|
|
|
|
The Glass Key
Awards: Toledo’s History on Display
Special to La Prensa
by Sojourner’s Truth Staff
An
in-depth lesson in local history took place on Tuesday, December
29, 2009, at the Inverness Club.
On
that day, outgoing Mayor Carty S. Finkbeiner, 70,
presented the Glass Key Awards to 14 individuals and 15
families in a ceremony dubbed the Toledo Glass Key Awards.
The
reception, attended by more than 300 people, was the mayor’s
valedictory event after a lifetime of public service and offered
him the opportunity to honor families and individuals who have
been so instrumental in making Toledo the city it is today. |
Ruth Gonzalez |
|
The
Sylvestre González family was honored.
Ronald García, Mr. & Mrs. Frederick
García, Mrs. & Mrs. Teri Mohler, Mr.
Joe García, Ms. Suzie Mendoza,
John García, Ms. Alice Sutton, Mr. & Mrs. Raymond
Garcia were in attendance at the Awards.
The
family moved to Toledo from México (by way of Nebraska) in 1932,
and consisted of: father Sylvestre and mother María
Rojas González and eventually children:
Ruth García, Aurora González, María Sue Campos, Sister María
José, Salud Cortez, Francisco, Mercy, Manuel, Federico, Pedro,
Antonio, Remedios, Eleanor, Josafina, Sylvestre, and Joseph.
Many of these siblings were instrumental in the shaping of
Toledo.
María
Rojas González
was active in the SS. Peter and Paul Parish. Sylvestre
González had been a colonel in Pancho Villa’s
Revolutionary Army in México.
Ruth
González de García
was present for the Awards ceremony with family. She had been
previously honored with the César Chávez Humanitarian Award
presented by Adelante, Inc. in 2008. In 2009, she was inducted
into the
Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame.
A nearby stretch of South
Avenue between Broadway and the Anthony Wayne Trail honors Ruth,
who also
encouraged voter registration and civic participation. Her voter
registration drive in the Latino community is credited with
having helped elect Marcy Kaptur to her first term in
Congress—in November of 1982.
Ruth helped immigrants find housing, employment,
and loans. Additionally, she helped new residents with medical
needs, legal court interpretation, income tax filing, and
several other citizenship-related issues. She was very
supportive of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, based
in Toledo, and attended many of its rallies and marches.
|
|
She successfully lobbied to erect “El Centro Unico,” a
community center for neighborhood children and senior citizens.
The site was later re-named the Aurora González Community and
Family Outreach Center for her sister, the late Aurora
González. She and her sister, Aurora, also circulated a
neighborhood newsletter for a period of years called “La Voz
del Barrio.”
Aurora was the first Latina elected to the Ohio
Women’s Hall of Fame after her untimely death in 1984.
The
late María Sue Campos worked for EOPA [Economic
Opportunity Planning Association] and, for many years,
functioned as a translator for the courts and migrant centers.
On March 31, 2005, she was awarded the César Chávez
Humanitarian Award by Adelante, Inc. and the Latino Student
Union of the University of Toledo for “giving of herself
unselfishly to ensure that Latino children, youth, families, and
community had equal access to services, education, and economic
opportunities.”
Sister María José
is 90, and according to Ruth’s son Fred García, she is
the last Ursuline nun who still works in her habit.
|
Sue Campos |
|
Salud
(Sally) González de Cortez
has made working with Seniors a cornerstone of her life.
Billie Johnson
of the Area Office on Aging was one of eight presenters for the
awardees. During her introduction of the González family,
Johnson noted that the family had long been “committed to making
the city a better place for all of us to live and in improving
opportunities for children, families, and seniors.”
Jack
Ford, et al.
The
Fords – Jack and Cynthia who host Coffee with the Fords
on WGTV – were honored as a family along with, among others, the
Armstrongs, the Adams and a trio of African-American pastors who
have led their churches for a total of about a century and a
half – Revs. I.J. Johnson of St. Marks Missionary Baptist,
Robert Culp of The First Church of God and John E. Roberts of
Indiana Avenue Missionary Baptist.
“You
probably better than anyone in here know the irony of our
receiving this award tonight here as you make your exit,” said
former Mayor Jack Ford, both a long-time ally and
opponent of Finkbeiner. “It’s been 35 years of a long run
between us and I will let it go at that.”
The
Armstrong family includes U.S. Magistrate Vernelis
Armstrong, who was sworn into her post in 1994 and her son, Dr.
Anthony Armstrong, MD, a past president of the Academy of
Medicine of Toledo and Lucas County.
|
|
Samantha Adams
was the first minority woman to be certified by the Ohio State
Medical Board as a chiropractor and is still the only
African-American chiropractor in Toledo. She is also a former
president of the Toledo Board of Education
Her
three daughters are Dr. Karen Adams-Ferguson, an
obstetrician-gynecologist and Cecelia Adams and Denise Adams
Onyia, both former Toledo Public School administrators. They
also comprise the family’s popular gospel group.
|
Various attendees |
|
As to
the trio of African-American ministers, “These three among them
have led their families for a century and a half,” said
Finkbeiner in his introduction. “The crises they had had to deal
with are unbelievable. For decades [in the African-American
community] there was no one to call on but the ministers.”
