Black History
Charleston Eastside Civic, Community Leader and Business Owner Given Key to the City
CHARLESTON CHRONICLE — Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg May 26 in recognition of her service to the community as a business owner and for her civic engagement gave Mrs. Gladys Davis Powell Fludd the key to the city and proclaimed May 26 Gladys Davis Powell Fludd Day in the city. Mrs. Fludd turned 88 May 26.
By Barney Blakeney
Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg May 26 in recognition of her service to the community as a business owner and for her civic engagement gave Mrs. Gladys Davis Powell Fludd the key to the city and proclaimed May 26 Gladys Davis Powell Fludd Day in the city. Mrs. Fludd turned 88 May 26.
Mrs. Powell Fludd (seated), standing l-r Deborah Powell Anderson, Sandy Tecklenburg holding Mrs. Powell Fludd’s great grandson and Mayor John Tecklenburg
Mrs. Fludd and her late husband Paul Powell established Fair Deal Grocery in December 1953. Fair Deal Grocery is one of Eastside Charleston’s oldest consecutively operated neighborhood grocery businesses. The unprecedented flood of 2015 caused severe damage to the structure that served the Powell family three generations. It closed in January of 2016 to make repairs. That was the first time the store had closed beyond normal operating hours since first opening for business. It reopened Nov. 17, 2017 as Fair Deal Grocery “The Spot 47”.
The business was second home to the Powells and over the years Mrs. Powell Fludd served as neighborhood mom for her children and others, postmaster for residents and counsel to many who had less formal education than she. For many years she served as Democratic Party precinct officer for the area.
This article originally appeared in the Charleston Chronicle.
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Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
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Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
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IN MEMORIAM: William ‘Bill’ Patterson, 94
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
William “Bill” Patterson, 94, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025, at his home in Oakland, CA. He was born on May 19, 1931, to Marie Childress Patterson and William Benjamin Patterson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Dunbar High School and traveled to Oakland, California, in 1948. William Patterson graduated from San Francisco State University, earning both graduate and undergraduate degrees. He married Euradell “Dell” Patterson in 1961. Bill lovingly took care of his wife, Dell, until she died in 2020.
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
He served on the boards of Oakland’s Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and the Oakland Workforce Development Board.
He was a three-term president of the Oakland branch of the NAACP.
Bill was initiated in the Gamma Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
In 1997 Bill was appointed to the East Bay Utility District Board of Directors. William Patterson was the first African American Board President and served the board for 27 years.
Bill’s impact reached far beyond his various important and impactful positions.
Bill mentored politicians, athletes and young people. Among those he mentored and advised are legends Joe Morgan, Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood, and Lionel Wilson to name a few.
He is survived by his son, William David Patterson, and one sister, Sarah Ann Strickland, and a host of other family members and friends.
A celebration of life service will take place at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (Calvin Simmons Theater) on November 21, 2025, at 10 AM.
His services are being livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1250167107131991/
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Euradell and William Patterson scholarship fund TBA.
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