Daytona Times - June 09, 2016

Remembering ‘The Greatest’ SEE PAGE 7

East Central Florida’s Black Voice

EE FR

MARC MORIAL: VERNON JORDAN CONTINUES FIGHT FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SEE PAGE 4

MIDTOWN MOTOWN CONTINUES TO DRAW HUNDREDS TO PARK SEE PAGE 8

JUNE 9 - JUNE 15, 2016

YEAR 41 NO. 23

www.daytonatimes.com

Retired barber ready to teach B-CU students Etavius Russ wants to partner with the university to provide a healthy environment for aspiring stylists to do hair.

BY ANDREAS BUTLER DAYTONA TIMES

Master barber and and entrepreneur Etavius Russ has more than 42 years of experience in the barbering business.

Russ is now retired, but he has a vision: He wants to create a barber program for students at Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU).

The owner of Russ Enterprises leases a building at 248 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., which is near B-CU. The program, Russ said, would provide a place for who like to cut hair.

“Safety is a big concern for me. This program will provide proper barber training and teach hair sanitation. Many students are cutting hair on campus in unsanitized surroundings. It only takes just one mistake. If you bust a hair bump, it can spread diseases such as HIV and others if you don’t have the right tools, sanitation and training,” Russ told the Daytona Times.

Slow response Russ also wants the program to emphasize proper hair care.

“There is so much to know when it comes to hair, especially for Black folk. The chemicals today are destroying our hair. You must know how to reconstruct and re-strengthen damaged hair. If it is not damaged too bad, you can. If it is damaged too bad you have to cut it,” he said.

The school’s slow response has been frustrating to Russ.

“I am disappointed because I

sent a request to talk to the president months ago. I did get to talk with another, the Vice President of Student Affairs Jason Glenn. I haven’t been able to speak with members of the business school and board of trustees,” Russ told the Times.

Bethune-Cookman isn’t ready to make a decision on such a program.

“At this time, we can’t move forward with it. It doesn’t mean that we will or we won’t at any time in the future. Any program proposal takes time to be looked over. It’s a process,” B-CU spokeswoman Keisha Boyd told the Times this week.

Benefit for both Russ believes a partnership between his business and the university would benefit both parties.

“I hope that they support my proposition. This would be free to the students. We can both make money. It See BARBER, Page 2

CHARLES W. CHERRY II/DAYTONA TINES

Etavius Russ wants to help B-CU students learn how to properly cut and style hair.

‘Inspires others and gives selflessly of themselves’ Local businessman among Juneteenth Hometown Heroes

BY ANDREAS BUTLER DAYTONA TIMES

Residents with health concerns are being encouraged to share their thoughts during a series of community health town hall series hosted by the Florida Department of Health Volusia County.

Each event focuses on some of the leading causes of mortality in certain municipalities. Two health town hall meetings are scheduled this month.

The goal for the health department is to go out into the communities and hear residents discuss their health concerns and healthrelated issues.

“Our focus will be on listening to the health needs, ideas and concerns of Volusia County residents,” said Dr. Laureen Husband with the Volusia health department. “We want residents to tell us about their efforts to lead a healthy life and brainstorm ways we can systematically address them.”

BY ANDREAS BUTLER DAYTONA TIMES

Mario Davis will be one of the Volusia County residents honored on June 16 during the annual Juneteenth Hometown Heroes event at the Midtown Cultural and Education Center, 925 George W. Engram Blvd.

The banquet begins at 7 p.m.

Davis, president and owner of DuPont Financial Services in South Daytona, will be honored for community service.

He co-owns the company with his wife, DeLand City Commissioner Jessica Davis. He also is a local philanthropist, community leader and political consultant.

“I am definitely humbled. I appreciate it. It’s a great opportunity to highlight people in the community. It is a good gesture on behalf of the committee,” Davis told the Daytona Times.

Kick off in Pierson The series kicked off with the first town hall meeting in Pierson in early May. The most recent event, which was the second of the series, took place at the Sandborn Center in DeLand on May 31.

“It is critical that people in the community tell us what is going on in regards to their concerns about health. How they see issues that need to be addressed. Every few years, the health department uses an assessment to go out into the community to gather information to see what needs to be done,” said Thomas Bryant, director of planning and performance management for the Florida Department of Health.

The May 31 event was sponsored by the Florida Department of Health and the City of DeLand. The City of Lake Helen also was invited.

The event focused on the top health issues in DeLand and Lake Helen. It included presentations food, refreshments and activities in adjacent Earl Brown Park.

Williams-Collins said it’s important to meet with people to get accurate information. “A lot of times with statistics it might not be the public’s top concern,” she said.

Other honorees The event is hosted by the local Juneteenth Festival Committee. Other 2016 Hometown Heroes are: • Ferida Sadiqq Ibrahim, who will be honored for her work with teens and youth; • Judge Shirley Green, the first elected Black female judge in Volusia County who will be honored for her work in the community; • Bettie Mitchell, who also will be honored for her work in the community with youth; • Thaddeus Collins, who will be recognized for his work in education with area youth. He has been a consultant for Bethune-Cookman University’s Black Male Explorers program for 22 years; • Colonel Lloyd Freckelton, a retired Army officer will be recognized for his work in the community with men’s health; • Gary Libby, former director for the Museum of Arts and Science will be honored for his work with the arts, culture and sciences; • Dr. Thomas LoBasso, president of Daytona State College,

Town hall meetings to address health issues

DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Businessman and community leader Mario Davis is one of the Volusia residents who will See HEROES, Page 2 be honored this month.

Top health issues During the forum, the five top mortality diseases in DeLand and Lake Helen were listed as coronary See HEALTH, Page 2

ALSO INSIDE

COMMUNITY: DAYTONA BEACH LIBRARY TO HOST FREE PRESENTATION ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY | PAGE 2 HEALTH: REPORT SHOWS 38 PERCENT OF ADULTS IN UNITED STATES ARE OBESE | PAGE 5

7 FOCUS

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JUNE 9 – JUNE 15, 2016

CHARLES W. CHERRY II / DAYTONA TIMES

Otis Kittles, Jr. remembered Pallbearers carry the mortal remains of longtime Daytona Beach resident Otis Kittles, Jr. to a waiting hearse after a homegoing service Saturday at Shady Grove Primitive Baptist Church.

A large contingent of friends and family traveled from Kittles’ hometown of Sylvania, Ga., to celebrate his life.

Kittles died May 28 at age 76.

