NEWSLETTER

Dr. Ethel Pitts Walker Consortium of Doctors, Ltd.
Class of 1993
San Jose State University
Year 2006-2007 Honor, 2006-2007 Outstanding Professor Award

Article from Savanna Morning News
February 7, 2010
Dr. Abigail Jordan
Founder of Consortium of Doctors, Ltd in 1991

September 5, 2005

AMAZING GIFTED AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHORS CONTRIBUTING LEGACIES TO BENEFIT PRESENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS

It is amazing that two books were received in the mail from two authors on the same day! Also, it is amazing that they both have the same last name....DR. STOVALL.

Dr. Arthur J. Stovall is the author of THE LAST REMNANTS OF SLAVERY: AN AFRICAN AMERICAN DILEMMA. This Dr. Stovall is the husband of COD member, Dr. Joyce Moore-Stovall, a medical doctor in Leavenworth, Kansas. Information re. purchasing his book and about his Prevention Education Counseling Services is available on the internet....Dr. Arthur J. Stovall has set up BOOK PUBLISHING COORDINATION SERVICE. Ordering information is available at www.bookpubco.net.

Dr. Eugene Stovall is the author of FRANK YERBY: A VICTIM'S GUILT. Dr. Eugene Stovall hosted the Consortium of Doctors at his lovely home in Oakland, California, when we met in San Francisco in 2003. Also, he attended our meeting and shared with many of us his scholarly work on the life and works of Frank Yerby. Information is available about his book on the internet at www.frankyerby.com ....

THERE IS A LOT OF INFORMATION RE. THESE TWO DR. STOVALLS ON THEIR WEBSITES. PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES.

July 30, 2005

DR. ABIGAIL JORDAN DAY IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2005 WAS DECLARED DR. ABIGAIL JORDAN DAY IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA BY THE GOVERNOR, THE MAYOR, AND THE COUNTY CHIEF COMMISSIONER. IT IS BELIEVED THAT DR. ABIGAIL JORDAN IS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN SO HONORED.

DR. JORDAN WAS PRESENTED WITH A LOVELY BOUQUET OF ROSES. AT THE GRAND OCCASION CELEBRATING AND ACKNOWLEDGING HER WORK PERSEVERING OVER MANY YEARS TO BRING TO SAVANNAH'S RIVERFRONT AND ROUSAKIS PLAZA THE AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY MONUMENT. 

THE MONUMENT STANDS AS A TRIBUTE TO THE ENDURANCE AND AMAZING GIFTS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. ABIGAIL JORDAN

DR. ABIGAIL JORDAN
FOUNDER OF THE CONSORTIUM OF DOCTORS, LTD.

Tribute and Honor To Founder of Consortium of Doctors, Ltd

Article by Jason Peevey, Written February 2004 from the University of Georgia, Alumni Magazine, SOUND the ARCH

Fighting the good fight

Her grandfather came to America on a slave ship. Her mother was nearly killed trying to vote. The Ku Klux Klan burned a cross in her family’s yard. And she endured unpleasant confrontations with students and faculty while studying at UGA. 

All of this, however, was merely a prelude to Abigail Jordan’s greatest challenge - driving the movement to erect a monument to slaves in Savannah, even contributing more than $100,000 of her own money to the project. 

Family history has played a vital role in Jordan’s life, which has been dominated by two themes - education and a struggle for equality.

In the 1800s Jordan’s maternal grandfather "played dead" and escaped after coming to the country on a slave ship. Slavery was abolished when her grandfather was 12, but the runaway didn’t know until a white woman took him in, later making arrangements for him to receive an education. 

Jordan never met her grandfather, but said, "Slavery is something I heard about in my home almost every day." Jordan’s mother, who earned the equivalent of a two-year degree, served as a role model. 

As a child, Jordan accompanied her mother to the Wilcox County Courthouse. "She knew they would not let her vote hut she went anyway. They turned her away, and as we left a white man stuck his foot out. My mother had the presence of mind to release my hand before she fell all the way down those marble steps. I was terrified and thought my mother was dead." 

The Ku Klux Klan retaliated with a cross burning in their yard, and the family fled to Savannah. Jordan was sent to a private high school in Albany and graduated from Albany State University with a degree in education. She earned a master’s in education at Atlanta University and after marrying and having a child of her own, returned to Savannah and worked for a federally funded education program on reading at Savannah State University.

It was her work with reading programs that led her to visit a class at UGA. When a UGA professor challenged Jordan to pursue a doctorate, she accepted. "I wanted him to know I was qualified," she said.

