On October 11, 2007, with family, friends and faculty and staff in attendance, MCC - Penn Valley celebrated the retirement of Reverend Wallace S. Hartsfield as he stepped down from the pulpit at Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church. The event included a luncheon on the fifth floor of the Campus Center, and a community reception in the Carter Art Center.

Hartsfield, who served at Metropolitan Baptist for over forty years, was also active within the African American community as a social advocate for civil rights, social equality, and AIDS intervention within the community as well as nationally.

Hartsfield is an active member of the NAACP and several other organizations in the black community. He is also one of many area pastors who participate in the annual Black Churches Week of Prayer For the Healing of AIDS. This week-long event is designed to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic within communities of color. He also attends the annual World AIDS Day Breakfast.

Among those present at the luncheon were MCC Chancellor Dr. Jackie Snyder, MCC-Penn Valley President Dr. Bernard Franklin, Dean of Student Services Thomas Walker, and Division Chair of Social Sciences Dr. Karen Curls.

"When I first was appointed President of Penn Valley, I turned to Reverend Hartsfield for his advice and guidance; I still do," said Snyder. Franklin and Walker concurred. Curls said she has worked with Hartsfield on a number of projects.

Following lunch, Snyder and Franklin awarded Hartsfield with a special plaque for his contributions to Penn Valley and the community. "We wanted to do our own thing," stated Dr. Bernard Franklin during the luncheon. "We wanted to show you our appreciation. So we wanted you to know that today we are establishing the Wallace S. Hartsfield MCC-Penn Valley Scholarship for Developmental Students," Franlin said.

"You have been a friend of Penn Valley and we did not want to have a major city event without having you come here so we could honor you," Franklin said. "I want you to know that I believe in you so much and I believe in your work. We sincerely appreciate who you are and what you have been to us."

The scholarship will be endowed through the MCC Foundation, with the cooperation of Hartsfield, his family and the Foundation, to determine who will receive the scholarship.

"This will not be for the kids who can get support somewhere else," said Franklin. "This will be for those who really need the support. This is what you are about and always will be about. So we thank you for your leadership, thank you for your encouragement and thank you for being who you are."

"I had no idea that this (event) was going be like this," said Hartsfield. "God has blessed me. This is a joy. Taking on the responsibility of caring for another involves some pain. It’s much like a mother and a child," he said.

"From the time the doctor spanks that baby on the butt, the mother takes on the pain of raising that child," continued Hartsfield. "Here he is in a new world. Who is going to be there to guide that child? Such as it is, if you are going to take on that responsibility, be ready to experience the pain. But also be ready to experience the joy. Thank you."

Following the ceremony, guests, faculty, and staff proceeded to the Carter Art Center for refreshments and a chance to congratulate Hartsfield on his involvement in the community, his retirement and the establishment of the scholarship. Hartsfield said that, although he is retiring, he plans to remain active within the community.

Copyright 2007 Metropolitan Community College