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here's an old saying in the
newspaper field that
“names of people help make
the news.” And this will be
8o true on Sunday, at 4 p.m. in
historic Bethel AME Church when
your Augusta Black History Com
mittee presents its annual awards
ceremonies.
Judge John H. Ruffin will speak
on some aspect of the U.S. Consti
tution while Dr. Yvonne Shaw will
tell us about the many rich contri
butions toour nationmade by AME
church.
Recognition awards to various
individuals, organizations and bet
terment programs will be pre
sented. Space will not permit a
listingofall. Asanexample,awards
are going to several members of
Bethel Church including the
church itself, Rev. Eugene Adams,
pastor and several members. They
include Drs. Arthur Shaw and
Yvonne Shaw, both educators;
William Baxter, a church officer;
also Dr. Emma Seay, an AME dis
trict officer coupled with Mrs. Betty
Pickett, a church musical leader as
well as Mrs. Hettie Copeland, a
The Old South
From page one
With a population of 87 million
people, the South now is home to
one of every three Americans, the
report said. From 1990 to 1997,
more than 5 million adults moved
into the South, including about 1
million blacks and Hispanics.
Asians also were attracted to
the new South, their population
increasing 42 percent to 1.7 mil
Josey band director for 22 years
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Dr. Charles Smith: From colonel to doctor, he just keeps on.
Photo by Charles Jones
From page one
Bands”in theirrecruitmentbrochure,
he band has travelled extensively
throughout the U.S. and Europe —
quite a feat for students, most of
Bwhom live within the inner city.
Dr. Smith has helped students —
hoth at Josey and the throughout
gommunity — receive more than $7
million in academic and music schol
rships. The Josey Class of 1998,
pne. boasted over $400.000 in mu
sic s holar -nip . wore it: ver rabie
thletic progra.::.
Over the years, Dr. Smith’s stu
dents have mad: theirown m.irksin
ize music woric. Michael Tanksley,
h 1052 Josey graduate who hasbean
J. Philip Waring © Going Places
WMemorial Column
Bethel tohost ABHG awards ceremony
key staffer up at the Board of Edu
cation office. In previous years the
ABHC has had the opportunity of
honoring other Bethel members.
There will be a special salute as
this historical institution observes
its own bicentennial year, The
ABHC spotlight will be a memo
rial look at one of Springfield’s
most outstanding sons. This was
Rev. Dr. Wm. J. White(lß32-1913),
founder of Harmon Baptist Church
in 1868 and the famed Georgia
Baptist Newspaper in 1880.
Several programs will be put
out front. This includes a beauti
ful housing restoration onthe 1000
block of D’Antignac and was spon
sored by Dean Roscoe Williams
and his sister, Ms. B. Williams,
who own the houses. We will rec
ognize the Bethlehem Community
Centers’ 75th anniversary, the
Augusta SCLC’s fight against
drugs as well as the Frontiers
Club’s annual track meet. Pilgrim
Health & Life Insurance Company
our largest business — will be
complimented for moving up to 9
from 10. Paine College history
professor, Dr. Leslie Pollard, gets
lion between 1990 and 1997.
Leading the growth chart for
both Hispanics and Asians was
Gwinnett County, Ga. The
county’s Asian population rose 103
percent and its Hispanic popula
tion jumped 118.8 percent.
Today, seven of 10 Southerners
live in a metropolitan area. Only
four states _ Arkansas, Kentucky,
Mississippi and' West Virginia _
still have more people residing in
rural areas than cities.
band director for East Augusta
Middle School and is currently band
director at Lucy Laney.
“The thing I appreciate more than
anything being in the band under
Doc was the exposure I've gotten
playingandtravellingwiththeband.
The majority of kidsnowadays never
get to go outside 25 miles or more. To
travel even to Atlanta would be like
travelling to a foreign country.”
Tanksley, who also doubles as a
member of local ensemble Sounds
Unlimited, said Smith’sexamplegar-
Pt dUs AT 0 e LT EC LT s
sl.. which snow whyheisdu cting
“The Prid<” of L.iney. “When | first
got to coli-ze, I wanted to becuine a
nusical siar, Lie 3. nael Sackson
orsomenody il eaiizedri nthat
A Closer Look
The following memorial column by the late J. Philip Waring was first published for
Augusta Focus on August 27, 1987. We are republishing it so that Mr. Waring's
admirers can reminisce and those who missed his columns can get a glimpse of
recent black history.
our orchids for his writings and
black history programs. Several
local black women active in busi
ness leadership capacities, includ
ing the first real estate broker to
open a downtown office, a newly
appointed bank assistant vice
president, a food service executive
and two women who operate retail
on Broad St., will be honored.
The ABHC’s Annual Interna
tional Award to a white and black
person will be on hand while the
civil rights certificates go to lead
ers from Richmond, Aiken and
Burke Counties. Mayor Emma
Gresham will be represented.
