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Monday, April 2, 2007
Mr. Young Could Draw You In; Mrs. Owens' Intuition; Mr. Baylor's Math Wizardry; Mrs. Shannon's Advice; Mrs. Cox's Musical Intuitiveness
To Douglass Alumni:
I remember walking down the hall one day when I heard Mr. Young (first row, left) teaching one of his classes. The subject was William Shakespeare. That man had a way of drawing you into what ever era he was lecturing on. I have been in love with Shakespeare every since that day.
Mrs. Luellen Owens-Wagner (first row, center) also sparked my interest in actually reading an entire book with all the book reports she had us do. I couldn’t figure it out at the time, but she had a way of knowing if you had read the book or not.
I didn’t have Mr. Baylor (first row, right) as a teacher, but I could always go to him when I needed extra tutoring in math. It surprised him that I wasn’t as smart in math as my sister Joy was.
Then there was Mrs. Shannon (second row, teaching). I could never forget her. She always had advice about anything from buying groceries to buying a car.
Lastly, Mrs. Cora Cox (second right, right).. she introduced me to exercising with music, which I still do on very rare occasions. Although I have only mentioned five, all of my teachers contributed to my academic and cultural experience at Douglass.
Virginia (Jenny) Hankins
Friday, March 30, 2007
“He Dreamed Bigger Dreams For Us Than We Dreamed For Ourselves”
I was asked to write about my favorite teacher at Douglass and how thatteacher impacted my life. I have labored with this task for several daysnow. As I jogged my memory and reflected on times past, I came up with adifferent “favorite teacher” everyday. If you attended Douglass for anytime at all, you’ll understand that. All of our teachers were specialpeople. They paddled our butts if they had too, and they taught us newskills and an appreciation for knowledge and learning. More than that,they taught lessons about life itself.
I can’t overlook the things I learned in first and third grade from Mrs.Dobbins and from Mrs. Cora Cox. These were simple lessons like—learn toshare things; play fair; don’t hit people; put things back where you foundthem; clean up your mess; don’t take things that aren’t yours; say you’resorry when you hurt somebody; wash your hands before your eat; and lookboth ways before your cross the street. I still remember Mrs. Cox’sadmonishment—“don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched.” Withwisdom like that, it’s no wonder she became a Tennessee teacher of the year.
How could I say the late Mr. V. O. Dobbins wasn’t a favorite teacher?Give the gentleman his due. For years, his leadership as principal definedthe blueprint for Douglass School. He created the momentum for apositive learning environment and a shared understanding among teachers andthe staff. He was publicly impressive and displayed energizing leadershipin our community. Can’t you hear him reciting one of his favorite poemsfrom memory. “IF” by Rudyard Kipling: “If you can keep your head whenall about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trustyourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubtingtoo;… “If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds' worth ofdistance run - Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - whichis more - you'll be a Man my son!”
Perhaps one of the teachers who coached the Tigers or the Tigerettes downthrough the years was your favorite teacher. Among others, the listincludes C.C. Kizer, John Cox, Dan Palmer, Robert Deering, Shannon Jolley,Cora Cox, Queen E. Jackson, Wilbur C. Hendricks, and V.O. Dobbins, (andpossibly others I’ve never heard about). These teachers stressed anenduring lessons. When wearing the gold and blue, we were expected totriumph—to achieve decisive and significant victory and success regardlessof the difficulties or obstacle in front of us. That’s the spirit of aTiger!
How could I say that Mr. Howard Young wasn’t my favorite teacher? Incollege, I knew more about the life and works of William Shakespeare thanany of the students in my English Literature class. That was because ofMr. Young’s obsession with Shakespeare and his insistence that his studentslearn to love the man’s writings. And, nearly everyone I know who couldplay a musical instrument learned how to play under Mr. Young (or Dr.Shannon’s) tutelage. (I’ll always remember Mr. Young leading the DouglassMarching Band and those high stepping majorettes down Broad Street onThursday afternoon before the football game.)
As I narrowed my choices to a favorite teacher, I kept coming back to oneindividual--Oscar Roger Gill. Mr. Gill was my favorite teacher simplybecause of his personal style. He was competent, optimistic,inspirational, punctual, and a person of the utmost integrity. He didn’tbelieve in “N.S.T.” and he wouldn’t allow us to practice it either. If hesaid Student Council meeting begins at 7:45 a.m., he meant 7:45 am., andnot one second after that. He accepted nothing from us but our best. Hewas truly ahead of his time.
Oscar Gill could see potential in all of us. “He dreamed bigger dreams forus than we dreamed for ourselves.” Here are things I learned from thisforceful and energetic man. They have stayed with me all of my life.
You weren’t around Mr. Gill long before you discovered what he alreadyknew—that knowledge is power. I still hear his deep voice saying, “Youngpeople, you have to learn to read more.” He also stressed the importanceof reading between the lines to discern fact from fiction.
