Community
The Beacon Deacon: Gussie Reese
Every once in a while, we will have an encounter with a person that goes beyond meeting someone for the very first time and from that point forward, becoming lasting friends. How do I know? Because in 1992, at a Saint John District Association training session at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, Sacramento, CA, I was introduced to Sister Gussie Reese.
Soon to be 95 years old, her memory is sharp and likened to the prized reference books located in my personal library.
What, I do is, mention a general topic, and she provides all of the first-hand specifics. Taken from, an article by, Alex Breitler, January 18th, 2009; reported in the, Stockton Record, newspaper, titled, ‘Journey Of A Lifetime,’ “Sister Reese and her classmates, in the segregated, Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, learned to read from schoolbooks whose binding were broken, whose pages were scribbled upon and torn. The books were castoffs from white-only schools.”
An only child, Sister Gussie has a fond and vivid memory of her mother, Lula B., and grandmother, Anita, who she talks about them with great passion. She was brought up attending Saint James Baptist Church in Birmingham, as well as Dunbar and Industrial high schools.
After receiving a scholarship to attend Miles College, her first teaching position after graduating was at a Church School in Greensboro, Mississippi.
In 1951, Sister Reese worked at McClellan Air Field in Sacramento, where she saw a poster, announcing overseas placement opportunities. With a chuckle, she says, “I went directly to the personnel office and requested and application.”
The personnel clerk was baffled by the request and informed Sister Reese that there were no positions for her current classification, with the U.S. Armed Forces Institute, (USAFI). Following a brief, but stern discussion on the matter, the clerk surrendered the application.
After submitting the completed application, and without a response, a few weeks having passed; Sister Reese, returned to the personnel office, and asked, ”Had there been any discrepancies with my submitted app?” The young fellow searched, but could not locate the document.
Sister Reese, pointing her finger toward the clerk, said, “I submitted my app to her, weeks ago!” Needless to say, another application was completed that day, and within two weeks, she was assigned to Japan, a first and only.
Quoting from the earlier mentioned, Alex Breitler article, “She broke her own color barrier in Stockton in 1956, when she became the city’s first secondary-school black teacher at Edison High School.” She retired in 1979. In this writer’s opinion, Sister Reese is an extraordinary human being.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
City Government
Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Special to The Post
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.
Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”
According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.
“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”
When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.
At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”
While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.
On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.
“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.
The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.
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