Attorneys representing Eddie Long’s church have informed three of the five young men who accused the pastor of sexual coercion that they intend to recover nearly $1 million from their financial settlement.
The letter, sent this week by the Atlanta law firm Drew Eckl & Farn ham, alleges that Jamal Parris, Spencer LeGrande and Centino Kemp violated terms of a confidentiality agreement outlined in the settlement with Long and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. The firm is seeking at least $900,000 already paid the three accusers, according to people involved in the settlement but not authorized to speak publicly.
That figure is a portion of the total settlement with the three men. Financial terms of that settlement have not been disclosed
but, based on the letter and the fact each of the young men were paid equitably, the total comes to at least $1.5 million.
The letter outlines the plaintiffs’ “demand for arbitration” though no legal documents have yet been filed.
Diddy says sorry after Ciroc rant
Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has put out an impassioned plea for help after throwing a profanity laced tantrum at an Atlanta club this weekend. “To all my children of God ... I have backslid and regressed. Forgive me for my ignorance. Pray for me pls. I know better and I am better,” he said on Twitter. “I’m a child of God and I should be better no matter what someone says to me. I’m sorry for the ignorant way I represented myself and us.”
Diddy had a fit on stage when he saw a guest drinking Grey Goose instead of his Ciroc brand at an event at club Compound over the BET Hip-Hop Awards weekend in Atlanta. “I’m more disappointed in myself than you know. I will humble myself and learn,” he continued. “I will do better and be Greater and a source of positivity!”
Rapper T.I. stepped in on the club patron’s behalf at the event and later commented on the incident in a recent interview.
He told Atlanta’s WiLD 105.7: “Me and Puff go way back that’s like a brother to me. Whatever was said by me was said out of love to Puff not in no intent to belittle him or check him,”
T.I. explained. “I just felt it was necessary for me to separate myself from the situation that was going on, so people knew that I wasn’t involved. Because of my personal circumstance, that’s the kind of activity I can’t afford to engage in right now. That was my purpose. Not to check Puff.”
Chris Brown denies downlow allegations
Chris Brown has threatened legal action against a songwriter named Martyn who is claiming to have had a sexual affair with Brown.
Brown says the messages are fake and were altered through Photoshop to appear authentic.
Alleged direct messages between Brown and a singer / songwriter named Martyn were leaked online by an alleged disgruntled former assistant of Martyn’s.
The conversation between Chris Brown and Martyrn randomly talks about work, their sexual relationship and inadvertently outs Trey Songz and Omarion
Now Martyn is on his Twitter page saying though he didn’t leak the DMs they’re all real and that interviews will be coming soon.
Kanye fashion fails with critics Kanye West was unsuccessful in his bid to win over critics with his debut fashion collection after taking to the runway in Paris, France on Saturday night to unveil his creations. The show started 45 minutes late, but the hip-hop star won rapturous applause when he took his bow after the models had finished their catwalk run. However, West’s collection failed to impress many fashion critics. Lisa Armstrong of Britain’s Daily Telegraph wrote, “Kanye West’s fashion debut was like being subjected to an hour long MRI scan – but not as much fun... If this is the way fashion’s going then anyone with any real talent should seriously consider a career in (British supermarket chain) Tesco instead.” New
Sean Combs
In the execution business
We are left wondering … what message did the U.S. judicial system give us when it executed Troy Anthony Davis? That no matter what, we cannot stop the death machine to admit we’re wrong? Or we really don’t care about innocence or serious doubt, we’re in the execution business? Regardless of the answer, the case for abolishing the death penalty just got a huge boost at the expense of Davis.
The execution of Troy Davis has put the supporters for Reggie Clemons in high gear. Clemons sits on Missouri’s Death Row after being summarily convicted with very little hard evidence. The Justice for Reggie Campaign has joined forces with its national partners to highlight Reggie’s case on October 10 World Day Against the Death Penalty.
The American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International NAACP and the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty were also involved in the Troy Davis case; all are actively working to end the death penalty in the U.S. Last week, the world’s eyes were on Georgia’s execution chamber. Over a million signatures, the Pope, a former U.S. President, judges, former wardens, movies stars, more than 300 protests worldwide, a Nobel Peace winner – their pleas fell on death ears from lower courts to the Georgia Board of Parole and Probation to the U.S. Supreme Court. The case of Troy Davis didn’t start to unravel at the end of his legal road. It’s been unraveling since 1989 when he was arrested for the alleged killing of Savannah off-duty police oficer Mark MacPhail. So-called eye witnesses were coerced or tricked into identifying Davis. Over the years, seven of the nine witnesses recanted their testimonies. There was no physical evidence that connected Davis to the crime, and no murder weapon was ever found. Given this and the fact that scientiic research cites eyewitness testimony as the least reliable, the case should have never been a death penalty case. There are consequences to the state’s intentional prosecutorial misconduct in these types of cases where innocent people spend years in prison, or on death row or are executed.
For those who are manipulated or coerced into making false testimonies, their lives are a living hell. Sometimes they sink in depression with the weight of what they’ve done; they often abuse drugs and alcohol. In some extreme cases, they ling themselves out of high rise buildings to their death as Mary Ellen Lyner did. Lyner was a major witness in the case of Ellen Reasonover who was falsely accused of murdering a gas station attendant and who served nearly 16 years in prison before being exonerated. Jurors also experience similar trauma when they later ind out that important evidence was hidden from the defense, that witnesses were coerced or any other of the prosecutorial tricks used to get a conviction. This is a system that is rotten to the core. The Troy Davis case has laid bare the naked injustices that were perpetrated from start to inish. We will begin to see a fervent unwillingness by juries to convict in capital murder cases unless there is DNA and other forensic evidence – real science, not junk science. No testimonies by jailhouse or paid
informants. No testimony by police. Just last week, yet another local case of wrongful conviction emerged – and there’s
many more where that came from. George Allen has served 30 years in the 1982 rape and murder case of a white court reporter. The shocking tale of
how an innocent, mentally challenged, young black man was forced to confess to murder is brilliantly detailed in last week’s St. Louis American The handiwork of prosecutors like Nels Moss, Dean Hoag and Kenny Hulshof has helped to cast this wide net of public distrust. They
have criss-crossed the ethics line many times for the sake of getting a conviction at any costs. Whether it’s suspects, families of victims, exploited witnesses or manipulated jurors – we are all collateral damage when a prosecutor is trying to make a name for himself.
In his last dying words, Troy Davis maintained his innocence and asked the MacPhail family to “look deeper … so that you can inally see the truth.”
tion as they seek the truth. His hearing date was recently changed to March 5, 2012. Reggie doesn’t see the rescheduling as a setback. He says it means a few more months of life and the opportunity to prove his innocence. All justice-seeking citizens must also look deeper in search for the truth. It will be the only redeeming grace for the many lives destroyed by a broken system of justice.
Jamala Rogers
Urban League will administerLow Income Energy Assistance
The Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) is partnering with two St. Louis area not-forprofit organizations to administer the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program in metropolitan St. Louis and the City of Wellston for the federal fiscal year 2012, which begins Oct. 1.
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis will administer the Missouri Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps lowincome Missourians pay their heating bills during the winter months and prevents their electricity from being turned off during times of extreme summer heat. Last year, more than 17,000 households in St. Louis and Wellston participated in the LIHEAPprogram.
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis is a 501(c)3 organization that has been providing social services to the residents of metropolitan St. Louis since 1918. The Urban League is dedicated to helping their clients achieve self-reliance, social equality and civil rights.
The Urban League will begin accepting LIHEAP applications on Nov. 1 so that citizens in St. Louis and Wellston have access to LIHEAPservices heading into the winter months. In the meantime, citizens in St. Louis and Wellston can access the LIHEAP application at http://www.dss.mo.gov/fsd/liheap.htm and mail it to: Family Support Division, Attn: LIHEAP, P.O. Box 2320, Jefferson City, MO 651022320.
“I am pleased that the state has chosen the Urban League to provide services to its LIHEAPconstituents. We are looking forward to expediting the process in order to better serve the St. Louis and Wellston communities,” said James H. Buford, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Inc. Meanwhile, the Community Action Agency of St. Louis County (CAASTLC) will administer the CSBG program until a new, permanent community action agency can be established within metropolitan St. Louis. The Missouri Department of Social Services is currently working to establish a new community action agency within metropolitan St. Louis The Community Service Block Grant program funds efforts aimed at reducing poverty, revitalizing low-income communities, and empowering lowincome families and individuals to become fully selfsufficient.
Community Action Agency of St. Louis County, Inc. (CAASTLC) is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit corporation that has provided services for more than 30 years. Community Action Agencies were created by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to administer various programs on community levels to assist lowincome people out of poverty conditions.
United Way funds early literacy library project
St. Louis County Library is pleased to announce that a grant promoting childhood literacy has been approved by the United Way of Greater St. Louis. The grant will allow St. Louis County Library to add 200 specially designed reading kits to its circulating collection. The kits are part of the Family Literacy Involvement Program (FLIP), a nationwide effort to involve parents with the development of language skills in their young children.
The library partnered with St. Louis Public Library to apply for the grant. In total, 400 FLIPkits will be divided between the two institutions, and be made available for check-out to library customers in November.
Each kit will include at least one book, a guide for parents, items and instructions for a fun, book-related activity. The book and activities will be appropriate for children from infancy to grades 2-3. In addition to language skills, the activities will encourage math, science and art skills all while promoting one-on-one activity with a parent or adult caregiver.
Countless studies have shown that the development of early literacy skills prepares children for success in reading, a skill essential to success in school. Research highlights the importance of family involvement in early literacy.
The FLIPkit learning program was designed by the Children’s Museum of Houston in partnership with the Houston Public Library and the University of Texas Children’s Learning Institute. Major funding has been provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. For more information about FLIPliteracy kits, call 314-994-3300.
I’m talking about chivalry
By Michele Brown For The St.Louis Americam
If you look around it is noticeable that chivalry is not entirely dead. Believe it or not, there still exist true gentlemen.
Suits, ties and dressy clothes gathered in front of an elevator door. Ding, and the doors open. An outstretched hand with the slight nod of a gentleman as he glances towards the ladies, allowing them to pass as the men follow. Thus begins the day in a professional Clayton office building. There was a time when a woman walked into a room, her simple presence commanded men to rise to their feet. It was his pleasure to not only open her car door, but all doors.
Outdoors and she got chilly, instead of his smooth operating arms to keep her warm his jacket did the trick.
And no gentleman would ever be seated before she was made comfortable in her place. If you have to ask, her place was one of honor and respect.
The term chivalry may be a bit medieval, but the man who displays this discipline today speaks volumes to his moral fiber. The modern woman may say she can open her own doors; however, this is not about demeaning her abilities but edifying her status.
Chivalry is about character and worth. This shows who he is and how he sees her, as well as how she allows herself to be seen. Chivalry is holding her in the highest regard. The chivalrous man has great respect for the woman in his life as if she were a precious jewel.
The problem is we have gotten so far away from this principle and it shows in every venue of our community.
We mustn’t let reality TVfool us with daily doses of foul-talking couples who are seemingly so successful. TVstars laugh all the way to the bank while often living different private lives as we attempts to replicate theses lies in our own real life to the detriment of our communities.
When we carry ourselves in the highest esteem, we draw the attention of respectful people. Chivalry is one of the great life lessons and a positive legacy to leave for our sons and daughters. So when chivalry presents itself, choose not to be offended but to be gracious. You are worth it!
Michele Brown
Cierra Mason entertained the crowd at the Festival of Nations recently dancing with with Sunshine & the East St.Louis Community Performance Ensemble.
Big air with Sunshine
Photo by Wiley Price
commanding officer for the U.S. Coast Guard’s centralized service desk. “It means a lot to come out with so much on his shoulders and still stay positive.” He covered many difficult topics at his first fundraising event at the Renaissance Grand Hotel, where ticket prices were $1,000 and $250 for Obama’s younger supporters.
To the reported crowd of 300, he said, “I get letters every night from people all across the country who are struggling, and their stories are heartbreaking.”
He talked about families losing their homes and small business owners who had to close up shop, even though they’ve been in business for generations.
“This is tough stuff,” he said. “The question is, where are we going next?What’s the direction that we’re charting for not just ourselves, but for our kids and our grandkids?”
At that point, one agitated crowd member – apparently from the group outside the hotel protesting an oil pipeline to Canada – interrupted the president and yelled, “Will you stop the pipeline?” Later in his speech, he said, “We’ve got a couple people who are concerned about the environment? In the process, by the way, we doubled fuelefficiency standards on cars, trucks, heavy trucks, getting carbon out of the environment.”
Obama said Congress passed health care reform because no one in America should go bankrupt due to a sickness in the family.The audience applauded.
“Insurance companies can’t drop your coverage for no good reason,” he said.“Think about what that means for families all across America.Think about what it means for women.”
One audience member called out, “Birth control.”
He responded,“You’re stealing my line.Breast cancer, cervical cancer are no longer preexisting conditions. No longer can insurance companies discriminate against women just because you guys are the ones who have to give birth.”
“Darn right!” a person yelled.
“Darn tooting,” Obama said, as the crowd laughed.
Before giving his speech,
Obama recognized his supporters in the room, including Nixon, Slay, U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley and Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster.
“It means a lot to come out with so much on his shoulders and still stay positive.”
Three weeks ago, Obama said he sent the American Jobs Act to Congress to try and keep millions of construction workers employed. He said everything in the bill has been supported by both Democrats and Republicans in the past. “Nothing radical about this,” he said.
– Cornell Perry, U.S.Coast Guard
“Two people who are not here, but who are great friends, great supporters, I just want to acknowledge them,” Obama said.
“First of all, somebody who’s been an outstanding friend since I started this incredible journey, Claire McCaskill, you’re a great senator, as well as Congressman William Lacy Clay, who are both in D.C. but doing great work. We are proud of them.”
After his public event, the
president addressed an intimate gathering at the Central West End home of Tom Carnahan, brother to Russ and Robin Carnahan, Missouri’s Secretary of State. His 10-minute speech here was shorter and more playful, but still urged donors to help his agenda get passed by Congress.
The $25,000-a-person fundraiser was catered by the proprietor of Pi, a local pizza restaurant whose fare the president first tasted in St. Louis on the campaign trail in 2008. The president later invited Pi’s pizza makers to prepare a meal at the White House. The beer served at the fundraiser was Baracktoberfest, bottled by the St. Louis Brewery, brewers of Schlafly beers.
– White House pool reports contributed to this story
American nets six awards in national competition
Diversity section grabs first place honors
American staff
ALBUQUERQUE, NM – The National Newspaper Association (NNA) honored winners of its 2011 Better Newspaper Contest at the “Toast to the Winners” award ceremony and reception Sept. 24, at Hotel Albuquerque.
Many state associations have better newspaper contests to recognize the outstanding work by papers in their states. NNA’s Better Newspaper Contest is the premiere national competition recognizing the best in community journalism.
The St. Louis American won six awards in the competition, which attracted 2,042 entries, representing member newspapers in 40 states.
Judges referred to the series as “an in-depth look at the players and issues facing a St.Louis fire/ambulance district, tackling personnel, race and politics head on.”
The American’s 68-page Diversity, ABusiness Imperative annual section won first place for Best Multiple Advertiser Section among non-daily newspapers with a circulation of 10,000 or more. According to the judges, the section received first place honors due to “locally written copy (that) provides the community with a unique look at itself. Great job on tough subject matter.”
The American received a second place national Community Service Award for its Salute to Excellence annual program. The judges noteed, “Various impressive annual events to serve the community. Congrats on consistent quality.”
St. Louis American reporter Rebecca S. Rivas received a third place Best Investigative or In-Depth Story or Series award for her series on the Northeast Fire and Ambulance District. Judges referred to the series as “a multi-issue, indepth look at the players and issues facing a St. Louis fire/ambulance district, tackling personnel, race and politics head on.”
Other awards included: Best Serious Column (Black & Single, by Kenya Vaughn; 3rd place); Best Special News, Sports or Feature Edition (Salute to Excellence in Education tabloid; Hon. Mention); and Best Website, among all weekly newspapers (Hon. Mention).
Established in 1885, the National Newspaper Association is the voice of America’s community newspapers and the largest newspaper association in the country. The nation’s community papers inform, educate and entertain nearly 150 million readers every week.
President Barack Obama deplaned from Air Force One at Lambert-St.Louis International Airport late Tuesday afternoon.The President visited St.Louis to attend two fundraisers for his 2012 re-election bid.
Photo by Wiley Price
KAPPA
They build programming around five phases: self-identity, training, competition, social and health education. They offer tutoring, career guidance, test preparation and money management, enlivened by sporting events and other enrichment activities.
“I can’t even name all of the stuff that we do with these young men,” said John McCain, committee chair for Guide Right.
Started in St. Louis in 1921, Guide Right now stands as the national platform for service among more than 700 chapters of Kappa Alpha Psi around the world.
“It’s a proactive program. It’s not reactive,” Franklin said.
“Eighty percent of our boys come from single-parent households, and they need men in their lives. We are focused on young men. As collegetrained men, it is our job to focus on young men. We don’t expect any other organization to do it – it’s on our shoulders.”
NAACP
Continued from A1
Continued from A1 enterprises (MBE) and 5.12 percent to women-owned business enterprises (WBE).
However, the library is not tracking the number of minority employees on the job site, Luis Ortiz, a St. Louis Minority Supplier Development Council representative who is working with the library on the project’s minority participation goals, said in a Sept. 4 St. Louis American report.
And from the AABCA’s onsite head counts, few African Americans come to work every day.
In the Sept. 4 report, Waller McGuire, executive director of the St. Louis Public Library, told the American that the library has aligned its participation goals with the Mayor’s Executive Order 28, which mandates at least 25 percent MBE participation and at least 5 percent WBE participation on all contracts where city funds are used.
But this order does not say anything about who gets the jobs.
The AABCAmembers have been protesting in front of the library every Wednesday at noon and meeting with the library representatives to reach its demand – for the construc-
The boys who sign up for the Kappa League, as the core Guide Right program is known, are required to submit their grades each quarter for review – which provides an opportunity to explore their issues.
“I asked a fifth grader, ‘What is stopping you from achieving?’” McCain said. “He said, ‘Everything going on at home.’This fifth grader said to the group, ‘My home life is so messed up that I can’t do what I need to get done.’”
This boy told the right man.
“I said, ‘We’re going to deal with that,’” McCain said.
“I promise, this young kid will be in Kappa League, go to college, will finish college and be an outstanding young man.”
Arthur Jackson is one outstanding young man produced by the program locally. In the 1970s he was a finalist for the Kappa Leaguer of the Year at the National Pageant.
“It exposes you to things outside of your normal social circles and helps you to not only become leaders, but you learn how to run an organization,” Jackson said. He went on to graduate from Beaumont High School and Ohio State University.
tion site’s workers to reflect the population of the city of St. Louis. African Americans make up 48 percent of the city’s residents, according to the Census 2010. McGuire was out of town and did not respond to the American’s email by deadline. James Webb, of the minority council, did not respond to the American’s email and phone call.
NAACP questions federal role
The St. Louis NAACP opened a file regarding the library’s overall operations after association members submitted a complaint, said Adolphus Pruitt, president of St. Louis NAACP. Pruitt has been communicating with the Missouri Attorney General’s office to get answers to complex questions regarding the project’s financing and federal stimulus laws.
The project’s financing is primarily facilitated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009’s Recovery Zone Economic Development and Build American Bonds (RZEDBs).
These are governmental bonds that will allow counties and large municipalities to borrow on a lower cost than traditional tax-exempt financing. In
Today he has a successful career in the mortgage banking industry and is helping the next generation of Kappa League as an active member of the St. Louis Kappa Alumni Chapter.
“The Kappa League made all of the difference,” Jackson said.
Being a witness to the positive influence of St. Louis Kappa men is what led reallife brothers Cliff and Michael Franklin, co-founders of nationally renowned Fuse Advertising, to become fraternity brothers as well.
“We all have our corporate and professional lives, but at the end of the day we all have to go back into parts of our metropolitan areas which people complain about and reach these young men people complain about,” said Michael, who is now St. Louis Alumni Chapter president.
“So these guys spend time with vans and six, eight, 12 kids, bringing them here every first and third Sunday and having study hall when they are not making grades.”
Two weeks ago, the Kappa League added 36 young men to the group of fifth- to 12th graders with the responsibili-
the library’s case, the federal government is reimbursing 35 percent of the interest paid, roughly $40 million.
By lower borrowing costs, the Recovery Zone bonds provide tax incentives for state and local governments to promote job creation and economic recovery in areas (or recovery zones) that are particularly affected by employment declines. In other words, taxpayers are paying the interest on these bonds, in order to create jobs in high-stress recovery zones.
The question the NAACPis asking is: are there any federal requirements for who get the jobs under such stimulus funding?
“You cannot tell poor, unemployed African Americans that, based on their condition, you are creating benefits that you are passing to a non-profit and/or for-profit individual to create opportunities for them,” Pruitt said.
“Yet when the benefits come down and the opportunities are created, they are not allowed to take advantage of the opportunities. For the poor African American, that equates to no light at the end of the tunnel.”
Pruitt said it is possible to reach a resolution that everyone can find acceptable as long as everyone understands that the resolution is a long-term versus a short-term solution.
ties of being accountable for their success through Kappa League.
“Instead of saying all the things that the school system isn’t doing, we are going to send in some kids equipped to do all of the things that got cut away,” Michael said.
“Instead of going top down, we are going to take it from the bottom up. It’s our job to fill that void.
Harris-Stowe State University’s foreign language department carry flags from multiple nations during the school’s Homecoming parade on Friday.
McCain is also currently working with the upperclassmen in Kappa League to make sure that they identify two top picks for college and secure a minimum of $5,000-$7,000 in scholarship funds. They also aim to grow the local program to 200 Kappa League members in honor of the 90th Anniversary of the Guide Right Program. “We have been blessed to have great leadership in this fraternity,” Cliff said. “And that’s what it’s all about –black men leading black men and not waiting for someone else to do it.”
For more information on the Kappa League, visit http://kappaleague.kapsisla.org/ or http://www.facebook.com/kappaleague.stl.
Photo by Wiley Price
A campus for Dr. Givens
Harris-Stowe names campus for president who retired after 32 years
American staff
On Friday, Harris-Stowe State University held a special naming ceremony for its Midtown campus honoring outgoing president Dr. Henry Givens Jr. by naming the main campus, located at 3026 Laclede Ave.,
the “Henry Givens, Jr. Campus.” Dr. Givens retired as president of the university on September 30.
“This is a great honor for the Harris-Stowe Board of Regents to bestow upon me. This really says a lot about the accomplishments and growth that we have experienced during my tenure as president,” said Dr. Givens.
“To leave my post with the campus that I have been committed to for the past 32 years named for me is something that I could have never foreseen, and I will forever be humbled by this extraordinary gesture.”
A native St. Louisan, Dr. Givens has been president of Harris-Stowe State University since 1979. Under his leadership, the university has greatly
expanded its degree programs, tripled its enrollment, increased its facilities from one building to eight and changed its status from college to university. These changes include the new state-of-the-art William L. Clay, Sr. Early Childhood Development/Parenting Education Center; the Rev. Dr. William G. Gillespie Residence Hall and Student Center, the institution’s irst on-campus housing in its long history of more than 150 years; and a second, the Freeman R. Bosley, Jr. Residence Hall and Dining Facility, which opened this fall. Additionally during Dr. Givens’ tenure, Harris-Stowe opened the Anheuser-Busch School of Business at a satellite campus in South St. Louis.
Dr. Henry Givens Jr., outgoing president of Harris-Stowe State University, was honored on Friday with a special ceremony naming the university’s Midtown campus the “Henry Givens, Jr. Campus.”
Mandela Robinson and Timothy Cocores were married July 30, 2011 on Taber Ranch in scenic Capay Valley, California. Mandela is the daughter ofAtty. Stacey Rosa
Hancock Cash and William Michael Cash of St. Louis. Timothy is the son of George and Pamela Cocores of Manteca, California. Proud Grandfather Thomas Richard
Hancock escorted Mandela down the aisle.
Mandela’s Grandmother was the late Barbara Harris Hancock, a longtime music educator in the St. Louis Public School system and Harris-Stowe State University. Beloved friends Sabrina Reddy and Leia Perkins of Northern California served as oficiates.
Wedding guests included many of Mandela’s former classmates and their parents
Mandela Robinson and Timothy Cocores marry
from St. Louis’ Clayton suburb and a host of friends and family including; Debra Coon, DDS, Dr. Joseph and Eleanor Simpson, Elizabeth (Lilly) Simpson, Farrell and Yvonne Chatwell, Morris, Denise and Kai Hervey, Pamela Crittenden, Jim and Gerri Dickerson, Tracey Brooks, James Hickey, Don, Lillian (Cissy Green), and Michael White, Hillary Sledge, Dorothy Payne and Inez Ross.
Mr. and Mrs. Cocores enjoyed a two week European honeymoon. The couple who met in college has relocated to St. Louis. Futures plans; they both plan to inish college. Mandela plans to open a bakery and Timothy will pursue a medical degree.
If you are interested in placing a photo spread of your special event in the St. Louis American, please call the St. Louis American’s Advertising Dept. at 314-533-8000 and ask for Barb, Onye or Pam.
Rob Lineman
on keeping you safe around electricity. Get more safety information at Ameren.com.
The fabulous bridal party
The bridesmaids
Cousin Denise Brooks Hervey (CEO/ Owner TSI Engineeering) and the bride
Mandela and Caroline Simpson (niece/ lower girl)
The scenic Capay Valley, CaliforniaGrandfather Richard Hancock and the Blushing Bride
Jade Howard (daughter of the late jazz musician George Howard) Michael and Stacey Hancock Cash
Thompson moves to house calls
American staff
Howard L. Thompson, best known as drummer for Trio Tes Bien and before that Quartet Tres Bien, retired as a barber at Man and Woman’s World in University City, where he cut heads for 33 of his 55 years in the trade, on October 1.
“However, I will continue to cut hair,” Thompson an-
nounced in an email to friends and clients.
“I will be traveling to your home at a time that is convenient for you. Just call me two or three days in advance, and I will come over and service you.”
His prices for home visits are as follows: hair cuts, men and women $20; seniors 65 years and over, $15; shaves, $15; and children under 12
years, $15. Howard urged, “If you know of anyone in nursing homes, hospitals, etc., who can’t get out or are in need of my services, please let me know and let them know about me.”
His contact numbers are 314-741-8821 (home) or 314-603-3538 (cell) or email the jazz man at jazzman66@ att.net
There’s good news and there’s good news.
We’re not only upgrading your network today, but we’re also busy building a next-generation, high-speed network. This includes:
• Upgrading and adding new cell sites here in the St. Louis area and all around the country
• Adding more fiber optic cable to cell sites for greater capacity
• And we’re planning to combine with T-Mobile to deliver a better, stronger network, adding thousands of cell sites across the nation to deliver the most advanced mobile broadband network experience
From a simple phone call to the most advanced data download, AT&T is committed to delivering the best network possible to the St. Louis area.
To see our progress in your neighborhood, go to focus.att.com/stl or follow us at twitter.com/ATT_STL
My experience as a YES teen
Waking up every Saturday isn’t the easiest thing to do but knowing that I have a place to go to work and learn in a fun environment is a reward in itself.
I started working for Youth Exploring Science (YES) in early 2009 as a freshmen in high school.
I didn’t really know the purpose of this program until I actually went to orientation and they told me that I was going to learn more about science literacy, explore new ways to inform our community about science news, and college prep. From that moment I knew that this was a great opportunity for me to broaden my
views on science. Throughout the years of working with the YES program I have worked at the Science Center doing different experiments with visitors. For example, we did demonstrations with pop rockets where you take an old film canister, one alkaseltzer and water, you shook it up- and it would explode! I also did a fun experiment of dissecting strawberries.
After doing that for two years I wanted a change so I went into a component called SciJourn. SciJourn is a component that trains teens to be science journalists and boost science literacy through teens. Ever since I have been in SciJourn we have taken field trips to numerous places such as the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Carter Carburetor building and more. Taking field trips to numerous places was fun but we also had to remember that this was still a job. Over the months we have done interviews, photo stories, and news articles that get published on scijourner.org and the print SciJourner newspaper. We also went to a retirement home and taught the residents what we learned about the SciJourn Standards that help journalists find , analyze, and to evaluate science information- especially about health. The five SciJourn standards are multiple, credible, attributed sources, contextualization, relevance, factual accuracy, and effective searching. By us informing them on what we have learned we helped them become better researchers on everyday tasks.
An experience that I remember the most was when the YES program took a field trip to Washington University for a field trip that taught us about sex education and AIDS. That really helped me understand how the virus affects the body and social life.
The YES program gives me a chance to grow with my science literacy and also get work experience as a teen. I get to network with different kinds of people who have different interests and views on topics that the YES program covers. The overall program just gives out a lot of opportunities and advantages that I benefit from.
Howard L. Thompson
Andreielle Hawkins
Crooked cop crackdown
Prosecutor exposes misconduct in Metro East law enforcement
“If people can’t trust the police, who can they call when they’re in danger?”
That’s the question that St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly posed at a news conference, following the arrest of six Metro East police officers and a dispatcher, all on official misconduct charges.
The news conference was a unified effort attended by Kelly, U.S Attorney Steve Wigginton as well as police chiefs from East St. Louis, Washington Park, Fairview Heights and Alorton, Illinois.
The investigation, described as “Operation Enemy Within,” was an initiative to prosecute bad cops.
The arrests and subsequent charges were varied and appalling in nature, especially coming from those who are sworn to protect and serve.
Three of the officers in question work for the Alorton Police Department, while the remaining officers worked for Belleville, Fairview Heights and Washington Park. The former dispatcher worked for E. St. Louis.
One of the officers is accused of persuading a woman to perform oral sex on him in
exchange for overlooking a suspended license. Another officer is accused of grabbing and pushing a citizen without cause. Two of the cops have been accused of benefits fraud, i.e., working while collecting unemployment benefits. Two of the officers are accused of theft: one of a cell phone from a crime scene, the other of bullet-proof vests which had been donated by the Illinois State Police.
n The investigation, described as “Operation Enemy Within,” was an initiative to prosecute bad cops.
And the former dispatcher allegedly obstructed justice and aided a fugitive by sending a text message to warn a suspect of his impending arrest.
This is great news, particularly the solidarity demonstrated by collective police departments in having zero tolerance for crooked/ stupid cops in this investigation.
The norm and the perception is that police traditionally hide behind a “blue code of silence”
in which police misconduct is swept under the rug or denied entirely by those within the law enforcement community.
Within many communities, this has lead to a monumental distrust and lack of cooperation with local police, which has proven to hinder and obstruct police investigative work.
Perhaps these sorts of efforts will be the beginning of a more cooperative relationship between citizens and police as rogue and crooked cops are “smoked out” by their own.
Maybe if police continue to demonstrate a willingness to throw the worst among them under the bus, then citizens will begin to feel more comfortable in volunteering information which police need in their crime solving efforts.
That’s especially important in the African-American community in which the code of “snitches get stitches” and other assorted anti-snitching nursery rhymes are chanted in resistance to cooperating with police and, unfortunately, to their own detriment.
If you like “Listen Up” the column, then you’ll love “Listen Up” the radio show with James Ingram on radio station WGNU-920 AM each Friday evening from 7-8 p.m. Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com.
James Ingram
‘Underdog’ Obama visits St. Louis
The EYE hopes no one who was in St. Louis on that day ever forgets when candidate Barack Obama stretched expectant citizens from the Gateway Arch to the Old Courthouse on October 18, 2008, just before his historic election as U.S. President.
It’s a different country now, and the 2012 General Election is more than a year away, so no one should be surprised if President Obama’s visit to St. Louis on Tuesday came second in importance on that day to a St. Louis Cardinals home playoff game. In fact, some would place it third behind the playoff game and either Dirty Muggs covering Parliament at the History Museum or the rock band Wilco (no strangers to Obama campaign events in their shared hub of Chicago) at the spectacular newly refurbished Peabody Opera House.
Despite being the leader of the free world, in October 2011 President Obama more closely resembles candidate Obama at a much earlier phase of his initial presidential campaign than the fall of 2008 when he filled the St. Louis riverfront with supporters. Obama has taken to calling himself an “underdog” in 2012, which both sounds slightly amusing, coming from the leader of the world’s largest economy and the commanderin-chief of the world’s premiere armed forces – and yet probably true. It’s always fun politics when an embattled incumbent in a powerful position makes a campaign stop. The other elected officials in that region have to make the political calculus between seeming to snub a
powerful official versus risking having some of the embattled incumbent’s political taint rub off on you. In the Missouri political playbook, the most heavily underlined passage on this theme is Secretary of State Robin Carnahan in 2010 running for U.S. Senate. Reportedly she had Obama’s blessings to ignore him, but she failed to calculate how much that would damage her – even a Carnahan – in engaging the Democratic base, which is disproportionately black (and those blacks, in turn, are even more disproportionately supportive of Obama).
Nixon, Slay meet, greet
So how did it play out on Tuesday?
Gov. Jay Nixon and Mayor Francis G. Slay rode the welcome wagon out to the St. Louis airport.
Embracing Obama can only help Slay’s reelection hopes, particularly if he has a strong African-American challenger.
As for Nixon, he has to be considered as the statewide elected official with one of the safest seats in the country, so long as Missouri Republicans stick with Peter Kinder after his dramatic political meltdown. Politicians vying for office sometimes talk of their “Daffy Duck number,” which is the number of votes they would and could not get even if their opponent were Daffy Duck. Nixon’s current presumed opponent is polling slightly below what Daffy would poll as a Republican running against an incumbent Democrat in this red state. So
Nixon has less than nothing to lose by embracing the embattled black Democratic President a year before the 2012 General Election.
Incidentally, good for both Nixon and Slay to meet and greet this great man, whatever politics were in play. They both got a ride to downtown St. Louis in a limo with the president.
Claire, Clay were away
As for U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill and U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay, they both had work to do in Washington, D.C. Of course, many will not buy that explanation for an elected official missing a campaign opportunity, even if it is true. In this case, it’s true with a couple asterisks.
An asterisk says that McCaskill will have a tough race in 2012, as an incumbent Democrat in a red state, and a woman in a state that remains decidedly regressive in its political thinking out-state. The EYE might add that Obama would rather chew one arm off than lose McCaskill’s vote in the Senate, so it is very safe to assume that the White House has signed off on any political calculation Mc-
Caskill makes about how close she should appear to be to the President (or not) between now and election day.
Another asterisk says that Obama’s and Clay’s shared base has a long way to go before it gets worried about whether Obama is with Clay or Clay is with Obama. Obama is firmly with Clay, and Clay has made it clear – in an era of grandstanding by some of his colleagues –that he is firmly with Obama.
In the public event at the Renaissance Grand, Obama went out of his way to acknowledge, thank and praise McCaskill and Clay in their absence.
Clay/Carnahan makes BET.com
For Clay, it’s mostly been beside the point who is or is not with him, given his running strength in-district. But with the 2011 redistricting, Clay finds himself in a much more competitive 1st Congressional District. He also finds himself in a metropolitan area with another highly electable Democrat – U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, whose district was gutted in redistricting (and who joined Obama at the Renaissance Grand) – looking for
to raise funds for his 2012 reelection campaign.
Photo by Wiley Price
a new job.
BET.com did a smart piece on redistricting this week that discussed the possible Clay/ Carnahan matchup. “I’ll put my record up against his, or whomever, and will kick his butt,” Clay trash-talked about Carnahan on the home court of BET.com.
But a Clay/Carnahan matchup would be bad for the Democratic Party, which is why a lot of people are waiting for some other better job to materialize for Russ Carnahan (who also was an early and close Obama ally).
“There is this subliminal idea that if you can get Black and white Democrats fighting that it could weaken the Democrats hold on African-American voters,” U.S. Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver II, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and a colleague of both Clay and Carnahan, told BET.com. “If somehow the Black and white Democrats are seen as enemies that this thing could be flipped over.”
Kander runs clinic
If Peter Kinder’s politics got so sloppy he left it painless
for Gov. Nixon to pose as President Obama’s new best friend, just the opposite is the case for a new contender in statewide politics with a sound-alike name: Jason Kander, Democratic candidate for Missouri Secretary of State. Kander is running a clinic over here.
