Each February, in celebration of Black History month, Brazos Valley residents have the opportunity to meet, know, and learn about many of our residents who were instrumental in African American community historic preservation. In 1999, area residents Mr. and Mrs. Willie (Mell) Pruitt had the idea for an African American Heritage Museum. The photo below is courtesy of the BVAAM from a prior gathering.

Mr. and Mrs. Pruitt were beloved educators of many years here. Mrs. Pruitt preceded her husband in death in 2009, and Mr. Pruitt, a former Asst. Principal at Bryan High, died earlier this week on February 21 ^st
.

On July 22, 2006, the Museum’s doors opened to the public, thanks to the generous donations from across our community—individuals, churches, and civic leaders. Today, the Museum is built on the original site of the first school for people of color in the Brazos Valley, founded in 1886, which later burned. In 1930, the school was reopened as Washington Elementary School and stood until, again, a fire burned it down. The school’s final principal while standing was O. W. Sadberry, Sr.

Coincidentally, that same evening as Mr. Pruitt passed, Bryan ISD Trustees revealed that the third Bryan ISD Intermediate School under construction will be named in honor of educator O. W. Sadberry, Sr. Most fitting, this naming opportunity for his father
was the dream of longtime area educator and civic leader, Oliver Wayne Sadberry, Jr. The new Maintenance and Transportation facility will also be named in honor of the late BISD driver, Ms. Ruby Halliburton.

The unanimous decision was announced just 47 days after Wayne’s passing, at the age of 78. Poignantly the announcement would come just a few short days after we held his Life Celebration and Home Going in our Funeral Center last month.

Completing the circle, last night, on February 26, the Annual Appreciation Banquet
was held at the Brazos Valley African American Museum, and the historian’s torch passed forward onto O.W.’s great-granddaughter, BISD student Miss Jaden Eleiz Twitty, as she spoke on the occasion of the family. In her remarks she noted the impact that her grand-father and great-grand-father had made in the Brazos Valley, as educators, historians, role models and encouragers, which are individuals that younger people need most. Miss Twitty noted that it’s important for younger persons her age take an interest in who their family members are, where they came from geographically and personally, and only by learning their stories can this generation relate to what it was like “back then.” Dr. Albert Broussard, a close friend of Wayne Sadberry’s through the years, also spoke about his excellent contributions to the Brazos Valley African American Museum.

The full program from Saturday’s Fund-Raising Event is shown next. Reviewing the list of organizers and participants, you’ll see the neighbors and friends who volunteered their time to make this appreciation event happen, even with the recent passing of two local icons.

Among the many elements of preserving history, the oral interview is one of the most important. Really, it’s the only way we have to keep track of our history as a community are in the words and photographs of those who will take the time to curate the collection with their stories throughout the generations. At Texas Christian University, there is a “Portal to Texas History” that includes an Oral History Interview with Wayne Sadberry
, July 8, 2015.

Many resources now exist, including one by Asst. Professor Andrea Roberts of the College of Architecture’s Urban Planning Department. Known as the Texas Freedom Colonies Project, the goal is to “help African-American Texans reclaim their unrecognized and unrecorded heritage. The mission of the project is two-fold: to help African-American Texans reclaim their unrecognized and unrecorded heritage and empower city planners to plan and preserve communities with unprecedented knowledge about the freedom colonies.” See more about it here
, including a photo of Wayne Sadberry with Prof. Roberts.

Did you know that as part of the City of Bryan’s 150th anniversary, an oral history project was created? It’s called “ Voices Past and Present
” and it contains interviews with longtime Bryan residents about “how things were here as they were growing up.” Within this compilation you will find historic jewels from our longtime city members. Take one for example:  “In 2012, Dr. Oswell Person, a leader in the field of higher education and E. A. Kemp Junior-Senior High School alumnus, spoke with Carnegie History Center oral historian Anne Preston about education in Bryan during segregation. Dr. Person is the author of two books on the African American experience in Bryan,  Moving Forward from Behind: Life and Times of African-Americans in Bryan, Texas from 1885 to 1971
, and  African American Bryan, Texas: Celebrating the Past. ”

And another question: did you know that KORA radio once broadcast from the Varisco building downtown? Or that a tornado blew through town in 1956 and destroyed The Finfeather Club? Local attorney Roland Searcy reflects on that topic. And the words of Sunny Nash, who would grow up to be an international journalist, photographer, and author, she described segregation as she was growing up and trying to access books to read in the library, as her cousin Margaret had already read all of the ones in the bookmobile. A group of three young ladies waited on the steps outside as Margaret had gone in to see about reading in the Carnegie Library. When she came out with a stack full of books in her arms that she had checked out, they all learned that day there was no segregation at least in the Carnegie Library, an exciting revelation and one long awaited.

We learn best from telling our stories. The history comes to life when we record our voices and provide an even greater layer and dimension to what we know, saw, did, and how we felt. It becomes, as Nash said, “a matter of taking every opportunity to improve something every chance you get,” a lesson she learned from her mother.

