William Rayburn Leeper remembrance

 

William Rayburn Leeper

December 7, 1945 — March 6, 2023

Lebanon, Virginia

Lebanon, VA – William Rayburn Leeper, age 77, went to be with the Lord on Monday, March 6, 2023. 

Born December 7, 1945, he was the son of the late Ray Leeper and Mary Blair Leeper.

He was retired from Eastman Chemical Company. He wrote articles for the Kingsport Times-News, was very interested in electronics and had wonderful handwriting. 

He was a member of Fairview Baptist Church and he was an Associate Minister and past pastor of Beech Hill Baptist Church, Pennington Gap, VA. He was a past President of Sunday School of Schaffer Baptist Association, past Pastor of the  Emmanuel Baptist Church of Lebanon, VA. He was also a U.S. Air Force Veteran.

 

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his: biological father: W.P. Reece.

 

He is survived by his wife of thirty-six years: Jessie Burrell Leeper;  two daughters: Maia Whitaker and Melissa Adams and husband Vincent;  six sisters: Debra Gray and husband Bruce, Dia Smith, Jean Ann Moore and husband Terry, Donna Charles, DeAnna Pelant, Carolyn Butler and husband Maurice;  brother: Ray Leeper;  special grandson: Edward Walters and wife Teresa;  along with a multitude of grandchildren; great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins;  sisters-in-law: Jenny Mabry (Emmanuel), Jackie Booher (Carl), Wanda Washington (Danny), Viola Hockaday, Neomia Smith, Connie Hayes (Roy), Yvonne Richardson; brother-in-law: Benjamin Burrell.

 

A special thanks to the staff of The Waters of Bristol Rehabilitation and Nursing Center;  his caretaker Hope Stevens;  all the people from Hospice;  Dr. Boccarossa;  special friends Pastor Jeff Tallent and Craig Raderavek, and friend, Doug.

 

Funeral services will be held 1:00 p.m. Monday, March 13, 2023 at the Emmanuel Baptist Church, Lebanon, VA with Pastor Danny Belcher and Rev. Jacqui Booher officiating. 

The family will receive friends from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. prior to the service. 

A committal service will be conducted at 11:00 A.M. on Tuesday, March 14, 2023 in the Mountain Home National Cemetery, 53 Memorial Avenue, Mountain Home, TN. 

Everyone wishing to attend is asked to meet at the funeral home by 9:15 a.m.

Military honors will be provided by DAV Veterans Honor Guard of Bluff City, TN.

 

The family respectfully requests that anyone attending the services to please wear a mask.

 

Expressions of sympathy may be made on Combs-Hess Funeral Service Facebook page and our website at www.chfunerals.com. Combs-Hess Funeral Service, 291 Highway 71 Fincastle Road, Lebanon, VA 24266, (276) 889-4444 is serving the Leeper family.

Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Board meeting this Saturday

 

The Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association will have its monthly meeting this coming Saturday, March 11, 2023.

The meeting will be held in the Eastman Room, 2nd Floor of the V.O. Dobbins, Sr. Complex, 301 Louis Street, Kingsport.

The meeting begins at 1 PM.  As the front door to the complex has to be locked after hours (city Parks and Rec requirement), please call 423-847-5139 for admittance).

Please come and bring a friend.  We'll be discussing several upcoming projects, including our exciting School Reunion at the end of June-early July.  We need your ideas, input and participation.

Jerry Randall Horton remembrance

 

Jerry Randall Horton was born in Kingsport, Tennessee on April 20, 1940, to Inez Horton and Edward Gillenwater.  Jerry moved to Bristol and joined the Lee Street Baptist Church as a WatchCare member, where he stayed until the time of his death.  He departed this life on April 26 at Life Care Center of Grey after a short illness.

He is preceded in death by his mother, Inez Horton; father, Edward Gillenwater; his wife of 30 years, Charmie Horton; sister, Florence Price; and his four-legged kids, Tiki and Shadow.

