By ALBERT S. BROUSSARD
Mell Pruitt was larger than life. At least that is the way she always appeared to me, even during the final three years of her life when poor health confined her to a wheel chair.
When I arrived in College Station in 1985 and attempted to connect with the small black professional class in the Bryan-College Station community, one name resounded above all others: Mell Ruth Pruitt, a retired school teacher and counselor, who headed an organization known as the Bethune Women's Club.
I knew immediately that Mell must have been an excellent student of African-American history, for the Bethune Women's Club took its name from Mary McLeod Bethune. The renowned black educator founded Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona, Fla., and, in 1935, established the National Council of Negro Women in the nation's capital.
But who really was Mell Pruitt? What drove her to give so much of her time and energy to improving the African-American community and race relations throughout the Brazos Valley? What were her passions? And how could one explain the remarkable influence that one person had over so many individuals of all races?
As countless African-American women had learned long before I arrived in College Station, Mell Pruitt devoted a considerable amount of energy to the North Bryan Community Center, a multi-purpose and multiracial center for young children of all races who needed guidance in attempting to navigate the treacherous years of adolescence and young adulthood. She was a firm believer that the proper guidance and mentoring of young African-American children could make a profound difference in their lives, and the North Bryan Community Center established an extensive tutoring program as well as an annual Debutante Ball, which became a source of tremendous pride in the African-American community.
I had first-hand experience with this wonderful facility, speaking at various programs, attending receptions of distinguished community leaders, and allowing Mell to convince both of my children to participate in the Debutante Ball.
But Mell's real passion -- and she had many -- was the Brazos Valley African American Museum, which opened to nearly 1,000 people of all races and nationalities in Bryan on a hot July day in 2006. Mention the museum and Mell's eyes would sparkle, her voice became animated, and her demeanor more purposeful. The museum was not merely her creation, her brainchild -- it was also a window into the soul of the African-American communities of the Brazos Valley.
The exhibits, which documented the ceaseless struggle for equality and dignity of African Americans in Texas and throughout the nation, are proudly displayed on the museum's walls without an ounce of bitterness or accusatory tone. The video interviews of African Americans who had reached 90 or more years -- one of the museum's signature exhibits -- inspire everyone who views them. The African American Museum, much like the classroom, Mell believed, should educate its visitors and bring the races together, rather than divide people.
I am deeply saddened that the Bryan-College Station community has lost one of its pillars, a visionary who gave more than 50 years of selfless service to her community.
Mell Pruitt was a giant in this community, not merely a dedicated community activist. I take comfort in the fact that her work and legacy lives on through the Brazos Valley African American Museum and in the dedication of individuals that she inspired to strip away artificial barriers that divide us such as race, religion, gender, political affiliation or sexual orientation.
* Albert S. Broussard of College Station is a former member of the board of the Brazos Valley African American Museum.
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