, muscular Lee was recruited to play defensive end at Tennessee State University in Nashville, but ended up serving a 13-month tour in Vietnam with the Marines.

“Ballard was around 6-foot-6 and 220-pounds, and I remember him having those huge forearms when he returned from Vietnam,” Norton recalled.

Lee became just the second African-American basketball player in King College history. According to former King teammate and longtime Tennessee High basketball coach Dale Burns, Lee was an instant force in the old Volunteer State Athletic Conference from 1969-71.

“King was very fortunate to have an athlete of Ballard’s caliber,” said Burns, who played alongside Lee at King for two years. “Ballard was such a dominant player in the paint. He was the top rebounder in the conference and a great outlet passer on the fastbreak.”

Lee, who played for coach Al Nida, earned a place into the King College Athletics Hall of Fame for his basketball skills.

In 1972, Lee was named boys basketball coach at Virginia High where he enjoyed a long and successful run with the Bearcats with players such as Darryal Wilson, Mike Pender and Kevin Jessee.
Burns, now the athletic director at King College, estimates that he coached against Lee for 15 years in high school.

“Ballard was a highly respected coach, and we had some really good battles,” Burns said. “We always liked to refer to Ballard as the mayor of Bristol, Virginia.
“Ballard was a real treasure. This is just a tough day for everybody.”

Terry Caldwell coached swimming, golf and tennis when Lee was at Virginia High. Caldwell now serves as the Director of Personnel and Support Services for Bristol, Va., Public Schools.

“I’m broken-hearted right now,” said Caldwell, who has worked in education for 32 years. “Ballard was one of the best basketball coaches Virginia High ever had, but he was much more than a coach.”
Caldwell said Lee’s reach at VHS extended far beyond the basketball court.

“Ballard was the go-to guy for many people in our school and community,” Caldwell said. “He was a great family person, an advocate for kids and a wonderful friend.”

After retiring from teaching in 2004, Lee spent several years working with youth at the Jacobs Creek Job Corps in Bristol, Tenn.

Lee was interviewed in 2006 by the Bristol Herald Courier shortly after the release of the motion picture “Glory Road.” The Walt Disney Pictures production focused on the exploits on the 1966 Texas Western basketball team which upset Kentucky for the NCAA men’s basketball championship with an all-African American starting lineup.

“Race relations in the Bristol area weren’t always the best when I was growing up, but it was better than what I saw traveling around the deep South,” said Lee. “Black athletes are now accepted, and there’s not as a much pressure on them to be the best just to earn a spot on the team.”

Norton said that Lee made a positive impression on everyone he touched.

“I don’t know if you could find a better role model than Ballard,” Norton said. “He was as good as they come.”

Current Virginia High baseball coach Mark Daniels said he cited the selfless example of Lee in a speech to his team on Thursday. Daniels played baseball and football at VHS when Lee was still coaching the Bearcats.

“It’s been a somber day for Virginia High School, that’s for sure,” Daniels said. “So many coaches over the years have relied on the friendship and wisdom of Coach Lee. He certainly had a big impact on my life.”

Funeral services for Lee will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Lee Street Baptist Church in Bristol, Va. A visitation is scheduled from 2-3 p.m.

agregory@bristolnews.com|(276) 645-2544

2009-04-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

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2009-03-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

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Morehouse Summer Program - Atlanta

2009-03-05T07:16:00.000-08:00

MOREHOUSE SUMMER PROGRAM - 10th & 11th Grade You may know someone . . . Please pass on this opportunity for our young men. . . .

Any Brothers or Sisters who have Sons, Nephews or younger brothers please read....

Morehouse Summer Program @ Morehouse College in Atlanta , GA - will be offering a Summer Institute (Project Identity) for African-American
males entering the 10th and 11th grades.

Three weeks at Morehouse - June 7 - 28
Creative Writing -
SAT Prep -
Debate -
Pre-Calculus -
Leadership development -
Enrichment activities -

$400 fee (includes meals, housing and activities).

Home >
PROJECT IDENTITY is a federally funded program designed to stimulate interest in college attendance and the awareness of college entrance requirements for African-American and other minority males attending middle school. The Project aims to help to develop and sustain the capacity of middle schools to prepare these young boys for high school and post-secondary education. By providing a network of support, particularly for the adults who influence middle school students, specifically, their counselors and families, Project Identity strives to channel and direct more minority males to higher education. Project Identity will give special attention to boys from backgrounds and communities that historically have not encouraged large numbers to pursue, enroll and succeed in post-secondary education.
OUR VISION
The vision of Project Identity is to expose middle school male students to the best academic resources and cultural activities so that learning becomes a source of inspiration to not only pursue the college option but to do so with enthusiasm and vigor. By assisting both parents and school counselors, Project Identity will create a learning environment for participants that extends beyond the classroom.

FOR MORE INFO GO TO: Morehouse Summer Program

Briggette K. Woodard
bkwsys@msn.com

2009 Honoring Living History Banquet Pictures

2009-03-01T17:42:00.000-08:00

Below is the link to view pictures from the "Honoring Living History" Breakfast Banquet, held this past Saturday in Johnson City, in honor of Bishop Aaron H. Redd, Sr.

2009 Honoring Living History

2009-02-26T21:48:00.000-08:00

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CHAMPIONS BASKETBALL CLASSIC AT VIKING HALL, BRISTOL

2009-02-26T21:46:00.000-08:00

Monday March 2, 2009

Viking Hall

Bristol, TN

The nation’s top ranked high school basketball team (Oak Hill Academy) AND the nation’s top ranked prep school team (Patterson School) in an outstanding BASKETBALL tripleheader. Over 50 future NCAA Division I players will be on display. Michael Beasley(Miami Heat), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Rajon Rondo(Boston Celtics, Josh Smith(Atlanta Hawks), Tywon Lawson(UNC). Nolan Smith (Duke), Jordan Hill(Arizona), Brandon Jennings(Italy), Brandon Rush(Indiana Pacers), Shawne Williams(Houston Rockets, K.C. Rivers (Clemson), Sam Young(Pitt), Jeff Allen(VT), Joe Alexander(Milwaukee Bucks) and Courtney Fortson(Ark) have all played in past www.USPrepBasketball.com events.

5:30 Charis Prep (Wilson, NC) vs. Varitas Christian(Fletcher, NC)

7:00 Oak Hill Academy(Mouth of Wilson,VA) vs. Covenant Christian (Marietta, GA)

8:30 Slam Dunk Contest

8:45 Patterson School(Lenoir, NC) vs. Heat Academy (Martinsville, VA)

Advance tickets available by calling Viking Hall Box Office. Limited VIP Reserved Box Seats, sideline and baseline General Admission tickets available.