Alumni NewsletterMobile County Training School

Summer 2014 - Volume 7

MCTS Class of 1964 - 50th Reunion CelebrationTheme: “Leaving Footprints on the Sands of Time”

Mobile County Training School graduated over 100 persons in the year of 1964. All of these individuals had a vision of doing some special and great things in the world. On this, their 50th high School graduation anniversary it is important for the living and others to know, how this class has made a difference? Therefore, they have chosen as their 50th anniversary theme, “Leaving Footprints on the Sands of Time”. Therefore, we ask family members, friends, coworkers, church members, community members and others to help tell their story. To share those special times, things, moments and memories of how these persons may have touched their life and the lives of other’s for the better.

This remarkable historical document once compile, will serve as a reminder for generations that these great Whippets were players in the lives of many in some special and tangible way. It is this type of documentation that we must prepare, preserve and share, to recognize these individuals at this special time in their history.

We call on each of you that want to show your love and respect to take out an Ad in this Class 50th anniversary souvenir booklet that tells a little about how they touch your life. (See Back Page of Newsletter for Ad Costs and Directions. All Ads must be received by October 24, 2014.

Carolyn AdamsVoncille AllenHerbert Autrey Jr.Ronald AylerJanella AylerCarolyn BarneyBonnie BizzelDouglas BlackmanFrank BlackwellLawrence BolarGloria BonnerGary BrackettJesse BrackettFlora BrownJames Brown Jr.Barbara BunnSeveria CambellCathrine CarterMary ChastangBessie ChatmanSteve ClausellJoe ColemanMoses ColemanJohn ColstonHoarce CrenshawGloria CrookJuanita DickinsonMabeleania Drakes

Jerry Dean DrinkardJesse EdwardsShirley EdwardsPatsy EdwardsEtta EnglishMarcia ErvinCynthia EvansEloise FlenJolie GaillardJoseph Galloway Jr.Woodrow Gibbs Jr.Peggy GilesSavannah GillRobert GillLillian GrayAlvin GreenLillian GreggsJesse GriceLula Summers GriffinThomas GriffinYvonne GrimesHerman GulleyGeneva GwinnBrunella HarperPatricia HawtroneBarbara HintonEllis HintonBarbara Hollis

Betty HollomanCarolyn HollowayArnetta HornSilvia HowardJoe Howze Jr.Errol HubbardJohn HudsonAlfred HughesOzelle HurbertDorothy JacksonCephus Jackson Jr.Christine JacobsDella JohnsonHelen JohnsonAmy JohnsonPatricia JoinerCarolyn JonesGerlean JonesMaxine JonesHenry JordanDonald Ray KingBobbie Knight Jr.David KnightLedora KnightWillie LambertRobert LeeNoland LeeDelorse Mabien

Warb McWilliams Jr.Leon MitchellShirley MitchellHenry MontgomeryAngela MosleyEleanor OliverJoel OsbeyChristine ParkerClifton ParkerSonja PennBrenda PennBenadette PerineLathel PerkinsEddie PickettNettie PopeFloretta PowellFannie PriesterBobby PurifoyJames RanseforeTom Reynolds IIIJohn RigsbyDorothy RobersonMarjorie RobinsonIsadore RobinsonMadeline RodgersCharlie SandersWalter SandersEleanor Scott

Geraldine ScottWillie SimpsonElizabeth SmithKarl SmithSmithie SpeightsJames Spencer Jr.Thelma StephensLeslie StoneLula SummersBarbara SylvesterAuthurine TinsleyEddie WalkerLeslie WalkerRosie WallaceJohnnie Ward Jr.Joseph WarnsleyCurly WashamMable WashingtonJackie WatsonBertha WhiteAlice WhitfieldAntionnette WilliamsHattie WilliamsHenry WilliamsRobert WilliamsBerry WorthyAda Bell Wright

Class of 1964 Graduates

Africatown Baseball Banquet A Hit! Written By: Joe Womack Jr. (Class of 1968)

More than 150 people packed the Jasmine Ballroom of The Ashbury Hotel and Suites to witness Africatown’s first banquet to honor their unsung heroes past and present. Thisyear’s banquet paid tribute to James “Fat” Robinson. Mr. Robinson, that owned and managed the Plateau Bears, one of the many teams that made up the Gulf Coast Negro Baseball League from the 40s thru the 70s. Proclamations were read by Councilman Levon Manzie from Mobile, Prichard’s Chief Of Staff Mr. Eddie Brown, Vice-President of the MCTS Alumni Association Charles Holloway and Joel Lewis President of the Africatown CDC proclaiming Friday June 27th 2014 as James “Fat” Robinson Day. Earlier in the day a luncheon was held at the United States Sports Academy to honor James Robinson and his players. That luncheon was MC’d by Africatown’s own Brandon Spradley who is working on his PHD at the Academy. Mr. Spradley is also putting together a documentary on the history of blacks in sports in Alabama.

Congratulations goes out to Mr. Anderson Flen of Atlanta, Georgia and Mr. James Hope of Birmingham, Alabama for putting together such a first class affair. They did not let the “distance” deter them away from the mission. Once again, the “Whippets” from within rose to the occasion for another successful event. For those that have forgotten or did not know, James Hope played 2nd base in 63, 64 & 65 and made the all-star team for 2 years. His teams were district champions in 64 & 65. Mr. Flen played 2nd base in 66, 67 & 68. He was all-star for 2 years and the 68 team went undefeated and won the district championship. In football James Hope started his junior and senior years and was district champs his senior year. Mr. Flen was the only quarterback to start three years at MCTS, won more games at quarterback than anyone in MCTS history and quarterbacked the 1967 team to an undefeated season and County’s only State Championship.

This is an Open Invitation For All Baby Whippets to Contribute

Please Send Articles, Photos, Honors, Successes, Testimonials or Tributes for Future Newsletters

Baby Whippets Include:- Whitley Elementary School Attendees

- Mobile County Training School Alumni- All Past, Current and Future Scholarship Recipients- All Other Students Who Are Descendents of MCTS

MCTS Oral History Project

Earlier this year, the United States Sports Academy launched an oral history project, featuring African American Athletes from the Mobile County Training School (MCTS), and on Friday, the Academy welcomed them to the Academy for a tour of the American Sport Art Museum and Archives (ASAMA).

In conjunction with the MCTS Alumni Association, the Academy launched a special webpage in February for the project called the Black Sports History Project to celebrate Black History Month.

The page includes interviews featuring athletes, who participated in sports at MCTS during segregation, roughly spanning the time period between 1955 and 1980. This time period was when the most visible activities of the civil rights movement took place.

Brandon Spradley, the interim Director of Continuing Education at the Academy, and MCTS alumnus Anderson Flen teamed up for the project that presents the unsung and untold stories of the athletes, many of whom simply weren’t afforded the opportunity to play in college, or the professional ranks.

To view the webpage celebrating the stories of these athletes and coaches, visit www.ussa.edu/black-sports-history-project.

The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports. For more information about the Academy, call 251-626-3303, or visit www.ussa.edu.

Letter From My HeartBy: Brandon Spradley

My name is Brandon Spradley, the son of Theodore Spradley III who graduated from Mobile County Training School (MCTS) in 1967. I am writing this piece not as an article, but as a letter from my heart that I hope will inspire today’s young generation. My personal experience with MCTS and the alumni association has been nothing less than great. I can truly say I value the time I spend with graduates and former employees of MCTS.

I had the opportunity to work with Mr. Anderson Flen, Mr. William Clark, and many others on a very important project called the “Black Sports History Project”. This project captures the historical significance of the memories and feelings of African American athletes who competed in sports during the time of segregation. It is a collection of video interviews that go beyond the surface level of sport participation and into the reality of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.

Honestly, upon the initial stages of developing this project, I did not understand the value and significance of documenting these stories. Most young people have no understanding of history and could care less about documenting African American history, but as this project became a reality I began to see the purpose, the significance, and the necessity of this project. Our first interview was with the Reverend Julius Caesar Hope, a 1950 graduate of MCTS. I learned that Reverend Hope was not only a successful athlete, but played an integral part in the success of organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He was the recipient of The Medgar Evers Award, which is one of the NAACP’s most prestigious awards.

