“He carried a wooden cane, and when I was a freshman, we would stop and give him a little money. \u00a0We always thought he was funny how he loved nickels over dimes. \u00a0We later figured out his trick. \u00a0We would give him extra money if he would sing for us. \u00a0He would tap his cane on the concrete and he had great rhythm. \u00a0His song was called the “Bee Bop to Ree Bop,” \u00a0or at least that is how I remember it. \u00a0It was a great little rap song. \u00a0We loved his spirit. \u00a0He is a legend on the campus. \u00a0We never saw him cary the axe, but he did carry a lot of cardboard to burn in his small cabin.”<\/p>\n
-Dee Vick remembers Francis Randolph<\/a><\/p>\n —<\/p>\n “I first arrived at Hampden-Sydney College in Aug. of 1996. Francis lived down Via Sacra below where we lived. About the third day I was here, I was pulling out of my drive way and saw an elderly black man walking up Via Sacra carrying an ax handle. He had a well-worn face and an old hat pulled down sideways on his head.\u00a0 As I was about to turn up Via Sacra, he raised his head, gave me a curious look, and then pointed his ax handle at me. Not knowing what to do, I nodded, smiled and kept going.<\/p>\n When I got to my office, I recounted my encounter much to the laughter of everyone and was quickly informed that the elderly gentleman I had seen was Francis the Ax Man. I also learned that when Francis pointed his ax handle at you that meant \u201cstop and give me a ride.” I was told that was Francis\u2019s way of hitch hiking.<\/p>\n From that time forward, I stopped. The first time I introduced myself, and he acknowledged with a nob of his head. Francis didn\u2019t talk much and you would have to ask which way to go and he would point. I think all in all I may have given Francis four or five rides-none of which were talkative.”<\/p>\n -Beeler Brush remembers Francis Randolph<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n I grew up at HSC. My brother-in-law attended there from 1968-72 and tells this story: Tradition had it that you were NOT officially late to class until the bell stopped ringing. I believe he referred to the bellman at the time as \u201cSam.\u201d… In any event, with many classes in Bagby and Morton at the time, boys running late to class would run past the bell tower and yell, \u201cKeep ringing, Sam! Keep ringing!\u201d. Reportedly, Sam would smile and keep ringing.<\/p>\n -Charlie Watson remembers Sam Hines<\/a><\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! This is such a beautifully written \u201ctribute\u201d. I am Dorothy (Anderson) Brown\u2019s youngest daughter Sonya. My mom married Hodges Brown, one of the plaintiffs named in Brown v Board of Ed (75 percent of the case came from Moton High School in Farmville). I feel so fortunate that my maternal and paternal ancestry emphasized education although such an interruption took place. As a result, all of Dorothy and Hodges\u2019 children hold graduate degrees and all of our adult children have graduated with at least an undergraduate degree. Thank you again for adding to our legacy.\u00a0Warmly, Rev. Sonya Brown<\/p>\n -Sonya Brown explains her connection to the Lambert family<\/a><\/p>\n —<\/p>\n “I think the bell ringer at the time was named Herman.\u00a0 The story I heard was that he was a descendant of a slave who had been owned by the college and that his ancestor has also been the bell ringer.\u00a0 To the students it was a not-unimportant position on campus.\u00a0 As you said, the understanding was that you were not late to class so long as you got there by the time the bell stopped ringing.\u00a0 So it was a good thing to be on Herman\u2019s good side.\u00a0 It seemed like if someone who Herman did not like was running to class, the bell would ring three or four times and that would be it.\u00a0 But if Herman like the tardy student, the bell might ring 15 or even 20 times to give him a chance to make it to the classroom.<\/p>\n Another well-known Black member of the community was Reggie.\u00a0 Reggie was a custodian in Cushing hall, worked in the college shop, and tended bar at fraternity parties.\u00a0 Everyone knew Reggie.<\/p>\n When I was a freshman the food in the Commons, then in Venable Hall, was considered none too good.\u00a0 There was actually a food riot one night.\u00a0 A year or so later the college gave the food service contract to a firm called ARA-Slater.