​​Smith County, Texas Plans New County Courthouse at Site of Historic Tyler Barber College Chain, Now Defunct

The late Henry Miller Morgan, founer of Tyler Barber College

Editorial Note: Regina L. Burns is researching the Tyler Barber College Chain as part of her dissertation at the University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, where she is a Ph.D. student in the History Department. Tyler Barber College Chain is the nation’s first African American barber school, founded by the late Henry Miller Morgan (also known as H. M. Morgan) during Jim Crow segregation, in 1933 in Tyler, Texas. 
​
Undoubtedly, Morgan’s decision to launch his own school was heavily influenced by Texas’ 1929 barber licensing law, which required barbers to obtain the necessary training to get a license, but segregation blocked African Americans from such training. When Morgan launched Tyler Barber College, not only was it a novel enterprise, but it proved his business and educational acumen and dedication to advancing the uplift of the Black community. 

Burns, an award-winning multimedia journalist who has worked for The Associated Press in Mississippi and Texas, as well as media outlets in Memphis, Tennessee, Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Dallas, Texas, first discovered Tyler Barber College during a freelance gig with Texas Highways magazine in the summer of 2020. Burns credits former TH editor, Matt Joyce, with pointing her in Edmund Morrow’s (Jamie Foxx's former barber)  direction. Morrow and his late father, Robert E. Morrow, both graduated from Tyler Barber College’s Dallas location.

At the behest of the late Dr. Charlie Marler, Burns’ former Abilene Christian University media law professor, and longtime mentor, she sought guidance from several historians and professors, and subsequently, enrolled in graduate history courses in fall 2021 at the University of Texxas at Arlington (UTA). Two scholarships from UTA professor emeritus, Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney, made those courses possible. Dulaney, now the national president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), championed her decision to study at the doctoral degree level at the University of North Texas (UNT).

​On behalf of the UNT Oral History Collection, led by Dr. Todd Moye, Burns has conducted several unpublished oral history interviews of graduates/leaders connected to Morgan and the barber college. These interviews will be included in the dissertation.

Due to years of hard work by a group of dedicated volunteers at the Texas Association of Tonsorial Artists, (TAOTA) the professional barbers' organization Morgan founded in the 1950s,  and the Smith County Historical Society, the Texas Historical Commission honored Morgan’s legacy with a state historical marker in 2004. The TAOTA held a jubilant marker dedication ceremony in 2005 (document provided by James Smith, former TAOTA executive president) in Tyler in front of the building that formerly housed the school, which closed in the 1970s.

Also in 2005, the 79th Texas Legislature honored Morgan’s historical marker in both the Senate and the House. These rare and hard-won public accolades, together with the pioneering work of the school's administrators, instructors, and graduates, are undeniable evidence of Morgan’s power and brilliance, and the college’s educational, economic, and cultural impacts to Texas and the nation.​
​
The news article is below.

The historic building that formerlty housed Tyler Barber College, 212 E. Erwin St. in Tyler, Texas, will be demollished to make way for construction of a new Smith County Courthouse. Photo taken on July 24, 2023. Copyright Emily Buziewicz.

Via Boston Public Library's Flickr page; photo found by UNT History Department Chair Dr. Jennifer Jensen Wallach

Learn more:
Texas Highways' Profile of Edmund Morrow, Jamie's Foxx's Former Barber
EXCLUSIVE: 53 years after attending Dr. King's funeral at the behest of Ann Arbor, Michigan officials, meet the Black man who was president ... (Online Audio Documentary)
Reporter's Notebook: Covering the Alamo’s Historic Reveal for Texas Highways Magazine
Copyright (2023) Regina L. Burns
​

​

​I wanted to eat the whole 890-calorie butter cake slice from the Athens, Texas, Cotton Patch Cafe, but I didn't. My hard-won weight loss during the lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic and the weekly maintenance goal (and strength training challenges) to keep off those 40 pounds stopped me. Thank you, Weight Watchers!

Screengrab of Cotton Patch Cafe's Butter Cake ​I enjoyed the divinely delicious part I ate, tracked it in the WW app, and boxed up the rest to go in the freezer in Dallas, Texas.