He leaves to mourn his passing his son, Victor McMiller (Stunnie) of Nashville;  two step-daughters, Sylvia Cochran of New Orleans, LA, and Wanda Yett of Atlanta, GA;  one granddaughter, Charla Yett of Atlanta GA;  two great-grandchildren, Courtney Harris and John James Yett, both of Atlanta;  seven great-great-grandchildren, Nazir, Brandon, Braden, Olivia, Chyna Lee, Chosen, and Cheris;  four brothers, Nelson Ross (Caroline) of Kingsport, TN, Larry Gillenwater (Hazel) of Johnson City, Jeffery McKinney, and Sean Beatty both of Kingsport, TN;  three sisters, Yvonne Williams (Daniel), Beverly Barnett and Tracy McKinney of Kingsport, TN;  nieces, Melissa Logan (Jimmy) of Kingsport, TN, and Teresa Brown (Thomas) of Bristol;  nephew, Bradley Carter (Michele);  great nieces, Brianne Rhoton and Jalyn Carter;  and great-great-niece, Jhavia Livingston.

Talmon Lafayette Lee remembrance

 

Talmon Lafayette Lee, 71, entered eternal peace at 11:11 pm, Thursday, February 23, 2023. Lafayette was born May 12, 1951, to the late John Robert Lee and Grace Jane "Jackie" Snoddy Lee.

Talmon was preceded in death by his brother, William Archie Lee; nephew, Anthony Fields Lee;  grandparents, Talmon A. Snoddy and Clara Belle Mooney Snoddy of Warrensburg, Tennessee and Greeneville, Tennessee.

He is survived by his son, Talmon Lafayette lee II of Kingsport, TN; granddaughter, Mazlin Z. Pitts of Kingsport, TN; siblings, John Robert Lee of Kingsport, TN, Martha Valerie Lee of Greeneville, TN, James Edward Lee of Johnson City, TN, and Carmella Reene Lee of Johnson City, TN;  nieces, Kai Ripley Black of Johnson City, TN, Ryesha Hardy of Greeneville, TN, Briana Story of Kingsport, TN, Alexis Lee of Greeneville, TN;  special adopted niece, Jocelean Parks of Atlanta, GA;  nephews, Lafayette Leeodis Lee of Johnson City, TN, Trey Ryan of Johnson City, TN, Caleb Ryan of Johnson City, TN, "Little" James Skaggs of Kingsport, TN, and Deondre Melson of Johnson City, TN;   special adopted nephew, Dion "Murdock/Dinky" Russell of Elizabethton, TN;  a host of special nieces and nephews and relatives traveling from Georgia;  and special mentions his great nieces and great nephew, Alexis Lee, Neria Metcalf, and Josiah Luvene.

Scottie Lee Maxwell remembrance

 

Scottie Lee Maxwell was born on May 27, 1954 in Kingsport, TN to the late Mildred and Henry Maxwell.

 

Scottie was a graduate of Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, TN in 1973.  He was a skilled mechanic specializing in large trucks and over the road equipment. He worked for the Kingsport City Garage maintaining their fleet of vehicles. Scottie enjoyed working on cars and even owned his own business. He eventually became an over the road truck driver transporting goods and materials with his chihuahua sidekick “Bubbie” never far from his side. They traveled many miles together over the years; Bubbie brought him comfort and companionship.

 

Scottie had a sharp wit and dry sense of humor which kept you on your toes but always left you smiling or laughing. His huge smile was infectious and he never met a stranger. He was a history buff and spent time researching the Maxwell/Norman family history. He loved flying and had logged several hours toward becoming a pilot of small engine planes. Scottie lived in several states during his travels including Nevada, Georgia, and Florida but was grateful to be back home in Tennessee near family and friends.