All the wannabes who are thinking about a career as a elected official ought to take keen note of State Representative Jason Kander’s first official shot across the bow in his quest to succeed Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, who last week announced that she was not going to seek a third term. As his press release states, “Only days after declaring his candidacy for Missouri Secretary of State, Jason Kander today announced a wave of endorsements from across the state.” Kander’s first impression as candidate is going off with bang with the list of endorsements that cover every sector of the Democratic party in the state. This impressive list of endorsement is a signal to other potential candidates that time is of the essence if they are going pose a threat to Kander. Talk about doing your homework before you take the test.
Broadnax opposes Michael O’Mara
Local attorney Leslie T. Broadnax has declared intent to run for the 4th District St. Louis County Council seat, where Michael O’Mara is the incumbent. Broadnax, an African American, also chairs the St. Louis County Equalization Board. She is a graduate of Riverview Gardens High School and obtained her law degree in 2001 from the University of MissouriColumbia. She is the wife of Ben Broadnax, a retired police officer and U.S. Army veteran. The couple resides in Bellefontaine Neighbors. She is also active at her church Shalom City of Peace.
Sandra JackSon says something you might not expect from a cancer patient – life is better after cancer. after the shock of finding a lump in her breast at age 59, Sandra now appreciates the beauty in everyday life and has made big changes to improve her health.
always one to lean on her faith and trust her doctors, Sandra found hope during her breast cancer journey by participating in a clinical trial.
Physicians at the Siteman cancer center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital led Sandra through treatment, which included an oral medication and a mastectomy. Sandra was just as committed to her job as she was to treatment. She worked in the catering industry until the day before her surgery. Her hard work and constant positive attitude paid off – not only is she cancer-free, but she lost 50lbs through exercise to further improve her health.
Sandra out
– dancing!
President Barack Obama was met at the foot of Air Force One by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay on Tuesday afternoon. Obama came to St. Louis
This Week in Black History
October 8
1775 – Slaves and free Blacks are oficially barred by the Council of Oficers from joining the Continental army to help ight for American independence from England. Nevertheless, a signiicant number of Blacks had already become involved in the ight and would distinguish themselves in battle. Additional Blacks were barred out of fear, especially in the South, that they would demand freedom for themselves if white America became free from Britain.
1941 – National Black political leader and two-time candidate for president of the United States Jesse Jackson was born on this day in Greenville, South Carolina. After the 1968 assassination of Civil Rights Movement icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson, who was one of his top aides, would become the nation’s most prominent and inluential civil rights leader.
October 9
1806 – Benjamin Banneker dies in Ellicott Mills, Maryland at age 74. Banneker was a brilliant mathematician with a great memory and is credited with completing the layout and design of Washington, D.C.
1823 – Mary Ann Shad is born. She becomes publisher of Canada’s irst anti-slavery newspaper – The Provincial Freeman. In fact, she is the irst woman in the U.S. or Canada to edit and publish a newspaper.
1984 – W. Wilson Goode makes history by becoming the irst black mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
2009 – In a move which surprised just about everyone, President Barack Obama is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Obama had been in ofice for less than 9 months at this time last year but the Nobel Committee in Oslo, Norway said it was impressed by his “promise” of disarmament and diplomacy.
October 10
1778 – What is believed to be the irst formal school for blacks – the Africa Free School – opens in New York City.
1899 – Black inventor Isaac Johnson patents the bicycle frame.
1901 – Frederick Douglas Patterson is born. He grows up to become President of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. From there he would later launch an effort that leads to the 1944 founding of the United Negro College Fund.
1917 – Famed Jazz pianist Theolonius Monk is born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
1935 – George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess,” a black spiritual opera, premiers on Broadway in New York City. It starred Todd Duncan from Howard University. The play becomes one of the most popular black-themed shows ever to hit Broadway. The 1959 version stars Sidney Portier and Dorothy Dandridge.
October 11
1887 – Alexander Miles patents
vented people from accidentally falling down elevator shafts.
1890 – Black inventor Charles Orren Bailiff patents the shampoo headrest.
1939 – The NAACP organizes
the NAACP Education and Legal Defense Fund which goes on to win many important legal battles guaranteeing civil and educational rights for blacks.
1991: Comedian and actor Redd Foxx dies at age 68. He
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Lisa Price, Founder of Carol’s Daughter
was born John Elroy Sanford in St. Louis Mo. An IRS raid on his Las Vegas home to collect back taxes is thought to have hastened his death.
October 12
1932 – Richard “Dick” Gregory is born in St Louis Mo. Gregory advanced from comedy to political activist.
1945 – The lynching of Jesse
James Payne takes place in Madison County, Florida. The lynching came to typify the lies that prompted many a lynching. Payne got into an argument with his white boss and threatens to expose some of his boss’ illegal dealings. But the boss then spreads a rumor that Payne had molested his daughter and Payne is lynched.
1972 – Nearly 50 black and white sailors injured in a race riot aboard the aircraft carrier
Kitty Hawk during the Vietnam War.
1999 – Basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain dies at age 63. The 7’1”, 280 pound great included among his records the scoring of 100 points in one game when the Philadelphia Warriors beat the New York Knicks 169 to 147 on March 2, 1962.
Jesse Jackson
President Obama
Circle-Lets celebrates in Atlanta
50th Conclave of social organization has Southern lavor
By Gwen Key
For The St. Louis American
“Welcome To Hotlanta” was the beginning celebration of the 50th Conclave of the Circle-Lets, Inc. hosted by the Atlanta Chapter. The Conclave was held recently at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. There were over 190 members and guest in attendance.
St. Louis Circle-Lets in attendance were:Jean Player, Harold Player (Circle-mate); Kathy Walker Steele, Marvin Steele (Circle-mate); Cheryl Cole Young, Kimberly Player; Kathleen Smith and Shelia Williams.
Meet and Greet on Thursday evening started off with
popular line dances where members danced the night away during the latest dance steps. Warm Southern hospitality was felt throughout the evening.
At the business meeting on Friday, the National President Gradie Knight of Nashville,Tenn. passed the gavel to the 26th National President Jean Player of St. Louis.
Jean is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She is the wife of Harold Player and the mother of four adult children; she is also a retired SLPC administrator. After the business meeting it was “High Tea Southern Style.” Gloves, pearls and gifts were presented to the members who wore the most fabulous chapeaus.
“Stepping Out In Atlanta Gala” was the theme for the Saturday Night Dinner Dance. Past presidents and each chapter were
introduced. A sumptuous dinner was served, the music was lively, laughter and visiting with friends completed the evening. It was a grand and glorious celebration.
“Keeping Georgia On Your Mind” Sunday morning breakfast recognized the new National Oficers and the golfers.
Circle-Lets, Inc. was founded by two Fisk University students, the late Vivieen Malone Mayes of Waco, Texas and the late Dorris Bell Bass of Detroit, Mich. The irst chapter was organized on September 18,1955 in Dallas, Texas.
Circle-Lets, Inc. is a purely social organization dedicated to friendship and cultural activities that provide a social outlet and sisterly relationship among women with similar ideals and interests.
OBITUARIES
Lelia Billingsly Vital
It has been one year since we lost our beloved Lelia. Her loss has had a devastating effect of everyone who loved her. Those who still mourn her every single day are her parents, Clem and Katherine Billingsly; her brother, Clem Billingsly II of Los Angeles, CA; her sister, Shelly Billingsly McDufie and her brotherin-law, Tony McDufie. Still grieving and trying to cope with their loss are her husband, Adam Vital; her sons and our precious grandsons, Adam III and Alex Vital in Atlanta, GA. Friends and other relatives are still in disbelief that she is not here with us. Lelia will be missed and loved forever and ever throughout all eternity.
Harvey Sylvester McElroy
Mr. Harvey Sylvester McElroy transitioned on Wednesday, September 21, 2011, at age 90. Born June 1, 1921, in Macon, Missouri, the second son of Clifton and Othello McElroy. He completed his undergraduate degree in Education and Business Administration at Lincoln University, Missouri. He obtained his Masters degree in Education from New York University. He retired as an educator and administrator with the St. Louis Public School system. He also taught at Southern Illinois University. Mr. McElroy was a devoted parishioner and choir member of All Saints Episcopal church. He was a life member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. He is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Louise Penney McElroy; sister-in-law Carleen Penney Davis; his daughters and sons-in-law Carleen McElroy Thompson, Esq. (Robert Thompson); Joy McElroy, MD (Loi Chang-Stroman); and three grandsons, Tarik Robert Thompson, Loi Harvey Chang-Stroman, and August Gabriel Chang-Stroman. Services were held Sept. 30 at All Saints Episcopal Church.
In Loving Memory of Terrell P. McIntyre
Sunrise: January 18, 1967
Sunset: October 10, 2005
Terrell is sadly missed by his mother, Barbara McIntyre. She quit her job in 2002 and cared for him until his death. His sons are Dvondray and Terrell McIntyre Jr., daughters, Alecia Morris and Kayla McIntyre; brothers, Ernest and Stephon; aunts Carolyn and Paula; uncle Kendall. We miss you, Terrell, and we all love you always.
Rest in Peace, Your Family
Leila Vital
Harvey McElroy
Terrell McIntyre
Jean Player
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Ms. Chalana M. Scales-Ferguson
Bishop Alphonso Scott
Cleveland Sebree
Ms. Ramona A. Segers-Howard
Mr. Jermal L. Seward II
Ms. Tracy D. Shepard
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Harry E. Johnson Sr., who has led the Washington, D.C.Martin Luther King Memorial Foundation as president and CEO since 2002,returned home to address the students at his alma mater, Christian Brothers College High School,last Thursday.
BUSINESS
OCTOBER 6 – 12, 2011
From CBC to MLK
Visionaries behind Dr. King monument return to alma mater in STL
By Rebecca S.Rivas Of The St.Louis American
On October 16, many will gather on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with the dedication ceremony of his memorial.
Harry E. Johnson Sr., who has led the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King Memorial Foundation as president and CEO since 2002, will address thousands. But before that important date, he made sure to address the students at Christian Brothers College High School, his alma mater. On September 29, Johnson told CBC students at a school assembly that when they
Poverty and payday loans
Communities take local actions to fight predatory lending
By Charlene Crowell Center for Responsible Lending
Earlier
“It makes me want to do something as powerful as Harry did,”said Robert Hamilton, a CBC senior.
leave the school, they will lead a life of service.
“I was at CBC when I learned discipline,” Johnson said. “God puts or sends you somewhere, and you learn how to lead.”
Later that evening, CBC inducted Johnson, a lawyer and entrepreneur, into the CBC Alumni Hall of Fame.
Under Johnson’s leadership, the MLK Memorial Foundation has raised $109 million of the $120 million needed to complete the memorial; positioned three boards (Executive Leadership Cabinet, Governing Board and Honorary Board) for the foundation; and garnered support from all living U.S. Presidents, Congress, members of the corporate and nonprofit communities, and celebrities.
“I am humbled to have the opportunity to organize the support and contributions made on behalf of millions of people to stand up a memorial to a man who was a citizen of the world, whose messages of democracy, jus-
See MLK, B2
Management consultant to minority businesses
2011 Entrepreneur of the Year David Price recognized at Nov. 9 Salute
By Rebecca S.Rivas Of The St.Louis American
David Price
In the atrium of his St. Louis County mansion, entrepreneur and retired corporate executive David Price engulfed me in a bear hug and then patted my head. Behind him, a seven-foot, regal statue of a Chinese warrior stood at attention. He released this St. Louis American reporter and in a fatherly tone said, “I want you to be the best you can be. And you have to play to win because in this game, people are keeping score.” It is the same endearment and advice he now gives to many minority and women business owners. Price says he’s is in his “third business life.” After climbing the corporate ladder at Monsanto for 25 years and then serving as a department president at
People of color and women have to teach the majority community that it’s safe for them to lead, Price said.
B.F. Goodrich Company for seven years, Price decided he was bored, he said. So he hung it all up and started his own management consulting firm, Birdet Price, LLC, which advises clients on investing in the materials and chemical industry. The firm grew to also provide consulting to small minority- and women-owned businesses. “I started working with several companies on Wall Street as they were buying and selling businesses in the chemical industry,” said Price, the founder, president and CEO of Birdet Price. “In doing that work, I noticed that I could be rewarded there. But
PEOPLEON THE MOVE
Myrtle E.B. Dorsey, new chancellor St. Louis Community College, has been appointed by the American Association of Community Colleges to serve on 21st Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges, which comprises 36 individuals from education, business, policy and communications. The group will examine challenges confronting the nation’s largest and fastest growing higher education sector, which enrolls close to half of all U.S. undergraduates.
Jason Brown, director of fine arts for the Riverview Gardens School District, is the Arts and Education Council’s 2012 Art Educator of the Year. His high school choir has performed in many community venues including Powell Symphony Hall, and he has secured grants for students to attend local performances, participate in cultural art activities and purchase new instruments. Brown also organized and hosted Riverview Gardens’first “Fine Arts Showcase.”
Gwen Packnett, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs for the University of Missouri-St. Louis, has been named an American Council on Education Fellow for academic year 2011-12. The program is designed to strengthen institutional capacity and build leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing promising senior faculty and administrators for responsible positions in college and university administration. Fifty Fellows were selected this year.
Eric Clark is the new Director of Communications for Grace Hill Health Centers, Inc. Clark will be responsible for overall marketing communications and public and media relations. He also will manage internal communications, social media initiatives, branding and communications plan implementation. Previously, Clark held public relations management positions with SSM St. Mary’s Health Center, FleishmanHillard Communications, Inc. and the YWCA of St. Louis.
The African-American Leadership Giving Initiative at the United Way for St. Louis already has crested $1 million in contributions to the United Way’s 2011campaign, announced Richard Mark, chair of the initiative. Last year at the same point the society had raised $777,000. The 2011 initiative also currently has 118 new leadership gifts. To give, contact Orvin Kimbrough at orvin.kimbrough@stl.unitedway.org or 314539-4249.
Missouri nets $1M in SBAfunds foroverseas trade
The state of Missouri has won nearly $1 million in federal grant funding from the State Trade and Export Promotion Program (STEP), which is administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The resources will be used to support trade activities with China, Mexico and Korea, markets which are crucial to Missouri’s agricultural sector. The funding would allow for a delegation of overseas buyers from China, Mexico and Korea to come to Missouri to buy products, as opposed to local companies going abroad to sell their goods. The STEPProgram is a 3-year pilot trade and export initiative authorized by the Small Business Jobs Act, which cut taxes for small businesses by $12 billion, and which U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill helped pass.
Jason Brown
Myrtle E.B. Dorsey
Gwen Packnett
Eric Clark
Photo byWiley Price
What stock and bond alternatives do I have?
Many prudent investors may have at least some of their holdings in stocks, corporate bonds, or both. In fact, when most people think of “investing,” they think of Wall Street and the stock markets.
Many fail to realize that there are a number of ways to invest in stocks besides owning individual shares.
Mutual Funds
Amutual fund is a collection of stocks, bonds, or other securities. Investors purchase shares of the mutual fund that is managed by a professional investment company.
Atypical mutual fund may hold dozens of different securities. That offers some measure of diversification — a sharp decline in an individual security wouldn’t be nearly as damaging to your portfolio as it would be if you only owned a few securities. Diversification is a method used to help manage investment risk; it does not guarantee against loss.
Mutual funds are profes-
LENDING
Continued from B1
Tennessee all have a higher per capita concentration of payday loan shops than elsewhere in the U.S. Moreover, in these same states where unemployment hovers at 10 percent or higher, triple-digit interest payday loan rates run as high as 574 percent. Missouri is the only state outside of the South with over five payday stores per 10,000 households.
With a profusion of local payday stores strategically located in low-income neighborhoods, the payday loan business model depends on borrowers who are unable to both repay the lender and have enough money to make it to the next payday. The trap of
sionally managed. Fund managers devote their attention to buying and selling securities according to the goals of their funds.
And mutual funds often have a minimum investment of only $1,000 — some will accept even less.
The return and principal value of mutual funds fluctuate with changes in market conditions. Shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.
Bond funds are subject to the interest-rate, inflation, and credit risks associated with the underlying bonds in the fund. As interest rates rise, bond prices typically fall, which can adversely affect a bond fund's performance.
Variable Universal Life Insurance
The insurance companies have developed some innovative products that enable you to invest in a wide range of securities — including stocks — through your life insurance
recycled debt is also how billions are taken each year from poor people.
Earlier this year, Payday Loans, Inc. a research report by the Center for Responsible Lending found that payday loan borrowers are indebted for more than half of the year on average, even though each individual payday loan typically must be repaid within two weeks. Among these borrowers, a significant share (44 percent), even after paying their loan back several times, ultimately default. The default results in already financially stretched families owing even more fees to the payday lender and their bank.
Fortunately, in 17 other states and the District of Columbia, laws have been enacted to cap these loans with double-digit interest. In three of these states (Arizona,
By Charles Ross PERSONAL FINANCE
policy. Avariable universal life (VUL) insurance policy operates much the same as a “traditional” universal life policy. In exchange for premiums, the insurance company provides a death benefit. And, just like more traditional life insurance policies, the cash value within the policy accumulates tax deferred. When considering this product, you should have a needfor life insurance.
Charles Ross
But here is the unique difference: you decide how the premium is divided among the subaccounts. With most policies you can select from several different investment subaccounts (or investment options). These investment options allow you to participate in the
Montana and Ohio), voters brought about the change through referendums that state officials either could not or would not do legislatively.
Now some cities are choosing to either rein in payday lending by through local ordinances or offering alternative small dollar loan programs.
For example, when the Texas Legislature failed to enact meaningful payday reform, the Dallas City Council unanimously passed an ordinance this June that changed both loan terms and the amount of loans.
City Council Member Jerry Allen, sponsor of the ordinance told the Dallas Morning News, “They [Texas Legislature], chose to take a very limited action, and we chose to do the most we can at our city level. This is as strong a set of teeth that we can put
market and experience the gains and losses realized by the underlying securities. The cash value of a VULpolicy is not guaranteed. The investment return and principal value of the variable subaccounts will fluctuate. Your cash value, and perhaps the death benefit, will be determined by the performance of the chosen subaccounts. Withdrawals may be subject to surrender charges and are taxable if you withdraw more than your basis in the policy. Policy loans or withdrawals will reduce the policy’s cash value and death benefit, and may require additional premium payments to keep the policy in force. There may also be additional fees and charges associated with a VULpolicy.
into this, and it sends a message that we will not tolerate our citizens being taken advance of.”
