Newspaper Page Text
February 1981
Spelman Spotlights
Page 7 - FEATURES
Former Spelmanites
Annie Alexander Photo by Jo Moore Stewart
A Promise of Greater Things To Come
Esther Rolle’s Success
By Allison Willis
Contributing Writer
Esther Rolle, star of the “Sty of the
Blind Pig” as well as the star of the CBS
series “Good Times” and former
Spelmanite, has merged a successful
career on TV and on the stage with her
superb performances.
Ms. Rolle admits she cares deeply
about her career, and has consistently
insisted on playing believable characters
in meaningful ways.
Speaking at the Spelman Fine Arts
Bldg, earlier this school year in an
informal setting with faculty and
students, Ms. Rolle discussed various
aspects of her life in the theater. She was a
regular in two other series (Maude, One
Life to Live) before her starring role in
“Good Times” evolved. Born in
Pompano Beach, Florida, Ms. Rolle was
the ninth of eighteen children and her first
vocational choice was to be a journalist.
“I was very shy,” she recalls, “and
writing was a way for me to express
myself in a form that was comfortable.”
Ms. Rolle attended Spelman College
before deciding that “the arena of
experience was the best teacher I could
ever have.” So she moved to New York
City, enrolled in creative writing classes
where she was encouraged to act as well as
write.
While appearing on Broadway, Ms.
Rolle was invited to join the cast of
“Maude” as the Findlay’s housekeeper,
Florida, and from there the rest is history.
Starring in two television movies, “I
Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and
“The Summer of My German Soldier,”
Ms. Rolle feels that in order to
successfully portray a role “one must
bring a depth of personal experiences to
those of the character.”
When asked about the role of blacks on
TV, Ms. Rolle responded by saying that it
is “up to us to make our presence known,”
she added, “You’ll never be as good as
you can be as long as you wait for
someone to do something for you.”
“Good Times,” she explained, “was the
most realistic portrayal of a black family
that we’ve had on TV and for that reason,
it was an important show.”
Continued on Page 8
: They’re making it!
A Tribute to the Past:
Annie Alexander
By Allison Willis
Contributing Writer
Annie Alexander is a small, quiet,
white haired lady, who uses a lot of
imagery in her speech. Much has been
written about her lately due to the fact
that she celebrated her 104th birthday last
year and because she is the oldest
Spelman Alumna. She recently was the
guest of PM Magazine, a local program
on WAG A, during which she reflected on
her days at Spelman.
Amazingly for her years she remembers
much about her days at Spelman and
enjoys recreating the image of Spelman’s
beginning. “It was like a bright morning
star what those women from the north
had done,” reflects Mrs. Alexander.
Those women were Mrs. Giles and Mrs.
Packard.
“My grandmother (Carrie Carter) was
among the first eleven students to enroll
in the Model School (circa. 1881) Back
then they taught mostly the Bible and
howto take care of your family,”she says.
When asked about Spelman of today,
Mrs. Alexander replied, “Spelman is like
a new country today, but the girls are just
throwing it away.” Indeed Spelman is
quite different from the days of Annie
Alexander, Giles Hall was still under
construction. The Bible was mostly
taught and considered a vital part of their
education. And no one thought of
becoming doctors, lawyers, engineers.
Then, the emphasis was on becoming
nurses and good homemakers.
Mrs. Alexander is still agile and adept
for her years, she still takes walks almost
eight blocks away from the home her
husband built for her years ago. She
attributes her agileness and longevity to
the Lord and just plain living right.
Poetry Comer
Evening in Bohemia
A toast to the celebrated author.
Gents all lift glasses of champagne,
To the woman in white and pearls.
Violins play some lover’s serenade.
The gents all gaze at her,
With one eybrow arched.
The ladies all gaze at their gents.
They whisper in jealous envy.
She shall surely take our men.
Her husband is handsome,
By all respects.
Wealth, intelligence is his.
He is the patron of her desires.
She repays him with her devotion.
My husband and children come first.
A young artist and his friends watch.
She is Venus of Milo!
I shall paint her on canvas,
And dream of her in silk.
His friend speaks in all earnest.
One day I shall have her.
BEAUTY
Beauty is more than external features of a
human being,
Beauty is the inward emotions of a person,
Beauty is enjoying your life the way you
want to,
Beauty is sharing your happiness with others
both friends and foe,
Beauty is caring for those that you hurt and
those that hurt you,
Beauty is reaching goals that you inspire to
reach and not to let anyone or anything
stand in your way,
Beauty is YOU a beauty that 1 shared and I am
proud that I was given the chance.
Sincirae B. Smith
Live, A Morehouse Man