Information About the Great Golden Gathering - 2015

Word is getting around about the big reunion between all the former African-American high schools later this summer.

People are getting excited about commemorating the 50th anniversary of the closing of the schools, with an historic event called the "Great Golden Gathering - 2015," that remembers the good times and the wonderful educations we and our ancestors received, from the best schools in the region.

The Organizational Committee made up of representatives from the various alumni groups has been been meeting since March 7th, discussing ways to make the Great Golden Gathering a memorable one for both the schools' alumni, their descendants, and their respective communities.  Although there are some organizations that have not been directly involved, nonetheless they are still included because, by default, they are one of the African-American schools.  Pray, the Organizational Committee does not want to leave any alumni associations out, and any schools not contacted yet, are encouraged to please join the Committee.  All opinions and suggestions are welcome.  There are no bad ideas...  all are suggestions to help make the Big Reunion a big success.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Most of the beloved schools closed for integration in 1965 (Swift in 1963, and Douglass-Kingsport 1966), and their combined alumni associations are planning a huge and historic reunion, to reconnect former students who interacted athletically, academically and socially when those schools were the backbone of our communities.  These were African-American schools with fine teachers, who instructed us with loving care.  These schools were the solid rocks of our communities, and by the grace of God, all or most are still standing today.  Many are used as offices, some are community centers much like their roles of yesteryear, some are apartments, but some are empty shells.  Sadly, a few are in fear of the wrecking ball. 

LOCATION AND SCHEDULE

The historic "Great Golden Gathering - 2015" will be Friday August 28, Saturday August 29, and Sunday August 30, 2015.  The location will be the Holiday Inn-Bristol Convention Center, 3005 Linden Drive, Bristol, VA 24202.  The phone number is (276) 466-4100.  We have a special discounted room rate for folks who are spending the night (s).. just mention that you're attending the "Great Golden Gathering - 2015" and you'll get the special room rate.

Plans are for a meet-and-greet session for all the alumni on Friday the 28th.... a picnic with school displays of memorabilia on Saturday afternoon the 29th.... a huge banquet event with speakers on Saturday night the 29th.... and a special church service on Sunday the 30th.  Events on any given day are subject to change and modification. 

COST

The cost to attend is $100 dollars per person, with a $25 dollar non-refundable deposit that helps us secure the venue, food accomodations, entertainment, etc.  The $25 dollar deposit will be deducted from the $100 dollars, leaving only a balance of $75 dollars per person.  The entire $100 is due by August 7th.   Please make your check out to "Great Golden Gathering 2015" and mail it to Great Golden Gathering - 2015, c/o Barbara Watterson, 810 North Hill Drive, Johnson City, TN 37604.  Your name (s) will be placed on the master list, to be checked off on the day of registration.  Sorry, no individual tickets or admittance to the banquet itself by those who have not pre-registered.  This is only fair to those alumni who have.


PROGRAM

The guest speakers for the banquet event on Saturday night are the Honorable Congressman John Lewis of Georgia and the Reverend Jesse Jackson.  Both men are Civil Rights icons, and both marched on either side of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Congressman Lewis, along with Hosea Williams led a peaceful group of 600 protestors across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama 50 years ago who were marching for voting rights and were met by state troopers with batons and billy clubs.  The confrontation is forever known as "Bloody Sunday."  The Reverend Jesse Jackson is forever known as the "Great Unifier," whose Rainbow Coalitions's Operation Push continues to seek justice and equality for the disadvantaged and people of color.

Both men will be honored during the banquet for their diligence, guidance and contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.

Our committees are working on the programs for this historic one-of-a-kind event, including souvenir programs and historic commemorative tee-shirts that can be purchased, along with grab-bags full of free items.  We are also looking for corporate sponsorships to handle certain aspects of the event.  The banquet will be fitting tributes to the legacies of the finest schools in the region. 