 

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Viola and William Norman; sister, Patricia Maxwell Span; brothers, Charles Fred Maxwell and James “Bo Pete” Maxwell; aunt, Marie Norman Erwin; uncle, Edward “June” Norman; nieces, Mariah Maxwell and Jeannine Norman; and nephew, Rendell Early.

 

Scottie leaves to cherish his memory, daughter, Erica Beard Campbell of Columbia, SC; son, Scottie Lorenzo Maxwell of Greenville, TN; two brothers, William “Scooter” Maxwell, Sr. of Kingsport, TN, and Charles “Dee Dee” Maxwell of Kingsport, TN; four sisters, Elizabeth Maxwell Wood (James) of Gate City, VA, Linda Wise of Kingsport, TN, Argretta Maxwell Simon of Smyrna, TN, and Angela Maxwell Squires (Thomas) of Cincinnati, OH; numerous grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins; and a host of friends and loved ones encountered during his various travels across many states. 

Florence Louvenia (Ray) Price remembrance

 

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Florence Louvenia (ray) Price born November 2, 1945 in (Kingsport, Tennessee), who passed away on January 25, 2023, at the age of 77.

She leaves to mourn her daughter Melissa R. Logan (Kingsport, TN), Two Granddaughters Tishie O. Bradley (Kingsport, TN);  Felicia V.Bradley (Kingsport, TN);  Brother Jerry Horton (Kingsport, TN);  Three Great-Grandchildren Carson and Elijah White; Kenneth Sexton;  A very special Loved Friend Michael E. Bradley and plenty friends and other loved ones. 

She is preceded in death by her Mother Inez Ray (Nanny) and her Father Lawson Ray. 

"Tutty, You were my best friend, a mother, a grandmother, a friend, a shoulder to cry on when I endured the bad times, it truly cuts my heart deep knowing you are not here with me. I wasn't ready for you to leave, I may sound selfish but I needed you with me.  You may be gone but in heart, body and soul you will always be with me.  I will miss you forever, hearing your laughter and seeing you dance, that smile of yours would light up any darkness.  I love you Florence (Tutty); I will always love you until my last breath. Rest easy Tutty, I know your not hurting or in pain anymore, shine bright my queen!"

-Your baby girl- Tishie

Stephanie E. Stevens remembrance

 Stephanie E. Stevens departed this life Wednesday February 22, 2023. 

She was preceded in death by her father, James Stevens; mother, Anne Stevens; and two brothers, Harold and Peewee.

She is survived by her brother, James Moore; son, William H. (Tina) Stokely, III; daughter, Courtney (Clyde) Scales; granddaughters, Mackenzie Stokely, Mackaela Stokely, Daria Stokely, Jazlyn Stokely, and Miliana Scales; and great-grandson, Kaidyn Stokely.

The visitation will be on Saturday, March 4, 2023 from 11 AM to 12 Noon, at the Central Baptist Church, 301 Carver Street, Kingsport.  

The Celebration of Life Services will be held at 12 Noon, Saturday, March 4, 2023, also at the Central Baptist Church.  

Burial will be at the East Tennessee Cemetery, 2630 Highway 75, Blountville, TN.

Care of Stephanie Stevens and family is entrusted to R. A. Clark Funeral Services.

Passings in the Riverview Community

 

We are saddened by news of the passings of four of our Riverview friends, neighbors and Douglass alumni classmates in the past few days.

Stephanie Stevens
Jerry Horton
Scottie Maxwell
Lafayette Lee

Funeral arrangements and remembrances are in the process of being compiled.  We will publish those as soon as they are available.

Please keep the families and friends of our loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.

POSTPONED: "Soup Beans and Cornbread" Rap Session Scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 25th

 

The Black History Month New Vision Youth-South Central “Soup Beans and Cornbread” Rap Session with Bishop Ronnie Collins with the Tennessee/Virginia Fellowship Against Racism, scheduled for this Saturday February 25^th has been postponed until Saturday, March 11^th.

  

The time will be 3 PM in the Riverview Community Room on Wheatley Street, beside the Pickle Ball courts.

  

Everyone is welcome to this free event.

  

Afterwards will be Bingo.. players are asked to bring a door prize to be given away.

  For more information, contact Johnnie Mae Swagerty, 423-429-7553.

2023 Black History Month Events in Kingsport

All events sponsored by New Vision Youth/South Central Kingsport

 Black History Youth Bingo

Thursday, February 9th, 4-5:30 PM, Riverview Community Room

Black History Soul Food Gathering

Let's Eat!

Saturday, February 18th, 3 - 5 PM

 Riverview Community Room

$5.00 donation

Door Prizes Given Away

Come hear 7 yrs old New Vision Princess Black History Speech

Black History Senior Bingo

Saturday, February 18th

Riverview Community Room

6:30-8:30 PM

Bring Door Prize

I Am Black History Youth Bible Study

Wednesday, February 22nd, 5-7 PM

Shiloh Baptist Church, 712 E. Sevier Avenue

Guest Speaker, Mrs. Cassy Bristol, Daniel Boone High School, Black History Teacher

Rev. Kenneth Calvert, Shiloh Baptist Church Pastor

Youth will be given a new Black History book

Soup Beans and Cornbread | I Am Black History Community Unity

Saturday, February 25th

Riverview Community Room, 5 PM

Guest Speaker Bishop Ronnie Collins

Door Prizes will be given

Welcome and Free to Everyone!

For more information, contact Johnnie Mae Swagerty, (423) 429-7553

           

2023 REUNION NEWS: Sons and Daughters of Douglass Get Together

Your Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association is planning a big "WELCOME HOME" celebration reunion this coming summer!

Please circle Friday June 30th.... Saturday, July 1st.... and Sunday, July 2nd on your calendars.  Like everything else, COVID 19 shut us down two years ago, meaning we haven't seen each other IN FOUR YEARS!  It's time to relax, refresh, and renew  our high school, elementary and neighborhood friendships.

Please let us know that you are coming by sending in your alumni dues, so we can get an accurate count of how much food to provide.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

At 4 PM on Friday June 30th, you can register for the reunion and come together for our "Meet-N-Greet" in the Douglass Community Room at the V.O. Dobbins, Sr. Complex (you remember where that is... it's the old Douglass High School, 301 Louis Street).

From 6 PM to 11 PM, we'll have our popular Sock-Hop in a familiar place:  the old Douglass Gymnasium (remember when it didn't have air conditioning and all that hot air had to rise up through the windows at the top of the gym?  Oh.. the room has air conditioning now)  Crowd favorite D-J Jeremy Ford is going to crank up the songs of yesteryear to see if you still have some "razzle-dazzle" in yo castle."

On Saturday, July 1st, we're hoping to find out who the best golfer might be among the alumni, with a possible golf tournament (anyone who can help organize that, drop Doug Releford a line at 423-914-1461).  Shotgun start would be around 8 AM or 8:30.

Later on Saturday from 12 Noon to about 3 PM, it's the perennial "Douglass Field Day Cookout Gathering."  That's planned for Borden Park because of all the outdoor activities we can do there.

Our Douglass Reunion Banquet kicks off at 7 PM on Saturday in the Douglass Community Room with guest speakers, a good banquet meal and other activities, followed by dance music again from D-J Jeremy Ford.  That'll run until you run out of gas!

At 11 AM on Sunday, July 2nd, you're free to attend the church service of your choice, and at 3PM, the Douglass Memorial Service will begin, our location TBA, where we will honor the memories of those Douglass Tigers who have left us.

We do ask that, as always, don't forget your Douglass Alumni Association dues, which are $50.00 a year.  Please make your check or money order out to Sons and Daughters of Douglass, and mail it along with your contact information to:

Sons and Daughters of Douglass, 301 Louis Street, Ste. 304, Kingsport, TN 37660.  

