He was born on September 9, 1924, in Richmond to the late James T. Flowers and Lillie Clayton Flowers. His father was an independent brick contractor, and his mother was an educator who was trained at Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute.
Stafford A. Flowers received his primary education at Van de Vyver Catholic School in Richmond. In 1940, he earned a College Preparatory Diploma from Armstrong High School. As a talented tennis player Stafford accepted an athletic scholarship to Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he studied under the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. After participating on a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championship tennis team at Xavier, he transferred to Virginia State College in Ettrick. At Virginia State, Stafford quickly became a "big man on campus" as a member of the national heralded Trojan Football Team. In 1945, "The Big Staff" played on the Trojan Team that won the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) football championship. In many football circles of the 1940s, the Virginia State Football Team was known as the "Black" Notre Dame because of its balance of athletic prowess and academic excellence. He graduated from Virginia State College in 1946 with a B.S. Degree in Industrial Arts and Education, and later earned a Master's Degree in Education.
Complete obituary published in Richmond Times-Dispatch from July 22 to July 24, 2011
Information provided by FAG volunteer Val Lovelace (#47525955)
From the Times-Dispatch, Richmond, VA
Stafford A. Flowers, business and civic leader, dies at 86
(by RANDY HALLMAN)
Nothing suited him better than a challenge. As an athlete, builder and civic and business leader, Stafford Alvin Flowers rose to the occasion time and again.
Mr. Flowers' life will be celebrated at a funeral today at 11 a.m. at Ebenezer Baptist Church at 216 W. Leigh St. Interment will follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery.
He died Tuesday at Manor Care on the Imperial Plaza campus in his native Richmond. He was 86.
Mr. Flowers' son, Gary Flowers of Washington, said the values his father instilled in his children were rock-solid.
"He often said, 'Trust and duty are the most important words in your life.' And it wasn't just great advice that he gave, but also a great example," Mr. Flowers' son said. "By the way he lived his life, he showed how important church involvement was, how important civic engagement and political engagement were."
Gary Flowers, as executive director and CEO of Black Leadership Forum Inc., continues a family legacy. His grandfather, James T. Flowers, was a masonry contractor who founded a trade council for blacks. In 1968, his father, also a brick mason and owner of a contracting business, was a co-founder of the Metropolitan Business League, which represents the interests of minority firms.
He also was a regional director for the National Business League, which had evolved from the Negro Business League founded by Booker T. Washington in 1900.
Gary Flowers said his father "lived quite an extraordinary life with an egalitarian view of people. He didn't differentiate class or color. He looked at a person's soul and character. With him, it was deed over dollars, character over class. He was as comfortable with poor people as with the wealthy."
A college-prep graduate of Armstrong High School, Mr. Flowers earned a tennis scholarship to Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, where his older brother lived.
"I had taught him to play tennis," said J. Clayton Flowers, who now lives in Las Cruces, N.M. "When he came to New Orleans, he could beat me. The student had surpassed his teacher."
At Xavier, Mr. Flowers was part of a tennis team that won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national championship. Later, he would transfer to Virginia State College (now Virginia State University), where he played football.
In an era when college football was almost entirely segregated, traditionally black schools fielded powerhouse teams. Mr. Flowers was a center on offense and linebacker on defense for the unbeaten 1945 Virginia State team that trounced North Carolina Central 20-0 in the Tobacco Bowl.
After he graduated from Virginia State, Mr. Flowers went into business with his father. A journeyman bricklayer, he helped his father plan and execute major projects along the east coast.
For a year, he taught masonry at Central Institute in Newark, N.J. Later he would teach industrial arts at Virginia Randolph High School in Henrico County.
From 1952 to 1964, Mr. Flowers owned and operated his contracting business in Richmond. Among his employees was Ernest Walker, a graduate of Armstrong High rival Maggie Walker High School.
"He wanted me to continue my education," said Walker. "He knew I was an athlete, and he recruited me to go to Virginia State and play football. He was the reason I went to college.
"He helped me. He helped a lot of young men. He was truly a selfless person."
Walker said Mr. Flowers was still a first-rate tennis player, though his college days were years past. "As an older gent, he was quite on time, as we liked to say, quite on time."
