Lawrence Garnell Stamps Sr's. journey to justice began November 1, 1934 in Lynchburg, Va. Sadly Garnell's amazing journey was cut short on Friday, February 28, 2014. And so it was that after 79 years Lawrence Garnell Stamps Sr. exchanged mortal life as we know it for life everlasting. "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. " Blessed be the name of the Lord. Garnell is survived by his loving and devoted wife Eula Diuguid Stamps of the residence on Walkers Crossing. He also leaves to mourn his loss and cherish his memories one precious daughter, Robin Stamps Doby Easter (Jason); three loving sons, Lawrence Garnell Stamps, Jr. (Yvette), Gregory Eugene Stamps, and Antony Carlyle Stamps; and one brother, Duvall Levonne Stamps (Joanne). Garnell was predeceased by his parents, Willie Daniel Stamps and Mrs. Edith Stanley Bobson Stamps along with three siblings, Willie Daniel Stamps Jr. Carolyn Doretha Stamps Tracy Davis, and John Marvin Stamps. L. Garnell was educated in the Lynchburg public school system where he developed his love of education and his thirst for knowledge. He graduated from the esteemed Dunbar High School and went on to pursue a B.A. in English with a minor in History and Government from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore where he graduated with honors. His pursuit of education continued with his graduate studies at Lynchburg College, and the University of Virginia where he was a Fellow in Residence for the Central Virginia Writing Project in 1979. Garnell was a man of considerable and versatile talents, and he shared these attributes freely. We will remember him as a Christian, a social justice activist a celebrated poet, author and humanitarian. A memorial service will be held Thursday, March 6, 2014, from 6 until 8 p.m. at the Court Street Baptist Church. A Home Going Celebration to honor his legacy will be conducted 1 p.m. Friday, March 7, 2014, at Tree of Life Ministries, 2812 Greenview Drive, with interment at Forest Hill Cemetery. Email condolences may be sent to the family at [email protected]. The family is receiving friends at the residence 1091 Walkers Crossing, Forest, Va., and will assemble there on Friday at 11:45 a.m. Professional services entrusted to the care of Franklin-Hutcherson Funeral Home. (434) 846-1337.
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Even as a young student, L. Garnell Stamps was known for taking the lead and commanding an audience with the power of his words.
"He could write a good speech," said classmate MacDonald Pullen, who attended Dunbar High School with Stamps. "He was a good organizer, a planner. He was always active."
Stamps, a teacher, father and friend who for decades was at the forefront of Lynchburg's civil rights movement, died Friday. He was 79.
News of his death stunned a community that had come to know him as a steadfast friend and unwavering advocate for justice.
"People who needed help always called him, because he would respond," former mayor Rev. Carl Hutcherson said. "He would always answer the phone for people who needed him."
Stamps, an English teacher, dedicated his career to educating students with Lynchburg City Schools. He also committed himself to the civil rights movement at a time when there were personal and professional risks to it.
"When other teachers and professionals were scared to speak up, he stood up and spoke about how we were treated," longtime activist Walter Fore said.
"At that time, I was still scared to talk because I worked in a factory, and I was worried they would fire me. But he took up that mantle and carried it very, very strongly. I don't know anyone else in this town who could match him."
Over the course of his life, Stamps would mingle with the likes of Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with whom he marched in Washington in 1963.
But his heart and home always remained in Central Virginia.
"He was a Lynchburg legend," said Rev. James Coleman, vice president of the Lynchburg Voters League. "He was intellectually brilliant. He had the erudition to walk with kings and American presidents and to entertain international personalities at his home.
"But at the same time, he had the vernacular heartbeat of the common people — people who may not have had the courage or know-how to address their pain on their own. He could move between both of those worlds. That is what made him unique."
Stamps, who often peppered his conversation with references to poets and philosophers, was known for both his stirring oratorical style and his warm sense of humor.
Never one to shy away from controversy, he was once pictured going toe-to-toe with then-mayor Joan Foster at the height of the debate over the case of Clarence Beard Jr., a black man who died of heart failure while in police custody.
Foster said the two of them met again the next day and started a conversation that ultimately evolved into the Community Dialogue on Race and Racism, an initiative that continues to this day.
"He was always willing to sit down and talk across the table," she said. "I'm going to miss him, and I know the community will miss him.
"He was a force. If he saw an injustice, he would stand up and speak and people would listen. I certainly listened."
Foster said she was shocked by Stamps' passing. She and Stamps had both taken part in a program at William Marvin Bass Elementary School just about two weeks earlier.
