50th Anniversary Celebration

Attorney H. Pierre, Jr. and Mrs. Marjorie A. Pierre celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary on December 10, 2016. Approximately 125 relatives and friends attended the renewal of vows, followed by a dinner and dance. The couple was married on Christmas Day, in 1966, in the old West Hunter Street Baptist Church . Of the original 22 candlelighters, ministers, bridesmaids and groomsmen, 9 were present to reprise their roles. The program was presided over by the couple ’s three children: Mr. Damien Pierre of Silversprings , MD . Mrs. Adrienne Pierre Hudson , and M s. Lauren Pierre of Lithia Springs, GA. The program began with a video memorial to those participants and family who have since passed ; the parents of the bride, Mr. and Mrs. Elijah Anderson, Jr. ; the father of the groom, Mr. H . Pierre, Sr.; the Reverend Ralph D. Abernathy who officiated; Ms. Carolyn Joyce Pierre, bridesmaid and sister of the groom; Mr. Namon Cleon Anderson, ring bearer and brother of the bride; Mr . William Terry, groomsman and friend of the groom; and Dr. Kimuell A. Huggins Jr. , groomsman and college friend of the groom. The original members of the wedding who returned to celebrate the occasion were: Reverend Dr. Albert P. Brinson, the couples ’ cousin, who assisted Reverend Abernathy in officiating; Mrs. Elaine Turner Jackson, a candlelighter; Mrs. Miriam Huett Norton, Matron of Honor; Mrs. Dallas Anderson Campbell, sister of the bride and Maid of Honor. Bridesmaids returning were: Dr. Doris Creecy Waters, Mrs . Sheryl Houston Hollomon , Mrs. Josephine Meadows Allen of Highland , CA, Mrs. Gail Ramsey Middlebrooks, and Dr. Valerie Fisher-Hayes of Richmond, VA. Additionally two of the returning groomsmen were Mr. Johnny Simmons of Atlanta, GA and Mr. Thomas Welch of Boston, MA. cousins of the couple. Several relatives from out-of-state traveled to Georgia to be a part of the festivities: Mrs. Patricia Cade Bouligy of Castro Valley, CA , Mr. and Mrs. Randy Bellizan of New Orleans , Mrs. Penny Sonjy Bourgeois of Cypress , TX , and Mrs . Martha Jones Welch of Boston, MA. After the renewal of vows , the couple danced to their favorite song, "I Think I’m Going Out of My Head" by Little Anthony and the Imperials, after which guests listened to music from the 1960’s as they dined . The couple met in December of 1964. The Bride is a graduate of Spelman College and received a Masters of Medical Science Degree from Emory University. She has spent her entire career as an educator, either in teaching or administration. In addition to working briefly in the Atlanta School System, she has spent the remainder of her career in the private sector at such schools as The Atlanta Speech School, The Trinity School, and the Greenfield Hebrew Academy, now renamed the Atlanta Jewish Academy, from where she plans to retire this June as a Learning Disabilities Specialist. The Groom is a graduate of Morehouse College and received his Juris Doctor Degree from The University of Georgia. He began his career as a legal services attorney with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. In 1978, he was appointed by the late Mayor Maynard Jackson as an Assistant City Solicitor, and in 1980 as Deputy City Solicitor of Atlanta. He entered private practice in 1982, and was appointed again by Mayor Jackson in 1993 as Pro Hac Solicitor General. In 1996, he was appointed by the Chief Judge of the Traffic Court as a Pro Hac Traffic Court Judge, a position he held until 2003, when he returned full-time to his practice. In addition to acknowledging other relatives in attendance, the couple especially recognized members of the Morehouse and Spelman Classes of 1965 and 1966. And the Groom recognized, last but not least, the Brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc, of which he is a Life Member. The couple are additionally, the grandparents of Miles Clifton Pierre and Olivia Anderson Pierre of Washington, DC.