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area and, when Brother Matthew Dawson relocated (also for a new job), Brother Sutton was tapped to succeed him as State Director of Georgia. He was then elected Southern Vice President and returned to the Board of Directors for a second stint. Following two terms in that position, he was named Chairman of the Committee on Public Policy by the man he succeeds, General President James R. Williams. "Commitment, Involvement and Service" are the watchwords Brother Ozell Sutton brings to his new position as head of the nation's oldest Black college fraternity. They are evidenced in his work within Alpha Phi Alpha and his community — where he is extremely active. He is President of the Greater Loch Lomond Community Organization; a member of the Executive Board of the Atlanta NAACP; and a member of the Board of Trustees of Friendship Baptist Church. He also serves as President of the Southeast Association of Black Federal Officials and, as previously mentioned, a member of the Board of Trustees of his alma mater. After the marches and demonstrations; the professional work; and volunteer service, inside the Fraternity and elsewhere, Brother Sutton has worked to remember how it was . . . and move forward. As for the minor obstacles he encountered along the way, his hometown newspaper put it best, "He Can Laugh About It Now!" And, he does. All the obstacles he has encountered have pretty much been surmounted. And Brother Sutton is quick to give credit to his mother (his father died when he was three) — and his wife and children. His wife, Joanna, is a former schoolteacher, both in Atlanta and Arkansas. She is now a community relations specialist for the Community Relations Administration. His oldest 8
Alpha's New First Couple: Ozell & Joanna Sutton
daughter is Angela Sutton Martin, who still lives in Little Rock and works for American Airlines. His two other daughters are Alta Sutton Pratt-Ansa and Dietre Jo, the latter a senior Philosophy major at Howard University. Ozell and Joanna have three grandchildren — Samuel Martin, Jr.; Angela Martin; and Afrika Jonee Pratt-Ansa. We close this profile with what just has to be Brother Sutton's favorite story. The plot is something like this: When he was a boy, his mother argued with a plantation owner about the amount of money the family owed at the plantation store. Mrs. Sutton wouldn't retreat, and the family was tossed off the planta-
tion. Later, when he was assistant to Governor Rockefeller, a secretary called him to meet with a gentleman who'd come to see the governor. Of course, it was the plantation owner, who didn't recognize Ozell (naturally). Making himself at home behind the governor's desk, Brother Sutton kept the man waiting a little while and then asked the man if he could be of some help. The powerful planter began to explain who he was, but Sutton interrupted — noting that they had already met by saying, "I'm Lula Belle's youngest boy." "I'll be damned," was the planter's reply — over, and over, and over again! He left without ever saying why he came. Brother Sutton is still laughing. . The Sphinx / Winter 1 9 8 0