tourism resource guide

RREESSOOUURRCCEE GGUUIIDDEESummer 2011

This Issue

CCeelleebbrraattiinnggTThhee YYeeaarr ooffMacon CountyMusicArt & Culture

Moton Field Tuskegee Municipal Airport

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Where to Worship In Macon County

Come Grow With Us

A County Rich in History, Heritage and Hospitality

Miles RobinsonDistrict 1

Louis MaxwellChairman

Albert DanielsDistrict 2

Andrew Thompson, Jr.District 3

Robert “Mike” BerryDistrict 4

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101 East Rosa Parks Avenue • Tuskegee, Alabama 36083 • 334-727-5120 • www.maconcounty-al.orgMacon County Agencies Working Hard To Serve All Citizens:

Macon County Sheriff’s Department • East Central Mental Health Services • Macon County Library • Macon County Water Authority • Macon County Health Department • Macon County Elderly Nutrition Program • Macon County Rural Transportation • Emergency Management Agency • Macon County Juvenile Services • Macon County Extension Service • Macon County Community Action • Macon County Emergency Medical Service • Retired Senior Volunteer Program • Senior Aid Services to the Elderly • County-Wide Water System • County-Wide Solid Waste System • Macon County Council For Retardation and Rehabilitation

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Not so long ago, we never would have thought that driving to places that are close to where we live would amountto much of a vacation. We felt that if it wasn’t several states or countries away to the beaches in the Carribean Islands or mountains in Montana or wine country in California, it just wasn’t a real break from the everyday grind.

But now the cost of travel makes us think twice about jumping on an airplane to get to a destination. Airline ticket pricesare sky high and airline companies are charging for everything from baggage to peanuts. Driving is not much betterwith gas prices close to $4.00 per gallon. So, its time to take a different approach.

We don’t have to give up the pleasure of a great vacation. We just have to cut back on the number of miles we travel.Here in Macon County, we have something for everyone, making this a perfect place for a break-cation right outsideyour backyard. We have history, culture, beaches, mountains, caves, hiking, hunting, bird watching, festivals, museums, parks, rivers, lakes, wineries, historic homes, food, shopping, national forests and many other tourism assets for enjoyment and enlightenment.

A list of Macon County’s tourism assets includes:

All of this can be had on ONE TANK OF GAS. Lets break-cation in our own backyard!

• Old South Equine • Possum Day • Rosa Parks Birthplace• Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church • SuCaro Ridge • Taska Recreation Area: Tuskegee National Forest• Tsinia Wildlife Viewing Area: Tuskegee National Forest• Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site & Museum• Tuskegee Downtown Historic District• Tuskegee Heritage Museum• Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center• Tuskegee National Forest• Tuskegee University• The Oaks (Booker T. Washington Family Home) • Whippoorwill Vineyards • White Oak Plantation • Zora Neale Hurston birthplace

• All Macon County Day Celebration • Bartram Trail: Tuskegee National Forest• Booker T. Washington Church home• BPA Labor Day Fly-In • Burial Site of Booker T. Washington• Burial Site of Dr. George Washington Carver• George Washington Carver Arts & Crafts Festival • George Washington Carver Museum• Harris Barrett School• Hillbilly Mall • Historic Homes• Hounddog Day • Juneteenth Celebration • Lake Tuskegee• Lionel Richie Birthplace • Little Texas Tabernacle and Campground• Macon County Historic Courthouse • Moton Field Airport (Home of the Tuskegee Airmen)

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For More Information Contact:Community Tourism Network, Inc.608 Dibble StreetTuskegee, Alabama 36083334.724.8496or visit: www.tourismresource.org

T U S K E G E ETHE EPITOME OF HISTORY. . .HERITAGE. . .HOSP ITAL ITY

TUSKEGEE was incorporated in 1843. The momentum that occurred during the rest of the1800's established the City's reputation as an educational powerhouse.

TUSKEGEE has wisely preserved its history while simultaneously preparing for the years ahead. Todayit still has old world charm, with a city center dominated by the town square. There you will find aserene park, quaint storefronts and genuine southernhospitality. The future will usher in a new era ofprogress and prosperity that will include healthy nurturing of tourism by business and government

leaders and friendly overtures to tourists. We hopeyou take us seriously when we say it's time to Rediscover Tuskegee.

TUSKEGEE,, the home of Tuskegee University, is located 40 miles east of Montgomery. The population is approximately 12,500, including approximately 3,600 students at Tuskegee University.Tuskegee is “the cradle of Black aviation” in Americaand home of the famous Tuskegee Airmen. Visitorswill find Tuskegee a beautiful city with a topographyof rolling hills, spruce pines, lakes, streams and meadows.

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Contents

PUBLISHERNoah Anthony Hopkins

EDITORIAL DIRECTORKarin Grant Hopkins

EDITORSDionne Y. InmanKarin Grant Hopkins

ART DIRECTOR/GRAPHIC DESIGNNoah Anthony Hopkins

PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHERNoah Anthony Hopkins

COMMUNITY TOURISM NETWORK, INC.608 Dibble StreetTuskegee, Alabama [email protected]

SPECIAL THANKS TO:Alabama State Representative, Pebblin W. WarrenRural Business and Economic Development Program Tuskegee UniversityTuskegee University Cooperative Extension Program

From the Publisher…

Sometimes life hands you a golden opportunity.That’s what happened when state tourism officialspicked music as the theme for tourism campaigns inthe year 2011. They have a statewide focus. I nar-rowed my attention to music that is associated withMacon County.

This edition of the Macon County Tourism Resource Guide spotlights local music history andalso showcases some of the art, culture and visioning that can be found in Macon County today.

Thank you for your interest in the Macon CountyTourism Resource Guide. If the magazine is reallyeffective, you will be motivated to plan a trip toMacon County for the first time or as a returningguest.

I thank everyone in Macon County who understands the promise and potential of tourism,especially our advertisers. These entities want toconnect with our readers. I ask the readers toplease support these businesses and organizations.

Inquiries regarding the Macon County Tourism Re-source Guide should be directed to Noah Hopkinsat 334.725.8496 or [email protected].

Hope to see you soon…

Noah Anthony HopkinsPublisherMacon County Tourism Resource Guide

“A Project of Community Touriism Network, Inc.”

2 BACKYARD BREAK-CATION

7-8 LIONEL RICHIE...TUSKEGEE’S SHINING STAR

11-12 A COUNTRY MUSIC GIANT

13-14 TUSKEGEE’S DREAMGIRLS

17-18 TOM JOYNER...GUARDIAN OF OLD SCHOOL MUSIC

20-21 WHERE TO WORSHIP IN MACON COUNTY

23-24 7TH WONDER

25-26 TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY CHOIR

27 THE OPALS

29-30 TUSKEGEE REPERTORY THEATRE

31 RONALD MC DOWELL...AN ARTISTIC GENIUS

33 THE CLARK BROTHERS...SINGING THE GOSPE TRUTH

35 THE HILLBILLY MALL

39-40 MOTON FIELD WELCOMES GOLDEN EAGLE AVIATION

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His birth certificate says born inTuskegee. His passport says citizen

of the world. His credits say Oscar andGrammy award winning, hit-makingsinger/songwriter/producer with sales of100 million records. His reputation saysrespected by his peers in the music industry and beloved by fans in thiscountry and around the world.

Lionel Richie has come a long way since his childhood days in Tuskegee. During his teen years,the family moved to Joliet, Illinois and he graduated from Joliet Township High School. He returned to his hometown to attend college on a tennis scholarship. While at Tuskegee Institute (nowTuskegee University), he formed a series of R&Bgroups. But in 1968, he took a giant step towards hisfuture when he connected with the Commodores.

The Commodores originally signed with AtlanticRecords but made a bigger splash when the groupsigned with Motown Records. The Commodores hitthe road with the Jackson 5, where they expanded afan base already in tune with their music throughradio airplay of songs like “Brickhouse.”

Lionel Richie easily shifted gears and scored bigas a balladeer with “Easy” and “Three Times ALady,” tunes that continued to swell The Commodores’ fan base and propel Lionel Richie intothe realm of superstardom.

By the late 1970’s, Lionel Richie was writingmusic for other artists. He composed “Lady” forKenny Rogers and it was a #1 hit song. In 1981, Lionel Richie paired with Diana Ross for the duet“Endless Love,” which became one of Motown’s mostpopular recordings. In 1982, Lionel Richie steppedout as a solo artist. His self-named debut solo albumsold four million copies.In 1983, he released his second album, which sold

more than eight million copies and won two Grammyawards. Many of his releases were sentimental lovesongs, prompting a critic to describe him as “ theblack Barry Manilow.”

The single, “All Night Long” reached #1 in 1983.The lyrics describe people dancing in the street andthe music has a Caribbean beat. According to published reports, Lionel Richie says

the songs he writes are based on real events and hehas experienced parties in the street as describedin “All Night Long.”

In 1984, his album “Can’t Slow Down” sold morethan 10 million copies and won the Grammy forAlbum of the Year. By this time Lionel Richie

was so hot, he wasinvited to performat the closingceremonies of the1984 Olympics inLos Angeles, anevent that wasbroadcast to a worldwide audi-ence. In 1985, Lionel

Richie won anOscar for “SayYou, Say Me,” atune he wrote andsang for them o v i e W h i t eNights, starringMikhail Barish-nikov, GregoryHines and HelenMirren. This songreached #1 andstayed at the topof the music chartso long it was the #1 song for that year. Also in 1985, L i one l R i ch i e collaborated with

Michael Jackson for a musical project of epic proportions.

In the interest of saving lives, these superstarsgathered their peers for an unprecedented jam session. They co-produced “We Are the World,”which became another #1 hit with sales generatingmillions for famine relief in Africa.By 1987, an exhausted Lionel Richie, took a break

to tend to his ailing father, Lionel B. Richie, Sr., whodied in 1990.

