In the Spring of 1969 of my sophomore year, I joined the Tuskegee University (formally Tuskegee Institute) Concert Band at the persuasion of a college classmate.  Two weeks later I finally got up the nerves to walk into the band cottage as a flutist.  At the end of my very first day at practice, a band member approached me as I was packing to leave and said, “Hold Up, Wait for Me Outside While I Put  My Drum Away“.  A few minutes later, this band member walked out and said, “What’s Happening?  My Name is Gilbert Jenkins, but they call me Mini-Brute”, and so our college romance began….

Throughout the remaining college years, we spent exciting times together, i.e. dorm visits, Que parties, walking across campus, or just sitting on steps in front of the Que Rock chatting with everyone who came by.  However, the best college times were watching him perform. Whether it was in the TI marching band (especially one homecoming day when he performed the drum solo segment of Shaft by Isaac Hayes) or when Mini-Brute Que Dawg #1 marched with his fraternity brothers.  Wow! Wow! Wow! How He Could March! In my eyes he wasn’t Dawg #1 because of his height, it was because he could sing and march with a personality and a heart bigger than life itself. On Valentine’s Day, 1972 Gilbert surprised me with a “First Promise” ring and so our journey began and on September 1, 1974, we vowed our love in holy matrimony and began our life together as one in Maryland. We have been blessed with two beautiful children with the characteristics we see in ourselves every day.

Gilbert and I made sure that our children were well rounded individuals.  We raised them to be honest, respective, independent, smart, self-motivated, and hardworking individuals. When it came to our children there was no task too small or large for him to overcome for them. His camera became his canvas.  He captured their activities through his camera regardless of the event from birth, pre-school, kindergarten, elementary, high school, college – yes college. We would drive miles on the weekends to see our son play football, pledge and march on the yard, or our daughter perform on the cheer leading team and eventually becoming a college cheerleaders coach. We even made sure to support all of their major events as adults. We gave everything for our children. They always came first.

Outside of the home, he captured the hearts of everyone one he met.  He always smiled and made them feel important during their conversations. He was a girls basketball coach for our daughter, taught our son how to catch a football, fostered our kids love for animals raising pets of all kinds from fish, birds, rabbits (including competing) to our loving dogs. He took our kids to the Montgomery County Fair every year teaching them about about agriculture, and prize winning agriculture at that for 4 years in a row! Gilbert, my love, is the most talented and smartest man I know.  He was great at anything he put his mind to.  If he didn’t know how about something he went out of his way to find out.

He was a man of many talents and so many passions. He was a musicians playing snare drum, piano, guitar, steel drum.  He even created a famous drum cadence during his high school/college days that was used in the movie “Drum Line”. It made him smile every time he heard it. He loved his cars especially his 1974 corvette, a prize winner for best show. He loved his collections of watches, coins, stamps, vinyl records, fishing rods, etc. He was a lover of many things and everything he did, he did it with passion. 

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To you my love, as our hearts have intertwined, they will forever beat as one.  You’ve continued to do what you do best; go forward to prepare a place for us.  I’d like to think of this time away as just another very long trip just as you’ve taken so many times before. As we embark on this new journey, I’m reminded of the love we’ve shared, and the countless memories we have made together. You are my Sweetheart! My Love! My Heart! My Soul! and Always and Forever More, The Love of My Life!! My Heart Beats for the Two of Us!  Gilbert, I LOVE YOU!!

Your Loving Wife

Aundrey

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