Mr. Gill was a dark complexioned man. Perhaps, for that reason alone, hewas extremely proud of his identity. I remember him telling my 7th gradehistory class—whether you become a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, or atruck driver, society will always view you as a black doctor, a blacklawyer, a black engineer, and so on. “Young people, get used to thatidea,” he would say. “Be proud of who you are and don’t let othersdiscredit who you are.”
Because he was a realist, Mr. Gill tried to protect us from racism becausehe knew all about it. He knew that racism wasn’t going away in oursociety. He also knew there wasn’t a racist behind every bush or behindevery negative experience that we might encounter in life. He recognizedthat our country was founded on many of the principles of bigotry. But,every scholarship we didn’t get, and every inferior good or service thatwas rendered should not be instinctively ascribed to racism. He encouragedus to learn and to grow from every incident we experienced.
Finally, Mr. Gill insisted that we always carry ourselves with dignity andrespect. I actually remember him showing the boys in my class how toshake hands with someone. “Walk with you head up, render a firm handshake,and look anyone, White or Black, directly into their eyes when you speak tothem,” he would say. “V-I-C-T-O-R-Y” was the motto of Douglass High. Oscar Roger Gill was theembodiment of that maxim. I really miss him and the others who providedleadership at Douglass. Don’t you?
Donald Hickman
I was asked to write about my favorite teacher at Douglass and how thatteacher impacted my life. I have labored with this task for several daysnow. As I jogged my memory and reflected on times past, I came up with adifferent “favorite teacher” everyday. If you attended Douglass for anytime at all, you’ll understand that. All of our teachers were specialpeople. They paddled our butts if they had too, and they taught us newskills and an appreciation for knowledge and learning. More than that,they taught lessons about life itself.
I can’t overlook the things I learned in first and third grade from Mrs.Dobbins and from Mrs. Cora Cox. These were simple lessons like—learn toshare things; play fair; don’t hit people; put things back where you foundthem; clean up your mess; don’t take things that aren’t yours; say you’resorry when you hurt somebody; wash your hands before your eat; and lookboth ways before your cross the street. I still remember Mrs. Cox’sadmonishment—“don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched.” Withwisdom like that, it’s no wonder she became a Tennessee teacher of the year.
How could I say the late Mr. V. O. Dobbins wasn’t a favorite teacher?Give the gentleman his due. For years, his leadership as principal definedthe blueprint for Douglass School. He created the momentum for apositive learning environment and a shared understanding among teachers andthe staff. He was publicly impressive and displayed energizing leadershipin our community. Can’t you hear him reciting one of his favorite poemsfrom memory. “IF” by Rudyard Kipling: “If you can keep your head whenall about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trustyourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubtingtoo;… “If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds' worth ofdistance run - Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - whichis more - you'll be a Man my son!”
Perhaps one of the teachers who coached the Tigers or the Tigerettes downthrough the years was your favorite teacher. Among others, the listincludes C.C. Kizer, John Cox, Dan Palmer, Robert Deering, Shannon Jolley,Cora Cox, Queen E. Jackson, Wilbur C. Hendricks, and V.O. Dobbins, (andpossibly others I’ve never heard about). These teachers stressed anenduring lessons. When wearing the gold and blue, we were expected totriumph—to achieve decisive and significant victory and success regardlessof the difficulties or obstacle in front of us. That’s the spirit of aTiger!
How could I say that Mr. Howard Young wasn’t my favorite teacher? Incollege, I knew more about the life and works of William Shakespeare thanany of the students in my English Literature class. That was because ofMr. Young’s obsession with Shakespeare and his insistence that his studentslearn to love the man’s writings. And, nearly everyone I know who couldplay a musical instrument learned how to play under Mr. Young (or Dr.Shannon’s) tutelage. (I’ll always remember Mr. Young leading the DouglassMarching Band and those high stepping majorettes down Broad Street onThursday afternoon before the football game.)
As I narrowed my choices to a favorite teacher, I kept coming back to oneindividual--Oscar Roger Gill. Mr. Gill was my favorite teacher simplybecause of his personal style. He was competent, optimistic,inspirational, punctual, and a person of the utmost integrity. He didn’tbelieve in “N.S.T.” and he wouldn’t allow us to practice it either. If hesaid Student Council meeting begins at 7:45 a.m., he meant 7:45 am., andnot one second after that. He accepted nothing from us but our best. Hewas truly ahead of his time.
Oscar Gill could see potential in all of us. “He dreamed bigger dreams forus than we dreamed for ourselves.” Here are things I learned from thisforceful and energetic man. They have stayed with me all of my life.
You weren’t around Mr. Gill long before you discovered what he alreadyknew—that knowledge is power. I still hear his deep voice saying, “Youngpeople, you have to learn to read more.” He also stressed the importanceof reading between the lines to discern fact from fiction.