It was January 2023 and I was on assignment for Texas Highways magazine in Athens, an East Texas town well-known for its food and exciting aquatic experiences. Just like its namesake, Athens, Greece, people flock here to have new adventures. I sensed my profile on the town, through Athens City Councilmember SyTanna Freeman’s eyes, would be memorable. For example, when we went to the $18 million Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, I was thrilled to include this treasure in my story. We made other stops as Freeman narrated insights about her childhood and early life.  

​Read my ​Texas Highways' Athens profile here
Story photo by Tiffany Hofeldt
Slideshow photos of me by Emily Buziewicz

 Since 1998, the town has elected three African Americans, Carl Westbrook, Elaine Jenkins, and Freeman, to the Athens City Council, according to city spokesman Michael Hannigan. Freeman is the only African American city councilmember among five currently serving Athens.  She cherishes that role and recently celebrated 20 years with the Athens Independent School District. Furthermore, she works part-time after school taking the tickets at the Hornets’ games. 

Later that crisp Friday evening at Athens High School, I witnessed the charm Freeman brings to ticket taking as she doled out change and chatted with students, parents, and other basketball fans. The magic of community connections revealed itself in smiles, “Good evenings,” and several versions of “Sorry, you can’t bring that bag in here.” The people who received those last comments generally responded with “Sorry, I didn’t see the sign. I’ll take it back to the car.” Freeman’s daughter, Tabitha Page, and her young children, stopped by and another part of the Athens story fell into place.
​
The next day, I met Rev. Earnest Freeman,  SyTanna's husband. He is a manager in retail and also the pastor at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. The church, which was founded in 1896, is located 10 miles west of Athens in the Sand Flat community. SyTanna Freeman said some descendants of the original founders are among the church's membership. In March 2023, the Freemans celebrated “11 years of faithful service” at the church.

SyTanna Freeman is also the First Lady at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, where her husband, Rev. Earnest Freeman, is the pastor. The couple has served the church 11 years as of March 2023.

Heading back to Dallas, I realized Athens has a powerful connection to its namesake. Fishing enthusiasts support its remarkable Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center as well as Lake Athens. The high school’s Hornets’ athletic events are popular with the hometown crowd, and SyTanna Freeman and her family are leaders contributing to Athens’ success. I  witnessed the  distinctive bonds and special moments of small-town life. My own enjoyment of an unbelievable culinary treat topped off the assignment. My trip to Athens  was a memorable adventure.

Celebrating my four "My Hometown" profiles in Texas Highways magazine, February 2023, at Barnes & Noble, Plano, TX.

This Women’s History Month 2023, I am saluting Texas Highways magazine for its ongoing commitment to creating editorial opportunities for Black women journalists, such as me. Thank you, Matt Joyce, my former editor, for opening this wonderful opportunity to me! Joyce was a patient editor and he helped me learn the nuances of reporting in the “as-told-to” format. When I needed journalism work, Texas Highways contracted me to report substantial assignments, including fact-checking gigs and web stories.  Moreover, I landed and  contributed to a range of projects, including traveling to Terrell, Palestine, Abilene, and Kaufman for “My Hometown” profiles. 

Last fall, I trekked to Kaufman to interview Hector Torres for Texas Highways' February 2023 issue. I discovered that Kaufman was a friendly place, and Torres’ rich life story was bonded with loving-familial connections, self-empowerment, business leadership, and civic power. 

 I am using my journalism experience to build a new foundation and to earn a doctoral degree in history at the University of North Texas. My goal is to become a professor in African American history in Texas. Furthermore, Joyce championed my graduate history studies by writing recommendation letters. I started my graduate studies in 2021 at UT Arlington thanks to scholarships from Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney. I am pursuing this degree because of the encouragement from my late mentor and former Abilene Christian University media law professor, Dr. Charlie Marler.

​All of my Texas Highways journalism gigs enabled me to expand my storytelling skills in the Texas travel and magazine markets. Each of these "My Hometown" profiles also taught me new ways to do research. Subsequently, I have contributed to the magazine’s diversity of subjects, towns, and content. Stay tuned for more of my Texas Highways' gigs!