He eventually went back to work and throughoutthe 1990’s and 2000’s, Lionel Richie continued writing, singing and performing, pleasing his loyalbase and adding new fans.

In 2008, he once again returned to Alabama toperform at a concert held in conjunction with thegrand opening of the Tuskegee Airmen National

LLIIOONNEELLRRIICCHHIIEETuskegee’s Shining Star

Richie performing at the Renaissance Hotelin Montgomery, Alabama in October 2008

By: Karin Hopkins

7

Historic Site, a quasi-museum in Tuskegee established by the federal government to honor theheroic black pilots who served in World War II.

In 2010, Lionel Richie announced that he was creating the Lionel Richie Foundation, a vehicle thatconnects his considerable talent and legacy to the

City of Tuskegee and Tuskegee University. In 2011,he appointed his lifelong friend, Tuskegee attorneyMilton C. Davis as vice president. “He is building theLionel Richie Legacy Museum on the site of his homehouse directly across from the entrance of TuskegeeUniversity.” Milton says, explaining the vision thisway. ”This Legacy Museum will house all of the mem-orabilia, awards, archives and documents from thesuperstar entertainer and global business man andhouse offices for the Foundation.”

The Lionel Richie Foundation also will create along distance learning program to allow the universityto teach students no matter where they are in the

nation or on theplanet. AttorneyDavis says, “Thosepersons desiring toregister for classesat the universitywill be able to attend those classesin real time anywhere in the world. This capacity will

bring the world toTuskege and Tuskegee to the world.”

The foundation also will administer the LionelRichie Fellows Program. This will further enrich theworld-class educational offerings at Tuskegee University, which has already earned a reputation for

excellence in architecture, engineering, veterinarymedicine and other disciplines. Attorney Davis saysthe Lionel Richie Fellows Program ”is open to students from Tuskegee University desiring careersin sports and entertainment management. Intern-ships will be established through the Foundationwith the major corporate entities specializing in theseprofessions and allow unprecedented access and apprenticeship opportunities for Tuskegee Universitystudents.”

His catalog of music is massive and includes classics from the 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s, and 1990’s aswell as new material for today’s generation. Lionel Richie produced a remix of “We Are the World”with Justin Bieber singing Richie’s original part ofthat song.

He has a tremendous following in the countrymusic world and has recorded duets with severalcountry stars including “Stuck On You” with DariusRucker, “Sail On” with Tim McGraw and “Easy” withWillie Nelson.

He continues to perform live and his tour schedule has taken him to faraway places includingAustralia, Morocco, Dubai, Qatar and Libya.No matter how far his travels take him or how high

his records soar on the charts, there is only one placewhere people remember him as a novice dreaming ofa career in the music industry, a college classmatemajoring in Economics, the son of a respected educator named Mrs. Alberta Richie and a young boywhose nickname was “Skeet.” That place is where lifebegan for the now legendary Lionel Brockman Richie,Jr.

That place is Tuskegee.

Lionel Richie’s childhood home on West Montgomery Road in Tuskegee

Attorney Milton C. Davis, his wife Dr. Myrtle Goore Davis and LionelRichie

Richie performing for the opening of the Tuskegee Airmen NationalHistoric Site

Visit www.tourismresource.org for more information ontourism in Tuskegee and Macon County, Alabama

8

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LAW OFFICES OFMILTON CARVER DAVIS

LAW OFFICES OFMILTON CARVER DAVIS

James Segrest now lives in Montgomery,a short distance from the small farm in Shorter,where he was born. Ultimately, fate transported him to a different world, aplace with the rare air reserved for geniuses, the gifted and the greats.

We interviewed him for the MaconCounty Tourism ResourceGuide in his living room.Lounging in his comfortablechair, his aura dominated thespace just as it did when hecommanded the stage duringhis glory years.That aura combined with

his storytelling gift and powerful singing voice earnedJames Segrest the b igges tpr izes in the entertainment business—steady performancebookings and a recording contractwith a major record label.

“I had cut a little 45 with a locallabel...and a guy in Nashville got ahold of a copy...One night I was down here playing music...and the phonerang...and it was him fromNashville wanting to know if I’d beinterested in a recording contractwith ABC...He wanted to know if Icould be there on Monday. This waslike Friday night. We went on up there. Itook my lawyer with me and we signedwith ABC.”

James Segrest was destined for greatness but he started on a rocky road.When he was eight years old, he disobeyed his father and toyed with aguitar that he had been told not totouch. He broke a string on that gui-tar. Consumed with fear, he wentwith his father to the music storein Tuskegee to buy a replacement string. He was surprised when his father also

bought a guitar for him.A few years later, a youth gospel quartet, which

included James Segrest, won a talent showheld in Tuskegee. This was in the 1950’s at a

time when Tuskegee was thriving with manystores and businesses. Tuskegee was also whereeverybody in Macon County and neighboring

communities came for big events like thattalent contest.

Winning lit a fire in James Segrest and bythe 1960’s he was writing songs with thehard living themes that permeate countrymusic.

BANKRUPT by James Segrest

“So the mortgage folks called...gonnatake my house away. And I guess I gotta

let ‘em cuz I ain’t got the money to pay. I just can’t stand it,can’t take it nomore…when theinsurance mancome knocking onmy door…I saidBankrupt…I’m goingBankrupt”

His lyrics can bringyou to tears as he describes hurt and hardship. Yetthis is pure empathy and not his personal experience. He never did drugs. He neverwent to jail. He never did anything scandalous.James Segrest lived to work on stage and in record-

ing studios.In 1970, he landed his record deal and scored a

big hit entitled “What I’d Give to Be The Wind.”Radio airplay and live performances grew his popularity. His fan base stretched throughout thiscountry.

He worked with Willie Nelson before Willie developed his trademark braids and outlaw persona. He opened for Conway Twitty and was a contemporary of Elvis Presley. For 45 years,James Segrest wrote songs that were true to traditional country music.

A COUNTRY MUSIC GIANTBy

Karin Hopkins

11

BACK IN THE BEER JOINTS by James Segrest

“I learned my trade in taverns and honky-tonks andbars…sound of crying fiddles…and pedal steel guitars.Back then I barely made enough for drinks and ciga-rettes. I lost my heart in the beer joints and I ain’t foundit yet. A few more years went by and I was really moving up…playing all the dance halls and big city clubs. Hada Silver Eagle bus…roadies and motels…a record on thecharts doing fairly well. Now I’m Back in the Beer JointsAgain…Back where it really all began…and I guess thisis where it all will end…Back in the Beer Joints Again”

A truly gifted song stylist, his delivery is always magnificent, regardless of who composed the lyrics.Clint Dennis, a member of his band, wrote a tender songabout an ugly situation. James Segrest conveys it with ablend of romantic sweetness and gut-wrenching pain,making it a ballad that is both easy listening and grittyreality.

ALABAMA DREAMS by Clint Dennis

“As pure as Southern dirt, all we had was eachother…didn’t seem to be enough back then. I worked sohard it hurt…to make one end meet the other…Now I’dgladly do it all again. I did some taking with a gun…leftAlabama on the run. I just had to get away from that oldfarm. But I didn’t make it far. They put me here behind

these bars and Imiss my woman’stender loving arms.M y A l a b amaDreams alwaysput my mind atease. They takeme back in time tothe world I leftbehind”

His ladylove, Angie is also his number one fan. A music ian herse l f , she has an ear for musical excellence. She stated, “He come into a club I was playing at and

somebody said James Segrest is in here and I said we gotthe star in here and he gets up on the bandstand and singswith us and I’m like this is great. I’ve been a fan of hisfor a long time.”

It’s a long way from rural Macon County to national fame. But James Segrest traveled that road andleft a trail of great music along the way.

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[email protected]

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P L A Y B I L LTUSKEGEE ALABAMA

TTuusskkeeggeeee’’ss

In the 1960’s, as the world’s ear was tuned to the Motown sound, Tuskegee launched an all-girls singinggroup called The Joyettes. They were equal in talent and

style to the divas in Detroit and were often compared to thehit-makers of that era.

The Joyettes consisted of 16-year old Joyce Carter (German), 17-year old Delois Williams (Harris), 18-year old Vera Williams (Smith) and 18-year old Sylvia Thornton(Smith). The parents of Joyce, Vera and Delois were friendswho sang in a group called the Tuskegee Sextet.

Vera says, “We knew as little kids that we could sing.

‘Lois and I and my baby brother who was about five at thetime did three-part harmony at the church...five, six andseven years old…” Delois adds, “We would have been ayoutube phenomenon but of course there was no youtubeback then.”

These four teenagers morphed into a real group, on the same level as the Supremes and Martha and the Vandellas. The comparisons started after The Joyettes blew the roof off of Logan Hall at Tuskegee Institute during the 1966 Freshman Talent Show. After the contest, while attending her classes at Tuskegee Institute,

THE JOYETTES

JJaayyss

By Karin Hopkins

13

Delois says she was summoned by the Dean of Students,Dr. P. Bertrand Phillips. “I thought I had done somethinghorrible…and he asked me about our group. I felt so re-lieved because I knew then that I was not in trouble. He justwanted to meet us.” Around this time, The Joyettes con-nected with The Jays, a band that Joyce describes as, “theprecursors to The Commodores.”

The 1960’s were a magical time for musicians inTuskegee. In addition to the Joyettes and The Jays, other as-piring entertainers likewise blossomed at this time. JanisCarter and Bill Patterson made a name for themselves as aduet. However, Janis was versatile. She would switch gearsand play piano with The Joyettes. Janis’ singing partner,Bill, also was multi-talented. He was The Joyettes’ songwriter.

