The
evening air was filled with waves of varying live music. The
alluring sounds of (vocalists) Stacy Brown and Theresa
Harris, Wayne Harris (bass guitarist), Scotty Burns
(drummer), Mike Day (guitarist), Fred Sights (pianist), and
the Martin Luther King Jr. Academy for Boys Choral richly
textured the room with the honorees favorite musical
selections.
This
year’s honorees include Bishop Robert A. Culp; Robert Z.
Kaplan; LaRouth Perry, PhD; and Robert Perry, PhD. Edrene
Benson Cole and Wayman D. Palmer received posthumous honors.
●
Bishop Robert A. Culp, born in Sharon,
Pennsylvania, is the Senior Pastor of First Church of God in
Toledo Ohio. Under his leadership, his church has thrived
and reached the community through several ministries
including the FACTS and FORWARD program for substance abuse
and the Four Corners Project serving youth and children.
Fondly referred to as ‘Toledo’s Bishop,’ Culp served as Past
President of the NAACP Toledo Chapter.
Bishop
Culp’s award was presented by State Representative,
Stephanie Howse (District 11)
A vibrant
Howse brought greetings from the Ohio Legislative Black
Caucus. The OLBC is the oldest legislative black caucus in
the nation, whose members, have been fully committed to
fighting for issues important to African Americans in Ohio
over the past 50 years.
●
Robert Z. Kaplan is a Toledo native who
received both his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees
from The Ohio State University. Kaplan has been practicing
law in downtown Toledo for 63 years focusing his efforts on
criminal defense and civil rights while advocating for the
black community. Kaplan worked as legal counsel for the
Toledo chapter of the Black Panther Party between the
1960’s-1970’s and received the Distinguished Toledo Lawyer
Award from the University of Toledo Law Alumni Association.
●
LaRouth Perry, or “Dr. P,” as her
students affectionately called her, is a native of Little
Rock Arkansas and a graduate of Fisk University. While
attending Fisk she sang soprano with the famous Fisk Jubilee
Singers. Her love for music was only superseded by her love
of family and the English language. A wife, mother and
educator, Perry not only taught English Literature, she also
taught the life changing powers art can have on one’s life.
LaRouth Perry was the founding director of the Arts
Commission of Greater Toledo, Young Artists at Work Program
and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
“Dr.
LaRouth Perry authored the mission, vision and purpose
statement for the African American Legacy Project. Her
words have served as guiding principles for the AALP. Back
in 2003 she saw the future need for this organization in the
community and her words breathed life and direction into
this organization,” recalled Robert Smith.
●
For nearly 50 years Robert Perry used his
scholarly writings and teachings to open the hearts and
minds of both the young and young at heart. Robert Perry
earned his bachelor's and master’s from Bowling Green State
University. He was appointed the Director of BGSU’s Ethnic
Studies Program in 1970. Perry’s trailblazing work led to
his framing and developing the first original requirement on
ethnic studies in the country. Along with his wife, LaRouth
Perry, their household became NW Ohio’s AA cultural center,
hosting such nobles in their home like American author and
poet James Baldwin. Retiring in 1996 Robert Perry accepted
a position at Eastern Michigan to head the Dept of Ethnic
Studies and later Director of the AA Center of Cultural
Research. Perry is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
Quietly he has served our community on numerous boards and
if you ask, he will tell you his greatest achievement is his
family.
Angela
Nelson, PhD. chairman of Department of Ethnic Studies,
congratulated the Perry’s while saluting alumni and 2019
Legacy of Leadership Award Honorees on behalf of Bowling
Green State University. She reminisced on her and LaRouth’s
good times together as doctoral students and their shared
advocacy for helping students of color get into college.
Nelson also credits Robert Perry with giving her, her first
job within the Ethnic Studies Department at BGSU.
●
Edrene Benson Cole, originally from Marks
Mississippi, moved to Toledo in the mid 1930’s. Cole earned
a Bachelor’s of Arts, Master’s in Education and Education
Specialist degrees from the University of Toledo. From
2004-2006, Cole compiled an oral history of African
Americans in the Toledo area and produced their work on
copyrighted CD’s and produced a booklet on the project
earning her an appearance in several TV documentaries,
including Eyes On The Prize. She was recognized for
her outstanding contribution of service to youth, education
and the preservation of local history and was given an
Honorary Doctorate of Education on behalf of the University
of Toledo in 2006.
●
Wayman D. Palmer was born in Paris,
Tennessee. Palmer was an educator for 16 years first in
Columbia, South Carolina and later in the Toledo Public
School system. He was a servant leader who worked
tirelessly on behalf of people. Palmer was an early
entrepreneur. Working alongside his father, Cecil H.
Palmer, Wayman ran Palmer’s One-in-a-Million ice cream
stand. His strength was his integrity and he was also able
to bring billions of dollars in new investments to the
Toledo community in the area of housing. Both a YMCA
location and a local housing unit have been named for him
and stand as tribute to his life.
The
evening concluded with closing remarks from President Smith
and an invitation to join Toledo’s upcoming 7th Annual
National African American Male Wellness Walk and Run 5k on
Saturday August 17, 2019.
Since
2004, the African American Legacy Project (AALP) of
Northwest Ohio, has been documenting and preserving the
history of Northwest Ohio's African American community and
its impact and influence far beyond Ohio's borders. The
AALP’s mission is, “to stimulate the intellectual, socio
economic, and participatory growth in communities wherein
African Americans reside.” |