Church honors outstanding citizens for Black History Month | Culture | Summerville Journal Scene

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Church honors outstanding citizens for Black History Month

Published Tuesday, February 21, 2012 1:16 PM

By Jim Tatum
Summerville Journal Scene ®

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Campbell

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Knight

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Aiken

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Blake

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Collins

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Deas

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Leper

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McClella

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Edwards

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Greene

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Moultrie

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Pinckney

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Pye

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Simmons

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Starkes

A number of prominent figures both past and present as well as area churches will be honored in a special commemoration to be held at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 26 at Summerville High School.

The program, sponsored by the Lowcountry Black Historical Society in conjunction with the Rock of Faith Community Missionary Baptist Church, will honor some sixteen outstanding citizens for their contributions to the greater Dorchester County Community, according to Rev. Dr. Rayford Brown and Louis Smith, event coordinators.

The honorees are Carrie Lou Anderson Aiken, Harry Blake, Ethel DeWeese Campbell, Mayor Bill Collins, Vergil A. Deas, Rollin Edwards, Samuel Green, Former Sheriff Carl Knight, Rev. Robert V. Leeper, Rev. Marinell Clement McClellan, Ernest S. Moultrie, Anthony Pinckney, Joe Pye, Hazel Parsons-Starkes, Rev. Lewis Howard Simmons, and Julia Campbell Smith.

“We are honoring these people not only for their efforts to better the black community, but the entire community,” Smith said. “We are honoring the American spirit of coming together to build a stronger community and bright future for all and these individuals truly embody that spirit. I am humbled and honored to be able to honor these people and institutions.”

In addition, the event will honor a dozen area churches for their contributions to the betterment of the community as well, Smith said. Churches to be honored include Blessed Visions, New Ashley Baptist, Emmanuel Baptist, Bonds Temple AME, Church of God of Brownsville, Wesley United Methodist Church, St. Luke AME, St. Paul Baptist Church, Bethel AME Church Ridgeville, Bethany United Methodist Church, and Summerville Presbyterian Church.

Light hors d’oeuvres will be served. The public is invited.

Honorees

Carrie Lou Anderson Aiken – Born in 1906 in Sumter, she received degrees from Allen University and SC State College and was a teacher in the Charleston and Dorchester School districts. After her husband died she operated A.A. Aiken Funeral Home from 1959 until 1986. Community organizations included Eastern Star New Eden Chapter #2044, Elks Azalea Temple #877, Hillcrest Cemetery Association, Farmers Aid, state and national education associations, and state and national funeral director and mortician associations. She served in many capacities with Bethel AME Church for 50 years.

Harry Blake –One of the first black students to attend Summerville High School, he became a high school All American in football and track. He played those two sports at West Virginia University where he would set 12 track records and become WVU’s first black track team captain. He is married to Annette Jennings Blake; they have three daughters and a grandson. He is owner/CEO of Harry Blake Insurance Agency. He has served on Dorchester District 2 school board. He is a past president of Dorchester/Berkeley/Charleston County Life Underwriters Association, past master, Ashley River Masonic Lodge, past president, Oakbrook Rotary, past board member, Summerville YMCA, past worthy patron, Ashley River OES #383, member, DD@ Hall of Fame Selection Committee. He has received awards from Charleston District Lay Organization, Bethel Church, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and Sigma Upsilon Omega. He is a member of Bethel AME Church.

Ethel DeWeese Campbell – She graduated Alston High School in 1968 as valedictorian, then attended College of Charleston to complete her Mental Retardation Specialist Certification program. She has worked with Coastal Center, Ladson, Robert Allan Center for Children with Special Needs, and DD2 After School Enrichment Program. She worked with Voter Registration, the Dorchester County Democratic Party and the NAACP, serving as Summerville Chapter President for ten years. She is married to Johnnie Campbell and has two children and six grandchildren.

