Winter 2008 - Virginia State University

STOKESWOLFE$15.95 US$19.95 CAN“There is no such thing as separatebut equal.… Elsewhere in America,Negro students are attending whiteschools and, mind you, the skieshaven’t as yet fallen.”—LESTER BANKS, Executive Director,Virginia Chapter, NAACPWHEN JOHN STOKES was growing upin Farmville, Virginia, Jim Crow laws keptwhites and coloreds (as African Americanswere called then) apart. They couldn’tsit together to watch a movie or to eat in arestaurant. They couldn’t even worshiptogether. A colored boy couldn’t talk toa white girl for fear other whites wouldattack him. Simply walking home fromschool could put a colored student in danger.And whites and coloreds went to separateschools. The law said these schools were“separate but equal.” John Stokes and otherAfrican-American students knew better.In this moving memoir, John A. Stokesrecounts his experiences growing up inthe oppressive conditions of the Jim CrowSouth. And for the first time ever, he revealsthe workings of the student committee thatplanned and executed a strike for betterconditions at Robert Russa Moton HighSchool, a strike that made Stokes a plaintiffin the landmark civil rights case Brown v.Board of Education and helped change lifein the United States of America forever.14ALUMNI NOTESSTUDENTS ONJIM CROW, CIVIL RIGHTS, BROWN, AND MEJIM CROW, CIVIL RIGHTS, BROWN, AND MEClarence C. Gray, III ’43 was recentlydesignated “Distinguished Archon” bythe Northern Virginia’s Beta Nu Boule ofSigma Pi Phi Fraternity.Willie J. Bradley ’49 was recentlypresented the “Alpha DistinguishedAward of Merit” by the VirginiaAssociation of Alpha Chapters –Area VIduring ceremonies celebrating Alpha PhiAlpha Fraternity’s Founders Day.The year 2007 marks Alpha Phi AlphaFraternity’s 101st birthday. Bradley joinedthe Beta Gamma Chapter in 1947. He iscurrent president of the VSU Alphas.Calvin R Swinson ’58 was appointedto the Idaho Commission on the Arts, thestate’s principal arts and cultural agency,by Governor C. L. Butch Otter to a fouryearterm, beginning August 1, 2007. TheCommission has 13 members.John A. Stokes ’59 has authoredStudents on Strike: Jim Crow, Civil Rights,Brown and Me. Students on Strike covershistorical information that has neverbeen done so extensively under onecover until now. Stokes, an originalBrown v. Board of Education Plaintiff, haswritten a far reaching publication thatA M E M O I R B YJohn A. Stokeswith Lois Wolfe, Ph.D.depicts enumerableconcepts/ truths thathave been hidden fromthe public for decades.Students on Strike is amust read! Discover anduncover little knownhistorical facts. Andcome face-to-face with the recollectionswhich many persons in the know stillcannot talk about.Students on Strike is available at Borders,Barnes & Nobles and Books-A-Million, oronline at Amazon.com and otherwebsites for discount shopping.Stokes is available for book talks,formal lectures, or book signings atyour convenience. This is a greatopportunity to network with education,church, civic, and other special interestsgroups or organizations in search ofan authentic and uplifting originalAmerican story experience. Forbookings, contact Stokes at(301) 306-5577 or by email atjastokesbrownvsboard@verizon.net.Willie Wright ’59was featured in theFayetteville, NC CityView Magazine asone of 14 Moversand Shakers in thecity. The selectionswere based uponnominations bynon-profitorganizations in Cumberland County.Dr. Sandra Mobley ’62 was inductedinto the Toastmasters International at itsDistrict 66 Conference held in Roanoke,VA in November.Gerald Barbour ’65 was ordained as adeacon at the historic Abyssinian BaptistChurch in Harlem, NY on June 24, 2007.Barbour is also a member of the Board ofDirectors of the Abyssinian Credit Union,Vice-President of the Men’s Chorus andPresident of the Abyssinian ScholarshipMinistry. He has a Master of PublicAdministration Degree from PaceUniversity. He is retired from theWestchester County, NY Department ofSocial Services where he was a SeniorEmployment Counselor. Mr. Barbour is amember of the Alpha Phi AlphaFraternity, Inc. and the Greater New YorkChapter of the Virginia State UniversityAlumni Association and lives with hiswife Beverly Brown-Barbour in Yonkers,N.Y.Annie Randolph Pollard ’65 wasrecently appointed to the King & QueenCounty, VA Planning Commission. Sheserves on a commission of 10 membersto develop and administer policiesaffecting the county’s land resources andinfrastructure. She recently completedsessions designed to classify her as acertified community planner. Annie is aretired science teacher and a formerPresident of the Virginia State UniversityNational Alumni Association. She is also amember of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,Inc. She and her husband, Percy Pollard’66, recently celebrated the birth of theirseventh grandchild, Destiny Lynn Pollard,born in Northern New Jersey inNovember 2007.Andrew A. Venable ’68 was presentedthe Doctor of Humane Letters Degreehonoris causa at the Cleveland StateUniversity Commencement exercise onSunday, December 16, 2007. The Board ofTrustees and Faculty of Cleveland Statevoted to award this degree in recognitionof Brother Venable’s significantcommitment to public service and hiscontribution to the community as aneducator representing “the People’sUniversity.”Venable currently serves asDirector of the Cleveland Public Library.Fredene Oliver ’69 ’78was selected twice forinclusion in the 10thand 11th editions ofWho’s Who AmongAmerica’s Teachers,2005-2006 and 2006-2007. Who’s Whohonors a select 5% ofthe nation’s premiereducators. The 10thEdition selection, noted that a successfulformer student identified her as makinga difference in his or her life. The 11thEdition recognized her for the impactshe made on her students. This honor isreserved only for educators who not onlyteach but inspire their students togreater achievements.Charles Finley ’69 has been named the2007 Virginia recipient of the Dr. John M.Davis Distinguished EducationalAchievement Award.Glenn Sessoms ’76 hasbeen named LeadershipMemphis (LM) incomingboard chair for 2007-2008.The current vice presidentof the FedEx Memphis HubDay Sort, Sessoms managessome 3,500 employees,four directors, 25 seniormanagers and 150 managers. TheMemphis Day Sort Operation launchesapproximately 90 aircraft and sorts830,000 packages daily. The operationalso is responsible for moving the UnitedStates Postal Service volume for the U.S.His next logistic goal is to move LeadershipMemphis to even greater heights.Ms. Vernell Kilpatrick ’77 from FortStory is a member of The HamptonRoads Joint Military Services SchoolLiaison Committee that recently receivedthe Pete Taylor Partnership of ExcellenceAward in a ceremony in Kansas City, MO.Awarded by the Military Child EducationVIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY