Back to School Celebration in Riverview

The Kids Back to School Celebration on Saturday, July 25, 2009 was a rousing success.

The annual event was held in the Douglass Ballfield next to the Riverview Splash Pad, because its usual home, the V.O. Dobbins Community Center gym is undergoing renovations.


To see pictures from the celebration, click Riverview Back to School Celebration 2009.

The celebration is sponsored every year by the Kingsport Weed and Seed office of the South Central Kingsport Community Development Corporation.

"Every year during the summer, Weed and Seed gets a supply list from the Kingsport city school system," says Jeannie Hodge of the local Weed and Seed office. "It's a list of what every student will need to at least start every grade level from kindergarten to 12th grade. The Weed and Seed office then goes out and either purchases those materials or tries to get them donated, so our students will be ready for classes."


At the event, kids get pizza and soft drinks. The kids enjoyed that, and they also liked getting to know their fellow students, some of whom they hadn't seen all summer long. The kids and their parents filled out forms, picked up their school supplies and then hit the pizza and drinks.

They also got a tee-shirt and a backpack with all of their supplies inside.



Also joining in the celebration with exhibits were the local Headstart office, whose classes have temporarily been relocated to the old Dickson School while the Dobbins Center renovations are being done... and the local Drug Task Force walk-through trailer, whose displays and demonstrations on illegal drug use and prevention is always a big hit with visiting children.



With the Splash Pad so close by, the kids could not resist getting wet. "Those that were dressed for swimming, went from the pizza to the water," says Jeannie. Plenty of them were not dressed for it, but if their parents didn't mind, it was hot enough for them to get wet fully clothed. When the clouds came in and the wind blew a little, some of the kids got cooled off with their wet clothes, but they sure did enjoy it."

Douglass Alumni Board Trustees Meeting

The Douglass Alumni Association will have its next meeting at 1:00 p.m., at St. Mark United Methodist Church on August 1, 2009. It will be "POT LUCK".

Details to be announced. Please make plans to attend.
The meeting will also be televised on the Douglass Website, www.sonsanddaughtersofdouglass.org

--Board President Doug Releford

Pastor Ricardo Dorcean: Taking the "Central" Message to the Community

He is relatively young, by today's ministerial standards..

But 28-year-old Ricardo Dorcean is on a mission, and he's following in the footsteps of his elders.. that is, to continue leading followers of the Gospel to understand the true meaning of God's Word.



Reverend Dorcean has just ascended to the pastorship of the Central Baptist Church in Kingsport, Riverview-South Central's oldest church, and although he says he cannot predict the church's direction, his plans are to keep it wherever the Lord leads it.

The Haitian native sat down with the Douglass website, for his first interview, right after his very first sermon in Central's pulpit.

Click here to see a slideshow of the historic event.

"I am so excited about coming here," says Reverend Dorcean. "It's something that I feel God himself ordained, especially from the way it occurred. I am looking forward to whatever God wants me to do here."



EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, 2 MILES FROM NEWARK

Born in Haiti, Ricardo Dorcean grew up and graduated high school on the tough streets of East Orange, New Jersey, outside Newark. He remembers those streets as being very straight-forward, in-your-face and strict.

"Where I was raised," he says, "it wasn't the popular thing to do, to read the Bible and lean on its teachings. Sometimes, I would even try to avoid it, because most classmates and friends just didn't believe it, or buy into it, and they would tease you a lot about it. But I always had a sense that the calling was there, that an inner voice was saying, 'trust in me, and I will give you peace.'

"I really got depressed," he says. "I felt under-appreciated for what I was going through. I even thought about just ending it all, because of the emptiness I was feeling, and my friends that I grew up with, weren't helping. I felt that I wasn't appreciated for who I was. But somewhere in the depths of despair, the Holy Ghost spoke to me CLEARLY, and said 'your time is not yet, there is work for you to do. I wasn't sure what that work was."

"The first thing I thought, was 'man, I can't believe that He's calling me to do this."

"What was strange to me," says Reverend Dorcean, "was, the more I tried to move away from it, the more I started hearing the message, and finally I just stopped resisting because for me, it was the right thing to do."


"And then, God started putting me in positions where I had to speak on his behalf, I had to minister to others," he says. "I had to speak God's Word to people. Everywhere I would turn, I was ministering to somebody. As time when on, the Lord was sharing with me what he needed me to do."

"You know I was raised in the church," he says, "and I would think 'Lord, I still can't believe that You're choosing me. It was overwhelming to be, being God's Servant in that fashion, handing that responsibility of speaking for God was, in a sense, exciting. It was fearful sometimes, too, with the emotions I went through."

Reverend Dorcean continued finding his faith and his calling at Virginia Union University in Richmond.

DR. JOHN KINNEY, DEAN OF THEOLOGY, VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY, RICHMOND

"When I was in school," Reverend Dorcean says, "I heard one of my professors, Dean John Kinney preach during class..he's the Dean of Theology there. During his teachings, he used all these words which I had never heard before. It immediately caught my eye and ear. But as he was preaching, he also gave you examples of what the words meant. I was fascinated by that, I was intrigued by what he was saying. Even though I had never heard the words before, the fact that he was explaining them as he was going along was just fascinating. You were able to understand everything he saying.. the most amazing thing I had ever heard."

After graduation, armed with a Bachelors degree (2003), and eventually a Master's degree in Divinity (2006), Reverend Dorcean found his plate full.

PASTOR KEVIN SYKES, ST. JAMES BAPTIST CHURCH, RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

"At the St. James Baptist Church, Pastor Kevin Sykes spread my name around, really helped me out a lot. I was always preaching somewhere on Sunday. He really helped me get started. My parents had moved to Virginia, and I became very active in the ministerial spotlight in the area, since I already had my license to preach."



PASTOR TERRY STREETER, MOUNT PLEASANT BAPTIST CHURCH, WASHINGTON, D.C.

"Then, when I moved to Washington, D.C., I was introduced to Pastor Terry Streeter at the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, and man, we just connected. From Day One, it seemed the Lord brought us together. I don't know why Pastor Streeter found favor with me, but he pushed me to the limits of what a minister is supposed to do..he also put my name around the D.C. area. I was only in D.C. for a couple of months, but it was a very busy couple of months, ministering and preaching quite a bit. He saw where I was going and realized I needed to be ordained. He doesn't ordain easily, but he must have seen something in me because he got the pastors together in Washington, we had a service and man, it was awesome. The Spirit of God was moving through that service, no hindrances, no blocks..the Holy Spirit guided us through the entire service. We all then just waited for the divine call."

"And then, I was called to Central."

Rev. Dorcean and his new wife Chaka just completed their move to Kingsport.


So, what kind of preacher is Reverend Ricardo Dorcean? Click Reverend Dorcean's First Central Sermon to hear an excerpt of Reverend Dorcean's very first sermon at Central.

"I am expository, very demonstrative," he says. "I like to use life experiences, as lessons in faith. I'm very structured, and I have certain structures that I use when I'm preaching. If you have good structure, it helps the followers, the listeners, the Believers in the Word, to follow more succinctly. I love to follow the Word of God, to sense what he wants to say, even in the midst of the structure. I'm passionate, excitable and easy to follow, especially if your faith is wavering. Even today, I still make the sermon easy to understand, just like Dean Kinney in school. I want to invite people to learn and provide them vocabulary, then break that down into examples so they can understand the Word. It's an excellent teaching tool that Dean Kinney taught."


Reverend Dorcean also uses prayer as power. Click Reverend Dorcean's First Central Prayer to hear Reverend Dorcean's first prayer ever at Central.

"Prayer is the basic key that unlocks the Doors to the Kingdom of Heaven," he says. "It's not just me speaking about him, it's also about Him speaking through his followers. The prayer line, the devotional, the meditation is so very important. Prayer is the Power Source, how you communicate to God and how he responds through the Holy Ghost. There's a story in the Bible where the disciples couldn't cast out the demon from a boy, even though they kept trying. And Jesus told them, they had not spent enough time in prayer and fasting. It's communication with God that strengthens you, and gives you to strength to cast out demons or whatever comes your way. If the church ever gets away from praying, I feel it automatically loses its power, in my opinion."

"If we don't do anything else, we have to maintain that lifeline of prayer in the church."


In what direction does Reverend Dorcean see Central Baptist Church going?

"Where we go, is dependent upon God leading us there," he says. "I will follow God's Plan, because upon this rock his church was built. We have wonderful ministries, particularly the Manna ministries..that is an amazing ministry the church does. Central Baptist has a devoted following, and one of the things they do best is be active in the community. Every community needs the church to be the beacon of light, the main support system that people can lean on. I automatically knew how connected these folks are to God, when, during the process of coming here, one church lady told me 'Reverend Dorcean, I think God's gonna get you here whether we like it or not, and then she smiled at me. That was a clear indication to me that this connection is not human, it's divine orchestration. I thank God for their faith and their inspiration to let Him work his will, calling me as Pastor."

"I feel that we will work well together," says Reverend Dorcean. "As God leads us, we will follow, and rally others around us. Continuing to meet the spiritual needs of people."

"I feel that is our calling."

Tarheel of the Week: Wake Star Left Basketball for Bank

A BIG THANKS TO DOT CALLOWAY FOR GIVING ME THE 'HEADS-UP' ON THIS ARTICLE ABOUT ONE OF OUR OWN!

THIS STORY COURTESY THE RALEIGH (NC) NEWS AND OBSERVER


Simpson O. "Skip" Brown Jr.

POSITION: President and CEO, TriStone Community Bank in Winston-Salem

BIRTHPLACE: Kingsport, Tenn., Jan. 21, 1955

EDUCATION: B.A. in sociology, which Brown jokes is "the art of making the obvious sound profound," and M.B.A., both from Wake Forest University

DEMON DEACONS BASKETBALL CAREER: Played point guard; four-year starter, 1974-1977; two-time All-America; fifth in all-time scoring with 2,034 points; second in career assists with 579; holds school record of 43 consecutive free throws.

CAREER: Former senior vice president at Bank of America; vice president of consumer loans at First Federal Savings & Loan in Winston-Salem

FAMILY: Wife, Minda Brown; daughters Maya Elizabeth, 16, and Samantha Anne, 15.

CIVIC ACTIVITES: Chairman, N.C. Bankers Association; serves on the boards of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Winston-Salem Business Inc. and CycleSafe.

OUTSIDE INTERESTS: Bicycling -- his goal is to bike 150 miles a week -- and golf.


Wake star left basketball for bank
By DAVID RANII, RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER


WINSTON-SALEM -- Skip Brown displays numerous photos of his wife and daughters in his modest office at TriStone Community Bank, but not a single memento from his years as an All-America basketball player at Wake Forest University.
"I think he wants to be recognized as a banker, not as a ballplayer," says Mark Evans, the bank's executive vice president.

And so he is. Brown, the founder and CEO of TriStone -- a young, up-and-coming Winston-Salem bank with two branches -- recently was elected chairman of the North Carolina Bankers Association, which represents 144 banks.

"He is very well-liked and respected," said Paul Stock, the association's executive vice president. "That's a big piece of how you become chairman of an organization like this."

Brown's goals include raising bankers' awareness of -- and participation in -- the association, which leads the industry's lobbying efforts. "Collectively, the NCBA is the voice that can make things happen," he says.

Although the industry's image has suffered some body blows -- blame heavy losses by some banks and the subprime mortgage mess -- Brown says he isn't overly concerned.

"Banks do an awful lot of good in all the communities we serve, particularly community banks," he says. "We help individuals and business reach their goals."

It's been a steep climb from the public housing projects of Kingsport, Tennessee, for Brown, who is 6 feet tall and 185 pounds, just 10 pounds heavier than when he was setting scoring records as a Demon Deacons point guard in the mid-1970s. He long ago shed the Afro he sported then, and at age 54 his short-cropped hair sports just a tinge of gray.

After nearly 20 years as an executive at Bank of America, Brown chose to strike out on his own and raised more than $16 million from investors to form TriStone in 2004. "I've always enjoyed being in leadership roles," Brown says. "When I played basketball, I was in a leadership role."

But TriStone's days as an independent bank could end soon. TriStone's board of directors decided to solicit acquisition offers late last year and, in April, Virginia-based First Community Bancshares agreed to purchase TriStone for stock valued at $9 million.

"I'm very proud of what we accomplished," Brown says. "At the same time, you have to think of the long-term.

"The management and the board made a strategic decision to partner up with a bank that would generate the long-term returns that we think our shareholders deserve," he says. "The regulatory environment is very difficult, and it is going to get more difficult. The economic environment, I don't think we have seen the worst of that yet. The bigger you are, the better it is going to be when you try to weather these storms."

Brown would become a regional president at First Community if the acquisition wins shareholder approval.

Unfortunately, the Virginia bank deal has put Brown at odds with his mentor, William B. Greene Jr., chairman of the Bank of Tennessee's corporate parent.

Greene's bank is TriStone's largest shareholder and last month sent fellow shareholders a letter arguing that the price is too low and urging them to vote against the deal. Shareholders are scheduled to vote on the deal July 30.

Greene said he loves Brown -- "I would take a bullet for Skip" -- but hates the deal.

TriStone wasn't profitable in its early years, as is typical for a start-up, but Greene argues that the bank recently turned the corner and is being sold at a time when bank stocks, including TriStone, are at an ebb.

"They just made $132,000 in the first quarter," he says. "Why would you sell now? This is the worst time to sell."

SKIP BROWN, MRS. WILSON'S 1ST GRADE CLASS, DOUGLASS SCHOOL, 1962


SKIP BROWN, WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACON, ALL ACC FIRST TEAM, 1977


SKIP BROWN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, TRI-STONE COMMUNITY BANK, WINSTON-SALEM, NC
CHAIRMAN, NORTH CAROLINA BANKERS ASSOCIATION, 2009-2010

Mark your calendars!

Tennessee Sales Tax Holiday - Aug 7-10, 2009


Be sure to check www.KingsportDeals.com for specials!

For details on Tennessee's tax holiday, go to: http://tennessee.gov/revenue/salestaxholiday/

Wrestling Event to Benefit Shriners Hospitals’ Efforts

Wrestling promoter Jeff Tankersly was inspired by the efforts of 9-year-old Savion Jamar to collect money for the Shriners.

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By KEVIN CASTLE
kcastle@timesnews.net

KINGSPORT — Savion Jamar cherishes a tackle in a football game or a hit in T-ball probably more than his teammates. The fight to walk, then run, defines his stand in life.
Savion, 9, of Kingsport was born with a clubfoot and has gone through several surgeries at the Lexington, Ky., Shriners Hospital since he was 1 year old.

Photo by Kevin Castle —kcastle@timesnews.net

Savion Jamar, 9, and his grandmother, Veronica Kemp, have collected thousands of aluminum pull tabs to help raise funds for Shriners Hospitals. Savion has undergone several operations to repair a clubfoot, and he collects the tabs as a way to pay back the organization.

Now his physical condition has improved dramatically, and his mental capacities are totally focused on helping kids who have to go through the same things he did and the organization that took him back and forth to surgery and doctor’s visits.
“I’m paying them back for what they did for me, and I want other kids to get the help I did,” said Savion, who is away at summer camp this week.
For several years, Savion has been collecting aluminum can pull tabs for Shriners Hospitals, which recycle the tabs for money that goes directly back into patient care and equipment purchases.
“I’ve seen him dive into trash cans for them,” said his grandmother, Veronica Kemp.
“He sees somebody with a pop can, he makes sure he gets the tab off of it. I just can’t believe the drive he has to do this. He’s just so passionate about it, and him only 9. I guess it just says a lot about what kind of kid he is. He’s my baby, but there’s more to him.”
Savion caught the eye of local businessman and wrestling promoter Jeff Tankersly last week during Fun Fest when the youngster was out finding and collecting can tabs, so Tankersly has decided to help the fourth-grader and Shriners financially.
An evening of professional wrestling featuring World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famer Ric Flair at MeadowView Conference Resort and Convention Center on Friday will have a portion of the gate re- ceipts donated to area Shriners officials, Tankersly said Tuesday.
“I just thought it was such a great thing that Savion was doing that I wanted to help him someway. Wrestling is what I do, and I know our fans are the best at helping people out, so we hope people will come out because it will help these kids,” Tankersly said.
Children who come to MeadowView on Friday between 3 and 5 p.m. with 15 or more pull tabs will receive a ticket good for free admission at the Shrine Circus coming to Freedom Hall in Johnson City in October.
For more information on Friday’s show, visit: www.jtsport events.com.
More information on the Shriners Hospital/Aluminum Can Pull Tab Drive is available at: www.shrinershq.org/Hospitals/ Springfield/Aluminum_Tab_ Collection.aspx.

Local Kingsport Athlete Qualifies for U.S. Paralympic Team

19-year-old Blake Leeper is one special athlete.

The Kingsport native, D-B alumnus and rising U-T student is making a name for himself in national track and field competition, and he's doing it, without the two things an athlete needs.


Legs, below the knees.

Blake is a bi-lateral, below-the-knee amputee from birth. In runner's language, he is considered a T-43, the official classification for a Paralympic amputee, and that's where Blake has begun making a name for himself.

Recently, Blake Leeper competed in the 2009 Endeavour Games at Edmond, Oklahoma, and the son of Edith and Bill Leeper and grandson of Lillian Leeper, and his time of 11:96 not only won the 100-meter race.. his running time in that single event has placed him on the Paralympic Team.


For the entire United States.

"It was wonderful.. just awesome," Blake says. "I did not know what to expect or how it would go, it being my first race. I had so many butterflies in my stomach, and man they were huge."

To see Blake's interview with the Kingsport Times-News, click Blake's Interview.

He had some formidable competition. In the 100-meter race, there were three competitors already on the national Paralympic Team. "You could see it in their faces, they were professionals..they do this all the time," said Blake's father Bill. "Blake kinda looked intimidated by them and he finally told me later that he was. He felt threatened by the fact that they did this professionally, where they'd traveled to, where they'd been. This being his first meet, I felt for him. It was something new for him and I thought he handled it great."


But Blake wasn't finished. He also placed first in the 200-meter race AND the 400-meter race. Only the 100-meter qualified him for the national Paralympic Team. "I did not expect to come in first in the other two races," he says. "The competition was just too great. I felt really blessed to be triumphant in all three."

In the 100-meter race, "he came off the block and just flew," Bill Leeper says. "It took a 12:19 to qualify, and he scored the 11:96. The second place Paralympic guy ran a 12:06, and the third one did 12:33. My wife Edith and I just looked at each other.. we wanted to scream out 'he did it!' but we didn't. We WERE asking ourselves 'did he do it, did he really do this? He beat the best."


Blake's older brother Chris attended the event with their parents, but then there was the proud grandma back home in Church Hill. "We called and told her (Lillian Leeper), and she was Praising the Lord and everything. She told us to tell Blake that she was proud of him, and to continue taking the Lord with him. She said she had been praying for him, and knew he would do well."

But now, the U.S. Paralympic Team has a "diamond in the rough" they did not know about.



"As soon as he came off the track with that time and those medals," Bill said, "the coach came over and told us 'now we have something to work with.' We've been watching him race since he was 4 years old, and never dreamed this would happen. He ran cross-country in middle school, but this is the first time we've ever seen him compete on the same level as national paralympic athletes."

Oscar "Bladerunner" Pistorius, himself also a T-43 double-amputee, ran the 100-meter in 11:06, and he is considered one of the fastest runners in the world. Blake's 11:96 places him in some good company.


"Oscar Pistorius also ran an 11:17 in the 100-meter in Manchester, England last month," says Bill. "He's considered the man, the golden child in paralympic running around the world. The United States Para-Olympic Team doesn't have anybody that can compete on his level. Blake has both limbs missing, and they classify him as a T-43.. on the Olympic teams, they do not have any T-43's, they're all T-44's meaning they're just missing one leg. They've got one good leg and one prosthetic leg, and they have nobody that's a T-43 like Blake. They were just really excited that they have finally found a T-43 that can compete on the level that Oscar Petorius competes on. There was another T-43 there, but Blake beat him in all the races.. he was good, but the coach said Blake's take-off speed was just too much."


So where does Blake go from here?

"I think this was the last qualifier for the year," Bill says, "so we'll have to wait and see what the coaches has planned for Blake, now that he's on the U.S. team."

Blake's focus is a bit more narrow.

"I'm planning to say in school," he says. "I plan to finish my bachelor's degree at U-T in physics. That's number one. I'm also pre-med at U-T and I will be going to medical school."

"Talking to the coach and everything, she said there's a really good chance of making a name for myself with the running for the U.S. Parylympic Team, winning more medals and really competing. It may open up another chapter in my life, and the sky may be the limit."

Blake's sponsors are Pro-Balance of Kingsport, and the Challenge Athletes Foundation of San Diego, California. Both sponsors paid for the Leeper family's trip to Oklahoma, and for Blake's prothetics.


Blake does spend time, talking to other paraplegics. "I always tell them, they can do it, too," he says. "We all have disabilities and challenges to life, and we just have to overcome them. I feel like when they see me out there giving it everything I've got on the track, or I'm in class giving the brain a good workout, I want them to know there are better days coming for them, too."

"God has Blessed me to peak in my life, and do the best that I can. That's their goal, too, that no matter what, you, too can overcome the obstacles and accomplish the hard parts and the challenges."

Featuring: Tim Hall, Riverview's King of Comedy!

Posted for your enjoyment and amusement are two masterpieces from Tim Hall, Riverview's King of Comedy and Kingsport Ebony Club Alumnus..

Tim performed a special show at the Rascal's Club in Kingsport during the 2009 Ebony Club Alumni Association's 1st Reunion on July 3, 2009.

We have posted he and his posse's performance of "It's My Perogative" and most of Tim's monologue to the audience from that night (There's only one naughty word in the monologue, so I would rate it PG).

To see and hear the song performance, click Tim Hall's Posse "It's My Perogative".

To see and hear the monologue, click Tim Hall's Monologue.

Rhythm in Riverview Concert: Pictures & Video

The Rhythm in Riverview Concert at the Douglass Ballfield was wonderful, with lots to do. Plenty of things for the kids to do, lots of socializing, and of course, plenty of good music from the WestSound Band of Asheville, N.C. The band surprised lots of listeners by playing many of their favorite tunes, the way they originally heard them from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's.

A camera failure prohibited the Douglass website from broadcasting the event live, but I did record one of WestSound's songs via camcorder. Click WestSound Song, to hear sample of their music from Rhythm in Riverview. I also recorded many other songs via the webcam, which I am transcribing into video for your enjoyment.

Pictures from the event are being processed and will be in the PHOTO GALLERY shortly. I will also post a link in this column for the pictures.

Fond Memories of Michael Jackson

"He seems to be more popular in death, than I ever knew him in life."



The sudden death of the undisputed "King of Pop" was especially poignant for Riverview and Kingsport resident Linus Griffin. His father, legendary writer, reporter and scholar Dr. Junius Griffin, was Motown's Vice President of Public Relations in 1968, when five brothers and their parents from Gary, Indiana strolled into Hitsville, U.S.A which had relocated from Detroit to Hollywood. From those humble beginnings, musical history was made.



LINUS GRIFFIN

"The first memory I had of this kid named Michael Jackson," says Linus, "was that my dad had missed my birthday party in 1968, because he and Diane (Diana) Ross (Diane is her real name) Ross had flown from Hollywood to Gary, Indiana to sign the contract to hire these five brothers, who called themselves "The Jackson Five."

"The Motown family that included Smoky Robinson, Stevie Wonder and the Supremes immediately took the Jackson Five into the fold," says Linus. "The Jacksons were a true family, just like Diane (Diana) Ross and her brother, a musician at Motown, and Stevie Wonder, whose brother worked in the supply room at Motown."



"In those days of the late 60's and early 70's, I knew Michael's brother Jackie better than I knew Michael or the other brothers, " says Linus. "Jackie was the oldest, seven years older than Michael, and he was the quiet one of the group. I would talk to Jackie a lot, maybe Jermaine from time to time. Michael was much younger, and I didn't talk to him much, but he was fascinated by all the pictures that Mr. (Berry) Gordy put up on the walls. Michael used to roam those halls, looking up at the pictures of Motown's great singers and musicians. But you couldn't miss what he was doing.. he was soaking it all in. He was very shy when someone focused on him directly, but always just a little kid when he was around his brothers."


Linus remembers an impish moment he says, was typical of Michael "gotta be startin' something."

"As I did a lot, I was talking to Jackie about music and politics," he says. "My father had this public relations gimmick going on.. he had some gold cigarette lighters on his desk that he would give out to the Hollywood big-wigs that came to his office at Motown a lot. As I was talking to Jackie, Michael and Marlon were snatching lighters off my dad's desk, thinking nobody was seeing 'em do it. They were always getting into something."

As everybody knows, Michael formed a special attachment to Diana Ross, who had just left the Supremes for a musical career of her own.


"It doesn't surprise me that Diane hasn't had too much to say about Michael's passing," says Linus. "If she were still in the Motown family and my dad were still Motown's P.R. person and still handling her, he would have her on ice, just like she is now. There is nothing for her to say publically. If she were to say anything, so many people would take it out of context, and the moment of his death is still a very sensitive subject. She's doing the right thing."

Linus Griffin attended Morehouse College in Atlanta with Ross' brother "T-Bone" Ross, and both got kicked out of the school because he says, "our civil rights attitudes were too radical at the time. But the first house I lived in when I moved to Hollywood to wait on my parents to arrive, was Diane Ross' house. To think about Motown is to think about how much of a family we all were, and how Michael left his real family and the Motown family to start out on his own, just like Diane did."


Linus Griffin says, Michael Jackson will probably stay in the news for quite some time.

"My dad once showed me a book called 'Media in America,' which explains what's going on right now," he says. "Behind the name 'Michael Jackson,' you've got these mega-corporations and far-flung businesses that make a ton of money off his name, his image, his songs and his performances, so you're going to get a lot of dis-information before you get REAL information about what's happening in the Michael Jackson empire. I'm a trained person in public administration and I can tell you it's going to take a long time to get everything straightened out, every aspect of his life, because his life was so big. You and me, it wouldn't take long at all, but for Michael Jackson, we're looking at perhaps, years. It's starting with the autopsy report, which takes 4 to 6 weeks in Los Angeles County."

"Even if he did die of medications, he is still great," says Linus, "he is still an icon. He has more power around the world than Elvis every dreamed of. People talk about how big the Elvis estate is, and Michael's is much bigger. I will give Elvis his due, though.. he was more about American folklore and Michael was more about American culture. They both changed the scope of American music, but I think Michael had more of an influence."

"His music will not be missed," Linus predicted, "because, even now he still has two of the top-selling albums of all time. But keep your eye on 'We Are The World.' That's going to be the one that is going to truly take off. There is a reason why nobody is talking about that particular song right now, but everybody in the music industry is watching to see what it's going to do, and just look at the major backer of the song: Diane Ross."

"I would hope the world remembers Michael for himself, but also as part of a family, the Jacksons. We always considered him part of the Motown family."




DR. JUNIUS GRIFFIN BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE (FROM THE JUNIUS GRIFFIN PAPERS, DONATED TO EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY, THE ARCHIVES OF APPALACHIA ON OCTOBER 23, 1984 BY JUNIUS GRIFFIN):


Junius Griffin was born January 13, 1929 in Stonega, Virginia, a small coal mining community near Big Stone Gap. At the age of 16 he enrolled at Bluefield College, but he decided he was not ready for an advanced education and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He served for 12 years, and for 4 1/2 of those years he acted as the Taiwan Bureau Chief for Stars and Stripes.

Following his departure from the service c. 1957, Griffin returned to the United States to begin a career with the New York Times, where he remained until 1962. During this time he also was employed as the first African-American reporter for the New York rewrite desk of the Associated Press.

In July 1963, Junius Griffin, Relman Morin, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and six other Associated Press reporters published a 13-part series describing racial prejudice and segregation in the United States. Initiated by Relman Morin and entitled "The Deepening Crisis," the series attempted to illustrate the social, economic, political, and educational inequalities that were experienced by African-Americans. Griffin's two contributions described the new "Negro" militancy that was emerging throughout urban America and depicted the diversities between northern and southern racial prejudices from the perspective of the black American. The series' immense impact eventually lead to its nomination for the 1962 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference asked Junius Griffin in 1965 to work for them writing speeches for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Griffin continued working for the King organization until 1967, when he took a position as vice-president for Motown Records Industries, as Motown owner Berry Gordy, who had purchased the recording rights to Dr. King's speeches, exercised his option to release the recordings.

Suffering from acute ulcers in 1982, Griffin resigned his position at Motown Records and entered Johnson City's Mountain Home Veteran's Hospital. During his stay he became interested in pursuing his college degree and in 1983 enrolled at East Tennessee State University for a bachelors degree in English and mass communications and later a masters degree in English under the direction of Dr. Robert (Jack) Higgs. Griffin received both his bachelors and masters degrees from East Tennessee State University in December 1987. By 1988 he had left Tennessee to become public relations advisor and a board member of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Georgia.

Function at the Junction: West Sound Coming to "Rhythm In Riverview"

Monday's "Rhythm in Riverview" features the R & B group, the WestSound Band from Asheville, North Carolina! "Rhythm in Riverview" is a Kingsport Funfest event, that features inflatables for the kids, a rock-climbing wall, food vendors, a transport train and other events. It's held every year on the Douglass Ballfield at Louis and MLK/Lincoln Street in Kingsport's Riverview Community. The free concert starts at 3 PM with activities for the kids, and the music starting around 6 PM.

Rhythm in Riverview is sponsored by Eastman Chemical Co., the Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority, South Central Kingsport Community Development Inc., Nathan Vaughn — State Farm Insurance, and WKPT-TV.

• KINGSPORT — Missed some Fun Fest events? A recap of events, produced by Elixir Group, will be broadcast on Channel 16 at 10 a.m. daily through Fun Fest. In addition, live footage will be posted on www.discoverkingsport.org.


The WestSound Band provides the best in Live Entertainment with music ranging from the 50's and 60's to today's hits.







MEET THE WESTSOUND BAND!


Regina really adds alot of energy to westsound with her lovely and wonderful showmanship.Regina performs in live plays and many community functions.Regina is becoming one of Asheville's Diva's.






Randy has played on many venues such as the hotel circuits, cruise ships and many more.





Cecil is a fantastic drummer and back-up vocal. He has has performed in many places and as well as Oscar, played with the Golden Tones traveling state to state. Cecil brings excitement.. you don't know what he's going to do from one show to the next!!!



Biography of the WestSound Band:

Westsound Band was formed many years ago by three brothers,Randy, Oscar,and Cecil Weston. They originally started with Gospel and continues singing gospel.They have performed locally and abroad. Randy,the band leader has many years of experience performing as a musician with bands, and individually. He’s played on cruise ships and traveled on the road with bands playing the hotel circuit.

Randy moved back home some years ago and formed the group “United Souls”. Keeping the family dream alive, Randy formed WestSound,which derives from their last name ”Weston”. The band is made up of three brothers, Randy, Oscar, and Cecil, plus female singer, Regina Duke. Regina adds great sound and energy to the band with her commanding presence. Although not a natural family member, she is like a sister. Oscar works the crowd as a true performer does,interacting with the crowd as he walks around with his guitar and cordless microphone table to table, singing Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke. Cecil keeps the beat alive playing the drums, leading songs, and
singing harmonies. You really have to watch him because you don’t know what he’s going to do from one show to the next.

Westsound has performed in the Indiana Black Expo, Goombay, Harambee, Belechere, Eden Fest, Leaf Festival, most local and some out of town venues,and at many private functions from weddings to holiday parties. Westsound has become one of Asheville’s hottest bands because of their vocals and their showmanship.

Thank You From Douglass Alumni's President

TO THE DOUGLASS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF KINGSPORT:

I want to say a "BIG THANK YOU", to everyone that was able to attend this year's Douglass Alumni Association Reunion. I really want to without the help of the members here in Kingsport that made everything go smoothly so that everyone could enjoy themselves, I could never praise you enough. I might not have told everyone individually that I appreciated all the hard work that you put in, but I want you to know that I do.

I don't know if some of you know it or not, but it will soon be time for us to start making plans again for our reunion in 2011. So if you have any suggestions that you can give the committee, please send in your comments. Some people I talked to on Saturday at the field day, thought the $125.00 was too much. One thing I do know is that we are the Alumni group in the tri-cities area that has a hospitably room like we do. May be if we cut that part out we could lower the price. Give it some thought!!!!!

Also, if any one would like to start making payments for the reunion in 2011, we will be glad to take your partial payment until it is paid in full. So, just think if you sent $15.00 to $20.00 a month, it would not seem like a big payment if you waited and paid it all at once.

Once again "A BIG THANK YOU".

YOUR PRESIDENT AND FRIEND, DOUGLAS S. RELEFORD
--
Douglas S. Releford

Summer Camp: Douglass Ballfield Busy

Alijah Dunn runs with the ball during a flag football game Monday at the Kingsport Parks and Recreation summer camp at the Riverview Splash Pad playground. About 150 children gathered at the Splash Pad to cool off and take advantage of the field and playground. At top, Terence Maxwell of Kingsport Parks and Rec talks with some of the campers. Below, Scottie Watts, front, and Quenton Millstid hang out on the playground equipment.

Wonderful Reunions!

"So I'll sing you this song.. after the lovin."

Here's hoping everybody had a great time at both the Douglass Alumni Reunion and the Ebony Club Alumni Reunion. Hope all the out-of-towners got home safely.

I'm working on the Reunion articles, while some of the pictures are already posted.
Some of the pictures don't want to load properly (there are a lot of them), so I'm working harder to get them in there.

I'll let you know when all of them are loaded into the PHOTO GALLERY.


Calvin

A message to all members of Ebony Club Alumni Association

Hey, gang:

First off, I want to thank all of the members and friends of the DBHS Ebony Club who came out this past weekend to support our first annual Reunion Weekend in Kingsport, Tennessee. It was great seeing everyone, and I'm looking forward to doing it again in two years (July 1-3, 2011).

Next, I want to thank the core group of individuals that walked with me every step of the way. Gretta Maxwell Simon was the first person to step up to the plate, followed by James "Trippy" Deal and Kandes Dungey. Also, Johnnie Mae Swagerty was instrumental in securing a slot for us in the Kingsport Fourth of July Parade. Special thanks to Lisa Williamson for printing up 100 Ebony Club t-shirts (which are still available for purchase) and, with the help of Dawnella Ellis, getting a banner made for the occasion. Lisa also presented a video at the Ebony Club banquet memorializing our deceased classmates. Thank you, Lisa, for all your hard work.

Singing sensation Bonita Williamson Johnson was also in town, and she sung an excellent song for Coach Dudney and Dawnella at our Ebony Club banquet. William McClintock opened us up in prayer, while his wife, Ramona "Twinkle" McClintock, read Coach Dudney's bio and presented her with an appreciation plaque. Seana Stewart Meddling closed us out in prayer, offering one that paid tribute to both the past and the present.

During our July 4th banquet, Dawnella announced the creation of the Virgealia Ellis Scholarship Fund. We are still working out the specifics for this fund, but please know it's success will be dependent upon our monetary contributions. Stay tuned for additional details under the FORUM tab.

Right now, the Ebony Club Alumni Association is a program sponsored by PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS Nonprofit Services Division, my not-for-profit organization. However, my intent has always been to give it its own set of legs. Do we want to pursue state certification as a not-for-profit organization?


Jeff F.

STILL TO COME: JEFF FOCUSES ON WHERE THE EBONY CLUB ALUMNI ASSOCIATION GOES FROM THIS FIRST REUNION. THAT ARTICLE IS FORTHCOMING..LOOK FOR IT HERE!

Building Bright Futures

YouthBuild USA a win-win for troubled youths, communities

YouthBuild USA works with troubled young men and women helping them earn a GED, learn job skills, and work on building affordable housing.

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By MATTHEW LANE
mlane@timesnews.net
All Pictures by Erica Yoon —eyoon@timesnews.net

KINGSPORT — A little known community development program in Kingsport has been awarded a fourth grant this year — just over $1 million — and will use the proceeds to continue its mission of helping troubled youth and building affordable housing for the community.
YouthBuild USA is a community development program that works with troubled young men and women 18 to 24 years old helping them earn a GED, learn job skills, and work on building affordable housing.

