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 Hello, and welcome to the Lincoln Institute alumni website.
This site has been brought to you by The National Lincoln Institute of Kentucky Alumni Association Inc., a tax exempt 501 (c) (3)organization. Registration is free!
Registering only takes a few minutes, so register and please tell all your alumni friends about this website. Get in touch with that long lost friend...see what is going on with other alumni.
Keep the Lincoln Spirit alive and well!
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January 27, 2012
Alumni Passing - Roberta Cunningham Johnson, Class of 1952
Roberta Cunningham Johnson, 77, of Indianapolis, passed away Wed., Jan. 18, 2012. She was a member Carter Memorial M.B.C. She is survived by a host of family. Funeral service will be held Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. at Carter Memorial Missionary Baptist Church, 853 W. Roache St., with calling from 10:00 a.m. Burial in Lincoln Memory Gardens.
Roberta was an active member of the Indianapolis Lincoln Institute Alumni Chapter and a native of Lawrenceburg, KY while attending Lincoln Institute. Arrangements entrusted to Williams & Bluitt Funeral Home . http://www.williamsandbluittfh.com
Published in the The Indianapolis Star on January 26, 2012
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January 16, 2012
King was icon, Mary Kate was my friend
Bill Cunningham January 15, 2012
Frankfort State Journal (Bill Cunningham is a justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court. He is the author of books about the civil rights era in Western Kentucky.)
Several years ago, on my birthday, a son asked me to recount the greatest changes in my lifetime. Changes that I never expected to see.
The answer was easy. The end of the Cold War and Civil Rights.
I grew up in the segregation days of the Jim Crow South. Whites and blacks were segregated, always separate. Separate public restrooms and water fountains, separate seating at public events. I remember the “Whites Only” signs, separate entrances and separate seating. Mixed marriages were forbidden by law. A mixed couple was ostracized, seen together at their own physical risk. And we had separate schools. In old Eddyville, the blacks lived in a section of town called “Freewill,” its name derived from the days of emancipation when the slaves were at liberty to live where they chose of their own “free will.” The descendants of former slaves went to their own little shabby school up at the end of the hollow. There, they matriculated through the first eight grades. I remember seeing inside my own textbooks, issued by the county Board of Education, a stamp which allowed a check mark for either “white” or “colored.” When my “colored” contemporaries finished the eighth grade, they faced a hard choice. They could quit school and go to work. Or if they wished to continue with their education – and few of them did – the Board of Education would send them to Lincoln Ridge High School in Louisville. They would be given a bus ticket to the big city in the fall and a return ticket home for Christmas. The school board also paid for their lodging there.
It is all true. Yet today it seems unreal – like something I dreamed. To my children, it is incomprehensible.
Of course, all that changed after Martin Luther King, Jr. arrived on the scene and began his grand march for civil rights. A few years ago, as we commemorated Martin Luther King’s birthday, I went to Paducah to walk in the MLK March sponsored by the local NAACP. It was a cold, but brilliantly sunny day. We marched from the Cherry Civic Center to the cemetery and placed a wreath on a monument. There were over 100 people on that trek.
I met and marched with a person I had known all my life – from a distance.
Mary Kate McHenry and I were born six weeks apart in old Eddyville. We grew up together, only a long fly ball apart. But we were separated by the invisible wall of racial segregation and the ancient code of Jim Crow. I remembered Mary Kate and she remembered me – from a distance. I recalled her as a pretty little black girl with pig tails and a sparkle of merriment in her eyes. I knew her brother Richard, who played with me when my parents were not watching. They lived in Freewill. Mary Kate and her friends with ebony faces would pass our house on their way to the picture show. There, at the theater, they would buy their tickets at a separate window and climb the steps to the balcony designated for “Blacks Only.” They seemed to always be full of life, talking and laughing. They were a happy people. As a child, I found them alive, vibrant, joyous, soulful, mysterious and remote.