Again communication staffers
from radio, television, agenciesand
the printed press will be put out
front.
Careerists who serve the Au
gusta Fire Dept.,A.P.D., Richmond
County Sheriff's Dept. and the of
fice of local Congressman are toget
awards.
The important community ser
vice programsin youth betterment,
tutorials, scholarships, anti-drug,
how to take a test, anti-dropout
projects abound and they help the
Former Mississippi Gov. Will
iam Winter, chairman of the MDC
board, said the reports also shows
“old stereotypes about the South in
terms of race relations die hard
and a lot of people in other areas do
not realize how much change has
taken place.”
The report presents a “picture of
a South that is in transition, both
in terms of where people are living
and in terms of who's living here,”
Winter said. “What we are seeing
is a return to the South of many
people who had left earlier and
now perceive the South as an area
I enjoy more the feeling of directing
bands, so I took conductor courses.
Doc has taught me to toot my own
horn because no one’s going to do it
for me.”
Former “Sonic Boom” alumni in
clude Latrelle Avery-Prator’Bo(B.A.
South Carolina State University)
chorus director at Josey; Robert
Lamkin '93(8.A. Jackson State Uni
versity), band director at Glenn Hills
Middle School; Sandra “Snoopy”
Johnson’79(B.A. Paine College) past
assistant for 17 years and current
band director for the United House of
Prayer for All People.
“Sonic Boom” alumni have made
their marks in other fields as well.
Tonethia Frails-Beasley "84 (BA.
Paine College), former math teacher
at Butler and Josey, is now the assis
tant principal for student affairs at
Josey.
Robert Lamkin also experienced
thedesiretodirectbands. He went so
far as to attend Dr. Smith’s alma
mater.
“I was inspired to become a band
director and go to Jackson State
where Doc attended and receive the
same foundation,” said Lamkin, who
isgoinginto his second year at Glenn
Hills Middle. “I could never fill in his
shoes, but I can build my own dy
nasty just as he has done at Josey.”
Ms. Johnson, whohas worked with
Dr. Smith and the band for over 17
years, virtually without compensa
tion, has no regrets.
“All of my work here with Doc has
paid off because I finished (Paine)
College,” said Ms. Johnson, who is
nowacertified teacher whowill serve
as assistant band director on a com
pensated capacity. “Doc loves what
he does. I remember times he would
sleep overnight (working on music
for the band) and shower and change
in the gym locker room. When I was
in the band, we used to practice late
into the night with our parents shin
ing their headlights for us.”
She now works with children of
tur nrband i v tiegs
I .rhaps the .08t enduring qual
ity f Dr. Smith: is his willingness to
ste:: in and pio whatever riis his
siidents ro.rtire, Enperience in the
misical progrom at Jos+vurder Dr.
INDISTINCT PRINT
young people of our community.
Therefore, our salutes will go to
the local alumni chapters of Sigma
Gamma Rho, AKA, Delta Sigma
theta and Zeta Phi Beta. We urge
their members to attend.
volunteer services, as an example,
Mrs. lleen Buchanan, frequently
travels to the trustee meetings of
the National Beauty Culture Assn.
spotlight will also be on a panel of
awardees from the local public
school system ranging from the
associate supt. over to a long-time
and senior custodial staffer. Com
munity appreciation will also turn
to Augustans who returned home
for retirement as well as a number
of new comers.
State Rep. Charles Walker will
get an award for his role as Legis
lative Black Caucus chairman in
getting the state toorganize abadly
needed Human Rights Agency. All
awardees are being asked to arrive
at Bethel by 3:30 p.m.
This article was first printed in
the August 27, 1987 issue of Au
gusta Focus, pages 2-3.
of greater opportunity.
“It is a South that is much more
racially diverse than it ever has
been. It points out how important
it is that we have a society where
people are treated with dignity and
respect regardless of their racial
and ethnic background.”
All the while, the report contin
ues, some white men are laggingin
the education they need to be full
players in an economy based on
brains and not brawn.
“Men are not adjusting to the
post-industrial economy as well.
When men think of careers, they
think of things they can do.”
Smith isn't always about musical
notes, cadences or marching forma
tions.
“Doc would step in a mode as a
parent or a truant officer for some of
band members who have gotten in
trouble, whether it was a domestic
issue or law-related” said Ms.
Johnson. “He has even given money
out of his own pocket to help some
girls in the band who had babies and
needed help.
“He is the best and the hardest
working band director in town. He
shows how hard work can pay off.
He's been there not only for me but
also everyone else then and today.
He has taught me to never make any
excuses, have high aspirations and
w to be the best,” Mr. Lamkin
“If one of his students has gotten
into any kind of trouble, he would
quickly intervene to help in anyway
he could. There are those whom he
has helped whom shown no appre
ciation to him for what he does. He
still would care and bend over back
wards for them,” said Ms. Prator.