IMPORTANCE

The 50th anniversary of any event is special.  These were African-American schools with fine teachers, who instructed us with care and prepared us for the unknown.. a world struggling to accept us as the intelligent people we are.  Our most important Big Reunion goal is to pass this part of our histories to our young people, to pick up the charge and carry the banners of our schools into the next generation.  Our alumni numbers at all of our our beloved schools is dwindling fast, and we don't have a moment to lose.  The Great Golden Gathering - 2015 may be the last and only time that all of us can be together to celebrate the one thing that binds us all.. our friendships and our common school bonds.

CONTACT

For more information, contact the Organizational Committee at douglassriverview@gmail.com or call (423) 847-5139.

Please put the historic Great Golden Gathering event on your late August calendar.  We may not have another chance at history.

THE 15 AFRICAN-AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOLS OF UPPER EAST TENNESSEE -
                                               SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

Bland High School, Big Stone Gap, VA (Central High School & Appalachia Training School)
Douglass High School, Bristol, VA
Slater High School, Bristol, TN
Douglas High School, Elizabethton, TN
Douglass High School, Kingsport, TN
Langston High School, Johnson City, TN
Swift College High School, Rogersville, TN
Arty-Lee High School, Dante, VA
George Clem High School, Greeneville, TN
Morristown College West High School, Morristown, TN
Tanner High School, Newport, TN
Nelson-Merry High School, Jefferson City, TN
Austin High School, Knoxville, Tn

....And all of the associated African-American Elementary Schools in the area, who graduated  students to attend these distinguished High Schools....

Out of the Attic - Kingsport Times News, Sunday, June 28, 2015

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO MAKE IT LARGER

           DOUGLASS HIGH SCHOOL KINGSPORT - CLASS OF 1965 FIFTY YEARS AGO

Pictured in this photo, taken June 8th, 1965, of the graduating class of Douglass High School in Kingsport are (first row from left), Donald Hickman, Eddie Jackson, Huphelia Lollar, Ann Cole, Patricia Bristol, Sarah Turner, Kathryn White, Jewel Davis, Darlene Marble, Jackie Burnette, Sheridan Robinette, Donald Perry, Larry Bowers, (second row from left) Melrose Dobbins, Linda Miller, Phyllis Horton, Delores Hale, Carolyn Dulaney, William Hickman, Eugene Kincaid, Pamela Rutledge, Carolyn Reece, Andra Watterson, and John Lewis.  

Submitted to the Kingsport Times-News by Sheridan Robinette

ALSO IN THE DOUGLASS CLASS OF '65

Harry Truelove

IN MEMORIUM DOUGLASS OF 1965

                                                                    David Releford

                                                                   Lorraine Worley

                                         DOUGLASS CLASS OF '65 CLASS OFFICERS

                                                     President...................... Jewel Davis
                                                  Vice President.............. Patricia Bristol
                                                     Secretary...................... Linda Miller
                                                  Assistant Secretary...... Jackie Burnette
                                                  Treasurer..................... Kathryn White

Central Baptist Church To Hold Memorial Service For Charleston Victims

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

The Central Baptist Church is holding a special memorial service on Sunday evening, to pay respects to the nine people killed during last week's shootings in Charleston, SC.

Janet Russaw, a member of Central Baptist who suggested the service, said the entire community is invited to attend.  "We are a community that needs and wants to become united and mourn the loss of nine innocent lives," Russaw says.  "We feel like a great place to start is with churches and reaching out to each other."

On June 17th, 21-year old Dylann Roof shot and killed nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the oldest Black churches in the United States.  Victims include the church's senior pastor and South Carolina state senator, Reverend Clementa Pinckney.

Russaw, who has been a member of Central Baptist for about 15 years, says she has been moved by the tragic events of that day, and felt the need to do something to help others and herself, find peace.

"I think it goes back to the Christian Faith, loving one's neighbors and having a relationship with them," she said.  "The way you begin to find your peace is to know one another."

The service will be in reverence to the victims, and will be prayer-driven, Russaw said.

"We're going to pray for the nine lives lost, their families and the church, which lost a pastor," Russaw said.  "That would impact your church, any way you look at it.  It would leave a hole.  "We're also going to pray for its membership, the city, our city, our nation and the world."