\u00a0 The food definitely improved.\u00a0 They hired local staff, virtually all Black, for most of the positions, but the head chef they brought in from the outside.\u00a0 For the last two years I was at HSC the head chef, who we just called \u201cChef\u201d, was a small, friendly Black man with a gold tooth.\u00a0 He seemed to know almost all the students.\u00a0 Because HSC did not operate during the summer, ARA-Slater would assign \u201cChef\u201d to another operation during the summer, often a camp of some sort.\u00a0 During the summer between my junior and senior years I worked as a senior counselor at a Boy Scout camp in Maryland.\u00a0 As it turns out, that was the camp that \u201cChef\u201d was assigned to as head cook that summer.\u00a0 He recognized me almost immediately, just as I recognized him, and it was like I was a long lost relative.\u00a0 He told everyone around that I was \u201cone of his boys.\u201d\u00a0 He was a good guy and I never went hungry that summer.<\/p>\n Now I get to the main reason for the message.\u00a0 Cushing Hall was built in 1824, many years before the Civil War, and since most of the students at HSC were from the south, at least some of the better off students brought a slave to college with them.\u00a0 These slaves obviously did things for their student owners like washing clothes, chopping firewood (there were fireplaces in every room of Cushing Hall back then), taking care of horses, etc.\u00a0 But where did the slaves live?\u00a0 I lived in Cushing Hall for three years and knew how to get into the attic.\u00a0 In the attic there was something I could not figure out.\u00a0 The attic had a wooden floor, and in the middle of the floor there was a raised wooden platform, about 18 inches high, and 20 by 30 feet or so on the sides (at least those are the dimensions I recall).\u00a0 It had a sort of lip a couple of inches high all around it, as if to keep something from sliding off.\u00a0 Once I asked someone on the staff what it was for and was told that prior to the civil was the platform was covered with several inches of straw and that it was where the slaves who belonged to the students slept.\u00a0 Frankly that really hit home with me.\u00a0 It was sobering connection to the College\u2019s past.”<\/p>\n -John Claudy ’65 recalls the African American community on campus<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n “Among the many fine friends made while attending HSC between 1975 and 1979 were Mr. Reggie Smith and Mr. Preston Branch.\u00a0 Mr. Smith was for many years associated with the Kappa Sig fraternity, helping to keep the house (and the members) in line.\u00a0 He then became the curator of the science lab equipment in what was then described as the ‘Science Palace.’ \u00a0Mr. Branch succeeded Mr. Smith as the custodian of the Kappa Sig house in about 1968 (which I believe was the year that the \u201cnew\u201d science building came online).<\/p>\n The night before graduation in May 1979, the graduating seniors of Kappa Sig invited Reggie and Preston to come to the house to share their memories of their many years of service to both the fraternity and the school.\u00a0 No one had dates or families around for this event, just some bourbon to sip and ears to listen to the wit and wisdom of these fine gentlemen.\u00a0 Both were much beloved by all of the generations of Kappa Sigs who knew them.\u00a0 Their stories about fun and funny times at HSC still bring a smile to my face.<\/p>\n It may interest you to know that both gentlemen were made honorary members of the Kappa Sig fraternity as a recognition for the esteem in which they were held.\u00a0 Further,\u00a0 when Preston turned 80, one of my fraternity brothers bought him an engraved gold watch as a thank you for helping him graduate from HSC.\u00a0 You see, it was Preston who made sure my classmate got up in time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to attend French class.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n –Greg Feldman ’79 remembers Reggie Smith and Preston Branch<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “He carried a wooden cane, and when I was a freshman, we would stop and give him a little money. \u00a0We always thought he was funny how he loved nickels … Continue Reading 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