Mary Kate was one of the brave ones. She had the spunk to take the school board up on its offer. She went to Lincoln Ridge, graduated, and went on to nursing school. This black girl from the rundown little settlement of Freewill in the rundown little river town of old Eddyville – against all disadvantages – beat the odds. She finished up a stellar and productive career in the healing profession. At the time of our walk together, she had just recently retired.
So there we were, walking shoulder to shoulder as old friends should, on this cold, but sunny winter day. A man and woman, almost exactly the same age, hewed from the same stone, but nurtured in two separate worlds in a dirty old river town in a time and way of life which is hard for us even now to imagine. We talked of people and places we shared. She remembered me as a devilish little white boy who would sometimes run my little wagon out in front of them as they walked down the sidewalk. (Here Mary Kate may have confused me with some other little pale-faced hellion; I do not remember ever having a wagon.) I confessed that we always envied her group and their balcony seats at the picture show. She gleefully reported that the thing they enjoyed most about sitting up in those lofty seats was throwing debris – popcorn, wrappers, cardboard containers, pieces of candy – down on the white kids. We both laughed with shared merriment in the knowledge that kids always find a way to adjust, to survive, and to make the best of the situation.
A short time after our walk on that Martin Luther King Day, Mary Kate was diagnosed with incurable cancer. With sadness and concern, I followed her declining health through her sister Betty. In a few months, my black friend from old Eddyville was gone.
Now the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. is honored each year. Undoubtedly, he is an American icon. But to most of us, his legacy is remote, relegated to old newspaper clippings and history books. But Mary Kate was my friend. A real live human soul, flesh and blood. Someone that I knew who walked the walk and talked the talk. She overcame. So now each year, as we commemorate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., I think of Mary Kate. Two old friends who had traversed the gaping abyss of racial divide and lived to see it closed. Together we had that one last walk to remember. Not on the cracked and ancient sidewalks of old Eddyville, but on the clear and sunlit smoothness of another time.
Bill Cunningham is a Kentucky Supreme Court justice.
Mary Kate was a 1962 Lincoln graduate and is now deceased. This article was suggested by one of her classmates Patricia Million Jacobs of Frankfort,a 1962 Lincoln graduate as well. Richard Reynolds (Class of 1962) of Louisville also reported the article was in the Louisville Courier Journal.
A heartfelt thanks goes out to Bill Cuuningham for this well written article and for paying homage to one of our own. Thanks also to Patricia and Richard for informing me about this article.
Gary Brown
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January 6, 2012
Alumni Passing - Arthur Lee Sullivan Sr., Class of 1959
Arthur Lee Sullivan Sr., 70, Shelbyville, died unexpectedly at his home on Tuesday, January 3, 2012. He was the son of the late Mary Smith and William Lawrence Sullivan, Sr. and a native of Shelby County. He was a graduate of Lincoln Institute. He was retired from General Electric Company after 35 years of service as a product inspector. He served as Union Steward and won numerous awards during his tenure at GE. As his sons were growing up, he proudly served as a little league baseball coach for a number of years. He was a member of the NAACP and a lifelong member of Clay Street Baptist Church.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 7, 2012 at Clay Street Baptist Church with visitation 6-9 p.m. Friday at the church. Rev. Ronald L. Holder will deliver the eulogy. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Morton-Beckley Funeral Directors. Online condolences may be expressed at www.morton-beckley.com
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November 29, 2011
Subject: Whitney M. Young Jr. Birthplace, Memorial Walkway
As we approach the 100th anniversary of Lincoln Institute welcoming its first 85 students on October 1, 2012, we would like to offer former students and friends of Lincoln the opportunity to add their names to the Memorial Walkway. It appears many regular attendees at our reunions have not participated either by choice or by being unaware of their opportunity to add their names to the walkway.
This letter is to inform you of the opportunity to participate by adding your name or other family members, staff or friends names to the walkway. The cut-off for payment to have any names included will be June 15, 2012. This will allow time for
the bricks engraving and their installation before the reunion on August 3, 2012.
With our aging and declining school population this may be the last time for anyone to "make" their mark on the campus for future generations to appreciate.