Another peer group wasThe DuPonts, which wasTom Joyner’s musical jumpoff. Vera chuckled at thememory of the now famoussyndicated radio deejayTom Joyner and his clown-ing around back then. “Canyou believe that TomJoyner used to open up ashow for us? Yes he did.And he’d jump out there inhis little yellow pants withthe polka dot drawersshowing through.” At that time The Joyettes

were rising fast with book-ings in big cities including New York and Atlanta. YetTuskegee’s Dreamgirls walked away from the music busi-ness and with no regrets. Vera says, “Even though we wereinvited by Capitol Records to come, we did not accept be-cause we would have had to drop out of school and wechose to finish college.”

In 1967, they recorded an album at the Waluhaje Ballroom in Atlanta. It has been re-mastered on CD andgives today’s audiences a delightful blast from the past.Songs include instrumentals recorded by The Jays and duetsby Janis and Bill. The Joyettes’ selections include a re-makeof the Dionne Warwick hit; You’ll Never Get to Heaven ifYou Break My Heart.

During the interview with the Macon County Tourism

Resource Guide, the ladies performed impromptu andacapella. They still have the vocal range and tight harmonythat took them to the brink of stardom.

It took more than talent to go from tiny Tuskegee to thebright lights of big cities. The Joyettes hadmakeup and hair styling assistance,choreography, wardrobes, traveland lodging logistics, perform-ances, marketing and man-agement. They say Dr.Phillips was their fiercestcheerleader. Delois says,“He believed in us and hetried everything he could tomake people aware of who wewere. We even went to Nassauand we sang down there…andthen to go to New York…”

Catching up with Dr. P. Bertrand Phillips

When The Joyettes and The Jays were performingthroughout the United States and in the Caribbean Islands,an enormous amount of planning and preparation had takenplace before they hit the stage.Dr. P. Bertrand Phillips was behind the scenes guiding the

work that was unseen by the publ ic . A br i l l iant administrator and strategist, Dr. Phillips focused on the te-dious details that were critical for the Tuskegee musicians tobe serious contenders in the entertainment industry.He was Dean of Student Affairs, Director of the Tuskegee

Institute Community Education program and Professor ofPsychology and Education in the 1960’s when the musicscene in Tuskegee exploded. He said, “If the venues hadbeen available there in Tuskegee, I believe it would havebecome another Austin.” (The capital city in Texas, Austin’smusic scene flourished in the 1960’s and is now a multi-million dollar industry. Austin bills itself as the LiveMusic Capital of the World.)Dr. Phillips fondly remembers what impressed him about

The Joyettes. “It was their distinctive voices, their charismaand their spiritual and family underpinnings.”However, he was not surprised they chose education over

entertainment. “No. They were all academically mindedand at this particular juncture in our nation’s history, they re-alized that education was the pathway to take.”

His son, Dale Phillips and daughter, Judy Phillips wereboth born at John Andrews Hospital on the Tuskegee Institute campus. He explains that he left for personal rea-sons. “My family and I made the decision in December1967 to leave Tuskegee to explore other professional opportunities and the President, Dr. Luther Foster announced my plans to the faculty, staff and students in February 1968. This decision was not made lightly or without sadness. It is important to note that the five yearsthat my family and I spent at Tuskegee were five of the mostimportant, eventful and wonderful years of our lives.”

Janis and Bill

The Jays (Story continued on page 22)

14

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Gladys Knight was performing at the Flamingo Hotel inLas Vegas, when a fan in the audience shouted, “We loveyou Gladys.” Squinting to look past the bright stage

lights into the dark, cavernous seating area, she strained to see theperson. Noted for music that gets better with time, the concert was sold

out. Admission cost a pretty penny and fans paid gladly to hearthis Grammy award-winning vocalist perform her long list of incredible songs. Only an act of God or an enormously importantperson could have interrupted this show. Now back to the shout-out fan. Even though she could not

identify him by sight, Gladys Knight still knew who he was. Sherecognized his voice, called him by name and thanked him forplaying her music on his radio program. She put her show on pause to let the packed house know, just

how much she and her peers appreciate Tom Joyner.Born in Tuskegee, Tom Joyner performed in the 1960’s with

a singing group called The DuPonts, which was backed by a bandcalled The Commodores. He reportedly told the Los AngelesTimes that he could kick himself for not staying with The Commodores until the group became successful. "This is a bitter subject," he claimed. Continuing about his

days as a budding musician, he added "I've been friends with Lionel Richie since childhood. We go back to nursery school.And here I am getting up at three in the morning. Do I regret it?Here I am going to the bank every Friday and the bank comes tohim. 'Got any checks for us today, Mr. Richie?' Don't get mestarted," he joked.

Joyner’s entertainment career came to an end when he decided that finishing college was more important. In a

professional context, he traded the stage for a studio, embarkingon a career in radio that has made him a media mogul. He credits his hometown for the inner fortitude that led to his success. In 2005, he published a book titled I’m Just a DJ But…ItMakes Sense to Me, in which he thanks “the entire town ofTuskegee, Alabama for teaching me that no dream is out ofreach.”In his book, Joyner talks about his first radio job at a station

in Montgomery, “before that I had a Saturday show at the radiostation in Tuskegee. It was an outgrowth of a protest march I’dparticipated in back in the days when instead of watching car-toons or Soul Train on Saturday morning, kids like me marchedagainst segregation.” The protesters were offended that the one radio station in their

predominately African American town played only white music.When the station owner agreed to play black music half a day,one day a week, he asked the crowd if anyone was interested inholding down that time slot. Tom Joyner jumped at the opportu-nity. It was at this time that he began learning about life and business in a way that would later make him famous and rich.

The music he played at the Tuskegee radio station was automated, requiring production of a mix tape of songs thatwould play when he pushed buttons and flipped switches. TomJoyner says, “I decided that I could make a little more money ifI made tapes of the music shows I’d formatted and sold them toother automated stations.”

All five of the stations he approached turned him down. However, many years later he realized his concept was an earlyversion of syndication. Today, Tom Joyner is the king of urban radio because of his

phenomenal syndication reach. “Every day we talk to more thaneight million African Americans in more than 120 markets.”After his first “real” radio job in Montgomery, he moved to

several other markets, steadily advancing up the ladder of success. By the early 1980’s, he was a dominant personality onthe airwaves in Chicago. He later moved to Dallas to host amorning program. Within a few years, Chicago was calling himback. Instead of picking one city over the other, he chose to workin both places at the same time.

"I got to thinking," Joyner told People Weekly. "Dallas andChicago are in the same time zone. There was plenty of time between the morning and afternoon shows," he continued.

Guardian of Old School Music

By: Karin Hopkins

Lionel Richie and his childhood friend Tom Joyner

17

He looked into travel arrangements, and discovered that betweenavailable flights and typical weather patterns, he would likely beable to make both jobs almost 100 percent of the time.This is when he became known as “The Fly Jock,” a fitting

nickname considering his schedule—on the radio in Dallas by5:30am, sign off at 9:00am, board a plane for Chicago by10:00am, hit the air in Chicago from 2:00pm until 6:00pm andboard a plane headed back to Dallas by 10:00pm. He did thisfive days a week for eight years. Joyner also became known as “The Hardest–Working Man in

Radio,” another well deserved tag for a man with two shows intwo different cities, both occupying first place in the ratings. Heattributes his work ethic to Tuskegee and a father who “let meknow that a job half done was not acceptable.” He also knows that often a good business model is rooted in

a service mindset. This is something else he perfected inTuskegee. While attending college, he gathered the crumbs fromfried chicken cooked at a Tuskegee restaurant, bagged the crumbsand sold them for 25 cents per bag. “You see, once a child has itin his head that he can earn money by providing a service, itnever leaves him.” He has come a long way since those days ofselling chicken crumbs but he is still using the same business model and service mindset, though now on a muchlarger scale. Working simultaneously in two cities, was an oddity that drew

national media coverage, meaning people all over the countryknew about The Fly Jock. After quitting the bi-city routine, hetook a short break and settled into a slower pace, hosting a weekend countdown show syndicated by the CBS radio network. Then in 1993, ABC offered Joyner a syndication deal that he

could not refuse.In 1994, The Tom Joyner Morning Show (TJMS) launched

with 29-affiliated radio stations airing the program. The TJMSexpanded to 62 stations within its first two years. By 1998, theshow was in 95 markets.

In 2003, Joyner bought his syndicated program from ABCand consolidated his media and business empire into a new company—REACH Media, Inc., which he controlled. By 2004, the show was being heard in 115 markets. Also in

2004, Radio One paid $56 million for a majority stake in TomJoyner’s company.A leading voice in black America, Tom Joyner speaks to his

audience about deep social and political issues. His format is ablend of social commentary, comedy and mostly old schoolmusic with an occasional hip hop tune on the play list. He is a

staunch supporter of nostalgic R&B as well as today’s artistswhose style emulates classic R&B grooves. For years, The Tom Joyner Morning Show broadcast live from

every major event in the country—Magic City Classic,ESSENCE Music Festival, the Super Bowl. If an event drew ahuge crowd, Tom and his entire production crew would fly intothat city and set up for remote transmission.

Not only would they broadcast, they would host an earlymorning party of their own and draw a packed house. Peoplewould begin lining up at 3:00am and earlier to be in place whenthe doors opened for the 5:00am start time.

This traveling show eventually became the Southwest Airlines Sky Show, featuring old school artists as entertainment.Major corporations would go on stage during these sky showsand give large checks to The Tom Joyner Foundation to assist the

foundation in its commitmentto Historically Black Collegesand Universities (HBCUs).The corporations knew the

value in being seen by those in attendance and being mentioned on the air whileeight million listeners weretuned in.

A few years ago Joynerdropped the sky shows. However, he continues to

provide work for old school artists by booking them to performat The Tom Joyner Family Reunion and on his annual cruise shipparty, The Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage. Money from the cruiseis donated to HBCUs, including Tuskegee University whereJoyner earned his undergraduate degree in Sociology.