View my other Texas Highways' work here

Quick Facts
Name: New Mount Zion Baptist Church
Address: 9550 Shepherd Road, Dallas, Texas 75243
Phone number: 214.341.6459
Website: www.nmzb.org/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nmzbc1598/streams
Pastor: Dr. Tommy L. Brown, installed on Nov. 9, 2014; President of the Baptist Ministers Union of Dallas and Vicinity 
First Lady: Ruth "Nell" Brown; 2nd Vice President of the National Missionary Baptist Convention of America Minister Wives and Widows Auxiliary  
Year Founded: January 1946
Unique Service: GriefShare Affiliate

View Regina's Selected Black History Posts:
Reporter's Notebook: Covering the Alamo’s Historic Reveal for Texas Highways Magazine

​'Medgar Evers: Mississippi Martyr' Author Dr. Michael Williams Commemorates the 50th Anniversary

EXCLUSIVE: 53 years after attending Dr. King's funeral at the behest of Ann Arbor, Michigan officials, meet the Black man who was president of the NAACP Youth Council and whose name never made the newspapers in 1968 (Online Audio Documentary)

8 Women Historymakers

Veteran Dallas Morning News Columnist Norma Adams-Wade Still Making History

Saluting Kenny Ray DeWalt: Memphis Trombone Player for Rev. Al Green, The Bar-Kays

Updated: Do you know why Dr. King went to Memphis?

Read my other Texas Highways work here.

This Texas Highways’ web story is one of the most important news stories I have ever reported. It bolsters my award-winning journalism experience and current pursuit of the Ph.D. in history at the University of North Texas. Further, it contributes to research about Emily West and Hendrick Arnold, the two mixed-race African American historic figures who will forever be celebrated for their contributions to the Texas Revolution.

​Read about my journey to graduate school

​When I received an email from Texas Highways magazine asking if I would be interested in reporting about the Alamo’s first statues honoring African Americans who were part of the Texas Revolution, I squeezed it into my overcrowded schedule. What I discovered about them confirmed the wisdom of my late former Abilene Christian University mentor, Dr. Charlie Marler. During a phone call in December 2020, he said,“There aren’t enough African American historians. I want you to go back to school to become a historian!” ​

That was an order, not a request.

Read my memorial blog series about Dr. Marler

​I am so glad I listened and followed Dr. Marler’s order to go back to school and that he witnessed my graduate studies in the history program at the University of Texas at Arlington. That achievement was possible thanks to scholarships from Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney, the president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and he is also UTA professor emeritus. I look forward to researching, reporting, writing, and publishing many more neglected Black history stories for  multimedia platforms, magazines, newspapers, academic journals, books, and yes, my future dissertation!

My journalism professor, mentor, and guiding light, Dr. Charlie Marler, died May 27, 2022, and I am creating a series of blog posts about the impact he had on my and his other former students’ journalism and media careers. I am bringing his colleagues and others into the conversation as well.  In this post, I share the text of Ron Hadfield's remarks from the Celebration of Life service, held June 1, 2022, at the University Church of Christ, Abilene, TX.

Fourth Post: Ron Hadfield's Remarks at Dr. Charlie Marler's Celebration of Life Service, June 1, 2022

By Ron Hadfield Dr. Charlie Marler shared my father’s first name and like him, married a girl from western Kentucky. They didn’t know each other in the 1930s, but Peggy Lucille Gambill of Fulton and Margaret Ann Pullen of Farmington grew up just 21 miles from one another, and were cut in many ways from the same cloth.​ Dr. Charlie Marler was Regina Burns' former Communication Law professor and mentor. ​I have always said that the toughest editor in the Marler house wore a skirt to church on Sunday mornings. It’s true, you know. I saw it on the marked-up papers our son brought home from elementary school, which made him groan

Ron Hadfield Download the .PDF from the memorial service Cover of the program for the Celebration of Life service, held June 1, 2022, in Abilene, TX. and his parents smile. ​His teacher, Peggy, was an uncompromising editor, but a loving one, and one of Tanner’s earliest encouragers that he become a writer, which he has.

The Marlers shared Charlie’s 89th home-cooked birthday lunch with me last month, a feast including two of his favorites: barbeque pork ribs and a decadent chocolate cake. The conversation was candid and comforting, and it reminded me of moments years ago around the same table between this college student and two of the most godly people I’ve ever known.

