The life and times of Ulysses Jarvis Jr.

For several months, I researched the family of one of our most outstanding citizens who has reached the age of 93. While conducting my works, I found that the family of Ulysses Jarvis Jr. is one of the most notable Black families in the County of Orangeburg.

Ulysses Jr. is a member of the Peter Jarvis family listed in the 1880 census as living in Kershaw County. In the 1900 report, Peter and his wife Mary had moved the family to Greenville County. By 1905, they moved into Orangeburg. Then in the 1910 census, the family was listed as living in Orangeburg County.

They included Peter as the head, Mary as his wife, and the children were: Julia 18, Sylvesta 16, Daniel 10, Blanch 8 and Ulysses at age 5. Peter was listed as a professional Carpenter by trade.

Later on, Ulysses followed his father as a professional Carpenter and worked on the campus of South Carolina State. In September 1942, he was listed in The T&D as a member of the Orangeburg Colored Auxiliary Policemen.

Anna was born on May 4, 1906, to the late Isaac Gadsden and Lucille Brock Gadsden in Walterboro. She was educated in the public schools of Walterboro and Savannah, Ga. Anna graduated from South Carolina State College.

In 1928, Ulysses and Anna were married. From that point, she taught in the public schools of South Carolina until 1971, when she retired.

Then in 1944, the family was saddened by the death of their mother, Mary Jarvis, who was 99.

Ulysses and Anna had their first child here in Orangeburg in 1929. They named him Ulysses Jr. He became an outstanding student at Wilkinson High School and a member of the band playing the bass drum under James B. Hunt.

Little did he know, his musicianship would carry him throughout the rest of his life. He also delivered The T&D newspaper to the Black patrons in Orangeburg from 1943 until 1946.

After graduating from Wilkinson in 1947, he joined the U.S. Air Force.

In 1950, Ulysses Sr. was listed in The T&D as the person to buy the old Orangeburg Lutheran Church building at the corner of Amelia and Green streets.

The T&D printed on March 4, 1950, “Orangeburg Landmark Sold — H. Clifton Harley, chairman of the church council, announced yesterday that the building had been acquired by Ulysses Jarvis, a contractor of College St. extension. He will begin tearing down the structure next week and will use the material to construct several houses for rent on College Avenue extension.”

Jarvis was a master carpenter in Orangeburg.

On March 7, 1951, Peter Jarvis departed this life at the age of 80.

When Ulysses Jr. returned from the military, he entered South Carolina State and met Dorothy Dawkins. They began their courtship on the steps of Manning Hall at SC State.

Ulysses and Dorothy were united into marriage on May 14, 1955, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Orangeburg. Then in 1957, he graduated from South Carolina State. They were blessed with their son Michael.

The first mentioning of Ulysses Jarvis Jr. in The T&D came in  1957. Over the years, he has been recognized in the paper more than 100 times through 2016.

After returning from the military, he became a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8166 in Orangeburg.

On May 3, 1957, he was recognized in The T&D. “VFW Officers Are Installed at Post 8166 — The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 8166, recently held installation ceremonies at the post home.

“Those taking office were James McCollom, commander; Rudolph Jones, senior vice commander; Talmadge Moore, junior vice commander; Ulysses Jarvis, Jr. adjutant; and Howard Jordan, quartermaster.”

This was the first article in The T&D to give recognition to Ulysses after his return from the military.

By 1963, he became involved in the athletic programs that the City of Orangeburg had provided for the Black youth of the community. The baseball league operating at the Peasley Street Playground was supervised by Ulysses, who was well trained in youth recreation.

Then in August 1964, he became the supervisor of the Peasley Street Playground for Blacks in Orangeburg. The T&D said, “Jarvis is a college graduate and well trained in youth recreation.”

In November 1968, members of VFW Post 8166 held the Veterans Day observance in conjunction with the South Carolina State College ROTC Department. Ulysses played a vital role in the programing of the event.

Jarvis served on the Committee on Employment that was sponsored by the White House Conference on Childhood and Youth in May of 1970. Quincy J. Smith was the chairman of the group.

On May 20, 1970, The T&D reported, “Legion Baseball Issue — A charge that black candidates for the American Legion Post 4 baseball team reporting for a practice session at Mirmow Field Monday were turned away because of their race resulted in the Orangeburg City Council’s reaffirming its policy of extending the use of its public facilities to all of its citizens.

“Jarvis told of teaching his students as to the laws of the land and the equality of opportunity in this country and asked council if he should be forced to teach untruths during the next year as to the rights of Negroes.”

The T&D reported on April 19, 1972, “Talk about removing the Confederate Flag from the Orangeburg Square became a topic of discussion by the public.”

