BLACK HISTORY Month is coming to a close, but there are still many stories to share throughout the year, from artists and musicians to entrepreneurs and trailblazers to community leaders and more. That’s not just the past, but the present, too.
IN RECOGNITION of Black History Month, the Toledo branch of the NAACP recognized six individuals for their accomplishments and dedication to the community, and specifically for their commitment and service as past presidents of the local branch of the NAACP. They were honored at Mott Branch Library on Dorr Street, in an event that began with the history of the NAACP.
The organization was formed in 1909 as a result of lynching in Springfield, Ill. The Toledo branch, established in 1915, is the third oldest branch.
Current president Willie Perryman Jr. recognized each honoree from the earliest serving past president, Bishop Robert Culp, to the most recent past president, Ray Wood. Serving in between those two were the Rev. Lee Williams, Judge C. Allen McConnell, Theresa M. Gabriel and WilliAnn Moore.
“During Black History Month, we often think of individuals like Thurgood Marshall and Fannie Lou Hamer,” Mr. Perryman said. “While their contributions were great, we have members of our community right here in Toledo whose contributions have been equally great.”
TOLEDO'S Jaden Jefferson, the 14-year-old multimedia journalist, returned to The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday, in the talk show host’s final season. It airs on WNWO-TV, Channel 24.
The kid reporter, who attends Maumee Valley Country Day School, has also appeared on Live With Ryan and Kelly. Among the stars he has interviewed are Oprah, tennis star Naomi Osaka, and Brad Pitt.
But as a young journalist still in school, he is a star himself, especially to his fan club of family and friends.
He has been revamping his content on his YouTube channel, Jaden Reports, so he had a chance to let everyone know. He hosted a watch party for the Ellen segment at Black Kite Coffee on Collingwood Boulevard here in Toledo.
ALWAYS searching, always discovering. The Questers, started in 1944 in Philadelphia, aim to “keep history alive by supporting preservation, restoration and education,” as they say in their mission statement. They donate funds for the preservation and restoration of artifacts, existing memorials, historic buildings, landmarks, and for educational purposes, and they also sponsor a graduate-level scholarship at Columbia University and a fellowship to the Winterthur Program at the University of Delaware.
The local chapter, started in 1983, gathered at the Valentine Theatre recently to hear about Backstage at the Valentine Theatre, the mural by Toledo artist Paul Geiger. The masterpiece is a 68 by 6 by 10-foot work of art hung in the Valentine’s Founders Room for everyone to enjoy.
The cast of characters in the painting include people who played the theater during its first heyday between 1895 and 1917, including W.C. Fields, Will Rogers, Houdini, John Philip Sousa, Anna Pavlova, Al Jolson, Fanny Brice, Lillian Russell, and many more. It was paid for by private donations.
The Valentine originally opened on Dec. 25, 1895. It was built by George Ketcham and named after his father Valentine Ketcham. It closed in the 1970s and was facing the threat of being torn down when a group of Toledoans, including John Robinson Block, Rey Boezi, Carroll Ashley, Jim White Jr., Woody Morcott, Bob and Jane Anspach, Victoria Souder, and Tom Palmer, led the efforts to raise more than $5 million toward the $28 million project. The Valentine reopened on Oct. 9, 1999, with a gala celebration chaired by Mary Wolfe and Susan Reams.
Bravo to Questers event organizer Diane Rusk, vice president.
Among the attendees were Pat Appold, Kate Adams-Nameche, Barbara Brown, Kathryn Fell, a past president, Keiran Menacher, parliamentarian, Lee Burke, treasurer, Judy Finkel, corresponding secretary, Nan Arthur, co-secretary, and Lou Nelson and Cindy Niggemyer, co-presidents.
Lunch followed at Georgio's Cafe International.
IN CELEBRATION of Presidents Day, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee unveiled the first complete series of U.S. president bobbleheads. The series includes each president on a base that features a replica of the White House, and each bobblehead is individually numbered to the year that the president was elected.
The series includes Rutherford B. Hayes, the nation’s 19th president, who led the country between 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor of Ohio. Following his presidency, President Hayes returned to Fremont, where he died in 1893. In his memory is the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums in Fremont.
And of course, Toledo's Jamie Farr has a bobblehead, too. Go to BobbleheadHall.com.
Barbara Hendel is The Blade's society editor. Contact her at bhendel@theblade.com or call 419-724-6124.
First Published February 27, 2022, 11:30 a.m.