What's more, Mr. Flowers would sometimes refresh his bricklaying skills on a job site. "I toted plenty of bricks for him," Walker said. "He could draw the line and lay the brick."
Mr. Flowers' son said his father had other talents, too.
"My mother and father were arguably the best ballroom dancers of their day," Gary Flowers said. "He would glide my mother across the dance floor — and along the edges so everyone could see them."
He said his father could be a tough disciplinarian. "He had a little poem: 'The best way to teach the mind starts at the behind and goes up the spine.' He expected you to do the right thing, and if you did he would support you. He told us that if we got into trouble and were right, 'I'll burn the jailhouse down — but if you're wrong, I'm not coming to see you.'"
Mr. Flowers' brother chuckled at the idea of his younger brother — the youngest of five siblings — as a stern parent.
"He was the baby of our family," said Clayton Flowers, "and he was the one who was spoiled. I guess you wouldn't say it ruined him."
In addition to his brother and son, survivors include his wife of more than six decades, Ellalee Fountain Flowers; and a daughter, Jan Yolette Flowers, both of Richmond.
See complete article at Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Stafford A. Flowers received his primary education at Van de Vyver Catholic School in Richmond. In 1940, he earned a College Preparatory Diploma from Armstrong High School. As a talented tennis player Stafford accepted an athletic scholarship to Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he studied under the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. After participating on a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championship tennis team at Xavier, he transferred to Virginia State College in Ettrick. At Virginia State, Stafford quickly became a "big man on campus" as a member of the national heralded Trojan Football Team. In 1945, "The Big Staff" played on the Trojan Team that won the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) football championship. In many football circles of the 1940s, the Virginia State Football Team was known as the "Black" Notre Dame because of its balance of athletic prowess and academic excellence. He graduated from Virginia State College in 1946 with a B.S. Degree in Industrial Arts and Education, and later earned a Master's Degree in Education.
Complete obituary published in Richmond Times-Dispatch from July 22 to July 24, 2011
Information provided by FAG volunteer Val Lovelace (#47525955)
From the Times-Dispatch, Richmond, VA
Stafford A. Flowers, business and civic leader, dies at 86
(by RANDY HALLMAN)
Nothing suited him better than a challenge. As an athlete, builder and civic and business leader, Stafford Alvin Flowers rose to the occasion time and again.
Mr. Flowers' life will be celebrated at a funeral today at 11 a.m. at Ebenezer Baptist Church at 216 W. Leigh St. Interment will follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery.
He died Tuesday at Manor Care on the Imperial Plaza campus in his native Richmond. He was 86.
Mr. Flowers' son, Gary Flowers of Washington, said the values his father instilled in his children were rock-solid.
"He often said, 'Trust and duty are the most important words in your life.' And it wasn't just great advice that he gave, but also a great example," Mr. Flowers' son said. "By the way he lived his life, he showed how important church involvement was, how important civic engagement and political engagement were."
Gary Flowers, as executive director and CEO of Black Leadership Forum Inc., continues a family legacy. His grandfather, James T. Flowers, was a masonry contractor who founded a trade council for blacks. In 1968, his father, also a brick mason and owner of a contracting business, was a co-founder of the Metropolitan Business League, which represents the interests of minority firms.
He also was a regional director for the National Business League, which had evolved from the Negro Business League founded by Booker T. Washington in 1900.
Gary Flowers said his father "lived quite an extraordinary life with an egalitarian view of people. He didn't differentiate class or color. He looked at a person's soul and character. With him, it was deed over dollars, character over class. He was as comfortable with poor people as with the wealthy."
A college-prep graduate of Armstrong High School, Mr. Flowers earned a tennis scholarship to Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, where his older brother lived.
"I had taught him to play tennis," said J. Clayton Flowers, who now lives in Las Cruces, N.M. "When he came to New Orleans, he could beat me. The student had surpassed his teacher."
At Xavier, Mr. Flowers was part of a tennis team that won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national championship. Later, he would transfer to Virginia State College (now Virginia State University), where he played football.
