The Legacy of Dr. James A. Harrison

Dr. James A. Harrison served as principal of Covington Rosenwald School for many years,  first appointed in 1924 and continuing until 1957. In his 33 years, he touched the lives of many children and teachers, encouraging many Rosenwald school graduates to go on to college and become educators themselves who returned to the community to teach. 

People who knew Dr. Harrison said he was strict, but caring, and he saw the potential in every student. He would talk a lot about life lessons, not just reading, writing and arithmetic. Click on the images to make them larger.

In 2013,  more than 100 Covington area residents attended a special ceremony to rededicate the James A. Harrison Curriculum Center, the newly-renovated structure which once housed historic Covington Rosenwald School. Former students and teachers at the school in the dedication ceremony's audience were in the audience. 

Former Rosenwald students and teachers

Those who now work at Harrison Curriculum Center appreciate its community legacy and its important history as the former Covington Rosenwald School. Former students sometimes visit the Harrison Curriculum Center and recognize their old classrooms from back when they were students at the school. 

Today the building is used for a wide variety of special education services, professional development, and for community meetings and sports activities. 

 

 

 

Before renovation

 

After renovation

The Covington Rosenwald School, now the Harrison Curriculum Center

 

 

Channel 13 Educational TV Video About Dr. James Harrison.
Click on the image above to begin video.

St. Pauls College Football Team

Here's an early photograph of a St. Paul's College (Covington, LA) football team. Click on the image to make it larger.

Covington Heritage Foundation Holds Membership Gala

Well over 100 people turned out for the 2017 membership gala held by the Covington Heritage Foundation at the Southern Hotel Tuesday night, December 5. Click on the images to see a larger version.

CHF President Mark Johnson greeted those in attendance.

His talk presented the history of the Talley family in the Covington area, 

with several family members present in the audience.

A special award was given by Alice Couvillon

to Sharon Nunez, at left, naming her president emeritus. 

Another special award went to the late Lee Alexius, which was presented to his wife Cathy. Alexius served as treasurer for the group and was instrumental in helping build the Covington Trailhead complex.

 

Mayor Mike Cooper welcomed the audience.

 

Mark Johnson, Carolyn Talley Pearce, Ted Talley, and Elizabeth Pfeffer Williams

 

The Covington Heritage Foundation (CHF) was created in November of 2013 as an offshoot of activities associated with the Covington Bicentennial. The committee overseeing that celebration continued its mission of "Covington's Culture, Character and Community," carrying on the momentum of that event through the CHF.  Mayor Mike Cooper stated in 2013 his tremendous support and enthusiasm for the CHF. 

"Since 1982, the City of Covington's Division of St. John has been recognized as an historic district by the U.S. Dept. of Interior's Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service through its National Register of Historic Places," Mayor Cooper said.  "Recently celebrating Covington's 200th birthday, members of the city's Bicentennial Committee charged with the responsibility to commemorate Covington's historical distinctiveness for the community and acknowledging an all encompassing city-wide history felt compelled to continue their impetus of conserving and archiving that history indefinitely."

 

Music was provided by the Covington High Talented Music students.

 

See also:

https://tammanyfamily.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-talley-family-story-told-at-chf.html

http://tammanyfamily.blogspot.com/2017/10/home-tour-in-covington.html

 http://tammanyfamily.blogspot.com/2017/03/history-of-st-joseph-abbey-presented.html

http://tammanyfamily.blogspot.com/2017/06/native-american-history.html

http://tammanyfamily.blogspot.com/2017/10/cemetery-tour-held.html

http://tammanyfamily.blogspot.com/2016/11/heritage-group-hears-of-saints-spirits.html

http://tammanyfamily.blogspot.com/2017/05/crawfish-boil-held-at-covington.html

http://tammanyfamily.blogspot.com/2017/04/antiques-and-uniques-festival.html

http://tammanyfamily.blogspot.com/2016/12/heritage-foundation-holds-gala.html

Dulcimer Players

If you think you have to go to North Carolina or Arkansas to hear some good dulcimer playing, then you might want to check out the many St. Tammany Parish dulcimer artists, enthusiasts and hobbyists. There are dulcimer clubs and even a few dulcimer music cds have been produced by local practitioners of the old musical instrument. 

