The Sutton family left a lasting legacy of education, civil rights, and business acumen in San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO. Two parents, 15 children and several grandchildren have a great family legacy in the city of Alamo.

The Sutton family settled in eastern San Antonio and excelled in education, popularized the arts, and transcended barriers. Its members are doctors and lawyers whose heritage matches that of the country’s famous African-American leaders.

“We were lucky to be who we were, but we had obligations,” said Charles Andrews, grandson of Samuel J. and Lillian Sutton, sitting in the den of his north side home. His mother was Smithy Sutton, a longtime homeroom teacher and active member of the NAACP.

Smithy and her 14 siblings, 12 of whom survived to adulthood, received bachelor’s degrees. Older children will teach their younger brothers and sisters.

Their father, Samuel Sutton, was the patriarch of the family. He moved from Virginia to Mexico before becoming a teacher at Guadalupe College in Séguin, where he met Lillian. Samuel became principal of San Antonio’s first black high schools, including Frederick Douglass, Whitley, and Riverside.

Lillian was also an educator, but she had a huge impact outside of the classroom.

“She’s a very powerful woman in her own right,” Andrews said.

Lillian fed the homeless through the back door of their home at 430 North Cherry St., which still stands today. The residence also housed sewing circles, a safe place for women to gather and exchange ideas.

“When people had problems with one of the community leaders, a banker, and so on, they would sometimes come to the sewing circle, state their problems, and the appropriate maid would take them and solve them,” Andrews said. “Education was emphasized, (and) civil rights. We were all involved in social struggles and activities, we were at the very center, if not in the lead.”

Alexander Sutton’s father was Alexander Carver Sutton and the elder George Washington Carver was his godfather.

AC Sutton founded the first black toy store in San Antonio, graduating from the Tuskegee Institute after studying agriculture, and was a lifelong NAACP activist.

The activity was shared with Smithy, who helped integrate the Camellia Room, a whites-only restaurant at Joske’s department store in San Antonio.

Smithy and her friend Kathleen Voight, who Andrews admitted “didn’t look like” Black, went to Camellia Room for lunch.

“My uncle GJ waited for them to sit down and serve and then came and asked to be served and came to ask to join them. They told him, “Mr. Sutton,” and they knew who he was: “You know we don’t serve colored people here at the Camellia Hall. And then he said, “Yeah, you know,” Andrews recalls.

“They come up and ask my mother: “Is there a person who says he is your brother?” And my mother says, “Yeah, that’s my brother JJ.” Do you know what they did? They said, “To hell with him.” This is how the Camellia room was integrated.”

It was one of the first major civil rights demonstrations in San Antonio. Charles’ sister, Mary Lillian Andrews, also wrote letters to Woolworth asking the restaurant to integrate its dining counters.

One of the Suttons’ greatest contributions to the history of Black Alamo City was their firm ownership of the famed Apollo Theatre.

“Over time it became our family business, in the sense that everyone invested in it,” said Alexander Sutton, recalling how his father became part of the Inner City Broadcasting Corporation.

His uncle Percy, who was Malcolm X’s lawyer and Tuskegee airman, became a businessman.

“He told me he loved going to the Apollo Theater when he was younger. And so when it closed, when he had the financial means, he bought the building,” Sutton said.

The family has left its mark on the building in many ways. AC Sutton and Percy saw black marble during a trip to Laredo. They rented a truck and drove this black marble to New York and installed it in the bathrooms of the Apollo.

The theater renovation paved the way for Showtime at Apollo, and also paved the way for legends like Steve Harvey and Reverend Al Sharpton on radio.

Everyone who was able helped clean up the theater before the big premiere.

“My job was to wipe those damn seats with a rag,” Andrews said, laughing. He was one of the board members when it reopened.

Andrews continued to operate the San Antonio radio station in the building at 217 Alamo Plaza, the same building where his grandparents had married.

Sutton’s grandchildren have their own forms of success.

“Charles had a business, I had a business, we all had the opportunity to create something for ourselves,” Alexander said.

The Sutton family helped establish a mattress factory, medical centers, and a family funeral business that still bears the name. H. J. Sutton was the first black elected representative in the state of Texas and the first black member of the San Antonio Junior College Board.

Charles ran the radio station for several years before retiring.

“I am 83 years old and expected to continue to contribute. (Alexander) is a child under my care, but he has the same obligations as all of us,” said Andrews.

The commitment to doing your part is part of why he believes the family has been successful.

“Part of what is left is a legacy for which you are responsible not only to yourself, but also to your family and your community,” Sutton said.