YLonne Polley Fullen Swails, Eric Billups, Dennis L. Boyden, Francis "Jinx" Monroe and Paul H. Easley Sr. are all graduates of West Virginia State University and active in the Atlanta alumni association of the college.
West Virginia State University celebrated its 125th anniversary this week. Founded in 1891, the school has meant a lot of things to a lot of people, especially African Americans who grew up in the West Virginia hills or coal country, at a time when educational opportunities were sacred. Five State graduates, all residents of Atlanta, close out West Virginia State University Week on AJC Sepia with their stories.
YLonne Polley Fullen Swails, Class of '72: A Family Tradition
Both sides of my family, the Fullens and the Polleys, are from West Virginia.
My father’s side grew up in the coal camps of southern West Virginia, while my mother’s side came from Huntington - as metropolitan as West Virginia gets.
As a rule, black children in the early days of school desegregation were not encouraged to attend college by our white teachers. On the other hand, education was the rule in my family. The importance of a college education was often discussed and highly regarded by my parents, their parents before them, and the black community in Huntington.
We were fortunate to have a much sought after historically black college in our midst.
West Virginia State College, as it was known back then, was only a 45-minute drive from Huntington.
Our family's roots run deep at State, dating back to the early 1920s when my 7th grade-educated grandfather paid the college tuition for his younger sister to attend West Virginia State.
This started a cycle that would be repeated many times over. From an early age, it was understood we would attend West Virginia State and that was that.
My twin sister and I followed in the footsteps of generations before us, and proudly attended State, as did 32 other family members, including our mother, father, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles and cousins.
There was always something related to our beloved West Virginia State happening in our home - the singing of sorority or fraternity songs, homecoming activities, and alumni meetings. It was something that kept our entire family connected in a special and unique way.
My family is still very connected to West Virginia State. My twin sister and I make the annual trip from Georgia to West Virginia to attend Homecoming activities. My sister and I have not missed a Homecoming in over 30 years.
Our dear mother has not missed a single Homecoming in 65 years!
What stood out academically was the sheer passion and devotion of State’s faculty to ensure a solid educational foundation was achieved by its students. This allowed our family to successfully compete for opportunities at the highest levels of government, business, educational and legal professions.
Socially, State had a vibrant campus life. Fraternities, sororities, sports, the arts . . . we had it all!
The campus community supported and encouraged one another to excel in our studies and to ultimately graduate. The friendships we developed on campus have grown even stronger over the years and remain a very important part of our lives to this day.
As a family, we wanted to honor our beloved West Virginia State that has given us more than we could ever repay. As a very small token, our family established the Fullen-Polley Family Endowed Scholarship. We are excited that this scholarship will be funded into infinity and provide financial assistance to students in need.
Chaplain Paul H. Easley Sr., Class of '56: Influenced by State, Indebted to Alma Mater
I was born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia.
As a student at Boyd Elementary, I was always influenced by graduates of West Virginia State. The late Rev. Leon Sullivan, founder of the Opportunities Industrialization Centers, and I lived on Sentz Street.
He was a role model to me. As young boys, we would earn money by collecting old glass bottles and carrying them to Gates Paints Store on Capitol Street. We would sell them for three cents a bottle.
While a high school student at Garnet High school, I traveled many times to State’s campus to see many of the activities, especially the sports and drama activities.
After graduation from Garnet High School, I joined the local National Guard unit, before enrolling in WVSU.
The registration fees then were much cheaper, especially since it was a state institution and I lived off campus. I wanted to fulfill my goal in life to build a model home for my mother and, with my skills, help support my Methodist church in Liberia.
It was for those reasons that I enrolled in the technical school program, concentrating on building construction.
I was a recipient of the GI Bill and opted to commute from Charleston to the campus so I could help mother, sisters and brothers.
I had many part time jobs to support my family. We were a single-parent household and at times the schedule was heavy and difficult, but rewarding.
While at State I joined the college choir, participated in the Drama Club, and played intramural sports. I organized the Wesley Club, which assisted religious life activities on campus and Sunday visits to my church, Simpson Memorial Methodist in Charleston.
During my sophomore year, we integrated and made world news as the first Historically Black College with reverse integration. The enrollment almost doubled with local white students from surrounding communities. I helped sponsored two students from Korea whom I helped with the English and local community visits.
Being a veteran, the ROTC program influenced me. This program and the campus experience greatly impacted my life. The staff and teachers gave special support due to my activities on campus and in the city of Charleston.
As a result of my WVSU experience, I was able to complete seminary in Atlanta, while serving as pastor of churches in northern and southern West Virginia.
I would later be called to active duty and rise from the rank of first lieutenant to the rank of full colonel.
I will always be indebted to my Alma Mater for the experience and education.
Eric Billups, Class of '73: Yellow Jacket for Life
I was “experimenting” with schools, as my dad put it.
