DRAGON SPOTLIGHT

October 10, 1942 – September 5, 2002

 Charles E. McGee (McGhee) a renown American jazz trumpeter and arranger was an Oak Park High School Native Son and Laurelite.  He grew up in Laurel, attended Laurel City Schools and was the son of the late Bobby, a barber and Geraldine McGee. 

Charles Edward McGee, Oak Park High School (OPHS) Class of 1962, attended and graduated from OPHS – Laurel, MS. While attending Oak Park, Charles earned his rightful place as a member of the great Oak Park Dragon Marching Band under the direction of Mr. Malcolm Black. While attending OPHS, he was the only student permitted to participate in both the band and choir at the same time.  This in itself spoke volumes as to his musicality. His gift was so pure, so innate, that he could replicate any music he heard. 

In 1966, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Jackson State University, then Jackson State College, before moving to New York.  After moving to New York in 1970, he soon made a name for himself playing with many jazz greats. In the course of his career, McGee worked as an educator, band director, musician and arranger/orchestra leader. As an artist and educator, McGee won grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and Meet the Composer, as well as the first Louis Armstrong Scholarship. The sound of his trumpet graced the walls of great musical venues such as Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Gardens, The Apollo Theater, The Village Gate, The Village Vanguard, Sweet Basil, Parlor Entertainment, Chez Josephine and St. Peter’s Church. He worked with jazz greats Max Roach, Lionel Hampton, Lou Rawls, Pearl Bailey, Frank Foster, Roland Kirk (Blacknuss 1971), Eubie Blake, Heiner Stadler and, briefly in 1973 with Charles Mingus. He toured Europe with Archie Shepp (the Attica Blues Big Band) and the Sam Wooding Orchestra. He also worked with his own group, wherein he performed in many places to include the Bahamas. 

On the evening of January 24, 1971, the producers of the Ed Sullivan Show made good on their promise. Kirk assembled a who’s who of jazz musicians of the day. His band for the night included outspoken musicians who were down for the struggle to increase the presence of African American musicians on TV.  The band consisted of Charles Mingus on bass (who had not been seen on TV in over two years), as well as, Henry Pearson on bass, Archie Shepp on Saxophone, Sonelius Smith on piano, Roy Haynes on drums, Dick Griffin on trombone, Charles McGhee on trumpet with Maurice McKinley and Joe Texidor on percussion. This was a powerhouse band.

Charles married jazz pianist and composer, Dona Carter, on Valentine’s Day, 2000. He chose Valentine’s Day because he knew he would not have any problem remembering that day. The old and young were enamored by his musical compositions and trumpet sounds. Under his tutorage, he guided and helped enrich the lives of his students. The Maestro died on September 5, 2002, at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York prior to the release of his album titled Finally (2002) which was released under his name.

The Honorable Michael R. Milsap, a New York State Family Court Judge, was born in Laurel, Mississippi and is an Oak Park School Native Son .   He was from South Laurel, son of the late Frankie Gray Milsap and grandson of the late LeVander and Susie Gray .

Michael Milsap received his formative education in the Laurel City Schools system wherein he attended Oak Park Elementary and Oak Park Junior- Senior High Schools.  As a senior in 1971, he was a member of the first integrated graduating class of R. H. Watkins High School. He earned A Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. After graduating from college, Michael worked as a Claims Examiner for the Mississippi Department of Labor evaluating applicants for unemployment benefits. He left that position to attend law school at Indiana University School of Law at Bloomington, Indiana wherein he earned a Juris Doctorate Degree. He was granted licensure to practice law in Indiana, Illinois, and New York. Upon graduating from law school, he began his legal career in his chosen field of public interest law and worked as a Staff Attorney for the Legal Services Organization of Indiana in Indianapolis, Indiana specializing in prisoner's rights, public benefits and family law. He represented clients in federal and state court litigation, as well as administrative proceedings and engaged in community advocacy.

