HONOREE20 Induction 18 PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT

th ARKANSAS BLACK HALL OF FAME 2 FOUNDATION Annual6 Mr.PROLIFIC, Brent AWARD-WINNING Jennings ACTOR & DIRECTOR MR. BRENT JENNINGS 2018 Honoree Brent Jennings, an accomplished actor and educator, was born in 1951 in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Enlow and Loretta Jennings, a V.A. medical assistant and an educator, respectively. Educated in Little Rock public schools and a 1969 graduate of the historic Little Rock Central High School, Jennings was introduced to what would become his life’s work in the sixth grade at Rightsell Elementary School as his potential was recognized by a teacher he only remembers as Mrs. Robinson when he performed in the school’s annual Rightsell Follies, a Vaudevile-style revue. She had been the director, and she encouraged and motivated him to seriously consider acting, saying he possessed all the qualities and characteristics of a true thes- pian.. He took his first acting classes at the Arkansas Arts Center, which led to his being the first African American actor to land the lead role in a children’s theater production there when as a high school senior he played the part of Toad in the A.A. Milne classic “Toad of Toad Hill”. Jennings interest in the Black Arts Movement in New York City took him to the Arts and Leisure section of the New York Times where he followed the careers and works of major writers, particularly those who were giving artistic voice to the Civil Rights Movement: Ed Bullins, Charles Gordone, Paul Carter Jones, and Adrienne Kennedy to name a few. He also learned of various theaters, such as The Negro Ensemble Company, New Lafayette Theater, and New York Shakespeare Festival. Upon being awarded an internship with the Magic Circle Children’s Theater at Tufts University near , , he was accepted into Emerson College, a four-year liberal arts college, where as a sophomore he met an acting instruc- tor, the late James Spruill, who became his mentor. His association with Spruill and Spruill’s New African Company, along with the Theater Company of Boston, he was blessed to work alongside the famed and the late Paul Benedict, and other such noteworthy actors from the Actor’s Studio. While still an undergrad, his work with Pacino availed him membership in the Actors Equity Association. Also while at Emerson, he developed an allegiance with other African American students and formed The Wuhabi Theater Group that toured other campuses throughout New England. They even partnered with local theater companies to introduce theater workshops to the Massachusetts state prison system. Jennings received awards for acting and directing during his time at Emerson, including prestigious Award and the New England Theater Award. He graduated from Emerson with a dual major in acting and communications in 1974. He served an internship in Connecticut under the late Lloyd Richards, the renowned African American director of the original play A Raisin in the Sun. Once Jennings made it to New York City, he spent the next five years as a stage actor, appearing in many of New York’s most prestigious off-Broadway playhouses. He finally made it to Broadway to act alongside Morgan Freeman among others, although during this time he was supported mostly by the communications skills acquired at Emerson. Jennings’ film debut came when he landed a role in the movie Brubaker about an Arkansas prison, star- ring and Yaphet Kotto. His next five years in New York took him both to national stages and to the silver screen. His time in New York culminated with his role as Pvt. Tony Smalls in the Pulitzer Prize winning play A Soldier’s Play, with Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson. A role alongside Harrison Ford transfixed him from New York to Los Angeles where Jennings quickly established himself as a very versatile character actor. He has received countless awards and recognitions for his cache of work with such renowned actors as Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte, Louis Gossett, Jr., Cicely Tyson, Bernie Mac, and Brad Pitt to name a few. He has appeared in more than seventy episodes of network television and in more than twenty national television commercials. Jennings spent twelve years as an adjunct faculty member at the American Academy of Dramatics in Los Angeles where he directed more than twenty plays. During this time, he was also a Visiting Murphy Scholar at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, allowing him to spend time with his brother, the late Dr. James M. Jennings, then chairman of the Education Department and professor of African American history. Jennings and his actress wife, Juanita Jennings, live in Los Angeles. They have two sons. He, along with his brother, Lemuel, frequently travel home to attend to the care of his centenarian mother.

