Friday, August 10, 2012

New Book "The Women of Haywood" set for August 12 release



The Women of Haywood, Their Lives, Our Legacy, a new book about four professional African American women in Haywood County, Tennessee, is set for release August 12. A celebration and reception will be held from 3 - 5 p.m., at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville.

Almost 20 years in the making, the collection of four oral history interviews is interspersed with essays from area scholars and reflections from local residents. This is the seventh book by Haywood County native Dr. Cynthia Bond Hopson.

The book is based on interviews with Susie Ella Taylor Ashworth, Nola Walker Bond, Mayme Dell Rives Bowles Dotson and Eva James Davis Rawls. Bond Hopson interviewed  these ladies while a doctoral student at Southern Illinois University in the 90s,

“These women used their lives and talents to make us and the world better," says Bond Hopson. "This book simply tries to chronicle how and what made them great. I think their stories will tickle and bless your heart.”

Nola Walker Bond, an activist/teacher/businesswoman, was killed in a traffic accident in 1998 and Eva Rawls, one of the first African American registered nurses in Brownsville, died earlier this year. Mayme Dotson, who taught first-grade at the Douglass Elementary School for 43 years, lives in Nashville and Susie Ashworth, who retired after 58 years as a beautician, lives in Brownsville.

The book’s foreword was written by Brownsville businesswoman Cynthia Rawls Bond and features essays from Dr. Dorothy Granberry, Dr. Norma J. Burgess and Dr. Jo Zanice Bond, all scholars with Haywood County ties. Other contributors include Elma Bond Rogers, Greta V. Sanders, Laura Pruiett Smith, Dorothy Mann Bond, Louvern Tucker, John Ashworth, Dr. Thomas Averyheart and John M. and Barbara Bond. The book is self-published by Touched By Grace Publications and profits will stay in Haywood County to benefit scholarships, women’s empowerment and historic preservation.

During the reception, Bond Hopson will be signing copies and there will also be an opportunity for guests to make videotaped tributes. The book is approximately 160 pages and will be available in paperback ($24.95) and limited edition hardback ($34.95).

Thursday, August 9, 2012

David Smith returns to Concert on the Porch


Gospel continues to take center stage at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center's August "Concert on the Porch." Headlining this month's event is David Smith, known throughout the mid-south as the "Singing Firefighter." Concerts are held on the porch of the Sleepy John Estes home and begin at 7 p.m., Saturday, August 18.
David Smith

Frequently introduced as the "singing firefighter," due to his captain's position with the Brownsville Fire Department, Smith loves to sing the old gospel favorites like “How Great Thou Art” and “In the Garden,” mixed with more modern tunes such as “What Kinda Car.”
"I've been singing since I was big enough to stand and hold a song book," says Smith. "I have always loved Southern Gospel music."
His Voice
Joining Smith is “His Voice,” a Southern Gospel trio that includes Larry Kelly of Ripley, Candace Maness of Nutbush, and Mitch Platz of Brownsville. The group has been performing together since 2010.
Daniel Heidelberg
Making their debut appearance is a new group from Mercer, Tenn. Daniel Heidelberg, Britton Bass and Dexter Downs will present their first public performance and promise to bring a unique style and sound to the concert series.
This free event is one the entire family will enjoy. There will be bleacher seating and attendees may also bring their lawn chairs and blankets. Concessions will be available, with proceeds to benefit the Flagg Grove School restoration project.