In an era when college football was almost entirely segregated, traditionally black schools fielded powerhouse teams. Mr. Flowers was a center on offense and linebacker on defense for the unbeaten 1945 Virginia State team that trounced North Carolina Central 20-0 in the Tobacco Bowl.
After he graduated from Virginia State, Mr. Flowers went into business with his father. A journeyman bricklayer, he helped his father plan and execute major projects along the east coast.
For a year, he taught masonry at Central Institute in Newark, N.J. Later he would teach industrial arts at Virginia Randolph High School in Henrico County.
From 1952 to 1964, Mr. Flowers owned and operated his contracting business in Richmond. Among his employees was Ernest Walker, a graduate of Armstrong High rival Maggie Walker High School.
"He wanted me to continue my education," said Walker. "He knew I was an athlete, and he recruited me to go to Virginia State and play football. He was the reason I went to college.
"He helped me. He helped a lot of young men. He was truly a selfless person."
Walker said Mr. Flowers was still a first-rate tennis player, though his college days were years past. "As an older gent, he was quite on time, as we liked to say, quite on time."
What's more, Mr. Flowers would sometimes refresh his bricklaying skills on a job site. "I toted plenty of bricks for him," Walker said. "He could draw the line and lay the brick."
Mr. Flowers' son said his father had other talents, too.
"My mother and father were arguably the best ballroom dancers of their day," Gary Flowers said. "He would glide my mother across the dance floor — and along the edges so everyone could see them."
He said his father could be a tough disciplinarian. "He had a little poem: 'The best way to teach the mind starts at the behind and goes up the spine.' He expected you to do the right thing, and if you did he would support you. He told us that if we got into trouble and were right, 'I'll burn the jailhouse down — but if you're wrong, I'm not coming to see you.'"
Mr. Flowers' brother chuckled at the idea of his younger brother — the youngest of five siblings — as a stern parent.
"He was the baby of our family," said Clayton Flowers, "and he was the one who was spoiled. I guess you wouldn't say it ruined him."
In addition to his brother and son, survivors include his wife of more than six decades, Ellalee Fountain Flowers; and a daughter, Jan Yolette Flowers, both of Richmond.
See complete article at Richmond Times-Dispatch.
He was born on September 9, 1924, in Richmond to the late James T. Flowers and Lillie Clayton Flowers. His father was an independent brick contractor, and his mother was an educator who was trained at Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute.
Stafford A. Flowers received his primary education at Van de Vyver Catholic School in Richmond. In 1940, he earned a College Preparatory Diploma from Armstrong High School. As a talented tennis player Stafford accepted an athletic scholarship to Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he studied under the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. After participating on a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championship tennis team at Xavier, he transferred to Virginia State College in Ettrick. At Virginia State, Stafford quickly became a "big man on campus" as a member of the national heralded Trojan Football Team. In 1945, "The Big Staff" played on the Trojan Team that won the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) football championship. In many football circles of the 1940s, the Virginia State Football Team was known as the "Black" Notre Dame because of its balance of athletic prowess and academic excellence. He graduated from Virginia State College in 1946 with a B.S. Degree in Industrial Arts and Education, and later earned a Master's Degree in Education.
Complete obituary published in Richmond Times-Dispatch from July 22 to July 24, 2011
Information provided by FAG volunteer Val Lovelace (#47525955)
From the Times-Dispatch, Richmond, VA
Stafford A. Flowers, business and civic leader, dies at 86
(by RANDY HALLMAN)
Nothing suited him better than a challenge. As an athlete, builder and civic and business leader, Stafford Alvin Flowers rose to the occasion time and again.
Mr. Flowers' life will be celebrated at a funeral today at 11 a.m. at Ebenezer Baptist Church at 216 W. Leigh St. Interment will follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery.
He died Tuesday at Manor Care on the Imperial Plaza campus in his native Richmond. He was 86.
Mr. Flowers' son, Gary Flowers of Washington, said the values his father instilled in his children were rock-solid.
"He often said, 'Trust and duty are the most important words in your life.' And it wasn't just great advice that he gave, but also a great example," Mr. Flowers' son said. "By the way he lived his life, he showed how important church involvement was, how important civic engagement and political engagement were."
Gary Flowers, as executive director and CEO of Black Leadership Forum Inc., continues a family legacy. His grandfather, James T. Flowers, was a masonry contractor who founded a trade council for blacks. In 1968, his father, also a brick mason and owner of a contracting business, was a co-founder of the Metropolitan Business League, which represents the interests of minority firms.
He also was a regional director for the National Business League, which had evolved from the Negro Business League founded by Booker T. Washington in 1900.
Gary Flowers said his father "lived quite an extraordinary life with an egalitarian view of people. He didn't differentiate class or color. He looked at a person's soul and character. With him, it was deed over dollars, character over class. He was as comfortable with poor people as with the wealthy."
A college-prep graduate of Armstrong High School, Mr. Flowers earned a tennis scholarship to Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, where his older brother lived.
"I had taught him to play tennis," said J. Clayton Flowers, who now lives in Las Cruces, N.M. "When he came to New Orleans, he could beat me. The student had surpassed his teacher."
At Xavier, Mr. Flowers was part of a tennis team that won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national championship. Later, he would transfer to Virginia State College (now Virginia State University), where he played football.
In an era when college football was almost entirely segregated, traditionally black schools fielded powerhouse teams. Mr. Flowers was a center on offense and linebacker on defense for the unbeaten 1945 Virginia State team that trounced North Carolina Central 20-0 in the Tobacco Bowl.
After he graduated from Virginia State, Mr. Flowers went into business with his father. A journeyman bricklayer, he helped his father plan and execute major projects along the east coast.
For a year, he taught masonry at Central Institute in Newark, N.J. Later he would teach industrial arts at Virginia Randolph High School in Henrico County.
From 1952 to 1964, Mr. Flowers owned and operated his contracting business in Richmond. Among his employees was Ernest Walker, a graduate of Armstrong High rival Maggie Walker High School.
"He wanted me to continue my education," said Walker. "He knew I was an athlete, and he recruited me to go to Virginia State and play football. He was the reason I went to college.
"He helped me. He helped a lot of young men. He was truly a selfless person."
Walker said Mr. Flowers was still a first-rate tennis player, though his college days were years past. "As an older gent, he was quite on time, as we liked to say, quite on time."
What's more, Mr. Flowers would sometimes refresh his bricklaying skills on a job site. "I toted plenty of bricks for him," Walker said. "He could draw the line and lay the brick."
Mr. Flowers' son said his father had other talents, too.
"My mother and father were arguably the best ballroom dancers of their day," Gary Flowers said. "He would glide my mother across the dance floor — and along the edges so everyone could see them."
He said his father could be a tough disciplinarian. "He had a little poem: 'The best way to teach the mind starts at the behind and goes up the spine.' He expected you to do the right thing, and if you did he would support you. He told us that if we got into trouble and were right, 'I'll burn the jailhouse down — but if you're wrong, I'm not coming to see you.'"
Mr. Flowers' brother chuckled at the idea of his younger brother — the youngest of five siblings — as a stern parent.
"He was the baby of our family," said Clayton Flowers, "and he was the one who was spoiled. I guess you wouldn't say it ruined him."
In addition to his brother and son, survivors include his wife of more than six decades, Ellalee Fountain Flowers; and a daughter, Jan Yolette Flowers, both of Richmond.
See complete article at Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Stafford A. Flowers received his primary education at Van de Vyver Catholic School in Richmond. In 1940, he earned a College Preparatory Diploma from Armstrong High School. As a talented tennis player Stafford accepted an athletic scholarship to Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he studied under the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. After participating on a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championship tennis team at Xavier, he transferred to Virginia State College in Ettrick. At Virginia State, Stafford quickly became a "big man on campus" as a member of the national heralded Trojan Football Team. In 1945, "The Big Staff" played on the Trojan Team that won the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) football championship. In many football circles of the 1940s, the Virginia State Football Team was known as the "Black" Notre Dame because of its balance of athletic prowess and academic excellence. He graduated from Virginia State College in 1946 with a B.S. Degree in Industrial Arts and Education, and later earned a Master's Degree in Education.