This helps us defray the cost of the reunion and provides us funds for benevolence programs and services in the Riverview community.  Again, it also gives us an accurate account of who's coming.

Again, please make your plans now to come home and fellowship with your Douglass-Riverview family.  Who knows where we'll be in two more years?  Do you want to take that chance?  Come on home.. you're always welcome at home!

Our secretary Charlotte Maxwell checked around for hotel rates.  Here's what she found:  

The Holiday Inn: Standard room $125.00 per night, plus 16% tax.  Suite $135 per night and add on 16% tax, along with Continental Breakfast, plus fresh fruit/indoor pool (NEEDS AT LEAST 2 MONTHS NOTICE TO BLOCK).

The Hampton Inn: $149.00 per night plus a 16% tax for king or double bed/pool and Continental Breakfast.

Quality Inn:  3 nights plus a 16% tax is $368.95 total, Suites 3 nights with the 16% tax is $601.51 total, plus pool/breakfast. 

Comfort Inn, 115.00 per night with the 16% tax added is $133.98 total, Double $479.68 total with the 16% tax added, /Single $448.23 total for three nights, single $401.94 total for three nights both with the 16% tax added, heated pool, breakfast, NEED CONFIRMATION BEFORE APRIL.

Fairfield Inn: normally $164.00 per night.  Any rooms that we block, will be $129.00 ($150 plus the tax).  Full breakfast-juice bar, waffles, indoor pool, outdoor heated pool.  MUST BLOCK EARLY APRIL.  DHS Alumni must be identified with a code given to them by the Douglass Board.  THIS ONE IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY THE BOARD BECAUSE OF PRICE AND AMENITIES.

Any questions, call Charlotte, 423-967-0536

  

Douglass Alumni Board Meeting this Saturday

The Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Board will have our regular meeting this coming Saturday, February 11th, 2023.

We have some important items that we need to discuss, so we need everyone that can make it to be there.

The meeting will begin at 1 PM on Saturday in the Eastman Board Room, 2nd floor, V.O. Dobbins Sr. Complex, 301 Louis Street, Kingsport.

The door at the south entrance is always locked, but call 423-847-5139 for admittance.

Douglas Releford, President

Gary McClintock remembrance

 

Gary Edward McClintock

December 19, 1954 - February 03, 2023

Gary Edward McClintock, 68, of Mt Carmel, TN, passed away on Friday, February 3rd, 2023.

Gary is survived by his brothers, Mark and Larry McClintock; sister, Susan Johnson; and friend, Dale Simcox.

Graveside service will be held at Mountain Home National Cemetery on Wednesday, February 8th at 11:00 am. Military honors provided by American Legion Hammonds Post 3 / Gate City 265.

Trinity Memorial Centers Funeral Home (423-723-8177) is honored to serve the McClintock family.

Frank (Doc) Watterson remembrance

 

Frank (Doc) Watterson 79, of Kingsport departed this life for a heavenly life on Tuesday, January 31, 2023. 

Frank retired from the military after 28 ½ years. He later retired from AFG Glass Plant after 22 years he also spent 10 years at Wal-Mart before officially retiring in 2018. He had a servant’s heart and enjoyed traveling with the military. Frank will be missed by all who knew and loved him. 

  

He was preceded in death by his parents; John and Margaret Watterson; brothers, John Jr. and Russell Watterson; loving daughter, Denise.

 

Those left to cherish his memory are his wife, Mary Watterson of the home; son, Phillip (Tosha) of Kingsport; daughter, Stacy of Jacksonville, NC; eight granddaughters; two grandsons; seven; great grandchildren; special friend, Danny Howe who he enjoyed mission trips with; along with a host of family, friends, and his mission buddies. 

 

The family will receive friends from 2 PM to 3 PM on Sunday, February 5, 2023 at St. Mark United Methodist Church. A celebration of life service will follow with Rev. Billy Pearson and Rev. Rae Mullins officiating. 

 

A military graveside service will be conducted at 11 AM on Monday, February 6, 2023 at the Mountain Home National Cemetery with honors conducted by the American Legion Hammond Post #3/265. Those wishing to attend are asked to meet at the cemetery by 10:50 am.

  

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Patricia Horton for her care and help during Frank’s illness. 

 

 

Carter-Trent Funeral Home in Kingsport is serving the Watterson family.

The Dobyns-Bennett Indians (Douglass Tigers) versus the Greeneville Devils (George Clem Wolverines) Tribute Game

 

A file photo of the DB Indians dressed in the Douglass Gold and Blue playing Tennessee High in the DB Dome.  This year's Tribute game with Greeneville on January 27th will be in the old Sullivan North High School Gym at 2533 North John B. Dennis Highway, Kingsport

Get out your Douglass Tigers pom-poms!  It's that magical time of year when the Dobyns-Bennett High School basketball program plays homage to the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Tigers.

This year's Tribute game will be against a very familiar nemesis... the Greeneville Devils.

The Dobyns-Bennett Indians will be dressed in the gold and blue colors of the Douglass Tigers and the Greeneville Devils will be dressed in the blue and gold of the George Clem Wolverines.

Please mark your calendar for Friday night, January 27, 2023.

Tip-off is 8 PM.  The price for admission is $6.00 per person.

Because of repair work on the DB dome on Legion Drive, the game will be played at the old Sullivan North High School, 2533 North John B. Dennis Highway, Kingsport, TN 37660.

More news to come shortly, including the cost of the home game.  Please put on your calendars to attend!

Douglass Alumni Meeting Canceled

 

Because of bad weather forecasted, the regularly scheduled meeting of the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Board for Saturday, January 14, 2023 has been canceled.  

The next regularly scheduled meeting is for Saturday, February 11, 2023 in the Eastman Board Room, 2nd floor, V.O. Dobbins, Sr. Tower, 301 Louis Street, Kingsport.

--- Douglas Releford, president

     The Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association, Inc.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2023 Holiday Events in Kingsport

 

"I have decided to stick with love.  Hate is too great a burden to bear" - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., SCLC conference in Atlanta, 1967

Those words from the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ring true today, 55 years after the famed civil rights leader was shot to death 500 miles on the other side of Tennessee from Kingsport.

The first Dr. King parade in Kingsport in 1968 was to remember and commemorate his teachings of non-violence only days after he was assassinated in Memphis.  Since 1986 and once a year since, people from all walks of life have gathered with community leaders to walk in Kingsport to honor Dr. King's legacy.  Bad weather postponed last year's Holiday commemoration, but this year's is scheduled for Monday, January 16th.

"Marching feet announce that time has come for a given idea.  When the idea is a sound one, the cause is a just one, and the demonstration a righteous one, change will be forthcoming."  "Non-violence: The Only Road to Freedom" -  essay by Dr. King, 1966

The annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Parade is scheduled for downtown Kingsport on Monday.  The yearly theme has always been "The End of Racism can come through the Love of Christ," but this year, there is an urgency to the teachings of Dr. King, says Parade Organizer Bishop Ronnie Collins.  With all the shootings and killings in America in the past year, he says "this year's theme is 'In 2023, Choose to Love and Not to Hate.'"  

"There's a reason why the word 'unity' is part of the word 'community,'" says Bishop Collins.  "It all comes from love, love for our city, love for our neighbor, love for those less fortunate and above all, the love for Christ.  We have got to get back to that love."  

The parade will assemble at 11:15 AM on Monday at the corner of East Center Street and East Sevier Avenue in Kingsport.  The event begins promptly at noon, proceeding down Center Street to the old city hall at Center and Shelby Streets.  Everyone is invited to march.

"Bring your car, your float, your bicycle, your feet and most importantly your spirit," says Bishop Collins.  "The parade is open to anybody who believes in the Love of Christ and the Love of Community with inclusion, diversity, equality and equity, as Dr. King believed in."

