John Lee Woodard

THE STANTONSBURG HAWKS.

Wilson was not the only county town to field an African-American semi-pro baseball team.

From 1945 into the late 1970s, the Stantonsburg Hawks traveled neighboring counties

John Lee Woodard (1917-1995) was the team founder, and players throughout its history included:
his son Willie Woodard, Ernest D. Hall, Frederick Brown, Johnnie Streeter, Roy Lee Pender, Marvin R. Artis, George Artis, Tommy Rogers, Nathaniel Green Jr., William Sutton, Henry Revelle, Carter Knight, Raymond Mackey, Marvin Sessoms, Levy Daniel Jr., Melvin Hodges, Cleveland Leach, Joseph Green, Julius Green, Theodore Ward, Douglas Artis, Melvin Artis Jr., George Atkinson, and Ronnie Diggs.

Photo credit: Tiyatti Speight.

Narrative and source: Black Wide-Awake, Lisa Y. Henderson.

Source: https://afamwilsonnc.com/.../21/the-stantonsburg-hawks/...