Heritage Foundation celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Linden Heritage Foundation’s annual meeting joined Saturday with the Martin Luther King Jr. Day federal holiday celebration. The two groups met in the Cass County Courthouse in Linden.

County Judge Travis Ransom and local citizen Raydeen Edwards were featured speakers and gave their remarks along with the showing of the “I Have a Dream” speech given by King in 1963.

Edwards presented a brief history of the black cowboy. Ransom then spoke of his growing up in Cass County and introduced a video history of four successful Lindenites as prepared by Mason Barrett, a 1973 graduate of Linden-Kildare High School who is administrative law judge for the Equal Opportunity Commission in Alabama.

Barrett’s video production was given under the title of “Invisible History: Part 2.” In a previous showing, Barrett earlier had explained the direction of his research and publishing by saying, “History has lessons to teach us if we will only read and listen. This is particularly true of the accomplishments of people of color. However, in some communities there is little evidence or knowledge of these achievements.”

Barrett’s remarks then told of four distinguished Lindenites of history. These were as follows:

Dr. James R. Sheppard

Born in 1871 in Lodi, Sheppard pursued medical studies at Flint Medical College in New Orleans, graduating in 1904. In 1908, he moved to Marshall, TX, and opened his first Sanitarium located outside the city in 1911. The building burned in 1920, and then Dr. Sheppard built a new, three-story hospital, the Sheppard-Watts Sanitarium at 606 Carter St, in Marshall.

Dr.William Watts

Born in 1885 in Lodi, Watts pursued medical studies at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN, graduating in 1915.

He was the younger brother of prominent Marshall physician James R. Sheppard. He practiced medicine in Fresno, CA, prior to opening Oakland, CA’s, first hospital for African Americans in 1926. In the later 1920s, he moved to Marshall and practiced with his brother at the Sheppard-Watts Sanitarium.

Dr.Thelma Mothershed-Wair

Born in 1920 in Bloomburg, Mothershed- Wair pursued secondary education at Little Rock Central High, Little Rock, AR., graduating in 1957. She was a member of the “Little Rock Nine,” the group of students who integrated Little Rock Central High School. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southern Illinois University and in 1916 received an honorary doctor of humane letters from SIU in Edwardsville, IL.

Dr. Bernard F. Gipson, Sr.

Born in 1921 in Bivins, Bernard graduated from Central High School in Marshall and then graduated from Morehouse College, in Atlanta, GA, and Howard University School of Medicine, in Washington, D. C.. He was the first African American Chief of Surgery at Lowry Air Force Base, Denver, CO. He was also the first board certified African-American surgeon in the state of Colorado. He treated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for altitude sickness when King visited Denver.

IN ADDITION to the MLK observances, the annual meeting of the Linden Heritage Foundation conducted its business and presented discussion of the upcoming Linden City Park historical signage which is being planned.

LHF Board President Sam Higdon presented color drawings of the proposed monument which is designed to show the history of the brick making process used to construct the Cass County Courthouse. Higdon told of the more than 430,000 bricks which were produced in large measure by slave labor. The site is expected to include a reconstructed kiln to serve as an educational focal point to explain the labor intensive work required.

Linden’s heritage foundation is a non-profit public charity to celebrate the town’s diverse culture. At present, the foundation is promoting such cultural items as the Pleasant Hill Julius Rosenwald School, the Wright Paman home as the oldest surviving residence in Linden, the restored 1934 water tower and the restoration of the volunteer fire station which is now owned by Preservation Texas. The foundation is also promoting Linden’s extensive music history.

Linden also is the site of the state’s oldest continually serving courthouse.