Bill Collins -- As publisher of the Summerville Journal Scene from 1972 until 2007, Collins worked to ensure the newspaper covered the entire community fairly, objectively, and with dignity. Now Mayor of Summerville, he has been active in many civic organizations and Summerville Presbyterian Church. A native of Ware Shoals, SC, he graduated USC’s College of Journalism and worked as a reporter in Myrtle Beach and Atlanta before taking over the Journal Scene in 1972. He and wife Margaret have two children and six grandchildren.

Virgil Deas -- Currently Senior Assistant Solicitor and Chief Juvenile Prosecutor for the SC First Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office, where he has worked since 1993, some of his responsibilities include supervision and administration of all juvenile courts and programs for Orangeburg and Dorchester Counties. In addition, he helped establish the 1st Circuit Youth Mentor Program in 2004. He is an adjunct professor at Trident Technical College and served as attorney coach for the Summerville High School Mock Trial team. He was on Legal Aid board of directors and was a member of the parent Involvement Task Force for the SC Dept. of Education. A member of New Ashley Baptist Church, he has worked with SC Coalition for Black Voter Participation, Alston Middle School Mentor and Alston School to Work programs, Concerned Citizens of Dorchester County, and Kappa Alpha Psi.

Rollin Edwards – A Summerville native, World War II veteran, musician, and businessman, he played drums in several Big Bands, including the Count Basie Orchestra, before returning to Summerville to open a dry cleaning business. In 1974 he became the first black elected to Dorchester County Council; he would win a seat on Summerville Town Council in 1988. Active in Prince Hall Masons, he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto in 1994. He is married to Juanita D. Edwards and has one child and five grandchildren.

Samuel Greene -- a graduate of Alston High School class of 1958, Greene received a trade degree from Trident Technical College in Mechanical Engineering. He was a barber at Brown’s Barber Shop, served in the US Army, and taught Welding at McDougall Correctional Facilities for 31 years. He has worked with several community organizations, most notably the Carolina Youth League, which he organized in 1969 and served with for 26 years. He and his wife, Dr. Gloria Mason Greene, have three children and two grandchildren.

Carl Knight -- A former Dorchester County Council member and the sixth sheriff of the county, he was sheriff for 28 years. In office during the Civil Rights Movement, he was the first Dorchester County sheriff to hire a full time minority officer; he would hire other minority officers, setting the pace for Dorchester County’s hiring of minority employees. Knight supported the Civil Rights Movement, acting as a peacemaker during several disagreements between various racial groups. He assisted minority citizens with resolving issues with county and state agencies. He supported minority voter participation and encouraged minorities to seek public office. When segregation was lifted, he provided security to minority students. Knight developed a conventional law enforcement system that is utilized by various law enforcement agencies today.

Robert V. Leeper Sr. -- Born in Pittsburgh, Penn., he served in the U.S. Air Force before working for the federal government. He became an ordained minister in 1968. In 1986, Gov. Richard Riley appointed him a Dorchester County Magistrate Judge; he served with distinction for 6 years. He is a member of the SC Summary Court Judges Association. He currently pastors New Covenant Church of God and Miley Church of God and is vice president of the Interdenominational Ministers Alliance of Charleston, S.C. He is married to Willetta Wroten Leeper and they have four children, four grandchildren, and a great grandchild.

Marinell Clement McClellan -- Born in 1928, McClellan was the second of fifteen children born to the late Albert and Viola McClellan. Educated at Alston High School, Area Trade School in Denmark, SC, Cummings Theological Seminary and Morris College, he became an ordained minister in 1956, preaching at churches throughout the Lowcountry. He was a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, McDaniel Lodge No. 435 and Order of Eastern Star 334. He was President of the Summerville NAACP for 13 years and President of the Carolina Precinct for 8 years.

He was the owner one of the first privately owned sanitation services in Summerville and started the first black owned/operated EMS in Summerville in 1972. He worked at Charleston Naval Shipyard and the Dorchester School District.

He served the community until his illness and death in 2008.

