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®he ^>abannah tribune
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February 2,2011-February 8,2011* VoL 38 No. 49 * www.savannahtribune.com • 912-233-6128 *Fax: 912-233-6140
Vince Dooley and Sen. Sam Nunn
Named 2011 Georgia Trustees
Senator Sam Nunn
John Lee Hooker, Jr.
Vince Dooley
Georgia Historical
Society (GHS) has named the
new Georgia Trustees selected
to be added to the distin
guished list of legendary
Georgians: Vince Dooley and
Senator Sam Nunn.
The two will be inducted
at the Trustees Gala held in
their honor in Savannah on the
evening of Saturday, February
12, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency.
In 2009, the Office of the
Governor of the State of
Georgia reconstituted the
Georgia Trustees, an honor
bestowed upon leaders in
Georgia that dates back to the
founding of the original
colony.
The Governor signed an
executive order to establish the
appointment of two to three
new Trustees annually whose
history-making accomplish
ments and service - across all
fields, demographics, and geo
graphic areas reflect the origi
nal Trustees' ideals. GHS is
responsible for oversight of the
program and selection process.
"We feel these individu
als' service to our state and
nation embodies the highest
ideals of the original Trustees
and merits inclusion in this dis
tinguished group of Georgians.
The Georgia Trustees reflect
the founding principle of the
original colony, 'not for self but
for others." Dr. Todd Groce,
President and CEO of GHS,
said. "Coach Dooley and
Senator Nunn have exuded
selflessness, leadership and
honor in their life's work for all
Georgians."
This year, GHS’s two-
week commemoration of
Georgia history culminates in
a lavish banquet with the
theme “Georgia Blues Juke
Joint.” Guests will enter
through a festively decorated
juke joint atmosphere to an
elegantly appointed ballroom
for a sublime evening of din
ing and entertainment, featur
ing the live music of John Lee
Hooker, Jr.
GHS will honor the 2011
Trustees with an elegant
evening of dinner, dance and
conversation on Saturday,
February 12, 2011 at the Hyatt
Regency Savannah. Visit geor-
giahistory.com for complete
festival events.
For more information,
please call 912.651-2125, ext.
20.
Playwright, Novelist to Give
Black Heritage Festival Lecture
Atlanta-based author
Pearl Cleage will make two
appearances Feb. 4 in con
junction with the 22nd annual
Savannah Black Heritage
Festival (SBHF).
Cleage, whose work has
won commercial acceptance
and critical praise in several
genres, will conduct a student
forum at Savannah State
University in the King-Frazier
Student Center ballroom
beginning at 11 a.m., fol
lowed by a book-signing ses
sion. Her campus appearance
is presented in part by the
SSU Center for Leadership
Lecture Series.
At 7 p.m., Cleage will
deliver the festival’s annual
W.W. Law Lecture at the
Telfair Academy of Arts and
Sciences, located at 121
Barnard St. The lecture, and
book-signing that will follow,
is presented in part by the
Telfair Museums and the
Pearl Cleage
Savannah Book Festival.
A multi-faceted talent,
Cleage is widely regarded for
her dramatic works, including
"Flyin’ West" and "Blues for
an Alabama Sky." Her first
novel, "What Looks Like
Crazy on an Ordinary Day,"
was an Oprah Book Club
selection in 1998, a New York
Times bestseller for nine
weeks and a Black Caucus of
the American Library
Association Literary Award
winner.
Cleage speaks with hon
esty and creativity, blending
truth and humor to fully
charm audiences.
The annual W.W. Law
Lecture is part of the festival’s
ongoing commitment to
honor Law’s legacy as a civil
rights activist and his diligent
dedication to improving and
preserving the Savannah com
munity and its history. Law
passed away on July 29,2002.
“Our Culture is Our Journey”
is the theme of the 2011 festi
val, which is presented by
Savannah State University
and the City of Savannah. All
festival events are free and
open to the public.
For more information,
visit www.savannahblackher-
itagefestival.com.
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tribune
Remembers Rev.
Bennie Mitchell, Jr.
Rev. Bennie Mitchell, Jr.
Rev. Dr. Bennie R.
Mitchell, Jr. of Savannah,
Georgia, husband of Mrs.
Betty Tompkins Mitchell,
died Tuesday morning,
February 1, 2011 at his
home. He was born in
Edgefield, South Carolina.
He is the eldest son of Sis.
Mattie Mitchell and the late
Deacon Bennie R. Mitchell,
Sr. He attended the Public
Schools of South Carolina.
He received his Bachelor of
Arts Degree from Benedict
College, Columbia, South
Carolina, Master of
Divinity Degree from
Interdenominational
Theological Center
(Morehouse School of
Religion,) Atlanta, Georgia,
an Honorary Doctor of
Divinity Degree from the
Mississippi Baptist
Seminary, Jackson,
Mississippi, and Honorary
Doctor of Divinity, B. F.
Lee Seminary, under the
auspices of Edward Waters
College, Jacksonville,
Florida.
In 1971 he was called
to pastor the Rockhill
Baptist Church in Saluda,
South Carolina. In 1974 he
was called to pastor the
Connor’s Temple Baptist
Church where he was
responsible for bringing
this congregation to the
forefront of community
involvement in the
Savannah area. Under his
leadership many accom
plishments were realized by
the church including paying
off the church’s mortgage in
1976 and a double mort
gage burning of the future
educational-cultural build
ing (Old YMCA Building)
and the parsonage in 1984.
In addition, three lots with
houses were purchased in
1992, and the McKelvey
Powell Building (old West
Broad Street Y.M.C.A) was
fully restored and rehabili
tated into a
Family/Community
Resource Center.
Dr. Mitchell served as
Manager of New York City
Housing Authority, taught
school in the public schools
of Georgia and South
Carolina; member of Board
of Directors, West Broad
Street YMCA, Savannah,
Georgia; Savannah Mayor’s
Council Youth Program;
Advisory Council Youth
Program; Advisory to the
Superintendent of
Education, Savannah-
Chatham County Board of
Public Education; President
of the Ministers Group of
O.I.C; Past President of the
Savannah Baptist
Ministerial Union.
Consumer Member,
Georgia State Board of
Chiropractic Examiners;
Board Member, Savannah
Technical College and
Chairman of the Chatham-
Savannah Metropolitan
See Mitchell, pg. 4
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