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Celebrating Legendary Chattanoogans
The Bessie Smith Legacy Gala stands as a tribute to the enduring impact of individuals who have profoundly enriched Chattanooga's cultural and social tapestry. Named after the legendary blues singer whose soulful voice once echoed through the heart of the city, this gala celebrates those whose contributions have not only uplifted the community but have also fostered a spirit of resilience and unity. Each honoree, through their dedication and vision, embodies the essence of Bessie Smith's legacy, illuminating the pathways toward a brighter, more inclusive future for all residents of Chattanooga.
The Bessie Smith Legacy Award
The Bessie Smith Cultural Center proudly commissioned artist Alex Paul Loza to sculpt and cast a one-of-a-kind work of art for the Bessie Smith Legacy Award. This meticulously crafted sculpture, created through months of dedicated effort and attention to detail, embodies the artistry and legacy of Bessie Smith, the "Empress of the Blues." Loza carefully studied photo references and Bessie’s iconic songs to bring her story to life. As he describes, “My inspiration to craft the Bessie Smith award began with photo references, particularly one where she’s holding a similar pose. Some of Bessie’s iconic songs influenced the design of this statuette, helping to capture the essence of her journey and legacy. 'Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out' speaks to resilience, which is reflected in her strong yet graceful pose, embodying both struggles and victories. The confident expression and the way she holds her shawl were inspired by 'Tain’t Nobody’s Bizness If I Do,' representing her independence and inner strength. The flowing lines of her dress and shawl echo the soulful melody of 'St. Louis Blues,' while the vines pattern on her shawl symbolizes the enduring impact of her music. Just like nature revives after hardship, as in 'Backwater Blues,' these vines represent Bessie’s ability to rise through adversity and how her legacy continues to nurture and inspire future generations.” The result is a timeless tribute to Bessie Smith’s enduring influence on music, culture, and the world.
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Dr. Eleanor Cooper
Eleanor McCallie Cooper, a Chattanooga native with deep family roots in the city, has spent much of her life bringing people together across differences. A member of the McCallie family, she is descended from the family for whom McCallie Avenue is named and whose members helped establish McCallie School and Girls Preparatory School. Growing up in segregated Chattanooga during the 1950s shaped her understanding of the divisions within the community. After returning to Chattanooga as an adult in 1981, Cooper became increasingly involved in efforts to build relationships, strengthen neighborhoods, and create opportunities for people from different backgrounds to work toward a shared future.
Cooper served as Executive Director of Chattanooga Venture, where she helped expand community participation in shaping Chattanooga’s future and supported initiatives that strengthened neighborhoods throughout the city. Under her leadership, Chattanooga Venture organized the Neighborhood Network, helping grow the number of neighborhood associations from six to 96, and established the Facilitators Bank to train residents to lead community conversations. In 2013, Cooper and her husband, Mel, joined Franklin and Tresa McCallie in creating interracial dessert conversations that became known as Chattanooga Connected, bringing more than 500 people together to build friendships and trust across racial lines. She also played an important role in building community awareness and support for the Ed Johnson Memorial, helping organize more than 40 screenings and discussions centered on the story of Johnson’s 1906 lynching before the memorial was dedicated in 2021. Through what she describes as “community learning,” Cooper has consistently used education, dialogue, and relationship-building as tools for advancing understanding and meaningful social change in Chattanooga.
Mr. Larry "Bear" High
Larry “Bear” High, a Chattanooga native and 1966 graduate of Howard High School, developed an interest in barbering at an early age while watching his older brother John cut hair. By age twelve, he had purchased his own clippers and began cutting hair for 25 cents per customer from his bedroom at McCallie Homes. Determined to become a professional barber, High enrolled at Tennessee Barber College in Nashville after receiving a Vocational Rehabilitation Scholarship. He graduated in 1967 after being recognized as the number one barber in his class.
High began his professional career at Live and Let Live Barber Shop on 9th Street (Now Martin Luther King Boulevard) before opening Bear’s Barber Shop in Alton Park in 1970. He later expanded his business interests and, in 1995, became the first African American barber instructor at Chattanooga Barber College. He also became the first African American appointed to the Tennessee State Barber Board, later serving as Vice President and being reappointed by Governor Phil Bredesen in 2003. Affectionately known as “Bear,” High has been a longtime fixture in the Alton Park community as an employer, mentor, and community leader. He has supported families in need, served as Santa Claus for local children, and used his barbershop to mentor young people by encouraging respect, appropriate dress, and positive behavior. His additional accomplishments include serving as an Associate Minister at St. Elmo Missionary Baptist Church, induction into the Howard High School Hall of Fame, and service on the board of Erlanger Southside Health Center. High credits his success to his late mother, Florence High, his faith, hard work, and a lifelong commitment to pursuing his dreams.
Dr. Everlena Holmes
Dr. Everlena M. Holmes, a native of Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, is the mother of three children, grandmother of five, and great-grandmother of five. Growing up in the Deep South during the Jim Crow era and the Civil Rights Movement helped shape her lifelong commitment to social justice, education, and community empowerment. Holmes earned her undergraduate degree from Kentucky State University, a master’s degree in Allied Health Education and Administrative Leadership through the University of Houston in consortium with Baylor College of Medicine, and a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She also completed post-doctoral study in Education Management at Harvard University.
