Lucile Finney Pryor and Life of Georgia Policies

Who was Lucille Finney Pryor?

Lucile Finney Pryor was born June 10, 1909, in Columbus, Georgia, the granddaughter of slaves.

She was a poor, uneducated domestic worker who labored in the homes of southern white women in Troy, Alabama.

She extolled christian virtue, hard work, and education. She rummaged through garbage cans for books for her son to read and instilled in him a desire for education.

Mrs. Pryor purchased Life of Georgia policies for her family. After her death her son signed on to a class- action law suit regarding race-based policies sold by Life of Georgia six years prior to his death. The class action law- suit against Life Insurance of Georgia was filed in Florida  in December 1999.

Life Insurance of Georgia is a subsidiary of the ING Group. It writes policies in eleven southeastern states.

Poor African-Americans "paid as much as 33% more than white customers for policies intended to cover burial expenses". The "companies calculated African Americans would have shorter life spans than white customers.The "insurance industry now acknowledges that poverty rather than race led to shorter lives for many of those against whom the companies discriminated."

The class-action law suit came too late for Mrs. Pryor. She died in 1988. The settlement came too late for her son. He died in 2008.  Mrs. Pryor owned Life of Georgia policies on the following persons between 1939 and 1983: Lucile Finney, Julia Stewart, Maggie Felton, Susie Felton, Ruby Felton, John H, McNair, Moses Felton, Frederic Finney.

Mrs. Pryor would not have known the details of policies Life of Georgia sold her other than they were burial policies. She would have taken the agent's word at face value. She would not have evaluated or understood cost-ratio value. As a christian and responsible adult her primary concern was not to have a loved one, a member of her family, to die without some means of "putting them away at death. She did not expect to be shortchanged.

Part of the Life of Georgia settlement was used by the heir to memorialize Mrs. Pryor and a gift to an educational institution.

Sources: "Settlement Near for Insurer Accused of Overcharging Blacks, New York Times, January                      10, 2009.
                  Personal Records of Mrs. Lucile Pryor.

Gladys T. Turner Thoughts About Self

After my mother's death in 2002, I brought home a supply of notebooks I had used at AM&N College, Moton High School, Atlanta University, Fulton County Public Welfare Department, and Cook County Hospital Social Services.


" My intellectual interest arises from my desire to understand the basic problems of group life, a consciousness of how people meet their basic needs by controlling or altering their environment and a desire to render service to those unable to make transitions or meet their basic needs in a changing social order. In addition to giving service I want to participate with others in determining causes of social problems:
(1) to think deeply and help in community planning and projects in order to help alleviate conditions of physical, mental, emotional, economic, and social maladjustment.

(2) To help others understand social realities through planned realistic experiences. The presentation of knowledge, the developing of useful skills and attitudes that are consistent and harmoniously related brings a very important reward, the satisfaction of doing a job that is meaningful and important in helping tomorrow's good citizens in every walk of life. Walking with people from day to day makes each hour a challenging experience."   Gladys T. Turner----  Moton High School Note book, 1956

"To me he's a fabulous character.
  (and I love him so)
  He walks by my side and I dance on air.
  I find he's a kind of a special guy
  I kiss him and I know why.
  (my life is a song)
   He's so marvelous
   no one can compare
   Till now my life was a merry-go-round
   I never knew a carefree day."   Gladys T. Turner--- Moton High School Note book, 1956 re James
   Whitley, College boyfriend.

My Corbin Research Journey: The Background Story

What inspired me to research and write about Joseph Carter Corbin?

Joseph Carter Corbin is an Ohioan. He was born in Chillicothe, Ohio and educated at Ohio University. Little is known about him in Ohio.

I first decided to research and write an article for the African American Genealogy Group of the Miami Valley ( AAGGMV) about Corbin's accomplishments and contributions to American education.

I completed the article, Joseph Carter Corbin, Educator Extraordinaire- Founder of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff  in 2009. The article was published in AAGGMV #30, April 2, 2009, (Spring), Volume 8, Issue 2.

At the time the article was published I had two unanswered research questions: Where was Corbin buried?  Were there any Corbin descendants?

The question regarding Corbin's burial location eventually led to the location site and culminated with my dedication of headstones for Corbin, his wife and two sons on Memorial Day, May 27, 2013 at Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, Illinois.

The unexpected happened which would change my course as I never intended to pen a book.

During the fundraising for the Corbin headstones I received a contact through a Pine Bluff Commercial journalist who had written a story on the headstone dedication at Forest Park, Illinois.
The contact-donor was a gentleman in Los Angeles whom I did not know. He was married to a UAPB graduate. He was not a graduate of UAPB. He had been fascinated with the life of Professor Corbin. He intended to write a book. He now thought that unlikely and said he would send his research to me.