Free Social Security session scheduled at library

Library plans healthy eating lesson for teens

Learn how to access your personal Social Security information during a free presentation at 5:30 p.m. June 14 at the Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island, 105 E. Magnolia Ave. Bianca Taylor, a public affairs specialist with the Orlando Social Security Administration office, will explain how to use the website, www.socialsecurity. gov/myaccount, to review earnings and assess projected retirement benefits.

She also will answer questions about benefits.

Reservations are not required.

Teens can learn how to make healthy snacks at 1 p.m. June 23 at the Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island, 105 E. Magnolia Ave. The free demonstration and tasting will be led by Sara Levasseur, a program assistant with the Family Nutrition Program at the University of Florida/Volusia County Extension.

Girls and boys in grades six through 12 can take part in the program.

Reservations are requested. Contact Lorri Davis at ljdavis@volusia.org or 386-2576036, ext. 16154.

Physiatrist to speak to Parkinson’s group

Daytona Beach and the Friends of the Daytona Beach Library.

Dr. Carolyn Geis, a physiatrist, will present “Keeping your Stride with Parkinson’s’’ from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday, June 29, at the Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island, 105 E. Magnolia Ave., Daytona Beach.

Dr. Geis is the director of neuroscience for Halifax Health and medical director for Brooks Rehabilitation, an inpatient unit at Halifax Health Medical Center. A physiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in physical medicine, rehabilitation and pain medicine.

Seating is limited. Reservations are required; call 386-676-6375 by noon June 27.

The program is co-sponsored by the Parkinson Association of Greater

Palm Coast group hosting golf tourney

BARBER from Page 1

will help both me and the school. I can do my clinics and workshops. I also want to be able to give back to the school,” Russ said.

Making money for his business is a goal, but providing a service is another, he remarked.

“I am all for advancing people. How can you make money when you cannot sell anything? I thought that I would be able to connect with the college. I think we could do a survey to see what the students would like to see here,” stated Russ.

Other options If the university says no, Russ is exploring other options.

Businesses could help fund such a project, he noted.

HEROES from Page 1

will be lauded for his work in education.

According to the committee’s criteria, “a Hometown hero is an individual who has assisted people/projects/the general strengthening of our community. A Hometown hero is motivated to create positive change in a loving, non-violent, and selfless way. These people strive to make a difference, whether they get anything out of it or not. A Hometown hero inspires others and gives selflessly of themselves.’’

June 18 festival Juneteenth originated in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865. It commemorates when slaves in that area of the country learned of their freedom following the Civil War. Along with the banquet, an annual outdoor festival is held to commemorate the holiday. This year’s festival takes place June 18 at Cypress Park, 925 George W. Engram Blvd. The event will include educational displays, music, food, recreational activities

HEALTH from Page 1

disease, pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and dementia.

Those were compared with the top areas in Volusia County and Florida.

“These are what are for these two specific communities. Diseases impact communities in differently. One may be an issue in one but not another. We use the number to see what needs to be addressed and how we can resolve these issues,” commented Bryant.

New Smyrna next There is hope for combating these diseases.

“We must first learn the issues and understand how they affect us, then we have to realize that we have the power and a voice to come together with government, health officials and others to understand and address.

We can come together and use the resources that we

Bettie Mitchell

Ferida Sadiqq Lloyd Ibrahim Freckelton

and a fashion show.

Learn about holiday Davis encourages residents to take part in the Juneteenth festivities.

“Many of the things that transition from history until now our youth don’t know about. They don’t know how things progressed and they’re not familiar with that information. It is not shared with them in any academic curriculum in the public school system. I think our community having events and programs like this it gives us an opportunity to educate youth and adults. The biggest asset of this holiday is education,” Davis explained.

Davis is a DeLand native who has a background in accounting.

He earned his bachelor’s degree

have,” Bryant explained.

The next forum will be June 21 at the Alonzo and Babe James Community Center in New Smyrna Beach at 6 p.m.

The final event of the series will take place at the Midtown Cultural and Educational Center in Daytona Beach on June 23 at 6 p.m.

Cancer, strokes One area of high mortality rates facing Volusia County alone is the high death rates from cancer, according to the health department.

Volusia County males have higher death rates from cancer than others from across the state.

Not only are they more likely to die from colorectal, lung and prostate cancer, they also have higher death rates from stroke, heart disease and diabetes, according to statistics compiled by the Florida Department of Health in Volusia County.

“Males in the 32114 zip code of Daytona Beach die from colorectal cancer (in-

Thaddeus Collins

Dr. Thomas LoBasso

in English from Florida Memorial University.

Later, he earned certifications in electronic accounting with the Internal Revenue Service and bookkeeping.

Davis also works with and leads several non-profit organizations. He is the executive director of the Greater Union Life Center in DeLand, which is responsible for the Martin Luther King Day Jr. festivities there.

In addition, he is the administrator for the Midtown Development Corporation, which is a collaboration between the City of Daytona Beach and Bethune-Cookman University trying to spearhead economic development in Daytona’s Black community.

Issue of economics Davis is aware of the economic

cidence) rates are 10 times the county and state. Stroke rates are nearly 13 times higher,” according to Bryant.

Awareness is key Health officials encourage exercising 30 minutes per day, eating a healthy diet, not smoking and regular checkups to combat these chronic diseases.

“Awareness is the first step toward living longer, healthier lives. All of us should encourage our fathers, husbands, sons and friends to be proactive by getting screened by a doctor. Regular screenings are important.

“Men are half as likely to visit a doctor for disease prevention, Father’s Day is a good time to encourage them to make an appointment,” said Patricia Boswell, administrator with the Volusia health department For more information on the town halls, contact Dr. Laureen Husband at 386274-0624.

A golf tournament celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the African American Cultural Society (AACS) will take place June 18 at the Cypress Golf Club in Palm Coast. It is a fourperson scramble.

Registration will begin 7:30 a.m.; the shotgun start, 8:30 a.m., and the entry fee is $75 per person.

An awards ceremony and luncheon will follow in the club’s restaurant.

For more information, contact John Reid at 386-237-7744; Bill Seeney, 386-586-1411; or the AACS, 386-447-7030. The e-mail address is africanameric955@bellsouth.net.

“I have talked to some businesses, and I have at least one that is ready to support whether I partner with the school or not,” he noted.

Russ has owned a total of 12 businesses, including barbershops, restaurants and a thrift store.

In the past, he has owned a few barbershops on Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard (MMB), which was historically known as Second Avenue.

The Russ building on the campus of B-CU on MMB Boulevard is named after him. He once owned the building before selling it to B-CU. It currently houses the university’s IT services, media center, a police substation and some student apartments.

History of service Russ has a long history of service to not only locals but to Bethune-Cookman students.

“Over the years, I have

challenges in the Black community on both sides of the county.

