Tricia Hall
The Truth Reporter
Community leaders, officials and neighborhood organizations gathered to celebrate six individuals and a community organization that were honored. Friday’s hospitality reception launched the celebration, that concluded with the annual Saturday legends luncheon.
The celebration honored: John Rudley, PhD, Norman Bell, Marsha Bonhart, Derrick Clay, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Toledo Chapter and two posthumous honors to David Carter and Jack Ford.
“Twenty years is a blessing,” began Robert Smith, African American Legacy founder and executive director. “We have embraced and shared our history and rebuilt the community.”
Friday’s reception served as an official welcome to the 2024 honorees that would receive a personalized Kente cloth during Saturday’s luncheon. The honorees lined up as a designee escorted them from the rear of the room to the front. Two individuals read the bios of each honoree as the honoree’s designee bestowed the personalized Kente cloth.
“I feel honored that our sorority and chapter was inducted into the hall of fame,” said Ambershaun Byrd, Delta Sigma Theta Toledo Chapter president. “We will continue our legacy of service which began with Beta Lambda Chapter. I’m excited, as the chapter president, to continue our focus on community service and social action through voter education and voter registration. We also plan to continue our focus on awarding scholarships. I am proud to be apart of this dynamic sisterhood of women who have served as trailblazers in our community.”
“I am still humbled by this experience,” began Marsha Bonhart. “This is my home. Yes, I have lived in different cities, but I am proud and surprised by this honor.
The 2024 honorees: musical legend, David Delano Carter; business advocate legend, Derrick Clay; Toledo’s first black mayor legend, Jack Ford; professor of business legend, John Rudley, PhD; mass communications legend, Marsha Bonhart and civic engagement legend, Norman Bell.
David Carter was a native of Newton, Georgia born in 1927. He was a musician and music educator with a long history of providing music education and music direction. He acquired a certificate from Bowling Green State University to teach music in the Toledo Public School System while also earning his masters of Education degree from the University of Toledo in 1974.
As an educator Carter taught various subjects at Robinson Junior High School, Parkland Junior High School and Blessed Sacrament school.
Carter served as director of choral music at Scott High School in 1962. Under his direction, Scott choirs improved their performance each year at the annual May Festival, with performances of the Christmas and Easter portions of Handel’s Messiah taking top honors in the Ohio Choral music competitions.
In 1975, his Start High School Royal Choir represented the United States in a 23-day concert tour of Poland.
His most progound legacy has been the David Carter Symphonic Choir founded in 1985, first organized as the Scott High School Alumni Choir. This choir performed with the Toledo Symphony and Perrysburg Symphony Orchestras, Toledo Symphony Chorale and the Toledo Opera Chorus. Most notably, the choir commissioned and performed, MAKEDA Queen of Sheba.
Derrick R. Clay is a respected statewide business leader, experienced lobbyist, political strategist and community advocate with a strong background in government relations and economic development. He has worked with local, state, and federal leaders throughout the country to address legislative and regulatory concerns for clients in various industries.
His expertise lies in assisting clients with legislative and regulatory matters, leveraging his deep understanding of the political landscape to achieve their objectives. He has counseled several corporations and organizations such as Google, AT&T, Sherwin Williams and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, showcasing his versatility and business acumen. Derrick has also been involved in several high-profile development projects in Central Ohio. Additionally, he has served and led several high-profile boards in the Columbus region, further solidifying his commitment to the community.
Throughout his career, Clay has held leadership positions in both the public and private sectors. He served as Midwest Political Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Ohio State Director for the Gore Lieberman Presidential Campaign. He has received numerous awards for his work, including being named one of Ebony Magazine’s 30 Young Leaders of the Future.
John M. Rudley, PhD, a native of Benton Harbor, Michigan arrived in the mid 1960s on a basketball scholarship at the University of Toledo and became an outstanding point guard on the team.
Rudley has held numerous leadership positions in higher education, including vice chancellor for Business and Finance at the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest system of post secondary education in the nation.