The importance of his work is not
lost on Dr. Smith.
“The band is a vital part of the
school and the community,” said Dr.
Smith. “Itis important that the com
munity is aware of what our stu
dents are accomplishing.” :
Dr. Smith’s own pedigree is out
standing. The native of Demopolis,
Alabama, lists nearly five dozen
awards since he toured Europe in
U.S.o.shows asthe trumpeter of the
original “Sonic Boom” of Jackson
State in 1971. The Jackson State
U.S.O. show was rated number one
in Europe. (Josey’s band is also
known as ‘Baby Boom).
Dr. Smith has received awards
state, national, international orga
include the U.S. Army, both Ala
bama and Georgia statelegislatures,
former Tuskegee. Alabama mayor
G- srge Wallace, for erGeorgiaguv
mcem?\w--r,mentw
nr Zell , On .-ga Psi Phi fra
ternir Inc., WRDW-TV and WJBF
TV, the Richmond C. inty Board of
AVGUSTA FOCUS SEPTEMBER 10 POt
HILTON: HIGHER EDUCATION By Dr. Keith
Orlando Hilton
Every family needs an uncle
like John Henrik Clarke
The southern born historian
John Henrik Clarke always re
minded me of the wise comforting
H“M that we all have in our fami-
I know that whenever I had an
opportunity to hear him lecture, I
felt like a student sittingat the foot
of a master teacher. And I was
always equally amazed at his hu
mility and intellect.
When Dr. Clarke died on Thurs
day, July 16, at the age of 83,
millions of people around the world
had heard of him and knew that he
was a true activist and intellec
tual. More than that, he will be
remembered asone of the greatest
African scholars and elders of the
20th century.
PriortomovingtoSouthern Cali
fornia from Long Island, New York
in the mid-1980s, I used to spend
many weekends at lectures spon
sored by the First World Alliance,
a New York City-based organiza
tion of Black scholars, students
and community activists. On any
given Saturday, I would leave my
home on the Island and stop in
Queens to pick up some of my
studentsand then head to Convent
Avenue in Harlem.
To my great surprise after leav
ing New York for Southern Cali
fornia in 1986, I discovered that
these people and many other Afri
can-centered scholars were loved
and revered just as much on the
West Coast asthey werein Harlem.
I also discovered a unique 30-
hour L.A. radio program called
“Afrikan Mental Liberation Week
end” that aired each February.
The program consisted of insight
ful interviews that the host, pro
ducer and creator of the program,
Dr. Kwaku Person-Lynn, con
ducted with many African scholars
and activists.
Commissioners and Cambridge,
England.
At Cambridge, Dr. Smith received
theinternational cultural diploma of
theartsforoutstandingachievement
in music education.
Josey is only Dr. Smith'’s second
job as band director. His first was at
D.C. Wolfe High School in Shorter,
Alabama. Duringhisfouryearsthere,
he immediately reaped local, state
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Heeventually turned those price
less interviews into a book called
First Word: Black Scholars, Think
ers, Warriors; Knowledge, Wisdom
and Mental Liberation. Dr. Clarke
was the first person featured in the
book. We strongly suggest that
you get a copy and add it to your
library.
People like Dr. Clarke helped
make it possible for campus speak
ers today like Cornel West, Skip
Gates, Maya Angelou, Khallid
Muhammed, Toni Morrison and
Johnnie Cochran to receive fair
compensation (and respect) for
their messages.
Although Dr. Clarke taught at
Hunter College and Cornell Uni
versity, and wrote nearly 30 books,
he never received the same recog
nition from the European academic
community as did his contempo
rary,John Hope Franklin, another
great African historian who headed
up President Clinton’s national
dialogue on race.
Hedid, however, influence many
academicians within the National
Council for Black Studies, includ
ing Dr. Molefi Kete Asante of
Temple University, who is consid
ered the founder of the theory of
Afrocentricity, and Dr. Maulana
Karenga, the founder of Kwanzaa.
The passing of Dr. Clarke is also
a time for celebration. He helped
us realize that the notion of being
African has been around for as
long as Black people have been in
the New World. What agreat time
to celebrate his life and being an
African.
“Hilton: Higher Education” is
an international column designed
to dialogue with college and world
readers. Education isongoingand
certainly not limited to classroom
study. Let’s talk. E-mal address:
kohilton@highereduc.win.net.
band, known then as the “Lean,
Mean, Green Machine,” including
being selected to represent Alabama
in the nationally-televised National
Bicentennial Parade in 1976.
It was at this time “Doc” received
the honorary title of “Colonel” by
Governor Wallace for his outstand
ingachievementin musiceducation.
Though he’s “Dr. Smith”, many still
regard him affectionately as “Colo
nel Smith.”
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