“The Spring Hill community of DeLand mirrors Midtown in Daytona. Both are disenfranchised, have high crime, poverty, low pay, lack of jobs, etc. Both are in the middle of their city. The challenge with the two communities is that they aren’t working together to find solutions to their problems. They have different issues but basically the same problems,” Davis stated.

Economic development is a need for all Black communities.

Davis expressed,” Traditionally how slavery was enacted and how Black communities were placed hundreds of years ago is a big part of things. Many AfricanAmerican communities sit in middle of major cities and are in what is now considered prime real estate. Many of these communities are disenfranchised, have low income, high crime rates “To change this, we must develop economically and take advantage of the location of our communities. We must partner with large and medium-sized corporations to spearhead business and economic development to curb these problems,” he continued.

received so much support from not only the local community but so many Bethune-Cookman students as well. Business has always been up and down, but they have all made my business successful,” said Russ.

In the past, he also has sold food to hungry students.

“Students love home cooking. I did a survey once and they often say that is what they want. I had to stop selling food out the building because of zoning issues,” Russ explained.

“I’ve meet with a city official who told me that many do it but illegally,” he noted.

But Russ believes his proposed barber program could grow and expand.

“We can spread this program out to other institutions,” he stated. “I think it’s a good idea and I think that it is a good program.’’

Business, politics There also are some in the Black community who fear economic development often hurts local Black businesses, including mom-and-pop shops.

“I disagree with that notion. It depends on the community and its dynamics. Communities must evaluate types of business coming in and how they can enhance small businesses. Larger business can often provide exposure for smaller ones. Some mom-and-pop stores aren’t contributing to the community. In Daytona, there are many doing well and could be provided with resources to help them grow with exposure from larger businesses,” explained Davis.

Davis also created the area’s Minority Elected Officials Committee, which was started to review issues in certain areas, identify and target issues to repair communities.

“This was created to make sure that the people we elect to represent us are held accountable for revitalizing the community that we live in. Many in our community have become upset and unpleased with elected officials because we have expectations of them that are often not met because of dynamics of politics,” Davis added.

JUNE 9 – JUNE 15, 2016 COMMUNITY DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

M A YNEWS OR

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Doug Carn Trio triumphs at Gospel Café Patrons at the Gospel Café bore witness to a sensational show featuring the incomparable Doug Carn, masterful organist, whose versatility includes other instruments and the human instrument of his voice. It was compelling to encounter Carn playing at the gig for the intimate setting.

He wasn’t alone, but was backed on June 3 by the Doug Carn Trio with guitarist Robert Whiting and drummer Carlos Felder. Whiting and Felder often play with Carn for a strikingly gutsy delivery. The improvisational solos triumphed as performed by each artist.

They were all part of the Gospel Cafe’s venue, spotlighting sensations each successive Friday at First Church. Dinner and “mocktails’’ of virgin daiquiris, pina coladas and margaritas maximized delicious.

Robert Whiting will be up next June 10, featured with his trio – Rob’s Jazz Express.

Spiritual, enjoyable Promoters Dr. Nel Trasybule, M.D., and Nathaniel Shropshire III hit the ground running and executing Pastor Gillard S. Glover’s vision for the Gospel Café.

“It was wonderful; a pleasant experience to engage in as we do not have that much to enjoy,” said Diane Spears. “It was a very spiritual setting, an enjoyable setting.”

“I only came to one (show), the one the FAME Ensemble did,” said Ruth Brown, “and it was fantastic. We really enjoyed it.”

Brown pointed out the supercharged, May 27 show, attended with husband James, which resonated the FAME Ensemble’s passel of gospel/jazz classics.

The relentlessly creative ensemble is composed of Nathaniel Shropshire III, Jessica Rogers, Francesca Scott, Drickus Horne, and Octavia Evans.

That particular performance called upon Dr. Evelyn Bethune to debut a jazz classic and for Donna Gray-Banks to do a voice-over as the emcee for the Gospel Café. Gray-Banks and Bethune are both cohosts on a radio show.

Sentimental favorites Anyway, the Doug Carn Trio took on “Chili Con Carne,” which was performed by guitarist Kenny Burrell; “Stella by Starlight,” “Wave,” Duke Ellington’s “Sentimental Mood,” “Sonnymoon for Two,” which was sensationalized by Sonny Roll-

PALM COAST COMMUNITY NEWS JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY

ins, and “Minor Chant” by Stanley Turrentine as performed by Jimmy Smith.

Interpreting the show’s merit, Sonia White asserted, “I thought it was great. I enjoyed every bit of it...It was not only a contribution for the church, but a contribution to elevate our young people...because those are the ones who we need to reach...and in doing so, it will invite young people into the church.”

The sensational show provided the incentive for anyone - including young people at the Gospel Café, which, of course, will take place in the church.

Next: Trio to rock signature songs The brilliant Rob’s Jazz Express will rev up, rockin’ the signature songs at the Gospel Café, June 10, 7 p.m., at 91 Old Kings Road North, Palm Coast.

Ingeniously smooth, guitarist Robert “Rob” Whiting leads the trio, featuring Robert Banks on drums and Michael Scott on bass.

Undeniably, they will perform a cool collection and perhaps rivet “My Funny Valentine,” Stevie Wonder’s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” and maybe execute a little of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.”

They teamed up nine years ago and regularly perform in North Central Florida and Savannah. Rob was born in the District of Columbia. He has opened for Miriam Makeba in that fair city.

He’s seen along the circuit performing with Doug Carn, and has performed with Eddie Henderson, Steve Williams, and Teddy Adams. In between sets, Rob was asked by Wes Montgomery to sit in with Montgomery’s ensemble.

National performances Drummer Robert Banks was born in Pittsburgh and has worked with local R&B sets and the college circuit in the tri-state

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOR BLACK STUDENTS. NO EXCUSES. The classic guide from Florida Courier publisher, lawyer and broadcaster CHARLES W. CHERRY II PRAISE FOR ‘EXCELLENCE WITHOUT EXCUSE’: “This guide for African-American college-bound students is packed with practical and insightful information for achieving academic success...The primary focus here is to equip students with the savvy and networking skills to maneuver themselves through the academic maze of higher education.”

– Book review, School Library Journal • How low expectations of Black students’ achievements can get them higher grades; • Want a great grade? Prepare to cheat!

• How Black students can program their minds for success; • Setting goals – When to tell everybody, and when to keep your mouth shut; • Black English, and why Black students must be ‘bilingual.’ …AND MUCH MORE!

