Dr. Roland S. Jefferson

Dr. Roland Spratlin Jefferson Sr. was born on May 16, 1939, in Washington, D.C., to the union of the Hon. Bernard Samuel Jefferson and Devonia Spratlin Jefferson. He was the only child born to this union. After the passing of his mother, Roland and his father relocated to Los Angeles to be closer to their family.

As a child, Roland was very active in Jack & Jill of America, Boy Scouts, YMCA and Second Baptist Church. As a result of the Boy Scouts, he held several certificates in sharpshooting, and received a license in radio transmission with Morse code. Roland attended YMCA camp every summer and learned many skills during that time. Paramount among the skills learned was Roland’s experience of making his first movie alongside his campmates that would resurface years later as a silent film. Another skill was building race cars, through which he competed - with his entry named Black Magic - in the Soap Box Derby.

Roland attended Los Angeles Unified School District primary schools including Mt. Vernon Junior High and Los Angeles High School. He took great pride in being the latter's second Black Yell Leader and an alumnus of the class of 1957. Roland always made a point to attend his class reunions.

Roland attended the University of Southern California (USC) and received a BS degree in biology and a minor in anthropology. While attending USC, Roland became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. (Beta Omega Chapter), following in the footsteps of his father and uncles. After graduating from USC in 1961, Roland went on to Washington to attend Howard University Medical School. While attending Howard, Roland and his classmates participated in the historic March on Washington (in their white coats), led by Martin Luther King Jr. Roland often took pride in saying “I was there” when the I Have a Dream speech was made. He built lifelong friendships with his classmates of 1965 and often talked about their professional achievements.

After graduating from Howard Medical School, Roland interned at the Los Angeles County General Hospital. His residency was performed at the Illinois State Psychiatric Institute in Chicago and completed at Camarillo State Hospital, in California.

In 1966 Roland met the love of his life, Melanie L. Moore, at the Kappa House in Los Angeles. After a short courtship, Roland and Melanie were married on July 26, 1966, and spent their first year of marriage in Chicago. Following their stint there, Roland and Melanie returned to Los Angeles and in 1967 their first son, Roland Spratlin Jefferson Jr., (Jay) was born. In 1969 Rodney Earl Jefferson was added to their union.

In 1969, Roland entered the U.S. Air Force as a captain and served as the base psychiatrist at Lockbourne Air Force Base in Columbus, Ohio. This was due to his participation in the draft-era Berry Plan, which allowed physicians to defer military service until they had completed medical school and residency training. While in the Air Force, Roland took private pilot lessons and was licensed to fly single and twin-engine planes traveling to domestic and international locations with the Negro Airmen International Flying Club. Roland completed his tour of duty in 1971 and was honorably discharged. Prior to returning to Los Angeles, Roland and Melanie welcomed their only daughter, Shannon Devonia Jefferson.

Upon returning to Los Angeles in June 1971, Roland consulted as a psychiatrist for Martin Luther King Jr. General Hospital and the Watts Health Foundation. In 1972, Roland opened his private practice in the Crenshaw community of South Los Angeles, where he served for more than 40 years by breaking the stigma of mental health. Roland helped people living with mental illness, grief therapy and so much more. Later in his career, Roland was trained in forensic psychiatry and was often called to testify in important court cases. Roland was a member of the National Medical Association, to which he traveled annually to their conventions and made several presentations and academic papers. He was also a member of the Black Psychiatrists of America.

While in the Air Force, Roland began writing movie reviews, many of which were well received. In 1975, Roland and Melanie celebrated the birth of their third son, Royce Bernard Jefferson, which happened to be on the same date as their first-born son. And in 1976, Roland penned his first novel, "The School on 103rd Street," which was critically acclaimed. In total, Roland authored seven published novels: "School on 103rd Street," "A Card for The Players," "559 to Damascus," "Damaged Goods," "One Night Stand," "White Coat Fever" and "Alice in Dreamland." He also wrote, directed and produced several films including "Disco 9000" (musician Johnny Taylor scored the film), "Angel Dust - The Wack Attack" (where Phillip Michael Thomas was discovered), "Perfume" (musician Barry White produced the soundtrack), and several other movie and television treatments.

Roland was a member of the Screen Writers Guild, Black Writers on Tour, and was a 1980 NAACP Image Award Winner for "The Wack Attack" - Television Special Writer. Roland was a Black Movie and Film enthusiast. He had an extensive collection of Black exploitation movies, a rare collection of Black movie posters and was an annual attendant at the Pan African Film Festival, to which he invited many and his cherished men’s movie group from McCoy Memorial Baptist Church. Throughout his life Roland also became a collector of rare cars. Upon graduation from Howard Medical School he bought his prized 1962 Aston Martin, the same model of car driven by James Bond in the early Bond films, of which Roland was a huge fan. He also later acquired a Lamborghini and a Ferrari, and to the end owned a rare 1969 Rolls Royce Corniche. Earlier, he and friend Dr. Vernon Shields started an auto racing company, Jefferson Racing Enterprises, Inc. and purchased the Lotus Type 71B Formula A/5000 race car and competed at Riverside International Raceway.

Roland and Melanie were blessed and raised four children of whom they were extremely proud and bragged often of their achievements. They enjoyed many years living in the Baldwin Vista community. He and Melanie traveled extensively with their children to foreign and domestic destinations. Chief among those were their annual trips to Palm Springs with his best friend Phillip and Joan Francis and their family. In February 2014, Roland joined McCoy Memorial Baptist Church under the leadership of Dr. R.A. Williams Jr., pastor, and in January 2020 he and Melanie joined TrueLA Church in support of their daughter and son-in-law, as he became the pastor.

Dr. Roland S. Jefferson Sr. leaves to cherish his memory: Melanie, his loving wife of 57 years. Sister Cassadra Powell (Michael). Children: Roland Jr., (Deana); Rodney; Shannon Nelson (Douglas); and Royce (Khalisha). Grandchildren: Roland Spratlin III, Jocque Pierre, Isaiah Thomas, Sydney Michele, Lourdes Zipporah, Lola Leilani, Soleil Peninah and Sasha Sage. First cousins: Susan and Margo Jefferson. Sister-in-law: Millicent Copeland. Brother-in-law: Thomas Frierson. Nephews: Ron Copeland (Nicole), Kyle Copeland (Celina). Nieces: Doris Frierson, Tiffany Jones (Al). And many more cousins including the Jefferson, Spratlin and Syphax families and friends. He was a member of Post 1000 in Sanger, Calif.