July 25, 2001
King Day leader moving to new job
By Cathy Willoughby
Staff Writer
One of the leading organizers of the community's Martin Luther King Day recognition is moving on.
Former Tiffin University professor David Shevin, 50, who served as chair of the annual event since 1988, is taking a position as an associate professor of English at Central State University in Wilberforce.
"It had started before I moved in, during the summer of 1987,'' Shevin said of the annual event. "The local celebration was spearheaded by several local people, including Mary Hunt from the NAACP, the Rev. Alex Dandar and Joy Hintz.
"When I moved to Tiffin, I wondered how Tiffin University commemorated the holiday,'' he added. He worked to involve black student organizations from both TU and Heidelberg in the event. Meeting with past organizers, Shevin gathered support for a larger community gathering to honor the civil rights leader.
A number of speakers were asked to give a keynote address, and most complied.
The first noted speaker was the Rev. Ross Gooch from Loudonville, veteran of the Selma-Montgomery march, followed by Barbara Reynolds, journalist, USA Today, in 1993, and Jesse Jackson Jr. of Chicago in 1994.
The dinner was one of the first features planned with the help of the students. Shevin said the award programs came later.
"The first couple of years we held everything at St. Mary's,'' he said. "We moved to Ebenezer (United Methodist Church) during the third year. St. Mary's was a very gracious host. From the start, there was a very strong base of county support. Certain speakers have drawn larger numbers.''
One of the more noteworthy speakers was Melba Beals in 1995. She recalled the days when as a teen, she was one of the first black students to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Ark.
"She was awarded the SpringArn medal from the NAACP,'' Shevin recalled. "Beals had just published a memoir. And on the same day we booked her, she was on the Oprah Winfrey show. She brought in a huge amount of interest.''
With the support of the community, schools, area churches and business, the January event has done well. "Only once in 14 years did the weather get really brutal,'' Shevin recalled. "That was the year Jesse Jackson was here.
"We have been fortunate to have a good base of support,'' he added. Ideas for speakers come from the committee, or from educators at Tiffin University or Heidelberg College, Shevin said. "We have tried to go with the interests and enthusiasm of the community to get interesting people to come,'' he said.
His new position at Central State will allow him to maintain his contacts in the civil rights community. It will also allow him to do research on his favorite poet, Paul Lawrence Dunbar.
"Among the blessings I have received over the past 14 years is meeting those who had met him (King) or were profoundly influenced by his work,'' Shevin said. "It has allowed me to touch history as it happened, as it was realized. Like Robert Moses, we wouldn't have had the voting rights act in 1965 if it was not for his efforts. And they were here, in our community.''
King Day events will continue under the leadership of the committee, Shevin said. Amber Herbert of Heidelberg's Campus Ministry already has been in contact with a gospel ensemble from Cleveland, Yarborough & Co. for the January 2002 program.