Download immediately as an eBook or a pdf Order softcover online, from Amazon, or your local bookstore ISBN#978-1-56385-500-9 Published by International Scholastic Press, LLC

ccherry2@gmail.com

Facebook ccherry2 excellencewithoutexcuse

for info on speeches, workshops, seminars, book signings, panel discussions.

Pennsylvania area.

Robert was propelled to have performed with vocalist Phyllis Hyman and trombonist Al Dowe – including Pittsburgh notables George Benson, Bobby O’Brown and Adolphus Bell.

St. Augustine native Michael Scott – the bass guitarist for the trio – took on the role of playing with “Chameleon,” an R&B revue of Florida A&M students during the ’70s, who recorded a release titled “Funky” for Black Sun Records.

Michael has performed with national recording artist Doug Carn and his exquisite, upscale orchestral strings, “Con Brio,” and plays the gigs with musicians of varied genres.

Rob’s Jazz Express will lay down a smooth set of infectious favorites at the Gospel Café. The donation is $15 per person.

To purchase tickets, call the church at 386-446-5759, where the Rev. Gillard S. Glover serves as pastor. First Church is located at 91 Old Kings Road North, Palm Coast.

Incidentally, fill up on a great meal at the Gospel Café. It will be served in the

church’s educational complex. The dinner hour will begin prior to Rob’s Jazz Express.

Dinner will be served between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. for a modest $7 donation. Bring family and friends to enjoy good food, live music and a great time!

••• As always, remember our prayers for the sick, afflicted and bereaved.

Registration opens for Flagler’s Senior Games

13; at the Palm Coast Tennis Center, 1290 Belle Terre Pkwy., Palm Coast Golf: Sept. 14, 8:30 a.m. shotgun start; at Palm Harbor Golf Club, at 20 Palm Harbor Drive, Palm Coast Horseshoes: 7:30 a.m. Sept. 14; at Old Dixie Community Park on North Old Dixie Highway, Bunnell Indoor Volleyball: 6 p.m. Sept. 14; location TBA Pickleball: 9 a.m. Sept. 15; at Belle Terre Park Tennis Center, 339 Parkview Drive, Palm Coast Pickleball Doubles: 9 a.m. Sept. 16; at Belle Terre Park Tennis Center, 339 Parkview Drive, Palm Coast Basketball Shooting: 6 p.m. Sept. 16; location TBA Table Tennis: 6 p.m. Sept. 16; location TBA Swimming: 9 a.m. Sept. 17; at Frieda Zamba Swimming Pool, 339 Parkview Drive, Palm Coast

Active adults ages 50 and up can now sign up for the third annual Palm Coast & the Flagler Beaches Senior Games, which offers competition in 14 sports. The games, presented by Cora Health Services Inc., will be held Sept. 10 to 18.

The Seniors Games are open to men and women competing against other athletes of the same gender and age group.

Registration is $15 and includes a T-shirt and participation in one sports event; participation in each additional sports event is $5. Competition is offered in nine different age categories.

“The tradition of the Senior Games is to offer fun, fellowship, fitness and competition, and that is a perfect match for Palm Coast and all of Flagler with our community’s emphasis on active lifestyle and recreation,” said Recreation Superintendent Alex Boyer of the Palm Coast Parks & Recreation Department.

“This is our third year of competition, and we invite you to help us make the third annual Palm Coast & the Flagler Beaches Senior Games the best ever, whether as an athlete or a spectator,” Boyer said.

2016 events

www.excellencewithoutexcuse.com

Contact Charles at

PHOTO COURTESY OF FIRST CHURCH OF PALM COAST

The Doug Carn Trio headlined the Gospel Café with Doug Carn on the organ, Robert Whiting, guitar, and Carlos Felder on drums.

Twitter @ccherry2

The Palm Coast & the Flagler Beaches Senior Games are sanctioned by the Florida Sports Foundation and serve as a local qualifying event for the Florida Senior Games State Championships. This year’s events are: Archery: 9 a.m. Sept. 10; at Indian Trails Middle School fields, 5505 Belle Terre Pkwy., Palm Coast Golf Croquet: 8:30 a.m. Sept. 10; at Palm Harbor Golf Club, 100 Cooper Lane, Palm Coast Cycling: 8:30 a.m. Sept. 11; starting course location TBA Ballroom Dancing (Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, Swing, Rumba and Cha Cha): 2 p.m. Sept. 11; at the VFW, 37 Old Kings Road North, Palm Coast Tennis: 9 a.m. Sept. 12; at the Palm Coast Tennis Center, 1290 Belle Terre Pkwy., Palm Coast Tennis Mixed Doubles: 9 a.m. Sept.

Celebrations Belated birthdays to Emma D. Wilson, Emma J. Kendrick, Melanee Gaddis, June 3; and Lenora Dabney, June 5.

Happy birthdays to Aisha Kinshasa Thomas, the Rev. Lannie Thomas, June 10; my niece, Kelli Coaxum, in the Bronx, June 12; Ray C. Henderson, June 14; Phillip Dunn, the Rev. Pat Coley Ford, and my dad, Rufus S. Coaxum, in the Bronx, June 15.

How to register The Palm Coast City Council and representatives of Cora Health Services officially kicked off the 2016 Senior Games season with a proclamation on May 17.

Cora Health Services is partnering with the City to provide public educational programs and sports medicine services for athletic events in Palm Coast this year.

Cora Health Services has two clinics in Palm Coast.

The Palm Coast & the Flagler Beaches Senior Games are also sponsored by Humana and the Palm Coast Observer.

To register, visit www.palmcoastgov. com/seniorgames for the registration form. Mail the form with payment to Palm Coast Parks & Recreation, attn.: Senior Games Coordinator Alex Boyer, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE, Palm Coast, FL 32137. Or drop it off Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE, or email it to aboyer@ palmcoastgov.com. Checks should be payable to: City of Palm Coast.

For more information, visit www. palmcoastgov.com/seniorgames or call Palm Coast Parks & Recreation at 386-9862323.

R4

7 EDITORIAL

JUNE 9 – JUNE 15, 2016

We need literacy warriors Dictionary defines warriors as “a person who fights in battle and is known for having courage and skill.” In “Roots,” reimagined Kizzy Kinte tells her dad, “Reading is my way of being a warrior, my way of feeling free inside.”

Teaching enslaved people to read and write was illegal in most Southern states, so reading was an act of resistance and rebellion that could get you sold – or worse. Reading material described as “subversive,” such as “David Walker’s Appeal,” could get you killed.

Wishful thinking While enslaved people deeply desired knowledge, and risked their lives to learn to read, an ugly saying emerged about African-Americans and literacy.