Ernest Samuel Moultrie – A Summerville native, the youngest of seven children, he joined the U.S. Air Force after graduating Alston High School. After the military he became a brick mason, then entered law enforcement in 1968, becoming the first full-time black Deputy Sheriff for Dorchester County. He rose through the ranks to become Chief Deputy Sheriff of Dorchester County, second in command to Sheriff Carl Knight. He retired in 1997 but has served as part-time deputy since retirement. He is the longest serving law enforcement officer in Dorchester County. A member of Blessed Vision Ministry and New Eden Lodge #329, he worked to build the chapel at Lieber Prison. He served on the Dorchester District II School Sports Hall of Fame Board.

He is married to Geraldine Simmons Moultrie. They have three children, 11 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.

Anthony Pinckney -- A 1980 graduate of Summerville High School where he played varsity baseball, he served four years in the U.S. Army. He has been commissioner of the Carolina Dixie Youth Baseball League for the past 21 years and coached for 25 years. He has two sons and lives in Summerville.

Joe Pye -- With 42 years experience in public education, Pye has been a teacher, administrator, and for the last 12 years, superintendent of Dorchester District 2. While principal at Flowertown Elementary School, he was named SC PTA Principal of the Year and received the Business Partnership Excellence Award for Education. In addition, FES was recognized as a Palmetto’s Finest Award winner, Palmetto’s First Congressional District winner, and Outstanding PTA of the year.

In July 1999 he became Dorchester School District Two Superintendent. Under his leadership, the district has experienced explosive growth with a student population nearing 23,000 and five new schools built, all the while being ranked as one of the top districts in the state. He was named SC Superintendent of the Year in 2012.

He is a past president of the Oakbrook Rotary Club and the Charleston Southern Alumni Board, past chairman of the United Way Educator Committee, and second Vice President of the South Carolina PTA. He is currently chairman of the board for Heritage Trust Federal Credit Union and is a member of the Summerville Exchange Club.

Hazel Parsons-Starkes – Born in Ridgeville, she became the town’s first black female mayor in 1979, serving for three consecutive terms. During her tenure, the town built a municipal government office, annexed Lieber Correctional Institution, developed the Ridgeville Park and Playground, renovated the community center, and partnered with Showa Denko Carbon Inc. In addition, she received the SC Christian Leadership Drum Major for Justice Award, NAACP Humanitarian Award, Governor’s Office Public Service Award, and the Alicia J. Cicenia Distinguished Service Award. She has served as president of the SC Association of Black Mayors, served on Berkeley Charleston Dorchester Council of Governments, and SC Municipal Association Service Board. A lifelong member of Bethel AME Church, she serves on the Clay Hill Middle School Improvement Council and works with other District 4 efforts. She and her husband have 6 children, 26 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren.

Rev. Dr. Lewis Howard Simmons – Born in 1909 in Charleston, he was a talented musician, composer, and music teacher as well as a minister. He and his nephew would travel to New York with the Jenkins Orphanage Band; he would answer the call to ministry and return to Charleston. Initially thought too young to preach, he would first work with Rev. Dr. Willis Brown of Gethsemane Baptist Church, becoming an ordained minister and later receiving an honorary Doctorate in Theology from Grambling Theological Seminary.

He married Sarah Viola Gregory; they had two children. He and his wife founded the Christian Youth Educational Alliance (CYEA) Vocational Institute, which provided the community with a Kindergarten/Day Care Center and taught subjects such as printing, music, woodworking, and adult reading. Later, they founded Emanuel Baptist Church in Summerville. He taught piano and music in Charleston and Summerville and was a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He died in 1971.

Julia Campbell Smith – A graduate of Summerville High School, Claflin College, and Webster University, she has worked with the SC Dept. of Social Services, Pinewood Preparatory School, and currently works with DD2’s Adult Education Learning Center. Active in Northwoods Assembly Church, she has been involved with such organizations as the MLK Choir, Dorchester Rest Home board of trustees, Youth Empowerment Services, and School Summit Committee. She has been recognized by the SC Association of Adult and Community Education as Paraprofessional of the Year for Adult Education and received an award of appreciation from the Civic I Association Foster Parent Association Award. She and husband Louis L. Smith live in Summerville.

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