As a result, the City of Dallas imposes payday loan limits and restrictions on store locations will also limit how many payday stores can be located near residences and highways.
MLK
Continued from B1 tice, hope and love transcended racial barriers and resonated around the globe,” Johnson said.
On the National Mall, the memorial sits adjacent to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and on the direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed Joint Resolution 70 authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a memorial in Washington, DC to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on September 28, 1996. The Senate followed soon after, and on July 16, 1998, President Clinton signed a Joint Congressional Resolution authorizing the building of a memorial.
From 2001 to 2004,
Variable Annuities
The insurance companies have developed another interesting product: the variable annuity. With a variable annuity, you invest a sum with an insurance company, just as you would with a fixed annuity. But instead of investing your money in its general account, as with a fixed annuity, the insurance company invests it in a separate account. Like a variable universal life insurance policy, this separate account is made up of a number of different investment subaccounts. You specify how much of your annuity will be invested in the various subaccounts. Your return will be based on the performance of the investments you select. There are contract limitations, fees, and charges associated with variable annuities, which can include mortality and expense risk charges, sales and surrender charges, investment management fees, administrative fees, and charges for optional benefits. Withdrawals
reduce annuity contract benefits and values. Variable annuities are not guaranteed by the FDIC or any other government agency; they are not deposits of, nor are they guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank or savings association. Withdrawals of annuity earnings are taxed as ordinary income and may be subject to surrender charges plus a 10 percent federal income tax penalty if made prior to age 59?. Any guarantees are contingent on the claims-paying ability of the issuing company. Variable annuity subaccounts fluctuate with changes in market conditions, and when surrendered, your principal may be worth more or less than the original amount invested.
Charles Ross is host of the syndicated radio program “Your Personal Finance.”
Contact him at P.O. Box 870928; Stone Mountain, Georgia 30087; or email to charles@ charlesross.com.
Fair Community Credit, a new nonprofit corporation in Kansas City, is working with a local bank, service organizations and a church to offer low-income borrowers access to loans at interest rates no higher than 36 percent. To assure that funds are utilized as intended, credit and income requirements are used to screen loan applications. These local initiatives remind me of an adage as old as it is true: “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at: Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.
Johnson served as national president of Alpha Phi Alpha, the fraternity to which Dr. King belonged. In this role, Johnson oversaw over 700 chapters located throughout the country and abroad; increased the number of chapters in good standing; and was credited with enhancing the national image of the organization with fraternity members, business leaders and political officials.
Accompanying Johnson at the assembly was his longtime friend and former CBC classmate Ty Christian, who now serves as chief marketing strategist for the memorial project.
Christian showed the students a photo of the two as CBC students sitting at the National Mall on a field trip in 1969. He said he never thought in a million years that he would be helping a CBC classmate build a monument for a man who helped them get into CBC.
Christian was one of 17 African-American students in his 1972 graduating class, and today 18 percent of the student population is African American.
“You are going to be a change agent from the day you graduate to the day you are put in the ground,” Christian said. “CBC gave us the courage to be change agents.”
Many students said they didn’t know CBC alumni where orchestrating the memorial project.
“It makes me want to do something as powerful as Harry did,” said Robert Hamilton, a CBC senior. Johnson said CBC also taught him about integrity and brotherhood, the lessons of Dr. King. “No matter what color of skin you have, you are brothers to the man sitting next to you,” he said.
Soldan’s Kendall Stewart (24) is chased down by Carnahan’s Chavez Hines (3) during Soldan’s Homecoming game Saturday afternoon.The Tigers of Soldan would defeat the Cougars 46-6.
Soldan wins big at Homecoming
RAMS ROUNDUP
With Palmer L.Alexander III
I don’t
Comeback city
By Earl Austin Jr.
Of The St.Louis American
We had some pretty dramatic comebacks in the area during last weekend’s prep football action. The biggest came on Friday night when East St. Louis staged a fourth-quarter rally to stun O’Fallon 23-22 and knock the Panthers from the ranks of the unbeaten. O’Fallon entered the game at 50 and dominating every team in their path.
The Panthers led 22-8 in the fourth quarter, but the Flyers came back and scored two touchdowns in the last five minutes to pull of
It was a huge win for a young East Side team that had been battling some key injuries.The Flyers pulled into a three-way tie.
the improbable victory. Senior quarterback Lamontiez Ivy spearheaded the rally with a touchdown pass and a late TD run. The deciding point was scored by senior kicker Jeremy Nicholson, who converted a 35-yard extra point after the Flyers were whistled for a 15yard penalty after Ivy’s game-tying touchdown. It was a huge win for a young East Side
FROM THE EAST SIDE
With Maurice Scott
Conference championship still comes through ESL
Maurice Scott
“He said, ‘Coach, no problem,’ and he kicked it with room to spare.” It was Nicholson’s first action since the first game of the season when he was injured in East Side’s lost to North Gwinett (GA) and the senior had a spectacular
team that had been battling some key injuries early in the season. The Flyers also pulled into a three-way tie in the Southwestern Conference with Belleville East and O’Fallon, who are still yet to play.
On Saturday, McCluer North pulled off some similar dramatics as it rallied for a 38-36 victory over Hazelwood East in a Suburban North Conference showdown. Hazelwood East had a commanding 36-24 lead in the fourth quarter, but the Stars rallied for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Senior quarterback Galen Brown tossed two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to complete the rally and give the Stars their fifth consecutive victory. Athree-year starter,
See PREP, B5
East St.Louis senior quarterback Lamontiez Ivy sparked a dramatic rally to lead the Flyers to a 23-22 victory over O’Fallon last Friday night in East St.Louis.
For the fourth consecutive week in this young NFLseason, the Rams came up short, losing 17-10 to the Washington Redskins. And for the fourth consecutive time in this young football season, the Rams, the fans, and media alike all want to know something. What the hell is going on?
Really. Because, this is totally unacceptable. All around the NFL this past weekend, I found myself living vicariously through the fans in other NFLcities.
Look at the the Detroit Lions, for example. My extended family up north is beside themselves after watching their Lions storm back to beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-30. And they now boast a record of 4-0. The San Francisco 49ers survived Mike Vick and his record-setting performance of 491 total yards from scrimmage.
The Arizona Cardinals got three rushing scores from Beanie Wells and lost a close game to the New York Giants. Even the Kansas City Chiefs won a game, beating the Minnesota Vikings. How about the Cincinnati Bengals upending the upstart Buffalo Bills and knocking them from the ranks of the unbeaten?
Can you blame the people that live here? The same people that show up every Sunday, paying $30 to park on a vacated gravel parking lot.
Can you blame me? Can you blame the people that live here? The same people that show up every Sunday, paying $20 and sometimes up to $30 to park on a vacated gravel parking lot. Then, there are the $10 cheeseburgers and the $12 you pay for a beer that is poured out of a can. What football fan you know would want to go through this? The people here deserve better. And the Rams deserve better for themselves. I’m tired of hearing people talking about the glory days from 1999-2001. However, you can’t blame anyone for hanging onto the past like Charlie Brown’s close friend Linus did with his little blanket.
All the Rams have to do is make a play. There is no reason the Rams shouldn’t be 3-1. But, when
Photo by Wiley Price
Earl Austin Jr.
Palmer L. Alexander
Photo by Wiley Price
St.Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford is sacked by Washington’s Stephen Bowen and Brian Orakpo during second-quarter action Sunday in St.Louis.
Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Now with four games under their belts, it is time to look at the NFLand ask the question just what do we have?
In my humble opinion, the NFLis producing the worst brand of football the league has ever seen. Or have all the newfound experts, prognosticators and (yes) talk show analysts missed the boat on what good football really is?
Perhaps a little bit of both.
Let’s start with the mediaanointed stars of the league, you know, quarterbacks like Sanchez or Romo, coaches like Andy Reid, Todd Haley and maybe even Steve Spagnuolo. Better termed as: overrated. None of them seem to be getting the job done and yet they get granted weekly mulligans by the media.
The NFLhas become a league of who is popular and who gives good sound bites. If you are young and come from a good coaching tree, then you obviously will follow in your
Age of pewterforNFL
mentors’footsteps . WRONG.
Let’s take the Bill Belichek tree of assistant coaches who have flamed out – Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Josh McDaniels, to name a few. All were run out of town because they did not get the job done. Some would say they did not have enough good talent. I would agree with that. It is funny when you do not have Tom Brady or a good offensive line to coach, you don’t seem to be as much of a genius. Then there is the talent. The difference-makers are few, the linemen no longer dominate and there are only a handful of receivers that are real threats. That includes the Rams, who have had a hard time finding a
good receiver since the likes of Torry Holt and Issac Bruce left.
Yet if you turn on any show you would think this is the golden age of football. More like pewter, if you ask me.
The players are soft, the coaches are unimaginative and the media has seldom a clue. Many would not know a good player if they were tackled by one, and yet I am supposed to believe that they know what they are talking about?
Who runs the NBA?
While the NBAis in the midst of a lockout and progress has been slow with respect to negotiating, I am glad I now know who runs the league. If you think Commissioner David Stern is the answer then you would be wrong. This is the playerss league, or should I say the agents’?
Earlier this week the most powerful agents with the best players sent a letter to the players instructing them to dig in and not give into a bad deal with the owners. The owners want to slash salaries by onethird which means not only would the players loose a lot of dough but so would the agents, and heaven help us if that were to happen.
The agents are right, which is why they should have had a seat at the table. As long as they have a vested interest in this matter, there are some really qualified agents that could help this deal. If you think there won’t be a season, think again. Too much money on the table for them to mess this up. Remember, this is not the NFL where the owners had a strike fund set aside along with the hopes of living off the TV money. It was amazing how quickly both sides were inter-
It is funny when you do not have Tom Brady,you don’t seem to be as much of a genius.
ested in getting the deal done when it was believed that the courts would not let the owners live off the TVmoney.
blues
The Blues start another season tonight, and here we go
again. In spite of the team being up for sale with shaky ownership and leadership at the top, they may be a better team on the ice. If only the owner and president would shut up and let players play and coaches coach. If this were the Cardinals, Rams, SLU or Mizzou, the people at the top would have been long gone and yet this pair continues. As for General Manager Doug Armstrong, he is the key. He has no money to spend but he is a solid hockey man. Too bad he cannot do something about the people above him.
6’4” wide receiver enjoyed a big day in leading the Tigers to a 46-6 victory over Carnahan on Saturday. McRoberts had nine receptions for 233 yards and four touchdowns on the afternoon. He scored on touchdown receptions of 68, 42, 7 and 61 yards. For the season, McRoberts has 37 receptions for 938 yards and 13 touchdowns. He is averaging more than 25 yards per catch.
Athree-sport standout at Soldan, McRoberts is also a top basketball player for two Final Four teams for the Tigers and a district champion in the high jump in track and field.
you are 6-for-18 on third down conversions and average 2.5 yards per pass, get sacked seven times for a net loss of 37 yards, commit nine inexcusable penalties and drop five passes, there is not much hope. Then the natives are going to cling tighter to the past like never before. Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo’s record is 8-
28 so far. And I watched some of the Rams future opponents last Sunday. Mainly, the Rams opponents are in the NFC West division, and as of right now, at this moment, I just don’t see a win anywhere. Honestly. I don’t. The Rams are bad when it comes to making a play. Ironically, they’re one of the best at dropping the ball. For more Rams talk watch Moses on IWatchradio.com on Wednesday12-1pm.
Blues
Mike Claiborne
The Jackie Robinson of Mizzou
Norris Stevenson inducted into Missouri Sports Hall of Fame
By Earl Austin Jr.
Of The St.Louis American
University of Missouri sports pioneer Norris
Stevenson was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame last week.
Stevenson was honored at the Sports Enthusiasts Series 2011 Football Luncheon. A former standout athlete at Vashon High, Stevenson became a pioneer at Missouri when he broke the color barrier in football.
Stevenson was the first African-American to receive a football scholarship at Mizzou, where he was a standout running back from 1958 to 1960.
PREP
Continued from B3
Brown finished the game with 197 yards passing and three touchdowns.
Granite City also enjoyed a big comeback on Friday night as it rallied to defeat Collinsville 24-21. The Warriors trailed 21-9 in the fourth quarter, but junior tailback Kaprix Sloan scored a pair of touchdowns to bring his team back for the win.
Pioneers on roll
I got my first opportunity to see the Kirkwood Pioneers in action last week. They were impressive in their 40-21 victory over Parkway Central in a battle of undefeated teams. Kirkwood played most of the game without its star Division I reruit Mike McHugh, who injured his shoulder. It did not matter. Other weapons
EAST SIDE
Continued from B3
return on both sides of the ball Friday night.
“That’s a great football team (O’Fallon); they don’t have anything to hang their heads about tonight. They played a heckuva game,” Sunkett said. “Our guys played their hearts out as well and made some big plays when we needed them to. This is what our conference is all about every week. You have to be ready to play.”
And for those of you who were rooting for the orange and blue until they were down 22-8 with 7 minutes and 48 seconds remaining in the game, I personally want to tell you really showed your true colors by walking out on the boys with that much time left!
But those who stayed were treated to one of the best games by both teams since the St. Rita game in 2008 when the Flyers rallied from a 28-7 deficit in the second half to win a big state playoff game. Ivy hooked up with Tamaji Jackson for a tuchdown pass with 4:46 remainng in the fourth quarter. And that led to a two-point conversion to Jackson well to set up the comeback win for the Flyers.
The Gatorade must have been awfully good Friday night as the Flyers’defense frustrated quarterback Todd Porter, and limited highly touted running back Ejay Johnson to only one score. They set the tone on defense all night with some bone-jarring hits in the House Of Pain.
After the defense held the Panthers, Daniel Williams set the stage for the winning score when he returned O’Fallon punter Austin Barnes’punt 47 yards to the Panthers’18-yard line. Five plays later, Ivy scored, and Nicholson kicked the long extra point to seal the victory.
In three seasons with the Tigers, Stevenson rushed for 1,174 yards and seven touchdowns. As a senior in 1960, Stevenson rushed for 687 yards and five touchdowns in helping the Tigers to the Big 8 Conference championship and a berth in the Orange Bowl. Stevenson was also a standout in track and field at Mizzou. After a brief stint in professional football, Stevenson
emerged on offense, including tailbacks Ramon Alton and Kendall and quarterbacks Jordan Bishop and B.J. Bucker to keep the Pioneers rolling along.
Williams to Henry
University City is struggling this season with a 1-5 record, but the Lions have one of the area’s top passing combinations in quarterback Deandre Williams and wide receiver Alex Henry. They have been bright spots for the Lions this season with their big-play capability. Williams has completed 84 of 150 passes for 1,390 yards and 13 touchdowns. The 6’3” Henry has hauled in 37 receptions for 807 yards and nine touchdowns. He is averaging 21.8 yards per reception.
Season wraps up
This will be the final weekend of football on the Missouri
East Side’s comeback also sent a message to those knucklehead haters who love to kick the kids and their coach when they are down. Whatever the sport in East St. Louis, there are just miserable hateful people. What we also learned last Friday is that the road to the Southwestern Conference football championship still comes through East St. Louis! Flyers 23 - Panthers 22
became a track and field coach at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley and Forest Park, where he enjoyed a Hall of Fame career. Stevenson’s Hall of Fame induction is the latest in a long line of honors after his athletic career as a player and a coach.
In 1999, Stevenson was inducted into the Missouri Track and Field Association Hall of Fame. In 2001, Stadium Plaza in Columbia was renamed “The Norris Stevenson Plaza of Champions.” Stevenson was inducted into the University of Missouri Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
side before the district playoffs begin. The final three weeks of the season (Weeks 7-10) will constitute the district playoffs and everyone will begin with a clean slate.
What’s on tap this weekend
MillerCareerAcademy (6-0) vs. DeSmet (5-1) at Sumner, Thursday, 4:30 p.m. –Anon-conference game featuring PHLpower Career Academy against the Spartans. Career Academy pulled off a big upset last season when it won at DeSmet 20-17.
MICDS (6-0) vs. Lutheran North (5-1) at SLUH, Thursday, 7 p.m.- An ABC League showdown featuring the top-ranked Rams against the resurgent Crusaders. MICDS can clinch the league title with a victory while a Lutheran North win will forge a three-way tie with John Burroughs.
Right now, the Belleville East Lancers are in the driver’s seat with a match-up with the Panthers the last game of the season prior to the playoffs.
OOOWEEEE!!!!!!! This year’s play-offs should be special, and I can’t wait.
Norris Stevenson
PRICE
Continued from B1 the thing that was most rewarding was providing that same advice to small businesses, primarily minorityand women-owned businesses.” These business owners pay only what they can afford because Price said he knows how difficult it is for people of color and women to be successful in business.
On Nov. 9, Price will receive the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Salute to Excellence in Business Awards and Networking Luncheon.
One thing that people of color and women have to do differently in business is they have to teach the majority community that it’s safe for them to lead, Price said.
“While young entrepreneurs are focusing on their business plans, they tend to overlook the importance of teaching people that it’s safe to follow them because they are nontraditional participants in this very competitive game of business,” he said. “They have to work very hard on their people skills.” Price grew up in a closeknit family with both parents and his brother, Kenneth. His
mom was one of 13 kids, and most of his friends were his first cousins. His father was his first role model.
“He was business-oriented, and the love of his life was his family,” Price said. “He believed that you should work hard to make a better life for your family. I wanted to be just like him.”
Price was always in the top 10 academically in his class at Sumner High School, and his teachers were also his mentors, along with his biggest supporters.
“At Sumner, the spirit that was instilled there was to just be loyal and committed to things in the community,” he said. “Now that I’m giving back, it’s because of some of those things that I learned in high school. You had that feeling of village.”
It wasn’t until he got to then University of MissouriRolla (now called Missouri University of Science and Technology) that he experienced a sense of apathy from his professors.
When he was struggling with college calculus, his professor told him, “Don’t be concerned because colored boys can only get C’s,” Price said.
“That was the first time I was challenged in a way to say, ‘I can’t rely on people to take care of me and nurture me as they have done in the past. I’m going to have to
fight and always be in pursuit of excellence to reach my professional goals,’” he said.
Price received his MBA from Harvard Graduate School of Business in 1976 and then went to work for Monsanto. David and his wife, Joyce, have two children and two grandsons. They are the love of his life. He also enjoys golfing in his leisure time.
Price has been a member of four corporate boards: the Boatmen’s Bank of St. Louis, Lukens Steel, Inc., Tenneco, Inc. and CH2M Hill Inc.
Currently, he volunteers as a trustee on many community organizations, including the YMCAof Greater St. Louis, St. Luke’s Hospital, the African-American Business Leadership Council of Harris Stowe State University’s Busch School of Business and First Tee of St. Louis. He has also provided advice and counsel to the senior management teams of the St. Louis Black Repertory Theater and Better Family Life of St. Louis.
Becoming an entrepreneur was a transition, he said.
“If you’ve been around a long time in business, you learn to make those transitions,” he said. “And you learn to realize that the key element of business that drives success is how you are able to deal with those changes.”
Financial Focus
By James Parshay, financial advisor
Talk to your children about shared financial picture
It’s Thanksgiving week. And if you’re fortunate, you can look around your Thanksgiving table and see several generations of your family. Of course, as you know, many types of cohesiveness are involved in knitting a family together. But one connection that frequently gets ignored, at least in terms of family dialogue, is the financiallinkage between parents and their children on one hand, and these same parents and their parents on the other. So if you find yourself in this “sandwich” group, it may be worth considering your financial position. If your children are very young, you might want to start by emphasizing the importance of three separate concepts: saving, spending and sharing. If you give them an allowance, or if you pay them to do some minor tasks around the household, you can encourage them to put the money in three separate containers. The “spending” jar is for them to use as they choose, the “saving” jar is to be put in some type of savings or investment account and the “sharing” jar is to be used for contributions to charitable causes. You can extend the spending, saving
and sharing themes by encouraging your kids to spend wisely, watch how their savings grow and feel pride in the work done by the charitable groups their dollars support. Later, when your kids are older, and can earn money by babysitting, mowing
By Dana G. Randolph
Staple STL eatery heads to small screen thanks to reality show
“St.
premiere episode of Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s The show debuts Oct. 15 on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
St. Louis has been on standby for weeks, eager to see what light the city lands in thanks to the antics of a host of characters who team up to add a special lavor to the St. Louis restaurant mix.
The fact that they get up and go to work every morning will automatically give them an edge over the current reality show roster of professional baller baby mamas and faux rich housewives.
To see the restaurant in action from the inside out will indeed be refreshing for all audiences. Through Montgomery and company, St. Louisans in particular will see themselves in the characters that come
together each day to treat the city to Sweetie Pie’s trademark comfort food.
“I never wanted to be frying chicken for a living,” Tim Norman confessed to the cameras as he relected on the years he spent as his mother’s right-hand man. “I thought I would be a rock star, singer … even race car driver before this.”
Even still, he carries on with the business of Sweetie Pie’s as if he was born to do it. He and Montgomery banter about every little detail. But anyone can tell it’s all worth it and their love for each other is part of what keeps them going.
“Sweetie Pie’s is deinitely my mother’s favorite child,” Norman said. Now through the show, it’s Montgomery’s turn to sacriice for her son to have some time in the spotlight.
“This whole reality show thing was Tim’s idea,” Montgomery said. “Every bit of this is him – I’m just along with him for the ride.”
See SWEETIE, C4
‘Chopin Prodigy’ plays on
some of the greatest gospel artists in the area and nation.
Rachel Antoinette Morgan lauded by gospel luminaries
American staff
Rachel Antoinette Morgan continues to play her way toward musical prominence. The 14-year-old “Chopin prodigy” recently shared the Sheldon Concert Hall stage with some of the greatest gospel artists in the area and nation, such as Lady Eneazer, Dr. Marabeth Gentry, Zella Jackson-Price, Austin Layne and Ruth LatchisonNichols.
The event, titled “The Legacy and Evolution of Gospel Music,” was produced by Excellence In Collaboration & P. A. A. R. Productions, celebrating the history and evolution of gospel to include mime, rap, tap dance and so on. Rachel’s performance on piano represented the inclusion of classical music in the evolition of gospel.
The audience was illed with enthusiasm and excitement as the commanding, prolonged, singular, solemn, irst note of Chopin’s “Fantasie Impromptu in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 66, rang out from the Steinway Grand Piano in the Sheldon Concert Hall. She proceeded to render the stellar performance of her life, followed by a thunderous, prolonged standing ovation.
The accolades and commendations were numerous, from the likes of Dr. Marabeth Gentry, Interim President of The National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses (which just celebrated it’s 78th year in Atlanta), and Evangelist Ruth Latchison-Nichols, founder and Director of Excellence In Collaboration, the organization cosponsoring the event.
The evangelist celebrated Rachel as being “the single greatest classical music teen talent” she has seen in her 27 years in gospel music.
Rachel’s new tutor, Mrs. Vera Parkin at the Community Music School
grab their attention, we decided to go for it.” The idea was planted in them 15 years ago when they were living in Canada and See ART, C4
Rachel Antoinette Morgan, age 14, recently shared the Sheldon Concert Hall stage with
Dana G. Randolph
Patricia Smith Thurman and Solomon Thurman
MORGAN, C4
St. Louis City Treasurer Larry Williams hosted his annual Golf Tournament and Awards Dinner recently at Forest Park Golf Course and Forest Park Pavilion. Photo by Henry Scott
By Kenya Vaughn
Robbie Montgomery, Tim and Janae Norman and Charles Chrenchaw at the taping of the irst season inale of Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s on Sept. 9 at Sweetie Pie’s Mangrove location.
1.Email
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concerts
Oct. 6- Oct. 8, Gentleman Jack & Leisure Studies presents the inaugural Lola STL Music Fest, over three days Lola will host the best regional and national funk, soul, hip hop artists with special bites and drinks for the new annual event with guests that include Diamond D and Fatlip of Pharcyde and Van Hunt. Lola. For more information visit www. welovelola.com
Oct. 16, 6 p.m., Scream Tour 10th Anniversary starring Mindless Behaviorand Diggy Simmons with special guests The New Boyz, Jacob Latimore, Hamilton Park and introducing the OMG Girlz, The Fox Theatre. Tickets on sale Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.
Sun., Oct. 23, 4:30 p.m., The Royal Vagabonds Foundation presents Lynne Fiddmont featuring jazz saxophonist Keith Fiddmont, Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Ave. For more information, call (314) 7273951 or (314) 991-1755.
Tues., Oct. 25, 8 p.m. (7 p.m. doors) The Smokers Club Tourstarring Currency, Method Man and Big K.R.I.T., The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com
Wed., Oct. 26, 8 p.m. (7 p.m. doors), Marsha Ambrosius with special guest Miguel, The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com
local gigs
Sundays, 7 p.m., StarCity recording artist FRED WALKER performs his SAXYJAZZ music show every Sunday at: “JAZZ ON BROADWAY” 554 East Broadway, Alton, Il. 62002. Call 618-465-5299 for more information and directions. Funkin Right, Every 2nd
Saturday, Nappy DJ Needles invites you downtown for a monthly dose of good vibes delivered in the form of raw soul, afro beat, house, hip hop and deep funk. Lola, 500 N. 14th St.
special events
Thurs., Oct. 6, 5 p.m., 10th Street Gallery Grand Opening Celebration featuring Solomon Thurman, Lance OmarThurman, Chris Ananda, C’babi Bayoc, Katherine Chiekh, Kerry Gillen, Linda D. Jones, and Gary Meier. 419 N. 10th Street. To learn more, call 314974-6058 or email for more information. Info@10thStreetGallery.com
Through Oct. 7, In celebration of the festival’s 20th year in St. Louis, Grand Center Inc. is seeking local and regional talent forFIRST NIGHT- St. Louis, a New Year’s Eve celebration of the arts that calls on artists of every medium to be the catalysts in creating a shared cultural celebration. For questions or to speak with a member of the First Night staff, please call Travis Howser at 314-2891507 (email travis@grandcenter.org).
Sat., Oct. 8 – Sun., Oct. 9, Dean James E. McLeod Memorial Weekend, Saturday, October 8, 12:302:15 pm: Luncheon & State of the Ervin Program/25th Anniversary Committee Updates - College Hall, South 40 2:30 - 4:30 pm: John B. Ervin Scholars Program Town Hall Meeting – College Hall, South 40, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m., Salute to James E. McLeod Reception - Whitaker Atrium, Danforth Campus Sunday, October 9, 8:00 - 10:30 am: 25th Anniversary Small Group meetings (exact committee meetings and locations forthcoming) 1:30 pm: Washington University Memorial Service for James E. McLeod -Athletic Complex.
Sat., Oct. 8, 10 a.m., KlasAct
CALENDAR
Corvette Club 3rd Annual Golf Tournament, Emerald Greens Golf Course. Registration at 10 am, Shotgun start at 12PM, four person scramble. Award dinner at 4pm. Proceeds benefit Thanksgiving and Christmas food drive. For more information, call 314-210-4272 or 314-691-5479.
Sun., Oct. 9, 2 p.m., Our Second Act Incorporated fundraiser starring Kim Massie, the Diva of blues, soul and R& B, Coco Soul and D.J.Mr. We, Robert Probstein Golf and Tennis Club House in Forest Park. Proceeds from the fundraiser will support scholarships for women over the age of 55. For more information, call (314) 875-9932.
Sun., Oct. 9, 6 p.m. doors, J.L.R.W. presents Body Blast, Club Illusion, 526 E. Broadway, East St. Louis, IL.
Mon., Oct. 10, 4 p.m., INPowerInstitute presents Life Insights: Readings with Ricky Henderson, INPower Institute, 5400 Nottingham. For more information, visit www.inpowerinstitute.com or call 314-832-1669.
Road, Set Up:Tables, $15 Space Only, $10. For more information, call (314) 3555518.
Sat., Oct. 15, 9 a.m., City North Y’s Men and Women Club All You Can Eat Breakfast, To Support Y’s Men’s International Projects, Monsanto Family YMCA, 5555 Page Blvd.
Sun., Oct. 16, 5 p.m., Community Women Against Hardship presents the 2011 Circle of Support Gala Sheldon concert Hall featuring the all star female jazz band from Los Angeles, Jazz in Pink. All proceeds benefits the 2011-2012 “People Against Poverty” campaign, an annual event in partnership with the St. Louis American Newspaper. For tickets call 314-289-7523. For more information , visit www.cwah.org
Tues., Oct. 18, 7 p.m., The internationally known St. Olaf Orchestra from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., will perform at Manchester United Methodist Church . Additional tour ticket information can be found at stolaftickets.com.
Sat., Oct. 22, 9 a.m., Who Got Game Athletic Assoc. ‘Kicking forACure’
Kickball fundraisertournament& Health Fair. Fontaine Park. For vendor space contact Karen.cole@sbcglobal.net OR to enter your all-women or coed team call (314)363-0356.
Sat., Oct. 22, 6 p.m. Coalition of Black Trade Unionists twenty-fifth Annual Ernest and De Verne Calloway Awards Banquet, This year’s awardees are Vivian Martain, Director of the Construction Prep Center (CPC) and Roy Gillespie, Human Rights Commissioner for Teamsters Join Council 13.Renaissance Grand Hotel, 800 Washington Ave.
Oct. 22 – Oct. 23, Dontuwannago.com presents Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys away game road trip. Trip includes ride on a party bus and two night deluxe hotel stay. For more information, call (314) 779-7655 or (314) 229-5267.
Oct. 28 – 30, Extraordinary Events Presents its 2nd Annual Ladies Spa Retreat Weekend To Hot Springs, Arkansas. Call 314-219-4188 for more info or register online at www.sparetreatweekend. eventbrite.com.
Sat., Oct. 29, 11:30 a.m., 3Way HellaFly Grand Finale Promotions presents Octoberfest at Crown Vally Winery, Bus leaves from Hanley Metrolink Station at 11:30 promptly.
Sat., Oct. 29, 8 p.m., 13
Black Katz present a SpooctacularSoiree, Shula’s 347 Grill, 411 8th St.
Oct. 29, 9 p.m., Baddgirls ENTPresents TheirAnnual Halloween Masquerade Ball with lots of ghostly beauties & goblin goons. Featuring best male & female costume contest.Costumes encouraged. Legit Banquet Facilities, 6324 W.Florissant Ave at Goodfellow.
Nov. 12, 6 p.m., Harvest Ball, an evening of dinner, dancing and delight for adults with developmental disabilities, City Hall Rotunda. Call (314) 421-0090.
Sat., Nov. 19, 6 p.m., AWay With Words, VPR Grief Support Foundation 18th Annual Dinnerand Candlelight Service, Brentwood Recreation Complex, 2505 S. Brentwood Blvd, 63144. For more information, call (314) 838-8603 or (314) 681-1988.
Niecy’s Network Showcase, The showcase provides a spot for talent to shine! Fridays 8pm Klmaxx Room inside the Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry
Road call (314)337-8087.
Fri., Oct. 28, 8 p.m., Fox Concerts presents Chris Tucker, The Fox Theatre. For more information, call (314) 534-1111 or visit www.metrotix.com.
Dec. 31, 8 p.m., New Year’s Eve Homecoming Comedy Jam Cedric The Entertainer Live featuring Malik S. Peabody Opera House. Visit www.ticketmaster.com
Mon., Oct.
The Scream Tour 10th Anniversary starring Diggy Simmons.See CONCERTS for details
Jefferson. For more information, visit www.aisle1gallery.com
October15 – October16, 14th annual ARTEASTStudio & Exhibits Tour featuring the work of 100 local artists in The Alton-Edwardsville , Tour maps with a complete listing of ARTEASTlocations, participating artists and their artwork are available online at www.arteasttour.com
Through January 8 , PPRC Photography Project: Pais Youth Development Center, the newest exhibition for the Public Policy Research Center at the University of Missouri St. Louis. Children from the nonprofit center, which is based in the neighborhood, took to the streets to capture the more vibrant aspects of their surroundings. The colorful exhibit will be on display through Jan. 8 at the PPRC Photography Gallery in 427 Social Sciences and Business Building at UMSL, 1 University Blvd. in St. Louis County (63121). Gallery hours are from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Aduplicate of the exhibit will be on display through Jan. 8 in the northwest hallway at the Victor Roberts Building, 1354 N. Kingshighway Blvd. in St. Lous (63113). The exhibit can be viewed from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.An opening reception will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Victor Roberts Building.
lectures
Through Oct.8, High school students who plan to pursue higher education can get a head start by attending a workshop at six St. Louis County Library branches. The workshops are entitled “College & the Real World: AWorkshop for Teens” and feature author and youth motivational speaker Grant Baldwin. For more information and to register for one of the workshops, please call 314 994-3300.
Sat., Oct. 8, 10 a.m., Rep.
Rochele Walton Gray hosts a Workshop To Discuss The U.S. Healthcare Bill, The U.S. Debt Ceiling Bill and Workforce Development, Trinity Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, 11755 Mehl Ave. For more information please contact the District office at: (314) 388-5849.
Sat., October8, 10 a.m., the Black Alumni Council of Washington University presents “YourMind on Your Money – YourMoney on YourMind,” Alumni House Living Room, 6510 Wallace Circle.To register, call 314935-5645 or e-mail wubac@wustl.edu
Sat., Oct. 8, 10 a.m., No Mo’ Bullying Workshop, This workshop is designed to illustrate strategies and methods that would enable young people to gain proper tools to halt or deter bullying of all kinds. The panel will serve as our professional experts drawing from clinical and professional experience to provide wisdom, advice, and hope to alleviate the pervasive bullying behaviors, as it relates to our youth. Christ the King United Church of Christ, 11370 Old Halls Ferry Road.
Oct. 10, 10 a.m., Design Essentials Interactive Education At It’s Best for Professional Stylist offering color therapy, trend cuts 2011, natural styles, & classic glamour. Lunch will be provided, 6 ceu hours, & product discounts. Respond by October 1st for early bird special. Holiday Inn Select Downtown, 811 N. 9th St.
Oct. 13, 8 p.m., St. Louis Microfinance: Gateway to Opportunities conference, Conference will bring together international and national microfinance experts with local practitioners to showcase innovative and practical uses of microfinance tools to assist low-income families and communities in the St. Louis area. Keynote speakers include Bob Annibale, Global Director of Microfinance at Citi; and
UMSL, J.C. Penney Conference Center, One University Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63121. For more information, call (314) 5166590. Seating is limited so early reservations are encouraged
health
Sat., Oct. 8, The St. Louis Health Equipment Lending Program (HELP) will be holding an area-wide Equipment Drive, St. Louis HELPreceives donations of new or previously owned medical devices from the community.The items are cleaned, refurbished, and loaned to individuals in need, at no cost. Clean the attic, garage or basement and make a taxdeductible donation of medical equipment at one of the following drop off locations: Schnucks: Zumbehl Road, St. Charles1950 Zumbehl Rd, 63303 O’Fallon, MO - 8660 Veterans Parkway, 63366 Edwardsville, IL- 2222 Troy Road, 62025
Live in Concert. For more information,see SPIRITUAL.
Crestwood - 9540 Watson Road, 63126 Richmond Center - 6600 Clayton Road, 63117 Ladue Crossing - 8867 Ladue Road, 63124 Hampton Village - 60 Hampton Village Plaza, 63109
Dierbergs: Florissant - 222 North Highway 67, 63031 Manchester - 421 Lafayette Center, 63011 Lemay Plaza - 2516 Lemay Ferry Road, 63125 Telegraph Plaza - 5640 Telegraph Road, 63129
Or: St. Louis HELP’s Warehouse, 9709 Dielman Rock Island Drive, Olivette, MO, 63132 For more information, call (314) 567-4700 or visit www.stlhelp.org
Oct. 10 (9 a.m.) and Oct. 12 (11:30 a.m.) Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers Mammogram Blitz, 11642 W. Florissant Ave. For more information, call (314) 367-7848 or visit www.phcenters.org
Oct. 12, 11:30 a.m., Forest Park CenterforFamily Resources, a Every Step Counts and St. Louis Family Council partnership) will host a workshop “I Know the Signsof Abuse” with Molina Healthcare on the campus of St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, 5600 Oakland Avenue (Student Center) For more information, call 314644-9067.