She commuted most days from Savannah to Athens and said fellow students tried to prevent her from parking on campus. When she complained to UGA President Fred Davison, he gave up his parking space for Jordan.

After graduating in 1980 Jordan continued her work at Savannah State and became a writer for the Savannah Morning news.

In 1991 Jordan was challenged again, this time by a group of black tourists who asked her why there wasn’t a monument to blacks in the city. She then spearheaded a committee and petitioned the city to erect a memorial, setting off a decade of wrangling and debate - first over location, then appearance and Finally the inscription.

"My willingness to be confrontational has been a problem all my life," Jordan said. "I’ll go to great lengths. I don’t enjoy fighting and arguing for what is right, but if I have to, I will."

In July 2002, the statue was erected at Savannah’s historic riverfront, the port of entry for most slaves arriving in Georgia. The seven-foot bronze statue - designed by Dorothy Spradley (MFA ‘76) - depicts a contemporary family in broken shackles. Jordan selected a quote from poet Maya Angelou for the inscription; when some objected to the quote, a graphic depiction of conditions on a slave ship, Angelou added a line to soften the effect.

Today, Jordan continues seeking funds to cover the remaining cost of the monument and is writing a documentary about the project.

"My mother would be proud of me ... even though what I went through was nothing compared to what she endured," Jordan said. "We have so much ground to cover. We have to do so much more than any other race to prove ourselves. That’s why I keep
fighting."

Jason Peevy

July 20, 2005

DR. ABIGAIL JORDAN
FOUNDER OF THE CONSORTIUM OF DOCTORS, LTD.

CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. ABIGAIL JORDAN

Dr. Abigail Jordan was one of five honored as a distinguished alumni for the year 2005 by the COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA.

June 20, 2005

DR. MARY EVANS SIAS, 1994 COD CLASS
CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. MARY EVANS SIAS!!!!

DR. MARY EVANS SIAS WAS INAUGURATED AS PRESIDENT OF KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY, APRIL 9, 2005. 

Please note Highlights from the Kentucky State University Special Inauguration Edition for Spring 2005.

DR. MARY EVANS SIAS gave her inaugural address on April 9, 2005.The following excerpt comes from her address......

"As I thought about this day, I could not help but think of the 12 presidents who preceded me......The history and the destiny of KSU have rested on their shoulders. This is now a task that will rest on my shoulders. I do so knowing full well that all 12 presidents have faced challenges, but they managed to create opportunities for this university and its students. Today, I pay tribute to you.

When I arrived, Dr. Turner had already started the turnaround. Our five colleges had been merged into three, and work was under way to begin the reform. In the last 12 months....

We have raised more than $1,050,000 for student scholarships.

We have increased our applications for fall admission by 300 percent. And we have begun an aggressive effort to recruit more transfer and Kentucky resident students.........

Are KSU and HBCUs viable:
When I came to Kentucky, people told me that Kentucky State University had three things working against it - that it was an HBCU, a land grant school and a small liberal arts institution. I...beg...to...differ. To the contrary, these are the elements on which we must build a strong foundation. These are the things to be valued and worn as high adornment. Kentucky State's future must always include them.

Historically Black colleges and universities in this country enroll more than 400,000 students. While this may be only 16 percent of the African American students in colleges and universities in this country, we graduate slightly more than 30 percent of the African American students in this country. In the sciences, engineering and math, we graduate nearly 40 percent of all African Americans annually. Are HBCUs still viable? Do the math. Yes, they are."

June 20, 2005

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

JUDGE CLAUDINE JAMES, COD CLASS OF 2003
EBONY MAGAZINE, JULY 2005, PAGE 95
FEATURED AS A TOP BACHELORETTE OF 2005

Judge James is an administrative judge in Houston, Texas.

Judge James is also featured in ESSENCE MAGAZINE, June or July 2005 issue as a young breast cancer survivor.

June 20, 2005

CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. RENE ROSBOROUGH
COD CLASS OF 2003

She is President of the Black Lawyers Association in Los Angeles, California.

March 18, 2005

Tribute to DR. MARGARET PENN, COD CLASS OF 1999

DR. MARGARET PENN AUDITORIUM

The Sunnyside Elementary School staff dedicated the school auditorium in memory of Dr. Margaret Penn who served as their principal for 20 years.
Dr. Penn was inducted into the Consortium of Doctors, Ltd. at our meeting held at Hampton University and Hampton, Virginia, class of 1999.

