A question was once asked in antiquity that has reverberated through history. Although it has been applied to many similar situations concerning the most essential person (Jesus Christ) in the annals of human history, I am going to borrow and use it again through this contemporary paraphrase: “Can any good thing come out of Dillon?”
Unquestionably, the most famous and powerful person that Dillon can take credit for helping to produce was the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, who many cite as being the primary reason why this nation did not regress into another great depression.
Arguably, the next most prominent and influential person that Dillon produced, who impacted our locale, as well as the region and state, in both an economic and political way was Mr. Alan Schafer.
In the medical profession, we can lay claim to producing such renowned and accomplished surgeons as Dr. Jimmy Jones and Dr. Carnell Cooper.
From the halls of academia, we can take pride in saying that one of America’s greatest scholars, historians, and biographers, in the person of Dr. Kenneth R. Manning, was born and reared right here in Dillon, South Carolina.
Then what about such well known sports figures, like Kevin Steele, Ben Chavis, and the once very popular wrestler, Rufus R. “Freight Train” Jones, who all were reared right here in Dillon.
So when we think about it, some very accomplished and prominent people have come out of Dillon down through the years.
Today, I want to cite a young man who is a rising star in the entertainment field, although he was not born in Dillon, has roots here through his father, Joe Carmichael, fraternal grandmother, Mammie Floyd Carmichael, and fraternal grandfather, Nathaniel Jim Goings, who were all products of our locale.
Jerrod was born and reared in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the son of Cynthia, a secretary, and her husband Joe Carmichael, a truck driver. He has an older brother, Joe Carmichael, Jr. He grew up in the Morningside Manor neighborhood and graduated from Robert B. Glenn High School in 2005. He moved to Los Angeles, California in 2008, to pursue a career in stand-up comedy.
When he moved to Los Angeles at the age of 20, Jerrod worked as a stand-up comedian. Working his way up through the clubs in 2011, he appeared in the “New Faces” showcase at the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival.
Jerrod’s breakout role was in the 2014 film “Neighbors.” He was also on the television show “The Goodwin Games.” Jerrod is best known for creating and playing the lead role in the NBC television series, “The Carmichael Show.”
In 2014, he also released a stand-up HBO comedy special called “Jerrod Carmichael: Love at the Store” filmed by Spike Lee that he shot at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood.
His eponymous NBC sitcom, which he writes, produces, and stars in has been well received and is notable for its topical, envelope-pushing approach to topical subjects like: Black Lives Matter, LGBT issues, gun rights, politics, and the reality of being African- American in the United States. The show is semi-autobiographical.
Jerrod will be appearing in an important role in the forthcoming film to be released in 2017, “Transformers: The Last Knight.”
One of the many things that I admire about this young man who has truly reached celebrity status in a big way is his work ethic and focus.
One of his aunts, who resides in the Newark, New York area, shared with me a few years ago in a conversation that Jerrod was one of the most courteous, respectful, and disciplined young men she ever had the privilege to know.
Once while fulfilling a seasonal engagement he had in New York, he stayed with her. She was impressed by his neatness and discipline to not hangout and run in the streets like most in his age bracket and level of notoriety were doing. He would stay in when he was not working and concentrate on writing and other constructive and worthwhile things. She said that she knew from his level of ambition and discipline that he demonstrated during the brief time he stayed with her that he would make it to the top of his profession one day.
Perhaps the most compelling thing that I admire in Jerrod is the fact that in spite of all of his success and celebrity status, he has managed to remain humble and ever mindful of his family and from where he came.
To the best of my knowledge, his father and mother are still his most important confidantes and counselors, barring none. In spite of his achievements and celebrity status, Jerrod still consults and seeks their advice about important issues of life, even about career decisions.
Jerrod Jerome Carmichael is truly a young man worth watching and encouraging other young people to imitate in their pursuit to achieve success and fulfillment in their given professions and occupations.
His character and attitude are truly exceptional and well worth citing, given his celebrity status. However, what personally endears me to Jerrod above everything else I have considered in this piece is the fact that he is my nephew.
I am truly ecstatic over the fact that someone in my family has achieved such a level of success and notoriety.
I will continue to pray for him and hope that the star of this young man, with Dillon roots, will continue to rise.
It is said that every frog will praise its own pond. If this is true of frogs, who are mere amphibians, how much more should we human beings who the Creator endowed with the most intelligence, do likewise for those we are connected or related to.
Thank you, Jerrod for making your parents, brother, and entire extended family proud to be related to you. You have come a long way in a short time and have achieved in this short span what most fail to do in an entire lifetime.
I believe the best for this talented, gifted, and remarkable young man is still yet to come.
