The Jack Yates National Alumni Association (JYNAA), a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, will host the 90th Anniversary Celebration for the historic Jack Yates
High School. Located in the heart of Third Ward, Jack Yates has been a staple in the Greater Houston area, and has produced a number of successful community leaders, educators, scholars, entertainers, athletes, business and civic leaders.
The theme for the Celebration weekend is “90 Years Building and Sustaining A Legacy One Brick at a Time.”
Thousands of graduates, former administrators/teachers/coaches, friends and supporters will join the Celebration. This celebration is sure to be a monumental milestone, and something that every citizen in the Greater Houston area, as well as across the state and nation, should be proud of.
A Jack Yates history journal will be published consisting of Jack Yates’ history; photos of past events; advertisements from businesses and corporations; a list of graduates; and much more. The journal will be distributed during the month of October 2016.
The JYNAA will be kicking off the 90th Anniversary Celebration with a Zydeco and Line Dance event on Saturday, April 23, 2016 from 8pm-midnight. The event will feature national recording artist, Step Rideau and the Zydeco Outlaws and will be held at Taylors, located at 13100 S. Post Oak Blvd.
The Zydeco and Line Dance event will be the precursor to the 90th Anniversary Celebration Gala, which is a Black-Tie Affair that will be held on Saturday June 24, 2016, 7pm at the Power Center, located at 12401 South Post Oak Road.
On Saturday, June 25, 2016, the JYNAA will host the 2nd Annual Edward B. “Doc” Evans Crimson and Gold on the Green Golf Classic at 1pm at Southwyck Golf Club, located at 2901 Clubhouse Dr. in Pearland, Texas.
To conclude the 90th Anniversary Celebration festivities, the JYNAA will attend an “Old-Fashioned Worship Service” on Sunday, June 26, 2016, that will be held at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church – the original home of the late Rev. Jack Yates.
Other events are being discussed and are on the drawing board for the remaining six months of the 2016 calendar year as well.
The proceeds from all of the events will fund education programs, literacy initiatives and scholarships for deserving college-bound students. The JYNAA promotes and funds programs that provide guidance and leadership direction for positive change, seeking to make a positive difference within the lives at Jack Yates High School and the Third Ward community.
The JYNAA officers are Reginald Phillips, President; Carolyn Scantlebury, Sr. Vice President; Kathy Thompson, Recording Secretary; Amie Johnson, Corresponding Secretary; Anthony Stewart, Sr., Treasurer; Stacy Rayon, Financial Secretary; Dr. Pamela Boveland, Parliamentarian; Debra Smith-Stevens, Sqt.at Arms; Redell Ellis, Historian; Sister Mama Sonya Chaplin; Fred Harris, Outreach; Pierce Lee Stewart, Sr., VP-Government; Karolyn Williams, VP-Fundraising; John Smith, Jr., VP-Public Relations; Deberah Joseph, VP-Student Director and Dr. Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, VP-Education.
The Board of Directors are Ralph Cooper, Santana Dotson, J. Robert Jones, Dr. Robert McGee, Erskine Moorehead, Dr. Ronald Moore and Georgia Provost.
The dynamic 90th Anniversary Gala Committee is being led by Debra Stevens-Smith, who is serving as Chairperson. The other committee members include Sandra Auzene, Dr. Pamela Boveland, Marie Celestine, Sister Momma Sonya Chaplin, Patricia Denkins, Dr. Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, Fred Harris, Amie Johnson, J. Robert Jones, Reggie Phillips, Georgia Provost, Carolyn Scantlebury, Anthony Stewart, Kathy Thompson and Karolyn Williams.
For more information or to join one of the 90th Anniversary committees, please call the Chairperson, Debra Smith-Stevens, at (512) 663-435l.