These interviews taught me the role sport can play in the lives of people, the impact it can have on a community, and the effect it can have on society. This project, along with many other resources, has planted ideas in my mind that can potentially help our community in today’s world. Although I never attended this school, MCTS holds a special place in my heart. I commit myself to helping the students at this school reach their full potential. I am thankful for men like my father, Mr. Flen, and Mr. Clark, who encouraged me to put action behind my words. It is critical for boys and young men to have great fathers lead them through life and I know it is a blessing from God to have Theodore Spradley III as my dad.

For the boys and young men who may not have a father figure leading them, I encourage you to either connect with your father if possible or find a positive male role model to mentor you. Mentorship is necessary for all young people, both boys and girls. The bible says in Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend”. The men and women of today have a responsibility to ensure our young people are sharp in knowledge, skill, and responsibility, so that they are equipped to effectively carry out the vision that God has placed in their heart and the assignment He has placed over their life.

I thank and acknowledge all the members of the MCTS alumni association; we have a great future ahead of us.

Connecting GenerationsBy: Keisha Flen

My name is Keisha Flen. I am the daughter of Anderson Flen, MCTS Class of 1968. I attended Xavier University of Louisiana and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics and a minor in Mathematics. I then received my Master’s degree in Internet Technol-ogy from the University of Georgia. I am currently working with Yardi Systems, an International Real Estate Software Company, as Team Lead for Affordable Housing. I am a descendent of an MCTS graduate and an avid supporter of the history and legacy of MCTS.

I recently read on a painting, that there are two things that every child needs…roots and wings. When I thought about it, I knew that this statement was true. Knowing the history of where you come from will help you decide where you want to go and what type of life you will lead in the future.

From an early age, I always knew about Mobile County Training School. My dad would mention how their class was undefeated in Football and Baseball his Junior and Senior years. He would let me know that they had players in the major league arena as well. As an avid movie watcher, when I watched the movie Men in Black III, they mentioned the name Cleon Jones, and I auto-matically knew that he was a graduate of Mobile County Training School because of the history that my dad had passed down to me over the years.

The roots that Mobile County Training School has laid over the years are important not just to my generation but for future gen-erations as well. Throughout the years, I have assisted with creating the newsletters for MCTS, the Souvenir booklet for the annual banquet as well as maintaining the MCTS website. These skills have helped me even in my current position today.

One of the things that I find fascinating even to this day is that some of the graduates of MCTS have lifelong friendships that have lasted 50 plus years. When they get together they can laugh and recollect about different times in their lives. When I was younger, I would see Mr. Joe Womack, who I know is an active supporter of the Africatown movement, and play with his son Joey, who is a now a successful business owner. In addition, I was able to see Mr. Gary Simpson and meet his son, Gary Jr. who is now an engineer and his daughter, Ivy, a physical therapist and also a Xavier University graduate. About four years ago, I was able to reconnect with Mr. Jeremiah Williams and met his three children, JD, Jenesse, Jamen when I visited Chicago.

As an adult, I have been able to travel with my dad and his friends to various cities – Chicago, Washington, DC, Atlanta and San Francisco. Each city that we visit, we learn about the history and culture of that city, visit friends and relatives, and have fun at making new memories there. I have found that knowing that the history of MCTS is not just in a building, but in the hearts and souls of each alumni member. This is a history worth knowing and preserving for future generations. How can you help?

If you aren’t a member of MCTS, join today! Help us preserve the legacy. I will be redesigning the website for MCTS. If anyone is looking to assist me, please email me at keishaatl@yahoo.com. Also, if you are interested in writing articles for the next news-letter, please let us know that as well.

