On October 19, a group of 14 — pilgrims, really — from the Synod of Lakes and Prairies arrived at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. As part of their civil rights journey through Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, they came to walk the grounds where history holds its breath, to witness a Presbyterian institution that bears the weight of the past with the dignity of the present and the promise of the future.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tells the story of her grandfather, John Wesley Rice, in the second decade of the 20th century, coming from rural Greene County, Alabama, to an educational institution in the former state capital, Tuscaloosa.
From the majestic magnolias that grace Stillman College’s 105-acre campus and the school’s striking seal, to the plentiful purple hull peas, pole beans and cucumbers that thrive in its community garden, the entire campus is alive with new growth.
The week-long festivities celebrating the investiture of Stillman College’s eighth president, Dr. Yolanda W. Page, were capped off Friday with a ceremonial event that felt more like a church service.
What gives someone the will to do what is right in the face of possible death threats, intimidation or loss of comfort?
One could offer it’s the power of the Holy Spirit, and yet following the nudge of the Spirit is still a choice.
In the postbellum South, a Presbyterian minister recognized an opportunity to educate Black men and prepare them for ministry. This conviction took him all the way to the 1875 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, which voted to authorize the inception of the Tuscaloosa Institute. The Rev. Dr. Charles Allen Stillman’s legacy is deeply rooted and connected to the history of what is now known as Stillman College.
Just like those wise pilgrims from the East who followed the star to Bethlehem only to return home by another way, Carla Louca and Susannah LeMay took some unexpected detours to find purpose and meaning.
Just like those wise pilgrims from the East who followed the star to Bethlehem only to return home by another way, Carla Louca and Susannah LeMay took some unexpected detours to find purpose and meaning.
And, in the end, the mother-daughter duo saw the light of Christ reflected in each other.
Dr. Yolanda W. Page will begin her tenure as Stillman College’s eight president on July 1, the college’s Board of Trustees announced earlier this month.
Samuel Polanco is no stranger to the power of walls — especially their potential to exclude and keep people like him from being their best selves. But the 2022 graduate of the Menaul School — a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-related college preparatory school in Albuquerque, New Mexico — credits his educational experience as being instrumental in breaking down many barriers.
