11 Scott High School alumni, now ministers, meet for reunion

Group of 11 credits Scott for molding life lessons

10/19/2013

Eleven Scott High School alumni who met for breakfast Friday morning had one thing in common besides their high school: They became ministers of Christian churches.

At the United Auto Workers Local 14 hall, clergy members who graduated from Scott between 1964 and 1986 and others — including Toledo City Councilman Tyrone Riley, Class of ’74, and former Scott student and teacher WilliAnn Moore, who got her diploma in ’64 and is now state education chairman for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People — spoke about their time at Scott and their lives thereafter.

Ms. Moore said Scott was 50 percent Jewish, 40 percent black, and 10 percent “other” when she attended.

“We were integrated and didn’t know it. And we got along. We got along because we were proud members of Jessup W. Scott High School,” she said.

During the meal, clergy at one table spoke about ways Scott prepared them to serve as ministers, and about when they received their “call” to the ministry. The Rev. Waverly Hodges Earley, Class of 1966, who now serves at Wesley United Methodist Church in Toledo, said she learned about leadership at the school, where she was student-body president. Feeling her call at age 5, she said it took until she was 51 to be ordained.

Class of ’75 alumnus Randall Carter of Resurrection Baptist Church, Toledo, said his calling came after Scott, but that he received valuable life lessons while there.

“When I got to Scott, I got around a group of people that really helped me grow my self-esteem, give me confidence. I think that follows into what I do now,” he said. “I never knew I’d be a minister. Never. That calling came much later.”

Councilman Riley took the lead in organizing the fellowship breakfast, meant to be an informal get-together.

He wanted to have a list of clergy whom he could contact — more than 80 people were invited.

Councilman Riley said that he would be sure the group meets again.

“We won’t meet to plan something; We’ll meet to do something,” he said. “And we’ll meet to have an impact on some other kids.”

Contact TK Barger @ tkbarger@theblade.com, 419-724-6278 or on Twitter @TK_Barger.