Tahjai Ellington
James Weaver IV was love. He expressed to us his unconditional love for his wife to whom he had been married to for sixty-five years. He shared stories with us about her and his family. One of his quotes that stood out to me was,“ to be happy in your marriage, is to be happy for a lifetime.” He even told us a story of a letter he wrote to his wife where he described her as the“ augment of perfection.” He also discussed his love for Hampton University. He said that he came to Hampton because he felt that“ the best deserve the best.” This displayed his appreciation for the quality of education Hampton provides and beauty of its campus. Moreover, he discussed his love for his father, which was also his mentor and hero. He often discussed memories of his father and even shared some advice that his father shared with him. He encouraged us not to“ mess with any girl we would not marry.” This quote stood out to me because it is something my father has told me many times. Finally, he discussed his love for his faith. Mr. Johnson has a natural and true love for God.
At the Doris Miller community center the elder I interviewed was Queen Thomas. She was raised on a farm where her aunt raised her after her dad passed. She moved to Virginia when she was young. Her and her family still own the house. Her first job was cleaning houses. She is the mother of ten kids. Having ten kids stood out to me because that’ s not an easy job to raise and mentor ten kids. Unfortunately her oldest child has cancer. Queen Thomas didn’ t have fears except overcoming her mom’ s death. It was hard for her because her mother was her hero and role model. Some of her favorite memories were of her two sisters and her mom. Her sister would go to the store with her after saving up money to buy candy for one cent. She smiled as she thought of these happy times. After the interview I hugged her and thanked her. She had an interesting story and I think she was delighted to tell it.
Tahjai Ellington
On July 12 th of 2013, I had privilege of meeting the honorable Mr. Johnson at Carver Memorial Presbyterian Church. When I first walked into the room where the elders were sitting, Mr. Johnson instantly stood out to me. His confidence and his love for his wife and family instantaneously drew me toward him— I knew that he was the elder I wanted to meet.
During our discussion, Mr. Johnson and I seemed to have plenty in common and I had plenty of questions to ask. One of the common themes throughout our discussion
James Weaver IV was love. He expressed to us his unconditional love for his wife to whom he had been married to for sixty-five years. He shared stories with us about her and his family. One of his quotes that stood out to me was,“ to be happy in your marriage, is to be happy for a lifetime.” He even told us a story of a letter he wrote to his wife where he described her as the“ augment of perfection.” He also discussed his love for Hampton University. He said that he came to Hampton because he felt that“ the best deserve the best.” This displayed his appreciation for the quality of education Hampton provides and beauty of its campus. Moreover, he discussed his love for his father, which was also his mentor and hero. He often discussed memories of his father and even shared some advice that his father shared with him. He encouraged us not to“ mess with any girl we would not marry.” This quote stood out to me because it is something my father has told me many times. Finally, he discussed his love for his faith. Mr. Johnson has a natural and true love for God.
He shared with us that he overcomes his fears and adversity through the help of God. He claimed that,“ if God brought you to it, he will bring you through it.” `