The entire school and San Francisco Unified School District officials participated in the dedication and tribute to the great work of Dr. Penn.
Her work as a compassionate and inspiring motivating educational leader was acknowledged by the City, San Francisco State University, family, and friends.

January 27, 2005

DR. FRANCES L FORD MCCULLOUGH
COD Class of 2000, Program Planning Chair for 2005.

Dr. McCullough is now recovering at home from surgery. She is in good spirits. 

She can be contacted as follows: 
Dr. Frances L. Ford McCullough
946 Appleridge Place, Fairfield, CA. 94534.

January 27,  2005

DR. ABIGAIL JORDAN, COD FOUNDER
ATLANTA UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES REQUEST IN PROCESS


Atlanta University has...in process... a request of Dr. Abigail Jordan to document everything about her adult life in Atlanta University's archives. As documented in the Consortium of Doctors, Ltd. history, under Dr. Jordan's leadership, COD held its first and second year meetings (1991 and 1992) in Atlanta, Georgia.

CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. JORDAN.....

Dec. 1st, 2004

CONSORTIUM O F DOCTORS, LTD.
TRIBUTE IN MEMORY
OF
DR. MARGARET PENN

DR. MARGARET PENN, COD CLASS OF 1999, was inducted into the Consortium of Doctors, Ltd. at Hampton University in Virginia. 

Dr. Penn is featured in our Consortium of Doctors, Ltd. website newsletter acknowledging her GOLDEN TOUCH AWARD from San Francisco State University where she was Professor of Education for many years. At the same time, Dr. Penn served as Principal of her award winning school, SUNNYSIDE ELEMENTARY, in the San Francisco Unified School District. After retiring from Sunnyside, Dr. Penn was Principal/Headmaster of the JUMP ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL located at Jones Memorial United Methodist Church. 

Dr. Penn served as Planning Chair of the 2003 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Doctors, Ltd. in San Francisco. The Consortium is indebted to Dr. Penn and her husband, Mr. Michael Penn, Sr., for meeting logistics in the heart of downtown San Francisco. Also, their youngest son, Dr. Marcus Penn, MD, Howard University Medical School graduate, was an excellent panelist addressing intergenerational health and well being.

Many of the Consortium members had the honor of meeting Dr. Penn’s mother in Savannah, Georgia, July 27, 2002, the year the Consortium unveiled the AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY MONUMENT. Also, Dr. Penn was one of the outstanding presenters during a fruitful Consortium of Doctors’ youth session in Savannah.

Dr. Margaret Penn and Mr. Michael Penn, Sr. are wonderful parents of two sons who are both medical doctors. Dr. Michael Penn, Jr. has the MD and the PhD in medicine.
Important parts of Dr. Margaret Penn’s great legacy were shared and contributed from her educational research and development. Dr. Penn’s words of wisdom are embedded in her empowerment philosophy which she actualized in her marvelous work.... 

THREE C’S FOR PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT 
BY DR. MARGARET PENN

Within the confines of all social institutions is the need to unify the people who must exist together for a specific purpose. Educational institutions are created for the purpose of fostering learning and academic achievement. The institution of the family is designed to provide its members with the guidance, nourishment, and support needed to live a productive and satisfying life. Institutions are most successful when its members experience and practice “The Three C’s”. People need opportunities to experience THE STRENGTH OF BEING CAPABLE, THE SUPPORT OF BEING CONNECTED, and THE VALUE OF CONTRIBUTING. 

CAPABLE - The need to feel personal power is fostered when an individual experiences repeated opportunities in tasks that signal messages of competence.

CONNECTED - To acknowledge the existence of past or present, physical and human connections can be a rewarding experience and a phenomenal source of personal pride and power.

CONTRIBUTING - Opportunities to identify, develop and share personal skills, interests, and talent can engender feelings of personal power and an awareness that personal contributions can impact and be appreciated by others.


Consortium of Doctors, Ltd. 
2003 San Francisco Local Planning Committee Co-Chairs:

Dr. Eleanor Ramsey, President/CEO, Mason Tillman Associates, Oakland, CA
Dr. Shirley Thornton, President, Sausalito Board of Education
Dr. Ethel Pitts Walker, Professor, Theater Arts, San Jose State University
Dr. Frances L. Ford McCullough, Past President, Solano Community College Foundation
Dr. Rosemary S. Darden, Board Chair Emerita, Goodwill Industries International
Dr. Barbara E.M.Cannon, Immediate Past Director, Consortium of Doctors, Ltd.