Tuskegee nurtured him academically and he in turn has nurtured thousands of college students by donating millions toHBCUs. In 2009, Florida A&M University (FAMU) reportedraising $1 million during the Tom Joyner Foundation School ofthe Month program. In 2010, FAMU and Tom Joyner announcedcreation of the Tom Joyner Online Education (TJOE) program,allowing students to graduate from participating HBCUs aftercompleting classes online. In May 2011 he returned to TuskegeeUniversity to serve as commencement speaker at the graduationceremony.

That entertainment career he flirted with in the 1960’s wasnot meant to be but he is still a dominant figure in the music industry.

Tom Joyner connects a specific genre of music with an audience that has an appetite for the old school sound. Thoughthis music is now accessible on copycat radio programs, the Internet and iTunes, for a long time Joyner was in a league byhimself. During those years, he helped to save old school artistsfrom oblivion.

Through his radio program and various enterprises, TomJoyner is preserving and perpetuating music first made popular30 to 50 years ago by great artists including his childhood friendLionel Richie and the grateful Gladys Knight.Tom Joyner’s life is the ultimate Party With a Purpose. Who

knows where it will end but we know it began in Tuskegee.

Visit www.tourismresource.org

Tom with a $60,000 donation fromNOKIA to his foundation

Tom Joyner and his crew at the ESSENCE Music Festival in New Orleans

18

Where to Worship in

Macon CountyAntioch Baptist Church 1220 County Rd 5...........334-727-5824

Apostolic Faith Mission Inc3820 Washington Av........334-727-2631

Bethel Baptist Church802 Bethel St Tskgee.......334-727-7961

Bradford’s Chapel UMC2091 County Rd 29.........334-727-6333

Butler Chapel AME Zion Church1002 N Church St Tskgee334-727-3550

Chehaw AME Zion ChurchHighway 199....................334-727-9159

Church Of Christ1702 S. Main St...............334-727-7200

Concord Baptist ChurchChurch 11:00....................Notasulga, AL

Daniel Baptist Church1201 Gautier St..............334-727-1900

Divine Bethel Missionary Baptist ChurchCentral Milstead Rd Shrtr.334-727-1317

Divine Inspirational Gospel Church4771 Hwy 199 Tskgee......334-727-9846

Eternal Life Temple of God89 West Ave Tuskegee....334-725-1555

Faith Ministries PAW2501 Holy Ghost Circle...334-727-1491

First Baptist Church Reeltown16963 Highway 49S........334-257-4515

Fort Hull Community Church4774 County Rd 45.........334-727-1287

Franklin Church2700 Cnty Rd 27 Tskgee..334-727-4411

Friendship Baptist ChurchBrown St...........................334-727-3455

God House Of Prayer408 S Elm St...................334-724-9961

Greater New Life Church, Inc.1315 Old Montgomery Rd.......334-724-0617

Greater St. Mark Missionary Bpt Church3403 W MLK. Hwy...........334-727-1780

Greater White Church35779 Cnty Rd 2 Shorter..334-725-0091

Greenwood Missionary Baptist Church1510 Washington Av........334-727-0871

Hicks Chapel AME Zion Church576 Lowe Road................334-252-8001

Jehovah’s Witnesses Tuskegee AL1410 Notasulga Hwy........334-727-3152

Jubilee Christian Fellowship IntlMidway............................334-727-5833

Macedonia Baptist Church1260 County Rd 10 Tskg..334-727-6468

Macedonia Baptist Church444 Auburn Road..............334-257-3343

Mary Magdalene Baptist Church4294 Cross Keys Rd Shrt.334-727-2923

Masjid Ash-Shura 906 Franklin Rd, Tuskegee, AL 36088

Mt Calvary Missionary Christian Church1504 Bruce St..................334-727-1006

Mt Nebo Baptist Church7677 US Hwy 29S Tskge..334-727-5113

Mt Olive Missionary Christian Church410 Cedar St Tskgee........334-727-3080

Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church33800 County Rd 2 Shrtr..334-727-2439

Mt Pleasant Baptist ChurchHighway 26......................334-727-5383

Nebraska Missionary ChurchHardaway........................334-727-4603

New Elam Missionary Baptist Church1707 County Rd 48.........334-724-9907

New Exodus Apostolic Chuc-Pentcostal7074 County Road 53......334-257-1445

New Hope Baptist Church1903 Chappie James Dr...334-727-0613

New Hope Baptist Church 11585 Banks McDade Rd..334-727-5004

New Mount Pleasant Baptist Church426 County Rd13 Shrtr.....334-727-9026

New Life Church of God In Christ1205 E MLK Hwy Tskgee.334-727-5011

Notasulga First Baptist185 Hardwich St................334-257-3481

2011 Macon County Alabama Tourism Resource Guide20

Notasulga Methodist Church80 Church Street...............334-257-3791

Pine Grove Baptist Church7936 County Rd 40.........334-724-0020

Pit Stop People in Transition302 S. Elm St Tuskegee...334-727-6940

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church5040 AL-81.......................334-257-4571

Pleasant Springs Baptist ChurchPleasant Springs Dr.........334-727-1166

Providence Missionary Baptist ChurchSo-ciety Hill Rd.................334-727-2063

Rising Star Baptist Church2603 County Rd 53..........334-724-6600

Rock Of Ages Baptist Church3004 County Rd 27.........334-727-4179

Saint James AME Church609 White St.....................334-725-1486

Saint John AME Zion Church1406 Clark Av Tuskegee..334-727-0970

Salem Macon Baptist Church4647 Tallapoosa St..........334-257-4498

Shady Grove Missionary Baptist ChurchShady Grove Rd..............334-727-4477

Shiloh Baptist Church7 Shiloh Road..................Notasulga, AL

Solomon Chapel AME Zion Church4214 MLK Jr Hwy Tskgee334-727-2308

Springhill Baptist ChurchMorgan Russell Rd......334-727-1725

St Andrews Episcopal Churc701 W Montgomery Rd.....334-727-3210

St. John Baptist Church515 St. John Church Rd....334-257-4261

St Paul’s AME Zion Church 18716 US Hy 80 W Shrtr....334-727-2967

St Paul Baptist ChurchSociety Hill Rd..................334-724-9467

Sweet Canaan6067 US Hwy 80W Tskge..334-727-5795

Sweet Gum AME Zion Church560 Old Mont Hwy Shrtr....334-727-0680

Sweet Pilgrim Baptist ChurchCrossroads.......................334-727-7634

Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church1325 County Rd 14..........334-724-9396

Tuskegee AOH Church of God1701 Tolbert Cir Tskgee.....334-727-9069

Tuskegee Christian Center711 W MLK Hwy................334-725-1700

Tuskegee Islamic Community1103 South Main St., Tuskegee, AL 36088

Tuskegee Seventh Day Adventist Church377 Lennard Av.................334-727-7198

Washington Chapel AME Church2508 Old Montgomery Rd..334-727-4821

Westminster Presbyterian Church1806 Franklin Rd Tskge....334-727-4994

Woodland Presbyterian ChurchChurch 9:00 -10:00

Where to Worship in Macon County

2011 Macon County Alabama Tourism Resource Guide

TTOOUURRIISSMM DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTT

IISS OOUURR GGAAMMEE

We Help Small Towns and Cities

Identify and Profit from their Tourism Assets



[email protected]

CCAALLLL

334.725.8496or

205.567.6397

608 Dibble StreetTuskegee, Alabama 36083

334.226.1525 office334.703.5620 cell

[email protected]

Jimmie S. Wilson

21

After leaving Tuskegee, he transitioned to business entrepreneurship, providing consultant services “to educational institutions, government agencies, associations,religious and other institutions and small and large businesses. Research and writing are things that I enjoy, andI am blessed to be able to do these things as well as enjoy ourfive grandchildren and growing family and to continue toenjoy travel opportunities around the world. I am also beginning to write about the Tuskegee Institute CommunityEducation Program (TICEP).”

In 1976, Dr. Phillips and his wife, Judith V. Phillips, co-founded Bermultinational Limited, an Organization Development and Management Consulting firm. The coupleresides in Silver Spring, Maryland.

(The Joyettes story continued) It is impossible for The Joyettes and The Jays to reunite.

Michael Gilbert, a member of The Jays, is deceased. SylviaThornton (Smith) and Janis Carter (Johnson) also died. BillWinston, the bandleader for The Jays is now a minister livingin Chicago. Abram Brown lives in Arizona. Arthur Lawrenceand Jimmy Johnson also live out of state. Bobby Owens stilllives in Tuskegee and still plays music, performing with thejazz band named Smoke.

Talking about his former band, Bobby Owens says, “Wehad the best of times. Bert Phillips was carrying us into placesthat we would have never been in, like Town Hall. We werein high cotton in those days. We did the Otis Redding Showat the Apollo. When we hit that first note you could hear‘Lawd have mercy they got a big sound.’ Bill Winston cameout singing and a dude got up and started hollering and fellout of the balcony down on the floor.”

Owens said The Joyettes also hit the right notes. “Wethought they were going to make it before we would. Theysounded just like the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas andall those kind of groups. We thought a heck of a lot of thosegirls. I really appreciate their mothers and fathers followingthe group. We had them as chaperones everywhere we went.”

The surviving Joyettes savor their great memories and memorabilia from the 1960’s. They also still blend theirvoices in song and lean on each other for support, rockingthrough life as they did on stage, in perfect harmony.

Vera Joyce Delois

George Washington Carver Arts & Crafts FestivalMay 7, 2011Held on the Tuskegee Square(334) 727-6619

Hound Dog DayMay 14, 2011Hillbilly MallLittle Texas community(334) 727-6476

Possum DayMay 21, 2011Franklin Town HallFamily-friendly arts, crafts, food and entertainment

Juneteenth CelebrationJune 18, 2011Tuskegee City Square

All Macon County DayAugust 12 & 13, 2011Free & Open to the Public(334) 727.5120 ext. 4

BPA Labor Day Fly-InSeptember 2011Tuskegee Municipal Airport (Moton Field)(334) 727-6485

Tuskegee UniversityEventʼs list may be accessed at www.tuskegee.edu

George Washington Carver MuseumTuskegee, AlabamaFor Information call: 334.727.3200

Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site1616 Chappie James AvenueTuskegee, Alabama 36083For Information call: 334.724.0922

Whippoorwill Vineyards4282 County Road 31Notasulga, AL 36866Phone: 334-257-2711

Victoryland (Greyhound Dog Racing)I-85N at Exit 22Shorter, AL

IN MACON COUNTY

(Story continued from page 16)

22

7th Wonder, initially consisting of six men and one woman,was founded in 1971 by Iulus Chislom, Jr. on keyboards,

Sidney Conley on drums/percussions, Marvin Patton on leadguitar/vocals and William Jerome Thornton on bass guitar/background vocals. They brought on additional original members Wilbert Cox, lead vocals/percussions; Deborah Cox, lead vocals/percussions; and Allen Williams,lead vocals/percussions. Another member of the Cox family,Oscar, joined as the original equipment, lighting and soundtechnician. All were born and raised in Tuskegee, where 7thWonder continues to base its operations.

Chislom contributed the name “7th Wonder” after a contest to determine the group’s name. Each had performedwith other bands in past years, most recently with “The Reflections.” The newly formed band adopted Chislom’s ideaand the rest is history.7th Wonder built upon the idea of linking the name with theseventh wonder of the world, the Great Pyramids of Giza inEgypt. Connecting the pyramids with the Ancient Egyptiancivilization and culture – music, dancing and merrymaking –is how 7th Wonder arrived at its style.“This style became our trademark,” says Marvin Patton.

“Our dance routines included many of the innovative Egypt-ian poses and dance steps. Our music also symbolized someof the Egyptian sounds.”

Over the years, the band made changes in membership—

founding drummer, Conley, left in 1973. His main reason wasto complete his education at then-Tuskegee Institute. JesseOliver of Tuskegee filled the open position.That year, the group recorded its first songs: Kris

Kristofferson’s “For The Good Times” an original, “Let’s StopKidding Ourselves” and another original “Absence MakesThe Heart Grown Fonder” on Abet Records of Nashville, Ten-nessee with Dan Brantley of Selma, Alabama as executiveproducer.In 1977, Oliver left the band and Khalifah (John Bell)

Hameen of Greenville, Alabama joined 7th Wonder as drummer. Between 1977 and 1979, 7th Wonder recorded itsfirst album, “Words Don’t Say Enough” on ParachuteRecords, a subsidiary of Casablanca Records. The hit single,“My Love Ain’t Never Been This Strong” charted in the mid-30s and was picked up by Black Radio, Billboard and CashBox trade magazines.William (“WG”) Garrison of WG’s Enterprises from Baton

Rouge, Louisiana became the group’s executive producer andbusiness manager. Garrison brought Jerry Weaver on board asproducer. In 1979, when “Captain Boyz,” a name the members affectionately called Khalifah, left, Weaver broughtin Johnnie Hammon of Muscle Shoals, Alabama as drummer.That same year, they recorded “Climbing Higher” and thegroup was indeed climbing higher with their charted hit single, “Do It With Your Body.” The album was co-produced

7th Wonder

7th Wonder on Soul Train with Host Don Cornelius (September 27, 1980): L-R (front) Marvin Patton, Wilbert Cox, Cornelius, Deborah CoxMathews, Allen Williams and Iulus Chislom; (back) the Oasis Horns Alonzo Bowens and Lloyd Oby. Not shown are Bill Butler, Johnnie Hammon and Jerome Thornton.

By: Lateefah Muhammad

23

and written by Jerry Weaver, Ronald LaPread (Commodores)and 7th Wonder, again on the Parachutes Records label.With a move to Cecil Holmes’ Chocolate City Records,

another subsidiary of Casablanca Records, 7th Wonderrecorded and released a third album, “Thunder,” an elevationfrom their first two Casablanca distributed albums. In this1980 release, the group wrote many of the tunes and also tookon some production chores with co-producers Jerry Weaver,Leon Sylvers and Lakeside. “We like to think of it as a sequel.We felt that, in essence, we were giving more music from our-selves for the 80’s” stated the former group leader, JeromeThornton.

Famous for their Egyptian costumes and mythology, 7thWonder incorporated Egyptian musical hooks in such cuts as the dance number, “Tilt,” and the funk-rocker, “Busyman.” Other tunes on the album included a lilting ballad, “All In All”a country-funk cut, “All The Love I Thought I Had” and thethunderous first single, “I Enjoy Ya,” an up-tempo song for theladies. With the smash hit single, “Tilt,” 7th Wonder gainednational attention, including an appearance in 1980 on the popular television show, Soul Train.7th Wonder was one of the South’s hottest touring bands for

more than 15 years. When they went on the road after releas-ing “Thunder,” the Oasis Horns, featuring Bill Butler on trumpet, Lloyd Oby on trombone and AlonzoBowens on saxophone, all from Louisiana, joinedthem and made Tuskegee theirhome. After a short stint with thegroup, Bowens left and JimmyMcElroy of Phoenix, Arizonajoined the horn section. Thegroup performed with variousrenowned artists, includingthe hometown group, theCommodores, Teddy Pender-grass, Stephanie Mills,Rufus, the O’Jays, Al Green,Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, LTD, Brick, SOS, ConFunkShun, War, Kool and theGang, Whispers, Lakeside andLarry Graham and Graham Central Station.At the end of WG’s contract

with the group, 7th Wonder wrote,arranged and produced the single,“She’s My Girl,” on their label, T-TownRecords, in 1983, with assistance from Steve Myers ofTuskegee’s WBIL radio. Throughout the southeast, BlackRadio reported this single as a hit, however, without a majorlabel and with limited distribution funds, the wide success ofthe single was suppressed.In 1983, 7th Wonder won first place in the annual “Battle

of the Bands” contest on Armed Forces Day sponsored by

WHHY (Y-102) Radio in Montgomery, Alabama, winning a4-foot trophy and free studio time. Three major record companies—RCA MCA and A&M Records, judged the contest. The radio station deemed the 7th Wonder “the mosttalented band [we] ever heard in the battle.” The annual “Battle of the Bands” contest was the precursor to today’sCityFest Jubilee.Three original members, Wilbert, Deborah and Oscar, left

the group in 1985. 7th Wonder reorganized and continued toperform along the eastern and southern coasts in cities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Louisiana through East Coast

Entertainment of Richmond, Virginia, and GreerEntertainment of Atlanta, Georgia.In 1990, another founding member

and bass player, Jerome, left thegroup and moved his family toColumbus, Georgia . After several temporary bass players,including Darryl Jones, formermember of the Mean Machinewith the Commodores, TyroneStanton of the Commodores,Jerome Temple, Michael Sinclairand Glen Watson, Doug Eaves ofTuskegee joined 7th Wonder in 2000as bass player. The Oasis Horns alsoleft the group and Larry Oates ofMuscle Shoals, Alabama was broughtin on horns.The breakups, along with false

promises by many in the industry, negatively impacted 7th Wonder over the years; however, three diehard original members—Iulus,

Marvin and Allen--have kept the band going. They are completing a variety compact disk, including gospel, reggae,light rock and country. They perform every chance they getthroughout the Southeast, doing “old and new school” sounds.To book 7th Wonder, call (334) 332-0473.

MarvinPatton

AllenWilliams

LarryOates

JohnnieHammon

IulusChislom

DougEaves

7th Wonder with Jesse Oliver (1975)

24

When Booker T. Washington created The TuskegeeQuartet in 1884, he planted seeds that would

ultimately blossom into a national treasure. The TuskegeeUniversity Choir was created in 1886 and for more than acentury it has brought together talented students performing under the auspices of masterful composers anddirectors. The choir has graced stages near and far, alwaysstaying true to Washington’s mandate to sing the AfricanAmerican spirituals.

The current Tuskegee University Choir Director is Dr.Wayne Anthony Barr who has been in the position since2001. He has travelled internationally with the choir butsays some of his best memories have happened close tohome. “Like the time we visited an elementary school inUnion Springs, the kids are so enthralled.”Tuskegee University students who are interested in

joining must audition and according to Dr. Barr the most essential skill is “the ability to match pitch.” He describesthe choir, which now consists of 60 members as, “a body ofstudents who love music. They love to sing.”

In spite of their prior experience or passion for singing,

Dr. Barr says spirituals are new to most aspiring choir members. “For them it’s quite a learning experience. A lot ofchurches today are not singing the spirituals so when theycome I guess they expect a lot of gospel. They expect whatthey’ve done back at home. Then they are exposed to thespirituals, the sacred anthems and the way of singing, thisstyle of singing. I would say it [the choir] is a group of students who love to sing and are serious about the musicthat they sing, students who have gained an appreciation forthis repertoire.” This aspect of the interview with the Macon County

Tourism Resource Guide triggered questions about the difference between spirituals and gospel. Dr. Barr providedhistorical perspective saying, “Spirituals were created during slavery. Gospel music was created afterwards. Spirituals were communal. There’s no one person you canpoint to and say this person created this. The gospel musiccomes out of that spiritual environment but it’s more of anindividual creation. It also involves instruments so themelodies and harmonies are actually influenced by those instruments. Spirituals were not originally harmonized.

The Tuskegee University ChoirSpiritual Music Preservationists By: Karin

Hopkins

25

They were just melodies that were sung and whatever harmony happened was a matter of coincidence really anda matter of singing.”

Continuing to point out distinctions between the musical genres, Dr. Barr said, “There is no one way to singit [spirituals]. Each time you sing it it’s different based onthe number of people there and the individuals present.Gospel music is created for a performing group. Spirituals—everyone can sing. Gospel as it has developed has come todistinguish the congregation from the choir.”

Dr. Barr earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree fromthe University of Michigan, where his dissertation topic wasThe History of the Pipe Organ in Black Churches in theUnited States. He also earned a Master’s degree in Sacred Music from Southern Methodist University and asecond Master’s in Choral Conducting from this same institution. He holds an undergraduate degree from Westminster Choir College.

