Sunday Crowns Program

My "Sunday Crowns" Program began as an idea for Black History and Women's History months for 2012. The response to the program exceeded my expectations and now it is becoming an annual event.

Table Displays at Crowns Program

I did two table displays at my Crowns program held on Saturday, June 30, 2012 with various hat related photos and other items.  The hats on the first table belong to a colleague.  The hat, pocketbook, tablecloth, and Bible cover on the second table belonged to my maternal grandmother.

The Perfect Hat

This hat which I received as a gift from a friend on Sunday, June 24th was a perfect match for this outfit. Minutes before she gave me the hat, I was sitting in my car and pulled out the jacket to this outfit from a bag which was in the passenger's seat. This bag of clothing was to be taken to the cleaners the next day.
"I'll wear this outfit on Saturday," I said to myself as I looked at the jacket. Minutes later I went into the restaurant to meet with three high school friends. One friend had moved away and she arrived to the restaurant a few minutes later with three bags containing individual gifts for the rest for us. As I peered into my bag, I stared in disbelief and told my fiends that prior to coming into the restaurant, I had just decided to wear an outfit with the same colors as the hat. After we finished our meals, we took pictures of me wearing the hat. Afterwards we went to my car and compared the hat with the outfit to be sure that that the colors matched. My friends all agreed that it was a perfect match.
"A hat sets off an outfit," my grandmother would say if she were alive. This hat indeed set off this outfit and I look forward to wearing the assemble again.

Professor Dru on Pier at Crabshack Restaurant overlooking James River Bridge, Newport News, VA

Professor Dru at Crowns Program, Isle of Wight County, Museum, Smithfield, VA

Sunday Crowns Program Speech

Video of the speech I made at the Sunday Crowns program on February 18, 2012.

Sunday Crowns Program Speech - Part 1 of 3



Sunday Crowns Program Speech - Part 2 of 3


Hat Program Speech - Part 3 of 3 Hat Program Speech - Part 3 of 3

Another Hat Program

I am pleased to announce that I’m taking my hat program on the road and a program will be held on Saturday, June 30, 2012 in the town of Smithfield located in Isle of Wight County, VA Museum, . Smithfield, VA is “Home of the Virginia Ham” and I am looking forward to this opportunity.

Continuing our Family's Hat Legacy and Why I Wear Hats

This is my sister Deborah sharing her thoughts about continuing our family's hat legacy and why she wears hats.

Hat With An Attitude

During my Sunday Crowns program, audience members modeled their hats. This lady wore a hat which she called "A Hat With An Attitude."

Grandma's Hat Display

In the parlor of the Newsome House where my Sunday Crowns program was held, I did a display of some of my grandmother's hats along with a photo of myself and women in my maternal line wearing hats. Other items used in the display included a patent leather pocketbook, bible cover with a woman weaing a hat, and a tablecloth owned by my grandmother. The white gloves were purchased were purchased recently to add to this display.

The Church Fan

When the Curator of the Newsome House and Cultural Center suggested that the programs for “The Sunday Crowns” event be printed on church fans, I agreed enthusiastically. She had attended an event where the program was printed on a hand fan. I had no idea as to the beauty of the final product, but I thought the fan idea was appropriate for such an event.

Hand church fans typically used in African American churches are on thick cardstock paper and a stick like the type a doctor uses as a tongue depressor. On the cardstock, there is typically a photo on the front and advertisement of a funeral home on the back.

Use of these hand fans conjures up a whole host of memories. During my childhood in the 1970s, many of the fans might have a photo of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or of an African American family dressed in church attire which included at least the mother in the family photo wearing a hat. The family on the photo was usually a mother, father, with two children (a boy and girl). My church had air conditioning, but hand fans might be used during those in between seasons where it was not warm enough to turn on the air conditioning. Some of the rural churches within our church organization did not have air conditioning and during hot and humid summer Sundays, a sea of rapidly moving hand fans filled the sanctuary as the congregation struggled to be attentive to the service amidst the heat. Over time, the cardstock on these hand fans would become bent. During these times, parishioners would motion for the usher to give them a better fan. However, at times there were not enough hand fans to go around so you would either use the bent hand fan as best you could, the church program to fan yourself, or just use your hand. This was especially uncomfortable during those hot and humid non-air conditioned churches.

Church fans are also used by ushers to calm down its parishioners who “fall out” or “get happy” during services. In charismatic type churches, people are extremely lively and might express their joy in praising God by hand clapping and dancing. Some parishioners get so overcome in their expressions of praise to God that they “fall down on the floor in a trance-like state. Others might express their praise by crying, dancing, hollering, and/or speaking in tongues. It is common for ushers and other members of charismatic type churches to be seen surrounding a “God-Praiser” with someone waving a ‘church fan’ in the direction of the person who has fallen out on the floor or the one who might be seated or standing while praising God.


Thanks to B. J. Smothers and Art Thomas for use of your hat photos.

Church Hats Program

Sunday Crowns Program

I am working on a program (Sunday Crowns) about church hats for next month which will be held at a local historic house. Part of the presentation will be to talk about the hat wearing women in my family and other families. I also plan to display some of my maternal grandmother's hats. As part of my research, I would like to interview hat wearing women or their descendants. Although my research focus is hat wearing by African American women, I would also like to know about hat wearing habits of women of other races and cultures.

If you are a hat wearing woman or the descendant of one, and are interested in sharing a photo or story to be used in my presentation, please email me at professordru@yahoo.com. The program will be held Saturday, February 18, 2012, 3 PM – 5 PM.