TRIBUTE TO DR. VERNELL LILLIE 
CONSORTIUM OF DOCTORS, LTD. MEMBER
PROFESSOR OF THEATRE, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

DR. VERNELL LILLIE-------MENTOR TO DR. RUTH SIMMONS PRESIDENT OF BROWN UNIVERSITY 

PHOTO OF DR. VERNELL A. LILLIE

PHOTO OF DR. RUTH SIMMONS, today

SERIES OF PHOTOS.........
Photo of Dr. Vernell A. Lillie, far left.
Photo of Dr. Ruth Simmons' family, top center.
Photo of Dr. Ruth Simmons, far right in cap and gown.

An article written in 2002 gave tribute to A MENTOR AS THE HELPING HAND.

Dr. Ruth Simmons today is President of Brown University. How she got there is the story of how people who care can change a life. In this article, Dr. Simmons stated: "If it hadn't been for teachers, my God, I don't know what would have happened to me." 

In this article, Dr. Simmons stated: "Reading removed the constraints of color and poverty. And I would sit down and not move all day until I finished a book. It created a kind of discipline that gave me the dogged persistence and patience I have today."

Professor Vernell A. Lillie, was a drama teacher at Phyliss Wheatley High School in Houston, Texas. Dr. Ruth Simmons was one of her talented drama students. Dr. Lillie took her to concerts and plays.

Dr. Vernell A. Lillie indicates that all we did was love her. After Dr. Simmons' mother died, Dr. Lillie became a surrogate mother to Dr Simmons, pushing her to go to college and helping her get a scholarship to Dillard University. 


This article that appeared December 22, 2002 in Parade Magazine, is an indication that the CONSORTIUM OF DOCTORS, LTD. TELEMENTORING PROJECT AT NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY is a worthy lifelong endeavor. 

WE THANK DR. JOHNNYE M. JONES, DIRECTOR OF COD, LTD. 2000-2002 FOR PLANTING THE SEEDS FOR THIS PROJECT DURING COD, LTD'S 1999 ANNUAL MEETING AT HAMPTON UNIVERSITY. MANY OF THE STUDENTS THAT THE CONSORTIUM OF DOCTORS, LTD. MENTORED AT HAMPTON UNIVERSITY WERE IN THE YOUNG DOCTORS PROGRAM AND ARE NOW ENTERING MEDICAL SCHOOLS. 

ALSO, WE THANK DR. JOHNNYE M. JONES FOR INITIATING AND MAKING THE CONNECTIONS FOR THE TELEMENTORING PARTNERSHIP WITH NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY.
"Every single child who achieves needs to have an avenue to success."

AUGUST 15, 2004, IN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

DR. AUDREYE E. JOHNSON'S 75TH SURPRISE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

Dr. Audreye E. Johnson, from the first class of 1991, one of the Consortium of Doctors, Ltd.'s most active members over the years, and former professor of THE BLACK EXPERIENCE at the University of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was surprised by her sister,Ms. Christina Phillips and her lovely family. 

Dr. Audreye E. Johnson's sister was most successful in surprising Dr. Johnson for her 75th birthday in a soul food restaurant in Sacramento. The food was delicious, especially the ice cream cake.

Ms. Phillips' son, her daughter-in-law, and grandbabies were all present to surprise their Aunt Audreye. In addition, Dr. Johnson's roommate from Fisk University alongwith her husband was present for the big surprise...

Dr. Frances L. Ford McCullough, COD class of 2000, from 
Fairfield, California, and Dr. Barbara E.M.Cannon, Immediate Past Director of COD, from Alameda, California were present representing the Consortium of Doctors. Dr. McCullough presented Dr. Johnson a packet of African American Family Monument notecards and a monument pin. Dr. Johnson was thrilled with the celebration.

Photographs from Dr. Audreye E. Johnson's 75th birthday celebration are as follows:

Dr. Audreye E. Johnson, Dr. Frances L Ford McCullough, Dr. Barbara E.M.Cannon

Dr. McCullough, Dr. Cannon, Dr. Johnson, her sister: Ms. Christina Phillips and her sister's grandbaby

Dr. Johnson and her roommate from Fisk University days

Dr. Johnson, birthday cake and family members.

Dr. Johnson, her Fisk roommate and family

WOMEN WITH WISDOM SPEAK

Dr. Barbara E.M. Cannon, Director of COD, LTD. 2002-2004, was on a panel addressing recreating and reinventing the human potential and gifts that we each bring to life. 
Dr. Cannon was most successful in making posters of the AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY MONUMENT available to Sister 2 Sister HAWAII.
Several members and guests are African American women who have completed doctorates from nationally accredited institutions and many are very interested in the work of the Consortium of Doctors, Ltd. 