While he talked about his life including his childhoodbackground, it was easy to understand how he became soattached to spiritual music. “This is what I grew up listening to. It’s what I grew up singing.” Surprisingly, Dr. Barr is from South America. He says he

also heard the indigenous folk songs of his native country, Guyana. “For some reason the spirituals just resonated with me.” Dr. Barr was a fan of the choir long before he became its

director. While living in Michigan he stumbled across arecording of the Tuskegee Institute Choir produced by theformer choir director William Dawson, who was also aworld-renowned composer and conductor.

During the Dawson Era, the choir performed in NewYork at Radio City Music Hall, in Washington, DC at Constitution Hall and the White House and on many national radio and television programs. Under the leadership of the esteemed William Dawson, prestigious invitations were extended to the Tuskegee University Choirrequiring extensive traveling in this country and abroad.

This trend has continued with many performances at na-tional and international venues including at the NationalPrayer Breakfast in 1994 and in the East Room of the WhiteHouse in 1997. “Since I’ve been here, a portion of the choir was able to

go to Spain during the Christmas 2009 season to perform a series of concerts there.” Dr. Barr says. He said various factors have prevented the choir from traveling for two yearsbut he is optimistic about the future. “I am hoping that thereare various elements being put in place right now so it willbe an annual expectation that the choir will go on tour.”He is planning a trip to New York for a choir

performance at Lincoln Center Avery Fisher Hall in March2012.National and global travel is special but equally

important are the vesper services and campus events that involve the Tuskegee University Choir.Dr. Barr says “Our annual Christmas concert is the first

Sunday evening in December. The Annual Dawson Institute Concert and Lecture is the first Saturday of April inconjunction with our Founder’s Day Weekend. We invitechoirs from other HBCUs [Historically Black Colleges andUniversities], to join us for that day. We celebrate Dawsonand we ask each choir to sing at least one Dawson selectionand not just the spirituals but also other sacred and folkmusic.”Following a long line of choir directors, Dr. Barr is now

the guardian of this precious legacy. It is rewarding to himin many ways especially when students become inspired.He says several former members are either pursuing or engaged in work that is a spinoff from their time with thechoir. He cites as an example, an opera study program inItaly founded by an alumna who returned to the campus atDr. Barr’s invitation. During that first visit she chose somestudents for her program.“Now this is an annual thing

for her to come and hear students for possible selection.They get a chance to go andstudy with an establishedopera singer and [opera]coach.”

The essence of the spiritu-als has a soul-stirring visualadaptation in the TuskegeeUniversity Chapel. A magnificent display of stainedglass windows covers a largesection of wall space in the chapel’s vestibule. Called theSinging Windows, the beautiful artwork represents 11 spiritual songs that were favorites of Booker T. Washingtonand his successor Robert R. Moton.

“The Singing Windows”

Dr. Barr sitting at the Rodgers Digital Pipe Organ

26

TUSKEGEE’S CONNECTION TO THE

In 1956, when Rose Kelley (Washington) was just eightyears old, her family moved from Creek Stand, Alabama inMacon County to East Chicago, Indiana. Fast-forward totoday and her life has made a full circle turn. She is onceagain living in Macon County, working at RBC Bank inTuskegee. To the outside world she is the epitome of administrative efficiency. To those who know her well, sheis R&B history.

She is in the encyclopedia of Classic Soul as a memberof The Opals. During her glory days in the entertainmentindustry, she rubbed shoulders with Jerry Butler, The Dells,Curtis Mayfield, Gene Chandler “the Duke of Earl” andMajor Lance.Her vocal skills were discovered almost by accident. “I

really didn’t know I could sing until my great-uncle heardme sing in church and told my mom and dad, ‘That daughter of yours can really sing’ and they were so in awe,they started coming to church on Children’s Day and theydiscovered I had a little talent.”She recalls that her professional singing career began in

1963, when a friend from her church connected her withtwo other teenaged girls, Myra Tillotson and Rosie “Tootsie” Addison. She said the friend, “heard me sing atchurch and she knew they were trying to form a group. Sheasked them if they would mind me joining them, so I metwith them and we rehearsed and that was it. When we firstgot together, a guy by the name of Maurice Rogers wasmanaging us and he came up with the name Opal. Back inthe 60’s, it was music… it was good music in the 60’s.”

The Opals were 16 years old when they got started andjust like other girl groups of that era, they admired theSupremes. She remembers their breakthrough moment was

supremely unglamorous. “We were there at Steve’s ChickenShack on 25th Avenue in Gary, Indiana and Mickey McGillheard us sing.” He said, “These girls are too young to be inhere in this chicken shack.”

Mickey was a big time entertainer, a member of the chart-topping R&B ensemble, The Dells. He introduced thegirls to two major music industry insiders, Calvin Carterand Carl Davis. This led to the girls’ participation on a bighit record. They provided background vocals to the “ShoopShoop Song, It's In His Kiss” recorded by Betty Everett in1963.

Carl Davis put The Opals with Curtis Mayfield whowrote a song for them titled “You Can’t Hurt Me No More.”Rose Kelley was lead vocalist. According to published reports, this was one of the first records that joined the writing skills of Curtis with the arranging of Johnny Pate.

Rose talked about the financial aspect of The Opals career. “We made some money but the majority of themoney came from backgrounding other artists and we dida lot of that. That’s what we did throughout the Chicagolandarea. We backgrounded Gene Chandler, Major Lance, Walter Jackson and of course the ‘Shoop, Shoop’ Song withBetty Davis… not Betty Davis… Lord help me…Betty youtalking about me,..Betty Everrett, the “Shoop, Shoop Song,It's In His Kiss” in '63 that was one of our favorites.” The Opals stayed togetherfor about 10 years.

Nowadays, her formercareer is a distant memorythat she rarely discusseswith friends or relatives.“Well, it’s funny becauseI really don’t talk thatmuch about it but whenthey hear about it theyquestion me about it. I tellthem I got started young,we went out on the road.We went all over. I enjoyed doing it but youknow how it is with agroup of women, some-times things happen andyou just go your separateways.” However, the ideaof a reunion was discussed during the interview with theMacon County Tourism Resource Guide, “We thoughtabout it and we are really trying for 2012 to get togetherand do something. We had talked about a grand reunion,hopefully we can get that going.”

“Shoop Shoop Song”

The Opals Myra Tillotson, Juanita Tucker and Rosie“Tootsie” Addison, Rose Kelley (Washington)is not included in this photo

Myra, Rose and “Tootsie”

By: Noah Hopkins

27

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Publisher’s Note: The State of Alabama declared 2011 the Yearof Music. This coincides with the milestone 20th anniversary ofthe Tuskegee Repertory Theatre (TRT). For this reason we are publishing an edited version of an essay written by Dyann Robinson about her performing arts sanctuary. For two decades,the TRT has entertained and enlightened audiences through inspiring stories stoked by dance and music.

Iwas encouraged by parents who felt that if my sister Clintonia, who wanted to be a fashion designer, and I, whowanted to be a ballet dancer, had an education, and the willto achieve, we could do anything. This was the prevailing sentiment here in our little historical Tuskegee cocoon of Black achievement, where Ilived growing up.

The Tuskegee that I grew up in waspeopled and supported by a vibrant community of men and women determined to build a positive place forthemselves in a segregated world. We hadthe third largest VA hospital in the country and Tuskegee Institute that wasan integral part of the Negro community.Those two entities were the basis for jobopportunities on all levels in the Negrocommunity because everybody whoworked for them lived in the community.As young people we would joke that ifyou came from Tuskegee you had to go tocollege or learn some skill or specialtrade, because we didn’t have any factoriesto work in. We were surrounded by professional people:teachers, doctors, lawyers, skilled tradesmen, plumbers, elec-tricians, printers, cooks, nurses, all trained at or working for Tuskegee Institute or the VA.

We had private business men and women who owned construction businesses, grocery and retail stores, cleaners,service stations etc. all in the Negro community. We had civilrights leaders like Gomillion and Mitchell and organizationslike the Tuskegee Civic Association. Mr. Aubrey Page madeall kinds of theatre come to life at the VA and in the commu-nity. All kinds of performing artists and groups came to thecampus to perform in Logan Hall, where we could also goswimming in the summer time. Tuskegee Institute High School played our games in the institute stadium. We were the proud Baby Tigers.

I loved Tuskegee and I really did not want to leave. But Ialso wanted to be a ballet dancer and since my father told meI had to go to college, I had to find a college where I couldbe a dance major; consequently I became the first AfricanAmerican to graduate as a dance major from Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Only an environment likeI had experienced in Tuskegee could have made the decision to become a ballet dancer by me, a little Black girlin Alabama in the early 60’s, possible. I was from a placewhere, even though I was Black, anything and everythingseemed possible.

At the beginning of my career, I danced briefly in NewYork, then taught at Howard University where I began

creating my own performing opportuni-ties traveling with dancer Mike Maloneas the Concert Ballet Duo and with myChamber Dance Group. I moved from Washington to dance as

a member of choreographer Billy Wilson’s dance company in Boston but itwas actually in 1972 that my dream ofcreating a theatre company in Tuskegeewas born, the same year that my hometown achieved another historic firstby electing my classmate, Johnny Ford,the city’s first African American mayor.

In that year, I was embarking on a journey that I thought would mark the beginning of my dancing career in Europe, but actually was the beginning of

my journey back home to the theatrical career for which I was destined. That year, I crossed the seas,to join an internationally famous ballet company based inBrussels, Belgium called The Ballet of the Twentieth Century, directed by the French choreographer, Maurice Be-jart. I wanted to perform as a classical ballet dancer, and the opportunities for that in America were virtually non-existent for me on the level that I envisioned.My experience with Bejart’s hugely popular company was

wonderful. We danced in Europe, in Israel and even performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Butafter a year I decided to leave the company. For one thing Idid not want to become an artist living as an American expatriate in Europe, but most importantly be-cause, as I told Mr. Bejart, I did not want to be a member ofhis company; I wanted to be “him.”