Sat., Oct. 15, Calvary Community Development Corporation presents their 8th Annual Community Health Fair,
Sat., Oct. 15, 10 a.m., Betty Jean KerrPeople’s Health Centers will hold an Open House forthe North County site, 11642 W. Florissant Ave. For more information, call (314) 367-7848 or visit www.phcenters.org
Sat., Oct. 22, 9 a.m., Betty Jean KerrPeople’s Health Centers will hold its annual Breast CancerAwareness Health Fair/Fashion Show Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers, 5701 Delmar Blvd. For more information, call (314) 367-7848 or visit www.phcenters.org
Oct. 14 6 p.m., The St. Louis ConnectCare cocktail party fundraiser, Highlands Golf & Tennis Center in Forest Park. Entertainment, open bar, heavy hors d’oeuvres, silent and live auction. For more information, visit www.stlconnectcare.org
Sat., Oct. 15, 1 p.m., Autism Speaks hosts 9th Annual Walk ForAutism Research, Forest Park. For more information, call 314-721-2828 or 314-989-1003.
Mon., Oct. 17, 6 p.m., INPowerInstitute presents An Appetite For Life! Real Talk About The Foods We Eat, INPower Institute, 5400 Nottingham. For more information, visit www.inpowerinstitute.com or call 314-8321669.
Oct. 8, 7 p.m. Praiz Live in Concert with special guest JaPHALife, Word at Shaw, 4265 Shaw Blvd.
Oct. 14, Christian Care Fellowship Church Anniversary Celebration, A three day celebration beginning with Friday evening service at 7:00 p.m.,luncheon-dinner and entertainment social Saturday afternoon from 1-8 p.m.and ending with a tribute to Pastor Ernest A. Jackson and First Lady Carol A. Jackson, Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. Christian Care Fellowship Church , 4202 Folsom Ave. For more information, visit www.christiancarefellowship.org
Oct. 1, 10:30 a.m., Women’s Initiative 2011 Worship Through Prayer, Greater Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, 1617 North Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63113. For more information, call (314) 361-8893.
Oct. 23, 10:30 a.m., Women’s Initiative 2011 Women’s Day Guest Speaker-Dr. Valerie Walker, Greater Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, 1617 North Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63113. For more information, call (314) 3618893.
Sat., Oct. 29, 8 a.m. & 9:30 a.m., Coleman Wright C.M.E. Church Youth and Young Adult invite you to join them for a PrayerBreakfast with Presiding Bishop, Rev. Paul A.G. Stewart, Sr. and Presiding ElderRev. Q.H.Whitlock, Jr., Coleman Wright C.M.E. Church, 9777 Halls Ferry Road. For more information, call (314)7836181.
Fri., Oct. 7, The Ides of March starring Jeffrey Wright opens in theatres nationwide.
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Links.” The original June date for their 9th annual fund-raiser was rained out. Golfers were happy to reunite on September 10 for a 1 p.m. shotgun start.
Co-Chairs Angela Brown and Barbara Bowman were pleased with the group’s support and said golfers enjoyed lunch, dinner and beautiful September sunshine. Proceeds will benefit the George Washington Carver House, My Sister’s Keeper and other programs supported by the St. Louis chapter. Jackie Garrett’s team snagged the grand prize and we are told Richard Banks’ entourage that included Aaron Phillips, Ted, Wheeler, Kevin Brackens and John Reed weren’t far behind. By the way, John Reed (JRJ Services, LLC – Charles Crane Insurance Agency) just completed his term as president of the St. Louis Rotary Club and says the chapter has big plans for 2011-2012. The group meets weekly (Thursday luncheons) at the Missouri Athletic Club. The St. Louis Chapter Link’s, Inc. has been pretty busy this year. On September 9, the group honored its alumni members in a special dinner ceremony held at the Doubletree Westport. The group honored members with 25-plus years of service in a ceremony that included flowers, gifts and tributes. Organized by Links Rosalyn Kirkland, Kay Royster and Ida Woolfolk, the honorees were Mary Young Riley Douglas, Marion G. Miller Bettye Reed Lorraine Taylor, Fannie Bohlen, Anita Lyons Bond Mary Ellen Anderson, Billie Jean Randolph and Georgia Tallier Rusan Ida recently attended the Links’ national board meeting in Washington, D.C. Held hurricane weekend, Ida’s return to St. Louis was delayed in a good way. She spent a couple of days in D.C. and was one of the first to see the Martin Luther King
Native St. Louisan Dr. Carole Davis Dawson DDS (Chicago) recently visited friends and family at home.
Jr. National Memorial. She says words can’t describe the memorial’s magnificence. Ida was particularly impressed with the key feature, the “Stone of Hope.” She also attended the MLK weekend “Women Who Dare to Dream” luncheon with gal pal Madeline Lawson (President/CEO- Institute for the Advancement of Multicultural & Minority Medicine IAMMM). The luncheon held at the Washington Convention Center on August 26 honored the unsung heroines of the Civil Rights Movement. Mistress of Ceremonies, former U.S. Labor Secretary Alexis Herman’s inspirational message tasked attendees to Dare to Dream in celebration and remembrance of our ancestors. Maya Angelou read her poem “Abundant Hope” written especially for the memorial weekend. In spite of weather worries, the luncheon was well attended. Guests enjoyed performances by R&B artists India Arie Ledisi, and Lalah Hathaway and remarks by Rev. Bernice King Myrlie Evers- Williams Debra Lee (President/CEO BET), Missouri’s 5th district Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II, Lisa Jackson (EPA), Rosalind Hudreil (Intel), Gina Adams (FedEx), Delores Heurta (co-founder United
Farm Workers of America and Dr. Christine King Farris (Dr. King’s sister) to name a few. As an added bonus, invitees received a copy of the late Dr. Dorothy I. Height’s (Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement) final book “Living with Purpose” completed a month before her death in March 2010. Alexis Herman (President –Dorothy I. Height Education Foundation) says the final copies of the well-received and venerated book were sold this weekend at Howard University. A second printing is scheduled within the next couple of months. I will keep you posted! In town … Native St. Louisan Dr. Carole Davis Dawson (Chicago) visiting friends and family. Carole says daughter Lauren enjoyed her summer on the junior golf circuit. Lauren and proud Dad Randall Dawson (CB Richard Ellis) have been visiting potential colleges on the East coast and in the Midwest. Grandmother Agnes Davis is hoping Lauren will land in St. Louis!
On October 23, Lamar Agard (Solutia’s Director Risk Management) will participate in the Solutia Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon (13.1 miles) to benefit TASK, Team Activities for Special Kids. TASK empowers children with special needs by increasing their self-esteem through participating in team sports. Lamar hopes TASK can someday build their own facility with plenty of room for basketball courts, soccer fields, a fitness room, storage and office space. Support Lamar in this worthy effort by clicking on the following link. http://www.active.com/ donate/TASKForce/LAgard Happy to see Cardinals Nation is at the top of their game! Good luck. Rams Na-
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Solomon was part of a cooperative arts group that operated its own gallery. Since then they’ve wanted to open a gallery of their own in St. Louis.
It was a coincidence that the grounds of the newly opened gallery happened to be located on 10th Street downtown.
“We were trying to come up with the name and I thought about the 10th Street gallery – which came out during the ‘50s and ‘60s and along lower Manhattan,” Solomon said. “The artists of lower Manhattan were not asked to exhibit on Wall Street, so it was a place they created where they could exhibit.”
The 10th Street Galleries were a cooperative set of artistrun art galleries that began opening in the early 1950s in New York City. They were an avant-garde alternative to the Madison Avenue and 57th Street galleries that were conservative and highly selective. Several older and more established artists such as Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline and Milton Resnick maintained studios nearby and often served a supporting role for the many younger artists who polished their talents there.
The mentoring spirit of de Kooning and others who helped the artists within the original 10th Street Galleries scene is what the Thurmans hope to offer St. Louis.
“Hopefully for artists who live here in St. Louis, the gallery offers answers to the challenges of how to create and present,” Solomon said.
The notion of 10th Street came from guests enjoying the art housed in the Thurman home. They wanted to recreate the experience of houseguests in a public setting –and provide the opportunity to purchase art and allow others to develop their own collections.
“It started out with the idea of a place to exhibit and sell art, but this has become a focal
SWEETIE
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So were Oprah’s cameras, capturing even the most intimate moments over the course of several months, from the mundane morning ritual of opening shop at the Mangrove location, to Tim’s proposal to his longtime girlfriend Janae.
“I want us to make them laugh the way we make each other laugh,” Montgomery said. “I just really hope they like us and get a taste of what St. Louis is really like.”
It’s her first time in the spotlight for entertainment purposes since she was an Ikette, so her performance jitters are warranted.
“In the beginning it was my singing that had soul,” Montgomery said. “But when my
point to educate the public that might be interested in art – both the artists and the patrons,” Patricia said.
“In the 30 days since our soft opening, we’ve been approached by an enormous amount of people who want to learn about the art business. We’ve seen a lot of young people who are just eager to learn.”
A longtime executive, Patricia’s background is in Information Technology. But she is the first to defend the arts as an essential component to developing the mind.
“I have an IT background, but over the years I see the connection in art and science in art and technology, and I believe we need to nurture this connection,” Patricia said.
“Art allows you to flex mental muscle by working a series of problem-solving until you generate a creative thought. I think that it can be simplified to the point where everyone can do it, and I am convinced that everyone can understand art if they understand the simple rules of the thought process.” The Thurmans believe that learning to become active patrons of visual arts is just as important as developing the skill to create and that through support comes culture and community.
“I think if people become patrons and become buyers of original artwork they can make a connection,” Solomon said.
“You can appreciate original artwork in your home you like it, and it will inspire you. You will have stories about it that you can share with your guests. It’s the gift that keeps on giving – one that you can give to yourself and pass it on. The joy of owning original art is an international pleasure.” 10th Street Gallery (419 N. 10th St.) will open on Thursday, Oct. 6, with a special reception from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. with a showing of works by Solomon Thurman, Lance Omar Thurman, C’Babi Bayoc and other artists. For more information, call (314) 436-1806 or visit www.solomonthurman.com.
career ended, this soul sister turned to soul food.”
Norman is eager to see his brainchild in action. He knew that the Sweetie Pie’s family was hilariously special.
“We’ve got to get these boxes out here before the warden gets here,” an employee says minutes before Montgomery arrives at 7:30 a.m. to set up shop in the kitchen.
Preparing for the lunch crowd is more than a notion as they hustle and bustle under Montgomery’s direction.
“I ask that you bless each and every one of the workers here, they are a lot of help to me and I appreciate them,” Montgomery confesses in the daily prayer Sweetie Pie’s staff members hold just before they open the doors to the Mangrove location at 11:30 a.m.
“Even though I cuss them out every day, I still love them.” And with an “Amen,” the chaos begins.
Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s debuts on The Oprah Winfrey Network on Saturday, October 15 at 8 p.m. Check local listings for channel and visit www.oprah.com/own for more information.
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of Webster University in Webster Groves, says that Rachel is progressing excellently in pursuit of her vocational aspiration of becoming
By Melanie Adams
Embracing the ‘Latino Legacy’
Free community program
Saturday at Missouri
History Museum
The History Museum works with a variety of community organizations to help them tell their story through programs. On Saturday, October 8 from 1pm – 4pm, the museum is partnering with Belas Artes to host the second annual Latino Legacy program. The Latino Legacy program aims to provide insights into Latino/Hispanic culture thereby dispelling stereotypes and bridging the gap between the Hispanic communities and the rest of the St. Louis region. To learn more about this community and specifically Latino Legacy, I spoke with Ciléia (last name) of Belas Artes, the organizer of Saturday’s event.
Why is it important to ensure that Latino achievements are recognized?
Latinos must be understood, embraced, and supported as whatever happens to this group is tightly related to the future of the United States.
Nowadays there’s a lot of information about Latinos that get misused and misunderstood, causing sentiments of fear and prejudice against this group. Historically a large part of the US territory was the land of Hispanics. States such as California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah belonged to Mexico and were incorporated to the United States mostly through wars between the two countries after 1835. Therefore the predominant idea that Hispanics come to this country as illegal immigrants must be reshaped with historical facts that demonstrate that a very large part of the Hispanic population has belonged to this land and the contributions they’ve made to this country have been significant.
The program focuses not only on Latino culture, but on the economic implications associated with the economic growth of the US. Can you talk about why you felt it was important to include this as part of the program?
Many people associate Latino culture with traditional folk traditions such as food, music, and dance and disassociate its effectss on the economic scene such as the buying power and business initiatives that has been critical to sustain the economy. Over the past decade Latinos have been responsible for an increasing share of consumer expenditures and have become a consumer segment growing at a substantially faster rate than that of their nonHispanic counterparts. Latinos are also the entrepreneurial drivers of the economy, starting business at a faster rate than any other demographic.
The program ends with an engaging and entertaining musical performance called Cabaret. What can people expect from this performance?
Our musical cabaret is a great production inspired by the launching of five US forever stamps by the US Postal Service recognizing icons from Latin Music that helped to shape the music in the United States. Carlos Gardel from Argentina eternalized the rhythm of Tango; Carmen Miranda represented the tropical feeling and energy of the Brazilian music; Tito Puente from Puerto Rican origins was called the King of Mambo with several
On Saturday, October 8, the Missouri History Museum is partnering with Belas Artes to host the second annual Latino Legacy program, which aims to bridge the gap between the Hispanic communities and the rest of the St. Louis region.
successful music in styles ranging from Latin Jazz, Salsa, and Mambo; Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American Salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums; and Selena was a Mexican-American singer-songwriter. She was named the “top Latin artist of the ‘90s” and “Best-selling Latin artist of the decade” by Billboard.
The cabaret is a potpourri of music and dance immortalized by these five celebrated artists. We will count with live musicians and outstanding professional dancers that will incorporate the energy and passion of Latin music. It will be the grand finale of the activities concluding with a great carnival with audience participation.
What do you hope people learn by attending Latino Legacy?
Latino Legacy is a robust event that will provide for the first time in our region a comprehensive overview of Latino contributions to the US. The program is divided in three parts crafted to reach different audiences: Business Luncheon with the consul of Mexico Mr. Jacob Prado talking about bi-lateral economic relations between Mexico and the United States; the second part is the educational component with keynote presentation and panel about Latinos and the US economy; and the third part is the entertainment aspect with the musical cabaret. Everyone is welcome and most likely will have a wonderful time and leave with a broader understanding and appreciation of Latinos.
Latino Legacy
FREE Saturday, October 8th 1pm – 4pm
For a detailed schedule, please go to www.mohistory.org
St. Lou is … booming!
Peabody Opera House headlines new STL attractions
Downtown St. Louis continues to reinvent itself with a variety of new development projects. Historic buildings in the Gateway City’s central business district are undergoing transformations that will add new life and new visitors to the Washington Avenue corridor. In addition to the new 750-space Seventh Street Parking Garage, historic structures are being re-purposed for 21st century uses.
We know everyone misses grabbing a bargain at the Dillard’s Basement, but you can now snag a great rate at the new Embassy Suites Hotel – St. Louis. Located in the old Dillard’s Building (renamed The Laurel), the Embassy offers great lodging deals. The hotel opened on October 5th and is the first step to a complete Laurel experience. The 630,000 square foot development adjacent to America’s Center convention complex, is a mixed-use project that features the 212-room Embassy Suites Hotel, apartments, a restaurant, bar and the National Blues Museum.
Cue applause! Efforts to return a historic entertainment venue to life are complete, with the former 1934-circa Kiel Opera House (now the Peabody Opera House) undergoing a $78 million dollar renovation. With a full slate of performances and events, the Peabody Opera House opened its doors on October 1, 2011. In addition to the main 3,200-seat theater, the facility features four smaller theaters that can accommodate special events. New and improved sound and lighting systems have also been added. Guests will enjoy the full interior revamp and notice the historic hall’s original glory is still intact.
St. Louis’ midtown area recently welcomed a new boutique-style, 51-room property called Hotel Ignacio. The upscale, modern accommodations feature a special focus on the fine and performing arts. In addition to a garden-like courtyard, the hotel includes a business center, spa and fitness center, and food service from the Triumph Grill, located next door.
Lodging Hospitality Management (LHM)
The former Kiel Opera House has undergone a $78 million renovation and been reopened as the Peabody Opera House, which opened its doors on October 1. In addition to the main 3,200seat theater, the facility features four smaller theaters that can accommodate special events.
purchased The Cheshire, a 107-room property located at the edge of Forest Park. The hotel features seven specialty concept Jacuzzi rooms and 11 mini suites. After $4 million in renovations, the hotel just recently welcomed back guests. The Cheshire is home to the famous Fox & Hounds Tavern and includes a complimentary business center, fitness center and Wi-Fi. To learn more about what’s new in St. Louis log onto www.explorestlouis.com .
St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission
~ CELEBRATIONS ~
August wedding bells
Just
Beaumont High School Class of 1963 is looking for all classmates interested in celebrating our 50 year reunion.Your contact information is needed as soon as possible.Please email: Lawrence Watson atlanticgold45@gmail.com, Gloria Allen Overton gloverto@netzero.net or Joann Kaiman Vitiello joannevlo@aol.com.
Khallid Muhammad proposed to Leonora Hatter during an elegant dinner with family at Maggiano’s restaurant. Khallid is a Firefighter/EMTfor the St. Louis City Fire Department and Leonora is a Director of Nursing for Corizon at the St. Louis City Justice Center. The couple plans to marry in August 2012.
Central High School class of 1971 will celebrate its 40th high school reunion on Saturday, October 22, 2011at the Millennium Hotel St. Louis. The deadline date to have your money and registration form in is October 10, 2011. Please contact Preston Kerns or Alice Manuel Robinson at centralclassof71@yahoo.com for registration information.
Northwest Class of 1982 is preparing for its 30th reunion in 2012. We are in the process of planning. Your contact information is urgently needed to form our class committee. Please email Herman Hopson (hopdog82@yahoo.com) 573230-4290, Roy Johnson (royj1475@gmail.com) 314495-7982, Rick Calvin , (olescl@yahoo.com ), Claude
Las Vegas wedding
Birthdays
Eric Thomas — October 4
Delali Maxine Suggs Akaffu — October 7
Jessica Wright — October 9
Myesha Williams — October 9
Tristian Lewis (5) — October 10
Ussery 314-805-0163 (usserycrew6@sbcglobal.net). Or you can FB us.
Soldan High School Class of 1962 is in the process of planning our 50th class reunion for the second weekend in August of 2012. We are calling all classmates to come and celebrate this momentous occasion. Your contact information is urgently needed. Please call Bobbie Brooks at 314-8389207 or Hiram Wilkens at 314803-5580. You may email Sam Harris at harrissam@hotmail.com.
SumnerAlumni Association presents Homecoming Week of Activities October 18 - 22, 2011; Skate Party Tues., Oct. 18 from 7-10 pm at Skate King.Donation $5 in Advance $6 at Door. Alumni
Julia M. Quinn and Antwaine L. Horton were married on August 28, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Antwaine and Julia are the founders and owners of Jha’Quans Promise, Inc., an outreach organization to help the homeless.
Bartleys mark 30 years
Karen and Michael Bartley will celebration 30 years of marriage on October 10, 2011.
Basketball Game at Vashon High, Thurs., Oct. 20 at 7 pm. Donation $5 Adults and $3 for Children 5–12 years old. Homecoming Dance Fri., Oct. 21, 8 pm–1 m at the Omega Center. Donation $10 in Advance/$15 at the Door. Saturday, Oct. 22, Homecoming Parade 10 am leaving from Sumner High. Please request/complete a Parade Application @wloverall@sbcglobal.net.Tailgate Party atnoon at Sumner High. For additional information, please contact Michelle Elgin at 314.452.1275 or Charles Shelton at 314.540.8596 for a Vendors Application.
SumnerHigh School class of 1964 is looking for all classmates interestedin celebrating our 50th reunion.
Your contact info is needed. If youor anyone you know would like to participate, please e-mail your info to sumnerco1964@yahoo.com contactCarol Strawbridge at 5248504.
SumnerClass of 1977 35th reunion planning meeting, Saturday, October 15, 2011, 24 pm at Special Tymes banquet facility, 5950 Natural Bridge Rd. St. Louis, MO, 314-3830879. Contacts: Kevin Bonner 314-484-0251 or Mary Gilliam-Simon 314-388-4161.
Vashon Class of 1978 Holiday Dance Extravaganza, Saturday, December 3, 2011, 8 pm—1 am, Carr Square Community Center; 1629 Bible. BYOB; Set Ups Will Be Sold in Advance $10, at door $12.
Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers. Whether it’s a birth, graduation, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available Photos will not be returned. Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican. com or mail to:
Reunion notices are free of charge and based on space availability. We prefer that notices be emailed to us! However, notices may also be sent by mail to:
Daniel, 4242 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108. Deadline is 10 a.m. on Friday. If you’d like your class to be featured in a reunion profile, email or mail photos to us. Our email address is: reunions@ stlamerican.com
Sherrell Letresa Simmons and James Anthony Richardson II were married on September 18, 2011 in an elegant ceremony held at Debonaire Banquet Center in St. Ann, MO. Sherrell is an analyst for Centene Corporation and James is a salesman for Western Extralite. Their honeymoon destination is Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
married!
Ameren partnered with pastors to ‘Cool Down St. Louis’
Also, Epiphany UCC hosts mental health series
Special to The American
Efforts were strong during August and September to have Missouri and Illinois ministers, and families of hundreds of congregations of all faiths, to help reduce area deaths and heat-related illnesses of seniors and the disabled due to a lack of home air conditioning or electricity.
During the recent blistering heat wave, about 14 area seniors and the disabled were discovered deceased because they didn’t have a working unit or it was not turned on. Many elderly and the disabled don’t have neighbors or relatives checking on them person-to-person.
St. Louis Metropolitan Clergy Coalition and AmerenMO co-sponsored a Cool Down St. Louis Emergency S.O.S. (Save our Seniors), outreach project which encouraged area residents to make visits to home-bound seniors and disabled. AmerenMO underwrote the cost of more than 20,000 Cool Down St. Louis Informational Cooling cards instructing area residents to keep the air on and how to obtain a unit, a cooling shelter or energy assistance with their utility bills. Seniors and the disabled in need of help or wishing to make donations may log-on to www.cooldownstlouis.org, or call 314-241-7668.
Epiphany hosts mental health series
Epiphany United Church of Christ (UCC), 2911 McNair Avenue in Benton Park, will host a four-week-series on mental health issues beginning Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011. Titled “Widening Our Welcome:
Companioning Families with Mental Illness,” the series will focus on understanding some of the most common mental illnesses and how to provide appropriate support to persons with these conditions and their families.
On October 9, a panel of persons who have experienced mental illnesses will present “In Our Own Voice,” a program of the National Alliance on Mental Illness/St. Louis. The panel will focus on hope and offer insight into recovery.
On October 16, Dr. Duru L. Sakrani, an adolescent and pediatric psychiatrist, will offer an educational presentation about signs that mental health care may be needed and where to turn for care and support.
On October 23, the focus will be on how congregations can be more welcoming and supportive of the 27 percent of U.S. families who have at least one family member with a mental illness.
On October 30, the congregation will discuss the ways Epiphany UCC can put what we have learned about mental illness into practice.
All programs will be from 9:15-10:15 a.m. on Sunday mornings in the fellowship hall. Coffee will be available, and there is no fee to attend. For more information, contact the church administrative office at 314-772-0263.
Street named for John Watson Sr.
The street outside of Maple Temple Church Of God In Christ recently was named in honor of Administrative Assistant Emeritus John Watson Sr., a great man of God who has served for many years by Bishop R. J. Ward’s side in the Missouri Eastern First Jurisdiction.
I remember reviewing the letters of Paul in bible study and in doing so, I was reminded that one cannot look at Paul without really seeing Jesus’ amazing handiwork. I think Paul is an awesome person when it comes to the story of his life. I haven’t found a biography or autobiography of anyone in or outside of the good book who comes close to my admiration for Paul, Jesus notwithstanding. Because the two are so closely associated with one another, I can’t help but consider the impact of this tandem on human history.
A very large part of the bible is devoted to Paul’s building of the early church at a time when who you worshipped was a life and death decision.
Paul says in his letters to the church in Corinth, there was indeed a point to his suffering and persecution and the basis for most, if not all, of what he went through was a byproduct of his faith in Jesus Christ.
“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I (Paul) will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:8-10.
This kind of thinking and belief led to the eventual
proliferation of the church worldwide. It also makes the point of how the lives of so few have impacted and influenced so many in the world then, and the world as we know it today.
Forgive me if I find this a rather fascinating fact. Paul is who he is because of his unique one on one encounter with Christ. That encounter changed him and ultimately the world in which we live. If that be true, then our individual encounters with Christ should also have a profound effect on us and the world. It is not unusual for new Christians to come under attack by old friends. It is also not unusual for new Christians to come under the attack of the world, since it is in the world where Satan has power. I think Paul’s good news is that there is a place of refuge when this happens. He uses himself as an example to follow. I guess what I’m really saying is when the going gets extremely tough, check the human being Paul. Like Christ, he’s been through and has experienced the worst that life has to offer. But because of his belief system, he’s experienced the best of God’s promises. It’s like a refresher course, and I just wanted to let you know where I go during difficult times. You too, might also find some answers there. May God bless and keep you always.
Send your Message column (no more than 500 words) as a Word document and pasted text to cking@stlamerican. com and attach a photo of yourself as a jpeg file. Please be patient; we will run columns in the order received. Epsilon Lambda Chritable Foundation 1/4 Page Print advertisement
James A. Washington
Rev. E.G. Shields Sr., president of the Metropolitan St. Louis Clergy Coalition; Reverend Earl E. Nance Jr., chairman emeritus of Cool Down St. Louis; Rev. Sammie Jones, a chief sponsor for the regional, notfor-profit, all-volunteer and public education charity; and Brian Leonard, manager for business and community relations for AmerenMO.
Photo courtesy of Cool Down St. Louis
ST. LOUIS AMERICAN
Feds grant $24.6 to enhance college education of blacks
Special to The American
St. Louis Community College was one of 62 colleges to receive a cumulative $24.6 million from the U.S. Department of Education to enhance their capacity to serve low and middleincome African American students. St. Louis Community College was awarded $157,585.
“These grants will help build the capacity of colleges that educate large numbers of African American students,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “Strengthening these schools is critically important to increasing student completion and meeting President Obama’s goal of being first in the world in college graduates by 2020.”
African-American
improve their educational outcomes and complete their college degree programs.
“These grants will help build the capacity of colleges that educate large numbers of African American students,”U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said.
St. Louis Community College’s award will go towards its African-American Male Initiative Program, directed by Keith Sayles. The inititiative works to help African-American males
Colleges are receiving funds under two programs that both support predominantly black institutions with an undergraduate enrollment that is at least 40 percent African American and at least 50 percent low-income or first-generation college students. The first is a formula grant program, which awarded $9,601,758 to 35 schools in 14 states.The funds will be used for a wide range of projects that include academic instruction in disciplines in which Black Americans are underrepresented; tutoring; counseling service programs designed to improve student success; upgrading libraries, laboratories, and other instructional facilities, and establishing or enhancing a teacher education program, to name a few. These grants are funded for five years.
The other is a competitive grant program, which awarded
Male Initiative at SLCC granted $157K
$15,000,000 for 27 four-year grants to schools in 12 states. Funds in this program are used to establish or strengthen programs in specific areas: STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics); health education; internationalization; teacher preparation, and improving educational outcomes for black males.
NAUW awards scholarships
The St. Louis branch of the
National Association of University Women (NAUW) recently hosted their Annual Founders’Day celebration at the Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel. This celebration was an opportunity to reflect on the strategic goals of the organization and award educational opportunities for deserving students in the St. Louis community. The guest speaker for the occasion was the Honorable Judge Jimmie Edwards, the Chief Juvenile Court Judge for
Individuals involved in the AfricanAmerican Male Initiative include, from left,Andre Adams,peer mentor;Jesse Odom,member; Keith Sayles, AAMI director; and Sean Johnson, peer mentor.
the St. Louis City Circuit Court. This year during the Founders’Day program four students were awarded scholarships to assist them in their pursuit of higher education.
The high school recipients were Briona Perry of Francis Howell North; Shamel Robinson of Cardinal Ritter College Prep; Amirah Garwood of Central Visual and Performing Arts; Jayla McCaw of McCluer South Berkeley.
The NAUWhas made many contributions through its affiliation and cooperation with national, local, social, and economic programs. This past March, fifteen students from the St. Louis area participated in an oratorical contest at the Cabanne Branch Library. The students ranging from grades 5-12 competed for 1st, 2nd or 3rd place prizes and all students received certificates of participation.
NAUWhas been active in sponsoring projects such as tutorial services, voter education, international relations, human and social relations, community issues, parent programs, workshops on current local and national issues, leadership development, parliamentary procedures, and projects and conferences for youth. Cynthia Price, National Association of University Women - St. Louis Branch President states, “Our Founder’s Day is a celebration ofuniversity educated women who set examples of excellence in education, give back to the community and support others in their scholastic and academic achievement. For additional information please contact Sylvia Selvey at (314) 921-6209.
Celebrity Swagger Snap of the Week
One of the funniest men in the comedy game happened to be in the STL this past weekend. Earthquake, the saving grace of last month’s All-Star Comedy Explosion popped into Lola with local funnyman Maurice G.
A Beneit that would make Stevie wonder. The 88.1 KDHX beneit tribute to Stevie Wonder was a juke joint jamboree at Off Broadway last Friday. I was a bit surprised when I walked in because I thought such an event would give me multicultural “We Are the World” tease. Instead the crowd was mostly servin’“It’s Beginning to LookALot Like Christmas.” But with a few family members in the audience, all was not lost. The masses gathered in front of the stage in anticipation for songs by the legend.As the band Ransom Note hit the stage to give their take on “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing,” I knew that treachery might be afoot. Fronted by a man that could easily be mistaken for Mickey Rourke’s unkempt half brother, their offering was a bit belligerent at best. From Rourke’s inability to remember the words to the two ill-built Dixie Chick backup singers who couldn’t ind the right key in broad daylight…I’m just sayin’. “If You Really Love Me” and “All I Do” sounded a hot screaming mess. It was more like a bad high school musical. To me, it wasn’t the best way to honor such a timeless singer/songwriter as Wonder. As I frantically grabbed my purse and headed to the door in disgust, I heard “And now ladies and gentlemen, C Jay Conrod!” I did a mean pivot with glee and decided to go get a buttered corn on the cob to fully enjoy my favorite! Conrod’s rendition of “Creeping” quietly got the show back on key and pitch with “All in Love Is Fair” to follow with a shake of his dreads and tender heads in tow. A more colorful and tonal showing continued with Kenny DeShields’ energetic “Higher Ground.” The crowd’s bodies and arms lailed all about on this up-tempo jam as DeShields kept the momentum going. Vocal goodies were also served as he languished on “These Three Words.” Budding diva Theresa Payne was in the house as she wailed on “You Haven’t Done Nothing,” and transformed into a seductive chanteuse on “Ribbon In The Sky.” Behind a near stage collapse on the foot stomping “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” the night was conirmed by a jubilant romp had by all.
Aretha’s renovated bay at the moon. A golden-detailed arch encasing velvet red drapery adorned the newly renovated Peabody Opera House stage last Saturday as many notables and dignitaries sat in anticipation. As I held the hem of my puce chiffon gown while clasping my mink stole to my seat, I was in awe by the vision I was beholding. As the show started, guitar and horn players opened the night as they played from balconies next to the stage. An awkwardly poised Ellie Kemper, who plays the secretary from the NBC show “The Ofice”, acted as host as she gave a welcome that was supposed to come off as adoringly goofy. Art Holiday then followed and gave a historic narrative of the story of the then Kiel Opera House and its transformation. A performance from the St. Louis Social Club gave a bluesy medley that seemed to house Thelma Houston and Melba Moore look-a-likes. Jay Leno then showed up as he went into what seemed like an everlasting monologue. Shifting from dated political and news jokes made we wish I’da brought needlepoint items. Finally what I had been waitin’for was about to happen.Yes, a slow movin’shape in an overstated gown and wig is just what I needed to highlight my night. Aretha Franklin gave me just that and more.As she appeared on stage (I would have preferred her to have been lowered), Aretha went into Jackie Wilson’s “Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher.” Rockin’a fur-tipped duster over a green gown with roses that seemed to have been slung shot upon it gave me oodles and oodles of life. As she purred into “Natural Woman” she threw away her duster to further reveal her misadvised strapless gown presenting her Play-Doh like extremities. One thing I could have done without is the Queen of Soul’s face contortions at the end of each song. Not sure why she had to hit every note on the scale before she moved on to the next number but that’s Aretha for ya! She continued with “Chain of Fools” then left the stage for about 20 minutes for what I thought was a costume change. As the band jammed during her absence, she re-emerged without so much as a bang luff. An onslaught of new material from her late-est CD “Woman falling out of Love” burdened my membrane as she felt the need narrate throughout the night. All these “Ladies and gentlemen…. my gown” and the like motioned me into a nap. Apparently I wasn’t the only one as Re-Re instructed an audience member to “Wake him up” in mid wail. Dennis Edwards joined her on Barbara Streisand’s “The Way We Were” as they reminisced on their former love affair. It was a battle of vocals between these two – as Aretha screamed, Edwards gave a whistle note. FinallyAretha had enough as she told him, “I’m in charge of this ship” and went into a full-on howl. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” allowed the Queen to catch the spirit and went Baptist as the crowd sat frozen. With a brief appearance from Chuck Berry “Freeway of Love” closed out the show with an encore of “Respect.” Such a showing declared a roaring comeback of The Peabody Opera house. Can’t wait to see what else this historic staple has in store.
The InSpot’s Sunday soul. A smell of deep fried chick permeated the air at The InSpot as Soulful Sundays went down hosted by Teddy Mr. Bfree Paparazzi himself last Sunday. It was a cool and sexy affair. Will Robinson and the Soulful Experience band set the mood on Musiq Soulchild’s “Beautiful.” Smiles, inger snaps, and tender glances were exchanged as Teddy was in full meet/greet mode. Mint Condition’s “Pretty Brown Eyes” and Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” continued on as silky voiced Will Robinson kept the party going. Come early next time if you don’t want to miss a grab bag session of free wine and other goodies.
Cheryl and Vernil were a part of history as they graced the red carpet during the Grand Reopening festivities Saturday night @ The Peabody Opera House.
Jasmine and Mercedes @ MPAC Eye Candy Party Friday night @ The Loft
MLK memorial visionary Harry Johnson and NBA star Larry Hughes were inducted into the CBC Hall of Fame @ the 84th Annual CBC Alumni Banquet Thursday Night
Asia, Martiae and Shawana were getting all the way live Saturday night with Hot 104.1 FM Broadcast @ The Loft
Whitney,Ashley and Ciera Friday night @ The Eye Candy Party @ The Loft
Mari Byrd an Eric Higgins show Mo Spoon some bday love Saturday night @ Lola
Girly, Danielle and Brittany got it in Friday night @ The Eye Candy Party @ The Loft
Victoria and Whitney were among the crowd of cuties Friday night @ The Eye Candy Party @ The Loft
Fran Wiggins and Vera Lyles were eager to get an earful of “The Queen of Soul” Saturday @ The Grand Re-opening of The Peabody Opera House
Mo Spoon and his lovely wife Monica celebrated his b-day among the who’s who of STL Saturday night @ Lola
Photos by Lawrence Bryant
Agency places 562 homeless people in jobs
St. Patrick Center bucks national trend of unemployment
Special to The American
St. Patrick Center recently reported positive employment outcomes for the agency’s clients. Despite a dismal economy, Missouri’s largest provider of homeless services says its nine employment programs placed 562 men and women struggling with homelessness, including veterans, into full-time and parttime jobs during Fiscal Year 2011, which ended June 30.
“We are proud of our employment and job training programs that not only place individuals into jobs but also provide them with new skills and certifications that make them more marketable in this challenging economy,” says St. Patrick
–
with the homeless
Center CEO Tom Etling.
“The need is greater than ever now to fund these various programs, but we know that our efforts to do so will continue to reap the benefits of job placements for men and women.”
According to a July 2011 report from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Missouri’s unemployment rate reached 8.7 percent, slightly less than the national unemployment rate of 9.1 percent.
“There are people across America with talents just waiting to be tapped, sparks waiting to be lit and our job is to light them,” said President Obama on a trip to a manufacturing plant in June.
