Justice William
Cousins Jr. (ret.) of
the Illinois Appellate Court receives a 2011
Vanguard Award at a luncheon on April 20 at the Standard Club. The event will be hosted by the Asian
American Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association, Cook County Bar Association,
Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of
Chicago and Puerto Rican Bar Association which honor lawyers and judges “who
through their efforts have made the law and
legal profession more accessible to and reflective of the community
at-large.” Justice Cousins, the 2011 honoree of the Cook County Bar
Association, served
the city as an alderman of the 8th Ward, the county as a circuit court judge
and the state as a judge on the Illinois Appellate Court.
“With this
award, we honor Justice Cousins for his dedication to the cause of justice and inclusion
for members of all communities and in the legal profession. We are delighted
that he will receive the 2011 Vanguard Award along with other honorees who
share our goals for the profession,” said Lawrence N. Hill, CCBA president.
Justice Cousins is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi
and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternities, Trinity United Church of Christ and a Hall of
Famer of the National Bar Association, Cook County Bar Association and DuSable
High School. The
event begins with an 11:30 a.m. reception. To reserve $65 tickets, contact Tamra
Drees at (312) 554-2057 or
tdrees@chicagobar.org
Tribute Time –
Acclaimed photographer Eric Werner will be saluted on Sunday at
DuSable Museum beginning with a 3 p.m. reception, art sale and auction,
followed by a tribute at 3:45 p.m. Eric has been facing
health challenges for some time now, so proceeds will help to defer some of his
medical expenses. A minimum donation of $25 is requested. Steering committee
members include: Javin Foreman, Rendy Jones, Leroy Kennedy, Barbara Kensey, Azim Ramelize, Nicole
Werner, LaKeisha Gray Sewell and Toussaint Werner, who
can be reached at (773) 724-1489 for more info. Special thanks to DuSable
Museum's Dr. Carol Adams for providing the space.
Newsy Names – We hear that Rev. Henry O.
Hardy, pastor of Cosmopolitan Community Church, has announced to
his faithful that he’s dissolving his 16-month marriage to the former Tandria Jemison,
a hair designer and salon owner. They married in Nov. ’09 during nuptials
conducted by Rev. Clay Evans. Rev. Hardy’s second
surprise announcement to his parishioners: he is retiring as Cosmopolitan’s
pastor after 44 years of leading the congregation. Who knew?
...
Rev. Jacqueline Atkins, Barbara Bowles, Cheryl Bryson, Frank
Clark, Elzie Higginbottom, John Hooker, Larry Lucas, Billie Paige, Madeline
Murphy Rabb, John Rogers Jr. and Melody Spann-Cooper
host a Unity Celebration Fundraiser with Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel
as the special guest and honoring his mayoral opponent, Amb. Carol
Moseley Braun, on April 21, 5 p.m., at Karyn’s on
Green, 130 S. Green St. ... Chicago State University will be joined by
novelist, screenwriter, poet, journalist and talk show host Sam Greenlee to
celebrate National Library Week. Greenlee is well know for his 1969 novel, “The
Spook Who Sat by the Door”, and the 1973 movie by the same title. The novel and
film are fictional accounts of an African American CIA operative who uses his
skills to spearhead an urban war for liberation. National Library Week runs
from April 10 to April 16.
Reunion Union –
Alums of Mendel Catholic Prep High School (1951-1988), historically located in
Chicago's Roseland community, host an All-Class Reunion & Celebration on
Friday, 6:30 p.m.-midnight, at the Lexington House, 7717 W. 95th St. in Hickory
Hills, to commemorate 37 years of academic and athletic success and 60 years of
the lasting achievements of its graduates. Mendel, recognized in 1979 as one of
the 10 best high schools in the nation, graduated 72,000 young men who have
gone on to become some of the most successful in America.