Charlie Marler was my college professor, my professional mentor and my Texas Father, and not always in that order. I did not aspire to be a college professor, but in most other ways, my journalistic apple, so to speak, did not fall far from his tree.

By task and by default, we have found ourselves serving as unofficial historians for Abilene Christian, for a combined total of more than 100 years, a number I have a hard time grasping. 

That’s a privilege and a responsibility we enjoyed but took seriously: a blessing with, at times, a heavy yoke. In short, we learn about our shared alma mater, store the facts where others can hopefully find them later, and tell stories about its people and moments that matter most. 

​​Together, we have worked across the street at a place where the late, great academic dean Walter H. Adams once said he was a member of the church, at the institution where he was worth more to the church than anywhere else. We saw our work that way, as mission and vocation.

For just short of 40 years, I have had the often unenviable task of proofing and editing the best editor I knew. 

Early on, I felt like the relief pitcher waiting in the bullpen to follow Mariano Rivera, the nearly infallible and eventual Baseball Hall of Fame closer who wrapped up wins for the New York Yankees: When Mariano and Charlie were through being great at what they do, there was not much meat left on the proverbial barbeque pork rib.

Even at the end of his eighth decade, Charlie could work circles around most people half his age. His work ethic, like my own parents, has been an inescapable inheritance. Before his stroke and fall last week, he likely was online, at age 89, researching something to benefit his latest project for me or his own interest on ACU’s behalf.

Over time, kinks began to show in his armor, thanks to failing vision, a slightly leaky memory and the challenge of keeping up with "Associated Press Stylebook" editors who changed their mind on punctuation and usage like most of us change our socks. 

But he genuinely appreciated the extra set of eyes I brought to our relationship, and we regularly exchanged drafts of our work. I sought his counsel on difficult days, and he always wanted to know what was new in my world. Over time, my professor became my teammate and confidant. 
​
​He never stopped being a champion of free speech yet always defended, even demanded, the truth be told as well. 

Photo courtesy of The Portal to Texas History, https://bit.ly/3zvyC5q

​Ours was not unlike the relationship I came to enjoy with the late Dr. John C. Stevens, ACU’s eighth president and another unofficial historian who spent half a century on campus as professor and administrator. The three of us collaborated on two history books, and on projects small and large, including those for an ambitious Centennial that took decades to plan, 12 months to celebrate and years to recover ​from.

The ironies never failed to awe me. Dr. Marler was the newspaper advisor and Dr. John the president during my college days and two tours of duty as editor of The Optimist. I probably kept both of them on their toes with investigative stories and youthfully enthusiastic editorials that took no prisoners. Years later, though, I found myself as Stevens’ golf partner many Saturday mornings and the rest of the time, as Charlie’s storyteller sidekick. 

Dr. John and Dr. Marler, fellow members of this church, each died in the month of May, now 15 years apart. My memories of them, like those described so eloquently by James Earl Jones in the iconic baseball film "Field of Dreams," are so thick today that I, too, have to brush them away from my face. 

​Mitch Albom, the best writer in my hometown of Detroit – and most other hometowns – wrote a top-selling book several years ago titled "Tuesdays With Morrie," a touching account of the time he spent with a beloved former college professor dying of Lou Gehrig’s disease. In the final chapter, Albom asks:
​ 
Have you ever really had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that, with wisdom, could be polished to a proud shine? If you are lucky enough to find your way to such teachers, you will always find your way back. Sometimes it is only in your head. Sometimes it is right alongside their beds.

​The teaching, Albom says, always goes on.

​​The last few years, I was fortunate to have regular meetings over lunch with Charlie, in addition to countless calls from his cell phone, which made me laugh because caller ID showed each to be from “Sweetwater, Texas” although he was never there. We met on other days as well, depending on Peggy’s trips to the hairdresser or lunches with her friends.

​I told myself those gatherings were my Mondays With Marler, although there was no impending health issue, only sacred time with a mentor who had increasing trouble – like many of us as we age – getting up and down from his chair. His mind was as sharp as his wit. ​

​For some reason, I had the overwhelming thought during the most recent lunch that it might be our last, and it was. That particular Monday With Marler was a bright day, the grass never greener and roses never more red outside the windows in the sun room where he worked and held court with me, and for years before, with students on Fridays in his Opinion Writing class.

Dr. John would often exclaim the words, “We shall not see his like again!” on more than one occasion about a passing dignitary or world leader, a paraphrase of Shakespeare’s famous line in Hamlet. Truer words were never spoken about each of them, as I shall not see their likes again, these two people who shaped me like no others.

With Charlie’s passing, the circle of unofficial historians for this university has become uncomfortably small. Thankfully, my life and work have been enriched by these two exacting but benevolent giants who shared their knowledge, took the time to know me and envision me at my best, and showed me the way there. 

Especially this dear man and mentor, my Texas Father, whose teaching goes on. 

Learn More:
Dr. Cheryl Mann Bacon Celebrates the Life and Legacy of Dr. Charlie Marler 
​Journeying Through Grief: The Death of My Mentor, Dr. Charlie Marler

My journalism professor, mentor, and guiding light, Dr. Charlie Marler, died May 27, 2022, and I am creating a series of blog posts about the impact he had on my and his other former students’ journalism and media careers. I am bringing his colleagues and others into the conversation as well.  In this post, I share the text of Dr. Cheryl Mann Bacon's remarks from the Celebration of Life service, held June 1, 2022, at the University Church of Christ, Abilene, TX.

Third Post: Dr. Cheryl Mann Bacon's Remarks at Dr. Charlie Marler's Celebration of Life Service, June 1, 2022

Dr. Cheryl Mann Bacon Cover of the program for the Celebration of Life service, held June 1, 2022, in Abilene, TX. Download the .PDF from the memorial service

​By Dr. Cheryl Mann Bacon A few nights ago I was scrolling through Facebook posts by and about Dr. Marler and came across the post he wrote when I retired.  He began by recalling when we met – in the fall of 1978 – and continued to relate the details of our four-decade friendship.  Dr. Charlie Marler was Regina Burns' former Communication Law professor and mentor.

Charlie was my teacher. He chaired my master’s thesis.  He hired me to be his graduate assistant and to the JMC faculty. He was a part of the faculty I led when I succeeded him as chair. He was my elder, mentor, editor and friend.​

He concluded his post with four things he thought were important:
​• the love of civil discourse
• a passion for the First Amendment
• writing well and teaching others to write well
• and being a good mom.  

In the dozens of tributes from former students this past week, variations of those same themes emerged over and over.

Paul Anthony, a former Optimist editor who’s now a doctoral student himself, recalled a conversation in Doc’s office when he was working through his views on some difficult topics. 

He said Doc “never felt the need to make clear his own position. He knew that what I needed was an ear, not an opinion. The result was that I came away from those talks a more tolerant, more compassionate, more open-minded person.”

That was typical.  Charlie had no patience for shallow thinking, but he loved a challenging conversation with students or colleagues who might disagree with him – so long as they were thoughtful, had their facts right, and could be civil about it. 

Many students described that civility as kindness. The student who was struggling to pass received exactly the same kindness as the one he was encouraging to go to grad school, which he did frequently.

He often paraphrased Deuteronomy and said we must teach our students in the classrooms, the halls, the labs, our offices, the sidewalks, the parking lots and our homes.  His civility and kindness were like that, too.  Everywhere and at all times. 

Then there was his passion for the First Amendment.

I remember him vividly describing his visit to James Madison’s grave on the grounds of Montpelier, in Virginia.  When I had the chance to visit there a few years later and stood in that small family cemetery, I could just imagine the conversation that must have transpired in Charlie’s mind as he stood by the grave of his hero.

​Charlie understood that nothing else about our Constitutional form of government works if we fail to honor and protect those freedoms – of religion, speech, the press, and the right of the people to assemble and petition for redress of grievances.

Fact: Dr. Marler was inducted into the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association's Hall of Fame in 2003

He believed passionately that all truth is God’s truth – and if the truth is hidden or suppressed, then we cannot make informed decisions –about government, or religion, or life.  And he was all about making informed decisions.

​That passion inspired his philosophy of student journalism, which demanded absolute excellence of his students --- and occasionally drove university presidents absolutely crazy. 

​But he believed that if we want students to go out into the world prepared to speak truth to power,  well then they have to practice it -- here, now and unfettered. 

