T E X A R K A N A M A G A Z I N E
Who is someone from Texarkana who impacted your life and why? My two grandmothers, Grandmother Gooden and Grandmother Lucinda Eliga, who both raised me, had a tremendous impact on my life. First of all, they doted on me and I loved every minute of it, but at the same time they didn’t let me get away with anything. They taught me to be respectful and polite to others and to work hard. Both of my grandmothers were strict Baptists who loved to go to church. It was in their homes and at church that I was first exposed to music very early in my life. We would sit in the wooden church pews every Sunday and listen to sermons and then sing hymns, all full of the love of God. My grandmothers loved singing gospel songs and the old spirituals around the house. I can still see them singing and strutting around the house with their dresses flapping around them and pointing their fingers in the air while their heavenly voices filled the house. They loved listening to many of the gospel greats like Mahalia Jackson, Clara Ward, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Soul Stirrers, The Pilgrim Travelers, and others. So, my love of music started with my grandmothers and the rest is history. What is your favorite Texarkana Memory? Church was at the center of our lives, and I’ll never forget the time I had to recite a poem about Jesus for a special church meeting. Grandmother Gooden made me practice every day for weeks. My mother was making a special trip from Detroit just to see my recital. On the day of the event, I stood before the members of church and delivered the poem perfectly, and the whole church broke out in applause. My mother arrived late, so I was crushed that she had missed my recital, but the church pastor and my grandmother arranged to have me get up and do it a second time in front of everyone again but this time with my mother sitting in the audience. I was so happy, and I will never forget that we shared my first performance experience together. How do you describe Texarkana to your friends? It was a great town to grow up in as a young kid because the pace of life was slow, and I was surrounded by so much love from my grandparents and family. Unlike much bigger cities, there wasn’t a whole lot for a young kid to do. Our circle of family and friends was so close, so I felt shielded from societal issues. It was the 1940s, and communities were segregated, but I was too young to understand all that it meant. Every now and again, we would come up against some other young boys
Dr. Otis Williams in his home, holding his certificate from the Library of Congress National Recording Registry for the #1 Chart Hit, “My Girl.”
TXK ROOTS Dr. Otis Williams
Dr. Williams is the founding, and only surviving, member of the original, legendary, super-group The Temptations.
What do you love about Texarkana? It’s my birthplace, so I’ll always love it and call it home. It’s where my mother, Hazel Louise Williams and my father, Otis Miles, grew up and met. I lived in Texarkana with my grandparents because my mother moved to Detroit to find work, and I joined her when I was around eleven years old. I have so many happy memories of those times with my grandparents who earned their living farming in Texarkana. I never wanted for anything as a kid, especially since I was the first grandchild on either side of the family. I loved being around family and extended family. We lived in a small black community with its own Baptist church and school. I remember attending Sunset Elementary School, which was a one-story building with one classroom for each grade, first through sixth. I loved school because as an only child at the time, it meant being around other kids and having fun together.
wanting to fight, but my grandparents were very strict, so I knew if I got out of pocket, I’d have to answer to them, and I wasn’t about to run that risk. What I remember most are the wonderful family gatherings, uplifting church meeting and lots of great food.
TXK Roots is Texarkana Magazine ’s forum to highlight and honor Texarkana natives who have accomplished big things in the world. These folks may have relocated, but they took the values, education, work ethic and creativity instilled in them by growing up in this unique border city and used these qualities to blaze extraordinary trails. We asked them to share their thoughts about growing up here. No matter how far from Texarkana they may find themselves, we will always consider them our neighbors and we are proud to claim them as forever members of our extended Texarkana community. After all, “everyone is famous in their hometown!”
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T X K R O O T S
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