Engraved Brick Information:
Size Price
4" x 8" $65
8" x 8" $75
12" x 12" $85
Character Restrictions:
4" X 8" brick - 3 lines; 16 characters per line
8" x 8" brick - 6 lines; 16 characters per line
12" x 12" brick - 9 lines; 20 characters per line
• A character is any letter, number, punctuation, or space.
All checks should be made out to the National Lincoln Institute Alumni and mailed to:
Gary W. Brown
5013 Lupreese Lane
Versailles, KY 40383
(A sample of the current walkway can be seen in the KKK photo album)
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November 16, 2011
LINCOLN INSTITUTE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Louisville Chapter
P.O. Box 43964
Louisville, Kentucky 40253
Dear Alumnus:
Another reunion is upon us. We gather again to fraternize, meet and greet, renew acquaintances and enjoy friendships. Our reunion date is August 3 - 5,2012. Please mark your calendar, tie a string around your pinky or post-a- note. The reunion city is Louisville. The reunion hotel is the Galt House (502-589-5200). We have an exciting
weekend planned for you. Too exciting to miss!
You don't want to miss these exciting events. On your arrival Friday at the Galt House you will enjoy a "Meet and Greet" Reception in the Hospitality Suite and later a downtown tour of the "Sites of Louisville". When you awake Saturday morning, refresh (eat) in the Hospitality Suite and prepare to leave for a bus ride to the Old Campus (Lincoln Ridge, Kentucky) for the Memorial Service and have a delicious lunch with alumni, friends and acquaintances. Lunch will be prepared by the Whitney Young Job Corp Culinary students and Chef.
You will return by bus to the hotel. Saturday evening (6:00 PM) we will set sail on the fabulous ship the "Belle of Louisville". You will experience a culinary delight buffet prepared by the Iron Chef of "Sincerely Yours" Wanda Wilcox, while listening to our charming guest speaker. You will also enjoy dancing under the stars to music by our local jazz and old school band.
Sunday you will join other alumni in the grand room in the Galt House for breakfast and departing words of wisdom and prayer from our guest speaker.
You really don't want to miss this reunion. We understand the unstable economy and budget restraints so we have devised a payment plan for your convenience.
Below are two (2) documents for your use: (1) Registration and (2) Payment Plan Forms. Save by registering early with full registration.
REGISTRATION:
Host Hotel – Galt House and Suites the Lincoln Institute Reunion
August 3 - 5, 2012.
Room rate per night $109 Plus tax
Suite Tower per night $129 Plus tax
These rooms have special negotiated rates for the group.
Please reference the Lincoln Institute Reunion when making reservations.Room availability and Group rates are only guaranteed for reservations made by May 30, 2012.
Reunion Registration : Please check appropriate box(s) & complete information requested.
Name: _____________________________________________ [ ] Alumni
Please Print
Spouse: ____________________________________________[ ] Not an Alumni
Please Print
Address: __________________________________________________________
[ ] Full Registration for all alumni, $165 (In advance)
[ ] Spouse not an alumni $100.00 (includes Belle of Louisville
and Sunday Brunch (In advance)
Registration for a Specific Activity
[ ] Hospitality Room # of tickets [ ] ticket price $15/Day
[ ] Banquet / Cruise # of tickets [ ] $75.00
[ ] Tour of Louisville # of tickets [ ] $20.00
Friday Night
[ ] Sunday Brunch # of tickets [ ] $35.00
[ ] Transportation # of tickets [ ] $10.00
to Lincoln Campus
[ ] Souvenir Journal # of tickets [ ] (each) $10.00
Starting February 15, 2012 you may make an installment payment on
the total registration package. February 15 thru May 15, 2012 account balance will be divided into 4(four) payments. Last payment due May 15, 2012. This will allow the committee time to process the Registration package. The full balance may be paid at anytime during these four months.
Payment will be due the 15th of each month for four (4) consecutive
payments ending on May 15, 2012.
I agree to the above payment terms: Please check and sign below. [ ]
SIGNATURE __________________________________________________________
Please return these 2 sheets with the first payment.