The following is a sampling of out-
CHOICES/CAREERS
CHOICES/CAREERS, published three times annually, (Spring, Winter and Fall), focuses on career opportunities, career training, career enhancement and financial aid programs for African Americans. CHOICES/CAREERS includes varied profiles and features the experiences of successful post-high school African-American students, alumni and employees in the St. Louis area.
STAFF
Donald M. SuggsPublisher & Executive Editor
Kevin Jones - Sr. Vice Pres. & COO
Dina M. Suggs - Sr. Vice Pres.
Editorial
Chris King - Managing Editor
Kenya Vaughn - Website Editor
Earl Austin Jr. - Sports Editor
Sandra Jordan - Health Reporter
Rebecca S. Rivas - Staff Reporter
Wiley Price - Photojournalist
Consuelo Wilkins, M.D. - Health Editor
Dana G. Randolph - Contributing Editor
Fred Sweets - Contributing Editor
comes from St. Patrick Center’s employment programs, including two veterans programs:
Building Employment Skills for Tomorrow (BEST): 78 men and women earned part-time wages and completed onthe-job training. 42 were placed into jobs.
Homeless Employment Program (HEP): 200 clients found and retained full-time employment in this program that works as an employment agency, with no fee to the employer or to the applicant.
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP): 146 veterans were placed into full-time jobs and 44 received advanced employment training.
McMurphy’s Grill: 68 clients participated in the nation’s first restaurant train-
Sales / Marketing
Onye Hollomon- Sr. Acct. Exec.
Barbara Sills - Sr. Acct. Exec.
Pam Simmons- Sr. Acct. Exec.
Nevida Medina - Classified Ad Mgr
Angelita F. Jackson - Graphic Artist
Production
Mike Terhaar - Art Director
Melvin Moore - Graphic Designer
Administration
Robin Britt - Controller
Ishmael Sistrunk - Web/IT/Promotions
Kate Daniel - Exec Assistant
Loistine McGhee - Acct. Assistant
Mary Winbush - Receptionist
St. Patrick Center hosted a Veterans GO! Green graduation on June 16. The agency says its nine employment programs placed 562 men and women struggling with homelessness, including veterans, into full-time and parttime jobs during Fiscal Year 2011, which ended June 30.
ing program for clients struggling with homelessness and mental illness. 28 found employment.
Veterans GO! Green: 45 veterans were placed into green jobs. In addition, employers/partners provided 23 green industry paid internships.
In addition to St. Patrick Center’s nine employment programs, the agency is also home to a small business incubator. The BEGIN New Venture Center helped 15 new companies launch in FY2011, for a total of 24 new businesses now growing in the nation’s first incubator with mission sensitivity to provide employment opportunities for St. Patrick Center’s homeless clients.
Networking and knowlede-sharing
Fontbonne provides right OPTIONS for supply chain manager
By Cindy Bushue
For The St. Louis American
Brittany Culberson is a powerhouse of energy and a great example of what can be accomplished when you believe in yourself and don’t let anything stop you. At just 25 years, she has already earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees and purchased her irst home, in addition to holding a full-time career, part-time job, and working on a second master’s.
Sound crazy? Not to Culberson. She’s a cost analyst for Graybar, which specializes in supply chain management services. Her second master’s degree will be in supply chain management.
“I was working on my master’s in management when Fontbonne OPTIONS
began their supply chain program. I was familiar with supply chain from a previous position as a procurement agent with Boeing and knew I wanted to learn more,” she said enthusiastically.
Culberson grew up in St. Louis city, determined not to become a product of her environment. A college education was important after seeing, irsthand, the struggles that she would face without one. Enrolling at Fontbonne directly out of high school, she earned her bachelor’s degree in four years, completing an internship and holding down a full-time job along the way.
Her mother stressed the importance of education. “In a way, I went to school for both of us. I wanted to make her proud. And I wanted to be a role model
for my younger sister.”
She chose Fontbonne because of the diverse culture and small classes but found something more – that she was being prepared for entry to corporate America.
Being a younger student amidst more experienced adults when she entered the OPTIONS master’s program was hard at irst. “I was deinitely the youngest and my classmates didn’t let me forget that,” she said jokingly. “But they took me under their wings, sharing life experiences and things they might do differently with a second chance. They offered advice to help me beneit from their mistakes.”
“But I think I may have helped them a little too – like thinking outside the box.” Culberson admitted that’s just the way she thinks, but her youth offers a fresh and sometimes different perspective.
Brittany Culberson is a a cost analyst for Graybar, which specializes in supply chain management services.
Her second master’s degree through Fontbonne OPTIONS will be in supply chain management.
The OPTIONS courses and faculty provided realistic experiences for Culberson. She said, “My instructors made the material highly relatable. They linked the class lessons to what we do in our careers and made comparisons from those reallife lessons to the theory we read about in the textbooks.”
OPTIONS provided a lot of challenges for Culberson, but that’s not something she shies away from. She considers herself career driven.
“You have great networking opportunities and knowledge sharing in this program – with experienced instructors and students from different companies, industries, and workplace cultures,” Culberson said. “I’m just starting out in my career and I’m like a sponge soaking everything in!”
Washington University expands Science Outreach
Launches Institute for School Partnership to improve teaching, learning in K-12
By Susan Killenberg McGinn Washington University
More than 20 years ago, Sarah C.R. Elgin, PhD, the Viktor Hamburger Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, founded Science Outreach, which connects the university’s resources to K-12 teachers and students to improve learning in math and science through hands-on, investigative teaching methods.
Today, the success of Science Outreach, a collaboration between Washington University faculty, students and staff and St. Louis area educators, is being recognized as WUSTL launches the interdisciplinary Institute for School Partnership, the university’s signature effort to strategically improve teaching and learning within the K-12 education community. During a reception at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, in Holmes Lounge, Eads Hall, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton and Provost Edward S. Macias recognized Elgin’s
work with Science Outreach, and its continuing success under the direction of Victoria L. May, and celebrate the opening of the institute.
Elgin began a pilot program with her children’s University City school district in the late 1980s that brought Washington University science faculty into those schools to provide students with interactive environmental science and genetics projects.
A professor of biology and of education in Arts & Sciences and of biochemistry and molecular biophysics and of genetics in the School of Medicine, Elgin expanded that program and in 1990 founded Science Outreach, which has become one of the nation’s largest efforts to improve the quality of science and math education in the public schools.
May, the current Science Outreach director and assistant dean in the College of Arts & Sciences, has been named director of the new institute.
“The new Institute for School Part-
Working Together.
nership builds on the great success of Science Outreach under the leadership of both Sally Elgin and Vicki May,” Wrighton says. “By broadening the university’s educational boundaries in K-12 teaching and learning, we can help improve education for countless children.
May says the goal of the institute is to capture the synergies from all schools within Washington University and leverage these strategically to enhance K-12 student development and success.
“Washington University students, staff and faculty — including some of our most distinguished senior professors — have been volunteering for years in our
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Tanya Cross, MySci program specialist, explains the metamorphosis of a frog to an eighth grade student at Salem Lutheran School in Blackjack. MySci is a popular handson science program that Science Outreach WUSTL’s Science Outreach offers.
local schools, whether faculty opening their labs to area teachers and students, WUSTL students going into schools to tutor or staff overseeing internships,” says Macias, executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and the Barbara and David Thomas Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences.
“With the formation of the Institute for School Partnership and its mission of connecting the university’s broad resources with area schools, there will be even more and greater opportunities for members throughout the university to contribute to improving public education,” Macias says. The Office of the Provost will over-
see the institute.
Four focus areas
May says the institute will focus on four areas: campus-wide coordination of K-12 public school efforts; STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) enrichment, which is a continuation of Science Outreach; school leadership; and school partnerships using the community school reform model.
The first focus area — campus-wide coordination of K-12 efforts — will be coordinated through K-12 Connections, a partnership of WUSTL’s Institute for School Partnership, the Gephardt Institute for Public Service and the Department of Government and Community Relations.
K-12 Connections will offer a more concerted effort by the university to place WUSTL students, staff and faculty who are trained and on-call with volunteer opportunities in high-needs urban school districts.
Examples of such “connections” are one-time special events at local schools, such as Family Literacy Night; Science and Technology Night for the community; mural painting; or an Interactive Black History Month presentation with WUSTL theater students.
Or K-12 Connections can engage school groups and classes through halfor full-day field trips to campus for tours of WUSTL’s libraries, laboratories or residence halls; discussions about college life led by WUSTL students; interactive programs at the Kemper Art Museum; or a scavenger hunt at the Earth and Planetary Sciences Geology Museum.
“We have faculty who are passionate about their fields of study, college students who are eager to work with younger learners, world-class collections of art and artifacts, and nationally acclaimed performing artists,” May says.
“As a strong supporter of local schools, Washington University wants to help facilitate opportunities for our community members to connect with these schools and to contribute to urban education.”
A national model
The institute will continue WUSTL’s Science Outreach efforts, considered a national model, and provide STEM education for K-12 students and educators through graduate courses, school partnerships and enrichment programs.
A popular hands-on science program that Science Outreach offers is MySci, which gives early elementary students and teachers access to innovative explorations of plants, animals and the Earth.
Supported by the Monsanto Fund, MySci is a collaborative effort of WUSTL’s Science Outreach, the St. Louis Science Center, the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Saint Louis Zoo.
MySci provides K-2 teachers with science curriculum books and classroom kits and then later visits the schools with an Investigation Station, a roving vehicle of innovative exhibits and specimens, to give students an interactive learning experience.
Through Science Outreach, the institute will hold “hot topics” workshops, which offer local science teachers professional development in emerging areas of research and materials to help them carry out engaging investigations.
One recent series of workshops focused on energy and sustainability for sixth- through 12th-grade teachers and was held at WUSTL’s Photosynthetic Antenna Research Center.
Science Outreach also offers high schoolers pre-college student enrichment experiences that provide immersion in science research and engineering challenges, as well as inspiration for the students to pursue higher education.
Becoming part of the solution
The institute will also continue WUSTL’s efforts in helping improve school leadership, which includes preparing teachers to be leaders and working with school principals on professional development.
For example, the St. Louis Public School (SLPS) District Principals Academy, a popular program May launched through Science Outreach in 2009, will be expanded and provide local school administrators an understanding of best practices and strategies for encouraging excellence in school districts.
The Life Sciences for a Global Community, a master of science in biology degree program with a leadership component for high school teachers, will continue to be offered, helping improve teacher quality in both content knowledge and pedagogical practice.
Open to teachers from around the country, the program was developed by Science Outreach and has support from the National Science Foundation. WUSTL’s life sciences faculty teach in the program.
The institute will also focus on developing deep, long-term, results-oriented partnerships with specific local schools to bring about measurable increases in student achievement.
“Using a community school reform model, we want to determine what are the essential characteristics of a high-performing school, take what we learn and put it into practice in our local schools,” May says.
“There is no more important contributor to the success of a region than the quality of public schools,” says Henry S. Webber, executive vice chancellor for administration.
“Through the Institute for School Partnership, the university will significantly be expanding its efforts in this key area.”
Cooking up opportunities
North City entrepreneur program to help Betty-Macc barbeque
Special to The American
As part of the Parents As Entrepreneurs (PAE) program sponsored by the Center for the Acceleration of African American Business (CAAAB), it was all cheers and smiles at the business inauguration September 23 of Betty-Macc.
The owners of Betty-MACC, Mark and Betty Davis, dished out free samples of delicious barbeque with all the trimmings to guests to the opening.
Betty-Macc is operated out of a fully equipped truck and tent, and is stationed at the corner of Cass and Grand in North St. Louis. This is the first phase of their business plan, which is supported by a micro loan provided by CAAAB.
The second phase includes securing the Cass/Grand location and constructing a full-fledged restaurant with contemporary amenities such as entertainment/open mike area for performances and talent shows by local youths, and a platform for
hosting dialogues and discussions around social and economic issues in the community.
Students from the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University have been working with BettyMacc in developing the exterior and interior blue prints of the shop.
The entrepreneur program is the brainchild of the CAAAB, in collaboration with Clay School and the Epsilon Lambda Charitable Foundation, which was one of seven North St. Louis communitybased collaborations awarded start-up grants for projects by the Incarnate Word Foundation.
The funding is part of the foundation’s push to encourage entrepreneurship as a way to spark economic development, growth and sustainability in distressed areas of the city. The specific goal of PAE program is to train and help parents/ guardians of children attending Clay Elementary School in Hyde Park neighbor-
hood of North St. Louis start and operate their own business.
“We hope this program will result in economic independence for the PAE families that will transcend into further social and academic growth for their children,” said Eddie G. Davis, president CAAAB.
Added a forward thinking Betty Davis, of Betty-Macc: “I’m waiting on the last phase when our total vision is actually here.”
For more information about CAAAB, call 314.533.2411, ext. 109 or visit www. CAAAB.org.
Mark Davis cooking during the inauguration celebration of his barbeque business Betty-Macc. stationed at the corner of Cass and Grand in North St. Louis.
SLCC to retrain more than 1,100 unemployed
State steers federal grant money toward St. Louis Community College programs
Special to The American
During a visit to St. Louis Community College (STLCC) last week, Gov. Jay Nixon announced that the college will re-train more than 1,100 unemployed Missourians for jobs and careers through MoHealthWINs, a statewide effort to retrain unemployed workers for employment in growing health care ields.
Under Nixon’s leadership, Missouri’s 12 community colleges and Linn State Technical College collaborated with the Missouri Department of Economic Development and the state’s Workforce Investment Boards to apply for these federal funds. In total, the $20 million grant will provide training for 4,600 unem-
ployed workers in the short term, while also developing training programs that will beneit students for years to come. At STLCC, the college will invest $3.7 million to train 1,111 unemployed workers.
“My administration remains committed to ight every single day, for every single job. Missouri’s community colleges have been a strong partner in the effort to train more Missourians for the jobs and careers of tomorrow,” Nixon said.
“Missouri’s health care industry needs more workers at our hospitals and clinics. To ensure that unemployed Missourians have the right training and education to ill these jobs and succeed in these new careers, we’re focusing on speciic, indemand skills.”
UMSL
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon talks about the details of MoHealthWINs, a new program that will retrain 4,600 unemployed Missourians for jobs and careers in growing health care ields, while visiting St. Louis Community College in St. Louis on September 29, 2011. Missouri闇s 12 public community colleges will receive a $20 million federal grant to develop and launch MoHealthWINs.
Individual colleges will use these funds to develop or expand training programs in the health services and health sciences industry, which is a targeted industry under the Missouri Strategic Initiative for Economic Growth. The application focused on this industry because it offers immediate and long-term employment opportunities and relatively high-wage jobs.
Using MoHealthWINs funds, STLCC will launch two new programs to retrain Missourians for careers in health care a new therapeutic services program will train workers as Certiied Nursing Assistants, and put them on the path to earn their associate degree in nursing; and an information technology program will train workers to enter and advance in positions in the high-demand ield of health informatics.
please call 314.516.5885 or e-mail us at mba@umsl.edu. •http://mba.umsl.edu
joint, comprehensive application.
Throughout the application process, senior leaders within Nixon’s administration worked closely with community college and Workforce Investment Board leaders to develop and craft the grant application. In April 2011, Nixon submitted a strong letter in support of the application, noting that this investment supplemented his “Big Goal” for higher education: Increasing the percentage of Missourians who hold a postsecondary credential from 37 percent to 60 percent by 2020. Nixon also discussed the importance of this application directly with federal leaders, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
n In total, the $20 million grant will provide training for 4,600 unemployed workers in the short term, while also developing training programs.
These competitive funds were made available through the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Program. When the grant process was announced, Nixon brought Missouri’s community colleges together to submit a
“St. Louis Community College is committed to preparing our students to be competitive and successful in today’s economy. We appreciate the continued support from Gov. Nixon, the Department of Economic Development and the St. Louis Workforce Investment Board to make sure our programs are in line with the needs of industry,” said St. Louis Community College Chancellor Myrtle Dorsey.
Photo by UPI/BIll Greenblatt
Networking and knowledge-sharing
Fontbonne provides right OPTIONS for supply
By Cindy Bushue
For The St. Louis American
Brittany Culberson is a powerhouse of energy and a great example of what can be accomplished when you believe in yourself and don’t let anything stop you. At just 25 years, she has already earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees and purchased her irst home, in addition to holding a full-time career, part-time job, and working on a second master’s.
Sound crazy? Not to Culberson. She’s a cost analyst for Graybar, which specializes in supply chain management services. Her second master’s degree will be in supply chain management.
“I was working on my master’s in management when Fontbonne OPTIONS
chain manager
began their supply chain program. I was familiar with supply chain from a previous position as a procurement agent with Boeing and knew I wanted to learn more,” she said enthusiastically.
Culberson grew up in St. Louis city, determined not to become a product of her environment. A college education was important after seeing, irsthand, the struggles that she would face without one. Enrolling at Fontbonne directly out of high school, she earned her bachelor’s degree in four years, completing an internship and holding down a full-time job along the way.
Her mother stressed the importance of education. “In a way, I went to school for both of us. I wanted to make her proud. And I wanted to be a role model
for my younger sister.”
She chose Fontbonne because of the diverse culture and small classes but found something more – that she was being prepared for entry to corporate America.
Being a younger student amidst more experienced adults when she entered the OPTIONS master’s program was hard at irst. “I was deinitely the youngest and my classmates didn’t let me forget that,” she said jokingly. “But they took me under their wings, sharing life experiences and things they might do differently with a second chance. They offered advice to help me beneit from their mistakes.”
“But I think I may have helped them a little too – like thinking outside the box.” Culberson admitted that’s just the way she thinks, but her youth offers a fresh and sometimes different perspective.
Brittany Culberson is a a cost analyst for Graybar, which specializes in supply chain management services.
Her second master’s degree through Fontbonne OPTIONS will be in supply chain management.
The OPTIONS courses and faculty provided realistic experiences for Culberson. She said, “My instructors made the material highly relatable. They linked the class lessons to what we do in our careers and made comparisons from those reallife lessons to the theory we read about in the textbooks.”
OPTIONS provided a lot of challenges for Culberson, but that’s not something she shies away from. She considers herself career driven.
“You have great networking opportunities and knowledge sharing in this program – with experienced instructors and students from different companies, industries, and workplace cultures,” Culberson said. “I’m just starting out in my career and I’m like a sponge soaking everything in!”
