Newspaper Page Text
Monday, March 30, 1998
THE MAROON TIGER
PAGE 8
FEATURES
Rod Hollimon: The Poet,
the Player, the Person
result of his personal
experiences. He said writing
was the best stress reliever for
him since he did not have
many friends.
His vision was later put
By Myron G. Burney
Staff Writer
He has only been a "Man
of Morehouse" for just two
semesters but he has already
made a name for
himself.
You might
recognize him as
one of the Maroon
Tiger's up and
coming offensive
backs or maybe
you have read his
book of poetry
entitled,
"Reflections of a
World of Reality."
Whatever the
case may be, this
sophomore
transfer student
from the Citadel is
destined to do
great things at
Morehouse and Freshman Rod Hollimon, a running back for the Maroon
beyond. Tigers, was one of the nominees for the 1998 Georgia
Rod Hollimon, Writers Author of the Year Award for his book of poetry.
an English major
form.
After receiving the
necessary finances for his
book, he was on his way to
print, and in about a week he
was selling and marketing a
finished
product.
He
admits sales
were slow in
the
beginning,
but having
the label of
the best
running
back in the
Taimy Alvarez/SPECIAL from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
originally from Augusta,
Georgia, was the number one
ranked running back in the
state of Georgia while at T.W.
Josey High School. After one
year at the Citadel, Rod
decided that he wanted to
continue his education at a
Historically Black College
where he would also be closer
to home.
Hollimon says he began
his vision of writing a book of
poetry in the eighth grade as a
into form during his high
school years after writing over
fifty poems and getting
feedback on his work from his
peers, teachers, and friends.
His big break came in his
senior year when a family
friend expressed interest in
publishing his works.
Hollimon said that although
the publishing company was
virtually foreign to him, he
decided to team up with them
to get his works into book
state proved
to be a big
advantage
for him.
Every
where he
went, his
book was
mentioned
and with the
help of some
other key
people, his sales began to pick
up.
A book signing at his local
high school put him on his feet
and allowed him to pay off all
his expenses, as well as use a
bigger publishing company.
He says whenever he comes in
contact with other authors,
they admire his
accomplishments at such a
young age.
Currently, Hollimon is
working on his second book
which he hopes to have out
this summer. This book will
contain poetry that has shown
his transition from boyhood to
manhood.
When asking him what
advice he would like to give to
his fellow Morehouse
brothers, he said, "Never give
up on your hopes and dreams,
because anything is possible."
With very little free time
on his hands, Hollimon says
he gets most of his enjoyment
from writing. Although
professional football is in his
future plans, he also aspires to
teach on the college level.
Cool, calm, and collected,
Rod Hollimon is definitely on
his way to the top in whatever
he does, because not only does
he have athletic abilities, and
a literary skill, but he says he
has Christ who strengthens
him in all things.
Resident
Assistants
Keeping
the Peace
Continued from page 7
manner. This could lead to a
confrontation and I don't want
that."
Some Resident assistants
act like apartment
superintendents.
"One resident assistant
from each building is
designated as that building's
maintenance issue
coordinator," said W.E.B.
Dubois Hall Resident Director
Kenyatta Shamburger. This
RA not only handles the many
legitimate maintenance
concerns of his building, but
also becomes a sounding
board for those residents that
are generally unsatisfied with
the living accommodations the
College provides them.
The RA then takes the
concerns to the physical plant
where they are processed and
eventually addressed.
Resident assistants also
play the role of big brother.
Senior RA Samario King said:
"RA's in freshman dorms are
dealing with younger students
who, in some cases, have
never been away from home.
You never know how far a
little guidance can go. A five-
minute conversation could be
the difference between a
student becoming
valedictorian or another
brilliant homeless person."
Tigwa Davis said:
"Sometimes that resident that
you think is just a total jizzboy
is simply acting out because he
is not used to not being the
focal point. My job is to give
him a little of that attention
that he craves while giving
him some advice that will help
him adjust to his new
surroundings."
Resident assistants have to
be extremely versatile and
must have a genuine concern
for their fellow students in
order to be successful. This
unheralded position is one of
the most important cogs that
keeps the leader-producing
machine we know as
Morehouse College running.
“RA's in freshman dorms are dealing with younger students who,
in some cases, have never been away from home. You never know
how far a little guidance can go. A five-minute conversation
could be the difference between a student becoming valedictorian
or another brilliant homeless person."
