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 Boston, Massachusetts, 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 Al Pacino 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 Carol Burnett 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 Robert Redford 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 Chicago, 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 Basketball 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 head coach Eddie Sutton, 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 New York Knicks 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 Hubie Brown, Wes Unseld, Chuck Daly, and Phil Jackson. 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 Chicago Bulls 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), Detroit Pistons (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.