By Drew Moody
Story and Commentary
There are many events, incidents or simply unintended consequences which have implications difficult to fully grasp.
A man living overseas, the citizen of an impoverished nation, suggested many years ago that "no American" can ever understand the massive worldwide suffering ongoing daily, occurring as consistently as the rising sun.
As he is a part of my past, I cannot write about Jackie Joe Robinson visiting Glenville recently and pretend to be a detached observer - simply a reporter of events.
Despite that I didn't actually know Jackie Joe, I felt like I did. And I have many razor sharp memories of him - all good. I had just reached high school as he was finishing his senior year at Glenville State College.
When the Glenville State College Pioneers had a home basketball game, particularly Jackie Joe's senior year, it was "standing room only" crowds.
The year was 1970 and Jackie Joe went on to lead the Pioneers to a championship win at the WVIAC Conference Tournament in Charleston.
One of Glenville State College's best all-around
athletes, Jackie Joe Robinson has spent his career
both teaching and working for IBM. Currently he teaches
and coaches in Greenbrier County. (Photo by Drew Moody)
Jackie Joe was selected Most Valuable Player of the championship.
He praised the college during his presentation and even today, nearly 40-years later, continues to be thankful for his decision to attend school at Glenville State College.
A COUNTRY IN TURMOIL
The United States was literally splitting apart at the seams by the late 1960s. The Vietnam War was losing support, many metropolitan areas experienced unrelenting riots.
An increasing loud voice of protests spoke out against the war, and the Civil Rights movement gained momentum in the rapidly changing landscape. Although it may well have been Martin Luther King helped the rest of the country "find its voice."
Music of that period shifted and bands like The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane became popular with the youth of the day. Kids began growing their hair long earning the label of the "hippie generation."
Growing numbers of ordinary citizens were becoming weary of the hypocrisy embraced by much of society, making a mockery of the words written in the United States Constitution.
Violence broke out on college campuses.
Ironically, just a year prior to Dr. Martin Luther King's murder in Memphis, was the "Summer of Love" in San Francisco. King was killed April 4, 1968. Two months and two days later, Bobby Kennedy was gunned down in Los Angeles.
There was almost too much pain but out of the suffering sprang change.
Years later, Abbie Hoffman an outspoken radical and one of the Chicago Seven, wrote:
We are here to make a better world.
No amount of rationalization or blaming can preempt the moment of choice each of us brings to our situation here on this planet. The lesson of the 60's is that people who cared enough to do right could change history.
We didn't end racism but we ended legal segregation.
We ended the idea that you could send half-a-million soldiers around the world to fight a war that people do not support.
We ended the idea that women are second-class citizens.
We made the environment an issue that couldn't be avoided.
The big battles that we won cannot be reversed. We were young, self-righteous, reckless, hypocritical, brave, silly, headstrong and scared half to death.
And we were right.
In many ways Glenville, West Virginia was a world away from all the turmoil. Or, were events here mirroring the country, but limited because of the rural nature of the area.
ALMOST HEAVEN?
By the time Jackie Joe was a senior the "back-to-land" movement was underway here and lots of people embracing alternative lifestyles descended throughout the area taking advantage of cheap land and "food stamps."
Gilmer County had one full-time black resident named Bill (Jackie Joe Robinson knew him as "Billy"). There were less than 20 black students out of an enrollment of about 800.
It was almost a foregone conclusion Robinson and other black students attending Glenville State College would become friends with Billy. Bill had a unique story to tell about how he came to Gilmer County.
As he passed through the area, his car broke down. Jack Chapman, a retired car dealer and owner of Glenville's Texaco Service Station, came to his aid. Bill was apparently so touched by the generosity of Chapman and other local residents he decided to stay. As fate would have it, Bill worked at the Texaco Station for the rest of his life.
"Now understand," Robinson told his audience last week in the administration building auditorium, "there were many people - many people in this community, in this county, that had never had contact with blacks."
"He was killed my senior year," Robinson told his audience. The story was Bill got drunk, stumbled home, and fell asleep smoking a cigarette. Bill was discovered burned up in his bed.
But Robinson and others were with him downtown, two hours prior to his death, and he didn't appear drunk.
"I didn't believe it then, and I don't now." Robinson was not alone in his belief.
A QUIET, ABIDING CONFIDENCE
Jackie Joe Robinson was not only a stellar athlete, who seemed to naturally excel at nearly everything. In addition to sports, fellow classmates said he was always a gentleman, and a tremendous artist as well.
Robinson's quite voice was in high contrast to the power of what he came to share.
"Things change and things stay the same."
He asked a persistent question. "Where do you stand? What would you do."
In the computer age where kids don't play "Kick-the-Can" with neighbors on hot summer nights, and many feel more and more separated from a sense of community, Robinson asked the audience to consider choices they are making right now.
"When is a good time for justice."
"When is a good time to say enough is enough."
Robinson said in those dark times many whites were suggesting black people should be more patient.
Frequently these were also people professing to be Christians with a strong belief in God.
"Yes, I go to church. I go to prayer meetings," Robinson imagined they might have been saying at the time.
He reminded the audience Martin Luther King was only 39 years old at the time of his assassination. "Thirty-nine with hope, with faith; he had a dream."
Continuing..."He wasn't afraid to speak out if he saw something that wasn't right. "
"Where do you stand."
SERVICE TO OTHERS
Dr. Martin Luther King's life has become synonymous with practicing 'selfless service.' Or at least realizing many people are much less fortunate than you, and occasionally doing something about it.
In keeping both with mandates of a new direction set by Glenville State College President Peter B. Barr and the Board of Directors, several additional initiatives are being planned both regionally and locally with service and community in mind.
Announcements are expected to be made periodically in the coming weeks regarding new initiatives Glenville State College is implementing in these areas.
EDITORS NOTE: The Martin Luther King program was sponsored by: Glenville State College, the Student Life Office, and the GSC Alumni Office. Other speakers included Kipp Colvin, Debbie Nagy, Gary McLaurin (student), Dr. Elizabeth Oppe, and GSC President Dr. Peter B. Barr. Two of Jack Chapman's sons continue to be active in the Glenville community. Larry Chapman has served as a county commissioner for many years and owns Glenville's Western Auto store. Duane Chapman is vice-president for enrollment management at GSC.
For more information on the trial of the Chicago Seven click here
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed all convictions because of a determination of judicial prejudice in addition to discovering the F.B.I. bugged defense attorneys offices.
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