"He was in his element there with those children," she said. "He was so passionate about everything he did and about promoting the education of children. We had that in common. I can't believe he's gone."
Stamps mentored countless young people through his work in the schools and the community. Andre Whitehead, who's hosted his own television show since 1989, recalled stumbling across Stamps' public access show, "The Real Viewpoint," when he was in college.
"I was simply amazed at the oratorical delivery and skill Garnell had and the showmanship," Whitehead said. "Later, when I got into television, I made it my business to make sure Garnell was one of the first people I would interview."
The two struck up a decades-long friendship — Whitehead referred to them as television father and son — and Garnell helped the fledging host refine his skills.
Whitehead laughed as he recalled one particularly paternal piece of advice Stamps gave him. Whitehead, a native of Hampton Roads, once had a penchant for wearing loafers without socks, which he defended as a common trend in his beachside hometown.
"Garnell Stamps and Mayor [M.W.] Thornhill took me aside and said, ‘I don't care where you're from son. You've got to put on some socks. You've got to wear a jacket and slacks. You're a professional, and you've got to look the part.'"
Stamps was well known for his passionate political stances, but within the community he forged friendships that crossed political and philosophical divides.
State Sen. Steve Newman, a Republican, said he and Stamps started out as political foes but over time developed a friendship that spanned more than a quarter century.
"In recent years I have come to appreciate the loving spirit that Garnell had for those around him and his community," Newman said. "He had a strong sense of justice and an incredible knowledge of history. He touched so many lives and educated me about the civil rights movement."
In 2013, Stamps was part of the anniversary March on Washington, retracing the path he had traveled exactly 50 years earlier.
While organizers had golf carts available for senior citizens who couldn't traverse the long route in the summer heat, Stamps announced he was going to walk.
"It must have been two miles," said Fore, who for decades worked side by side with Stamps on community issues. "But he wanted to be out there with the young folks. That was him. And once he made up his mind, there was no use talking to him about it."
Coleman, who also was on that trip, said he was surprised when Stamps said he wanted to make the journey back to the Lincoln Memorial on foot.
"He was strong even at that point and determined," Coleman said. "That is how he will be remembered. He was a determined individual, and because of him countless others across the years have drawn the strength to keep going when they thought they couldn't continue."
Contact Alicia Petska at (434) 385-5542 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @AliciaPetska
Lawrence Garnell Stamps Sr's. journey to justice began November 1, 1934 in Lynchburg, Va. Sadly Garnell's amazing journey was cut short on Friday, February 28, 2014. And so it was that after 79 years Lawrence Garnell Stamps Sr. exchanged mortal life as we know it for life everlasting. "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. " Blessed be the name of the Lord. Garnell is survived by his loving and devoted wife Eula Diuguid Stamps of the residence on Walkers Crossing. He also leaves to mourn his loss and cherish his memories one precious daughter, Robin Stamps Doby Easter (Jason); three loving sons, Lawrence Garnell Stamps, Jr. (Yvette), Gregory Eugene Stamps, and Antony Carlyle Stamps; and one brother, Duvall Levonne Stamps (Joanne). Garnell was predeceased by his parents, Willie Daniel Stamps and Mrs. Edith Stanley Bobson Stamps along with three siblings, Willie Daniel Stamps Jr. Carolyn Doretha Stamps Tracy Davis, and John Marvin Stamps. L. Garnell was educated in the Lynchburg public school system where he developed his love of education and his thirst for knowledge. He graduated from the esteemed Dunbar High School and went on to pursue a B.A. in English with a minor in History and Government from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore where he graduated with honors. His pursuit of education continued with his graduate studies at Lynchburg College, and the University of Virginia where he was a Fellow in Residence for the Central Virginia Writing Project in 1979. Garnell was a man of considerable and versatile talents, and he shared these attributes freely. We will remember him as a Christian, a social justice activist a celebrated poet, author and humanitarian. A memorial service will be held Thursday, March 6, 2014, from 6 until 8 p.m. at the Court Street Baptist Church. A Home Going Celebration to honor his legacy will be conducted 1 p.m. Friday, March 7, 2014, at Tree of Life Ministries, 2812 Greenview Drive, with interment at Forest Hill Cemetery. Email condolences may be sent to the family at [email protected]. The family is receiving friends at the residence 1091 Walkers Crossing, Forest, Va., and will assemble there on Friday at 11:45 a.m. Professional services entrusted to the care of Franklin-Hutcherson Funeral Home. (434) 846-1337.
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Even as a young student, L. Garnell Stamps was known for taking the lead and commanding an audience with the power of his words.
