Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Dr. Hopson Is Keynote Speaker At Oak Grove Reunion

Dr. Joyce Hopson will be the keynote speaker at the Nevada County Training School/Oak Grove School reunion banquet Sunday, July 1, at 6 p.m.

The banquet will be held in the Nevada School cafeteria in Rosston.

Dr. Hopson is the daughter of the late Mr. Freddie Lee Hopson and Mrs. Vira Hopson. She now resides in Pensacola, Fla., with her son Josua.

Dr. Hopson is a 1971 graduate of Oak Grove High School. She received her B.S. and M.S. in business education and personnel management from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She received an M.S.C.C in business education from Arkansas State University at Jonesboro. Dr. Hopson received her Ph.D in business education and computer science from the University of Missouri in Columbia.

She is currently a professor of business education at Pensacola Junior College.

Dr. Hopson is president of the National Political Congress of Black Women, president of Parent Alliance of the Thurgood Marshall Achiever Society, Inc., and is a member of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Commission. She served as administrative assistant for the Rev. Jesse Jackson presidential campaign. She is vice president of Freddie M. Washington Scholarship Fund, Trustee at First Corinthian Baptist Church, a member of the Academy of Teaching Excellence Foundation, Phi Delta Kappa, Delta Pi Epsilon and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

The air around Oak Grove is filled with excitement and anticipation as this bi-annual three-day event kick-off nears.

Everyone who attended or taught at Nevada County Training School or Oak Grove High School is invited.

The ball is open to the public and will have live music, featuring the fabulous Windstorm Band. The ball will be Saturday, July 1, at 8 p.m. at Coleman's Park. It will be a fund-raiser for the restoration of Wortham Gymnasium, which is now underway.

Schedule of events is as follows:

Saturday, July 1, from 9 a.m. till noon will be registration at the former Oak Grove Elementary building. From noon till 6 p.m. there will be a picnic at Coleman's Park; the picnic will include hot air balloon rides, paddle boat rides and canoe races with plenty of food, fun and games.

Sunday, July 2, starting at 6 p.m. in the Nevada School cafeteria will be the banquet, featuring Dr. Hopson.

Monday, July 3, starting at 6 p.m. in the Nevada School cafeteria will be the big gospel explosion, featuring the professional gospel singer Bobby Helen Johnson, an alumni, and several great local groups. Johnson will be putting together a community choir while she is here. The choir will perform at the gospel explosion.

If you have not registered you may register Saturday from 9 a.m. till noon or pay at the door at each paying event.

For more information call Herbert Coleman at 870-871-2316.