By Tess Malijenovsky
Fourth grade students at Beaufort Elementary School had the opportunity of hearing some motivational words from family and friends of the late Joe Frazier. Jacquleyn Frazier Lyde, daughter of the late Frazier and a relative of fourth grader Alaysha Gwathney, contacted Beaufort Elementary requesting to share some words with the students in remembrance of her father.
As her father before her, Lyde participated in boxing tournaments. She even once fought Leila Muhammad, daughter of the famous Muhammad Ali. Through her work as a judge in Philadelphia, PA, Lyde created an internship program for students of all ages to shadow those in the field of law. Lyde’s focus was for students to realize that their attitude is important. At Beaufort Elementary she spoke of the power of being a positive person: “Keep your hands up and your eyes on Him.”
Lyde came to Beaufort Elementary with a few other who were inspired by the late Joe Frazier, like Frazier’s nephew, who went to an aeronautical university for a degree in engineering and helped design the engine for F-18 jets. Also with Lyde was Charles Brown, a 1996 Olympic bronze-medalist boxer. His message to students was to set high personal standards and goals: “If you question whether what you are doing is right or not, then it is wrong!”
Lyde also introduced students to a gentleman who goes by Demont Peekaso. Peekaso works with musical artist Raheem DeVaughn as an onstage painter. He documents the show as it is happening with an easel set up on stage. Peekaso spoke of seeing everything as art, and how art is in everyone. “It is about what you want to pull out,” says Peekaso.
While he was with Beaufort Elementary students, Peekaso created a digital sketch of Lyde and her captive audience using an iPad. His parting words to the fourth graders were, “Look in the mirror and say, ‘I am going to do my best today!’ ”