MAY 17, 2004

DR. DORTHY PENNINGTON, COD CLASS OF 1996 TRAILBLAZER IN THE STATE OF KANSAS

Photograph of CONGRESSMAN JOHN CONYERS FROM MICHIGAN AND DR DORTHY PENNINGTON AT THE STATE CAPITOL IN TOPEKA, KANSAS, FOR THE BROWN VS. BOARD OF EDUCATION 50th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATING THE TOPEKA SUPREME COURT DECISION OUTLAWING SCHOOL SEGREGATION, MAY 17, 2004

Dr. Dorthy Pennington, COD Class of 1996, is the Project Director for a Lawrence, Kansas Sesquicentennial observance grant which she received for a project titled "African American Churches in Early Lawrence: Citadels of Faith, Hope, and Community." This project is jointly sponsored by the University of Kansas Department of African and African American Studies and the Lawrence Ecumenical Fellowship, Incorporated, an organization which consists of eight participating African American churches. The programs under this grant include a panel discussion and an entrance of a float in the Sesquicentennial parade, a float which will bear an ecumenical choir singing nineteenth-century African American religious songs. 
Dr. Pennington is in charge of the choir and is also a part of the group that will construct the float bearing the project theme."

CONGRATULATIONS, DR. PENNINGTON!!!!

DR. MARJORIE HARRIS TOPS THE LIST-----

June 17, 2004

DR. MARJORIE HARRIS, CONSORTIUM OF DOCTORS, LTD., CLASS OF 1993. PRESIDENT OF LEWIS COLLEGE OF BUSINESS. 
DETROIT, MICHIGAN, SINCE 1965.

June 17, 2004, 20th Anniversary Edition of BLACK ISSUES IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Highlights seasoned leaders stating, "The following higher education presidents / chancellors of color have been at their respective two-or four-year institutions for 20 or more years. We are most pleased and proud that Dr. Marjorie Harris is honored and tops the list of African American Presidents which includes 18 other African American Presidents who are seasoned leaders. Please read the entire article which appears on page 102 of the June 17, 2004 BLACK ISSUE IN HIGHER EDUCATION. As always, Dr. Marjorie Harris sets the tone for elegance and distinction among trailblazers who are SEASONED LEADERS.

Saturday, May 8, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY GOLDEN TOUCH AWARD

DR. MARGARET PENN, San Francisco, California, Consortium of Doctors, Ltd. member received the Dean’s Award. This award was one of the SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY GOLDEN TOUCH AWARDS. Dr. Penn was selected by The Board of Directors of the College of Education Chapter of the San Francisco State University Alumni Association. SHE RECEIVED THE DEAN’S AWARD.

Please note: numerous friends and colleagues have attested to Dr. Penn’s many and important contributions in the field of education in the San Francisco area and in the state of California.

DR. MARGARET PENN served as chair of the planning committee for the Consortium of Doctors, Ltd. 2003 Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Congratulations, DR. PENN!!!

February 26, 2004

COD, LTD. TRAILBLAZER DR. BETTIE L. APPLEWHITE 

Dr. Bettie L. Applewhite from Alexandria Virginia responded to a request for a speaker at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., December 18, 2003. Dr. Abigail Jordan, informed the Director of the Consortium that a speaker from the Consortium of Doctors, Ltd. was requested by Mr. Larry Ross who resides in Canaan Maine. 

Mr. Larry Ross is the prominent educator and humanitarian who had our founder and visionary, DR. ABIGAIL JORDAN, flown to Canaan, Maine where she honored and inducted into the CHARLES LINDBERG HALL OF FAME, June 12 through June 15, 2003. 
Dr. Jordan was honored for her trailblazing leadership installing and completing the monumental tribute to the legacy of African Americans to America and to the world. This was the first monument acknowledging African Americans in Savannah, Georgia: THE AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY MONUMENT which was unveiled July 27, 2002 on River Street, alongside the Tourist Center, the Savannah River, and the Hyatt Regency Hotel. 

December 2003, Mr. Ross brought his students to Washington, D.C. to view many of the historic monuments there. Mr. Ross's high regard for Dr. Abigail Jordan prompted him to request a speaker from the CONSORTIUM OF DOCTORS, LTD. to speak to his students at the Lincoln Memorial. 

