by S. Hale and E. Gill
The Lucy Addison Bulldog spirit was alive and thriving as alumni of the historic high school gathered for a two-day celebration in honor of one of Roanoke’s grand matriarchs of education, Miss Lucy Addison.
The celebration began Thursday March 19, with the groundbreaking ceremony for the much anticipated memorial wall to be erected at what is now Lucy Addison Middle School. The crowd gathered at the school on the corner of Fifth Street and Orange Ave. included: Roanoke City School Superintendent, Dr. Rita Bishop, Councilwoman Anita Price, several current and former educators and students.
Louise Bond-Cheatham and her sister Lois Bond-Booker were the visionaries of the project. Roanoke School Board member Mae Huff, president of LAHS Monument Wall Inc. introduced former LAHS principal, Charles Day and former teacher Delois Broady who were instructed to lead the way and with shovels in hand, ground was broken.
The completion of the Wall and the subsequent unveiling is set for this September. There will be close to a thousand alumni, faculty and staff names that will be added to the wall. The Wall will be a timeless reminder of the legacy and continuation of the great work Miss Lucy Addison began in 1928.
The second phase of the double celebration involved a jazz concert held in the school’s auditorium with Addisonian Joseph Hancock as MC. Elmer Coles, an Addisonian and local musician, opened the show performing solo the schools alma mater as the audience sang along.
William Fleming Jazz Ensemble, David Stanley, dir. and the Patrick Henry Jazz Combo, Alex Schmitt, dir., performed several tunes popular during the swing era of the 40’s. WC Handy’s “Aunt Hagar’s Blues” and “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” a tune written by pianist Joe Zawinul, were played by the Fleming Ensemble. The PH Combo performed Jelly Roll by Charles Mingus and two impressive numbers by John Coltrane, “Impressions” and “Mr. PC” which closed their set. The incorporation of students contributed to the old school vs new school approach and added dimension to the night’s line-up.
The Holiday Band (aka the Randolph Brothers with Jimmy Dickerson on bass) delivered a dose of crowd-pleasing R&B standards as Grover Washington’s “Winelight,” “Mr. Magic” and George Benson’s “On Broadway” among others.
Vocalists Bernadette Jones and Denise Lewis took stage backed by the BLTD Band and things got jazzy real quick as they broke into a swinging version of “All That Jazz.” They traded licks on Bill Withers Grandma’s Hands led by Bernadette Jones’ full-throated vocal style that was smooth and natural
Things came full circle as Jones performed a magnificent version of the Addison Alma Mater like she was singing the National Anthem.
Denise Lewis showed her chops with a sultry version of Norah Jones’ “Turn Me On.” She also performed Angie Stone’s “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” and was joined by male vocalist Terry Brown who provided light harmony. Brown performed a soulful version of the classic “Summertime” and ended the set with a rip roaring version of “Stormy Monday.”
As an encore, Bernadette Jones returned to the stage performing an updated rendition of Billie Holiday’s classic “God Bless The Child.” Asked to do one more tune, she slipped into Jill Scott’s “He Loves Me” backed only by drums and light piano–closing this two-day celebration that served as a fitting tribute to the Legacy of Miss Lucy Addison.
