Mark Clegg, author of “The Crimson and Gold: Football and Integration in Athens, Georgia,” discusses his book in the Clarke Central High School E.B. Mell Auditorium on Sept. 16. The event hosted nearly 500 attendees, including athletes, along with staff members interested in the school’s history of integration, and was organized to provide an influential experience to CCHS students. “One day (CCHS students) might be asked about their experiences (at CCHS), so I hope that (the author visit) is something that sticks with students, and that it wasn’t just another day in high school that will be forgotten,” Pendley said. Photo by Maypop Wren
Media Specialists Angie Pendley and Naomi Craver hosted a Mark Clegg Author Visit and panelists discussion in the E.B. Mell Auditorium on Sept. 16 to discuss “The Crimson and Gold: Football and Integration in Athens, Georgia” and CCHS’s history of desegregation in athletics.
Students and staff gathered in the Clarke Central High School E.B. Mell Auditorium at 10:00 a.m. to attend an author for writer featuring Mark Clegg, author of “The Crimson and Gold: Football and Integration in Athens, Georgia,” alongside a discussion with CCHS alumni panelists, who shared their perspectives on the integration of Athens High School and Burney-Harris High School.
The panel discussion was a follow-up to the book club organized by CCHS Media Specialist Angie Pendley and Damien Gary, physical education department teacher and varsity football offensive coordinator, which was centered around Clegg’s novel. Participating students read the book over the summer.
“Coach Gary and I really liked (“The Crimson and Gold: Football and Integration in Athens, Georgia”), and originally thought we would do a book club with the football team, and then (the student-athlete book club) was a snowball from there,” Pendley said.. It was this little seed that grew and grew and grew, and I kept dreaming bigger and bigger and bigger.”
Clarke Central High School student book club members Ma’Ryjah Bess, a junior (left), and Mary Wicker, a senior (right), moderate a panel discussion held in the E. B. Mell Auditorium at 10:00 a.m on Sept. 16 during author visit. The discussion featured Mark Clegg, author of “The Crimson and Gold: Football and Integration in Athens, Georgia,” and five CCHS alumni who lived through integration. “(The panelists discussed) Burney-Harris (High School), which was an all-black school, Athens High (School), which is an all-white school, coming together. Each (panelist explained) their experience and their story.” Wicker said. Photo by Maypop Wren
The event began with Pendley welcoming and introducing Clegg, along with the five CCHS alumni: Clarence Pope, Doc Eldridge, Michael Thurmond, Mac Coile and Robert Hawkins. Pendley and the panelists explained the influence of the past and how that contributes to the current CCHS community.
“It’s important for (CCHS students) to recognize (the hardships of integration and the Civil Rights Movement), but also for us to see how far we’ve come and what we’ve gained in the richness of what we have at Clarke Central,” Pendley said.
Following the introduction and opening remarks, student book club members and moderators Mary Wicker and Ma’ryjah Bess began the question-and-answer portion of the event, inquiring about both their experiences being interviewed for Clegg’s book and living through integration.
Author Mark Clegg and Clarke Central High School alumni Clarence Pope, Doc Eldridge, Michael Thurmond, Mac Coile and Robert Hawkins discuss integration through Clarke Central High School’s history at the [Event] held in the E.B. Mell Auditorium on Sept. 16 at 10:00 a.m. Hawkins began his high school education at Burney-Harris High School and graduated from CCHS and noted the differences between the two schools. “(Hawkins) talked about always using the older textbooks (at BHHS) versus being able to have access to new textbooks when he became a student at Athens High (School). It’s important for everyone to understand the history of (integration) and how things were done, so that they can show appreciation for the opportunities and the diversity that we have now,” Career, Technical and Agricultural Education department chair Jaclyn Brown said. Photo by Maypop Wren
“What stood out to me (about The Crimson and Gold event) was how (the panelists) mentioned how the integration (of Athens High School and Burney-Harris High School) really affected the students, specifically students of Burney-Harris High School,” Bess said. “(The students of Burney-Harris High School) were such a tight-knit community. Some teachers were people’s aunts and uncles, so it really gave a new perspective of how going to Athens High broke them up.”
The panelists reflected on their lives and the impact they’ve created in CCHS and societal changes in the decades that followed. In visiting CCHS to tell their story and struggles, Clegg and the alumni hoped their story would create a significant outcome in the younger generations, especially those who plan to make a change themselves.
“I hope (CCHS student-athletes) realize the courage that was put into coming together (during integration) and the initial understanding of both (Athens High School and Burney-Harris High School students) that they were willing to continue to go forward and get to know each other. That should be a continual effort even now. If there are things in your mindset that someone told you about another race or culture, then just take the opportunity to say, ‘I want to know for myself, not by what somebody says,’” Pope said.