From Left to Right: Anderson Flen (Class of 1968), Dinish Simpson, Gary Simpson (Class of 1968), Helen Green, Andrew Holloway (Class of 1968), Lynn Flen, Keisha Flen, Randy Green

Tech Disruptors for Good: Goodie Hack Aims to Transform Communities WorldwideEntrepreneurs, designers, developers and marketers, gather to help local organizations

by Candace Mitchell

Posted in Black Enterprise: June 25, 2014

Saturday, June 21, 2014 marked the second effort of the “Goodie Hackers” to be the change they want to see in the world. Hun-dreds of local entrepreneurs, designers, developers, marketers, and service enthusiasts assembled in the co-working offices ofOp-portunity Hub in Atlanta to help 10 local organizations with various needs, all technology-related, and assist in furthering their mission for underserved communities.

For most, it was the first time experiencing what it’s like to participate in a hackathon or a tech startup. Supported by gracious sponsors like Google, who just created a $50 million fund to inspire more women to code, as well as The Awesome Foundation – Atlanta Chapter, who awarded Goodie Hack with its first grant, this is only the beginning of transforming local communities one hackathon at a time by bringing together the best and brightest minds to create change for those who lack the resources to fully accomplish their organization’s goals.

Led by Joey Womack, co-founder of sf35, an organization for high-performance capacity African American, Latino, and women entrepreneurs, the program is off to an impactful start with its sight set on creating a level playing field for those often overlooked. “Our mission is to help one billion people in underserved com-munities all over the world. We want to help raise their basic need averages in education, economic development, environment, and health up to their respective country’s national average,” Womack said.

For example, there are dismal reports showcasing very low graduation rates in low socioeconomic or underserved areas, especially for African American stu-dents. Many of the projects that Goodie Hack helps facilitate directly tackle these issues, via a technology-based solution such as interactive websites, mobile apps and new strategies for tech integration, to aid in raising these numbers incremen-tally all over the nation and tapping into the power of the digital future.

By leveraging the collective knowledge of the community, attendees gathered to create teams and come up with an idea for an innovative implementation that solves the challenges faced by their choice social enterprise. The participating organizations include: Atlanta Food & Farm, Atlanta HBCU Alliance (5K), Love Beyond Walls, Street Credit, We Cycle Atlanta, MAFDET, Inc. (Make an Awesome Future by Excellence and Thinking), Latino Connection Georgia, Community Guilds (STE(A)M Truck), AIDS Awareness Poets, and Youth Universe. The newly assembled teams bring a disruptive spirit and a wealth of new ideas that also aid in marketing challenges and operational efficiency. The winning team for the summer edition of Goodie Hack is Crime Smarts. It’s an Android app which provides on-demand criminal law resources and crime prevention strategies, based on the founder’s book, to educate and empower youth on civil rights. The Crime Smarts team was created to serve MAFDET, Inc. (represented by Travis Townsend), founded by a group of professionals interested in eliminating the disparity in education, employment, and overall opportunity experienced by lower income individuals and minor-ity youth in America. MAFDET achieves its mission by delivering educational and behavioral development training in four key areas: Criminal law education and crime prevention; S.T.E.M. education; (corporate socialization and etiquette training); and cultural exposure and exploration. The Goodie Hack movement began last quarter with its first event taking place early March. The participating organizations are already reaping the benefits of the program’s success. Mentor Walk, a program supporting the Campus Community Partnership Foundation, had a game created to make learning more fun and connect students to college men-tors. Womack also said that in addition to the value received by the participating organizations, Goodie Hack is a rich opportunity for the attendees as it exposes more African Americans to the culture and execution of technology startups, as well as a “day-in-the-life” experience of what it’s like to be a tech entrepreneur. This is particularly impactful given Google’s recent disclosure of alarming statistics about its extreme lack of diversity and minority employees in its organization. Goodie Hack implemented educational segments covering topics such as design thinking, user experience, intellectual property, and private sessions for the non-profit organizations to learn information on how to raise money via crowdfunding platforms like Charitable.org.

MCTS Scholarship

The MCTS Alumni would like to reward those students of the MCTS Alumni Family that have excelled in their educational career. Deadline for this year’s scholarship submission is April 2015 (please check website for exact date).