As we exit the month of February then, let’s all focus on telling our stories, of preserving history for future generations to have reliable, accurate information to pass on to future generations.

Celebrating National Women’s History Month in March is now in its 35 ^th
year. Congress set aside the month each year, after several years of having a National Women’s History Week, established by President Jimmy Carter. Children’s classrooms became a place and opportunity to learn even more about the contributions women have made through the years to improving our world.

From my youth, I’ve been very aware of seeing women as integral to the success of families, and especially in business. Reflecting over the past century, funeral businesses, as far back when they were called undertakers, were husbands and wives, working together, and living upstairs over the first floor where they operated their family funeral parlors, as they were once known.

For many generations in my own family, my mother Lorene, my grandmother Dian,  and beyond, were full partners in operating our business. When we built our new funeral home here at our original location, Chelsea and I worked equally on the design, exterior and interior, and together we made key choices. A strong, positive feminine voice contributes substantially and importantly to any project.

The funeral profession has long been respected for all the women who have made this business their career choice. Beyond this business, we have many local women who lead by example. For years St. Joseph Hospital was led by Sister Gretchen Kunz; ANCO Insurance was led by Kathy Gregory as President/CEO until her retirement. Recently, Nora Thompson was named CEO of First Financial Bank here, and Dr. M. Katharine Banks was named President of Texas A&M University. Just this week, Joni Taylor, formerly of Georgia was named Coach of the TAMU Women’s Basketball team!

Women as today’s leaders are not new, but there are so many lessons we can learn about the women who made history here in Bryan-College Station and in Texas in the past 50 years.

Today, we almost take it for granted that we can go to Downtown Bryan for entertainment, shopping, lodging for our out-of-town guests, and some very good food. It’s hard to remember that the last time Downtown was so busy was in the early 1970s, right before the area gave way to the popularity of Post Oak Mall in College Station as the center of shopping and activities.

History doesn’t have to be hundreds of years old to be important and relevant. Just 30 years ago, history was made in Downtown Bryan.

It was about 1990 when 4 ^th
generation Bryan resident Kay Conlee made it her mission to bring Downtown Bryan out of its state of dormancy into the active site of tremendous mercantile activity that it is today. She started by purchasing and renovating the old Central Texas Hardware Building, located at 202 S. Bryan. Meticulously she renovated the building and opened Old Bryan Marketplace on the right-hand side of the building and donated the use of the left-hand side of the building to the Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley for six years until they could move into the old Bryan Police Station building. It was in 2000 that the inaugural Mayor’s Downtown Impact Award was created and presented to Kay Conlee.

The year 1990 was the year that Kass Prince, then Executive Director of the Arts Council of the Brazos Valley secured the commitment of Charmen Catlin and Louis Newman to create the first FestiFall ’90, a two-day celebration of the arts. Over 200 volunteers joined onto the organization that Catlin and Newman created and over 5,000 residents came together October 4-5, 1990, and for the next seven years, in celebration of the arts here.

The late arts patron Rose VanArsdel is the one who is responsible for establishing the strings instruction program at Bryan High School. A lifelong devotee of the piano and an accomplished musician herself, Rose was the one who saw a need for teaching local students violins and set about to raise the funds to staff and outfit the program. In addition to her own financial contributions, she wrote numerous successful funding grants and enlisted additional support of several good friends in town.

Keeping in mind that Bryan, Texas was not always the large metroplex it is today, it was in 1951 that beloved volunteer and talented dance Jane Lee opened the Jane Lee School of Dance. She taught ballet, tap, toe, and jazz dance for 40 years, so at least 3 generations of Bryan women benefited from her gifts and skills. After her retirement, she inspired and maintained such great enthusiasm for the Gift Shop at the old Crestview Retirement Home that when Crestview built its Arbor Oaks permanent residence, they named the gift shop in her honor.

Mell Pruitt (and her husband Willie) had a dream of creating an African American Museum here in the Brazos Valley. Starting with a core group of volunteers from the Bethune Women’s Club in Bryan, every year they grew closer and closer to the dream. Community residents joined together at Mell’s request to secure funding for this beautiful museum and portal of Brazos Valley history.

Were it not for civic leader Gardner Osborn and her championing of a cause dear to her heart, the Brazos Prenatal Clinic, there would be at least 20,750 women to have prenatal services, health education, etc. since the Clinic’s funding in 1985. Every year 12 women are honored in our community at the “You’re the Tops” luncheon, that “celebrates women who make a difference.”

This year the luncheon is set for April 23 at the Hilton, and all proceeds benefit the Brazos Prenatal Clinic. Civic philanthropists and community leaders being honored include Jennifer Cotton, Kim DuBose, Virginia Fox, Sallye Henderson, Dr. Esther Miranda, Julie Porter, Vicki Reim, Rev. Shelby Rowan, Cindi Scofield, Dr. Amy Thompson, and Searcy Tolliver.

Going way back, in 1921, Lee and Frances Rountree purchased “ The Eagle.” When Mr. Rountree was elected State Representative so Mrs. Rountree ran the paper. Two years later, Mr. Rountree suffered a stroke and died, and Mrs. Rountree was elected to fill out his term, was re-elected for one more term, and was eventually defeated. Her leadership of “The Eagle” was considered unparalleled for many years.

