The Jeanne Lenhardt Bridge, dedicated by the City of Greenville on May 9, 2009, crosses the Reedy River at First Baptist Church Greenville and connects the historic Nicholtown community to Greenville's public greenway system. The remarks posted below were offered as part of the dedication ceremony.
We all know that Jeanne Lenhardt and her mother Helene chose to worship at First Baptist Church because of the music. It was not because of the preaching. I’ve heard someone say that the preacher at First Baptist is a pretty good guy, but I don’t know anyone who would suggest that his preaching holds a candle to the great preaching tradition of Jeanne’s home church and First Baptist’s sister church, Springfield Baptist, all the way back to Jeanne’s grandfather Dr. Charles Gandy. Jeanne attended First Baptist for the music, not for the preaching.
And when she did, she contributed to something powerfully important in the history of Greenville and in the history of First Baptist Church. You see, there was a time in Greenville and at First Baptist Church when the Reedy River might just as well have been the Grand Canyon separating Nicholtown from Cleveland Street. You know what I mean? But when Jeanne Lenhardt and Helene Lenhardt began worshiping at the First Baptist Church, it was as though the Lenhardts and the Gandys bridged the canyon! Two beautiful and gracious women quietly and courageously helped to change the face of First Baptist Church.
And along with it they helped to live down a chapter in Greenville’s history that is captured in a well-known photograph from four decades ago in the Upstate History Museum. In that photograph, young African-American men and women are seen outside the old First Baptist on McBee Street when they were received with less than open arms when they came to worship. Even where the river didn’t run through it, there was a canyon in Greenville. You know what I mean. But Jeanne Lenhardt lived her life graciously, quietly and courageously bridging that canyon. Jeanne helped us all to live down a chapter in the life of our city that we must never forget so that it will never happen again.
In January of the year that Jeanne died, First Baptist Church installed its first African-American deacon since Springfield Baptist Church was established in 1867. In November of the year that Jeanne died, First Baptist Church baptized the first African-American baptismal candidate since Springfield was established in 1867. In December of the year that Jeanne died, First Baptist Church elected its second African-American deacon since Springfield was established in 1867. The face of Greenville is changing for the better, and Jeanne Lenhardt was part of that change.
When the bridge we are dedicating this morning was finished, as soon as the heavy equipment was removed from this location, I came down here, and I walked back and forth across it several times. Just me, myself and I, all by our lonesome. And as I did, I said, “I’m going to Nicholtown.” And then I turned around and said, “I’m going to Cleveland Street.” And then I went back: “I’m going to Nicholtown.” And then I returned: “I’m going to Cleveland Street.” You may think I was being silly, but I was celebrating that just maybe this bridge means that it will never again be as far as it used to be from Nicholtown to Cleveland Street and from Cleveland Street to Nicholtown. You know what I mean.
Jeanne did not live long enough to walk across this bridge that we dedicate to her today, but she bridged the river before the bridge was built. And for her courage and her grace in making Greenville a better place for all of us to live, we can be forever grateful. Thank you. And thanks, Jeanne.
This material is Copyrighted © 2009 by Jeffrey S. Rogers. It may be copied or disseminated for non-commercial use, provided this notice is included. The author can be contacted at jeffrogers110@bellsouth.net.
