March 29, 2007
THE SAM AZEEZ MUSEUM CELEBRATED
WOODBINE HERITAGE
On the last Thursday of March and
just in time to usher out Women’s History Month, the Sam
Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage was the site of a full
assembly of town and gown.
Designed to honor the
accomplishments of two significant women from the community,
the museum presented the first "Annual Sheroe Award" to
Julia L. Hankerson, a fourth generation Woodbiner and
Owner/Chief Executive Officer of the Woodbine Wellness
Center.
Mrs. Marjorie Freeman Rosenfeld,
a retired educator who spent thirty years in the Woodbine
School System, was given a "Lifetime Achievement Award" for
her tireless commitment to the community.
Both boasting résumé’s of
impressive accomplishments, Mrs. Rosenfeld taught Ms.
Hankerson in the 4th grade at the Woodbine
Elementary School.
Mrs. Rosenfeld, a Magna Cum Laude
graduate of the University of Pennsylvania in 1937, met and
married Woodbine native Maynard Rosenfeld in 1943.
After settling in Woodbine and beginning to raise a family
of a son and daughter, she agreed to be a temporary teacher
in 1954 until the school board, on which she served, could
find a replacement. She retired from teaching in 1984. Now
approaching her 88th birthday, Marjorie serves as
the unofficial town historian and volunteers her time as a
docent and lecturer at the Sam Azeez Museum.
Julia L. Hankerson, MSW, LCSW, a
fourth generation Woodbine native was presented with the
first "Annual Sheroe Award." Currently a PhD candidate at
Walden University in Baltimore, Julia was locally
educated and went on to receive her BA in Psychology from
Lincoln University and her Masters in Social Work from
Rutgers University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. A
practicing psychologist, Julia traces her lineage from
slavery through her paternal great grandfather who was one
of 27 children.
Born to Clara and John
Hankerson. He was purchased by Swedish ship builders and
eventually settled in Georgia until he was freed in 1863.
Devotion to the land, building
community and focus on education has been a priority in the
Hankerson family for generations. Julia’s return to
her native Woodbine to establish her business is a model
example of commitment to the future of the community.
A highlight of the program was
the "Sheroe Essay Contest," sponsored by the Museum in
conjunction with the Woodbine Elementary School. All
the students from grades three through eight were invited to
compose an essay about the woman who has made an indelible
impression on their lives. Boys and girls alike, more than
one hundred and thirty students received certificates of
merit for their efforts. First, second and third place
prizes were given to six winners in the categories for
grades 3-5, and 6 -8.
Every student present for the
program also received a specially designed shirt which reads
“The Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage and the Woodbine
Elementary School …Partners in Achievement."
In summation, the
event represents all that we strive to accomplish as
caretakers of the past and encouragement for the future.
Woodbine is a very special place
and indeed, on March 29, 2007, that very quality sparkled
like a diamond in the early spring sky.
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