My Uncle Marvin suggested I come to West Virginia State College thereby reminding me of the great experiences I’d had growing up with my “family” and watching them with their friends from Tuskegee University.
I saw the community that had developed and how much they cared about each other, their school and adding to that “family.”
We talked about how attending State would give me that same feeling. Three had already graduated, one was attending and if my brother would come with me, we would have six Yellow Jackets in our family.
I wanted to have what my family members experienced.
Now I have that -- Family with State ties.
I’m proud to say that this sense of community has been passed to the third generation and we are now represented at FAMU, Hampton and Morehouse.
My academic education was delivered with the kind of passion to make you want to learn and that brought out the best in you. You felt special, like all of the professors and administrators cared about you as a person.
An example of this was, when the head of the marketing department heard I had an interview with IBM and called me into her office.
She personally coached me on interviewing techniques that ultimately landed me the job that led to a very successful 30+ year career.
My social education at State was doctoral level. The campus was small, but the cultural diversity was international in representation.
We had urban, rural, foreign and first generation students at State together. We all learned to be confident, passionate and how to have fun while building a strong sense of a “lifelong” community.
Growing up in a military family, I never had a neighborhood to call my own.
State became the neighborhood where I grew up. Some of my fondest memories started there. I made friends for life, including parents of my friends, professors, administrators and many others associated with the campus.
I felt a great acceptance there.
It’s why I return to homecoming every year and support my local and national alumni associations. I will always be grateful for the part West Virginia State University played in my growth and development.
I’m a Jacket for life.
“Go State.”
Francis "Jinx" Monroe, Class of '76: Of Heritage and Family
I grew up in southern West Virginia where coal was king.
My community was very close and home to many coal miners and school teachers. My parents made it very clear that education was very important.
My three sisters, brother and I knew at an early age that we would be attending West Virginia State University, typically known as "State" by students, alumni and residents in the Charleston metro area. During my early childhood I would look forward to my trips to State at least three times a year.
I would travel to State when my parents took my sisters for the beginning of fall classes, Homecoming and to pick them up at the end of the school year.
Homecoming was always my favorite trip. We would leave early on Saturday morning for the 3.5 hour drive and would arrive on campus around 10 a.m.
We would pick up my sisters and our day would begin. I truly enjoyed the Homecoming activities, especially the football game. We would spend the night and go home on Sunday afternoon. It was an enjoyable time for me. For me, West Virginia State University means heritage and family. My maternal grandmother attended State in 1910 when it was West Virginia Colored Institute. My parents attended in the mid-30s, my sisters in the late 50s and early 60s, my brother in the mid-60s and my experience began in 1970.
State was definitely a family tradition. At State, we had outstanding professors and staff that provided an excellent environment for learning. While there I learned responsibility, independence and leadership. I was able to become a member of two great fraternities and made many life-long friends. My campus life was very enjoyable. We were certainly a family at State and it definitely had a significant impact on my life. A song that we use to sing at football and basketball games sums up how I feel about State:
"I'm so glad I go to West Virginia State, I'm so glad I go to West Virginia State, I'm so glad I go to West Virginia State, singing glory hallelujah, I'm so glad.”
In the words of our beloved alma mater: "Pride of all our loyal hearts, from thee we'll never part, thoughts of thee will never be few, alma mater we love you."
A place we love so dear!
Dennis L. Boyden, Class of '77: Bringing West Virginia State to Atlanta
I was born and raised in Beckley, West Virginia.
It was a small city of less than 20,000 people. We were a close knit community and the black community was an extended family.
High school graduation was not a goal, it was a demand. The extended family included your family, neighbors, local black churches, and civic groups.
They all made it very clear to us “if you want to be successful in life, trust in God and get a quality education.”
West Virginia State had a pipeline in my hometown, especially for black students. Many of my friends were already at State when I graduated from high school in 1973.
Doris, my older sister, had attended State. I would enroll in the fall of 1973 and my younger brother Rodney, would start classes in the fall of 1983.
I consider my college experience at West Virginia State University four of the best years of my life.
I would become lifetime friends with students from around the country, join Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, and after moving to Atlanta, become associated with the Atlanta Alumni Chapter.
As a chapter, we are more than alumni members. We are friends that share the wonderful experience of having attended WVSU.
Many of our chapter members are life members of the alumni association and we give our time and financial resources to support the university, recruit students, and provide financial assistance for Atlanta students who are attending our beloved university.
As I have recently turned 61 years of age, I proudly joined fellow Atlanta Alumni members as we celebrated WVSU’s rich history as it turned 125-years-old on March 17.
I will always remember the West Virginia State University experience because not only did it prepare us to be successful, but to be strong leaders who would always reach back to help others have our same opportunity.
Happy 125th WVSU!!!