Central Baptist is located at 301 Carver Street in the Riverview Community and the service will begin at 6 PM on June 28th.  Typically, the church will hold around 300 people and Russaw says she hopes the sanctuary will be standing room only.

"I hope people are standing outside, wanting to get in.  I want us to overflow, even if we overflow into the street, to show our love and support," she said.   "We want the entire community to come out and be a force, to show the world that our city is full of loving, caring people."


HEAR THE EULOGY GIVEN BY PRESIDENT OBAMA FOR SLAIN MOTHER EMANUEL AME CHURCH PASTOR, REVEREND CLEMENTA PINCKNEY IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA:




AND HEAR PRESIDENT OBAMA LEAD THE MOURNERS IN "AMAZING GRACE:"



BOTH CLIPS COURTESY PBS

Remember This?

November 24, 2007.....
The impending demolition of the historic Riverview Apartments....
Former residents gathered one last time to say goodbye to the homes they lived in, some grew up in.....

CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO MAKE IT LARGER

The Lighting of Riverview: The Sun May Rise From Both East and West

CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM LARGER


It's going to be the glow that seems to come from infinity.  And you'll be able to see it from all over Kingsport.

And for some folks... from their own backyards.

With the opening of the Clay Hill Ballfields at Brickyard Park, folks in nearby Riverview have been adjusting to the sun coming up from the west, instead of the east.

The "sun"... being the new lighting system that illuminates the 4 ballfields should any game on the fields runs after dark.

"They are pretty bright, I'll agree with you," says Kingsport Parks and Recreation manager Kitty Frazier.  "The poles are more than 80 to 90 feet tall, and so you will see the lights from above the tree line.  They have to be, to shine over the entire field."

But Frazier says, the direct light is on the field, not on Riverview.

"We took great care to aim the bulk of the lights as much as we can, onto the fields of play," she says.  "They do have shields on them, and even with that, there will be that visual view from a distance."

"You are going to see them."

At right, Dunbar Street from Louis Street

We got a first-look at what folks are seeing.  On a trip home to Riverview, this reporter arrived at 2 o'clock in the morning, to a glow that could be seen from Wilcox Boulevard out by Meadowview.  The glow got more concentrated on the approach to the Wilcox bridges over the river, and then localized to the ballfields.  It was then, the assumption was made by this reporter that the city 'must be testing the new ballfield lighting.'

It was a darn good test.

At left, Louis Street, at Douglass Street

There wasn't a location in the Riverview neighborhood the lights were not seen from.     From Dunbar Street.... to Douglass Street.... to Carver Street.... over to Louis Street.... even down to Wheatley Street and MLK Drive.  The new ballfield lights provided an eerie midnight glow in Riverview, and a unique match to the constant hum from nearby Eastman.

"If you look at the lighting at J. Fred Johnson Stadium, you can also see those lights from all over Kingsport," Frazier says.  "It's the same scenario.. those light poles are tall indeed."

At right:  Vicki Smith's house and yard illuminated

Several Riverview backyards were lit up, especially those along Dunbar Street.

Will the ballfield lighting be a bother?  Depends on who you talk to.

"It does light up the neighborhood," says Vicki Smith who lives on Dunbar.  "But I think it deters any bad activities from happening.  If my backyard is lit up, I'm gonna see anybody back there.  I'm pretty sure they don't want to be seen.  Any time the ballfield lights are on at night, there's that chance that somebody that's up to no good is gonna get seen."

At left:  Ronald Taylor' home (right in picture)

Another Dunbar Street resident, Ronald Taylor, doesn't share that opinion.

"We are the closest to the low spot where the lights are," he says.  "I won't say 'daylight,' but it is pretty bright.  We have to close doors and put up shaded draperies to keep the light out.  Even my mom at 97 years old with her failing eyesight has noticed it.   She looked out the window one night and said 'there's light out there.'  Even she could tell there was a difference."

The Clay Hill Ballfield lights, as seen from the V.O. Dobbins Community Center, Carver Street

"We're continuing to check for impact," Frazier says.  "The lights can still be adjusted, although I don't know how much more.  They shouldn't really light up someone's backyard, and that's something that we'll still be looking into.   If neighbors have any concerns, all they have to do is let us know."

Frazier says, lighting the fields won't happen every single night, and probably not all night long after games, except to test them.


CLICK THE "PLAY" ARROW BELOW TO SEE A SLIDE SHOW OF "THE LIGHTING OF RIVERVIEW, AND CLICK YOUR AUDIO SPEAKER ON:

AT LEFT, THE LARGEST BALLFIELD THAT IS ON HOLD.. IT WON'T BE DEVELOPED AS A FIELD AT THIS TIME.

But lighting may not be the only concern.

Nobody knows about the noise level from the Clay Hill ballfields.  Yet.

"With the sound, especially if the stands are full, there's no way to tell yet what the sound level is going to be," she says.  "There's no knowing it will seem noisy with all the activity over there, and how well the sound is going to carry.  A baseball field is not like a football field with a band and a lot of cheering.  There might be sporadic cheering, a crack of the bat, maybe somebody 'yayying,' but that's about it."

BUT MORE LIGHTING TO COME

And then.... the lighting of the historic Douglass Ballfield may complete "the lighting of Riverview."

You may have noticed huge, long concrete poles on the grounds of the ballfield at the V.O. Dobbins, Sr. Complex, on the community center side at MLK Drive. 

We've seen those poles before.

"They are the poles that used to be at the Eastman ballfields on Wilcox," says Frazier.  "They were taken down because of the new Eastman building that's going up there.  They could not go up at Brickyard Park because the new fields have a different kind of surface to light.  Those old lights just didn't fit and we thought 'well , since we got 'em and Eastman is willing to donate them, rather than destroy them, we looked around for a nice place to move them to."

THE DOUGLASS BALLFIELD


The choice was fairly easy.  The generations-old field at V.O. Dobbins was Frazier's first choice.

"The wooden poles at the Riverview ballfield are old," she says.  "A few years ago, I had someone in the lighting business look at those poles just to check them out.  They felt like they were reasonably stabilized... most people don't know just by looking at them that those poles are actually about 10 feet in the ground.  What you see above ground, doesn't represent how much is underground.  There is a substantial underpinning on all of those poles, but let's face it... they're all unsightly.  Again, they're old and they look out of place with all the new homes, the new additions to the community center, and the shelters."



One of them, in particular.  It's got a 'mean lean' that rivals the curve in any road.

"As for that one pole," Frazier says, "I can't say that it won't fall one day, but the guys who checked it out felt that even though it was leaning, it was not going to fall over because there is too much stability in the ground.  Plus, the pole is pretty solid for a wooden pole.  Still though, it doesn't give a good impression with that lean."

"The idea is to replace all those wooden poles with the concrete poles and the higher quality lighting, which would be astheticly more pleasing, along with underground lighting," she says.  "Now that the poles are there, that's what we'd like to do."

Frazier says, putting the poles won't come cheap, probably somewhere in the 'thousands of dollars,' and there's no timetable 'cemented in stone' yet.

"It's not a cheap project," she says, "even if you have the equipment on hand.  Luckily, we didn't have to move them very far and that's a good thing.. having them already near where they were going to go up, is the way to go.  They're concrete, they won't deteriorate in the weather and they're too heavy to move anywhere else, plus the Douglass Ballfield needs them."

"It's a perfect match."

CONCRETE POLE FACTOIDS

8 poles, made for Eastman Chemical Company
Date of Manufacturer:  July 7, 1995
Substance:  Concrete over hollow shell
Length of each pole:  69 feet, 6 inches
Length of each pole underground: 10 feet
Weight of each pole:  7,615 pounds
Total weight: 60,920 pounds

RIVERVIEW FROM DALE STREET ALLEY: 

LIGHTED DOUGLASS BALLFIELD ON LEFT, LIGHTED CLAY HILL BALLFIELDS ON RIGHT

As for the 'lighting of Riverview,' there may come a nighttime when there could be two activities at Riverview's two ballfields.... one on the Clay Hill ballfields on the west side of the neighborhood and another on the eastside's Douglass Ballfield.

The resulting light would most likely illuminate every yard in the community.

"That's an interesting thought," Frazier mused.  "I hadn't thought about that.  But for now, let's concentrate on Brickyard Park and aiming the lights so they won't be intrusive to the neighborhood.  Then, we'll get the wooden poles replaced with the concrete ones on the Douglass ballfield, and then aim those lights in the same manner.  Those are the top priorities right now."

And again, keep in mind, Frazier says.  The ballfield lights won't be on all the time.

RIVERVIEW, FROM THE CLAY HILL BALLFIELDS


Frazier took time to marvel at the changes that have transformed Riverview.. changes she feels, are for the best.

"We did so many things to rejuvenate the whole neighborhood," she says, "the housing, the community center renovation, the non-profit tower, the playground, the splash pad... it's as much to do with what changed, as an attitude of pride.  Many communities would love to have the changes the city took on, to help people in Riverview know and feel how special and vital their neighborhood is."

"I'd like to think, with all the new lighting, that we 'lit a fire' of pride in the community."

Sons and Daughters of Douglass Board Pre-Reunion Meeting

Please don't forget, the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Board will be meeting this coming Saturday, June 27th.

THE MEETING WILL START AT 2:00 PM, INSTEAD OF 1:00 PM.

This will be our last meeting before the Reunion, so your presence is greatly needed.

We will be meeting in the Eastman Board Room at the V.O. Dobbins, Sr. Complex.


Douglas S. Releford
Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni President

You're Invited to the Ribbon-Cutting to Brickyard Park!

CLICK ON THE PICTURES BELOW TO ENLARGE THEM - RIVERVIEW IS IN THE UPPER LEFT CORNER ON THE PICTURE ON THE LEFT; ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PICTURE BELOW






All residents of Riverview and Alumni of Douglass Elementary-High School are invited to attend the ribbon-cutting that opens up Brickyard Park.

The event will be held on Thursday, July 2nd, 2015 at 10:30 AM.  If you want to go up Clay Hill by walking up from Dunbar Street like we used to, that's fine (your website editor will be doing that LOL), but if you want to come in like other folk, come down Industry Drive and turn in at the old brickyard entrance, then take the first right turn to get to the ceremony.

The "Clay Hill Ballfields" are the marquee attraction on the site of historic Clay Hill, once the "unofficial playground" of nearby Riverview residents for generations.

We, as alumni, neighbors and former Clay Hill playgrounders need attend the ribbon-cutting in full force, and celebrate this new chapter in our former playground's history.

The project, beset by construction delays because of bad weather in the spring and fall, will open in July for softball and baseball games.   These fields replace the former Eastman Ballfields on Wilcox Boulevard, now under construction for Eastman Chemical's new Project Inspire headquarters expansion.

Denark Construction of Knoxville was the builder of the new ballfields.


CLICK PLAY BELOW TO HEAR PROJECT SUPERVISOR TIM MORGAN OF DENARK CONSTRUCTION, TALKING ABOUT "THE CLAY HILL BALLFIELDS AT BRICKYARD PARK:"

Plans for the Douglass Reunion Are Complete!

Grab your Douglass Tigers pom-pom....... rev your enthusiam up......, and get ready for the 2015 Sons and Daughters of Douglass Reunion.

The homecoming will be Friday July 3rd, Saturday July 4th, and Sunday July 5th.  The registration fee is $50.00.  Make your checks out to:  Sons and Daughters of Douglass, Inc.
Please send them to:

Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association
301 Louis Street, Ste. 104
Kingsport, Tn 37660


Here's the Reunion Program (copy for your records):


FRIDAY, JULY 3RD

5 PM
Registration and Meet-N-Greet (light hors d'oervrs)
Douglass Room, V.O. Dobbins Community Center

9:45ish PM  4th of July Fireworks, Cement Hill, Downtown Kingsport


SATURDAY, JULY 4TH

8 AM  Golf Outing
Warriors Path State Park
John Hardy, 423-817-3314

11 AM Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Picnic
Eastman Cabin, Shelter #9
Food catered by Broad Street Barbeque, Kingsport

