John P. ("J.P.") Godfrey
1936 - 2020
John P. (“J. P.”) Godfrey, Jr. was born in Suwanee, Georgia in Gwinnett County, to John P. Godfrey, Sr. and Sylvesta Floyd Godfrey, both of whom were schoolteachers at the time. In 1939 the Godfrey’s moved to Conyers, Georgia where J. P’s father became principal of the Conyers Colored High School. J.P.’s grandmother, Sallie Sims Godfrey, a former slave, was an invalid, and the family came to Oxford daily to visit and care for her.
In 1947, an incident occurred in Conyers that affected J. P.’s immediate family for years to come. The Ku Klux Klan took exception to some of Professor Godfrey’s actions in the community and burned a cross in the family’s yard. As a result, his contract with the county was cancelled, and the family was literally forced into hiding. They moved to Chattooga County and Professor Godfrey became principal of the Chattooga County Training School in Lyle, Georgia, located in northwest Georgia, near the Tennessee and Alabama State lines. After one year, the family moved to Shady Dale, Georgia in Jasper County. The Following year, Professor Godfrey became principal of the Tussahaw High School, in Butts County, Georgia. J.P’s mother, Sylvesta Floyd Godfrey died on the first day of school, 1950.
After the first semester of 1951, the Board of Education in Butts County, merged the three black high schools into one: Henderson High School in Jackson, Georgia. J. P. graduated from there in May 1953.
J. P. attended Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) for one year. He left school when his father became ill. His father had a brain tumor removed at the Mayo Clinic and J. P. worked that year at Oxford College as a janitor, while his father recovered. J. P. returned to Clark College for the 1955-56 school year, and it was there he met the love of his life, Mary Duncan. Near the end of the second semester, his father lost his eyesight, so J. P. dropped out of school again.
He enlisted in the U. S. Air Force June 1956 and served honorably for 26 years, 5 months, retiring in November 1982 at the rank of Senior Master Sergeant (E-8). While on active duty he served tours of duty at Shori Air Base (Japan), Dyess Air Force Base (Abilene, Texas), Wheelus Air Base (North Africa), Kume Shima Air Station (Okinawa), Hickam Air Force Base (Hawaii), Lowry Air Force Base (Colorado), and Randolph Air Force Base (Texas). In 1975, Sergeant Godfrey was the first non-white airman to be stationed in the country of Iceland.
While in the Air Force, J.P. continued to pursue his educational goals and earned an Associate in Applied Science degree in Materials Management from the Community College of the Air Force.
On January 5, 1959, J.P. married Mary Duncan. She earned her BA degree in business administration in 1959 and then joined her husband at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, where both of their children, Sylvia Dinese, and William Eric, were born. Mary continued her education, earning her master's degree in counseling at St. Mary's University of San Antonio on August 15, 1980.
In 1947, an incident occurred in Conyers that affected J. P.’s immediate family for years to come. The Ku Klux Klan took exception to some of Professor Godfrey’s actions in the community and burned a cross in the family’s yard. As a result, his contract with the county was cancelled, and the family was literally forced into hiding. They moved to Chattooga County and Professor Godfrey became principal of the Chattooga County Training School in Lyle, Georgia, located in northwest Georgia, near the Tennessee and Alabama State lines. After one year, the family moved to Shady Dale, Georgia in Jasper County. The Following year, Professor Godfrey became principal of the Tussahaw High School, in Butts County, Georgia. J.P’s mother, Sylvesta Floyd Godfrey died on the first day of school, 1950.
After the first semester of 1951, the Board of Education in Butts County, merged the three black high schools into one: Henderson High School in Jackson, Georgia. J. P. graduated from there in May 1953.
J. P. attended Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) for one year. He left school when his father became ill. His father had a brain tumor removed at the Mayo Clinic and J. P. worked that year at Oxford College as a janitor, while his father recovered. J. P. returned to Clark College for the 1955-56 school year, and it was there he met the love of his life, Mary Duncan. Near the end of the second semester, his father lost his eyesight, so J. P. dropped out of school again.
He enlisted in the U. S. Air Force June 1956 and served honorably for 26 years, 5 months, retiring in November 1982 at the rank of Senior Master Sergeant (E-8). While on active duty he served tours of duty at Shori Air Base (Japan), Dyess Air Force Base (Abilene, Texas), Wheelus Air Base (North Africa), Kume Shima Air Station (Okinawa), Hickam Air Force Base (Hawaii), Lowry Air Force Base (Colorado), and Randolph Air Force Base (Texas). In 1975, Sergeant Godfrey was the first non-white airman to be stationed in the country of Iceland.