A letter of thanks and appreciation by Samantha Allen, one of Mr. Ross's students from Canaan, Maine follows Dr. Bettie L. Applewhite's written account of the December 18, 2003 experience and meeting. 

A Member of the Consortium of Doctors, Ltd. 

It was around 5:00 p.m., on Thursday, December 18, 2003, when I arrived on the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial. It was a chilly wintry evening in the Nation's capital and the thermometer harbored in the low 30s. As nightfall approached the city, the illuminating glow from Abraham Lincoln's Statue was the major lighting in the area. You could barely see other tourists, bundled in heavy coats, hats, and gloves, while they approached the upper steps leading to the statue. As time continue to tick waiting for the students to arrive, my feet and hands were getting colder and colder. At times, they felt like they were frozen. To stay warm, I walked back and forth numerous times from the Lincoln Statue to the basement level to view the "I have a Dream" video. As I had walked below to stay warm for about the 10th time, I received a phone call from Larry Ross (we used cell phones to stay connected) saying the students were eagerly waiting at the top of the Lincoln Memorial. Prior to our meeting, Larry and I had described our clothing to help identify each other. The students recognized me immediately, based on my "grey" hair and black coat. 

As I met the students, many of them came with hugs and saying, "Hey, Dr. Applewhite". I welcomed them and had each student to introduce him/herself, as did their chaperons. I spoke about the Lincoln Memorial and why people with concerns and causes wanted to hold meetings at the site. In an interactive dialogue, I asked the students to share what they knew about Abraham Lincoln, and why they thought Dr. Martin Luther King Ir., held his famous, "I have a Dream Speech" at this very spot. The students were then asked to imagine what it must have been liked, prior to the Civil Rights and during Slavery, and to share how they would have felt if they:  

- Were made to go to the back of the bus when seats were available in the front, 
- Lost their brother or sister who was sold as a slave never to be seen again; 
- Had to live in a one room house without a bathroom, shower, or running water; and 
- Did not have personal things like their own T.V., computer, Videos; and/or CDs. 

The students gave very thoughtful, sensitive, and sound answers. They in turn, had questions. They wanted to know if it were true about the three young black men in North Carolina who wanted to be served at a lunch counter, but instead, had ketchup poured on them. 

They wanted to know if I participated in the March on Washington when Dr. King made his famous speech. I informed them I was still in high school in 1963, when Dr. King made his March on Washington. But I did share with them what it was like participating in the March on Washington almost 20 years later when the country was urging Congress to make Dr. King's birthday a national holiday. That evening was similar to this one. It was extremely cold, and it was getting dark. However, because people believed in what they were doing, thousands stood in the freezing temperature around the Washington Monument listening to national and local speakers encouraging Congress to make it a holiday. We all stood in the cold for 5 or 6 hours that day to hear the last speaker, Stevie Wonder, who sang his famous record, “Happy Birthday To You". It was an experience, I would always remember. It was an opportunity to stand up and make a difference. I told the students that they too, would get an opportunity to make a difference in someone' s life, or make a better country. I challenged them to think about what decision they would make when that opportunity came to them. 

The evening ended with students sharing events and places they had been while touring the Nation's Capital. One student gave me a breast pin he received earlier in the day from another tour site. As we were posing for group pictures, the students continued to share what they learned not only on this tour but what their teacher, Mr. Ross, had been teaching them about diversity. Before we parted, we hugged and said good-byes. Each student wanted to hug and some wanted to hug more than once. Tears swelled in my eyes. It was a joyous occasion. The Consortium of Doctors, Ltd.., had made new friends. The students, their chaperons, and I, left this monumental site, with long and lasting memories forever etched on our minds. 

Message from Mr. Larry Ross 

Dear Dr. Applewhite and Dr. Cannon, The time has flown by since "the trip of a lifetime" we had in Washington. I told you I would send you something that might be of use for your newsletter. I hope this is of some use. Thanks again for making such a wonderful thing happen for the children. It will last for a lifetime. Larry Ross 


Letters from Mr. Larry Ross' students, Samantha Allen 

Dear Dr. Cannon, 01-14-04 

My name is Samantha and I am a sixth grade student from Cornville Elementary school in Maine. Mr. Ross, my E.R. teacher, started Crate Day, and that's where I met a number of ordinary people who had done extraordinary things. One of those people was Dr. Abigail Jordan. I learned that she had a dream to make a monument in Savannah Georgia. When I learned about the monument, it made me think. I was thinking about a bunch of different things such as, how it must have been when whites and blacks were segregated, and how this monument will make a difference to so many people. The same day I met Dr. Jordan, I also met Morrill Worcester. When he was about my age, he went to Arlington National Cemetery, and got inspired by what he saw. When he was older, he thought about the cemetery and what he could do. He owns a company that makes Christmas wreaths. He decided that he would take wreaths and put them on the graves. He has been taking over four thousand wreaths to the cemetery for about ten years. We thought that we could go to Washington D.C. and help him. When he said that he would like to have us, we began planning a trip to Washington D.C. That's when I knew I was going to do what J.F.K said. I would not be asking what my country could do for me, I would be asking what I could do for my country. 

