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Rutledge Henry Pearson from Page 15
1929, as the youngest son of seven children to Lloyd Pearson, Sr.,
and Ruth Pearson. (Today, he is survived by his brothers, Lloyd Pear-
Freedom Fund Banquet with Charles Evers (Medgar’s Brother), speaker in center
with members of the Jacksonville Branch.
son, Jr., and Frank Boyce Pearson; and his sisters, Mary Crumley
and Ruth Smith, all active members of the community.) He attended
public schools, graduating from (old) Stanton High School in 1947.
During his high school days, Rutledge participated in many activities with an unusual emphasis on sports and music. While at Stanton,
he played first base on the undefeated 1947 State Championship
Baseball Team. On finishing Stanton High School, he received a full
baseball scholarship to Tillotson College in Austin, Texas. As a freshman, he was a charter member of the Student Christian Association
and elected student representative to the World Religious Ecumenical Conference at the University of Kansas. He became an
outstanding leader on campus, participating as a member of the College Quartet, the College Choir, and various other activities and
honors, such as President of his graduating class. In 1951, he
received his Bachelor of Arts degree in the area of Sociology from
Tillotson College.
It was there at Tillotson, he met my mother, Mary, a native of
Waco, Texas. They were married in 1951. From that union, they had
three children, my brothers, Rutledge, Jr., Roderick, and me.
In the summer months, while in college, Rutledge played semiprofessional baseball with various teams. After graduating college in
1951, he was selected to play with the Chicago American Giants
baseball team, member of the Negro American League, and the
Harlem Globetrotters Baseball Team in 1952. With a .310 batting
average, he became one of the Negro League’s big name stars. This
led to Rutledge being selected, in 1953,
to be among the first of his race, to play
organized baseball in Florida. However,
the Jacksonville Beach Seabirds, a farm
team of the Milwaukee Braves of the
National Baseball League, (now known
as the Atlanta Braves), barred him from
the playing field, the day before spring
practice because of his race. This act
changed his life. As a result, he directed
and dedicated his life to fight in the
struggle for freedom and equality for all
people.
For fourteen years, Rutledge served
as a social studies teacher in the Duval
County School System, teaching Civics
and American History at Isaiah Blocker
Junior High School and later at Darnell
Cookman Junior High School. It was in
the classroom, through his unorthodox
PROGRAM SUCCESS – MAY 2009
teaching methods, you, the student, were pushed to research, analyze, and discuss concepts of American democracy and the
constitution. You left his class, understanding the importance of our
system of government and feeling empowered that you could make
a difference in your community. For five years, he was head of the
Social Studies Department at Darnell Cookman. In addition to his
teaching, he coached the baseball team of New Stanton High School,
twice taking his team to state finals. Also, he served as Vice President of the Social Teachers’ Council of Duval County. He was
member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and choir director of the
Westminister (Young Adult) Choir at Laura Street Presbyterian
Church (now known as Woodlawn Presbyterian Church).
Although his livelihood depended on the Duval County School
Board, and with my mother working for the State of Florida Employment Office, and later for the City of Jacksonville Public Library,
they became active members of the NAACP. You must remember,
to join and participate in the NAACP, in the 1950’s and 60’s, could
mean loss of your job or your life.
As a member of
the NAACP, Rutledge
moved quickly through
the ranks. As advisor to
the youth council which
he fostered, he encouraged young people to
Rutledge Henry Pearson
directing the Westminister
Choir at Laura St.
Presbyterian Church.
develop their skills and interests in community action. The Jacksonville
NAACP Youth Council took action against segregation and racism
through picket lines, sit-ins, and demonstrations at such stores as Woolworth, W.T. Grant and other white-owned businesses.
White resistance to the efforts of the Youth Council led to the
infamous “Ax Handle Saturday Riot” of August 27, 1960. On that
day, a crowd of white men, some from the Ku Klux Klan, held ax
handles and baseball bats as they gathered in Hemming Park, in
downtown Jacksonville. As a result, 50 people were injured and 62
arrested. Within weeks after the riot, white and black citizen committees started meeting to discuss how to integrate the city’s private
and public establishments. This riot was one of two riots that ignited
the black community to fight against all forms of segregation and
racism in Jacksonville. In 2002, the City of Jacksonville
placed a historic marker in Hemming Park to commemorate the involvement of the NAACP in the fight for
freedom and justice for all citizens of Jacksonville on AxHandle Saturday, August 27, 1960.
He was elected President of the Jacksonville NAACP
Branch in 1960. Under his leadership, the Jacksonville
Branch NAACP held mass meetings and involved both
black and white ministers, and the community at large, in
peaceful demonstrations against segregated hotels and
restaurants and in “No