Unity Park announces MLK Jr. Day honorees
It has become tradition that every Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Unity Park in Starkville becomes a place of celebration. The citizens of Starkville, not only celebrate the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr., but also celebrate citizens of Oktibbeha County who have contributed to civil rights and bringing unity to the community.
There is always a march beginning at North Douglas L. Conner Drive that meanders through the streets of downtown Starkville, ending at the Unity Park. It is followed by ceremonies led by the NAACP, including singing and speeches by prominent citizens. Finally, the celebration is capped off with the announcement of the year’s Unity Park Honorees, people that dedicated their lives to making Oktibbeha County a better place for everyone.
The citizens of the community nominate people from Sept. 1 through Nov. 1 of each year, according to criteria established by the Unity Park Committee. The Committee then chooses two nominees, with the approval of the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors, to be honored with their names etched on a plaque permanently placed on the Unity Park wall.
This year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day will be different because of the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, all of the Unity Park celebrations will be cancelled because the NAACP and the Unity Park Committee believe that it is too risky to gather a large crowd. However, the Unity Park Committee is announcing the names of the 2021 Unity Park Honorees, and their names can be viewed on the newly installed plaque on the Unity Park wall.
George W. Evans lived from 1899 to 1980. He was well known for being an entrepreneur, a civic leader, a businessman, and a Boy Scout organizer. He was born in the Chapel Hill Community in Oktibbeha County and lived most of his live in the Needmore Community in Starkville. After graduating from high school, he attended the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. After returning home, he led a 25 piece orchestra, as a self-taught clarinet and saxophone player, organized the first African American Boy Scout troop and opened the George Evans Shine Parlor.
While the leaders of the white Boy Scout troops were away serving in World War II, George was asked to lead the all-white Troop 100 on a camping trip. His Troop 27 and Troop 100 went on the camping trip together, and it became known as the “unofficial integration” of the Oktibbeha County Boy Scouts.
The George Evans Shine Parlor employed over 500 African American boys through the years, and George taught them to be disciplined and respectful and to have a strong work ethic. His nominator said doctors, engineers, businessmen, educators and career military men can be found among the group.
In his obituary in the Tupelo Daily Journal, one of those young men said that, “Mr. Evans was a really nice gentleman who always tried to give something back to the community. He gave a lot of us young kids jobs and kept us out of trouble.”
Additionally, people from all over the South went to the Shine Parlor, when they were in town, because it was that well known. He was a businessman, church deacon, and a civic leader respected by many. Even Starkville’s mayors asked for his help in luring businesses to Starkville and for suggestions in making improvements to the Needmore Community area. Finally, he inspired people to use their gifts to become good citizens.
Dr. Fenton Peters lived from 1935 to 2014. He is particularly remembered for his work in education, first as a teacher and then an administrator.
Dr. Peters lived his entire life in Oktibbeha County. He went to high school at Oktibbeha County Training School, where he graduated as valedictorian. At Rust College he graduated with the highest honors in biology. His educational career began in 1958 at the Oktibbeha County Training School as a science teacher, and then continued as principal of Henderson High School, the first principal of the integrated Henderson Junior High, principal of Starkville High School, and assistant superintendent of the Starkville School District. His more than 55 years of work in education had a great influence on the lives of young people in Oktibbeha County.
He is remembered especially as being a very calm and even-tempered individual, which was a great asset during Starkville’s transition from segregation to integration in 1970. Because of his calm temperament, he was able to manage the tensions between white and black teachers and students with special “fairness, even-handedness, and Integrity.” During tension filled years of going from segregation to integration, he suffered many assaults such as blown up mailboxes, slashed tires, and personal threats to his life and members of his family, but with his determined faith, he remained strong, and continued his work for the community.
In addition to his work in education, he served on the Oktibbeha County Hospital Medical Center Board of Trustees, the Cadence Bank Board, the Starkville Symphony Board, and volunteered for several community organizations. He was named the Greater Starkville Development Partnership member of the year and was presented the T. E. Veitch Award.
Finally, Dr. Peters was well known throughout the county for his love of music, and he served as choir director at his church. The choir became known for its unique sound and toured Mississippi, bringing joy and inspiration to many people. He spent his entire life in service to this county, through his educational talents and skills, and his strong, determined, but calming personality.
The Unity Park Committee is pleased to present George W. Evans and Dr. Fenton Peters as their 2021 Unity Park Honorees.