1 PM  Barge trip on the Bays Mountain Lake, Bays Mountain Park (15 people)

2 PM  Barge trip on the Bays Mountain Lake, Bays Mountain Park (15 people)

9 PM  Alumni Dance, Elks Club, MLK Drive (Lincoln Street)


SUNDAY, JULY 5TH

11 AM  Church of your choice

2 PM  Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Memorial Service
Douglass Room, V.O. Dobbins Community Center
Speaker:  Donald Hickman

5 PM  Reunion After-Party
O'Charley's, Eastman Road

2015 Little Miss Vision Pageant

CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM LARGER


Congratulations to all of the 2015 Little Miss Vision Pageant contestants for an excellent and beautiful program at the Kingsport Renaissance Center on Saturday, June 13, 2015:

Z'Mya (Izzy) Jean Baptiste

My'Yon Lanier

Kaylee Grace Hughes

Saraya Faith Hughes

Rayne Locklayer

Rajah Locklayer




Miss Congeniality: Rayah Locklayer

2nd Runner-up: Z'Mya (Izzy) Jean Baptiste

1st Runner-up: Saraya Faith Hughes







And a huge congratulations to the winner, Little Miss Vision 2015: Rajah Locklayer

 CLICK BELOW TO SEE A SLIDESHOW OF THE 2015 LITTLE MISS VISION PAGEANT

(and make sure your audio speaker is ON)

Sons and Daughters of Douglass Board Meeting on Saturday

The Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Board will meet on June 13, 2015, at 1:00 pm at the V.O.
Dobbins, Sr. Complex. Please plan to attend we need to finalize plans for the upcoming Reunion slated for July 3, 4, and 5th. Your attendance is greatly needed.


Douglas S. Releford

Douglass Reunion Plans

Plans for the Douglass Reunion are progressing.

The event is scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 3rd, 4th and 5th in Kingsport.

Plans are for a meet-and-greet for returning Douglass alumni and alumni in the community for Friday night, July 3rd.  The event will be held in the Douglass Community Room at the V.O. Dobbins, Sr. Complex.

Instead of a gathering in the Douglass Ball Field, the Reunion's Field Day will be a picnic at the Eastman Cabin at Bays Mountain Park on the Fourth of July afternoon.  Efforts are also underway to have a barge tour on the Kingsport Reservoir at the Bays Mountain Planetarium.

That night features a banquet with music, also held in the Douglass Community Room.

Sunday's events on July 5th include attending the church of your choice that morning, then the Douglass Memorial Service in the Douglass Community Room.

Thanks to everyone who have notified the Alumni Board of their plans to attend, and a reminder that if you haven't done so, please let the Board know so that enough food can be ordered.  You can do that by emailing our Board Secretary Vicki Smith at secretarydhs@gmail.com

Also, a reminder that dues for the upcoming operational year for the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association are payable now.  Please don't forget that the Board needs all former Douglass alumni and all descendants of Douglass alumni to pay dues and maintain the Association's programs.
Please mail your dues to:

Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association
301 Louis Street, Ste. 104
Kingsport, TN 37660

Thank you!

Little Miss Vision Pageant Coming Up!

The annual Little Miss Vision Pageant will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2015 at 7 PM.

The location will be the Kingsport Rennaisance Center Theater.

It's the 12th year for this wonderful pageant, featuring young girls from our community as they learn poise, placement and politeness.

Tickets are on sale right now, and the Little Miss Vision organization is tax exempt.

A qualifying senior always gets a donation to help with their school books every year.

Please come out and support this worthwhile community project!

Information about the "Great Golden Gathering - 2015"

Word is getting around about the big reunion between all the former African-American high schools later this summer.

People are getting excited about commemorating the 50th anniversary of the closing of the schools, with an historic event called the "Great Golden Gathering - 2015," that remembers the good times and the wonderful educations we and our ancestors received, from the best schools in the region.