COFFEY, COX AND WHITE WORK TOGETHER TO INSTALL A DOOR

The Kingsport chapter of YouthBuild has received three previous grants — the first one in 2006 for $400,000, which had 32 youths in the program building two houses in Carter County.
Next came a stand-alone program in Johnson City where state and local Workforce Investment Act money allowed 14 youths to be in the program building one house in Johnson City.
The current grant funding the program is for $700,000 and serves 44 youths building four houses in the Riverview community. Two of these houses are currently under construction.

JONATHAN HYATT, DUSTIN WHITE AND TRAVIS RYBECK WORK TOGETHER TO BUILD THE SCAFFOLDING AGAINST THE HOUSE

The new grant — for just over $1 million — came from the U.S. Department of Labor and will allow the Kingsport office to serve 60 youths and build four houses along Robertson Street in Gibson Mill Village.
Joe Wallin, program coordinator for the Kingsport office, said the new group of students should be ready to go by Sept. 1.
“I think it’s definitely making a difference and by far the most rewarding program I’ve ever been affiliated with,” Wallin said. “To see these kids come in, almost broke and facing fines ... the way their attitude changes, to find out they can learn, do and accomplish things. I feel like they become an asset to the community rather than a liability.”

AUSTIN COX PUTS DOWN GLUE FOR A DOOR THAT MELINDA WOLFE, CORY WHITE AND THOMAS COFFEE HOLD AT A NEW HOME AT 201 DUNBAR STREET, UNDER CONSTRUCTION THROUGH YOUTHBUILD IN KINGSPORT

The six- to 10-month program helps young men and women earn their GED, train them with employability skills and help them with support services, such as obtaining a vehicle and house and resolving any eyesight or dental problems. In return, the students help build affordable houses for the community.
“Our goal is to get them their GED, train them, and once they leave the program they’re ready to go to work. We teach them work ethic skills, stimulate a lifelong love of learning, and we try and turn out exactly what an employer would be looking for,” Wallin said. “They’ll understand getting to work on time, staying on task, being dependable and being honest. That’s where the comprehensive part comes in. We address everything in their life that would be a barrier to them being successful.”

WOLFE AND STAFF FIELD SUPERVISOR LARRY WARD WORK TOGETHER

Wallin said the people who typically enter the program have been high school dropouts or had unsuccessful runs with adult education. A high percentage have also been in the juvenile justice system and come from single-family homes or foster care. Most are males, but each class has had one or two females, Wallin said.
“We have a three-week mental toughness program on the front end, and they have to have perfect attendance, right attitude and prove to us they’re ready for this training,” Wallin said. “Once they get through the toughness program, we have an almost 100 percent graduation rate.
“They are with us through completion, tell us what they want to get into (and) we try and find them a job with a contractor who has that kind of job.”
Jesse Hall, 26, of Elizabethton went through the first local Youth-Build program in Carter County three years ago. At the time, Hall was making little money at a local factory and living out of his vehicle and on the couches at his friends’ houses.
“My friend got fired, and I went to the unemployment office and saw a flier there about the Youth-Build program,” Hall said. “I thought that would be good for my little brother, but I talked with Joe (Wallin), and we hit it off. Then I joined the program.”
Hall, who came to the Tri-Cities about 10 years ago from California, described his early life as challenging, growing up in trailer parks and public housing, failing school miserably and dealing in drugs.

LOGAN BISHOP RECEIVES HELP FROM WOLF, STAFF SUPERVISOR EDDIE HARTMAN AND COFFEY (OUTSIDE) TO HANG A DOOR PROPERLY
While going through the program, Hall said YouthBuild officials helped him get a loan for a vehicle and a house, cleaned up his credit, and paid off a number of medical bills from California. Hall said his life has turned around, and soon he will become a father.
“Going there every day got me in the steady pace of going to work every morning, right when you wake up. That helped me that much there,” he said.
Things worked out so well for Hall that YouthBuild offered him first a temporary computer position, then later another position working in the Kingsport chapter office.
Hall said YouthBuild really turned his life around, adding he has turned down other jobs since then, choosing to stay with Youth-Build.
“I was not a good person. This is my way of giving back and helping people, doing the opposite of what I used to do,” Hall said. “That’s what makes me feel good. I love the job because it makes me feel good about myself.

THOMAS COFFEE HAMMERS IN NAILS

YouthBuild USA began in 1990 and is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Kingsport chapter of YouthBuild is located in the Riverview community, just down the street from the Fresh Start office — its office is an old beauty shop, while classrooms are held in the old Club 229 building.
The organization partners with a number of local nonprofits, including Eastern Eight, the Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority and the United Way.

STILL TO COME---A FUTURE ARTICLE: African-Americans also working in the Youth Build Program in Riverview who have witnessed the decline of the community, and are working to rebuild their community, while also working on their lives.

Elks Lodge to Host Fund-Raising Dance

• KINGSPORT — The Elks Lodge will hold a dance to raise funds for building repairs beginning at 10 p.m. Friday, July 3rd. The band Phanton Power will perform. Admission is $10 at the door. The lodge is located at 1018 Martin Luther King Drive. For more information, call 246-3282.