Savannah Chapter of TLOD, Inc. Pastor Donald and Sheila Lowe
Elects “Top Lady of the Year” See Page 2A
9th Pastoral Anniversary See Page 1B
erald avannah H S NEWSPAPER, LLC®
Promoting Savannah’s African-American Community News
P.O. Box 486 • Sav.,GA 31402
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Vol. 2 No. 21
Frank Callen Boys and Girls Club Alumni & Friends Black History Spotlight: 15th Annual Meritorious Service Award Luncheon Rep. Gilliard to host Dream Program
Leonard Bostick
On Saturday, February 24, 2018, the 15th Annual Meritorious Service Award Luncheon of the Frank Callen Boys and Girls Club Alumni & Friends Association, Inc. will be held in The Eden Room (located at the Temple of Glory Community Church, 1105 Stiles Avenue). The Meet and Greet will begin at 11:00 a.m. followed by the Award Luncheon. We are in the process of putting together our 30th Year Anniversary Souvenir Booklet. Luncheon tickets are $45.00 each and table for 8 persons are $360.00. Tickets are available. Contact Charlie
Reatha Stevens
John Myles
Brown at (912) 398-3388 for your ticket(s) purchase. This year’s honorees are: Leonard Bostick, John Myles and Reatha Stevens
ATLANTA – State Representative Carl Gilliard (D-Garden City), along with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), will host a Georgia Dream Program session on Friday, February 23, 2018, at 10 a.m. at the Southwest Karen Hamilton Chatham Library in Savannah. The Georgia Dream Program, a homeownership program through the Georgia DCA, provides $15,000 in down payment assistance to approved applicants. To qualify, applicants must have a Beacon score of at least 624, and DCA will work with individuals who do not qualify to reach this required score. This event is free and Leroy Pace, Jr. open to the public. For more information or to register, (Frank Callen Memorial please contact Rep. GilAward), Karen Hamilton liard’s local office at 912(Campbell-Mathis Award), 436-5325. and Leroy Pace, Jr. (Meritorious Service Award).
PDK Highlights the Mission and Youth Initiatives of 100 Black Men of Savannah
Dr. Leroy Zke Zimmerman
The plight of minorities, especially African-American males, is well documented in social, economic, education, and health data of our community and nation. On February 6, 2018, at Southwest Regional Library Auditorium, Phi Delta Kappa International Chapter 1219 presented the opportunity for interested educators and the community to increase their awareness of how the programs and activities of 100 Black Men of Savannah positively impacts the lives of young men. Dr. Leroy Zke Zimmerman. Retired Administrator, Military Colonel and Purple Heart Recipient, who is Immediate Past President of the organization, provided information about the men-
toring, economic empowerment, education, collegiate, and health activities provided for empowering youth to become self-sufficient strong community citizens, leaders, and professionals. Dr. Zimmerman identified specific activities initiated by the 100 Black Men of Savannah, Inc. to address youth competencies in academics, economics, health/ wellness, and leadership. Academic achievements are promoted through programs that extend from elementary to the collegiate level. “Wings” is a comparatively new initiative at the elementary level serving some schools on a weekly basis. “Building Bridges” and “Pathways to Success” serves Middle School students. The “Youth Leadership Academy” serves high school students who either elect or are selected to participate. Students make scheduled contacts at the Middle and high school level twice a month. Currently, the programs on high school level are focused at Johnson and Woodville-Tompkins. The Collegiate 100 is one of the initiatives to serve college students. The four collegiate chapters are
Armstrong State University and Georgia Southern University in addition to Savannah State University Support is provided across disciplines on every level and Collegiate 100 also provides meeting and networking opportunities. Students are recognized for their academic achievements and scholarships are regularly awarded to offset expenses such as tuition, books, and housing. The 22nd Annual Gala being held on April 21, 2018 at the Savannah Marriott Riverfront is the sole fund raiser held annually to support scholarships. A diverse group of professionals are involved in Summer Camps, mentoring, formal dinner dress and etiquette, trips to the capital, and “Courts in Session” to assist in building understanding of how systems work. Applications, volunteer opportunities, sponsorship, and other information are found at info@100blackmenofsavannah.org. Fostering the economic empowerment involves academic preparedness and an experiential approach concentrated at the high school level. An “Economic See PDK-Page 4A
A Picture of Royalty
William Harrell
William Harwell examines interfaces in a developmental spacesuit.
Since eighth grade William Harwell, renowned design engineer in Johnson Space Center’s Crew and Thermal Systems Division, knew he wanted to be an aerospace engineer. For more than 30 years, Harwell has been working for JSC—fulfilling his childhood vision of working in the space industry. Harwell’s work has been prolific for NASA, and he even collected patents for his designs of a geometrical vapor blocker (for spacecraft radiators), an apparatus and method of capturing an orbiting spacecraft (Apogee Kick Motor [AKM]capture device) and a magnetic attachment mechanism (for the manipulation of satellites). He is quick to point out that the majority of the work done at NASA is conducted by teams, on which he just does his part—design. “I’ve worked on tools and life support systems for suited astronauts for shuttle and station, thermal systems for spacecraft and a ton of other projects,” Harwell said. His long and prosperous career at NASA started in 1983, when he left the oil industry. Once he got to NASA, he was quickly involved in the retrieval of two satellites that failed to reach geosynchronous orbit. “I didn’t think like NASA people when I first got here,” Harwell said. He used his fresh perspective on the project to design the AKM capture device, which also earned him a patent. That was Harwell’s favorite project.
See Spotlight-Page 4A
Lil Miss Princess Catalaya Smith
We, the staff and parents of Boggs Learning Academy would like to introduce to the Savannah area) this year’s 2018 Lil Miss Princess, Catalaya Smith. She is the daughter of Miss Dionne Colbert & Mr. Chris Smith. Catalaya made her debut during this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. parade where she was the picture of elegance. As we study the history of our heritage at Boggs Learning Academy, Lil Miss Catalaya has decided that she wants to become a community leader. She quotes daily that she will listen, learn and read so that she can become strong with knowledge and help others. As we continue to celebrate Black history let’s teach our children early the See Royalty-Page 4A
Sen. Lester Jackson Proposes Name Change for Local Creek Georgia lawmakers want the federal goverment to change the name of a small body of water known as Runaway Negro Creek. For nearly 100 years the creek on Skidaway Island in Chatham County has had the controversial name. During 19th century, slaves were believed to have crossed the creek seeking freedom in the North. The Senate Urban Affairs Committee unanimously advanced a resolution to urge the U.S. Board of Geographic Names to change the creek's name to Freedom Creek. The resolution states that the current name is insensitive and makes it sound like black men and women were acting criminally by seeking freedom.
Sen. Lester Jackson, a Savannah Democrat, states his proposed Senate Resolution 685 has bipartisan support. Jackson’s name change resolution has garnered national and international attention. Sen. Jackson serves as the Second District Senator of Georgia and as chair of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus.