Grambling State University - Tiger Yearbook (Grambling, LA)

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Kevin removes a pipe from his “office supply’ briefcase. ‘Preppie LeQ’ Organization Is His Claim To Fame Students often have difficulty hauling themselves and a few books to class. Kevin Tyrone Mauldin, a social psychology major from Detroit, not only accomplishes the above task, but also lugs a barber shop and office supply warehouse to the lecture hall. This junior does it through the use of customized briefcases —one holding “a ton” of office supplies and the other loaded with barber instruments. One case is designed with education in mind while the other is for financial reward. During the summer of ’82, Kevin decided he needed more organization in his life. So he created his first ‘‘office supply” briefcase. “I did it for convenience purposes and to keep myself orga- nized in school work,’’ he explained. “I have everything | need in this case so there is no excuse for not doing my school work.” Kevin’s “‘office supply’’ case contains such items as a stapler, brass pipe, box of school supply paraphernalia, sewing kit, bi- ble, tool set, stationery, cards, lighters, baking soda, paper bond, sinus medicine, nail clippers—file, address book, photos, calculator, pencil sharpner, clock, tooth brush and paste, mirror and grooming supplies. In the summer of ’85 Kevin created his ‘“Groom Phi Groom” briefcase that complimented his part-time hobby—barbering. “Pye been cutting hair since 1981,” Kevin admitted. “It helps me pick up a little extra cash.” Known as “‘Preppie Le-Q the Barber,’ this Gramlinite says his grooming case has already paid for itself.

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she’s 104-Year-Old Sara Crawley Boyd Oldest Living Gramblinite The 104-Year-Old Tigress An artist’s rendering of Sara Crawley Boyd. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since 1906 when Sara Crawley Boyd arrived at what is now known as Grambling State University. Last Dec. 2, Sarah, the only living member of a group of seven teachers who helped start GSU, celebrated her 104th birthday at the Vital Age Adult Day-Care Center in Rockledge, Fa. While her memories of Grambling are still vivid, she prefers to live in the present. “I’ve been blessed,” she said. She waved her hands in time with the music as the other center members whose ages average 79, sang ‘‘Happy Birthday.” Sarah was the oldest of seven children and an accomplished seamstress who had learned the craft from her mother. They sewed clothes for the city’s wealthy white families and she also taught sewing in schools and played the piano at church. In 1906 this proud Gramblinite married Leonard Letchee Boyd, a Tuskegee Institute graduate. Following the marriage, Boyd whisked her off to Lincoln Parish to help the North Louisi- ana Agricultural Industrial Institute—now GSU—get off the ground. Grambling’s founder, Charles P. Adams, had requested addi- tional help from Booker T. Washington of Tuskegee and he sent Mr. and Mrs. Boyd. The couple took the train from Alabama to Grambling. When they reached the Mississippi River, they had to spend the night at some little spot and Leonard stayed up all night killing bedbugs. The train stopped at the Grambling sawmill from which the town got its name. “We went all the way out in the woods to this building. There were Indians walking around there,” Sara recalled. She only emphasizes the positive and leaves out the bad things of the past. Sara no longer talks of hiding from the local Ku Klux Klan, which opposed having a school for black chil- 324 Tiger Life dren. According to her niece, Althris Shirdan, local farmers came to warn them once that the Ku Klux Klan was riding that night and they would all have to leave. She said, “They all hid out in the fields with their guns waiting for the Klan to come, but they never did.” During her seven-year stay at Grambling, Sara taught sewing and music and Leonard taught printing. “They were all country girls and they needed help,” she not- ed. “They were all poor people in need, but they were willing to share what they had.” Her husband established a newspaper on the tiny campus and it was printed by the students he taught and circulated throughout the town. During those tough days, most people could not afford the $5 tuition, so families paid with livestock such as chickens and pigs and with fresh vegetables. The Boyds never received a salary while at Grambling and Adams was never paid until 1918, when the school became part of the parish school system. According to Sara, for a Christmas present her mother-in-law sent them live chickens and ducks to help them make it into the next year. “We started with just an old piece of a building,” she said. “We divided the porch in half and the Adamses lived on one side and we lived on the other. The students lived upstairs and classes were held on the first floor of the building.” Since there was no television or radio, families would often spend evenings sitting out on the train tracks telling stories and singing songs. To raise money for the institution, Sara and the students would put on fashion shows and her husband would take the school’s choir on tours to perform at area churches. One day her husband wrote the federal government to estab- lish a post office for the small community. This eventually led to the town being officially named Grambling. He became the first postmaster. Once the struggling school became more established, the Boyds moved to Charlotte, N.C, where Leonard was hired by the African Methodist Episcopal Zion publishing house. He later became a minister and eventually established a school for black youths who did not have homes or had become entangled in the state’s juvenile justice system. “I was mother to 500 boys during my life,’ Sara related. Leonard was named superintendent of the Morrison Training School, State School for Negro Boys, in Hoffman, N.C. There they remained until his retirement in 1943. Sara still gets dozen of letters from youngsters who tried to stay in touch with her and her husband over the years. The Boyds continued to live in Charlotte until Leonard’s death in 1967. Then Sara moved back to her family home in Montgomery, Ala. She has never let living alone or getting older prevent her from leading an active life. Her advice to others: “Be patient, regardless of the issue. Weigh the matter before you act. Live normally. Don’t try to outdo yourself. Exercise. And be careful what you drink.”

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Library work is rewarding. STE TS TTT ES ET a TOE TS EET EI Photo feature by RICKY GALLOT, SHERMAN STOGLIN | 326 Tiger Life The Union is a favorite gathering spot. Working At Night Is Enjoyable Although most Gramblinites work during daylight hours, there is a select group that earns a living when the sun goes down. They are Grambling’s ‘“‘night people’ —those that hold down jobs between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. : You can find them scattered about campus in such places as the Union, radio station, campus security office, dorms, weight room, switchboard and library. Of course, staying awake is one of the major drawbacks of night work, but there are definite advantages. Pam Mandigo of KGRM radio said, “‘I like it, because that’s when the students are in their dorms and they get to hear my show.’’ The Shreveport communications major also explained that you can cram lots of study time into those late-night ses- sions. Campus security personnel often work the ‘‘graveyard”’ shift. Such is the case with Dwight Truitt of LaGrange, Ga., and Den- a nis Turner of Winnfield. Both enjoy their work which includes — : walking throughout campus and handling some radio calls. Anthony Starks of Detroit is employed at the switchboard. “I really love working here, especially when I receive a call from a moaning female.” One of the favorite spots for athletically inclined students is the weight room in Bowen’s basement. There Terry Jordan of Buffalo, N.Y. runs the show. One of the main advantages of the position is Terry gets to work out. The biology chemistry major is a member of the GSU powerlifting team. Another busy “‘after hours” spot is the library. Renita Knox of Chicago and Nancy Manuel of Winter Garden, Fla., spend their time there. Nancy said she enjoys working at the circula- tion desk and is able to get in a lot of reading. “Working here develops your interpersonal skills,” noted Renita. They are really put to the test when the “exit cage alarm’ goes off. Many Gramblinites work in dormitories. Javonne Tolliver of Springfield, Mo., is situated in Bethune. “My strangest incident occurred one evening when a young man came in and enjoyed | looking at feet,’’ she concluded.