Rev. Dr. Berlinda A. Hart Love

I was born in Little-Griffin Hospital, then located at 1307 Patterson St., a place not remembered by me, but that remains a vital part of my legacy. My mother, Parrie Bernice Hart, was born to Isaac Stafford and Hannah Hart of Clyattville, one of 12 children, and my father, William Howard Love, was born to Augustus Alphonso Love Sr. and Alice Louise Campbell Love of Bainbridge.

All have transitioned into Heaven but the remembrance of their character, integrity, compassion and love is everlasting.

Our family is blessed to have many family members in Valdosta, Clyattville and Florida. There are Halls, Harts, Registers and Stricklands, and our family historian, Ralph Hart of Clyattville, has maintained an impressive family record on Ancestry.com.

My maternal grandfather was a tobacco farmer, and I worked in the tobacco field, a task that I am most proud of. His oldest son and namesake, Isaac Stafford Hart II, is now the patriarch of the Hart family, and doing a tremendous job.

Additionally, the community names that remain foremost in my mind today are the Borders, Blantons, Fenders and Langdales to name a few, because they were spoken quite well of by my family over the years.

My parents relocated to Trenton, N.J.; however, they returned home each summer. I visited Westside High School in 1969 with friends from Clyattville – the Clemens, Hargetts and Perrys to name a few.

Mr. Buster Perry, patriarch of the Perry family, drove the school bus. It was so much fun that my friends convinced me to stay, and surprisingly my parents and grandfather agreed. That year taught me to love Valdosta, Azalea City and vicinity.

I was elected Miss Freshman at Westside and the feeling of being held in such high esteem by my peers as a “homecoming queen” still lingers with me today. My grandfather also bought the first school bus for African-American students in Lowndes County.

The homegoing for my aunt, Zoreda Hart Harris, was held at Greater Mount Calvary Baptist Church in October 2017. The Rev. Dr. Charles E. Vinson, senior pastor, and First Lady Sister Evelyn D. Vinson graciously allowed me to eulogize and do the committal service for her, and I am grateful.

My grandfather, a founder of the original Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, and my father, who is credited with making the pews that lasted through several generations, would be exceedingly proud of how God has blessed the church members and community.

I am retired from the Trenton Public School District, after 31 years of service. My parents were eulogized in July and August of 2017, and I am coming home, to the land where my forefathers and mothers lived, worked and died.

I welcome the residents of Valdosta back into my life with open arms, and I trust that you will welcome me back home. With God at the helm, we will make it together.

 

The Rev. Dr. Berlinda A. Hart Love is the itinerant elder, AME Church, First District.