Mobile County Training School Scholarship Criteria: * African American youth with a 2.5 or higher GPA

* A descendant by birth or marriage of a MCTS High School person (example: student, faculty, or staff)

* Write an essay highlighting the following points:1. Relationship with the MCTS descendant(s)2. A historical event about MCTS and its family3. How they can and will give back to this effort

Visit!!!www.mctswhippets.org

Goodie Hack also provided the opportunity to impact lives directly and raise awareness for Be The Match®which provides lifesaving donor matching, with a special focus on registering more African American donors. Over the past 25 years, Be The Match®, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), has managed the largest and most diverse marrow regis-try in the world. Each team was tasked with incorporating Be The Match into their ideas. With the city of Atlanta serving as the catalyst for this movement, the organization plans to scale and help other communities around the country as soon as possible. Patterning its efforts after the widely successful Startup Weekend which organizes local teams in different cities to launch start-ups, Womack says that Goodie Hack can scale in a similar manner. “We need people on the ground, mobilizing teams, securing venues and local sponsorship, reaching out to partner organizations in the social good and business space, and recruiting volun-teers.” The organizing team of Goodie Hack is well underway in mapping an ecosystem of organizations, change agents, profes-sional talent, and you can be the next valuable resource to bring the mission to life in a community near you.

About Joey Womack...

Joey Womack is the son of Joe Womack Jr., graduate of MCTS Class of 1968. Joey received his Masters of Business Administration from Florida A&M Uni-versity in Spring 2003, where he was also initiated into the Beta Nu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity, Inc. He has been named one of the Top 40 Under 40 Alumni and received an Outstanding Alumni during FAMU’s Quasquicen-tennial (125th) Anniversary Celebration. Additionally, he has given back to his alma mater by using innovative methods to stimulate donations and involvement of alumni under 35 years old, and by speaking to students at the famed School of Business & Industry.

Since launching digitalguestlist.com as a graduate student in 2002, Joey has grown the site to 80,000 subscribers/users, and has advertised thousands of events for Fortune 500 companies, agencies, and high-profile promoters during special events weekends like NBA All-Star, Super Bowl, and Essence Music Festival. And using innovative digital marketing strategies, he has also planned and promoted events in the Southeast for brands such as Crown Royal, Ciroc, Smirnoff, Coors Light, Warner Bros., and Hennessy.

Recently, Joey has taken on the challenge of “saving the world” by founding sf35, an organization which introduces high-performance capacity African-American, Latino, and women entrepreneurs to key resources, and also produces Goodie Hack, the Idea Hackathon Series for Social Good in Under-Served Communities.

Mobile County Training School Alumni Association Awards Seven Scholarships

Blount High School graduate, Kayla Reiss, daughter of George and Quintanna Reiss, will

attend Xavier University where she will pursue a

degree in Biology/Pre-Med. Her goal is to become a

Pediatric Physician.

Vigor High School graduate, Breonna July, daughter of Alfred and Ossie July, will attend

Spelman College where she will pursue a degree in Computer Information

Science. Her desire is to become a Computer

Software Engineer.

Blount High School graduate, Adele Presley, daughter of Lugretha P.

House, will attend Southern University where she will

pursue a degree in Nursing. Her goal is to become a

Pediatric Nurse.

Vigor High School graduate, Javiera Figgers,

daughter of Roger and Teresa Haynes and

Donald Figgers, will attend Faulkner State

Community College where she will major in Computer

Science. Her goal is to become a Computer Software Developer.

Vigor High School graduate, Mikaila Taylor,

daughter of Harolyn T. Smith and Sean Smith, will attend Southern University

where she will major in Nursing. Her goal is to

become a Neonatal Nurse.

Blount High School graduate, Kyle Reiss, son of George and Quintanna Reiss, will attend Dillard University where he will

pursue a degree in Biology. His desire is to become a

Physical Therapist.

Daphne High School graduate, Talis Battle,

son of Mr. and Mrs. Allen Z. Battle, will attend the University of Alabama-

Tuscaloosa where he will major in Biology/Pre-Med.

His goal is to become a Physician.