Mr. Gill was a dark complexioned man. Perhaps, for that reason alone, hewas extremely proud of his identity. I remember him telling my 7th gradehistory class—whether you become a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, or atruck driver, society will always view you as a black doctor, a blacklawyer, a black engineer, and so on. “Young people, get used to thatidea,” he would say. “Be proud of who you are and don’t let othersdiscredit who you are.”
Because he was a realist, Mr. Gill tried to protect us from racism becausehe knew all about it. He knew that racism wasn’t going away in oursociety. He also knew there wasn’t a racist behind every bush or behindevery negative experience that we might encounter in life. He recognizedthat our country was founded on many of the principles of bigotry. But,every scholarship we didn’t get, and every inferior good or service thatwas rendered should not be instinctively ascribed to racism. He encouragedus to learn and to grow from every incident we experienced.
Finally, Mr. Gill insisted that we always carry ourselves with dignity andrespect. I actually remember him showing the boys in my class how toshake hands with someone. “Walk with you head up, render a firm handshake,and look anyone, White or Black, directly into their eyes when you speak tothem,” he would say. “V-I-C-T-O-R-Y” was the motto of Douglass High. Oscar Roger Gill was theembodiment of that maxim. I really miss him and the others who providedleadership at Douglass. Don’t you?
Donald Hickman
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Mr. Gill, Mr. Young, Mr. Deering: Difference Makers
There were three teachers at Douglass High School that really made a difference in my life.
The first person in my life at Douglass would have to be Oscar R. Gill, this man was determined that everyone that left Douglass would have a basic education. He would tell you every day that you could always do better. There was no such thing in his vocabulary as “I don’t Know”. Mr. Gill, was determined that you could achieve anything that you wanted to do as long as you were willing to prepare for it. He taught me that you always had to be one step ahead of the game that no matter what you thought you knew, that there was always more that you could learn. In my life today, I am still trying to learn more and achieve more knowledge because of the study skills that Mr. Gill taught me.
Then, there was Mr. Howard Young. The way he loved Literature and Poetry and the way he delivered it really struck a cord with me. From listening to him made me want to read and read with an understanding. I still love to read and it is one of my favorite past times. Sometimes when things seems to be going wrong, I can always pick up a book and start to read, and everything around me seems to change.
The next person that made a difference in my life at Douglass would have to be Robert Deering, our Football and Basketball coach. He instilled in me that life is not easy and that there will be a lot of tough barriers that you will have to overcome. That sometimes, you will have to play hurt, but you will still be in the game. And that to be in the game to the finish, you must give it all you got, and that way you can always come out a winner, because you know you never gave up. He taught me that you have to work hard to accomplish anything in life. He also instilled in me that even though you might be running uphill, you can always reach back and get that second breath and keep climbing.
Douglas (Doug) Releford
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Mrs. Wilson/Charles/Sneed: All Three
From: Valorie Davis Thompson
Subject: Favorite Teachers
Mrs. Wilson, because she was so nice.
Ms. Charles , because she took me home with her on the weekends.
Mrs. Sneed, because she told my mom I was VERY VERY SMART .
Take your pick , I loved all 3!
Evangelist Valorie Davis Thompson
Mr. Young: Awesome Band Director
How well I remember Mr Young...he taught me English Lit in High School and I had one class under him when we infitrated Dobyns Bennett. Those were the days. Mr Young made reading fun and my reading has grown tremendously through the years.. he was also an awesome Band Director.. He took a 6th grade finger fumbler (me), and constucted me into a pretty good Sad player (at that time). We also had a concert Jazz band an we played a concert every year for the Comunity.. they would dress up and come like they were going to the symphony, just to hear us playing those "Dorsey" tunes (smile). And at football games, we could be standing on the field with white tennis shoes frozen to our feet.. split reeds, horns so cold we had to put them between our uniforms to get them warm enough to get a tune out and play "Kansas City" or "Tea For Two" to perfection LOL (and make a formation too). Yes, he was my favorite, along with Mr. Baylor (he had patience). Now Mr. Baylor would literally teach you 'til you got it, even if you had to run by his house to get it done.
Linda (Peaches) Bly
Mrs. McKesson: Stern, But Effective & Mr. Steele: Inspirational
Calvin, I was only at Douglass from grade two to five, but I guess my favorite teacher at the time was Mrs. McKesson. I remember coming home every day telling Brenda and Charles about something we did in her class, or that she did in her class. She was very stern as I remember, but you really learned something (short division and long division). I was so proud once I got the hang of that stuff..
I also have burned in my memory Mr. Dobbins coming on the PA system informing us that Mr. Deering who was home sick that day, calling in to tell us that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas and how Mr. Steele went to the auditorium and began playing softly over the PA system, as it was a really sad time in our history.. My mother cried for a solid week after that.
Thanks for the Memories..
Katherine Huff Blume
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