T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History Collection

ABSTRACT

INTERVIEWEE NAME:    Vaughn, J.W.              COLLECTION:   4700.1588

IDENTIFICATION:    Baton Rouge resident, active participant in many community and social

                                        organizations

INTERVIEWER:    Nita Clark

PROJECT:     McKinley 5:  Social Organizations

INTERVIEW DATES:    June 5, 2002

FOCUS DATES:    1990s-2002

ABSTRACT:

Tape 3169, Side A

Born in Baton Rouge, February 4,1930; grew up in South Baton Rouge; has two master’s degrees: secondary education, and administration and supervision; Vaughn has grown tremendously in the field of helping people; is chairman of the Board of Deacons at Mt. Zion First Baptist Church; involvement with the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Lions Club and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc; involvement with Masons; sees his role as motivating people and helping youth acquire self esteem; goals of his organizations include visiting sick, distributing scholarships, educating and empowering; religious motivation for his work; history of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; Project Alpha, the fraternity’s teenage pregnancy program; eye health program of Lions Club; Masons’ Camp Chicota Youth Camp in St. Landry, LA; Project Alpha’s Go to High School and Go to College programs; voter education; Project Alpha’s Beautillion, which presents young men to society; organizational structure of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; organizational structure of Masonic lodges; impact of his organizations on East Baton Rouge; outreach to prisoners; clean up campaigns; fixing up the homes of poor seniors; helping seniors with home security and meal planning; financial contributions to churches; sees his organizations as advocates for the poor, the needy, the feeble, and the sick; misconceptions about Masonry; upcoming Masonic activities; need for young members to join organization and carry on work; Alpha Phi Alpha’s twice yearly recruitment drives; other organizations in community; Vaughn recently raised twenty-eight thousand dollars for YMCA; thinks community organizations should work together more; suggestions for learning about more community organizations; older Baton Rouge social organizations; youth ministry; youth shouldn’t alter their appearance in unnatural ways; description of Eastern Stars, Masonry organization for girls and women; benevolent aims of Masons; Mason’s career education event for boys; Vaughn founded Black Achievers Program at YMCA; believes people can do what they want to, regardless of race, if they put their mind to it; young people nowadays don’t know how to save money; advice to granddaughters; salaries and lifestyle of his two daughters.

TAPES: 1  (T3169)                                           TOTAL PLAYING TIME:  32 minutes

# PAGES TRANSCRIPT:   18

OTHER MATERIALS:  Correspondence

RESTRICTIONS:  None