"He could write a good speech," said classmate MacDonald Pullen, who attended Dunbar High School with Stamps. "He was a good organizer, a planner. He was always active."
Stamps, a teacher, father and friend who for decades was at the forefront of Lynchburg's civil rights movement, died Friday. He was 79.
News of his death stunned a community that had come to know him as a steadfast friend and unwavering advocate for justice.
"People who needed help always called him, because he would respond," former mayor Rev. Carl Hutcherson said. "He would always answer the phone for people who needed him."
Stamps, an English teacher, dedicated his career to educating students with Lynchburg City Schools. He also committed himself to the civil rights movement at a time when there were personal and professional risks to it.
"When other teachers and professionals were scared to speak up, he stood up and spoke about how we were treated," longtime activist Walter Fore said.
"At that time, I was still scared to talk because I worked in a factory, and I was worried they would fire me. But he took up that mantle and carried it very, very strongly. I don't know anyone else in this town who could match him."
Over the course of his life, Stamps would mingle with the likes of Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with whom he marched in Washington in 1963.
But his heart and home always remained in Central Virginia.
"He was a Lynchburg legend," said Rev. James Coleman, vice president of the Lynchburg Voters League. "He was intellectually brilliant. He had the erudition to walk with kings and American presidents and to entertain international personalities at his home.
"But at the same time, he had the vernacular heartbeat of the common people — people who may not have had the courage or know-how to address their pain on their own. He could move between both of those worlds. That is what made him unique."
Stamps, who often peppered his conversation with references to poets and philosophers, was known for both his stirring oratorical style and his warm sense of humor.
Never one to shy away from controversy, he was once pictured going toe-to-toe with then-mayor Joan Foster at the height of the debate over the case of Clarence Beard Jr., a black man who died of heart failure while in police custody.
Foster said the two of them met again the next day and started a conversation that ultimately evolved into the Community Dialogue on Race and Racism, an initiative that continues to this day.
"He was always willing to sit down and talk across the table," she said. "I'm going to miss him, and I know the community will miss him.
"He was a force. If he saw an injustice, he would stand up and speak and people would listen. I certainly listened."
Foster said she was shocked by Stamps' passing. She and Stamps had both taken part in a program at William Marvin Bass Elementary School just about two weeks earlier.
"He was in his element there with those children," she said. "He was so passionate about everything he did and about promoting the education of children. We had that in common. I can't believe he's gone."
Stamps mentored countless young people through his work in the schools and the community. Andre Whitehead, who's hosted his own television show since 1989, recalled stumbling across Stamps' public access show, "The Real Viewpoint," when he was in college.
"I was simply amazed at the oratorical delivery and skill Garnell had and the showmanship," Whitehead said. "Later, when I got into television, I made it my business to make sure Garnell was one of the first people I would interview."
The two struck up a decades-long friendship — Whitehead referred to them as television father and son — and Garnell helped the fledging host refine his skills.
Whitehead laughed as he recalled one particularly paternal piece of advice Stamps gave him. Whitehead, a native of Hampton Roads, once had a penchant for wearing loafers without socks, which he defended as a common trend in his beachside hometown.
"Garnell Stamps and Mayor [M.W.] Thornhill took me aside and said, ‘I don't care where you're from son. You've got to put on some socks. You've got to wear a jacket and slacks. You're a professional, and you've got to look the part.'"
Stamps was well known for his passionate political stances, but within the community he forged friendships that crossed political and philosophical divides.
State Sen. Steve Newman, a Republican, said he and Stamps started out as political foes but over time developed a friendship that spanned more than a quarter century.
"In recent years I have come to appreciate the loving spirit that Garnell had for those around him and his community," Newman said. "He had a strong sense of justice and an incredible knowledge of history. He touched so many lives and educated me about the civil rights movement."
In 2013, Stamps was part of the anniversary March on Washington, retracing the path he had traveled exactly 50 years earlier.
While organizers had golf carts available for senior citizens who couldn't traverse the long route in the summer heat, Stamps announced he was going to walk.
"It must have been two miles," said Fore, who for decades worked side by side with Stamps on community issues. "But he wanted to be out there with the young folks. That was him. And once he made up his mind, there was no use talking to him about it."
Coleman, who also was on that trip, said he was surprised when Stamps said he wanted to make the journey back to the Lincoln Memorial on foot.
"He was strong even at that point and determined," Coleman said. "That is how he will be remembered. He was a determined individual, and because of him countless others across the years have drawn the strength to keep going when they thought they couldn't continue."
Contact Alicia Petska at (434) 385-5542 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @AliciaPetska