​His Optimist staffs consistently rose to the occasion because they knew he would go to the mat for them – and because disappointing him was unthinkable. 

At the heart of not disappointing Charlie was writing well. Professional journalists all over the country hear Doc’s voice in their ears when they recall that
• a lot is two words
• that and which are not interchangeable
• redundancy wastes the reader’s time
• concision doesn’t mean short – it means the shortest path to understanding
• Always cite your sources
• And my personal favorite – avoid dead construction. 

​Now, my friend Cole Bennett tells me that ‘dead construction’ is not a grammarian’s term.  They call passive constructions like ‘it is’ and ‘there are’ etc., ‘expletives’.  But Charlie called them dead.  I know this, because when he returned my 40-page graduate Comm Law paper I got a 98.  Not a 100, because somewhere on about page 23 I had used “It is” one time, and there in bright red capital letters, underlined twice, were the words:  AVOID DEAD CONSTRUCTION.

​The analogy merits chasing just a bit.  He called it dead because excellent writing should never have a vague subject and a passive verb.  Excellent writing, and an excellent Christian life should be focused, vibrant and alive. 

​Finally, Charlie wrote to me in that post about being a good mom.  Anyone who was around Charlie for even a little while knew that he adored Peggy, and he loved being a dad, and a grandfather.  He could not talk about family without his trademark twinkle.  Great journalism was important.  Family was more important.

​Lance Fleming, in his tribute last week wrote that when he sought Doc’s advice about a job change, “He agreed that my time on the road was better spent being at home with Jill, Ashley, and Ryan.”

For two years, Doc and Peggy had prayed every day for Rex, Lance and Jill’s oldest son, and for two years Doc ended every email or text to Lance with the words, “God, please kill Rex’s cancer.”

​On the morning after Rex died, Lance had this message from Doc. 

“Wow, God is good.  Rex is healed forever; you guys now have an even more special connection to heaven,” he wrote.  “You know hope is real. You will be finding new ways to touch Rex every day.”

So to Peggy, David, Todd, Scott and all the Marlers – and to all of us, I close with a very careful edit of Charlie’s own words:

​“Wow, God is good.  Charlie is healed forever.  We now have an even more special connection to heaven.   We know hope is real, and we will find new ways to hear Doc’s words in our ears every day.”

Learn More:
Journeying Through Grief: The Death of My Mentor, Dr. Charlie Marler
Mourning the Death of Dr. Charlie Marler, My ACU Professor and Mentor

My journalism professor, mentor, and guiding light, Dr. Charlie Marler, died May 27, 2022, and I plan to write a series of blog posts about the impact he had on my and his other former students’ journalism and media careers. 

Second Post: Searching for Healing, June 4, 2022

Grieving the death of my former Abilene Christian University professor and mentor, Dr. Charlie Marler, June 1, 2022. Photo by Levi Turner, ACU alumni.

I attended the June 1, 2022, Celebration of Life service (download the searchable .PDF). I offered my condolences to Peggy Marler and the rest of Dr. Charlie Marler’s family and colleagues at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. Each speaker trumpeted Marler's commitment to his family, academic scholarship, his faith, and the Abilene community through meaningful anecdotes and his favorite scripture in Philippians. I plan to post the text of some of the speakers' remarks as I receive them.​

Furthermore, this week, I visited ACU’s Journalism and Mass Communication Department to search for healing of my grief  through conversations with members of the JMC community and to celebrate my days as a former KACU announcer/JMC student. Meeting some of the current students and staff, as well as touring classrooms, offices, ACUTV, and the Morris+Mitchell student agency contributed to my healing journey. As the first Black person and the first woman to receive ACU's Gutenberg Award, which Marler created, touching familiar ground was a smart step.

Additionally, I advanced my graduate history studies by meeting with two ACU librarians, Melinda Isbell and Laura Baker. They steered me to a wealth of resources and academic research strategies. Their invaluable guidance advanced my goal to fulfill Marler’s wish that I become a historian, specializing in African American history in Texas.

Moreover, due to a series of unplanned events, I met an ACU staffer, Evan Steele, who went out of his way to support my goals to honor Marler’s legacy, and also, become a Texas historian. Steele offered support and great foreign-language study tips, which will help me prepare for forthcoming Spanish exams for graduate school. 

