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Mr. Willie T. Summerville was born in Sunshine (Ashley
County), Arkansas, and finished the T. W. Daniel High School
of Crossett, Arkansas. He graduated from Arkansas AM&N
College (presently called the University of Arkansas at
Pine Bluff) with a B.S. Degree in Music Education. He is
also a graduate of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Campus, where he received the M.S. Degree in Music Education.
He has done further study at several other major universities.
Some of his awards include: the Outstanding Young Educator
Award of Champaign-Urbana; the Illinois Citizen of the Year
from the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.; Outstanding Black
Educator Award from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; Honorary
Citizen of Fort Worth, Texas; a Special Citation from the
Governor of Illinois for his work with the youth of Illinois;
Public Citizen of the Year (1994) by the National Association
of Social workers; 1994 Winner of the Vocational Achievement
Award by the Urbana Rotary Club; 1995 Martin Luther King
Award from the Champaign Human Relations Commission; a 1995
"Golden Apple Award" from WICD Channel 15 News
Station for outstanding teaching; voted Outstanding Teacher
of the Month by the Urbana Middle School Student Council;
and a declaration of January 12, 1995 as "W.T. Summerville
Day" in Champaign. In 1998, he was named by President
Clinton as one of the Hometown Heroes in Education and in
1999; he was awarded the Martin Luther King Outstanding
Achievement Award for the City of Urbana. Mr. Summerville
received the Martin Luther King Educator Award of 2000 from
Parkland College. He was also named Teacher of the Year
by the Wal-Mart Corporation of Champaign. Most recently,
he was awarded the Man of the Year Award from the National
Council of African American Men of Champaign County.
He has been a guest clinician/director at more than 20
school district music festivals; and fourteen universities.
He recently lectured to prospective music educators on diversity
and inclusion at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
He has conducted Gospel Music/Church Music Seminars at over
42 churches across the United States, and has performed
similar duties as a guest of the U. S. Chief of Chaplains
Office for the United States Air Force at home and abroad.
He has been the clinician at 24 military bases in this country
and in England and Germany.
He is presently employed as Choral Music Director of the
Urbana Middle School 8th Grade Chorus; and the Director
of the Urbana High School Concert Choir, which was invited
to sing in the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy, in 1999.
In 2002, the UHS Concert Choir sang in the Carnegie Hall.
The Choir also performed at the famous Riverside Church
of New York City and at Dawling College of Long Island,
New York. In 2003, the Choir toured the St. Louis area and
performed at local high schools and the University of Missouri.
Mr. Summerville is a member of the Canaan Baptist Church
Board of Deacons and treasurer of the Canaan Foundation
that supports the Canaan Academy of Urbana. He is a charter
member of Canaan's SWAT Team (Soul Winning Action Team).
He teaches the Adult Sunday School class, and he is active
in other church and civic organizations throughout the Urbana-Champaign
area. Mr. Summerville is also Minister of Music at the Canaan
Baptist Church of Urbana, Illinois; Director/Organist of
the St. Luke CME New Life Choir in Champaign.
Mr. Summerville has been married for 37 years to Mrs. Valerian
A. Summerville and they have 3 children and two wonderful
grandsons.
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