John Williams aka "Stump" found dead

John Williams (aka Stump) Dies of Heat Attack

John Williams (Stump) was found dead in his home Sunday evening. His neighbors found him after they could not contact him for a while. I just got back from his house. He does not have any relatives in the DC area and they found my name and number and called me because they thought I was related (we are both Williiams). It appears that he had a heart attack or stroke. He had been sick and at home for the last two months. He had not been the same since his Mom passed two years ago. May God rest his soul.



Lenny - LYNDON WILLIAMS [mailto:lenhottub@msn.com]



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That's a real loss...not only did I go to Bowie with him but I also attended high school with him. The last time I saw him was about two years ago when he, Melvin and I went on a fishing trip.



- Harry L Carter  CIV DISA EEOCD (harry.carter@disa.mil)



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I like Harry also attended Mackin High School and Bowie with Stump. He was in the same class year in high school with my brother, Ralph Jackson. This just lets us all know how precious life is and that we must enjoy life and live it to its fullest, but be prepared for the time when we must leave this life. That's why we should all strive to attend homecoming every year, so that we can see each other and take the time to chat with one another. You see as we get older, we don't know when will be our last time to meet, greet and enjoy each other. Every year it seems that we lose one or more of our former high school and or college classmates.



It is certain that we will all miss the joy, humor and friendship that John (Stump) gave to all of us.



-  Andrew S. Jackson (DOC) (Andrews.Jackson@dc.gov)



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Stump was one of the original members of Freak Enterprises, Bowie State's student organization of creative non-conformists that began in 1974. When we did our first real Freak Film Festival on Halloween, October 31, 1974, where all the members of Freak Enterprises dressed up in costumes we got from the theater department, the image of John Williams aka Stump in his costume is burned in my memory. He was dressed as a little rich guy, with big sun glasses, a beret, an ascot, some designer suit and lots of fake money he was throwing around. This was all well and good until we Freaks were asked to entertain the kids at the Old Bowie rec center, at that time, the neglected, impoverished side of the city of Bowie. Stump, as the Rich Guy, was a big hit with the kids, until they started asking him for money. Soon Stump was engulfed in a pile of laughing, overly enthused children, some of which took some of the fake money during all the confusion. A slightly dazed Stump emerged from the kid pile-on with a slight smile and a witty, aptly obscene expletive that shall not be repeated here but was funny as hell!



But Stump's costume aptly reflected the wealth of love and friendship that all of Bowie State, his family and friends all had for him. We will miss you, rich guy!



Butch Berry

Al Brathway Blog Nominated for Black Web Award !!

Bowie Alumnus Allan Dacosta Brathway has been nominated for a Black Web Award in the category of "Most Original Blog" for his year old blog entitled "Miscellaneous Turds."  The very humorous and eccentric blog deals with his life and all of the adventures that go along with it.



To vote for Al Brathway's blog, go to:  http://www.blacktvonline.com/most-original-blog/

His blog address is  http://www.mturds.blogspot.com/ . 



Mr. Brathway is a writer and a basketball coach, who is also a motivational speaker, incorporating a mix of humor and truth that inspires and motivates young people and corporate audiences alike.  For bookings email:  satiric_al@yahoo.com

www.bulldogsnetworking.com

Everyone be sure to check out www.bulldogsnetworking.com It's a free website for BSU alum and plenty of frat are up on it. You can also get the word out to alot of alum about events.
-Rasheed Tahir (rasheedt@hotmail.com)

Bringing Us Back Home

Fellow Alumni,

Yesterday I met with Darren Swain, Assistant VP of Alumni Relations, and simply put, I AM VERY EXCITED. For the first time since I graduated from Bowie I felt like I was at home and not a visitor. I don’t know about you but going back to Bowie was like going back to your parent’s house after you had moved out and the locks were changed and your bedroom had been turned into a den or storage space. This Administration and Darren have made it a MAJOR priority to bring its most valuable resource, the Alumni, back home. They are in the process of creating an alumni lounge where we can congregate when we are on campus. The Goodlowe House, which I will talk about some other time, will house the alumni offices and will be a place that we can call our own. They are implementing “best practices” in alumni relations used throughout other colleges and universities to ensure that our interaction with Bowie is second to none and a pleasant experience.

Darren Swain for those of you who don’t know is a former BSU Student Government Association President and former member of the Maryland State Legislature. He is a very successful fundraiser and organizer of people and knows how to motivate groups and individuals. He is an “Out-Of-The-Box” thinker. I say that to say he understands that his success is our success. He is going to need, AND BELIEVE ME, HE WILL BE ASKING for your financial support. But more important he is going to be asking for your ideas, feedback, BSU email list and Rolodex, energy and how he can HELP you. He wants us to look at Bowie not as a place that helped us to get where we are, but a resource to help us to get to where we are going. A resource that will help us to reach our goals and to grow our businesses. He wants us to look at him, his office, Bowie and other Alumni (those you know and don’t know) as an additional resource in your endeavors. He believes your success is Bowie’s success.

For too long we have had to take a back seat to Morehouse, Spellman, Howard, Hampton and other HBCU’s. We have never gotten the exposure, attention and credit we deserve from the HBCU Community, media and mainstream America. It still burns me up when I see reruns of The Cosby Show with Bill Cosby wearing a Morehouse or Hampton shirt. Why not a Bowie shirt? Why doesn’t he, Oprah or our other Black celebrity philanthropist make that multi-million dollar gift to Bowie State instead of Spellman? Bowie is located in Prince George’s County, the most affluent and educated African-America community in the world. Bowie is located next to the Nation’s Capital and the federal government including some of the leading research agencies such as NASA and NOAA. Bowie is one of the few organizations (academic and non-academic) in the world with a super computer. Bowie is surrounded by some of the leading arts institutions in the world including The Smithsonian. Bowie is located within minutes from the headquarters of many of the world’s largest Non-Profit Organizations. And unlike Howard, Morgan or Coppin State, Bowie is not land locked and has the ability to expand in ways few universities (Black or White) can. In other words Bowie State University has always been positioned to be GREAT!

Keep in mind that it wasn’t that long ago that a professor at Stanford University convinced two young alumni named Hewlett and Packard to stay on the west coast instead of heading back east where all the action was. Those alumni and their Alma Mata transformed what was known as wine country to what we know today as Silicon Valley, home of other companies started by Stanford alumni including Intel, Yahoo and Google. I know Darren Swain and Darren Swain is a “Sky Is the Limit” type of guy. With his leadership, this Administration and our support I strongly believe that Bowie State University can become the Black Stanford U. STAY TUNED OUR TIME HAS COME! Sorry Howard, Hampton, Morehouse, etc.

Ervin Reid,
BSU Class of 1981

PS. On Saturday, August 23rd, the Brothers of Phi Beta Sigma Delta Mu Chapter will be hosting an event for all BSU Alumni. Please save the date and pass this email on. Additional information will follow soon.

AKA Barbie?!

Oldest black sorority to meet and Greek Barbie

July 7, 2008

Recommend (85)

BY CHERYL V. JACKSON cjackson@suntimes.com

The women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority really know how to get dolled up -- and focus on business.

They'll show that this week when they hit Washington, D.C., about 35,000 strong, for their biennial convention and get a look at one of their newest members: Barbie.

» Click to enlarge image

Mattel Inc. created the limited-edition Alpha Kappa Alpha Centennial Barbie, the first Barbie based on any sorority. The doll honors the Chicago-headquartered sorority, the first established by black women.
(Courtesy)

Mattel Inc. created the limited-edition AKA Centennial Barbie, the first Barbie based on any sorority.

The doll, outfitted in a pink and green evening gown, matching jeweled shoes and gold jewelry, honors the Chicago-headquartered sorority, the first established by black women.

The sorority has inducted about 200,000 members -- including actress Phylicia Rashad, educator Marva Collins and author Toni Morrison -- since its founding at Howard University in 1908.

The AKA Barbie has some company. Another business, the Sisterhood Boutique, last year modeled a collectible doll on the sorority. That creation, the $125 Ivy Rose (www.sister hoodboutique.com), made its way into official gift bags for celebrity presenters at the Grammy Awards in February.

The Mattel doll will sell for $50 through the Barbie Collector catalog, the Barbie Collector.com Web site and retailers. The sorority gets a percentage of the sales.

Mattel isn't the only company eager to work with AKA. Among the sorority's other recent corporate deals:

•         •         Converse has designed shoes for Alpha Kappa Alpha and five other black Greek-letter organizations and will sponsor a march at the AKA convention.

•         •         Chase last year gave AKA more than $100,000 to support an African-American home ownership initiative.

•         •         DNA tracing firm African Ancestry Inc. has partnered with the group.

The sorority expects its members to drop more than $100 million in Washington during the weeklong convention, which kicks off Friday.

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Reprint:: Bowie State History feature:"Big Bob Harvey"

Bowie State Alumni Spotlight

The Pride Of Newark And Bowie State
Remembering "Big" Bob Harvey

by Tony McClean, teemack@blackathlete.com
POSTED: May 13, 2008

Email • Print • Discuss • Digg this story! •

Photo courtesy of NLBPA

NEW HAVEN, Ct. -- Like many historically black colleges around the country, the Bowie State University sports program has had its fair share of versatile student athletes.

On November 17, 2001, Charles Alston took his athletic versatility to the extreme as he played defensive end for the Bulldogs in a football game in the afternoon and that night played center in a basketball game.

That unique daily double earned him a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame. The football pants and basketball jersey Alston wore from that day are on exhibit there. Some fifty years earlier, another Bowie State product also excelled on the dual ends of the sports world.

A native of Maryland, Bob Harvey was a slugging outfielder for the Newark Eagles, Houston Eagles, and New Orleans Eagles from 1943 through 1951. Before his baseball days, he was a standout on the gridiron for the Bulldogs.

Born on May 28, 1918, the 6-foot, 220-pound Harvey was a two-time East-West All-Star Classic selection (1948, 1950) and a member of Newark's 1946 Negro National League championship team.

As a youngster, Harvey was a standout in football and baseball. After graduating from St. Michaels High in 1937, Harvey would go on to attend Bowie State.

While at BSU, Harvey's athletic focus would turn to football. Despite playing just two seasons for the Bulldogs, Harvey's gridiron exploits were enough to put him into the school's athletic Hall of Fame.

However, Harvey still had the baseball bug in him. It would take him nearly five years before he'd get the chance to make his mark in the Negro Leagues. He requested a tryout with the Newark Eagles in 1939 after contacting the club's owner, Abe Manley.

Manley didn't sign Harvey right away, but that didn't stop him from honing his craft. While waiting for the call, he toiled for several semipro teams including the Denton Tigers.

Newark manager Dick Lundy finally gave Harvey his shot in 1944. The left handed slugger responded with a modest .309 average. However, it was during the 1946 championship season that Harvey and the Eagles would come into their own.

Playing with future Hall of Famers Larry Doby and Monte Irvin, Harvey hit a career -high .389 and helped Newark break the Homestead Grays' nine-year stranglehold on the Negro National League.

Newark finished 47-16 and dominated the National League to take the pennant. They would go on to meet the heavily favored Kansas City Monarchs (43-14) in the Negro League World Series.

Ironically, it was a base running play by Harvey in Game One that would set the tone for the series. Not known for his speed or base stealing ability, the husky Harvey would use his old football instincts in a pivotal moment.

Harvey broke up a double play with a hard slide on K.C. rookie shortstop Jim Hamilton. The play would sideline the slick fielding Hamilton for the remainder of the series.

The Eagles would outlast the Monarchs and win the series in seven games. That winter, Harvey played on a Negro League All-Star squad that toured the Caribbean. Harvey also played winter ball the next two seasons for Aquadilla of the Puerto Rican League.

In 1948, Harvey hit .363 and made the first of his two East-West Classic appearances for the East. A year later, following the demise of the Negro National League, the Eagles relocated to Houston. In 1950, Harvey hit .367 and made his second East-West Classic.

By 1951, Harvey's baseball career would come to an end while playing for the Elmwood Giants of the Mandak League. Following his playing days Harvey worked for a pharmaceutical manufacturer for over three decades.

Bob Harvey passed away of a blood disorder on June 27, 1992 in Monclair, New Jersey. He'll be remembered as one of the fore bearers of such two sport athletes like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders

NOTE: The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues and The Negro League Baseball Players Association contributed to this story.

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Tony McClean is the editor-in-chief for the Black Athlete Sports Network. You can hear him on BASN Radio every Saturday afternoon on "The Weekend Sports Rap" from 1-3 pm ET. He can be reached via e-mail at teemack@blackathlete.com.