Heroes & Legends
Our Heroes and Legends page is dedicated to exploring the lives and stories of Springfield Baptist Church Members that have made an impact on history, culture or our way of life. They are individuals who inspire others through their actions, bravery, and unwavering dedication. We hope that by bringing their stories to light, we can all learn from their experiences and enrich the tapestry of knowledge that exists outside the narrative of our own time and culture.
Xanthene Norris
As an educator and community leader, Xanthene Sayles Norris has established an exemplary career of public service and civic engagement.
Born in Winston Salem, N.C., Norris grew up and attended public schools in Greenville, S.C. She graduated from Sterling High School in 1946 as the valedictorian of her class. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Clark College in Atlanta, Ga. and a master’s degree from Furman University in Greenville. She is a retired educator who served as a Greenville County teacher, high school counselor, and adult education director.
Norris was the Past Executive Director of the local Miss America Palmetto Scholarship Program, and past Chairman of the A.J. Whittenberg Academic Scholarship. She has been an annual Greenville County Democratic Party State Convention delegate since 1997 and was a State Democratic Party delegate to the 2004 and 2012 Democratic Party National Conventions.
Because of her diplomacy, initiative, and determination to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Greenville County officially observed the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday for the first time, on January 16, 2006, and as a continuing national celebration.
Norris served as a Greenville County Councilwoman representing District 23 for five terms. She is a Trustee, the Past College Ministry Chair, and the past Personnel Chair of the historic Springfield Baptist Church. Additionally, Norris is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a life member of the NAACP, a board member of the Peace Center, and the past United Negro College Fund Upstate Chair. In 2016, the Greenville Business Magazine selected Norris as one of the fifty most influential people in Greenville.
South Carolina African American History Calendar
A.J. Whittenberg
Abraham Jonah Whittenberg was born in 1918, one of fourteen children in Fork Shoals, S.C. At sixteen he moved to Simpsonville to attend St. Alban’s Training School, graduating in 1931.
In 1941, Whittenberg married Eva McGowan, and together they were active members of Springfield Baptist Church, where Whittenberg served as a trustee and taught Sunday School. He opened Whittenberg’s Service Station in Greenville, but he was forced to close it due to reprisals against his business due to his civil rights activities.
In 1959, Whittenberg was the president of the Greenville NAACP when he hosted Jackie Robinson to speak at the South Carolina NAACP conference. After Robinson and other African Americans were threatened with arrest for sitting in a “whites only” section of the Greenville Airport, Whittenberg helped organize a major march on January 1, 1960, which drew over a thousand participants and attracted national attention.
For the Whittenberg family, civil rights was a shared commitment. A. J. Whittenberg, Jr. was arrested for demonstrating against segregation in 1960. In 1963, Whittenberg and his attorneys filed a lawsuit that enabled his daughter, Elaine, to transfer schools, leading her to become one of the first African American students to desegregate Greenville schools in 1964.
Since Whittenberg’s early membership in the South Carolina Progressive Democratic Party in the 1940s, he regularly pursued public office. He served as chairman of the Greenville City Election Commission, vice chairman of Voter Registration for the Greenville County Democratic Party, and as a delegate to the 1972 Democratic Party National Convention. Not long after Whittenberg’s passing in 2001, a Greenville elementary school was named in honor to his civil service.
South Carolina African American History Calendar
Dr. Levi S. Kirkland
Dr. Levi S. Kirkland, Sr. was born in Westville, SC on September 13, 1926, Dr. Kirkland, aka "LS", was the third born of the four children of the late Grover and Estelle Kirkland. After graduating from Mather Academy in Camden, SC, Dr. Kirkland matriculated to Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. While at Morehouse College, his life experiences grew from being drafted into the Navy during the Korean War, pledging Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and enjoying a friendship with his classmate, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After graduation, Dr. Kirkland continued his education in Washington, DC at Howard University where he received his Masters of Science degree in Biology. Dr. Kirkland earned his medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN in 1954. Following an internship at Jersey City Medical Center, Dr. Kirkland's surgery residency training was at Tuskegee Veterans Administration Hospital in Tuskegee, Alabama.