All in all, I received an ocean of comfort from so many people, including Susan Perry, a long-time Abilene friend who alerted me to Marler's illness, which she found out about in an email from the University Church of Christ. I am so thankful to that church for its quick email blast. Additionally, I appreciate Susan for her fast communication to me, and to her brother, Greg Perry, for his support. If it had not been for them, I would not have known Marler was sick!​

Subsequently, this week was filled with overwhelming grief and loss. Nevertheless, I am navigating through the grief and charting new paths forward. Most of all, I am excited about the new people and resources that came into my life during my time in Abilene. I believe Marler had a hand in it.
​
Previous post in the series: Mourning the Death of Dr. Charlie Marler, My ACU Professor and Mentor

My journalism professor, mentor, and guiding light, Dr. Charlie Marler, died May 27, 2022, and I plan to write a series of blog posts about the impact he had on my and his other former students’ journalism and media careers.

First Post: Shock and Grief, May 31, 2022

​     When I stepped out of a Greyhound bus in Abilene, Texas, in 1979, I was determined to earn a bachelor’s degree and become a broadcast journalist. I had no idea that one of my Abilene Christian University journalism professors would influence and redirect my career in the remarkable ways that the late Dr. Charlie Marler did. The long trip from my native Memphis, Tennessee, was a time of celebration and joy for numerous reasons. I was the first in my family to enroll in college. My family helped me pack all our hopes and dreams in the borrowed suitcases donated by my former junior high school guidance counselor, Viola O’Neil Cole, and Peggy and Geno Grandi. The Grandis gave me a part-time job during high school cleaning their East Memphis house. I had a scholarship from the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the blessings and prayers of my beloved parents, Rowena H. Whiting, and Prince Whiting Jr. Moreover, the Tennessee to Texas bus trip was important to the community, including members of the Southside Church of Christ, and Mary and Myron Lowery, among many others. I knew a lot of people wanted me to succeed and I planned to accomplish just that.

     Marler was my Communication Law professor and at that time, chair of ACU’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. Before I graduated in 1983, I had landed a part-time job working in TV news at KRBC, which was Abilene’s NBC affiliate at that time. Further, I had already sold a story to CNN, which was pretty amazing for a greenhorn still in college. After graduation, I left Abilene to pursue new jobs in other states and returned a decade later to be honored with the Gutenberg Award. As time pressed forward, I kept in touch with Marler, and he shared some of the projects he was working on. Peggy Marler, his wife, always answered the phone with a kind voice and then said: “Here’s Charlie” and handed him the phone. Marler and I had long phone conversations about media-related topics, and he was always interested in my career and encouraged me.

     In 2019, we had an extended conversation about being multimedia specialists, which we both were. In December 2020, he basically ordered me to go back to school to become a historian, after I told him about my just-published Texas Highways magazine stories. I followed orders and he wrote recommendation letters to support my graduate history applications.

     Long-time Abilene friend, Susan Perry, alerted me May 25, 2022, that Marler was in ICU. I spoke with Peggy, and she updated me that he had had a stroke. I was sick with fear and asked her to please keep me informed. I prayed. She alerted me on May 27 via a text message that he had died. I was overcome with grief that day and inconsolable when I saw his picture on an Abilene funeral home’s website.

     I am coping with my grief by writing and rereading his graduate history recommendation letters. I just completed 12 graduate hours on a part-time basis at the University of Texas at Arlington, thanks to two fantastic scholarships from UTA Professor Emeritus and Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) President Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney. Further, I was accepted into the doctorate program at the University of North Texas. Marler knew of my progress and that I planned to start the doctorate, pending the best financial aid support I can receive, this fall. I am so glad I quickly followed his orders because he predicted I could leverage my journalism expertise as he did and make a significant contribution. I plan to specialize in African American history in Texas.

     Marler went above and beyond by making himself available to me and his other former students. He rejected the traditional patriarchal mindset of his generation and saw each student as capable of achieving more, and more, and more. He practiced what he preached by conducting scholarly research and continuing to write to the end of his life.

​     And lastly, he cared!

Please leave your comments to these questions: How did Dr. Marler impact your career and life? Have you ever experienced the death of a  mentor? How did you cope?