As we wind down the month recognized and celebrated as National Women’s History Month, it’s only appropriate to look around the wonderful community we live in, learn a bit more about the people who make our lives special every day because of the things they took up as important, whether 50, 40, 30, 20, or even 10 years ago. We could not be the people we are today without the commitment and talents of so many women here.

Speaking personally, my special thanks and respect are extended to the women whose photo you see pictured here. They are an integral part of the Callaway-Jones family team. They serve our community and our family by giving their very best to what we do daily.

In addition to celebrating and saluting the women in our lives this year, let us remember to say “thanks” to women we know whose priorities included making things better for all of us here. May your light continue to shine for generations to come.

Since 1986, the arrival of February 1 each year means
the remembrance of Black History Month, established by Congress passing Public Law 99-244, that year marking “the beginning of the sixtieth annual public and private salute to Black History.” Originally a celebration that was one-month-long, the focus on study and scholarship of African American history is worthy of a full month.

When you survey the Brazos Valley, one of the first places to learn about the accomplishments of our residents is the Brazos Valley African American Museum. Thanks to a partnership with Optimum Internet, admission to the BVAAM is free. Located is fitting as it is at 500 E. Pruitt Street, named for Mell Pruitt and her husband Dr. Willie Pruitt, names well known to all of us. That very site had once been “one of the original black schools in the Brazos Valley.” Since its opening in July 2006, the museum had only one curator, O. Wayne Sadberry, Jr., Texas A&M Class of 1971, who passed away in January 2022. Today, Barry K. Davis, Texas A&M Class of 1976 holds that position today and his wife, Mildred, is the current Chair of the Museum. For the month of February, admission is Free to all patrons thanks to the donation of a generous patron.

As another Black History Month celebration event, on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 1pm at the Mounce Library in Bryan, Paula King-Harper, president of the Wilson Pottery Foundation in Seguin, TX, will “ share
the history of the Wilson family and H. Wilson and Co. Pottery, the first African American-owned business in Texas.” Check it out. You’ll be glad you did!

The museum is hosting its 22 ^nd
annual Appreciation Banquet on February 25 at 6pm at the College Station Hilton, where Jason Cornelius will moderate the evening many community leaders will be honored for all they have done for our city, state, or beyond. This event is the primary fundraiser for the museum each year. Tickets are available at the Museum and online.

Although February is Black History month, it’s valuable to visit the African American Museum regularly, as they have a rotating
exhibit devoted to families that have been in Bryan and Brazos County for several generations. Those participating have opened up long-ago scrapbooks and shared autobiographies that their family historians have penned so that our area youth, especially, can see their forefathers who made key contributions to the community over the decades.

The importance of history cannot be overemphasized. There’s an excellent online resource
from 2022 that the City of Bryan posted, “Celebrating Black History Month in Bryan.” In preparing the 150 ^th
Anniversary of Incorporation of the City of Bryan, several outstanding online resources were prepared and shared.

Fortunately, key interviews were obtained from the late O. Wayne Sadberry, Jr., founding curator of the African American Museum and son of O. W. Sadberry, Sr., who taught at the Rosenwald School for rural African Americans. Checking out the video
of Wayne Sadberry sharing the educational journey that his father inspired for so many area children to be able to attend (and pay for) college is inspirational.

How poignant it is that while Mr. Sadberry Jr. organized, together with community leader George Vaults and 250 key citizens, an effort to see Bryan’s new intermediate school named for his father, he died 5 weeks before the announcement was made. How fortuitous to have audio, video, and transcripts of the facts he was willing to share, as he’d studied and lived them firsthand here for years.

There are additional interviews of great interest: Bryan native and award-winning photojournalist Sunny Nash talks about breaking the segregation barrier at the Bryan Public Library as well as City of Bryan historian Randy Haynes about Bryan’s first Black Police Officer, Levi Neal, who was killed “in the line of duty,” also poignantly, 123 years ago, on February 24, 1900.

These dates, places, monuments, and markers are the key authentic original resources that family members can share to preserve, protect, and defend our local history? How can each of us, then, make a difference to Black History Month in the Brazos Valley?

Seniors can write, preserve, record, or video their memories and anyone with a smartphone can be a part of recording that history. Think of how important it would be to you to see, hear, or read the words (especially the handwriting) of someone who lived life during the days and times you only read history books about. To understand a person’s life, you must hear their voice. In days not so long ago, the only way to preserve a voice was an handwriting. That art has always been prized and even today, children spend less time learning handwriting in schools, because they don’t need it when they are keyboarding.

And yet, history—any way you look at it—is communicating personal experiences for future generations to know, recognize, and appreciate either just how much their lives were similar or different. Every generation wants their children to have it “easier than they did,” or to have things “better than they had.”

As we proceed through Black History Month, may we be ever mindful of the appreciation we owe to generations among us now passing away, and work to preserve our Black history here in the Brazos Valley.