July 2, 2013: 2:00 P.M - Fedex delivers a large box of research papers on Joseph Carter Corbin from Lt. Colonel Solomon J. Jameson, U. S. Army Retired.  I was so taken by surprise I retreated to my bed, pondering the meaning of this. It soon becomes clear that I am to write the book.

Corbin's image and legacy continued to consume my consciousness. This extraordinary educator had not been fully elevated in history.

July 13, 2013: Friends drive me to Ohio University to meet with Ohio University President Roderick McDavis to solicit support in promoting Corbin's image and legacy in Ohio. As a result of this meeting an Ohio Historical Marker application was eventually submitted to the Ohio historical Society and approved in 2016.

2014, 2015, 2016: Time of researching, writing, designing Corbin's book. My research led me to libraries and archives in Arkansas, Illinois, and Ohio.

July 9, 2015: I established the Joseph Carter Corbin Memorial Scholarship at Ohio University to provide scholarships to full-time undergraduate students who are enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences and who have demonstrated academic merit.

June 28, 2017:    
11:00 A.M.
Dedication Joseph Carter Corbin Ohio Historical Marker
Ohio University, Chillicothe Campus

Author Gladys Turner Finney

Gladys Turner Finney is a long-time resident of the Dayton area spanning more than five decades.

She was born in a rural farming community of southeast Arkansas during the middle of the Great Depression. FDR was president. She graduated from J C Corbin High School in Pine Bluff (1953), AM&N College (1957), and Atlanta University (MSW) in 1959.

She is a social worker by profession having held positions in medical and mental health facilities. She has a passion for family and historical research.

Among her works are Autobiography of Tammy (1978) and Papa Babe's Stamp Collection, 1983. Papa Babe's Stamp Collection is a fictionalized account of a young boy who discovers his grandfather's African-American postage stamp collection on a snowy day home from school.

In 2016, Turner Finney edited and published Call to the Land of Promise by Frederick M. Finney, her late husband. This is an insightful local history account of African-Americans migration to Dayton, Ohio, the challenges of de-facto segregation, the evolution of the Dayton Model Cities Program.

Gladys Turner Finney's new book, Joseph Carter Corbin: Educator Extrarordinaire and Founder of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff  (April 3, 2017) is a biography of the founder of Turner-Finney's land grant and historically black university.

Born in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1833, Professor Corbin, the son of former Virginia slaves, was one of Ohio University 's  most distinguished graduates of the mid 19th century. Corbin was the second African American to earn a bachelor's degree from Ohio University in 1850 and later two master's degrees 1856 and 1889.

During Reconstruction of the American South following the Civil War Corbin migrated to Little Rock, Arkansas. There he was elected the first African American State Superintendent of Public Education and founded the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

Joseph Carter Corbin: Educator Extraordinaire and Founder of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is a Butler Studies Book, $19.95, is available at uapress.com and amazon.com




  

Joseph Carter Corbin: Educator Extraordinaire and Founder of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff by Gladys Turner Finney

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Butler Center Books
Little Rock, Arkansas
April 12, 2017
ISBN 978-1935106-21-0
$19.95
Available at: River Market Books & Gifts on the Main Library campus of the Central Arkansas Library System (CAL) in Little Rock and other bookstores; from online retailers; through the Chicago Distribution Center at (800) 621-2736; and at www.uapress.com
-University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Museum & Cultural Center-

Having operated now for more than 140 years, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) was founded in 1875 as Branch Normal College by Joseph Carter Corbin, a native of  Chillicothe, Ohio. and the son of former slaves.

Corbin, who had a classical education from Ohio University, was the first African American Superintendent of Public Education in Arkansas and built the school from the ground up.

May 27, 2017        Book available @ Patriots Freedom Festival
                              11:00 AM-5:00 PM
                              VA Medical Center

June 04, 2017        Author's Book Signing
                              College Hill Community Church
                              1547 Philadelphia Drive
                              1:00 P.M.

August 12, 2017    Author's Book Signing
                               National Arts Showcase
                               Tribute to our Crafts Masters
                               Crown Plaza
                               33 E 5th Street
                               1:30 P.M.

September 28,       Authors Book Signing
                              ASALH Conference
                              Continental/Mezzanine Level
                              Hilton Netherland Plaza
                              630 P.M-8:30 P.M.

October 21, 2017   Author's Book Signing
                               Barnes & Noble
                               2720 Towne Dr. Beavercreek
                               2:00- 5:00 P.M

February 25, 2018 Book Available
                               Shades of Blackness
                               A Perspective on African-American History in Word & Song
                               featuring Gladys Turner Finney, author
                               College Hill Community Church, PCUSA
                               1547 Philadelphia Drive
                               12:30 P.M.

  March 17, 2018    Book Available
                              Celebration of Women's History Month
                              ASALH
                              Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center
                              16 South Williams Street
                              2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.

