Newspaper Page Text
SSGA Presents
Jerry Butler
Unity
Jerry Butler will appear here
at Spelman in Read Hall on
Sunday, November 3, 1968 at
8:00 p.m. This concert will be
sponsored by the Spelman Stu
dent Government Association.
While born in Sunflower,
Mississippi, Jery Butler basic
ally considers himself to be a
Chicagoan since his parents
brought the family to Chicago
when Jerry was only three
years of age. Jerry was raised
on the Windy City’s North
side, just a few blocks from
the glitter of Rush Street and
The Gold Coast, and even
closer to Old Town, Chicago’s
Greenwich Village.
Jerry’s father, Jerry Butler,
Senior, was a railroad fireman,
who also worked for the Chi
cago Sanitary Commission.
When Jerry was only fifteen
years of age, his father sud
denly passed away, leaving
with Jerry, the eldest son, the
responsibility of looking after
his mother, Arvelia Butler, his
younger brother and two sis
ters.
At this point, Jerry was ac
tive in gospel singing, moving
from tenor to baritone as his
Seniors
voice changed. He sang in
choirs at the Olivette Institute,
the Wayne Baptist Church and
Mt. Sinai Baptist Church.
However, the pressure of sup
porting a family drove Jerry to
look for a practical vocation,
and after attending the Sexton
and J e n n e r Elementary
Schools, and the Washburn
Vocational High School, in
Chicago, he studied under a
Swiss chef to ecome a master
Jerry intended to practice
these completing a tour of duty
in the Marine Corp.
However, Jerry’s love of
singing led him to the Travel
ing Souls Spiritualist Church
of Chicago, where he sang in
a choir and met and became
friendly with two other young
men, Curtis Mayfield and Sam
Goodin. With these two young
men, Jerry began ballad and
pop singing, at their respective
homes. It was thus that the
world lost a great chef and ice
sculptor. Jerry, Mayfield and
Goodin formed a trio known
as Jerry Butler and The Im
pressions, and ebgan to record
for the Chicago-based Vee-Jay
Records. At eighteen years of
age, Jerry, along with Ar
thur and Richard Brooks,
wrote his first hit record, “For
Your Precious Love,” which
he recorded with The Impres
sions and which became a
standard evergreen.
Thus followed a succession
of hits, most of which were
written by Jerry, in whole or
in part, and by 1958, Jerry had
established himself as Vee
jay’s top recording artist. It
was also evident at this point
that The Impressions would
follow his own stars as a solo
ist. For eight years, Jerry con
tinued to be the top recording
artist as Vee-Jay, singing a
variety of material, from rock
’n roll to ballads and folk
songs.
Jerry is married. He met his
wife, Annette Smith Butler, at
the Mt. Sinai Baptist Church
where they sang together in
the choir. They have twin boys,
Randall and Anthony Butler,
and live on a quiet street on
(Cont. on Page 3)
)J3laclt Students .Alii
lance
Wants Student
Gripes Voiced
The Senior class has voiced
its gripes. Recently a commit
tee on senior privileges was or
ganized to study privileges
seniors feel they deserve. The
committee drew up proposals
concerning curfew, chapel at
tendance requirements and
calling hours. Then a petition
was signed by the seniors rati
fying the proposals and sent to
the administration with a let
ter of explanation and appeal.
Upon receipt, the administra
tion called a meeting with the
senior class to give response.
The administration voiced the
opinion that the seniors had
delivered a very unethical ul
timatum, the kind with which
it does not deal. After much
display of antagonism some
agreement was reached. Dr.
Manley read a response to the
action taken by the senior class
in which he stated that the
action had been taken in the
wrong manner and at the
wrong time. He said the pro
posals should have been made
through the SSGA during the
time which deliberations on
such matters were being held.
However, he appointed a com
mittee of faculty and adminis
tration to study senior privi
leges along with seniors to
be appointed by Bettieanne
Childers. The committee will
write a report and submit it to
the administration to be acted
upon. Meanwhile, the Office
of the Dean of Students was
asked to write letters to the
parents of all seniors asking
their opinion on seniors being
granted a 2 o’clock weekend
curfew which they have re
quested. The opinions of the
parents will be tabulated be
fore action is taken on the mat
ter of curfew. It was decided
that seniors may receive callers
until 11:00 p.m. on weekends,
one hour earlier than they re
quested.
by Scherryl J. Jefferson
The Black Students Alliance
started as an attempt to unite
Black students across Ameri
ca. One student characterized
it as the “coming together of
Black sisters and brothers to
perpetuate a common cause
Our
Apologies
The Spotlight Staff is grate
ful to you, our readers, for
waiting so patiently for our
first issue. We apologize for
its lateness which was due to
unforeseen difficulties that are
normal at the beginning of
every school year. It is our
hope that for the rest of the
year we will give you the news
of he school and the ideas of
the members of the Spelman
Family in the quickest and
best way possible as we under
take printing your paper for
journalistic experience and
service to the school. Thank
you again for your patience
and cooperation.
THE SPOTLIGHT STAFF
which is unity in the Black
community.” The organization
does not have a hierarcy of
power. “This would defeat our
purpose,” one student said.
The responsibility of the or
ganization is not left on the
shoulders of any one person.
The Black Students Alliance
in the Atlana University Cen
ter grew as a result of a few
students getting together to
discuss their grievances and
solutions for various problems.
Most of the commenters felt
that the organization would
eventually unite Black students
in the A. U. Center with those
in other Black college com
munities. They also felt that
they could speak out without
fear because none of them had
family responsibilities or em
ployers to answer to.
The aims and purposes of
the organization are expressed
in the introduction of the pro
posal made by the Ad Hoc
Committee, Septemebr 27,
1968. The proposal includes
every aspect of the A. U. Cen
ter. The introduction reads:
“As Black Students in the
Atlanta University Center Sys
tem, we strongly feel that our
(Cont. on Page 3)
November Calendar
3-Sun. Jerry Butler, Read Hall, 8:00 P.M.
3- Sun. S.S.G.A. Film, “Lord Jim”, Howe Hall
4- Mon. Blue and White Honor Banquet—Morgan Hall
10- Sun. Open House
11- Mon. Mid-Semester Examinations
18-Mon. Joyce F. Johnson, pianist, Sisters Chapel
24-Sun. S.S.G.A. Film, “East of Eden”, Howe Hall
27- Wed. Thanksgiving Rally, Read Hall
28- Thurs. THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY