![]() ![]() But Samuel Meredith lost much of his business as a result of the controversial marriage and took his life in 1915. The two traveled to Washington, DC, in racially segregated railroad cars to tie the knot. Because her father was white and her mother black, Amaza’s parents could not be legally married in Virginia. “One of the Nation’s First Documented African-AmericanĪmaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg Virginia on August 14, 1895. He was discharged as a first lieutenant after serving a year in Vietnam, where he was decorated with the Bronze Star. Following his graduation in 1969, Bumbry fulfilled his military obligation of two years. The decision to play baseball led Bumbry to a lifelong dedication to America’s pastime. ![]() 578, and was the team’s Most Outstanding Player. When VSU restarted the baseball program during his final academic year, Bumbry decided to play baseball. After accepting a basketball scholarship to VSU, he played four years and was captain during his senior year. He first distinguished himself on the basketball court, averaging 32 points per game at Ralph Bunche High School (King George County). Interestingly, Al was a late bloomer in baseball. In 1987, the “Bee” landed permanently among Orioles legends with his induction into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame. He was an All-Star and he made two World Series trips with the Orioles in 19, winning it in ’83. In 1973 he won the American League Rookie of the Year Award. His speed made him one of the Orioles' all-time stolen base leaders. Known affectionately as the “Bumblebee” by Baltimore Orioles Fans, Alonza “Al” Bumbry, VSU Class of '69, played 13 of his 14 Major League seasons as a star outfielder with the Baltimore Orioles. In 1977, she became the first African-American professor of voice at Indiana University. In 1972, she was honored by the Governor, as one of 35 Virginians who demonstrated outstanding national achievement in the arts and humanities. In 1970, she retired from opera and began teaching voice at Bronx College, Brooklyn College, and Queens College, all in New York City. when he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. In 1963, she performed in Danville, Virginia, her hometown, to raise funds to free jailed civil rights demonstrators and sang at the March on Washington that same year. In 1954, she became the first African American artist to sing a major role with the Vienna State Opera. She received critical acclaim for her debut in May 1946 for singing the title role in Giacomo Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” and sang the role of Bess in the first full-length recording of George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess,” made by Columbia Records in 1951. Billy Taylor is also the recipient of two Peabody Awards, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a host of prestigious and highly coveted prizes, such as the National Medal of Arts, the Tiffany Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from Downbeat Magazine, and, election to the Hall of Fame for the International Association for Jazz Education.Ĭamilla Williams, VSU Class of 1941, was the first African American to receive a contract from a major American opera company, making her the first African-American opera singer. With over twenty-three honorary doctoral degrees, Dr. He is one of only three jazz musicians appointed to the National Council of the Arts, and also serves as the Artistic Advisor for Jazz to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he has developed one acclaimed concert series after another including the Louis Armstrong Legacy series, and the annual Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival. In the early 1980s, Taylor became the arts correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning. He has also hosted and programmed such radio stations as, WLIB and WNEW in New York, and award-winning series for National Public Radio. He has also composed over three hundred and fifty songs, including "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free," as well as works for theatre, dance, and symphony orchestras. Taylor's recording career spans nearly six decades. As the distinguished ambassador of the jazz community to the world-at-large, Dr. Billy Taylor, VSU Class of 1942, is one of jazz's most influential African-American pianists, composers, and educators. ![]()
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