I told Debbie I would look into it, and I did, without success.
Other African-American students at the high school included senior Pauline Jackson, winner of the Business and Professional Women’s scholarship; junior all-around student and athlete Timothy Winters; and sophomores Clarence Cole, Annie Ruth Johnson, Leo King, John Stevens and Elroy Woodson. The eight students had moved to the white high school because the Pleasanton ISD Board of Trustees had closed the “Colored” school the year before because the ramshackled facility near the town’s sewage disposal plant was declared uninhabitable.
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| Pastor Timothy J. Winters |
More than 50 years later, Timothy J. Winters was pastor of Bayview Baptist Church in San Diego, one of the largest churches in southern California with more than 2,500 members.
Dr. Winters, who earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, was a dynamic and inspirational Gospel preacher, one of the most sought-after preachers in the nation. He had written four books and hosts a radio show in San Diego before his untimely death in 2014.
Winters, or Tim as we knew him at that time, played football and took a leading role in the district championship one-act play. He sang in the choir and won district at the University Interscholastic League declamation competition with his powerful presentation of “God’s Trombones” by James Weldon Johnson. God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse.
I should have known Tim would become a preacher. His booming baritone voice sent shivers shooting up my spine each time I coached him in practice sessions.
At the district contest, the three judges stood and applauded at the final “Amen.”
James Weldon Johnson, the author of “God’s Trombones,” avoided the use of Negro dialect in his readings, wishing to dodge the stereotypes associated with it; Tim also refused to use dialect in his performance, despite my assertion that use of the dialect would improve its power and authenticity.
He placed second at the regional contest in Corpus Christi. The first-place winner, a white student, delivered “God’s Trombones” — with dialect.
But that’s OK. Tim did it his way.
