Editor’s Note: Longtime Indianola native Sylvester Roberts passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic. His daughter, Shewonia Bowman requested this space to express her thoughts about her dad on the week of the first Father’s Day without him and to pay tribute to his life’s accomplishments.
On Wednesday, February 17, a little after 9 AM, I heard those words, “Dad did not make it.” I never saw you leaving, and I never got a chance to say good-bye. Those words still bring a chill down my neck every time I think about that day.
They say breathing is the first thing we do coming into this life and breathing is the last thing we do leaving this life.
You breathed life into me, and I am so very grateful that God chose you to be my father.
Since that day, my very existence has changed , and my focus has been centered around the things that truly matter - my family, my faith and my life. I will always belong to you because we share the same blood and a piece of your heart that you gave me so long ago.
First, thank you for my collection of experiences.
My memories of my childhood are filled with countless journeys we shared together like dancing to Sam Cooke during our Friday night fish fry with me standing on your shoes.
You taught me how to drive in your old Ford and loved me even though I accidentally knocked over a brick mailbox. When you discovered the run-in, you did not get upset, you merely told me to call the homeowners and explain what happened and that I would care for the repairs. You accepted that I stowed away in the back seat of your car just so I could work with you and assist at the store.
Because you knew I had a passion for working at our store greeting the customers and working the register, you permitted me to stay. You took us on summer vacations to discover new places and adventures.
Travel was important to you, and you wanted us to build life experiences and gain a better understanding of the world beyond our four walls.
Thank you for teaching me to dream. While I struggled to determine a path after high school you allowed me to charter my own course without hesitation.
When I decided to go out of state and study engineering you said “You can do it! Sweethang, you can do anything you put your mind to.” You have always been my biggest fan and supporter. Believing in me more than I believed in myself and loving me from the depths of your soul.
I appreciate the examples you set; being a principled, compassionate human being.
During my first two years in college, you called me every Sunday to check in and to say hello. I didn’t know this at the time, but you were lifting me up and giving me the strength needed to endure and complete my studies.
Thank you for calling and saying you loved me and you were proud of me. During my junior year of college, we purchased my first car and during this encounter you taught me how to negotiate.
You were a persuasive speaker and negotiator. I was so impressed with the way you closed the deal, instructing the agent with what we were willing to pay and then asking him to include floor mats at no cost.
Thank you, I get this ability from you.
After the birth of my first child, the first granddaughter, you and mom flew to Milwaukee to assist me.
My first born had medical challenges that had me in a melancholy mood and crying for days. You noticed that I was in pain and frightened about the days ahead. You told me once again that I could do this, and you made me believe that I could. You said I was meant to be her mother; she came through me, for me, and I would give her the best medical attention and love I could provide. Thank you for giving me lessons to be resilient to raise two young women, I lean into the life lessons and examples you set for me.
You are a strong and loving force in my life, and I will strive each day to fulfill the lessons you taught. My heart aches for my mom who lost her life partner of 56 years, and I can hear your melodic voice telling me, “You can do this”... and I can, and I will care for her, my mom.
I would love to dance with my father again...
Sylvester Roberts’ stellar life accomplishments and achievements serve as a signaling beacon for others to emulate.
Upon his passing, he left a rich legacy for his family, friends, and community.
His dynamic and influential impact touched the lives of so many in Indianola and surrounding cities and towns. His leadership style and purposeful enthusiasm was of such high caliber that any goal he set, he achieved. He was a visionary who looked beyond where sky and land meet to the horizon not yet explored. With him, there was no such thing as an impossibility. Through his strong spirituality, he believed that all things were possible through hard work, perseverance, dedication, and commitment.
First and foremost, he was a provider. Together, he and his loving wife, Willie E. Roberts, a dedicated and outstanding retired educator who taught at Carver Elementary School forged a great partnership. They raised a Christ-centered family, while working towards the betterment of the Indianola community. His love for his four children; Cassandra, Shewonia, Sylvester Jr, and Ashanta was evident by ensuring that they attain their life goals and academic endeavors. He was a phenomenal father, grandfather, uncle, and friend. He enjoyed music -- especially the blues and Sam Cooke. He had a hearty laugh that would fill the room and a rich tone that captured you immediately. Mostly, he was known for teaching us life lessons; the principles of honesty, self-respect, and dignity.
His home provided a haven for his siblings and in-laws as they commuted to Mississippi Valley State University in pursuit of their undergraduate degrees. He and his wife, in the truest sense, exemplified a caring nature in being unselfish and supporting those who needed some assistance on their journey. Sylvester always accentuated the positive and was always proactive. He did not wait for things to happen. He made things happen. As an entrepreneur, he established a food produce service which served fresh produce to local stores in the Mississippi Delta. His business endeavors also included the opening of convenience stores in Clarksdale, Cleveland, Doddsville, and Indianola. In his early years in Indianola, he operated Club Ebony, a popular nightclub featuring such artists like B.B. King, Bobby Bland, Tyrone Davis and others. Now a cultural landmark that is intricately associated with the B.B. King Museum, it is a special place in the history of the Delta.
In addition to his business ventures, he engaged with Sunflower and surrounding counties in serving as Executive Director for Sunflower-Humphreys Counties Progress, Inc. (SHCPI) which under his auspices coordinated Head Start and other essential programs to provide early education for children.
This empathy for others was rooted in his upbringing in his hometown of Philadelphia, MS, and later at Piney Woods Junior College, Rust College, and Jackson State University.
He realized that in this leadership position, he had a duty to ensure that the community he lived in was well served. As a grant writer, he applied and was awarded funding to improve education and the well-being of all impacted.
Community service did not stop with his leadership as executive director but continued with his service as a faithful and longtime member of the Raspberry United Methodist Church. He was a Sunday school teacher and one of the founders of the Raspberry Men’s Club, where he initiated and spearheaded efforts for community improvement pertaining to the youth and addressing opportunities. He sought to aid and assist young people in their educational needs transitioning from their secondary schooling to undergraduate matriculation. In addition to community service, he served as a coach of the basketball team and was an avid golfer learning the sport when he worked as a caddy in Philadelphia. In all of this, he consistently met with school superintendents, mayors, organizational leaders, and financial officers to bring his empowering vision as it related to the youth and community to fruition.
He kept his eyes on the prize as failure was not in his DNA. Sylvester Roberts has left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of all who knew him. In his profession, he provided job opportunities to so many. In his passing, the Indianola community as well as his county and state lost a giant whose deeds will stand forever.
One of his favorite quotes from Mother Teresa epitomizes his being. She stated, “The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.” In spite of the obstacles, he did his best anyway.
It was at the superlative degree and a job well done. He can rest in peace in this assurance.
By Shewonia Bowman