Mr. Brent Jennings Mr.NOTED COLLEGEDarrell & NBA PLAYER Walker AND COACH MR. DARRELL WALKER 2018 Honoree Darrell Walker was born March 9, 1961, to Willie Walker and Joyce Walker (now Turner) in , Illinois. He has one brother and three sisters. Growing up in Chicago presented many challenges… for those whom had not chosen a path in life. Darrell knew early on that to become an athlete was his life’s goal. He wanted to become one of the first African American players in the National Hockey League (NHL). As fate would have it, he did become a standout athlete but in the National Association (NBA). Walker played one season at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith before spending three seasons at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he met his future wife, Felicia Sparks. Under , Walker amassed 1,325 points, ranking 18th all-time on the Razorback scoring list, while ranking fourth in program steals (230) and sixth in free throws made (524). He was named a second team All-American and a first team NABC All-District selection in 1983, helping Arkansas reach the Sweet 16 in both 1981 and 1983. Walker was the two-time Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year, being named to the 1983 NABC All-Star game. Walker was the 12th overall pick by the in the 1983 NBA Draft and was named to the 1984 NBA All-Rookie Team. He enjoyed a 10-year NBA career in which he suited up for five dif- ferent teams. He averaged 8.9 points, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game during his professional career, playing for NBA Hall of Fame coaches , , Chuck Daly, and . He nearly averaged a triple-double in 1989-90 in Washington, averaging 9.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game. He closed out his playing career as a member of the NBA champion in 1993. Walker earned his degree in human resources from the University of Arkansas. He was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 and was enshrined into the University of Arkansas Hall of Honor in 2008. He spent two seasons as the head coach at Clark Atlanta University, compiling an overall record of 45-18 and leading the Panthers to back-to-back NCAA Division II tournament appearances. This past season, Walker guided the Panthers to a 25-6 mark, including a 16-3 Southern Intercol- legiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) record, finishing second in the SIAC East division. Clark Atlanta advanced to the SIAC tournament title game, falling to Claflin. In his first season in Atlanta, Walker’s Panthers went 21-12 and 12-5 in SIAC play, tying for first in the SIAC East. Clark Atlanta captured the 2017 SIAC tournament title, downing Fort Valley State 64-62 in the championship game. Walker served as the head coach of the Toronto Raptors from 1996-98 and the Washington Wizards in 2000, tallying 56 career victories at the NBA level. Walker also spent time as the head coach of the Rockford Lightning of the Continental Basketball Association and the Washington Mystics of the WNBA. He served as an assistant coach in the NBA for the Toronto Raptors (1995-96), New Orleans Hornets (2004-08), (2008-11) and New York Knicks (2012-14). Most recently, Walker was announced as Little Rock University’s 23rd head men’s basketball coach on Tuesday, March 27, 2018. He brings to Little Rock extensive basketball experience at both the collegiate and professional level, with three years at the University of Arkansas and 10 seasons in the NBA, followed by a 20-year professional coaching career, including serving as head coach for two different NBA franchises. Walker and his soulmate, Felicia “Lisa” Walker, have been married for 31 years. He is a father to one daughter, Felicia Walker, and four sons, Sky, Jerrell, Jarrett, and Jarren Walker. The couple has four grandsons, with the anticipation of an October arrival of their first granddaughter as of this writing. Mr. Darrell Walker Lt. Gen.DISTINGUISHED Aundre MILITARY F. LEADER Piggee LT. GEN. AUNDRE F. PIGGEE 2018 Honoree Lieutenant General (LTG) Aundre F. Piggee serves at the Pentagon as the Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics and oversees logistics policies, programs, and plans for the Army of over 1.1 million soldiers. He manages an $11 billion annual portfolio used to fund the Army’s arsenals and depots, maintain equipment, and acquire supplies to ensure the Army is ready to fight any mission throughout the world. LTG Piggee is a native of Stamps, Arkansas. His father, Roland Piggee, was a 1951 graduate of Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical, & Normal College (AM&N…now UAPB) and became a high school principal; and his mother, Maxine (Owens) Piggee, was employed at the Lone State Ammu- nition Depot in Texarkana. Young Piggee commissioned into the Army in 1981 from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) where he graduated as a Distinguished Military Graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. He has a Master of Science degree in Mate- rial Acquisition Management from the Florida Institute of Technology and a Master’s Degree in Military Strategy from the Army War College. LTG Piggee also received an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Doctor of Laws from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. His military education includes the Quartermaster Officer Basic Course, the Ordnance Officer Advance Course, Combined Arms Staff Services School, the Logistics Executive Development Course, the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College. In his 37-year military career, LTG Piggee has commanded thousands of soldiers; deployed to Kuwait, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia; and held key staff positions at the Army’s highest levels. Prior to coming to the Pentagon, LTG Piggee was Director of Logistics and Engi- neering, United States Central Command, MacDill Air Base, Florida, responsible for logistics and engineering efforts in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. He spearheaded initiatives to build partner capacity in Iraq and to train and equip missions in Syria and Afghanistan. Other significant assignments include: Director of Logistics and Engineering, United States Cen- tral Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; Commanding General, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, Kaiserslautern, Germany; Assistant Chief of Staff, J4 and Combined Forces Command, C4, United States Forces Korea, Seoul, South Korea; and Executive Officer to the Vice Chief of Staff, Army, the Pentagon. LTG Piggee also served as Executive Officer to the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army and as an- In spector General Representative for the Department of Defense Inspector General. LTG Piggee’s awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Supe- rior Service Medal (two times awarded the Oak Leaf Cluster--2 OLC), Legion of Merit (2 OLC), the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Meritorious Service Medal (3 OLC), Army Commendation Medal (4 OLC), the Army Achievement Medal (3 OLC). He is au- thorized to wear the Department of Defense and Army Staff Identification Badges. Lieutenant General Piggee is married to the former Kassi Gideon, a college professor, of Killeen, Texas; and they reside in Washington, D.C. The couple has one daughter, Alexis, who is a recent graduate of Clark-Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. LTG Piggee has three siblings, Rozlyn Piggee Clayborn, Edgar Piggee, and Carlos Piggee.