Locals who have gone on to considerable fame in dulcimer circles include Denise Guillory and Paul Andry. 

Denise Guillory has been performing the Hammered Dulcimer for over 20 years and after recording many CD's with the Band, Les Amis, a dulcimer group, has recorded a solo CD with violin and guitar. Denise is a singer songwriter and has written the title song of this CD, Rhapsody of Leaves. Denise teaches and performs Hammer and Mountain Dulcimer at music/dulcimer festivals around the the US. The "Rhapsody of Leaves" CD reflects her favorite tunes that she performs with a mix of Irish, Classical and Traditional.

Photo from Paul Andry's Facebook Page

Paul's introduction to the dulcimer was on vacation in Mountain View, AR. He later won and placed in several dulcimer contests there, culminating in the 1994 Texas State Championship. He founded the Bayou Dulcimer Club and is credited as the creator of the Mardi Gras Dulcimer Festival in Covington, LA. An author of three dulcimer books and a CD entitled “Dixieland Dulcimer Favorites,” Paul teaches and performs at festivals throughout the South.

Paul  has done much for the dulcimer's presence in his home state. His lyrical touch on the dulcimer enables him to interpret a diversity of styles of music: Mardi Gras, ragtime, classical, Celtic, pop and traditional American folk music. 

Click above to hear the Bayou Dulcimers Club play "In Love Again with Covington"

Covington High Holds Centennial Celebration

With dozens of special guests and more than a thousand students looking on, Covington High School officially kicked off its Centennial Celebration in August of 2012 with a balloon release and the ringing of the bell from the original school building.  The event was held in Jack Salter stadium, with former Coach Jack Salter one of the many dignitaries in attendance.

Principal Deborah McCollum and Student Council President Jillian Carlos emceed the event, with the Marching Lions Band providing the music. The dance team and cheerleaders also took part, particularly in the construction and placement of a quarter-mile long paper chain, each link signed by a student at the school and decorated with positive statements. The chain symbolized the school’s unity and pledge to treat each other fairly.

Special guest Evelyn Talley, who graduated with the Class of 1940, told the students to take advantage of all their opportunities, do their best and appreciate the rich legacy of Covington High. “I loved school, and the band was an important part of my life,” she said. “I still have my trumpet.”

Her husband, the late Theodore “Red” Talley, was a School Board member for many years and took part in the planning of the current high school building.

Clara Marion of the Class of 1962 presented a Covington High School Lion print signed by the artist John Akers to Principal McCollum, and Mayor Mike Cooper’s Administrative Assistant Pam Keller delivered a special proclamation that named August 10th as  Covington High School Centennial Year Kick-off Day.

At the beginning of the event the school’s original bell was rung ten times by officers of the Senior Class, each sounding representing one decade for the school. At the end of the ceremonies, one hundred balloons were released while the band played and the audience cheered.

A commemorative Bell Tower was built, and the bell, rescued from the 1974 fire that destroyed the original Jefferson Avenue building, was placed in the new Centennial Bell Tower located on the front corner of the school’s campus on U.S. 190.

 In October of 2013, alumni from the school's past 100 years attended the Bell Tower dedication ceremonies, including Evelyn Talley of the Class of 1940, who helped "ring the bell" at the close of the program. She is shown below displaying her class ring. 

 

Evelyn Talley shows her 1940 Class Ring.

Ringing the Covington High bell

 

Evelyn Talley and Carolyn Talley Pearce

See also:

The History of Covington High School

The Covington Food Bank

The history of the Covington Food Bank is one of people coming together to help people. Its name is now Northshore Food Bank and here is a link to the  Northshore Food Bank website. 