"I heard the late civil rights icon Representative John Lewis of Georgia once say 'we may have come here in different ships, but we're in the same boat now,'" Bishop Collins says.  "Only Dr. King's teachings can bring us back to that one togetherness of spirit that we need."

The parade is sponsored by the Tennessee/Virginia Fellowship Against Racism (TVFAR) and the East Tennessee Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship.

 

"I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education, and culture for their minds and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits" - Dr. King acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize, 1964

Immediately after the parade on Monday, the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Luncheon will be held at 1 PM in the Riverview Community Room on Wheatley Street in Kingsport, located beside the pickle ball courts and Head Start.  Because of the weather and Covid, last year's was a drive-through event, but this year will be the customary dinner inside.  "Because the King Day holiday is a day of service in communities," says organizer Johnnie Mae Swagerty, "awards will be presented to those who have made a difference in helping people in the past year.  It's a prelude to the celebration of Black History Month in February."

On the menu this year is barbeque and chips from Broad Street Barbeque in Kingsport, with water provided by Healthy Kingsport.  The luncheon is free of charge.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Luncheon is sponsored by the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce, the New Vision Youth/South Central Kingsport Community Development, Inc., Kingsport Parks and Recreation and KHRA.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that" - "Loving Your Enemies" sermon by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama 1957

This year's Candlelight Vigil in Dr. King's memory will be held at the Shiloh Baptist Church, 712 East Sevier Avenue in Kingsport at 6 PM Monday night.  The lighting of candles has become a tradition that wraps up the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday every year in Kingsport and this year is no different.  "Community leaders will light individual candles in honor of people, programs, organizations and agencies who have shared the benevolence that Dr. King always preached about," Swagerty says.  The public is invited and is free of charge.

The event is sponsored by the New Vision Youth group and the Shiloh Baptist Church.

Bishop Collins says, the march, the luncheon and the Candlelight Vigil are where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dreams for society still live.  But they live in our hearts every day of the year.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Beyond in Johnson City

 

On Saturday, January 14th at 8:30 a.m. there will be a Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast held at the Wesley United Methodist Church. The phone number is 423-461-8830.

On Sunday, Jan. 15, beginning at 11 a.m., St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Elizabethton will host Minister Teresa Bowers Parker as guest speaker for the church’s Martin Luther King observance. Father Tim Holder, priest and pastor of the church said, “It is a fitting and beautiful statement about our city and our faith that in a church built by slave peoples making bricks on site and then laying them to raise this House of God in 1861-1865, that we here today celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s message of the Love of Jesus for all of us.” Traditional spiritual songs which were prominently used in King’s civil rights struggles will be sung.

On the entire day of Jan. 16 MLK Day, there will be literary and performing arts, a blood drive and a community dinner at the Carver Park Recreation Center. The phone number is 423-461-8830.

Going from Jan. 16 through Jan. 20 will be a Martin Luther King Jr. Student Art Exhibit at the McKinney Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. There will also be a reception at the McKinney Center for the art exhibit on Jan. 20 from 6-8 p.m. The phone number is 423-753-0562.

On Jan. 19 at 6:30 p.m., the Seekers Book Club will have a reading on “How the Word is Passed” by Clint Smith at the Langston Centre.

On Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m., the Langston Centre will also present a movie and discussion on “Tower Road Bus.” The phone number for the Langston Centre is 431-434-5785.

On Jan. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. a Community Building Roundtable will be held at Jubilee World Outreach Church.

Douglass Alumni meeting this Saturday

 

The Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association will hold its regularly-scheduled board meeting, weather permitting, on Saturday, January 14, 2023.

The meeting will be held at 1 PM in the Eastman Board Room, 2nd Floor of the V.O. Dobbins Sr. Complex, 301 Louis Street in Kingsport.