Tuskegee Repertory Theatre, Inc. Celebrates 20 Years

Dyann Robinson

29

I too wanted to have a company that I could use to createdance theatre and also I wanted to work with other AfricanAmerican artists. I came back to America to work with myformer mentor, dancer/choreographer Billy Wilson, a brilliant African American dancer who had been a lead dancerwith the National Ballet of Holland but who also had returnedhome to dance in America. I went with him when he left ElmaLewis’s Dance Company of the National Center of AfricanAmerican Artists to form the Dance Theatre of Boston andwhen he was engaged as choreographer for what became theBroadway hit “Bubbling Brown Sugar,” I went with him ashis assistant and as a dancer in the original cast of the show,which toured for 10 months and played Broadway for two anda half years.

When the Broadway show closed I began working withBilly Wilson restaging the show for tours in the US and in Europe but home was calling me. I still wanted my own company and I wanted it in my hometown. I started asking myparents to look out for a place where I could teach dance. Ithought that maybe one of the old historical houses in downtown Tuskegee could be converted into a school. I knewthat would be wonderful because now I felt, we had reached anew pinnacle: we had an African American mayor. Not onlythat, he was my classmate, Johnny Ford who when I was vis-iting home one Christmas, at a Tuskegee Institute High SchoolClass of 1960 Christmas party, encouraged me to come onhome to bring my talents and experience in theatre to ourTuskegee community. After I returned to New York, he suggested that I come and create a summer dance programwithin the City of Tuskegee Recreation Department, thenunder the direction of Mrs. Marty Swan.

Well, the rest is history. In 1980, I came home and created a dance program that was incorporated into the City ofTuskegee Department of Recreation and later evolved into afull- fledged Department of Cultural Affairs, which flourishedfor nine years. Within the department, I developed theTuskegee City Dance Theatre, where I trained dancers whomI ultimately featured in the City of Tuskegee’s production, (atthe Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery), of “Bubbling Brown Sugar,” which I staged exactly as it hadbeen staged on Broadway, but with a bigger cast and a largerorchestra. We broke the box office record for the new ASF andwe were the first African American show ever presented there.The dancers, singers, actors and musicians were all fromTuskegee or trained for the show here in Tuskegee. I knewthen that with the proper support, we could make theatre here in Tuskegee that could rival theatre produced anywhere.Unfortunately, that was not to be at the moment. The city

of Tuskegee could no longer afford the Department of Cultural Affairs and it was closed. The director of the Theatre Department at Auburn University, Lois Garren, had

loaned us lights for our Tuskegee production of “BrownSugar” in the new complex and she came to see what we weredoing, and subsequently asked Mayor Ford if she could borrow me to teach a dance class in her department.When our Department of Cultural Affairs Department was

closed, she asked me to come be a full time professor atAuburn, and I did. I began a career there as an assistant professor and then an

associate professor, that included my creation (for my majority Caucasian students) of at least seven original dancedrama productions and one full length dramatic play (all exploring the cultural legacy of the Black peoples of theworld) and culminated in my being appointed the first scholarin residence in the Department of Theatre. But my dream tocreate my own company in Tuskegee had not died.

In 1991, while still teaching at Auburn University, I foundedTuskegee Repertory Theatre, Inc. and began searching for aplace for our new company to call home. In 1996, the downtown Post Office came up for auction. With the encouragement of friends and financial support from mymother Jessie Robinson and my deceased father ClintonRobinson, I bid on the property, to my shock, was the successful bidder. I named it the Jessie Clinton Arts Centre inhonor of my parents, who had made my life in the arts possible, and declared it the home of the Tuskegee RepertoryTheatre, Inc. Company and School. In 2005, I retired fromAuburn so that Tuskegee Repertory Theatre could have myfull focus.

The Tuskegee Repertory Theatre and The Jessie Clinton Arts Centre islocated at 201 South Main Street in Tuskegee. For more information,visit the TRT Web site at http://www.tuskegeerep.com, call (334) 727-6046, 1 (866) TRTart9 or send e-mails to [email protected].

Tuskegee Repertory Theatre

30

Ronald McDowell is a gifted artist whose paintings and sculptures often convey a lifelike quality. His work is collected

by art lovers from all walks of life including many celebrities. Citiesand towns also commission him to produce public art. He created a life-size bronze statue of *Eddie Kendrick flanked by the other members of the legendary Tempta-tions, which stands in downtownBirmingham. The group appears to beperforming the smooth choreography thatmatched so well with their Motown classics. McDowell also artistically captured Michael Jackson on canvas and McDowell’s artwork is on the cover ofJackson’s greatest selling album“Thriller.” He painted a collage ofseveral iconic historical figures, connecting all to President BarackObama.This prolific artist says his masterpieces are

divinely inspired. “I honor the gift God gave me,"McDowell said. "This isn't about me... I'm [beingused] to tell a story of a time, a place and a people."*Though Eddie James Kendrick was raised in Birmingham, hewas born December 17, 1939 in Union Springs, Alabama. Atsome point, an “s” was added to the spelling of his last name andmost people know him as Eddie Kendricks.

June Fountain can add a burst ofcolor and sparkle to anywoman’s clothing. She is a jewelry designer who specializesin clever and classy pieces.

She taught herself the art of jewelry making. It was therapy during a tough time in herlife.

Her husband Millage H. Fountain had dreamed of moving to Macon County for their retirement and living aserene life. In 2002, as they were preparing to relocate fromAtlanta, he was diagnosed with cancer. While they foughtfor his survival, the disease often sapped his strength. Thisis when she began making jewelry. In 2005, her husbanddied. What had been therapy is now a business. June Fountain

established Touch of Crystal to sell jewelry to her ever-expanding client base. Even though tragic circumstances led her to unleash her

creative flair, it was a direction she had been pointed towards her entire life. “My mother always encouraged herdaughters to be creative and to know how to do several

things well. Her reasoning was that she didn't want us to betotally dependent on a job for all of our lives. Each of mysisters complemented their lives with crafts and other interest. I didn't have the interest or desire to be creativeuntil I was faced with the possibility of losing my soul mate.The days became very long. While accompanying him tohis chemo treatments, I needed something to keep me occupied. I started off making just a necklace. Before long,I fell in love with the brilliance of crystals and the beauty of gemstones. Before long I was creating stylish gemstone andcrystal, and collecting vintage jewelry. It’s jewelry that canbe worn throughout the year and passed on to future generations.”

Visit www.touchofcrystal.net to see June Fountain’s jewelry.

RRoonnaalldd MMccDDoowweellllAn Artistic Genius

June FountainDesigning Woman

By: Karin Hopkins

By: Karin Hopkins

Ronald McDowell

31

In the beginning it was three brothers singing acapellain church, then their mother bought them a guitar. “Thiswas God’s gift,” said Christopher, one of the three Clark

Brothers (he plays lead guitar). “We started fumblingaround with it and were able to play for ourselves.” Victor,another one of the brothers plays drums and the thirdbrother Anthony plays bass and they all sing.

The Clark Brothers started singing when Christopherwas about five years old at church, family and communityfunctions. They got to a point where they wanted to starttheir own group. “We had time to practice at home”Christopher said, “because our mother was the minister ofmusic and played piano at our church. And before

my father passed, hesang with a localg r o u p h e r e i nTuskegee called thePilgrim Travelers.”

The brotherspicked up a lot fromtheir parents. Theywent to their re-hearsals and wouldeven sit in but theywanted to do theirown thing. Theywanted their ownsound so they startedadding members to

the group. Their biggest problem was transportation andequipment, a problem that many people face when startinga group.

Even though the group has been togethersince 1982, “We are a work in progress” saysChris, “We listen to different things that we didyears ago you know and we say, is that us? Welove how the music has matured. Our voices havematured. The message has matured. Settling downat a different level spiritually and everything takeson a different meaning because you have beenthrough something.”

With gospel music, like anything else, thereis a business end but there is also a spiritual endwhen dealing with promoters. They say they havemet people from all walks of life; some are in it forthe right reason and some are questionable. Chrissaid, “You go to some venues and may not getwhat’s promised but you know, God has alwayskept us because we have never been in a situationwhere we couldn’t get back home because God hasalways provided for us to take care of our own.”

Marketing and promotions are critical to musicians and Chris says, “The best promoters we have areourselves. We promote a lot on the Internet, but our live

performances sell us more than anything.” The ClarkBrothers have performed in Windsor, Ontario in Canada forIndependence Day, The Bay Fest in Mobile, at DisneyWorld in Orlando, in New Orleans and Baton Rouge as wellas at events and venues in Macon County.

The Clark Brothers deliver a powerful performancewith vocalists backed by a full band consisting of guitars,bass, keyboards and drums. During the interview with theMacon County Tourism Resource Guide, Chris talkedabout the close bond that has held the group together. “Wehave a brotherhood, we have been around so long, eventhough a lot of the guys are not brothers we still have thatchemistry. I think that’s why we have been around so long.”

Check out the Clark Brothers Web site: [email protected]

The Clark Brothers performing at the 2009 All Macon County DayCelebration

By: Noah Hopkins

33

The Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, llocated on the historic campus of Tuskegee University, is a full-servicehotel facility. The southern grandeur of the past and the stately Georgian architecture of the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center are blended together to offer state-of -the-art services and first-class accommodations, rangingfrom double sleeping rooms to elegant suites. Additional amenities include an indoor heated swimming pool, a fitness center, a full service restaurant, an on-site gift shop, and 17,000 square feet of meeting space, which includesa 300-seat auditorium.

1-800-949-6161www.tuskegeekelloggcenter.com

JJaazzzz AAlllleeyy featuring LLiivvee JJaazzzz every Fridayevening for Happy Hour in the

KCC Lounge

THE HILLBILLY MALL is a unique,interesting combination of antique

store, flea market and art gallery allwrapped in one.