The Organizational Committee made up of representatives from the various alumni groups has been been meeting since March 7th, discussing ways to make the Great Golden Gathering a memorable one for both the schools' alumni, their descendants, and their respective communities.  Although there are some organizations that have not been directly involved, nonetheless they are still included because, by default, they are one of the African-American schools.  Pray, the Organizational Committee does not want to leave any alumni associations out, and any schools not contacted yet, are encouraged to please join the Committee.  All opinions and suggestions are welcome.  There are no bad ideas...  all are suggestions to help make the Big Reunion a big success.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Most of the beloved schools closed for integration in 1965 (Swift in 1963, and Douglass-Kingsport 1966), and their combined alumni associations are planning a huge and historic reunion, to reconnect former students who interacted athletically, academically and socially when those schools were the backbone of our communities.  These were African-American schools with fine teachers, who instructed us with loving care.  These schools were the solid rocks of our communities, and by the grace of God, all or most are still standing today.  Many are used as offices, some are community centers much like their roles of yesteryear, some are apartments, but some are empty shells.  Sadly, a few are in fear of the wrecking ball. 

LOCATION AND SCHEDULE

The historic "Great Golden Gathering - 2015" will be Friday August 28, Saturday August 29, and Sunday August 30, 2015.  The location will be the Holiday Inn-Bristol Convention Center, 3005 Linden Drive, Bristol, VA 24202.  The phone number is (276) 466-4100.  We have a special discounted room rate for folks who are spending the night (s).. just mention that you're attending the "Great Golden Gathering - 2015" and you'll get the special room rate.

Plans are for a meet-and-greet session for all the alumni on Friday the 28th.... a picnic with school displays of memorabilia on Saturday afternoon the 29th.... a huge banquet event with speakers on Saturday night the 29th.... and a special church service on Sunday the 30th.  Events on any given day are subject to change and modification. 

COST

The cost to attend is $100 dollars per person, with a $25 dollar non-refundable deposit due by June 15th (this helps us secure the venue, food accomodations, entertainment, etc.), but if you want to pay the whole amount, that would be wonderful and helpful.  The $25 dollar deposit will be deducted from the $100 dollars, leaving only a balance of $75 dollars per person.  Please make your check out to "Great Golden Gathering 2015" and mail it to Great Golden Gathering - 2015, c/o Barbara Watterson, 810 North Hill Drive, Johnson City, TN 37604.  Your name (s) will be placed on the master list, to be checked off on the day of registration.

PROGRAM

Our committees are working on the programs for this historic one-of-a-kind event, including souvenir programs and historic commemorative tee-shirts that can be purchased, along with grab-bags full of free items.  We are also looking for corporate sponsorships to handle certain aspects of the event.  The banquet will feature speakers and historic addresses, fitting tributes to the legacies of the finest schools in the region. 

IMPORTANCE

The 50th anniversary of any event is special.  These were African-American schools with fine teachers, who instructed us with care and prepared us for the unknown.. a world struggling to accept us as the intelligent people we are.  Our most important Big Reunion goal is to pass this part of our histories to our young people, to pick up the charge and carry the banners of our schools into the next generation.  Our alumni numbers at all of our our beloved schools is dwindling fast, and we don't have a moment to lose.  The Great Golden Gathering - 2015 may be the last and only time that all of us can be together to celebrate the one thing that binds us all.. our friendships and our common school bonds.

CONTACT

For more information, contact the Organizational Committee at douglassriverview@gmail.com or call (423) 847-5139.

Please put the historic Great Golden Gathering event on your late August calendar.  We may not have another chance at history.

THE 15 AFRICAN-AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOLS OF UPPER EAST TENNESSEE -
                                               SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

Bland High School, Big Stone Gap, VA (Central High School & Appalachia Training School)
Douglass High School, Bristol, VA
Slater High School, Bristol, TN
Douglas High School, Elizabethton, TN
Douglass High School, Kingsport, TN
Langston High School, Johnson City, TN
Swift College High School, Rogersville, TN
Arty-Lee High School, Dante, VA
George Clem High School, Greeneville, TN
Morristown College West High School, Morristown, TN
Tanner High School, Newport, TN
Nelson-Merry High School, Jefferson City, TN
Austin High School, Knoxville, Tn

....And all of the associated African-American Elementary Schools in the area, who graduated  students to attend these distinguished High Schools....