MCTS Membership

The Alumni Association has begun a membership drive. The membership committee has setup guidelines for fees as follows:

1. Life membership will be $100.00 payable in one year.2. 10% will be paid to each class for each lifetime membership.3. When a person becomes a lifetime member and their class is not active, no fee (10%) will be sent to the class.4. Individual membership will be $10.00 per year.5. To defray cost all membership cards will be the same color. The lifetime cards will be encased in plastic with

lifetime imprinted. The yearly membership card will not be encased in plastic and will have annual member imprinted with the year of current membership.

6. Each class fee will be $100.00 per year. This fee will defray expenses of plaques at the banquet. This fee also qualifies the class to select members for the “Spirit Award” and nominate an individual for each at large award if desired.

MCTS High School Alumni Association Application

Name: __________________________________________________ Class:___________

Address:________________________________________________________________

City: _________________________________ State:________________ Zip:_________

Phone Number:____________________________ Email:_________________________

MCTS Middle School Attendee: Year(s)_______________.

Relative of a MCTS Alumni: Name:_______________________________:

Year relative attended MCTS (Years)____________:

Friend of the MCTS Mission:_______________:

Please check choice of membership:

Individual ($10.00/per year) Lifetime (100.00)

Note: All payments should be made out to MCTS Alumni Association

Remit Check or Money Order to:MCTS

Attn: Ruth Taylor BallardP.O. Box 10274

Prichard, AL 36610

MOBILE COUNTY TRAINING MIDDLE SCHOOL800 WHITLEY STREET

PLATEAU, AL 36610“HOME OF THE MIGHTY WHIPPETS”

Phone: (251) 221-2267 Fax: (251) 221-2269

Douglas L. July, Sr. Timothy ErobuPrincipal Assistant Principal

Hello Whippets:

As the newly appointed principal of Mobile County Training Middle School, I greet you. It is a pleasure to have been given this opportunity to help shape the mold the lives of the young Whippets that will enter these halls. I was promoted to the 10th grade when County was made a middle school. Even though I did not have the opportunity to wear that infamous “red” tie, I have always had a love for MCTS. I was privileged to march in a Turkey Day Classic parade with the Mighty Marching Whippets, which was the beginning of my musical career. So I owe MCTS a world of thanks.

Because Plateau is my home and I love it, I admonish each of you to join me as we give back to our own. We cannot sit idly by and expect handouts for things we can and should do for ourselves. I can see this school, this community, thriving as well as others. But it takes all of us doing our part. The old African proverb is true, “It takes a village to raise a child”. I want to prepare the students at MCTS for this global society. I want our students to leave these halls ready for high school. I want the administration, faculty, and staff of Vigor High, or whatever high school these students choose to attend, to be able to recognize our students because of their high academic achievement and high moral standards. That’s something we all can be proud of.

So become an active participant in your alma mater. You are welcome to visit us at your leisure.

Sincerely,

Douglas L. July, Sr.

Calling All Mentors...We Need Your Help!!!

“Come share the Vision…Invest One Hour…in One Child a Week… And Change the World”

Mobile County Training Middle School, under the leadership of Mr. Douglas L. July, Sr. in partnership with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Alabama and Mobile County Training School Alumni Association are recruiting caring persons, especially men, to be mentors at MCTS.

Qualifications needed to be a mentor at the school are:

• A strong commitment for one year

• Pass a background check conducted through Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Alabama

• Commit to 2 hours of training by Big Brothers Big Sisters (1 hour online, 1 hour in person)

• Commit to at least one hour a week with the youth, during school hours, on school grounds

• Be positive and willing to listen

• Know that the enrollment process will take 4 to 6 weeks before you can start with “Big”

To sign up today, please contact Ms. Katrina Evans at (251) 344-0536 ext. 103 or via email at Katrina@bbbssa.org.

MCTS alumni contacts are:

• Mr. Larry Shears (251) 391-3147

• Mr. Charles Holloway (251) 591-6215

• Mr. Joe Womack (251) 404-9558

Persons wanting additional opportunities to help the school should contact the alumni members listed above.

