Student Center auditorium to explode with gospel

By Gus Bode

Student Center auditorium to explode with gospel

Annual award and gospel concert to honor local legend.

Factoid:The seventh annual Quintessence Award and Gospel Explosion will take place at 6 p.m Saturday in the Student Center Auditorium. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. For more information, contact Dennis James at 457-5237.

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Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Lambda Omega Alumni Chapter will host the seventh annual Quintessence Award & Gospel Explosion. The concert will feature various gospel recording artists, including Minister Teddy Cross, the Spiritual Travelers, Wilma Wimberly, Rapture and special group, The New Keynotes.

The gospel singing will be a prelude to the main event of the explosion, the award ceremony. This year the fraternity will pay tribute to Delores Albritton, the 13-year executive director of Attucks Community Center, which houses the Eurma C. Hayes Center.

Dennis James, coordinator and booking agent for the event, said it is a priority to give credit when it is due.

Albritton has been with the Attucks community all her life and has developed a compassion for the children of the community.

It is very nice that people think enough of me to give me an award, Albritton said. But the real reward is the children hugging me everyday, and when they see me on the street, they smile and say hello.

During her tenure, Albritton has started a tutorial program, where SIUC students tutor grammar and high students in any subject. She also is responsible for the center’s summer enrichment program that started in 1987. It is a day camp geared to keep children active during the summer months.

I saw lots of children on the street doing nothing and getting into trouble and I thought having a summer program was a definite need, Albritton said.

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Last year’s winners were James and Thelma Walker, who have owned Jackson Funeral Homes, 306 N. Wall St., for 36 years. They are owners of the only two black-owned funeral parlors in Carbondale, and are members of the community service board, which is run through the Eurma C. Hayes Center.

James Anderson, founder of the Rapture and member of Iota, agreed that Albritton deserved to be publicly recognized.

She should be honored because she has proven herself by helping those that are in need, Anderson said. It has been long overdue.

Anderson said Rapture has been performing since the start of the gospel explosion and has seen the concert grow in number and in influence over the community.

A lot of people in the community are interested in gospel music and like to support those who are being recognized, Anderson said.

James expects an average of 300 people to come help sing the praises of Albritton. He expects the Black Alumni reunion participants, who will be in town this weekend, to come and fill the seats.

All proceeds will be used for the fraternity’s annual Christmas food drive and scholarships for college students.

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