Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 26, 1995 TAG: 9509260026
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STACY JONES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
\ Nearly 10 years ago, Melody Stovall made a list of everything she wanted to accomplish as director of the Harrison Museum of African American Culture.
Now, five days before her official retirement, everything on the list has been crossed out.
An annual festival on Henry Street. Done.
A museum store. Done.
A pictorial history book of the African American culture in the Roanoke Valley. Done.
An expanded (3,300-plus items) permanent collection of art and artifacts. Done.
``All I wanted was for the museum to be a place for all people,'' said Stovall, who plans to become a Realtor. ``I wanted black people to know about their history and be proud, and I wanted white people to learn about our heritage.''
When Stovall first took over the museum it had a different name - Harrison Heritage and Cultural Center - a quarter of the space it does now, and very little art.
``It was empty,'' remembered Stovall.
But she dug in and started working on her list.
``Dedication like that is hard to find,'' said Harrison Museum Board Member Sharron Davies. ``When she came [to the Harrison] it was nothing, but she hung in. If it was for the museum, she was there.''
Stovall grew up in Salem and attended Andrew Lewis High School, one of the first blacks to do so. After high school she completed a bachelor's degree at Hampton University. Then she moved to California, worked as a sales agent at AAA and married. Eight years later, her husband's job transfer landed her back in the Roanoke Valley. Although she loved California, Stovall always knew she would find her way back home, to the valley.
``This is a grand place to raise a family. The quality of life should pull you back,'' the mother of two explained. ``But I'm glad I've gotten a chance to experience more than Roanoke.
It was that sense of adventure that prompted Stovall to apply for the position of director, despite her lack of an arts background. ``I needed a challenge and I was interested in the arts,'' she said.
However strong her ambition, something more integral to Stovall's life proved to be her greatest asset - growing up in the all-black neighborhoods of Salem. She, better than most, saw the true fabric of African American life. And she wanted everyone else to know about it too.
``Most people don't realize how self-contained and self-sufficient the black community was,'' said Stovall. ``Blacks made a contribution to the building of this country, this state and this valley, but most people don't know that because it's not in history books.
``Black people didn't just hatch 20 years ago and appear in the Roanoke Valley,'' said Stovall, clearly exasperated with such attitudes.
Stovall's most treasured accomplishment is the annual Henry Street Heritage Festival.
For the first few years of her tenure, the museum sponsored a Harrison School Fun Day, but she felt there was a need for something more.
``People were hungry for it and all it took was an organization to actually do it,'' Stovall said. ``Until Henry Street, there was no broad-based African American celebration in Western Virginia.''
Still, after a year of planning, Stovall was convinced no one would show up for the first festival.
``It's like [the movie] `Field of Dreams,' you just have to believe,'' she said. ``If you put on a festival, people will come.''
And they did. More than 5,000 visitors attended the first gathering in 1990.
``Yes, yes, I'm very proud of Henry Street,'' she beamed.
``The introduction of the Henry Street Festival was a highlight for the museum and a high point of Melody's career,'' Davies said. ``It opened up a whole new market for African culture that people from this whole region recognize.''
A close second on Stovall's greatest hits list is the completion of a pictorial history book about African Americans in Roanoke, Salem and Roanoke County.
``I wanted something that people can put their hands on, something that is very comprehensive,'' Stovall said about the 10-year project. ``I want it to be a showcase.''
The book will include photographs - gathered from the African American community - of the people, places and artifacts that played a part in creating the Roanoke Valley.
The difficulty with the decade-long project was getting people in the community to share their ancestral artifacts.
``People don't realize they have this wonderful info sitting under their nose,'' Stovall said. ``And others don't take the time to look.
``It took a while to educate the community,'' she said.
The 195-page coffee table book will be published next fall. Dr. Reginald Shareef, an associate professor of political science and public administration at Radford University, will write the narrative.
With her retirement looming on Oct. 1, and an executive search committee working to find a successor, Stovall shared her hopes for the museum she built.
More educational classes and workshops are a big concern for her and the board, and will play a large part in the future direction of the museum.
Otherwise, her wishes are typical for a nonprofit organization: More funding. A bigger staff.
``With our limited resources, I always felt we'd take two steps forward and 10 back,'' Stovall said.
The outgoing director said she'd like to see more support for the museum from the valley's African American community.
``We can do better, a whole lot better,'' she said.
``Because of Melody,'' said Davies, ``the museum is a living, breathing entity that pulls people in and ties them together.''
``She's given a home to the memorabilia of the black community,'' said Susan Jennings, executive director of the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge. ``All this history was floating around. She gathered it up and brought it to one place.''
``She spearheaded the Harrison's tremendous growth and in the process made people more aware,'' Jennings added.
``I think I've made a contribution,'' Stovall said, adding that she had benefited from the experience.
``It broadened my horizons and taught me a lot about myself and my capabilities,'' she reflected. ``I've been blessed.''
Does she have any regrets about stepping down? None.
``I've been running the show a long time,'' she said, explaining that a nonprofit needs to change leadership every now and then. ``I always knew I wouldn't stay forever.''
by CNB