Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 11-1-19

Features
Man Recalls
ESPN Sportscaster And
Accomplishments Of
Tampa Native Honored By
His Great Grandfather
School Of Journalism At FAMU
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Mr. Booker Doby is a young 78-years-old who has lived a majority of his life in Tampa. He comes from an ac- complished family that included businessmen, educators, and law enforcement officers.
Mr. Doby is familiar with much of his family history, and remembers being 7-years-old when his great grandfather, Richard Cornelius Doby died in 1938. However, there is much about his family history that he doesn’t know.
Mr. Doby read an article in a local newspaper about a for- gotten African American ceme- tery on the property of the Tampa Housing Authority. In that article, he learned that his great grandfather had once owned the property designed as a final resting place for many African Americans.
“My aunt was a teacher named Inez Doby and a part of Hyde Park was known as Dobyville. My great grandfather donated the land for Doby Ele- mentary School to be built. In fact, Mr. Doby said he attended the school for four years before transferring to Lomax Elemen-
BOOKER DOBY
... Descendant of Richard Doby, owner of Zion Cemetery
tary School. And, he had con- tracts with the City for garbage pickup.
“But I never knew anything about a cemetery. I believe it had something to do with New Salem Methodist Church and St. Paul Church. My great grandfather had three sons and they must have sold the property after he died.”
Mr. Doby said he and his mother moved to Detroit and he later moved to Ocala. He dropped out of school and went into the Air Force.
Mr. Doby said he has been told that his great grandfather is buried at Memorial Park Ceme- tery. And, he may have an uncle buried in Zion Cemetery.
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Feature Writer
Tiffany Greene Berry has always known what she wanted to be when she grew up.
Her dreams of being a sports reporter were ambitious, because there weren’t a lot of examples of women sportscasters back then. However, she was determined and her hard work has paid off spectacularly.
On September 19, 2019, the Florida A & M University (FAMU) School of Journalism & Graphic Communication (SJGC) recognized Ms. Tiffany Greene Berry as its’ 2019 Thelma Thurston Gorham Distinguished Alumnus Award winner.
The award is named for the first journalism instructor at FAMU, the late Thelma Thurston Gorham. The Dis- tinguished Alumnus Award hon- ors successful alumni who have made significant contributions in Journalism.
Past winners have included Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Kimberly God- win, Executive Vice-President of News at CBS.
Ms. Greene Berry, a 2003 graduate in Broadcast Journal- ism is a true trailblazer. She has made her own way through hard work and inspiration from those that came before her.
Ms. Greene Berry is the first African American woman to serve as a play-by-play commen-
ESPN Sportscaster, Tiffany Greene Berry.
tator for a nationally televised college football game. She re- ports on four collegiate sports for ESPN - volleyball, softball, bas- ketball, and football. Addition- ally, she has called the NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Tournament, NCAA Softball Re- gional and Super Regionals, as well as NCAA Volleyball Region- als.
In her largest role to date, Ms. Greene Berry is a play-by- play commentator for Division II College Football and co-host of the weekly pregame show Gimme 5: Black College Live.
Gimme 5 is a countdown list highlighting historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Different from typical
pregame or tailgating shows, Gimme 5 features the unique culture of the HBCU experience, including everything from the history of college rivalries and campus life to band showdowns and Greek life. Fans, coaches, players, and famous alumni are featured.
Ms. Green Berry states “we really need to grow the HBCU brand and raise aware- ness of the rich traditions.”
Ms. Greene Berry received the 2019 Thelma Thurston Gorham Distinguished Alumnus Award during the weekly 220 Quarterback Club luncheon. She was also the guest speaker.
The dean of the School of Journalism and Graphic Com- munications, Michelle Fer- rier, Ph.D., was quoted as saying Ms. Greene Berry is “instru- mental in opening doors for not only people of color in journal- ism, but also for our SJGC stu- dents in the field of journalism.”
Ms. Greene Berry says, “When I was a student, I was in- spired by alumni returning and giving back to the School of Jour- nalism & Graphic Communica- tion. I am humbled and honored to be among those illustrious alumni.”
As a fourth-generation Rat- tler, she serves on the FAMU School of Journalism & Graphic Communication Board of Visi- tors and is an enthusiastic volun- teer for the ‘Grads Are Back’ program during Homecoming.
Ms. Greene Berry lives in Tampa with her husband, Aaron, and son, Bryson. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, The Links Incorporated, and the National Association of Black Journalists.
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2019