Make check payable to: Lincoln Institute Reunion Louisville
Chapter
Mail to:
Wanda Brown, Financial Secretary
Lincoln Institute Alumni Association.
Louisville Chapter
3702 Valdosta Avenue
Louisville, KY 40218-2863
(You may go to the photo albums "Reunion Registration 2012" highlight the pages and print the info above and complete the registration or copy and paste this info to your document program to improve spacing or wait until you receive your mailing in December.)
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November 13, 2011
Two Proud Lincolnite Grandparents!
Patricia Mickey Beckham (Class of 1963) and Lynn Beckham Class of 1964) are very proud of their grandchildren Madison age 9 and her brother Reagan Roy, age 14. The two of them have just gotten their first book published; quite an accomplishment. Their book is entitled Flower: A Girl with Leukemia.
Children everywhere through all walks of life are faced with coping with illness as well as death and dying. Flower: A Girl with Leukemia, a realistic fiction, was written for children by children. The book is a nice easy read for children. Its characters, albeit make-believe, are very realistic. Through fanciful imagination, the Roy’s create an atmosphere of love, strength, and hope by speaking through their imaginary characters to help children suffering with leukemia understand that they are not alone. The book provides a glossary entitled, “Did You Know” in which terms associated with leukemia are defined as well as other possibly unfamiliar terms children encounter as they read the book. For parents, this is a great little book to give to all children so that they can broaden their knowledge of one of the most dreaded childhood diseases. Reading this book can help all children gain an appreciation for what children with leukemia endure. (Courtesy xlibris.com)
About the authors:
Reagan is 14 years old. He is an honor student and attends John Paul II Academy where he is in the 8th grade. Reagan has been very active in his community and school. He is class president of his school’s student Council. He has raised money and walked for Sickle Cell, and Leukemia. He collects aluminum cans for his charities and collects and donates newspapers to the Pet shop.
Madison is 9 years old and is a 4th grader. She enjoys writing, reading, cooking, swimming, and soccer. She is currently working with Reagan on their second book & a comic.
All proceeds from the book co-authored and illustrator, Reagan, go to the Kentucky Leukemia Society for benefit of the families. You can review the book at www.xlibris.com. Go to the bookstore and enter 104064 in the search box to the lower right.
Check the book out, buy a copy for your favorite child for Christmas; encourage Madison and Reagan and at the same time help the Kentucky Leukemia Society.
May God bless these kids!
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November 10,2011
DO YOU HAVE A STORY LINE, HELP US MAKE THE WEBSITE BETTER!
There are a lot of former students doing great things around our nation. Don't keep the stories to yourself, share them with all of us. Many of you are now retired but still working in your communities trying to make them better places to live. Your stories can be of great encourgagement to all of us and in particular the younger generation. Tell us about your experiences at Lincoln that you would never want Dr. Young to know about. (you won't get sent home now)
If you're not making news, tell us about your kids, your grand kids. Don't be shy, hit me with an email at gbrowntss@aol.com or give me a call at 859-621-9342.
IN OTHER WORDS - HELP??
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November 10,2011
LINCOLN INSTITUTE ARTIFACTS
Working with Mr. Larry McDonald, President of the Lincoln Foundation we are having some success finding some artifacts that came up missing during the transition from a high school to the Job Corp. If you know the whereabouts of any trophies or other items which may belong in our archives we would appreciate hearing from you.
If you have photos that you would like to share copies with us, they would be appreciated. Any other items of Lincoln Institute interest would also be helpful in preserving our history. The items will be secured and made available for viewing at the Whitney M. Young House on the campus. Donors will be credited for any items made available.
Contact - Gary Brown (859) 621-9342 or email gbrowntss@aol.com.
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November 10, 2011
Alumni Passing - Billy Clarence Moody, Jr., Class of 1959
Clarence Moody Jr., the son of Clarence Leonard and Kate
Katherine Moody, was born March 7, 1939 in Tompkinsville,
Kentucky. Both of his parents preceded him in death. He held a
special place of love in their hearts.