Lt. Gen. Aundre F. Piggee CELEBRATEDMr. PAINTER, Kevin PRINTMAKER Cole & SCULPTOR MR. KEVIN COLE 2018 Honoree Kevin Earlee Cole, renowned art instructor/professor and mixed media artist, was born January 19, 1960, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to Jessie Mae (McGlounce) Cole, a public-school cafeteria man- ager, and Sam Cole, Jr., a mortician. One of six children, Kevin was educated in Pine Bluff public schools. During his youth, he enjoyed playing football and that is also when he discovered his love and penchant for art, using it as a form of self-expression. Kevin graduated from Pine Bluff Senior High School in 1978. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in art education from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) in 1982, a Master of Arts degree in art education and painting in 1983 from the University of Illinois, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in drawing from the North- ern Illinois University in 1984. Cole’s extensive and impressive career began as an art instructor at Camp Creek Middle School in College Park, Georgia, while also serving as an adjunct professor at the School of Art and Design at Georgia State University. As the chairperson of the art department at Westlake High School in Atlanta, Georgia, Cole is credited with starting the school’s first art program in 2003. According to public relations account executive and writer Tameka Lee, “Cole is well known for his abstract “necktie” pieces that are thematically linked to the history of racial violence in Pine Bluff and surrounding areas during the early and middle 1900s.” The artist said his grandfather showed him a tree on the older Cole’s property when Kevin was just 18 and told him it was where African Americans were lynched by their neckties as they were on their way to vote after Cole had told his grandfather he did want to vote. His works are rich with symbolism, and he states that today neckties symbolize success in the African American experience. As an artist, Cole states he derives his artistic inspiration from the events that impact human existence and behavior, such as Hurricane Katrina, the events of September 11, 2001, and societal woes in general. While his cre- ations reflect somber facades, his later pieces do also express the positive aspects of a dim reality. During the course of his career, Cole has been awarded 27 grants and fellowships, 65 awards in art, 51 teaching awards, and more than 45 public art commissions. In 1994, he was commissioned by the Coca-Cola Company to create a 15-story mural to celebrate the 1996 Olympic Games that would be held in Atlanta, Georgia. The artist’s work as received extensive recognition with hav- ing his artwork featured in more than 470 exhibitions nationally and internationally. Thousands of public, corporate, and private collections showcase Cole’s artwork, including but not limited to the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.; the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia; the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library and the Arkansas Arts Center both in Little Rock, Arkansas; the Yale Uni- versity Art Gallery; the United States Embassy in Barbados; Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina; IBM in New York; and King and Spaulding Law Firm in Atlanta, Georgia; NBA greats and Brad Sellers both formerly of the Chicago Bulls; another of tonight’s ABHOF inductees, Darrell Walker, NBA great and former head coach of the Toronto Raptors; and record and film producer, Dallas Austin. The artist and his work have been featured in more 125 publi- cations, including the Washington Post; The Guardian Magazine in Paris, France; and Sculpture Magazine just to name a few. Cole resides in Atlanta, Georgia, and is an art instructor at Westlake High School and the Savan- nah College of Art and Design, and he is an art consultant for the College Board in New York.