When Mr. Ross planned the trip, we knew that we were going to go to the Lincoln Memorial, and we were wondering who could help us understand about Lincoln's dream, and about the speech that Martin Luther King Jr. gave at that memorial. That's when we asked if The Consortium Of Doctors would have someone who would help us with that. You said that you could send someone over, and that someone was Dr. Applewhite. 

When Dr. Applewhite came, it was dark and cold. She told us so much, like what it was like to be African American during that time, and how little things like when the three African American men had the courage to sit at a white table and got ketchup poured on their heads, made a big difference. I was standing there in awe as she told us stories about other things that people did, and what it was like to have the bathrooms segregated. She said almost everything was segregated. I think that we are so lucky now that that kind of thing doesn't happen anymore in the U.S. I will remember that night for a long time, maybe for life, and it won't be something that I will want to forget. When I looked at the website, it said that you wanted your members to be role models, and to make people want to persevere, I think that Dr. Applewhite had just that impact on me. When I was standing out in the cold, listening to Dr. Applwhite, I thought..."Today we stand up together with faith, and even some joy." 


Sincerely, 

Samantha Allen 

Letters from Mr. Larry Ross' students, Mo Kendra Elliston 

Dear Dr. Applewhite, 

When my classmates got back from their trip, they told us (the students that didn't go) about you. They said how you said that you couldn't have stayed in the same motel as they did when you were our age, because you are black. Luckily Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood up to fight segregation. Other people or events like Emmit Till and Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka Kansas have changed the US. If segregation still roamed the streets of America, then you wouldn't be able to be the person you are. My black friends wouldn't have a chance to be who they have been. But because of people like Dr. King Jr., the kids like us are changing the world. We will grow up to be great people because of people like our Enrichment Resources teacher, Mr. Larry Ross. Thanks for taking up your time to read this letter. 

Sincerely, 

Mo Kendra Elliston 

Letters from Mr. Larry Ross' students, Cassie Lancaster 

January 13, 2004

Dear Dr. Applewhite, 

How are you? My name is Cassie Lancaster and I met in Washington D.C. I want you to know that you taught me a lot about what it would have been like to be living in a segregated place. I learned how hard it must have been back then. I am glad that things are different now. I really appreciate you coming and talking to us. You are really brave to have gone through all that and still be so wonderful. I don't think I could have done it. I think that you are a wonderful lady and I want to thank you for coming to talk to us when you did. 

Sincerely, 

Cassie Lancaster 

Letters from Mr. Larry Ross' students, Renee Despres 

January 13, 2004

Dear Dr. Applewhite, 

Hi my name is Renee Despres from Margaret Chase Smith School. 

Then I classmates got back from the trip to Washington D.C., They told us a lot about the trip. A few kids made scrapbook and when we came to your picture in the scrapbook, Mr. Ross told us about you asking where we would be staying when he answered, you said you would not have been able to stay there when you were our age. We talked about how much things have changed, and how now blacks are allowed to do the same things and go to the same places as whites. 

Sincerely, 

Renee Despres 

Letters from Mr. Larry Ross' students, Chorlette Beach 

Dear Dr. Applewhite, 

When I met you in Washington, D.C, I was really impressed with your thoughts about life. You still have a very positive attitude even though you've probably been through some things that were not fair to you or your family because of your race. There have been some very big changes in the US referring to segregation. Now black people have the same rights that whites do. Like you told us, you wouldn't have been able to stay in the hotel that we stayed in 50 years ago. Now, you would be welcomed the way we were. There were lots of things that happened like Emit till, Rosa Parks, etc. that all contributed to the tipping point of blacks and whites being equal. All those things in a little way helped us to have the free country that we do today. I'm glad that all these changes happened because if they hadn't happened, we really wouldn't be able to call our country the United States of America. I really enjoyed hearing what you had to say. Thanks a lot. 