He gave his life to Christ at an early age and was baptized
at the Church of Christ in Tompkinsville, Kentucky.
Clarence attended Lincoln Institute in Lincoln Ridge,
Kentucky. He was employed for 33 years with Indianapolis Power
& Light Company, retiring in December 1998. His special hobbies
were fishing, throwing darts and working with electronics.
He was united in Holy Matrimony on August 17, 1961 to
Eva Benberry. Clarence was a devoted, loving and caring
husband, brother, uncle and friend. He will be deeply missed by
his loving family and friends.
Clarence Moody Jr. departed this life on Thursday,
October 27, 20ll. He leaves to cherish his memory: his loving wife,
Eva Moody; sister: Frances Swift; brother: Leonard Moody; a host
of nieces, nephews, loving family and friends.
Services were conducted at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 2 in the Chapel of Peace at Lavenia , Smith & Summers Home for Funerals. Burial was at Crown Hill Cemetery.
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October 23, 2011
Lincoln Institute "Kentucky Backroads" / General Update
Recently, I had the privilege of participating in the filming for a segment on Lincoln Institute on a Lexington TV station, WTVQ-TV Channel 36. They have a segment periodically about little known historical sites in Kentucky. Believe it or not we now have a generation of Blacks and Whites that have never heard of Lincoln Institute. I contacted Greg Stotelmeyer of the station and a video was filmed on campus and is now available on the stations web site.
When viewing you will see some blank spots saying "media not available". These spots were photos or documents the owners did not give permission to use on the Internet. The rest of the video will speak for itself. We will show the complete video at our next reunion without the blanks. I really appreciate Larry McDonald, Dorothy Dowe, Naomi Bain, Pearl Allen and Huella Robinson for their time and participation.
Paste this link to your web browser and when you get to the site, Kentucky Backroads, click on the Lincoln Institute story.
http://www.wtvq.com/news/kentuckys-backroads
Also, some of you may not have known this but our historical Lincoln Institute Highway Marker paid for several years ago by the Lincoln Alumni was destroyed by a state highway truck during the ice storm January 2010. After many attempted efforts Larry Mc Donald and myself have been instrumental in getting the State of Kentucky's Highway Marker program to help finance a replacement marker. It is scheduled to be reinstalled by the week end date of October 28, 2011. PRAISE GOD!
The Whitney Young Memorial House has been repainted and looks great and we have an interior designer providing gratis time and effort to help choose the right color for the interior and new lighting. Larry McDonald is really committed to make the house a center of pride on the campus. We are getting some great artifacts to place in our six new trophy cases. A special thanks goes out to Carrie Bennett Stewart who has provided us many of personal prized possessions which are on display. If you visit the campus and the Young house, our artifacts are no longer locked up. They are viewable by anyone visiting the location thanks to the display cases.
May God richly bless each of you and feel free to share this news with others that may not have internet access. I hope you are planning to take part in our 2012 reunion in August. Thank you.
Gary
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2011 National Lincoln Institute Alumni Officers
Congratulations to our National Lincoln Institute Alumni leadership team for the next two years. The following individuals were elected by the Alumni Association at its 4th quarter meeting held in Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday, November 15, 2008; Nora Craig presiding.
President -------------- Nora Craig --------------Louisville Chapter
Vice President --------- Etta Coleman -----------Shelbyville Chapter
Recording Secretary -- Thelzeda Moore ---------Indianapolis Chapter
Correspond. Secret. -- Zenda Jones -------------Shelbyville Chapter
Treasurer ------------- Herbert Dorsey ----------Louisville Chapter
Parliamentarian -------- William Mack -----------Breckinridge Chapter
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"GEMS" of Dr. Whitney M.Young Sr.
"People who are good for excuses are good for nothing."
" It is better to be prepared for something better than not have it. Than to have it and not be prepared for it."
"Study to show thou self approved unto God,a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth."
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Visit the Lincoln Foundation by clicking on the "Links" tab above.
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