“At that meeting, Jarvis suggested that ‘City Council permit the Confederate flag to fly, insisted that such a case the Black Liberation flag also be permitted to fly.’

“’If you are trying to create a homogeneous community, some of these flags cannot fly,” he said. “We are one nation with the one flag — there she flies, there she stands.

“‘Our youth can decide on past ideologies rather than present ideologies. It could cause confusion. We must come together under one ideology for the future.’”

At this point in the 1970s, Jarvis became a force within our community, especially when it came to the matters of civil rights. His voice became very vocal when it involved such topics that were concerning the Blacks of Orangeburg.

Then The T&&D printed on June 1, 1972, “Mr. Ulysses Jarvis, a Social Science teacher and former serviceman on the island, Jarvis discussed various aspects of the island situation. He explored the theme ‘Why Our Island Possessions Are Important to Us.'”

On Sept. 10, 1972, The T&D printed, “Teacher Gets Funds For Miami Study — Ulysses Jarvis, Jr. a teacher of social science at the Bennett Ave. campus of Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School, has been awarded a $9,000 stipend to attend the University of Miami this year, a District 5 spokesman announced Friday.

“The grant was awarded to Jarvis through the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in the area of administration and supervision. Regarding his acceptance of the award Jarvis said, ‘School District 5 is highly rated and I feel that personnel of the district must attempt to keep pace with the progress of the schools and the community if one is to serve adequately.”

“Jarvis received his B.A. and Master’s degrees from South Carolina State College. He served in the U. S. Air Force.”

At this stage of his life, Ulysses had become a self-determined person who was more and more outspoken as he moved forward. In 1973, he took on a position at Claflin College that moved him to another level.

On Sept. 1, 1973, The T&D printed, “Claflin Introduces New Faculty, Staff — Those joining the Claflin faculty were Miss Rose Bland, health physical education and recreation; Miss Gwendolyn Bowman, education, reading; Miss Linda Hill, English and Ulysses Jarvis in education.”

In October 1973, “Orangeburg County Sheriff Vance Boone addressed the freshman class at Claflin. Ulysses was the instructor of the orientation explained that, ‘Since the new students have been introduced to the campus and the various aspects of its operation, he is now trying to introduce them to the various city, county and state officials. This is one of the purposes of the Freshman Orientation Class at Claflin, he noted.”

At this point, he became more involved with the politics of Orangeburg County. He was selected as a delegate for the Orangeburg Metropolitan District.

Then in March 1974, Jarvis made his effort to move into the political circles of the county. He joined the list of challengers in the race for Orangeburg District 5 County School Board.

The T&D printed on March 31, 1974, “Ulysses S. Jarvis, Jr. District 5 Candidate — Ulysses S. Jarvis, Jr., announced his candidacy Saturday to the superintendent of Orangeburg County Schools for one of the available seats on the board of trustees of Orangeburg School District Five.

“According to the candidate, he said, ‘Our youth are an investment in the future of our community. Orangeburg 20 years hence will depend upon the education that adults provide for them. In the light of technological, political and economic changes the schools must meet the challenges by offering experiences essential to human growth, self-development and positive thinking.’”

The results of the elections were printed in The T&D on April 10, 1974, “The vote was: James M. Albergotti III—1438, R.L. Hurst—587, Ulysses Jarvis, Jr.—573 and Hugo Sims, Jr.—1419.”

Despite this loss, the election was the first that Ulysses had participated in as a candidate seeking a political position in Orangeburg County. He continued his works at Claflin to help the students.

Jarvis served as a counselor for the Thirteen College Curriculum Program. This program was used as a humanistic approach to education that encouraged students to become more curious.

In February 1976, he became involved with a Bicentennial project sponsored by the State Human Affairs Commission involving individuals, institutions and community groups across the state in a search for historical materials on Blacks and American Indians.

Then in April 1976, he decided to leave Claflin and take on a position with the staff at Denmark Technical Education Center as the dean of students. From 1973 until joining Denmark Tech, he was employed as an instructor in the Department of Education and Psychology, and counselor in the 13 College Curriculum program at Claflin College.

At this point in his life, Jarvis was highly involved in community and state affairs. He was vice president of the Orangeburg Sickle Cell Council, an adviser to the South Carolina Human Relations Commission for the Bicentennial. He also was a member of the NAACP, the Orangeburg County Teachers Association, the South Carolina Teachers Association, the National Education Association, the American Personnel and Guidance Association and numerous other organizations.

In 1978, Ulysses and his brothers, Reginald, Donald, Roger and Anthony began to display all of the musical talents that they possessed. The singing group was known as the Jarvis Brothers. Later on, the group gave a performance at the St. Luke Presbyterian Church in Orangeburg.