“What
a joy it is to be included,” said Culp speaking for the three
ministers. “The history of a community is but the biography of a
few men and women. Our reward is all about you.”
The
other families honored during the evening included: Frs.
Robert and Martin Donnelly, Roman Catholic priests; the
Savage Family, who helped lead fund-raising efforts for a
University of Toledo facility and who have founded one of the
nation’s largest insurance and financial investment firms; the
Andersons of The Andersons Inc; Tom and Betsy Brady
of Plastic Technologies, Inc; Ann and Steve Stranahan of
the Stranahan Foundation; the Ruppert family of Anne Grady
Corp’s Prescribed Pediatric Center and the Medical College of
Ohio; the Yenrick Family (Robert has coached sports in
Toledo for more than 60 years); the McMaster family of
First Solar, Inc and the Block family of The Blade and
Block Communications.
“Our
role is not always to the liking of everyone in town or here,”
said John Robinson Block in accepting the award for his
family who gained ownership of The Blade in 1926. “But I
sincerely hope that over time it’s generally recognized that
we’ve been fair and have practiced journalism in a way that I
think leads to the betterment of the city of Toledo.”
Individuals honored
The individuals honored included a number of minorities:
Baldemar Velásquez, Theresa M. Gabriel, Juanita Greene, Crystal
Ellis, Judge Charles Doneghy, and Yehia “John” Shousher.
Other
individual recipients included: U.S. Congresswoman Marcy
Kaptur, Jim Murray, Bruce Baumhower,
Justice Andy Douglas, James Hoffman,
retired Judge Andy
Devine, Edward Reiter, George Jones III, and Jan Kilbride.
Baldemar Velásquez
“Baldemar Velásquez has worked ceaselessly for
the cause of human rights and has been a powerful force for
progressive change,” said presenter Keith Burwell,
president of Toledo Community Foundation, of the founder and
president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC). |
|
Velásquez arrived in northwest Ohio from Texas with his migrant
farmworker parents and eight siblings in 1954, eventually
settling in Putnam County. The first member of his family to
graduate from college, Velásquez co-founded FLOC in 1967 while
still in college.
Judge Charles Doneghy
“Judge Charles Doneghy has spent his entire life advancing the
cause of justice,” said attorney Fritz Byers in his
introduction of the long-time jurist. “He has a deep commitment
to the rights of all citizens and is the embodiment of decency
and humility – an inspiration to us all.”
|
Judge Charles Doneghy and wife Lera |
|
Doneghy earned his law degree from the University of Toledo’s
Law School in 1965 and after several years in private practice
became a judge in Toledo Municipal Court in 1977 and was
appointed to the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas in 1984. He
has been elected in 1994, 2000, and 2006 to six-year terms.
Judge
Doneghy was a long time friend, associate, law partner, and
fellow judge of the late Judge Joseph A. Flores.
U.S. Congresswoman
Marcy Kaptur
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur has been extremely instrumental to
the development of Toledo and its Latino community since being
elected to office in 1982. |
|
Gabriel and Greene
“These two have made a huge difference,” said Finkbeiner of
Gabriel and Greene, both of whom serve in his administration.
“I
was able to change lives,” said Greene, executive director of
the Board of Community Relations in her acceptance of the award.
Greene. A former banker, Greene joined city government in 2000
as housing commissioner before becoming director of the BCR
|
Gonzalez Family |
|
Gabriel has been in public service for her entire career joining
the Ohio Department of Welfare as a PBX operator in 1957. In
1998 she was appointed director of the Department of Streets,
Bridges and Harbor. When Finkbeiner returned to the mayor’s
office in 2006, Gabriel was appointed director of Human
Resources and was named assistant chief of staff in 2008.
“I
feel a little embarrassed,” said Ellis in accepting his award.
“This community has given me so much richness and so much
quality of life.”
Ellis, after a stint with the YMCA, joined Toledo Public Schools
in 1969 as a teacher and rose through the ranks to eventually be
named superintendent of the district in 1991. He retired in
1996, but the interim years have seen him repeatedly called back
to serve in a variety of positions with TPS. The district just
can’t seem to move on without the former basketball star. He
just can’t seem to say no.
“My
richness was in giving not receiving,” said Ellis.
Editor’s Note: Rico of La Prensa and La Prensa
Senior Correspondent Alan Abrams contributed to this report. See
more details on the Internet:
http://www.laprensatoledo.com/Stories/2006/April%205,%202006/Baldemar%20Velasquez%20honored.htm
http://www.laprensatoledo.com/Photo%20Pages/Chavez%202005/Chavez%20Humanitarian%20Award%202005%20photos.htm
http://www.laprensatoledo.com/Stories/2008/040408/Adelante.htm
http://www.laprensatoledo.com/Stories/2009/092309/Ruth.htm
http://www.laprensatoledo.com/Stories/2008/032808/Garcia.htm
http://www.odjfs.state.oh.us/women/halloffame/search_result.asp
|
|
|
|
|
|