Holmes spent 11 years as a Health Information Administrator in hospitals and later developed associate and baccalaureate degree programs at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in Barbados, West Indies. She also served 16 years as a Dean of Health Sciences. In Chattanooga, Holmes has been a longtime community advocate and neighborhood leader, serving on numerous civic committees and initiatives focused on public safety, women, older adults, domestic violence, neighborhood development, and underserved communities. She served for 10 years as Executive Director of Enroll the Region and founded the Hamilton County Voters Coalition. She also organized Block Leader programs in several East Chattanooga neighborhoods and has remained active in efforts to strengthen community participation and address neighborhood needs. Holmes has received numerous awards and recognitions for her community advocacy and volunteer service, including a Lifetime Achievement recognition associated with the President’s Volunteer Service Award in 2023. Her decades of professional and civic service reflect a continuing commitment to education, advocacy, and improving the lives of others.
Mrs. Patricia Shackelford-Gray
Patricia Shackleford-Gray, a Chattanooga native and graduate of Brainerd High School, has devoted more than four decades to public service, community leadership, and civic engagement. She attended Tennessee State University before earning her degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Shackleford-Gray built a distinguished 43-year career with the Chattanooga Police Department, where she made history as the department’s first African American civilian female Police Information Center Manager. Her service earned numerous honors, including Employee of the Year for Community Service and the Chief’s Service Award. A graduate of Leadership Chattanooga’s Class of 2004, she later served on its Alumni Board and has remained deeply involved in organizations dedicated to strengthening the Chattanooga community.
Shackleford-Gray’s civic service includes membership in the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Chattanooga Chapter, and lifetime membership in the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, where she received the Walter Lawson Community Service Award and other leadership honors. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, Pi Omega Chapter, for more than 50 years, she is recognized as both a Golden Member and Life Member. Her board and volunteer service has included the Ivy Rose Foundation, NAACP, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Make-A-Wish Foundation, First Things First, and the Sounds of Unity Mass Choir. Beyond her professional and civic accomplishments, Shackleford-Gray has shared her voice through approximately three decades as a member of the Third Generation Gospel Singers and as a charter member of the Chattanooga Police Department Toastmasters Club. Whether through public service, advocacy, mentoring, leadership, or music, she has built a legacy centered on opening doors, strengthening organizations, and creating opportunities for others to be heard.
Mr. George Ricks and Mrs. Maria Ricks
George and Maria Ricks, lifelong Chattanoogans and 1968 graduates of Riverside High School, have devoted decades to education, healthcare, youth development, and community service. Married in 1970, they have one son, George Jr., helped raise their nephew Marlon, and have seven grandchildren and a great-grandson. George earned an Associate of Science degree from Chattanooga State Community College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a minor in Political Science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He also graduated from Leadership Chattanooga in 1996. Maria earned an associate degree in Early Childhood Education and later an Associate of Applied Science degree in Health Information Management from Chattanooga State. Together, they have volunteered at Howard High School since 1983, continuing a shared commitment to supporting students and strengthening Chattanooga’s African American community.
George spent 27 years with Erlanger Health System’s Southside and Dodson Avenue Community Health Centers before retiring in 2018. Earlier, he worked with the Chattanooga Afro-American Heritage Museum from 1984 to 1991, providing leadership in collections care, research, interpretation, exhibits, tours, and public programming. He also researched and developed pictorial histories of Riverside, Howard, and Booker T. Washington High Schools. From 2008 to 2016, George served two terms representing District 4 on the Hamilton County School Board, including service as Vice Chair and Chairman, and also served as an at-large member of the Tennessee School Boards Association. Maria built a long career in health information management, working as a medical coder for Erlanger Health System and Tennessee Interventional Radiology while maintaining more than 50 years of advocacy and volunteer service for Chattanooga’s African American youth. Their combined civic involvement has included service with organizations such as Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, the Henry Branch YMCA, Partners for Academic Excellence, the Alton Park Development Corporation, the Public Education Foundation, and the Chattanooga African American Museum. Both have received numerous honors for their commitment to education and community service, including the Excellence in Public Education Award and recognition as Honorary Alumni of Howard School in 2025. George is also widely known as the longtime “Voice of the Hustlin’ Tigers,” announcing Howard High School football and basketball games since 1983.
Dr. LeAndrea Ware
Dr. LeAndrea Ware, a graduate of The Howard School, is a longtime Chattanooga educator, community leader, and advocate for young people. She devoted more than three decades to public education, serving in numerous leadership roles throughout Hamilton County Schools before returning to her alma mater as Executive Principal. Under her leadership, The Howard School experienced significant academic growth, increased enrollment, major facility improvements, removal from Tennessee’s school improvement list, and an increase in its graduation rate from 63 percent to 96.7 percent. Her work earned local, state, and national recognition, including being named Tennessee Principal of the Year.
In 2026, Ware became Chief Executive Officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chattanooga, continuing her commitment to providing young people with safe spaces, caring mentors, academic enrichment, leadership development, workforce preparation, and opportunities for success. Throughout her career, she has worked to strengthen partnerships among schools, families, businesses, nonprofits, philanthropic organizations, and community leaders. Guided by servant leadership and her belief in going the “extra degree,” Ware has focused on expanding opportunity, challenging expectations, and helping young people recognize and reach their potential. From student at The Howard School to educator, principal, executive leader, and community advocate, her legacy is reflected in the lives she has influenced and the doors she has helped open for future generations.