Sincerely, 

Chorlotte Beach 

Successful Tribute

Elliot Battle greets guests at dinner honoring his wife, the late Muriel Battle, last night at Holiday Inn Select Executive Center. "Remembering the Dream: A Tribute to Muriel Battle," was organized as a fund-raiser to help restore the city's Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, a project that Muriel Battle was involved in until her death in March. The event, sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Restoration Committee, raised $30,000, which puts it within $10,000 of its $100,000 goal. The area surrounding the memorial has been renamed Battle Gardens in honor of Muriel Battle. 

Dr. Ruby Ora Williams, class of '43

From 1953-1988, Dr. Ruby Ora WIlliams, rose through college faculty ranks from instructor to professor Emerita. She taught all levels of english, including graduate courses. In 1972, she designed a course on American black women's literature.

Among her publications are three editions of a reference book American Black Women in The Arts and Social Sciences, Scarecrow Press. She has published articles about such writers as Alice Dunbar-Nelson and Lorenz Graham, and she wrote biographies of her oldest brother, Charles, and about choral director Eva Jessye.

She has presented papers at The Sorbonne, Paris, France; in Kenya, East Africa; in Brazil, South America.

She was a paid soloist for a number of Long Beach Christian Science Churches and gave seven benefit concerts. She performed in Brazil; in the Holy Land; throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania with her sisters, The Williams Sisters; and at Caribbean Union College in Trinidad, West Indies.

Some honors include: being inducted into the National Consortium of Doctors and being one of 100 women featured in African Women Writers in New Jersey, Rutgers University Press, 2003; and being inducted into The Lakewood, New Jersey Hall of Fame, May 2003.

Her eight siblings were all graduates of Lakewood High School. Her sister Thelma was inducted into the first Hall of Fame.
 

AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN WRITERS IN NEW JERSEY, 1836-2000
A Biographical Dictionary and Bibliographic Guide
Sibyl E. Moses

African American Women Writers in New Jersey, 1836-2000 is the first and only reference work to identify and document the lives, intellectual contributions, and publications of over one hundred African American women writers in the Garden State from 1836 through 2000. Many, like Jessie Redmon Fauset, Alice Perry Johnson, Sharon Bell Mathis, Ntozake Shange, and Ruby Ora Williams, were born in the state. Others, like Gertrude Pitts, Dorothy Porter Wesley, and Helen Jackson Lee, although not born here, were residents of New Jersey for more than fifteen years, and made significant contributions during that time.

This volume contanis biographical and bibliographical information for each author. Also included are photographs of many writers as well as citations for published pamphlets, books, reports, and articles written by these women. To give the flavor of some writers' work, Sibyl E. Moses has provided characteristic excerpts from poetry and prose. The two appendixes demarcate the distribution of African American women writers in New Jersey both by city and town and by genre.

By identifying the considerable output of these writers, Moses' s research expands our knowledge of the literary and printing history of New Jersey, as well as of women's literary history.

Rutgers University Press    rutgerspress.rutgers.edu
phone 800.446.9323           fax 888.471.9014
 

June 25, 2003

CHARLES LINDBERG HALL OF FAME IN CANAAN, MAINE

JUNE 12 THROUGH JUNE 15, 2003 HALL OF FAME HONOR
******************* TO DR. ABIGAIL JORDAN *******************
FOUNDER OF THE CONSORTIUM OF DOCTORS, LTD.
 

Dr. Abigail Jordan, the visionary who provided the leadership and commitment culminating in the completion and installation of the first African American Family Monument in Savannah, Georgia, July 27, 2002 was honored June 12 through June 15, 2003. Dr. Jordan had the grand distinction of being inducted into the Charles Lindberg Hall of Fame in Canaan, Maine.

Every year, persons are inducted into the Charles Lindberg Hall of Fame in Canaan, Maine. Dr. Jordan was flown from Savannah, Georgia to Canaan, Maine for this yearly induction into this Hall of Fame that honors persons who have accomplished momentous and monumental works for humankind and posterity.

Dr. Abigail Jordan indicates that Canaan, Maine is a two-hour drive from the Portland, Maine Airport. Hundreds of persons gathered for this yearly event. She mentioned many army planes, helicopters, flags, and a distinguished ceremony for the Hall of Fame induction.

Congratulations to our founder and visionary!!!!!
Thank you, Dr. Jordan, for acknowledging, appreciating, and setting in place the concrete and enduring evidence of the amazing gifts and contributions of African Americans to America and to the World.