Mr. Kevin Cole Ms.LEGENDARY Mary EDUCATOR, Louise SORORITY AND POLITICAL Williams LEADER MS. MARY LOUISE WILLIAMS 2018 Honoree The Honorable Mary Louise Williams is a retired educator with 42 years of service in the state of Arkansas. She graduated from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a minor in social studies. She also studied at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville where she received a Master of Fine Arts degree in secondary educa- tion and certification in administration. Mrs. Williams served as an administrator and a music teacher for 30 years in the Little Rock School District (LRSD). Prior to her service with LRSD, she spent the first twelve years of her career which began in 1949, in Bearden, Magnolia, and Con- way County schools. Currently, she is a political consultant, a notary public, and a private-lessons piano instructor. Her more than 65 professional and volunteer memberships locally and nationally are vast and varied, including Pulaski County Democratic Women; Retired Teachers Association; being the 13th South Central Regional Director, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; State of Arkansas Teachers Association Choral Division; Arkansas Cemetery Board; L.C. and Daisy L. Gaston Bates Museum Foundation; 55-year member of American Association of University Women, Inc.; and Little Rock Top Ladies of Distinction. Mrs. Williams has also held various elected offices, includ- ing the Pulaski County Election Commission, Democratic Central Committee, and 8 terms on the Pulaski County Quorum Court. She has been a trailblazer by being the first female and/or African American to serve in various capacities, such as Little Rock Classroom Teachers co-President; National Association Board of County Officials; National Association of County Pulaski County Election Commission Chairman, Pulaski County Democratic County Committee Chairman, Pulaski County Democratic Woman of the Year. She has received awards too numerous to name, including William J. Clinton Center Celebration Circle Award; historian and producer of the first 30-year Historical Reflections DVD of the Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Greek Legend Award, and the Philander Smith College Living Legend Award. Mrs. Wil- liams blesses as she has been blessed. A deserving male college student majoring in education at Philander Smith College received the first Mary Louise Williams Scholarship. Mrs. Williams was born in Plumerville, Arkansas, and she has lived in Little Rock since 1962. She was a member of Mount Zion Baptist Church where she served for 50 years. There, she sang in the sanctuary choir and directed the Women’s Day choir, served as the general Sunday school pianist, primary bible school teacher, leader of a general mission group, member of the Lockhart Bron- son Mission, scholarship committee, Issues and Answers committee, and 25 years as President of Maids and Matrons Club. In January 2012 after much prayer and consternation, she transferred her membership to St. John Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor C. Dennis Edwards, I. Since joining there, she has served as chairman of the Autumn-age Ministry and vice- chairman of the Mothers’ Ministry. Mrs. Williams is widowed, has one daughter, Sandra Gibson, 3 grandchildren, and 6 great-grand- children…all the loves of her life. Yes, we all know, she loves politics!

Ms. Mary Louise Williams Ms. Florence B. Price

(POSTHUMOUS) Ms.TRAILBLAZING Florence SYMPHONIC B. COMPOSER Price MS. FLORENCE B. PRICE (POSTHUMOUS) 2018 Honoree Florence Beatrice Smith Price, a classical music great, was born April 9, 1887, in Little Rock Ar- kansas, to Florence Gulliver and John H. Smith. She and her two siblings all learned how to play the piano when they were very young. Their mother was a music teacher. Young Florence gave her first recital at age 4. Florence Smith graduated from Capitol High School at age 14, was the class valedictorian, and had already become a published composer by then. After high school gradu- ation, Smith attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where she majored in organ and piano and graduated with two degrees. In spite of the racial obstacles she faced, she developed relationships with other African American composers such as William Grant Still. Smith was even mentored by such classical icons as George Whitefield Chadwick and Freder- ick Converse. She graduated from the Conservatory of Music in 1906 and worked for a few years as a teacher, all the while composing. Smith became the head of the music department at Clark University in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1910. In 1912, she married attorney Thomas J. Price and moved back to Little Rock. They had two daughters and a stillborn son. She dedicated a song to their son. The family was so traumatized by a lynching in Little Rock in 1927 and the racial tensions that followed, they uprooted and settled in Chicago, Illinois, where Florence took full advantage of every opportunity availed to her at numerous musical institutions. Her marriage ended causing her financial strain as a single parent. She worked composing pieces for radio advertisements and playing the organ for silent-movie screenings. Her songs for piano began to be published by the end of the 1920s. The unfortunate fluke of a broken foot gave her the solitude and time to complete work on the 1932 Wanamaker Prize winning long-form composition “Symphony in E Minor”. In 1933, that piece became the first composition by an African American woman to be performed at the Cen- tury of Progress Fair by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. That led to two decades of Price’s work being performed by orchestras both nationally and internationally and opportunities for her to perform, as well. Aside from her orchestral compositions, Price composed vocal selections that were performed by such vocal greats as Marian Anderson who closed her historic performance at the Lincoln Memorial with the spiritual “My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord” in 1939 on Easter Sunday. Price also composed the musical accompaniment sung by Anderson to the Langston Hughes poem “Song to the Dark Virgin”. Other noted vocalists to perform Price’s compositions were and William Warfield. In 1940, Price was inducted into the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. Eventually, Price had composed more than 300 pieces many of which were lost or went unpub- lished. Her compositions, which were for a time over-shadowed by modern composers, experi- enced a new surge when African American and female composers gained new popularity. In 2001, the Women’s Philharmonic released an album of Price’s compositions. Two of her most popular pieces were recorded and released in 2011 and performed by classical pianist Karen Walwyn and the New Black Repertory Ensemble. In 2013, a New York radio station hosted a documentary on her career. Florence Beatrice Price died on June 3, 1953, in Chicago after suffering a stroke.

Ms. Florence B. Price