“If you want to hide something from a Black people, put it in a book.” I think the saying has less to do with Black folk and reading, and more to do with White people’s wishful thinking. Still, the achievement gap suggests that we need more African-American people to become literacy warriors.

The education system is replete with racial disparity and unfairness. African-Americans, 18 percent of the pre-kindergarten population, garner 48 percent of the suspensions, and are three times as likely as White students to get expelled. Black girls are the most likely to experience expulsions.

African-American students are also three times as likely to be held back as other students.

African-American students have less access to Advanced

DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

Ancestors’ tears “It dawned on me that my tears were not really my tears, but they were the tears of my grandparents and my parents. They were the tears of all those Black people who toted that cotton and lifted that bale. The notion that Obama was going to be president, or that

Schools are letting out for the summer, which means that millions of young people not engaged in summer educational activities will lose learning by the time they return to school in the fall. Are there literacy warriors who will stand in the gap and ensure that every child has some meaningful educational program during the summer?

Placement and International Baccalaureate advanced courses. Too often their schools simply don’t offer the courses that may make a difference in college admissions. While one in five White students takes calcu-

MARC H. MORIAL TRICE EDNEY WIRE

any Black person was going to be president, is stunning.”

Jordan’s own life is a vivid illustration of the progression of civil rights throughout the latter half of the 20th Century and into the 21st.

“He is kind of the Rosa Parks of Wall Street,” Harvard historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr., told Bloomberg. “He realized that the first phase of the modern civil rights movement was fighting legal segregation, but the roots of racism were fundamentally economic.”

According to the Bloomberg profile, published on the occasion of his 80th birthday last year:

What about Harambe?

Since his shooting at the Cincinnati Zoo on June 28, the death of Harambe, a 17-year-old male gorilla, has created a firestorm of controversy in contemporary “culture wars.”

There has been considerable second-guessing concerning the decision to shoot and kill the animal. Even worse, there has been unreasonable vilification of the parents of the 3-year-old human African-American male who found his way past a barricade and fell 15 feet into a moat surrounding the zoo’s “Gorilla World” enclosure.

Reacting to the child in his enclosure, Harambe jumped into the moat and took the child under his control. Although his treatment of the child may have been similar to the treatment given a baby gorilla, the force he used was excessive for the child.

lus in high school, just one in fifteen African-American students does. And African-American students are three times as likely to be taught by first-year teachers as Whites are.

Persistent gap

Jordan continues fight for economic empowerment Last month, the National Urban League last week released our annual report on the social and economic status of people of color, the State of Black America®.

This year’s edition, “Locked Out: Education, Jobs & Justice,” was especially significant because it marked the 40th anniversary of the report, first issued in 1976 by Vernon Jordan.

In a video message Jordan recorded for the State of Black America® release, he recalled the tears he wept the night Barack Obama was elected President.

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: SOCIAL MEDIA MOB BEHAVIOR

DR. E. FAYE WILLIAMS, ESQ. TRICE EDNEY WIRE

I have supported animal rights all of my life, but never at the expense of human life– and not where a baby’s life was threatened.

Posed a threat Some surmise that the screams of concern from onlookers agitated Harambe, who began to han-

There are multiple organizations that advocate for more educational equity and for closing the achievement gap. Billions of dollars have gone into addressing the challenges that come with closing the achievement gap, but educational inequality is persistent.

We need educational warriors, people who are committed to fighting the educational inequality with courage and skill. It is going to take courage to call out the sacred cows that many dare not criticize.

Who are the teachers who are inefficient? What can we do about them? Do programs like Teach for America – that send inexperienced teachers to classrooms – serve or disserve young people? It’s going to take skill, too, to call people out in a way that motivates them toward reform, not resistance.

A statistic that bothers me is the fact that young Black people start out behind when they get to kindergarten. Ninety-one percent of White children who are not enrolled in preschool are read to at least three times a week by family members, compared to 78 percent of African-American students. There is also a racial gap in the availability of books in homes, and African-American youngsters may have less access to libraries.

“As a young man in Jim Crow Georgia, his first job was chauffeuring a White banker who was shocked that he could read. Now he counts some of America’s most wealthy and powerful citizens as friends and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are proud to call him a mentor.”

‘Niggers and roads’ Jordan himself often recounts what he calls his earliest political memory, listening to Georgia’s segregationist Governor Eugene Talmadge on the radio in 1943, when Jordan was eight years old.

“I have two planks in my platform,” Talmadge said. “Niggers and roads. I’m against the first and for the second.”

Persuaded by a recruiter to apply to a desegregated college in the North, Vernon enrolled at DePauw University in Indiana over his parents’ misgivings.

“Here were Negro parents, both of whom had grandparents who were slaves, who to some extent were conditioned to the Southern way of life,” Jordan told author Robert Penn Warren in

dle the boy more roughly. Whatever the cause, zoo officials determined that the gorilla’s state of agitation posed a threat to the life of the child and ordered Harambe to be shot.

Zoo Director Thane Maynard stated that the only alternative was to kill Harambe. Noted zookeeper Jack Hanna agreed with Maynard who, after reflection, said he would make the same decision again if necessary.

There is no greater value than a full appreciation for the sanctity and significance of life. Ideally, every living being would be afforded the respect commonly given its position in the ecosphere. Unfortunately, this utopia does not exist. We must make unpleasant decisions that have an immediate impact on life.

I have supported animal rights all of my life, but never at the expense of human life– and not where a baby’s life was threatened. I, like many others, initially had mixed emotions about the decision to kill Harambe, but

JOHN COLE, THE SCRANTON TIMES-TRIBUNE

Warriors needed

Where are they?

Where are the literacy warriors who would read to the children who are experiencing gaps?

Where are the ones who will ensure that libraries in some communities are adequately stocked?

Are there warriors who will give children books to take home, warriors who will fight to expand the offerings of our nation’s public schools?

Schools are letting out for the summer, which means that millions of young people not engaged in summer educational activities will lose learning by the time they return to school in the fall. Are there literacy warriors who will stand in the gap and ensure that every child has some meaningful educational program during the summer? Or will we stand by and watch the achievement gap stay the same or even grow wider?

Literacy warriors should not only be teachers in classrooms and parents at home. They should be preachers, politicians, and all others concerned with the achievement gap.

We need warriors as fierce as Kunta and Kizzy Kinte, as committed as Mary McLeod Bethune, as passionate as the teachers – Black and White – who were paid little or nothing to go South to teach the newly emancipated.

Where are the literacy warriors?

1964. “They could never quite adjust to the idea of their boy even being in Greencastle, Indiana, the only Negro in a class of 400 students, and they felt their boy, their baby, their prize, would be happier and have less frustrations if he went to a predominantly Negro institution.”

