Lady Dr. Dhyana Ziegler - Midnight Train from Georgia - Life and career of William Franklin Guest

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Midnight Train From Georgia is an inspiring and emotional journey through the life and career of William Franklin Guest, a founding member of Gladys Knight and the Pips. The book discusses William’s love for music as a child growing up in a musical family and the formation of the group. The book explores the group’s meteoric rise to fame, the challenges of the music industry, and the personal struggles of a man determined to leave his mark on the world. This is not just a story of Gladys Knight and the Pips; it’s a universal tale of family, faith, love, loss, and the pursuit of dreams against all odds. Midnight Train From Georgia captures the heart of an era, the music that defined it, and the man who lived through it all. It combines emotional introspection with the dynamic energy of music during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

Dhyana Ziegler, Ph.D., DCJ: A Trailblazing Career

Dr. Dhyana Ziegler has had an extraordinary career marked by groundbreaking achievements. She has been knighted, served under three governors, and founded ZCreators, a digital media production and consulting service that has thrived for over 22 years.

Her extensive background includes work as a journalist, ad copywriter, radio producer, songwriter, and professor with more than 35 years of experience in academia. She has served as an administrator, contributed to numerous boards, and produced over 100 videos and multimedia works. She has also presented at dozens of international and national conferences.

In the 1970s, Dr. Ziegler wrote the song "Time Moves On" for the band Strutt, which topped the music charts. However, one of her most cherished roles was as sister-in-law to William Guest, a founding member of Gladys Knight & The Pips. This connection led her to author Guest’s biography, "Midnight Train From Georgia," an award-winning book.

Academic and Leadership Contributions

Dr. Ziegler is Professor Emerita at Florida A&M University’s School of Journalism & Graphic Communications. Before that, at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, she held several prestigious leadership positions, including:

• President of the Black Faculty and Staff Association

• Chair of the Commission for Blacks

• Chair of the Commission on Women

• First and only African American elected President of the Faculty Senate (1994)

• Inaugural Inductee into the University of Tennessee-Knoxville African American Hall of Fame

She also served as Chair of the State of Tennessee Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and Co-Chair of Higher Education for the Tennessee Legislative Black Caucus.

Government Appointments and Advocacy

Dr. Ziegler has been appointed seven times by three Florida governors:

• Five terms on the Florida Virtual School Board of Trustees

• Two terms on the Florida Commission on the Status of Women (where she was elected Chair of both entities)

She is also a Board Member of Florida Tax Watch and has served as Chair of the Board for the Southern Scholarship Foundation. Additionally, she is an active member of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), the Broadcast Education Association, and has held national leadership roles in the Society of Professional Journalists.

Scholarship, Grants, and Honors

Dr. Ziegler is the author of four books and has published over 60 scholarly articles, book chapters, and professional publications. She has been awarded nearly $6.5 million in grants and has received numerous honors, including:

• Knighted as a Dame of Justice (2008, England) by the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Justice

• Member of the Oxford Roundtable

• Women of Distinction Award (2012) – Girl Scouts of the Florida Panhandle

• 2014 Trailblazer Award – Oasis Center for Women and Girls

• 2017 Women on the Move – ONYX Magazine

• Legacy Leadership Award (2017) – Florida Virtual School

• Top 25 Women You Should Know (2022) – Tallahassee Democrat

Educational Background

Dr. Ziegler holds:

• Ph.D. in Higher Education – Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

• M.A. in Radio and Television – Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

• B.S. in Journalism and Music (Cum Laude) – Baruch College, CUNY

• Certificate in Management and Leadership in Education – Harvard University, Graduate School of Education

Dr. Ziegler’s legacy is one of excellence, leadership, and innovation, leaving an undeniable impact on education, media, and public service.

https://dhyanaziegler.ampbk.com/

Related Episodes