Dedication of Community CenterTo our Pastor Rev. Williams and ministers of the gospel , to the Honorable, Sandy Stimpson, To the Honorable Sam Jones, honorable City council representatives William Carroll and Lavon Manzie, to the honourable Bill Clark, our Master of Ceremony, Anderson Flen and to all gathered here today; The Hope family is honoured and humbled to join with you in the re-naming of the Plateau Community Center to the Rev. Robert Hope Community Center. We want to thank every one of you for being here and for the very important part you played in making this happen. We especially want to thank our brother Charles Hope and the Mobile County Training School Alumni Association for putting all of the pieces together for this event today for and their untiring service to this community. If Rev. Hope were here today, I can imagine him saying “if my arms were long enough I would reach out and hug all of you. He would hug you, yes, for this great honor but his hug would be more so for continuing on with the ideals he embraced, Ideals that can be seen in all the great progress that has been made in the Plateau community over the past several years. This coming together today is a by-product of that progress.

It is interesting that the Center we dedicate today is on the same land area as Whitley School where Rev. Hope worked most of his adult life as a janitor. My brothers and I were all little janitors because we helped clean the buildings along with many of the neighbourhood kids. John Bacot and Bubba Powe were two of the neighbourhood kids who helped us. They were friends of our brother Alvin and would often join us for our semi-annual building cleanings. Rev. Hope taught us there was dignity in all work and always do you best. Many of the guiding principles that led me through 30 years in corporate America, I learned right here cleaning Whitley School.

It was also here at Whitley that Rev. Hope saw first hand the challenges of teachers trying to provide a first class education with less than first class books and supplies. In fact, most of what Whitley received were hand-me-downs from the schools across town. The janitor became president of Whitley PTA and later served for many years as President of Mobile County Wide PTA for colored. Rev. Hope knew that in order to bring about change, he couldn’t sit at home with his 11 kids and curse the dark; he had to get involved and stay involved.

There is another interesting item I would like to share as we are honoured to have with us mayors Jones and Stimpson and 2 council members. In 1975, the Non-Partisan Voters League headed by John LeFlore challenged the City of Mobile’s form of Government, which at the time was city commission. The basis of the challenge was that the existing form of government did not provide fair rep-resentation to all of its citizens. This case called Wiley Bolden Vs the City of Mobile went all the way to the U. S. Supreme Court and 10 years later Mobile city government was changed to our present day mayor council. Rev. Robert L. Hope was one of the plaintiffs in that case. Rev. Hope later became president of the Non-Partisan League and was responsible for introducing to the organization a young Lawyer named Michael Figures who became the organization’s executive secretary.Rev. Hope was a man of character, a man of strength, a man service and a man of faith. He believed his greatest calling was to serve God. But he knew that in order to serve God he had to serve others. Rev. Hope didn’t have a long list of titles behind his name and there was no evidence of him benefiting financially from his many years of service. He said to me on one occasion, “You know, I don’t have any money but I am a prosperous man. He was right about not having any money, because when he died I found out. But, prosperous he was, as we celebrate his legacy today.

If Rev. Hope were here he would say, “enough about me”. He would express his excitement about the leadership that has emerged in the community. He would be talking about all of the wonderful projects and activities that are going on in the community; the reha-bilitation and revitalization projects, the community garden at Mobile County Training School, the attention and recognition given to Plateau Cemetery and Buffalo soldiers, the continuing development of Africatown , activities to protect the community from environ-mental hazards and improve the quality of life for the citizens in the community.

With equal excitement and enthusiasm, he would also say “there is still much to do”. “This community is moving forward and all of the people who can keep it moving forward are here today.” Look around. May God continue to shower his blessings upon you your family and this community.

August is back-to-school month. These children attended the Mobile County Training School, a segregated school for Mobile’s African Americans. They posed for this photograph in front of a monument honoring the school’s first principal, Isaiah Whitley, in 1937. Most of the children are identified.

Erik Overbey Collection. Negative: N-2602.

Remembering Our Past...

How many people remember these students and where is this monument located?

Please email blueandwhite@mctswhippets.org if you know the answer!