Among alumni: Jory and Fred Luster
, chair and president of Luster Products; Terrance Gainer, sergeant at arms, U.S. Senate; Michael Sheahan, former superintendent, Cook County Sheriff’s Dept.; Robert Fioretti, former alderman, 2nd Ward; Howard Brookins, alderman, 21st Ward; Charles Tribbett, recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the top 50 most powerful executive recruiters in America; Leslie David Baker, who currently co-stars on the hit TV sitcom, “The Office”; Peter Cetera, co-founder of the rock group Chicago; Dennis DeYoung, co-founder of the 70s rock group Styx; and Judge Leroy K. Martin Jr., of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Over 60 percent of Mendel graduates have advanced degrees. For reservations and more info, call Anthony E Johnson (Class of 1979), Mendel Alumni Association, (708) 698-3111.
Happy B’Day
– to
Ald.-elect Roderick Sawyer, Bryant Johnson, Randy Crumpton, Melody McDowell,
Bert Allen, Jill St. James, Clark Gabriel McCarrol Jr., Dawn Posey, Erin Toole
Williams, Selena Odom, Gloria Kellum-Bell and Milton Griggs. And
belated wishes to John Rogers, Jim Compton, Larry Englehart, Midge Kimberly,
Senabella Gill, Jim Stricklin, Kimberly Edmonds, Charles Walker, Eric Thomas,
Hank Meyer, Wanda J. Bishop. Susan Peters, Corky McClerkin, Nate Grant, Chef
Cordell McCray, Grace Lajoy Little, Daniel Hammond.
Congrats – to our own Carol Bell,
Defender’s
director of finance, one of a select dozen who received a distinguished Rhomania Torch Award from
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority at Everything that Blings! at
Chateau Del Mar. Spearheads: Bethel L. White, president; Carolyn G.
Palmer, chair; and Jacquelynn D. Thweatt-Pippen,
awards chair ... Real Men Cook for Charity, national Father’s Day initiative
co-founded by Yvette Moyo-Gillard, was honored at the
32nd Annual Drum Major for Justice Awards Dinner in Atlanta. It was given by
SCLC/Women’s Organizational Movement for Equality Now Inc. in memory of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. on the anniversary of his death. The
award was presented by Evelyn Gibson Lowery, founding chair.
Speak Up! – Atty. Thomas N.
Todd (“TNT”), one of the most popular commencement speakers at
Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.,
pastor emeritus of Trinity United Church of Christ; and author Farai Chideya
(prior to joining NPR’s “News & Notes,” she hosted a daily news and
cultural call-in show in San Francisco), are among featured speakers at the
25th anniversary of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators’ 28th
Annual National Conference, Saturday through Wednesday, here in Chicago.
Forum 2011, themed Building the
Legacy...Preparing for the Future, is being hosted by
NFBPA’s Chicago chapter. Over 1,500 persons are expected to attend. The public
is invited to attend a free public policy forum town hall meeting, “Mayoral
Forum,” on Sunday, 3 p.m.-5 p.m., at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel moderated by Donna Brazile,
political commentator. For more, visit www.nfbparchicgo.org or call (312)
458-9281.
More Newsy Names
– Common,
Chicago’s own hip hop icon and actor, hosts “Music & Martinis,” The Common
Ground Foundation Gala Party on April 16, 10 p.m.- 5 a.m., at Green Dolphin
Street, 2200 S. Ashland. Special invited guests: Morris Chestnut, Michelle
Williams and Brian White (from the stageplay What My Husband
Doesn’t Know.) Visit www.MusicAndMartinisLive.com ... Hats off to two of my fav-o-rite
radio guys, V-103’s Ramonski Luv and Joe Soto, who celebrated
“Year 7 of Togetherness” at the House of Blues ... Former gang member Wallace “Gator”
Bradley was cited by Urban Shake and Museum 44, the young adult
division of A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porters’ Museum, at One People, One
History, One Future.
Copyright 2011
Chicago Defender