2023 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Commemoration in Kingsport

After the parade at 1:15 PM, the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Luncheon will be held in the Riverview Community Room at the V.O. Dobbins Community Center, Wheatley Street, Kingsport.

At 6 PM, the annual MLK Candlelight Vigil and the lighting of candles for service to the Kingsport community will be held at the Shiloh Baptist Church, 712 East Sevier Avenue.
 

 

 

 

Barbara Jean Johnson remembrance

 

GATE CITY, VA - Barbara Jean Johnson, 91, Gate City, VA passed away, Friday, January 6, 2023, at her residence.

Barbara was born in Gate City, VA, on April 6, 1931, to the late George Washington and Fannie Annis (Wolfe) Rogers.

In addition to her parents, her foster parents (who raised her) Broadus and Mary Coley; brother, George Parret Rogers, Sr., Phillip Lee Rogers, and William Rudolph Rogers; Foster mothers, Aunt Geraldine Wolfe Dobbins, and Aunt Lakie Caldona Wolfe Fugate; nephews, Aaron Mickey Rogers, George Parret Rogers, Jr.; foster brother, Allen Curtis Dobbins, Sr.; niece, Fannie Patricia Rogers Pope; sister-in-law, Ola Beatrice Rogers; uncles; Esme Howard Dobbins and Joseph Fugate; close friends, Fannie Lynn Johnson Spriggs, Margaret Shoemaker, Pinkie Horton, Berniece Waterson, and Margaret Muncey (Peg); and former husband, Johnnie Johnson; and too numerous aunts and uncles to mention, preceded her in death.

She is survived by her foster sister, Rochelle (Richard) Maxwell; sisters-in-law, Ethel Payne Rogers, Dayton, OH and Nell Bowers Dobbins, Washington, DC; nieces and nephews, Carmen Rogers, Newark, NJ, Anthony Rogers (Marsha), Colonial Heights, TN, Stanley (Ruby) Rogers, Gate City, VA, Phillip (Rhonda) Rogers, Blacksburg, VA, Lena Rogers, Kingsport, TN, Dawn Hardin, Dayton, OH, Felicia (Ed) Williams, Dayton, OH, Howard (Jessica) Swan, Kingsport, TN, Kermit (Kiera) Swan III, Roanoke, VA, Mykel Tre Maxwell, Gate City, VA, Matthew Harris, Denver, CO, Courtney Dobbins, and Allen C. Dobbins Jr.; and a host of great nieces, great nephews, cousins, other family members, and friends.

The family will receive friends from 11-1 p.m., Wednesday, January 11, 2023, at the Gate City Funeral Home. Funeral services will be conducted at 1:00p.m., in the Gene Falin Memorial Chapel of the funeral home with Rev. Rochelle Maxwell and Pastor Steve Templeton. Music provided by Donnie McCoy, Willie Anderson, Bob Payne, James Wood, & 4 Him.

Graveside services will follow the service at Holston View Cemetery, Weber City, VA.

An online guest register is available for the Johnson family at www.gatecityfunerals.com.

Gate City Funeral Home is honored to be serving the family of Barbara Jean Johnson.

A Letter to the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni - Reunion 2023

 

A letter to the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association --- Celebrating the heritage and legacy of the Douglass Elementary-High School, Kingsport, Tennessee, the largest African-American school in upper East Tennessee, southwest Virginia and southeastern Kentucky when it closed in 1965-66. 

A reminder... The Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association is a nonprofit corporation in good standing in the state of Tennessee, and designated by the IRS as a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization, headquartered in the historic Douglass High School building, Kingsport, Tennessee.

The 501 (c) 3 designation means your financial gifts and contributions to the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association are tax-deductible, through our Employee Identification Number (EIN).  

Please make a tax-deductible contribution to be able to claim it on your income tax return before the end of the 2022 tax year that ends on December 31st.   Our address is:

Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association, Inc.

301 Louis Street, Ste. 304

Kingsport, TN 37660

Please contact us if you have questions.