He also served with distinction at the highest level of education in the nation when he served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, Secretary Lamar Alexander, in responding to the requirements of the Chief Financial Officer Act of 1990. Recommendations for organizational changes were developed, including the creation of an accounting and financial management services division and the completion of the first auditable financial report (in conjunction with the General Accounting Office) for the U.S. Department of Education, as well as plans for the consolidation of the Budget Formulation, Budget Execution and the Financial Management Services of the Department.
Rudley served as the 11th president of Texas Southern University (TSU), one of the largest public historically black college and universities (HBCU) in the nation, which is located in Houston, Texas, the fourth largest metropolitan region in the country.
Prior to joining Texas Southern University, Rudley served as Interim Chancellor of the University of Houston System and Interim President of the University of Houston, Texas’ premier public metropolitan research and teaching institution. He also served six years at that institution as vice chancellor/vice president for administration and finance.
Marsha Bonhart is a veteran of radio and television news, stemming from her days working in Toledo, Ohio, Dayton and Los Angeles. Retired as the director of media and public relations for Dayton Public Schools, she handles PR and media for local clients.
Bonhart was born in Toledo, Ohio. She graduated from Scott High School in 1969 and attended Ohio University. She started her career working in local television and radio stations in Toledo, Ohio and then moved Dayton, Ohio about 150 miles south in 1980 making it her new home.
In Dayton, Ohio she started as a weekend anchor and then quickly moved further down the path as a co-anchor (where she told the news during the week with another anchor). She then moved to Los Angeles, California where she was a health reporter and weekend anchor.
In 1988, Bonhart returned to Dayton and worked at WDTN. She was an anchor and health reporter at the Dayton news station telling local stories for 27 years! She was often one of the few, or only black female anchors on screen giving a voice to those who may not always be represented.
Bonhart received many awards and honors for her work as a journalist. She won the Ohio Public Images Award in 1993 and 2004 for producing stories about people with developmental disabilities. She was selected as one of the Dayton Daily News’ Ten Top Women in 2003 and has earned the YWCA Award for Personal Achievement and Community Involvement as well as “Top 15 Friends” award from Artemis Center for Alternatives to Domestic Violence. Her work was also nominated for an Emmy! An ‘Emmy Award’ honors the highest excellence in television.
Norman Bell was born in Baton Rouge. Son of Major Bell and Ernestine (Thomas) Lee. He earned a bachelor of science at Southern University in Baton Rouge in 1956 before moving to Toledo with his wife Ora.
Norman and Ora raised four boys: Michael P. (who became the Toledo’s fire chief and mayor), Keith M., Norman A., Shawn F.
Norman joined Supreme Liberty Life Insurance Company and, a year later, became a deputy recorder with Lucas County Court before joining the City of Toledo as a deputy bailiff in 1959.
Bell stayed with the City of Toledo. He became a conservation technician, a finance assistance manager, a chief equal employment officer, an executive director of the Board of Community Relations before joining the City’s Community Development department in 1974. Bell has been listed as a noteworthy municipal administrator by Marquis Who’s Who.
In addition to his municipal contributions, he has been a longstanding community leader, Norman Bell has been involved with a number of community associations over the years.
He has served on the board directors for Northwest Ohio Food Bank, Toledo, since 1988; the Neighborhood Improvement Association, Toledo, since 1988; the board of directors for Warren Sherman Development Corporation, Toledo; board of directors for Toledo Sister Cities
Ford, a native of Springfield, Ohio, earned an undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University, which he attended on a football scholarship, and a master’s in public administration and a law degree from the University of Toledo.
He stayed in Toledo and taught at UT for more than two decades and later at Bowling Green State University and at Owens Community College. During his work in social services he founded two substance abuse clinics – SASI and Adelante.
Entering politics in the early 1990s, Ford was elected to Toledo City Council, the Ohio House of Representatives where he has Democratic Party leader during the last three of his seven years. He was elected mayor of the City of Toledo and, later, became a member of the Toledo Board of Education and a member of City Council again.
His legacy includes originating lead abatement policies, a smoking ban in public places, medication education for the elderly, among others.