Complete obituary published in Richmond Times-Dispatch from July 22 to July 24, 2011
Information provided by FAG volunteer Val Lovelace (#47525955)
From the Times-Dispatch, Richmond, VA
Stafford A. Flowers, business and civic leader, dies at 86
(by RANDY HALLMAN)
Nothing suited him better than a challenge. As an athlete, builder and civic and business leader, Stafford Alvin Flowers rose to the occasion time and again.
Mr. Flowers' life will be celebrated at a funeral today at 11 a.m. at Ebenezer Baptist Church at 216 W. Leigh St. Interment will follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery.
He died Tuesday at Manor Care on the Imperial Plaza campus in his native Richmond. He was 86.
Mr. Flowers' son, Gary Flowers of Washington, said the values his father instilled in his children were rock-solid.
"He often said, 'Trust and duty are the most important words in your life.' And it wasn't just great advice that he gave, but also a great example," Mr. Flowers' son said. "By the way he lived his life, he showed how important church involvement was, how important civic engagement and political engagement were."
Gary Flowers, as executive director and CEO of Black Leadership Forum Inc., continues a family legacy. His grandfather, James T. Flowers, was a masonry contractor who founded a trade council for blacks. In 1968, his father, also a brick mason and owner of a contracting business, was a co-founder of the Metropolitan Business League, which represents the interests of minority firms.
He also was a regional director for the National Business League, which had evolved from the Negro Business League founded by Booker T. Washington in 1900.
Gary Flowers said his father "lived quite an extraordinary life with an egalitarian view of people. He didn't differentiate class or color. He looked at a person's soul and character. With him, it was deed over dollars, character over class. He was as comfortable with poor people as with the wealthy."
A college-prep graduate of Armstrong High School, Mr. Flowers earned a tennis scholarship to Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, where his older brother lived.
"I had taught him to play tennis," said J. Clayton Flowers, who now lives in Las Cruces, N.M. "When he came to New Orleans, he could beat me. The student had surpassed his teacher."
At Xavier, Mr. Flowers was part of a tennis team that won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national championship. Later, he would transfer to Virginia State College (now Virginia State University), where he played football.
In an era when college football was almost entirely segregated, traditionally black schools fielded powerhouse teams. Mr. Flowers was a center on offense and linebacker on defense for the unbeaten 1945 Virginia State team that trounced North Carolina Central 20-0 in the Tobacco Bowl.
After he graduated from Virginia State, Mr. Flowers went into business with his father. A journeyman bricklayer, he helped his father plan and execute major projects along the east coast.
For a year, he taught masonry at Central Institute in Newark, N.J. Later he would teach industrial arts at Virginia Randolph High School in Henrico County.
From 1952 to 1964, Mr. Flowers owned and operated his contracting business in Richmond. Among his employees was Ernest Walker, a graduate of Armstrong High rival Maggie Walker High School.
"He wanted me to continue my education," said Walker. "He knew I was an athlete, and he recruited me to go to Virginia State and play football. He was the reason I went to college.
"He helped me. He helped a lot of young men. He was truly a selfless person."
Walker said Mr. Flowers was still a first-rate tennis player, though his college days were years past. "As an older gent, he was quite on time, as we liked to say, quite on time."
What's more, Mr. Flowers would sometimes refresh his bricklaying skills on a job site. "I toted plenty of bricks for him," Walker said. "He could draw the line and lay the brick."
Mr. Flowers' son said his father had other talents, too.
"My mother and father were arguably the best ballroom dancers of their day," Gary Flowers said. "He would glide my mother across the dance floor — and along the edges so everyone could see them."
He said his father could be a tough disciplinarian. "He had a little poem: 'The best way to teach the mind starts at the behind and goes up the spine.' He expected you to do the right thing, and if you did he would support you. He told us that if we got into trouble and were right, 'I'll burn the jailhouse down — but if you're wrong, I'm not coming to see you.'"
Mr. Flowers' brother chuckled at the idea of his younger brother — the youngest of five siblings — as a stern parent.
"He was the baby of our family," said Clayton Flowers, "and he was the one who was spoiled. I guess you wouldn't say it ruined him."
In addition to his brother and son, survivors include his wife of more than six decades, Ellalee Fountain Flowers; and a daughter, Jan Yolette Flowers, both of Richmond.
See complete article at Richmond Times-Dispatch.
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