The person with the most accurate responses, will win a Thanksgiving Classic Game T-Shirt.

MCTS Officers 2014-2016Continuing the Tradition

President - Anderson FlenVice-President - Charles Holloway

Secretary - Minnie DewberryAsst. Secretary - Thelma MourerFinancial Secretary - Elaine Reiss

Tresurer - Willie Larry JacksonParlimentarian - Emory JohnsonChaplin - Alan Dale Singleton

Classes of 1926-1930How many of you can share a story on these different individuals?

Please email blueandwhite@mctswhippets.org with your story! You will win a Thanksgiving Classic Game T-Shirt.

The prizes will be announced during the Thanksgiving Weekend Activities.

Class of 1926Francis Bradley Porter Chapman Essie Adams LeDresta Adams Johnell Bradley Autherine CaverDicie Johnson Josephine Caver Leona Inge Julia Johnson Elizabeth Spencer Josephine MayhappyMaude Spencer

Class of 1927Allenis Overton Mable Evans Evelyn Chapman Margaret Reynolds Arthurine Mayhappy Samuel MaloneSadie Burke Beatrice Johnson Agnes Reid Rosellnor Harris

Class of 1928Cora Gordan Lillian Gordan Lillie Marks Dorothy Ellis Ethelstein Diamond Harry TaritHelen Keeby Francis Jackson Vera McHaney Ka� e Hamilton Sadie Williams Eloise DavisFannie Marshall Meta Hughes Cordelia Lee Junior Dexter Walter Payton Gertrude Picke�

Class of 1929Ruth Alls Georgia Be� s (Mrs.) E. P. Blythe Mary B. Bradley Alafair Brown Gertrude Gill

Ruth Lassister Georgia Laster Dessie Danzy Cora Picke� Pearl Love� Ora Lee RichardsonViola Malone Amber Marks Daisy Ma� hews Lever� es Silvia Thomas Burroughs Loveland WatsonSidney Bush William Smith G. L. Washingson Mayine Baker

Class of 1930Lorenzo Carter Earl Jemison Whitley Johnson Lemuel Keeby John McGadney Alfred PhelpsBernice Aus� n Rose� a Banks Rose Baldwin Azzie Beckham Ma� e Burford Marie CarsonRosalie Carter Esther Chastang Ora Bell Finch Erma Gray Aundra Orice Rilla HendersonGladys Mills Johnnie Morris Vina McCarroll Elvira Phillips Ivon Russell Gelene HampsonSusie West Mayme Zigler Zipporah Brown Flossie Sims Marion Simpson Annie Mae TinkerAmy Gilchrist Olive� e Glaude Mary Crawford Susie Jordan Ha� e Longshaw Alpha Mae Prince

The graduates of the Classes of 1931-1935, will be featured in our next newsletter. If you have stories to share about those graduates, you could be featured in our next newsletter. Send those to blueandwhite@mctswhippets.org.

Join Us At the 2014 MCTS Annual CelebrationCelebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Class of 1964

November 28th, 20141568 St. Stephens Road

(Helena II)Mobile, AL

Contact William Clark - 251-751-1741 or Anderson Flen - 404-219-7890

Testimonial and Tribute Story Ads$100.00 Full Page with 100-200 words.

$50.00 2/3 Page Ad with 50-99 words.$35.00 1/3 Page Ad with up to 49 words.

We strongly urge all classes and individuals to take out memorial ads to remember classmates.

Souvenir Booklet Ad FormInstructions:

1. Please include the information to the right with your ad.

2. Make ad using Word processing program. Ex (Micro-soft Word)

3. Email ads to Anderson Flen at:blueandwhite@mctswhippets.org and mail payment (check or money order) to:

MCTS C/O Ad Committee

P.O. Box 10274Prichard, AL 36610

4. All ads and payments must be in by:

October 24th, 2014

Any ads received after this date will not be added to the booklet.

Name:________________________________________

Class:________________________________________

Phone:_______________________________________

Email:_______________________________________

Please Check Ad Size

Full Page Ad - $100 2/3 Page Ad - $65

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1/3 Page Ad - $35

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