Roanoke, Virginia is often called the "Star City". Who are famous African-Americans (past and present) with roots in the Valley? The first ones that come to mind for me (KOH) are Booker T. Washington (from Franklin County - legendary world leader), Oliver Hill (Roanoke - late civil rights attorney), Oscar Micheaux (Harlem Renaissance filmmaker), Charles "Big Dog" Thornhill (Roanoke - '60s college football) and Al Holland (Roanoke - major league baseball), but there must be many others before them and since from all throughout the Valley (including the surrounding counties) - and from all professions. We would like to post this so that the world will see our stars! This will be compiled, updated regularly and listed at: http://roanokerelatives.weebly.com/roanoke.html. This list is of all African-Americans from the Valley, not just relatives. _The 2012 movie "Red Tails," about African-American pilots in the Tuskegee training program, is a great lead into this family blog question. Which family members do you recall serving in WWI, WWII, the Korean War and/or the Viet Nam War? For example, my father, Richard Hilton, served in the Army, I think as a staff sergeant (World War II), as did several other men such as Leonard St.Clair and June St. Clair, I think Clarence Williams (Roanoke) served in the Korean War. My grandfather, Clarence Reynolds served in World War I. |
Keith Orlando Hilton, PhD
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