On March 26, 1955, Dr. Kirkland married Mary Lula Pratt and to this union was born two children, Levi Singleton, Jr. and Gail Alicia. The Kirkland family moved to Greenville, SC in 1961. Shortly thereafter, familial faith was strengthened by joining Springfield Baptist Church. Dr. Kirkland was a faithful and supportive member and was installed as a trustee in 1975.
Dr. Kirkland's involvement in religious, professional, and civic activities brought him immense pleasure and fulfillment. He was not just a member but a significant contributor and leader in many organizations. From Springfield Baptist Church, Dr. Kirkland received both the Brotherhood Award for Dedicated Service to the Church and the Community and the Black Heritage Award in Medicine. Also, Dr. Kirkland was awarded the Greenville Black Image Award from the Tree of Life Education and Missionary Baptist Church.
Dr. Kirkland was a trailblazer as he was the first African American surgeon in Greenville, SC. He played an instrumental role in integrating the Greenville Health System. Due to his professionalism and service, Dr. Kirkland was the recipient of the Honors Living Legend Award from the NAACP, the Meharry Medical College President's Award for 25 years of Service to Mankind, and the Trailblazer Award for many years of medical services to the citizens of Greenville and surrounding counties. The Palmetto Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Association also issued a public acknowledgment to Dr. Kirkland for 40 Plus Years of Loyal Service to humanity. Being a man of the Mu Pi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Dr. Kirkland had a great understanding of public service and loyalty to the community. He received the Mu Phi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Lifetime Achievement Award and was the Henry M. Minton Fellow Awardee of the Boule Foundation for his generous support of its aims and programs. In 2017, Dr. Kirkland was honored to receive the Oath of the Palmetto. This honor is granted by the governor and is the state's highest civilian honor awarded to citizens of South Carolina for extraordinary lifetime services and achievements of national or statewide significance.
The Greenville News
Lottie Gibson
Lottie Beal Gibson was born in Seneca, South Carolina, in 1930. She moved to West Greenville a few years later.
For more than 60 years, Lottie Gibson was a one-woman crusader for Greenville’s poor and disenfranchised. Gibson was an outspoken social activist, widely known and respected for her work with families who were homeless and bereaved. She cut through the red tape to provide human and material resources for the sick, unemployed, imprisoned and other citizens in need. A voice for the voiceless, she was always accessible no matter the day, time or weather.
Known as a pioneer in all areas of human relations, Gibson worked for many civic and educational organizations on the local, state and national levels to promote economic and social equality. She served as chairperson for the Board of Directors of Sunbelt Human Advancement Resources, Inc., a Life Member of the NAACP and an active member with its Greenville branch. Gibson was also a founding member of the Democratic Women of Greenville County, and a charter member of the Epsilon Tau Omega chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She served on the Personnel and Program Committee for the SC Council of Educational Opportunity Program, and the United Way of Greenville County Community Planning Council. She also played a vital role in the fight to recognize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as a holiday in Greenville County.
Gibson was employed at Greenville Technical College, where she served as the college’s first Director of Federal TRIO Programs for disadvantaged students and directed Student Support Services. In addition, Gibson represented District 25 on the Greenville County Council for more than 25 years. While there, she served on the Planning and Development Committee, Public Safety & Human Services Committee and was a liaison for the County Council to the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission.
She was a faithful member of Springfield Baptist Church and an NAACP Freedom Fighter — helped form the Rainbow Push Coalition and participated in protests as a teenager when Willie Earle was lynched in the 1940s in Pickens County.
Gibson received numerous public awards, recognitions and citations, including the prestigious Jefferson Award for her service to humanity. The Phoenix Center named the Lottie Beal Gibson Center of Excellence in her honor because of her endless advocacy efforts for people who struggle with addiction and substance abuse.