"The Northshore Food Bank was originally founded as the Food Bank Inc. of St. Tammany on May 21, 1984, and was located at 342 Columbia Street. The idea for a food bank was planted at a meeting of the Ministerial Alliance of Covington by Deacon Skip Grafanini of St. Peter Catholic Church who later went on to become the director of the food bank in January of 1985. 

Deacon Skip

Nine churches in the ecumenical group took the lead and provided the food in the early weeks of operation. The nine churches involved in establishing the Food Bank were Christ Episcopal Church, Covington Presbyterian, Dove Park Church of God, First Baptist of Covington, First United Methodist Greater Starlight Baptist, Holy Trinity Lutheran, St. Peter Catholic Church and Shepherd’s Fold Church of God. 

As the Food Bank grew so did the number of churches involved in the endeavor increasing to 20 and then to 37. The churches took on full responsibility of providing all the food for the Food Bank without receiving any federal, state or municipal funding. Deacon Skip and the Food Bank ran on the philosophy “Whatever we give is, in reality, theirs, which God in His goodness gives to all. We are merely, in justice, sharing the abundance which we have taken for ourselves.” 

The churches served 40 families per week in the first year of operation and by their first anniversary had 30 trained volunteers.

 In keeping with the philosophy of Deacon Skip, the Food Bank relies heavily on community donations with approximately 30% given by Second Harvest, a Feeding America Agency. Currently, the Food Bank serves close to 375 families a week and benefits from the generosity of more than 100 regular volunteers, some of which volunteer on a weekly basis."

The first article announcing its operation
Click on the images to make them larger. 

See also: Food Bank Groundbreaking

Master Gardeners at Covington Farmers' Market

The Louisiana Master Gardeners were out in force at today's Farmers' Market in Covington. They talked to interested gardeners, handed out printed information, and just enjoyed chatting with folks. 

The First School Teacher and Her Great Granddaughter

A dress worn by a woman thought to be the first school teacher in St. Tammany Parish was donated in 2010 to the School System’s archives by her great granddaughter. The long black dress was handmade and worn by Charlotte Lovering Morgan, the great grandmother of Charlotte Morgan Weed, 80, of Shreveport. 

According to Ms. Weed, her great grandmother is remembered as the individual who started and taught in the first school in St. Tammany Parish, which was located in the Mandeville area around 1890. According to newspaper records, Ms. Lovering died on March 23, 1915, and was buried in the Morgan family tomb in Mandeville. 

She was the mother of the Honorable Lewis L. Morgan and the stepmother of James Band and Miss Evelyn Smith.
 
The dress features elaborate stitch work and ornamentation, with numerous hidden pockets. She believes the dress was worn on special occasions. “I’m sure she did not wear clothes like that daily,” she said.  The 120-year-old dress was placed on a manikin and a sealed acrylic plastic box was lowered in place to protect it.

 Ms. Weed said she grew up in Covington across from the Covington Grammar School building which is now the C. J. Schoen Administrative Complex. She was a good friend of C. J. Schoen with whom she went to school. Having come from a family with a long line of teachers, Ms. Weed became interested in becoming an educator at an early age. 

She was valedictorian of the Covington High graduating class in 1947 and went to college at LSU. Upon graduation, she taught a third grade class in 1952 at Covington Grammar School. “I loved being a teacher and have many happy memories of that time,” she said. Later in life she sold real estate and had a decorating business.

The dress was delivered to the School System by Ms. Weed’s daughter, Dorothy Kristin Hanna, and her husband Bruce Allen, who set up the dress using established historic preservation techniques. Mr. Allen is a professor of art and chairman of the Department of Art and Visual Culture at Centenary College in Shreveport, and as a result of his expertise the dress had been carefully preserved in museum-quality storage boxes.

Source: St.Tammany Parish School Board