In 1980, Ulysses began to seek a higher position in the educational system. He took on the position as the new principal of Harleyville-Ridgeville High School in Dorchester County. Before this position, he was an assistant principal at Edisto Middle School.

In November 1982, the Jarvis Brothers made plans to produce their first live recording during a concert at Trinity United Methodist Church. The group concentrated on singing Negro spirituals, which are musical derivations of African arts coupled with love, power and the wrath of God.

The next year in 1983, they participated in the 11th Annual National Black Gospel Choir Conference at the Omni, World Congress Building in Atlanta.

By 1988, Ulysses was installed as a member of the Orangeburg County Development Commission. He became the chairman of the Finance and Personnel Committee.

In 1989, the Jarvis Brothers was awarded the “1989 Folk Heritage Award” for their jubilee-style gospel music in South Carolina. The group of brothers has been singing for more than 30 years.

On Dec. 31, 1989, Angela Corbett, a staff writer for The T&D, wrote the following article: “The Jarvis Brothers — Music is all in the family for well-known Orangeburg quintet — Well known for their unique style of music, which appeals to both young and old, the Jarvis Brothers —Ulysses, Jr., Reginald, Donald, Anthony and Roger — have, like their music, become a unique art form.

“In essence, the Jarvis brothers stress that they have selected to sing jubilee as a means of maintaining a facet of their black heritage passed to them by their parents, Ulysses Jarvis, Sr. and Anna Jarvis, and even their great-grandparents.”

Then in 1990, Ulysses was selected as a 1989 South Carolina ambassador for economic development by the State Development Board.

In 1991, the Jarvis Brothers took their show and performance all of the way to New York City, the “Big Apple.”

The group suffered a great loss in August 1991 when their father, Ulysses Jarvis Sr. died in Orangeburg at the age of 85. The loss was felt greatly throughout the entire family and our community.

As the group continued to make its way in the performance world, they constantly moved up the ladder of success with their music and conviction to this art. In August 1993, it was reported that the group was heading to the front porch of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.

In January 1994, Ulysses was reappointed to the District 7 Development Commission for two years in Orangeburg.

Then in June 1997, he attended his 50-year class reunion for the class of 1947 from Wilkinson High School.

The Jarvis family was struck again in June 1999 by the death of their mom, Mrs. Anna G. Jarvis, at the age of 93. Her funeral was held at Trinity United Methodist Church on June 28, 1999.

The Orangeburg NAACP in July 1999 backed the sanctions to remove the Confederate Battle Flag from atop the South Carolina Statehouse. Ulysses helped to lead the way for this effort. He was the first vice president for the Orangeburg group.

A voice to always be heard when it came to matters affecting the people in our county, Ulysses was quoted by Tucker Lyon, the government writer for The T&D, on Oct. 4, 2000: “Ulysses Jarvis, a well-known member of the Orangeburg community, made an unscheduled appearance before City Council Tuesday night to ask that South Carolina State University and its homecoming activities be welcomed.

“‘I want this organization to say; South Carolina State University and homecoming activities are welcome. I want my City Council to say to our folks, regardless of persuasion, are welcome in Orangeburg.

“He said, “he was speaking only for himself and his immediate family.”

The Jarvis Brothers was honored for their community service in June 2005 when the group was selected by the City Council of Orangeburg to receive the Edisto Award for community service.

In an article printed in The T&D on October 22, 2006, Ulysses said, “The Times and Democrat has provided my windows to the world. My mother read the T and D to me daily before I entered school.” He said, “I have been a T & D reader for more than 52 years.”

Then, in March 2007, the Jarvis Brother suffered the loss of Reginald. The T&D reported on March 27, 2007, “Reginald of famed Jarvis Brothers dies — Reginald Jarvis, the second of five brothers who blended their voices to form a renowned a cappella quintet, died Sunday.”

He was 71 years old. With his loss, the group had to make a great adjustment in their performance.

The T&D posted a picture by photographer Cecil Williams on Jan. 21, 2018. The photo was taken from the book, “Orangeburg 1968: A Place And Time Remembered.” It is that of a group of jazz musicians that included saxophonist Shelly Thomas and drummer Ulysses Jarvis.

Then on May 24, 2020, The T&D posted a picture of Ulysses and his wife Dorothy celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary.

On Sept. 14, 2023, the Jarvis Brothers encountered another setback when Donald Jarvis died. He passed at the age of 86 years following an extended illness.

Ulysses Jarvis Jr. has shown true dedication, commitment and service to this area of South Carolina.

And for his contributions, we give him great thanks.