While in the Air Force, J.P. continued to pursue his educational goals and earned an Associate in Applied Science degree in Materials Management from the Community College of the Air Force.
On January 5, 1959, J.P. married Mary Duncan. She earned her BA degree in business administration in 1959 and then joined her husband at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, where both of their children, Sylvia Dinese, and William Eric, were born. Mary continued her education, earning her master's degree in counseling at St. Mary's University of San Antonio on August 15, 1980.
SMSgt Godfrey served his country honorably for over 26 years. His last duty station was at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas, where he retired from the Air Force on in November, 1982. J.P. always referred to this as "Reitrement #1" because he soon took a job with the United States Department of Defenses at the Lackland Air Force Base as the Chief of Logistics (GS-12). He also worked for the San Antonio Real Property Management Agency. This was a civil engineering agency that provided heavy maintenance to all military installations between New Orleans, El Paso, and Oklahoma City. He attended the Air Force Institute of Technology in Ohio and, in 1993, received another associate’s degree in Applied Science for Logistics Management for Civil Engineering. Then, in July 1994, J.P. embarked on "Retirement #2."
J.P. and his wife Mary left Texas and returned to Oxford where they built their "dream house" and settled into retirement life.
J.P. and his wife Mary left Texas and returned to Oxford where they built their "dream house" and settled into retirement life.
In Oxford, J.P. rejoined Rust Chapel, the church he had attended as a youth and became a board member, lay leader, and church treasurer. He paid a visit to the Oxford Historical Cemetery to locate the graves of his grandparents, but found only a mass of overgrown vegetation. His heartbreak led to anger, which led to civic activism. The cemetery, which dates back to 1839, was segregated until 1963. The white section of the cemetery had been maintained by a foundation that was created in the 1960s, but the African American section of the cemetery was left untended. Godfrey championed efforts to repair, renovate, and maintain the historically African American section of the Oxford Historical Cemetery and correct the disparity of maintenance between the segregated black and white sections. He supervised clean-up efforts, working closely with Dr. Mark Auslander and Dr. Ellen Schattschneider of Oxford College, and led the fight to get the African American section included under the maintenance agreement between the city and the foundation. A gazebo was erected where a grid map and other documents are displayed to assist family members and visitors to locate grave sites. At the conclusion of the clean-up project, Godfrey organized a dedication program to pay tribute to those interred at the cemetery whose graves had been restored as well as those who helped the restoration project.
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Godfrey was honored by the president, trustees, and faculty of Emory University on January 22, 2002 for his efforts.
Godfrey was a member of the Oxford City Council between 1998 and 2002, in charge of streets and sanitation. He also served on the planning commission, working to annex additional areas of the city. In 2005, he was named Citizen of the Year by the City of Oxford.
In 2010, J.P. joined Grace United Methodist Church in Covington where he served on boards of the church as well as various committees, including as Chairman of the church's 150 Church Anniversary Committee.
J.P. Godfrey was preceded in death by his parents, John P. Godfrey, Sr. and Sylvesta Floyd Godfrey; his sisters, Mrs. Sallie Elaine Godfrey Boglin and Mrs. Carolyn L. Godfrey Harris. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Mary Duncan Godfrey; his daughter, Sylvia D. Godfrey; his son, Pastor William Eric Godfrey; his grandsons, William Aaron Godfrey and Quinton Gerard Godfrey; and his great-granddaughters, Aaliyah E.L. Godfrey and Kathryn F.M. Godfrey.
Godfrey was a member of the Oxford City Council between 1998 and 2002, in charge of streets and sanitation. He also served on the planning commission, working to annex additional areas of the city. In 2005, he was named Citizen of the Year by the City of Oxford.
In 2010, J.P. joined Grace United Methodist Church in Covington where he served on boards of the church as well as various committees, including as Chairman of the church's 150 Church Anniversary Committee.
J.P. Godfrey was preceded in death by his parents, John P. Godfrey, Sr. and Sylvesta Floyd Godfrey; his sisters, Mrs. Sallie Elaine Godfrey Boglin and Mrs. Carolyn L. Godfrey Harris. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Mary Duncan Godfrey; his daughter, Sylvia D. Godfrey; his son, Pastor William Eric Godfrey; his grandsons, William Aaron Godfrey and Quinton Gerard Godfrey; and his great-granddaughters, Aaliyah E.L. Godfrey and Kathryn F.M. Godfrey.