New Bethel UMC members and friends celebrate a Black History moment brought to you by Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola ad from the mid, 1950s. One of 14 in which
Mary Cowser appeared.
Donna Lane, Richard Lane, Mary Cowser Alexander
& Tyron Jelks gather at the 2009 Cowser family
homecoming celebration at New Bethel UMC.
February is Black History month and here’s a story connecting a Black history moment in the United States to a rural North Alabama United Methodist Church. A one-time member of New Bethel UMC (Mountain Lakes District) was one of the first non-celebrity African-American women to appear in a Coca Cola ad. Here is her story presented by Mr. Harry Butler.
The first weekend in May is always the date for the Cowser family homecoming celebration at New Bethel UMC in Ballplay, AL.
The annual meeting attracts upwards of 400-500 family members who come from several states to visit, attend a special Saturday preaching service and to work in the church cemetery. The group is a diverse one, according to Florence Cowser Weatherly: “We have family who range from day workers to teachers, doctors, lawyers, preachers and college professors; from the very beginning, Cowsers were taught to work and this is a tradition we are proud of.”
One claim to Cowser fame is the story of Mary Cower Alexander. As a Clark College (a Methodist college in Atlanta) student in the mid-1950s, she was the first black “common” person to appear in Coca-Cola advertising. “They had used a few black celebrities but decided to use young people,” she said. “They chose several other students from my school and Morehouse College to pose with me in the ads that ran in several national magazines.”
There was some fear, however, because Mary was to wear a bathing suit in one of the ads. “My father was a very traditional man; I knew he would not approve of such a display.” she said. “My mother told him about it; he had a change of attitude when I showed him my first paycheck for $600… it was enough to pay for a year’s tuition.”
In all, she appeared in 14 ads and earned $1,500.
Mary played softball, basketball and excelled in academics while at Clark College. She was voted Miss Clark College in 1955 and 1956 and was listed in Who’s Who among colleges and universities. She was a member of the Ivy League Club of alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.She earned degrees in business and education at Clark then a Master’s Degree in secondary education at Wayne University in Detroit. That began a 30-year stint as a teacher and principal in a suburban high school.
“The school had an enrollment of 1,800 students and staff of 125 when I retired,” she said.
Now, fast forward to the year 2007, Mary had retired and moved to Ocala, FL. A friend visited Mary and spied a framed Coke ad on her den wall. Several months later, the friend toured the new Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta and found the same picture on their wall. When she told the tour guide about an identical picture in Ocala, she was rushed to the museum’s office where officials wanted to know who had the picture she had seen.
Mary laughed when telling that story. “They had no idea as to who any of the black students were and were eager to have our names and addresses. That chance encounter with my friend led to Coke bringing us all to Atlanta for a reunion and to give us proper recognition for being the first blacks to appear in their advertising. It was quite an honor.”
The Ballplay native fondly recalls the time she was a model for coke with her picture appearing across the nation. She never modeled again after leaving Clark College. Working with students, helping them achieve their goals and resolve their problems was her life’s work. Now, she spends much time reading and working with her beloved roses.
BONUS: Here is a link to an online video from a blog of a historian/archivist for Coca-Cola. The video is from an event Coca Cola had at the World of Coke to honor Mary Cowser Alexander. In this video she tells her story in her own words. http://www.coca-colaconversations.com/my_weblog/2009/02/mary-alexander-in-her-own-words.html
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