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Sierra Kondos

Special to the News

Dr. Freddie Titus, who was recently named “Man of the Year” by the Martin Luther King Jr. Support Group of Southeast Texas, expressed his feelings on the honor.

“Receiving this award validates my mission and goal to serve as an ambassador for humanity and reflects on my efforts to create positive changes in our community,” Titus said of the honor bestowed during the MLK group’s 39th Annual ‘I Have A Dream’ brunch and celebration held at the Bob Bowers Civic Center.

Titus is the Vice President for Student Affairs and Strategic Initiatives, a Mathematics professor at Lamar University and a former Minister of Music for 10 years.

He currently travels around Southeast Texas and, occasionally the United States, to help churches grow and organize their music departments.

“Music is really the primary area that I do a lot of community work right now,” Titus said. “I’m assisting at a church right now but I’m not a part of that music staff, but I’m assisting in developing their music department.”

The former Minister of Music said he begins by creating a workshop for the choir.

“We begin with helping train voices,” he said. “Then teach music to the choir and with the band. If they had instrument players, we worked with them to play together and to understand the flow of music in the church. We also build good relationships within that helps them to develop policies and procedures for the music department. Then those people who are without a musician understanding are taught how to use tracks to play on Sunday morning.

Titus said there is a shortage of musicians in the Golden Triangle “for some strange reason.”

“People are not growing musicians anymore,” he said. “When I was coming up in the church, I got to play during Sunday school. I was taking piano first, and then, as my skill area grew, then I got to do other things like performing in the youth choir, and then, the adult choir.”

Thirty-nine years ago, Titus created a gospel music retreat for Southeast Texas public school kids.

“Before Covid, the kids used to stay on the Lamar University campus for two days and experience dorm and campus life while learning how to sing gospel music,” he said. “Since then, the event is a free, day camp.”

The day camp’s dual purpose is to inspire youth to pursue higher learning after high school.

“Having a university in your community and then providing opportunities for students to come on campus kind of ‘kills two birds with one stone.’ Oftentimes, during the summer, kids don’t necessarily have vacations to go on anything like that, and this event provides them a place to go experience new things.”

Titus’s commitment to working with schools has led him to speak at different universities.

“I was a motivational speaker for the students at Lamar Port Arthur,” he said. “We talked about leadership and influence at that at that event. That’s what I’m known for, you know, in the community, for mentoring students. One of the things that is interesting to me is having the ability to look at people, not for who they are right now, but looking at who they can become when you provide support and empower students. So that’s one of the things that I really like doing in the community. That’s why I do things like the summer camp, to kind of give kids an opportunity to see different perspectives. So, they can think, ‘I’m here now, but this is where I really can be in the days to come.’”

Titus says, “there’s an adage that was said many, many years ago, that says it takes a village.”

“So, the getting this award is not just about my achievements,” he said. “It highlights the values of integrity, compassion and commitment to bettering our community. That’s what the big picture for me is, how do we better our community. So, I share this recognition with the village of people God has placed in my life who have helped me to develop who I am. I’m grateful to all those people who poured into me, it was this, this notion of a community, but then I’m grateful for the people that I’ve been surrounded with who share the same vision that I have, and that is to move people forward.”

 The “Man of the Year” winner says giving back in a community is important to him because it reflects the values he grew up with.

“My mother always reminded me to show love,” he said. “This is something my mother said a lot, and she taught me that love is an action word, and if you genuinely care about something, you must act on that love. And so, Dr Martin Luther King once asked, what are you doing for others? For me, giving back is the answer to that question. It’s about honoring the key people in my community who profoundly shaped my life. And so, I want to pass forward those values and the support that I receive to the next generation, fostering unity, strengthening our social fabric and uplifting those in need.”

Titus said it’s not about seeing people for who they are now, but for who they can become with encouragement and empowerment.

“Giving back improves lives, leaves a legacy of kindness,” he said. “And service reminds us that true success isn’t just about personal achievement, but our positive impact on others.”