Owned by “Big John” and CarolRichardson, THE HILLBILLY MALL isstocked from floor to ceiling with woodcrafts and collectibles. Many ofthese items are one of a kind. The Richardson’s work together run-

ning the business and also creating stun-ning artwork. Big John’s specialty is woodcarving, wooden sign making andcreating other customized items that aremade of wood. Carol adds the finishingtouch with her delicate but beautiful

paintings of flowers and birds that lookstunningly life like.

The couple’s long-range plans forTHE HILLBILLY MALL include anartist colony with 20 to 30 small buildingsall made out of recycled material, each adifferent shape with different artistsdemonstrating their talents, even a black-smith. They expect the concept to attracttourists and locals including school children with everyone learning abouthow things were done in the past. Also,they plan to have a general store with thelook and feel of yesteryear, selling thingsfolks once bought at 1950’s era countrystores such as; bologna and cheese, potted meat, sow’s meat and twenty-fivecents Coca-Cola. Big John says, “We arenot going to make a lot of profit, it’s justgonna’ be a calling card to help attractpeople.” Another dream is to use theproperty for a festival like the annual“Syrup Soppin Day” in nearbyLoachapoka, a small community that bor-ders Macon County. During the interview with the Macon

County Tourism Resource Guide, BigJohn explained how THE HILLBILLYMALL got its name. “Well, we toyed over Rusty Nail, my wife wanted

something…when peoplecome…because we sell alot of old stuff, we toyedand we toyed and one nightI went to North Carolinaand there was a place upthere that was called theHillbilly Mall, so in mymind I was thinking thatthe Hillbilly Mall wouldpull folks off of the Interstate a little bit morethan a name like the RustyNail. So really, that’s howI came about the HillbillyMall and I am a little bitHillbilly too even though Ilive in the South, youknow, I’ve got a blood-hound that’s gonna’ be getting married May 14thand so, you don’t get morehillbilly than that.”

Big John said he hasbeen in woodworking for

more than 30 years. However, during aninterview a while back at a trade show, his94-year old mother had a different timeframe. “Well, ya know, he built the househe was born in.”

The Hillbilly Mall is located at 8870 U.S. Highway 80 East in rural Tuskegee – HoursFriday and Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 1pm to 5pm. (334) 727-6476

Fish sculpture at the Hillbilly Mall

Carol showing some of her unique panting

By: Noah Hopkins

Big John” and Carol Richardson

35

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Growing up in Tuskegee, Alabama, at a time when theTuskegee Airmen trained at Moton Field Municipal

Airport (06A) during World War II, Dr. Bill Winston tookhis first ride in a Piper Cub. As the nose of the aircraft headedtoward the clouds, “I knew that this was one of the thingsthat I was supposed to do in life.”

The same pilot that trained the Tuskegee Airmen, Alfred“Chief” Anderson, trained Winston who then went on toserve seven years in the Air Force flying F-4 Phantom jets in numerous combat missions in Vietnam andreceiving numerous awards for his superiorflight skills and competitions, including theDistinguished Flying Cross. He still holdshis commercial license. But after he returnedto his hometown and saw the economictrauma that it was in, he decided to use hispilot expertise to spearhead Golden Eagle Aviation, an FBO. His mission is to revitalize Tuskegee by providing employ-ment for potentially hundreds of workers.

Winston says when he was young, theArmy airbase in Tuskegee employed 15,000people and it was the largest payroll ofAfrican-Americans in the world. “I’ve seen

the city flourish and if we can start a wave of new economicgrowth, we can help rebuild the city.”The Tuskegee Airmen were determined men who enlisted

to become America’s first black military airmen. 06A wasoriginally the only primary flight-training facility forAfrican-American pilot candidates during World War II. Itwas named after Robert Russa Moton, the second presidentof the Tuskegee Institute. Pilots who passed the initial training at 06A were then transferred to Tuskegee Army Air

Field for advanced education and assignments.From 1941 through 1946, 996 pilots graduatedat TAAF, receiving commissions and pilotwings.

Winston’s total plan includes not just creating jobs, but providing training for theTuskegee workforce so that they can fill thejobs as they come available. Golden Eagle

Aviation will have an aviationmaintenance academy (Part127 and 145 certified) totrain maintenance workersand a flight training academy. Winston wantsto expand this division to

MOTON FIELD WELCOMES

Golden Eagle AviationRejuvenating Tuskegee’s spirit of aviation

39

generate at least 15 to 100 jobs andthen move into phase two, which iscargo. He expects to have over twohundred employees with the expansion.

As of now, the FBO provides aircraft detailing, maintenance, andfuel and oil services. It has a pilot’slounge, Internet access and conferencerooms to complement 06A’s 5,000-foot runway. The runway is freshly flanked with new lightsand Winston is working on extending the runway by 2,000feet.

Golden Eagle is 06A’s sole FBO. It took off in March2009, operating out of a temporary facility, but still focusingon growth and great service. By the end of the year, GoldenEagle will have two rows of T-hangers accommodating atotal of 10 aircraft. In March, it will move into its brand newfacility, which complements the other historical aspects ofthe airport. The airport houses its own museum that peoplefly in from all over the world to see, the Tuskegee AirmenNational Center. The center honors the men’s service andpreserves their history.

Winston grew up with many of the Tuskegee Airmen likeChappie James and his son. He continuously reflects backon his rich childhood experiences to derive a plan for youngaspiring pilots. He wants to give other young minorities an opportunity to learn to fly during summer breaks. “We willbring them here for two weeks and have them do nothing butfly to help put minorities in the cockpit and do our jobs in

terms of rebuilding the legacy of this place,” says Winston.“In my youth I saw how much of an economic

engine Moton Field was. The first thing I thought of to empower the city of Tuskegee was aviation. This is such ahistoric place for flying and we are going to continue thelegacy.”

Winston is not only revitalizing Tuskegee, but otherareas as well through his numerous affiliations. Winston isalso the founder and president of the Joseph BusinessSchool, which has opened new locations throughout the U.S.and in other countries; The Joseph Center Vocational Training Program, whose mission is to train people in specialized job skills for high paying and in demand occupations; chairman of the board of Covenant Bank; andpresident of New Covenant Community Development Corporation, whose mission is to revitalize communitiesspiritually and economically.

For more information, call 334-727-6485.Used and excerpted with permission from The AutoPilot Magazine South-east edition. Written by: Rhonda Barnett

40

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Teamwork that is Bringing the World to Macon County

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LLooccaattiioonn,, LLooccaattiioonn,, LLooccaattiioonn::Five Exit Points directly on I-85 over 40,000 vehicles per daySpine of US Hwy 80 through Macon County - over 6,000 vehicles per daySituated exactly midway between Kia and Hyundai for suppliersNestled just minutes away from Auburn-Opelika and Montgomery for commutersAtlanta - Columbus – Birmingham markets, 2 hours drive or less

Cutting Edge Research:Tuskegee University and Dynamic New VisionsAuburn University’s E.V. Smith Agricultural Experiment StationTuskegee Cooperative ExtensionTuskegee Veteran’s AdministrationSchools of Biomedical Ethics, Nursing and Public Health

Manufacturing Excellence:Halla Climate Control Systems (Hyundai, Kia and Ford) Three Industrial Parks at Tuskegee, Notasulga & ShorterNew Korean Partners Coming Soon

Airport Access:Moton Field 5,038 feet of lighted runway on I-85Golden Aviation 24 hour full-service Fixed Based OperatorEnterprise Rental Car (on site)

Tourism and Recreation Abound:Tuskegee Airmen’s MuseumGeorge Washington Carver MuseumVictoryLandTuskegee National Forest 13,000 acresTuskegee Human & Civil Rights Multi-Cultural CenterU.S. Park Service’s Tuskegee Institute Historical SiteCamp Watts Civil War Historical SiteHunting and Fishing (Year Round)

DISCOVER THE REAL MACON COUNTY, ALABAMA TODAY!For More Information contact Joe Turnham

334.444.2672 or [email protected]

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12:00 AM

Public RelationsMedia RelationsGraphic DesignSpecial EventsConcert ProductionTourism CampaignsInteractive Web StrategiesWeb site Design Web site Content DevelopmentOnline Social MediaVideo Production

BASED IN TUSKEGEE SERVING CLIENTS EVERYWHERE

KKaarriinn HHooppkkiinnss MMaannaaggiinngg PPaarrttnneerr301 South Main Street Tuskegee, AL [email protected]

Central Alabama Comprehensive Health, Inc.

203 West Lee St. • Tuskegee, AL 36083 • 334-727-6880

CARE Ambulance ServicesAvailable

NOW OFFERING THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:

• 340B Pharmacy On-site • Nutri'on Counseling• CARE Ambulance Services • Cervical Cancer Screenings• Preventa've Screenings • Dental Services• Family Planning • Specialty Care Referrals• Diabetes Collabora've • Chronic Illness Treatment• Health Outreach • Immuniza'ons• X-rays

Tuskegee Health Center203 West Lee Street

Tuskegee, Alabama 36083334-727-6880

Hours of Opera'onsM-F: 8:00am to 7:00pmSat: 9:00am to 3:00pm

Dental Clinic203 West Lee Street


Hours of Opera'onsT-F: 8:00am to 5:00pm

Central Care Pharmacy203 West Lee Street


Hours of Opera'onsM-F: 9:00am to 6:00pm

Hurtsboro Medical Center242 Long Street

Hurtsboro, Alabama 36860334-667-7734

Hours of Opera'onsM &W: 8:00am to 5:00pm

Lafaye(e Health Center404-B Ninth Avenue SWLafaye�e, Alabama 36862

334-864-0084Hours of Opera'ons

Friday: 8:00am to 5:00pm

Central Care PharmacyNNOOWW OOPPEENN

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