But his parents came to realize the significance of Jordan’s choice the night a White classmate came to stay at the Jordan’s home.

“In the middle of the night, my father got out of bed and came into my room and turned on the light and stood there with tears in his eyes, put the light out and went back to bed and said to my mother, ‘You know, this democracy thing is really here, and it’s right here in my house.’”

Having struggled in college due to his substandard segregated education in Georgia, Jordan determined upon graduation to pursue a career in civil rights.

After receiving his law degree at Howard University, he returned to Georgia, where he successfully challenged the University of

Georgia’s discriminatory admissions policy.

I have trouble with the negative fallout being rained upon the zoo because a gorilla was killed. Instead, I applaud the fact that the baby’s life was saved.

died needlessly when an option was available.

Ignoring humans I condemn those who sanctimoniously argue for the protection of animals, yet ignore oppressive conditions imposed upon their human neighbors. How many of those who protest Harambe’s ‘murder’ would walk down a street and give a stray animal the most pleasant greeting – while casting a glaze of disdain upon another human because of race, ethnicity, religion or some other characteristic?

Some argue that Harambe could have been tranquilized. Why is that same option not called for when police shoot human beings without cause?

I missed 300,000 signatures for the deaths of Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, or for the deaths of the other young Black women and men who’ve

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher

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Money talks Through the civil rights movement, he realized that economic empowerment would be the driving force for justice. “In the 1960s, we conferred and defined the right to check into a hotel,” he said. “The 1970s were about providing the wherewithal to check out.”

In a commencement address at Stanford University last year, he said, “It’s much easier to integrate a lunch counter than it is to guarantee a livable income and a good solid job. It is much easier to integrate a public park than it is to make genuine, quality, integrated education a reality. But that is the challenge at hand.”

We are grateful that Vernon Jordan has dedicated his life to that challenge, and we are proud to continue his legacy.

Marc Morial is president and CEO of the National Urban League.

There’s a difference Some say that I have added an unreasonable racial component to this discussion. But under the same circumstances, in what universe would White parents be vilified for not controlling their child? Where would it be argued for a White mother to be criminally prosecuted? Although he had turned his life around, when would a White father – who was not even at the zoo – have his entire criminal past made public?

How does it relate to the incident at hand?

Where is the compassion for human life when the subject is Black? I sadly conclude that our country is so filled with hate that one must pass a litmus test of Whiteness for a life to matter.

Dr. E. Faye Williams is national chair of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc.

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5 7

M AHEALTH YOR

JUNE 9 –14 JUNE 2016 DECEMBER - 20, 15, 2006

CDC: 38 percent of US adults now obese Children and teens are at 17 percent, new studies show

gree were 61 percent more likely to be obese.

Looking back all the way to 1988, the researchers found that the prevalence of obesity among the youngest group of kids rose until 2004, then began to decrease. It kept rising among 6- to 11-year-olds until 2008 before leveling off. For teens, the prevalence of obesity rose continuously for 26 years.

BY KAREN KAPLAN LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

How do government agencies, private foundations, industry groups and professional societies squander hundreds of millions of dollars? By trying to fight America’s obesity epidemic.

Two new studies show that the best efforts of all these players — as well as schools, churches and individual health care providers — have largely failed to keep most Americans from getting fatter.

One report finds that 35 percent of men and 40 percent of women were obese as of 2014, the most recent year for which data were available.

The other says that 17 percent of children and teens were obese as well, including nearly 6 percent who were morbidly obese.

Not surprising Both studies appear in Tuesday’s edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“The news is neither good nor surprising,” two of the journal’s top editors wrote in a pointed editorial.

Still, the pair wrote, the findings serve as a powerful reminder of “the unrelenting challenge of obesity.”

Both studies are based on data collected as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an ongoing project from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What’s ‘normal’ Year after year, trained professionals measure the height and weight of thousands of volunteers from

Best strategy

ANTHONY SOUFFLE/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS

Allison Parker, a registered dietitian with Mariano’s, explains the differences in cereal types during a store tour for participants of Common Threads, a nonprofit fighting childhood obesity, on April 28, in Evergreen Park, Ill. around the country.

Those measurements are used to compute body mass index, an imperfect but useful measure of health that is highly correlated with fatness. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered “normal.” People in the 25 to 29.9 range are classified as “overweight,” and anyone above 30 is “obese.”

Based on data from 2,638 men and 2,817 women, researchers from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics calculated that 38 percent of American adults were obese as of 2014, up from 34 percent in 2006.

The prevalence of obesity increased among women during that period, but not men.

Race matters The odds of being obese fluctuated with age. The researchers found that 41 percent of adults in their 40s and 50s were obese, compared with 34 percent of adults in their 20s and 30s and 39 percent of adults ages 60 and older.

There were also differences based on race and ethnicity. At one end of the spectrum were Asian Americans, 13 percent of whom were obese. At the other end were African Americans, 48 percent of whom were obese.

In between were Latinos (43 percent) and Whites (36 percent).

In another group of calculations, the researchers determined that 5.5 percent of men and 9.9 percent

of women were morbidly obese, with a BMI over 40.

6 and 11 and 21 percent of teens ages 12 to 19.

Kids and obesity

Parental education

The definitions are different for children and teens.

Those who have a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for kids of the same age and gender on the CDC’s growth charts are considered obese; if their BMI is at least 20 percent higher than that cut-off, they are counted as morbidly obese.

The younger the child, the lower the risk of obesity, according to a second study by the same group of researchers and two additional CDC colleagues.

For instance, 9 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 5 were obese, compared with 18 percent of kids between the ages of

Compared to White children, the odds of obesity were 34 percent higher for Black children and 48 percent higher for Latino children, the researchers found. Asian American children were 43 percent less likely than Whites to be obese.

Parents’ education also seems to play a role.

Compared to kids living in homes headed by someone who attended or graduated from college, those whose parent or guardian had dropped out of high school were 41 percent more likely to be obese, and those whose parent or guardian had only a high school de-

All of these disheartening statistics leave little reason for optimism, Dr. Jody Zylke and Dr. Howard Bauchner, both pediatricians, wrote in the JAMA editorial.

Programs aimed at improving nutrition labels, encouraging diners to make more healthful choices and encouraging Americans to exercise have done little to improve the situation, they wrote. Nor is it likely that any drug or medical procedure will solve the problem, they added.

That means the best strategy is to focus on preventing obesity in the first place, Zylke and Bauchner wrote, even though prevention campaigns to date have “not been highly successful.”