Michael worked as an attorney for nine years in the New York Court System. In June 1984, he accepted a position as Managing Attorney for the New York City Office of Prisoner's Legal Services.  After three years, he began employment with the Office of Legal Affairs for the Human Resources Administration of New York City prosecuting child abuse and neglect cases in the Manhattan Family Court (MFC). Attorney Milsap became an Assistant Supervising Attorney for the MFC system.  He left that position to pursue a brief, but successful private law practice.  As a member of the Assigned Counsel Panel, he represented indigent individuals in the Brooklyn Family Court (BFC). In October 1992, Michael was appointed as Court Attorney to the Honorable Betty E. Staton, Brooklyn Family Court Judge. As the Court Attorney, he assisted Judge Staton in day-to-day deliberations, conducted research and writing of court opinions and served as a liaison between the Judge, attorneys, and the public. In September 1993, he was appointed Support Magistrate to the BFC – New York State Office of Court Administration. He maintained the position of Support Magistrate for 22 years. During this period, Magistrate Milsap served on the Brooklyn Bar Association's Assigned Counsel/Law Guardian Screening Committee. He helped select attorneys to represent indigent litigates in the Brooklyn Family Court.  Magistrate Milsap was an Adjunct Professor in the Paralegal Studies Program at Bronx Community College (BCC). He taught classes at the BCC campus and at two of the New York State Correctional Facilities…Sing Sing and Arthur Kill Correctional Prisons, where BCC Paralegal Studies were offered. 

In February 2015, Magistrate Milsap was appointed to a 10-year term as a Family Court Judge by Mayor Bill de Blasio, assigned to Bronx Family Court. After an illustrious legal career and 8 years as a Family Court Judge, pursuant to a mandatory retirement rule for State Court Judges, Judge Milsap retired from Family Court in July 2023. Judge Milsap is a member of the New York City and New York State Family Court Judges Association. He is a 2002 STAR Recipient of the Metro New York Chapter Jackson State University Alumni Association. He served the National Oak Park High School Alumni Association (NOPHSAA) as Second Vice President (2008-2010) and First Vice President (2010-2012). Residing in Brooklyn, New York, Judge Milsap is basking in retirement life and enjoying the fruits of his labor until he decides what's next in life and service. 

Dr. Kimberly S. Adams is a professor of political science and the managing director of Adams Political Research & Consulting. A longtime political activist who worked as an intern on Capitol Hill in two Congressional offices in the mid-1990’s. She has participated in intensive campaign training seminars on women and politics and grassroots mobilization. She is a veteran of numerous federal, state and local candidate and issue campaigns. In 2021, she was appointed to serve on the board of directors for the American Association for University Women (AAUW). In 2020, she was elected to serve on the national board for the National Organization for Women (NOW).

Dr. Adams' areas of teaching include American National Government, Women and Politics, Racial and Ethnic Politics, Political Parties, Political Communication, the Legislative Process, Senior Seminar, and Campaigns and Elections. Over the years, she has served as a faculty leader for the Osgood Center for International Studies and the Washington Center’s Presidential Inauguration and National Convention Programs. Early in her career, Adams taught American Government for the Junior Statesman Program on the campuses of Georgetown University and Yale University.

Dr. Adams received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Political Science at the University of Southern Mississippi and her Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Mississippi. She has a track record of success in publication and public speaking and served as a political analyst on national and local news programs. She has presented research and given over 95 talks domestically and internationally on women, race, and politics. She has presented her research at the Salzburg Seminar in Salzburg, Austria; the Oxford Round Table in Oxford, England; the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, in Australia; and has given a series of lectures at the University of Rijeka in Croatia. Other countries include Portugal, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Czech Republic, Italy, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. Her most recent presentation on the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act of 2022, was given at the Oxford Women’s Leadership Symposium’s virtual conference in March.

In November 2021, Dr. Adams received a certificate of completion on Mediation and Conflict Management from Harvard Law School’s Executive Education Program on Negotiation (PON). She is a member of numerous organizations including the National Conference of Black Political Scientists, the American News Women’s Club, the National Congress of Black Women, Inc, the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, the NAACP, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Dr. Adams is a charter member of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and serves on the national political action committee for the National Organization for Women (NOW PAC).

Adams graduated from R.H. Watkins high school in 1991, where she served as the student body president and a member of the basketball team. She is the daughter of Bonita Adams Seals and Richard M. Brown. and the maternal granddaughter of Hilda T. McGowen, and paternal granddaughter of Lauren and Katherine Brown, all of Laurel.