  April 14, 2018     Book Available
                               Dayton-Inter-Alumni Council of the United Negro College Fund               
                               James E. Stamp Award Luncheon
                               Taste Restaurant- Trotwood
                               12:00 Noon

The History of The Negro Church

Early Spanish and French missionaries proselyted the Indian population but regarded Negroes as
infidels, not belonging to the community of christianity. When the Indians failed to be the necessary labor supply for the explorers in the Americas the missionaries had to consider whether the Negro should be given the same consideration as the Indians. An unwritten law held that a christian could not be enslaved.The exploiting class was opposed to proselyting Negroes. The planter feared too much enlightment would inspire hope of liberation.

Moton School-Marianna, Arkansas

During the fall of the 1956-57 school year, I did my student-practice teaching at R. R. Moton School. I was a senior at AM&N College with a major in sociology and a minor in secondary education. Located in Lee County, Marianna had a population of 4, 560. The principal of Moton School was the highly respected and legendary Mrs. Anna P. Strong. The school was named in honor of Robert Russa Moton, president of Tuskegee Institute. I taught American History and World History.

Table 1. Total Enrollment of Moton School Students, Marianna, Ark by Grade Level and Sex:
               1956-57

Grade Level   Total                 Male                    Female
                        804                   384                      420
12th                   46                    13                        33
11                       62                    26                        36
10                       86                    49                        37
  9                     115                    49                        66
  8                       34                    20                        14
  7                       38                    13                        25
  6                       47                    19                        28
  5                       54                    29                        25
  4                       79                    38                        41
  3                        66                   34                        32
  2                        95                   55                        40
  1st                      82                   39                        43

World History Class Roll            
Allison, Overt                                     Love, Claudia
Baker, Otis                                          Mobley, Clinton
Barnes, Mildred                                  Mosley, Leotis
Brown, Willie                                     Nabors, Faye
Brooks, Arthur                                    Rice, Flossie
Buford, William                                  Robinson, William
Burnett, Harold                                   Shepherd, Kennith
Burse, Claude                                     Smith, Gladys
Burse, Joyce                                       Smith, Novel
Bursey, Barbara                                  Tillman, Carol
Chaney, Ewen                                     Walker, Robert
Crenshaw, Maxine                              West, Marie
Davis, Loretta                                     Williams, Garland
Edwards, Theodore                             Williams, Audie
Douglas, Willie                                   Wilson, Precious
Gates, Doris                                        Yarbrough. James
Hope, Julius                                         Smith, John C.
Houston, Dorothy                                Wilson, O. T.
Huddleston, Ivory                                Sauls, Percy
Johnson, Elgre                                     Saunders, Charles                                    
Lloyd, Holmes                                     Harvey, Jamie                              
                                                       
My father drove me to Marianna carrying a supply of my favorite foods to begin my practice teaching. I was a 21 year old senior at AM&N College with a major in sociology and a minor in secondary education. I had heard of Marianna and its principal from students at AM&N but had never visited.The first two night I stayed in the home of the principal, Mrs. Anna M. P. Strong until she found me housing with a family. I was awed by her presence but nervous.

I could discern from my early observations that Moton High School was orderly and well-run. I did not  have any significant student disciplinary problems. Mrs. Strong knew the students, their parents and grandparents because of her long tenure at Moton and residence in the community. I was initially surprised by the young male students opening doors and assisting me down the stairs. Mrs. Strong respected the students, the students respected her and their teachers. Mrs. Strong walked the hallways. I could sense when she was observing from the rear of the classroom from the extreme stillness and silence.

Expectations of Teachers: Teachers at Moton were expected to live in the community, attend church services, participate in the activities/events of the school, arrive a half hour before the students arrived and remain a half hour after students departure, eat lunch with their students and model table etiquette. I complied with all expectations, had a valuable and successful teaching experience. My supervising teacher in history was outstanding, a young male teacher whose name I no longer remember. He helped sharpen my skills in lesson planning.

While at Moton a female teacher took leave to marry. Mrs. Strong hired me as substitute teacher for her, reportedly at the same rate. I was pleasantly surprised. I returned to AM&N having completed the requirements for my degree and unexpected money in my pockets. I received my BA degree in May of 1957. Mrs. Strong retired in May of 1957 after thirty-one years as principal at Moton High School following a long and illustrious career as an educator with many well-deserved honors. Mrs. Strong died in 1966.

American History- 1st Section Class Roll
Rosie M. Moore
Maggie Smith
Olly Neal
Mildred Smith
George Crawford
Ora Murdock
Sallie Ramsey
Bernice Roberts
Louise Talbert
Arlene Dupree
Virgil Wyatt
Connor Little
William Lee Walker
Elizabeth Nickerson
Annie L, Veasley
Curtis Taylor
Elbert Tate
Fred Mobley
Henry Smith
John Walker
Gemojar Rovale Cornelius Owens
James Parker