Who can help The pair also called on those who have spent so much money on programs that have accomplished so little to start working with their adversaries — the companies that produce the calorie-laden food so many Americans love to eat.

“The food and restaurant industries may be the sector of society with the greatest potential to affect the obesity epidemic in a reasonable time frame,” they wrote. “These industries have been good at developing and successfully marketing unhealthy foods; perhaps it will be possible for them to develop and market healthy foods.”

Florida stores helping consumers buy foreign drugs despite ban

BY PHIL GALEWITZ KAISER HEALTH NEWS/TNS

LAKELAND – A hardy market for imported lowcost prescription drugs has taken root in Florida, nourished by older Americans and tolerant regulators.

About 15 storefront businesses across Florida claim to help thousands of customers each year place online orders from pharmacies in Canada and overseas for medicines at prices up to 70 percent off what people pay in the U.S. The reason is other countries regulate consumer drug prices — the U.S. does not — and some cheaper generic medicines are sold there before the U.S. market gets them.

Illegal practice Federal authorities say the practice is illegal and dangerous because the U.S. has not reviewed the safety of some drugs approved for sale in foreign countries or they could be counterfeit. But since the first storefront opened in 2002 in Delray Beach, the government has never charged shops or their customers, according to operators and researchers who follow the business.

The shops seemed to face a grim future 10 years ago when Medicare began covering prescription drugs, sparking expectations that seniors would no longer struggle to afford medications.

“We thought that would be the end of the business,” said Janelle Quinn, owner of Discount Med Company in St. Petersburg. The trade’s surprising survival spotlights both seniors’ continuing difficulties with

medication expenses, and how far some people will go to save money.

Most in Florida Florida’s storefronts are found in retirement havens, including areas of Tampa, Lakeland, Orlando, Melbourne and Miami. Similar operations exist in a few other states, but the Sunshine State is thought to have the most.

The most visible name is Canadian MedStore, which opened its first location in 2003 and now has six in Central Florida.

Each one serves several hundred customers a year, about 80 percent of whom are over 65, according to co-owner Bill Hepscher.

Most of them have Medicare coverage for prescription drugs, but the portion they still must pay, including copays and deductibles, is often a burden, Hepscher said.

In addition to absorbing copays and deductibles, beneficiaries’ expenses also rise if they hit the “doughnut hole” coverage gap in most Medicare drug plans, exposing them to higher out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs until those reach $4,850 annually.

70 percent savings The average retail price for 397 widely used drugs increased 81 percent from 2006 through 2013, compared with an 18 percent increase in inflation in the same period, according to AARP. That climate drives the market for outlets like Hepscher’s and Quinn’s. “We are a resource for people

PHIL GALEWITZ/KAISER HEALTH NEWS

Canada Meds of Lakeland is run by a pharmacist and helps consumers purchase drugs online from pharmacies in Canada and other countries. who can’t afford to pay for their medications,” he said.

Savings of 60 to 70 percent are not uncommon, according to the storefront owners.

“A lot of time, we can get drugs for them at less than their copay,” said Quinn.

About 2 percent of Americans, or 5 million people, buy drugs from foreign pharmacies, according to a federal survey in 2011.

The nonprofit Canadian International Pharmacy Association, which verifies the legitimacy and safe practices of online pharmacies outside the U.S. that sell to Americans and Canadians, estimates its members’ 64 websites supply about 1 million U.S. customers a year.

Foreign pharmacies Canadian MedStore and other storefront operators target an older generation interested in buying medicines abroad but who lack computer savvy and are insecure about buying online

by themselves.

Hepscher mainly ordered drugs from pharmacies in Canada when he started. A few years ago, he began doing business with pharmacies in England, New Zealand and India because the prices were lower than Canada.

On top of that, Canadian supplies of some drugs tightened about eight years ago when drugmakers cut back sales to Canadian pharmacies to prevent them from filling so many U.S. orders.

Storefront owners say they use only foreign pharmacies certified by government agencies or the nonprofit Canadian association. The drugs themselves, some point out, are often made in the same manufacturing plants around the world as drugs sold in the U.S. pharmacies.

Just an ‘Order taker’ Quinn and other storefront owners emphasize they are not pharmacies

subject to many state and federal laws. “All I am is an order taker,” she said. Customers must present valid prescriptions to place orders.

Unlike pharmacies, storefront operations don’t stock medications.

Instead, a few employees who work on computers in sparsely furnished offices assist customers in online ordering. Only chronic medications, the kind people take for months or years, may be obtained with the storefronts’ help.

Delivery usually takes two or three weeks.

Consumers pay the foreign pharmacies — in full by check or credit card since no insurance is involved — and the U.S. storefronts collect fees from the pharmacies.

Meds from Singapore Retired nurse Evelyn Dumond, 74, was a recent customer at Canadian MedStore in Lakeland.

Dumond told one of the two MedStore employees on duty that morning she was struggling to afford medications for her husband, Thomas, and herself, even though both have drug coverage under Medicare.

Their regular pharmacy had said the Dumonds’ portion of the cost for a drug prescribed for Thomas’ enlarged prostate would cost nearly $500 for a 90day supply.

A doctor recommended she try Canadian MedStore. After an online price check, the MedStore worker told Dumond she could get the same medicine for $160 from Singapore — a 68 percent savings — if she ordered from MedStore.

“That would be great,” Dumond said, as she handed over her prescription and credit card information for MedStore to give the foreign pharmacy. Two weeks later, a generic form of the drug arrived from Singapore.

R6

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7

M ASPORTS YOR

JUNE 9 –14JUNE DECEMBER - 20, 15, 20062016

Marlins’ Dawson reflects on Ali moment

BY IRA WINDERMAN SUN SENTINEL TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

MIAMI — In a stadium that opened in the presence of Muhammad Ali, Miami Marlins executive Andre Dawson reflected Saturday on a more personal — and distant memory — of the iconic boxing champion who died a day earlier.

While Marlins players Giancarlo Stanton and Mike Dunn reflected on Ali being part of the opening ceremonies at Marlins Park in 2012, Dawson, the 61-year-old Hall of Famer, said his Ali moment dates to his time at Miami’s J.R.E. Lee Elementary.

“I met him when I was in elementary school when he was Cassius Clay,” Dawson reflected just outside of the Marlins locker room, before Saturday’s game against the New York Mets.

“He came out to the school and spoke. He talked a lot. But I was in awe of him because of his stature. And I got to meet him in a couple of other occasions, and then when he wasn’t doing so good here years ago.”

Stanton reflects Only two members of the team remain from when Ali was a guest of honor for the unveiling of Marlins Park in 2012, with both sharing their thoughts Saturday.

