By Emily R. Evans
“A legacy of Leadership” Preserving the past and gifting the future!
On Saturday , October 11, the African-American Legacy Project held its annual Legends luncheon at The Pinnacle and inducted six noteworthy Toledoans into the Legends Hall.
The program started off with a musical interlude as everyone singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” followed by a welcome by emcees Kristian Brown of 13abc news and Marsha Bonhart, a Scott High School graduate, veteran newscaster and media consultant.
This year’s Legends were introduced and presented their Kente cloths by their attendees.
Musical selections were offered by Vicky Simpson, an invocation by Minister Bill Harris of Rapture Ministries and lunch was served while songs were sung and remarks were made by Romulus Durant, EdD, superintendent at Toledo Public school.
This year’s Legends are:
Cecelia M. Adams, PhD, is a native of Toledo, Ohio and product of Toledo Public schools, Adams continued onto higher education, earning a bachelor of science degree in biological sciences and chemistry from Mary Mann College, a master of education, education specialist and a PhD in educational administration and supervision. At the age of 21, Adams began teaching. She taught science in the Toledo public school system for the next 14 years. In 2011 she began serving on TPS school board and in 2015 began service on the Toledo City Council..
Laneta Goings was born and raised in Toledo graduating from Libby High School and the University of Toledo with the bachelor of arts degree as a nontraditional student in 1974. she joined the Toledo Blade and retired as vice president of the Blade foundation in 2001 and as a realtor in 2023. She received a 2018 Realtor community service awards and the 2014 national Association of Realtor Good Neighbor Award. Goings is a president and cofounder of Books4 Buddies Incorporated, a global nonprofit, giving free books for boys and young men to inspire them to become lifelong readers.
J.D. Jackson, at age 12, won the Toledo blade Christmas coloring contest amongst 6,000 entries. He was recipient of numerous Toledo art grants and awards throughout his middle and high school years. Jackson completed his undergraduate degree in 1970 and fine arts at Bowling Green State University school of art as a postgraduate student at Michigan State University. he earned his MSA in 1972 and visual art/painting and drawing he studied under American regional painter and the photographer John S. Martelly.
Jackson’s career has produced a long list of recognition and awards for his work, exhibited in galleries and museums nationally, including lots, Toledo Museum of art, the farms Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio, the KRESGE Art Museum, East Lansing, Michigan, the CINQUE Gallery, New York and the Columbus Museum of Art he was invited to New Delhi India by national poet Darshan , to create a series of motive for a 15 – volume anthology with international recognition?
Richard Jackson, a native of toledo, attended Toledo public schools and graduated from St. Francis de Sales High School where he excelled in athletics. He obtained his bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Toledo, specializing in education in public school administration, and supervision. Jackson continued his schooling at Bowling Green State university, where he earned his superintendent certificate.
He spent 31 years as an administrator with TPS from assistant principal to assistant superintendent.
Dr. Warren Marshall, DDS, is a 1966 graduate of Jesup W. Scott High school. He earned his undergraduate degree from Texas Southern university in Houston, Texas and his doctorate of dental surgery from the Meharry Medical College, School of Dentistry, in Nashville, Tennessee in 1977. He was in the United States Air Force from 1966 to 1970 as an enlisted airman an air traffic coordinator. After graduating from this school, he was commissioned as captain in the US and served as a dental officer in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1977 to 1980.
Dr. Marshall remained active in the community and his church, he gave presentations at local schools in churches on dental health and history of African-American dentists here in Toledo. He spent more than 25 years officiating basketball games at all levels. Now retired, he continues to inspire others with his humility, wisdom, and service mind of spirit.
Flute Rice, awarded posthumously, was the grandson of one of the first African American state legislators in Alabama during reconstruction. Rice was born on June 1 at 1930 in a family of 14 children in Huntsville Alabama. After serving an unblemished career in the military, Rice migrated to Toledo in 1956 with an undergraduate degree from Alabama A&M university. Rice did not just improve the standard, he set the standard as the first African American principal of Scott High School, he transformed the culture, inspiring students to dream big, set goals and achieve them.
“Today is the greatest example of why we challenge the unchallengeable. The men and women we honor eloquently represent not just our past but our future. They represent the epitome of our community. They represent what we aspire to be. They represent what we want our kids to aspire to be. We are grateful for the lives they have led and for allowing us to share their stories today and far into the future,” wrote Robert Smith, founder and president of the African American Legacy Project.