“That’s not really the image that you want to see,” Giancarlo Stanton said of Ali, dealing with his Parkinson’s, appearing at that game. “But I always remember just the video, the film of him, growing up, and obviously all the iconic pictures.”

In commemoration of that appearance, the Marlins feature a plaque at the entrance of the locker room that features a quote from Ali that reads, “Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them, a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”

That plaque was covered Saturday with a black towel.

“He changed a lot of things,” Stanton said, “sports, in the world he was as huge influence.

He’s one of those guys that’s going to be remembered forever, of course, not only for what he did in the ring.”

‘A historic icon’ Stanton said he keeps a photo of that meeting in his phone.

Dunn also took a photo with Ali that day.

“I’ve got the picture framed up in my house,” the reliever said.

Miami Open’s long-term future uncertain

BY MICHELLE KAUFMAN MIAMI HERALD/TNS

As news broke on June 1 that the PGA is moving its 54-year-old golf tournament from Doral to Mexico City, tennis fans may have been wondering: Is the Miami Open next?

The prestigious tennis tournament on Key Biscayne, which draws more than 300,000 fans per year, is locked in for March 20-April 2, 2017, but the long-term future of the event is in question because an appeals court decision prevents the Miami Open from upgrading the complex at the Crandon Park Tennis Center.

Tournament officials say the $50 million upgrade — to be privately funded — is necessary to keep up with the swankier tournaments; and if the facility cannot be improved, the men’s and women’s tours and event owner IMG may eventually choose to relocate. South Florida has been home to the tournament since 1985, and changed names from Lipton to Ericsson to NASDAQ to Sony Ericsson to Miami Open.

Orlando on list Orlando, South America and China have been mentioned as possible future venues. Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer toured the Miami Open grounds during the tournament

JOE RIMKUS JR./MIAMI HERALD/TNS

Jeffery Loria brings out Muhammad Ali for the ceremonial first pitch as the Miami Marlins face the St. Louis Cardinals at Marlins Park in Miami on April 4, 2012.

“You can never say enough that would reflect what he did, how iconic he was. He touched a lot of people’s lives. For me, personally, he was the most prolific athlete ever, and always will be.”

– Andre Dawson Dunn said the memories are not of Ali’s health at that time, but his mere presence.

“You’re just seeing a historic icon,” he said, “I mean a guy who’s greatest of all time, and what he did for boxing and what he’s done for boxing. I remember growing up and then hearing

the stories from my dad and then watching everything I could.”

Emotional tribute Marlins manager Don Mattingly said he met Ali at the 2004 All-Star Game in Houston.

“He was in the locker room,” he

said. “I was always a huge Ali fan.

I was Cassius Clay. A huge fan.”

But it was Dawson, who carries the Marlins title of special assistant to the president, who was most emotional Saturday.

“I was watching the news (Friday) night and heard that his situation was grave,” Dawson said.

“And now you start thinking the worst. And I dozed off, and I turned on SportsCenter, and they were remembering him. And I just got a little numb. I couldn’t go back to sleep. I turned the television off eventually.

‘He championed life’ “I guess you don’t know where to begin. You can never say enough that would reflect what he did, how iconic he was. He touched a lot of people’s lives.

For me, personally, he was the most prolific athlete ever, and always will be. You talk about him being a champion, the people’s champion. To me, he championed life,” Dawson continued.

And with that, the memories flooded back, to all those decades ago, in grammar school.

“I don’t remember exactly what grade I was in,” Dawson reflected. “But it was when he first started. He was in Miami training. It was in the auditorium, it was an assembly.

“He was talking and laughing and clowning a lot. He got everybody’s attention. I think it was after the (Sonny) Liston fight. He was Cassius Clay, and he was very popular. We were told that he was very popular.”

this spring, and the U.S. Tennis Association is building a $60 million, 100-court training facility in the outskirts of Orlando.

A Miami-Dade County ballot item about the renovations passed with 73 percent of the vote. But the project is opposed by Bruce Matheson, whose family made a deal with the county for the land in the 1940s, and still has a say in how the land is used.

“We have seven years left on the lease with the county, and we are working hard preparing for another amazing event in 2017,” Miami Open director Adam Barrett said last week. “It is very sad that this world class (PGA) event has left Miami and Miami will not have the top golfers coming to town annually to enjoy all Miami has to offer.”

‘Supply and demand’ Barrett said recently: “We will be here as long as we can continue to run a world-class event, but it’s about supply and demand, and we face obstacles that may be too big to overcome. Some of infrastructure is not keeping with other facilities, and every day we don’t do something other facilities are improving without the handcuffs we have.”

Novak Djokovic, the world’s No. 1-ranked player, has won the title on Key Biscayne five of the past six years. Upon receiving his trophy this year, he told the crowd: “From some reliable sources I know the tournament will stay here for many years to come. I don’t think we need to have a conversation about moving this tournament anywhere else.”

Eight-time winner Serena Williams wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times about the issue.

She wrote: “Leaving Miami would be a blow to our sport, to the city of Miami, and to me. The tournament has, in many ways, set the standard for tennis events around the world in a unique time and place, and I hope we can all work together to improve this home court.”

PEDRO PORTAL/EL NUEVO HERALD/TNS

Serena Williams returns against Christina McHale during the first round at the Miami Open Tennis tournament 2016, presented by Itau, at Crandon Park Tennis Center in Key Biscayne. She wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times about not wanting the tournament to be moved.

R8

7COMMUNITY NEWS

JUNE 9 – JUNE 15, 2016

PHOTOS BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

The Aretha Franklin Tribute Band from Miami entertains the large crowd gathered at Cypress Park at the Midtown Cultural and Educational Center in Daytona Beach.

Midtown Motown a treat for Franklin fans Hundreds of people got a little “Respect’’ on Saturday night during an installment of Midtown Motown, an evening of free entertainment at a Daytona Beach park.

The June 4 concert featured the Aretha Franklin Tribute Band from Miami. Midtown Motown, a new concert series at Cypress Park at the Midtown Cultural and Educational Center, will continue through September.

Songs performed by the band included the “Queen of Soul’s iconic “Respect,’’ “Natural Woman’’ and other hits.

The next concert is July 23 for “Simply the Best” and “Blues Brothers Soul Band” for a Tina Turner and Blues Brothers Tribute Show. The show will start at 6:30 p.m.

Attendees can take blankets or lawn chairs. The pool will be open for swimming.

The tribute band’s saxophonist engages the crowd.

For more information, visit www.midtownmotown. com or call 386-671-8253.

The monthly free concert is attracting hundreds to Cypress Park.

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