Dangers of water play @stlouisamerican
Learn about the dangers of water play over the Labor Day weekend from St. Louis American’s Medical Accuracy editor, Dr. Denise Hooks-Anderson.
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Video at www.stlamerican.com/video
St. LouiS AmericAn The
CAC Audited AUG. 30 – SEPT. 5, 2018
stlamerican.com
Vol. 90 No. 23 COMPLIMENTARY
Pioneering physician and surgeon Dr. James Whittico Jr. passes at 102 november 18, 1915 – AuguSt 21, 2018
Ran first black multidisciplinary practice in St. Louis By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American The St. Louis community lost a giant on Tuesday, August 21, 2018 with the passing of Dr. James Whittico Jr. He was 102. A colleague once joked that, “Dr. Whittico delivered Jesus.” At the time he had nearly 60
Dr. James M. Whittico Jr. was presented with a surprise 100th birthday party by the Mound City Medical Forum on October 24, 2015 as part of its annual scholarship banquet. Dr. Whittico, who passed on August 21 at 102, was the fourth African American in St. Louis to be named a fellow for the American College of Surgeons and the first African American named a full clinical professor at any medical school in St. Louis.
years of experience in the St. Louis region as a pioneering healthcare provider. When he retired at the ripe age of 99, he had been serving St. Louis through his ministry of medicine for 65 years. “He has an aristocracy of the mind See WHITTICO, A7
Homegrown Black Males
Counselor, early childhood educator honored at Salute
When black men stop smiling By Stefan Bradley For The St. Louis American Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis. “How’s the team going to be this year?” was one of the first questions I heard as I began my college career at a private predominantly white institution (PWI). To be fair, I am relatively tall, so I accommodated the query of the friendly white student. I said that the team would be great and that we had a lot Stefan of men who could drive well Bradley and put it in the hole. When the curious student said, “See you on the court,” I corrected him, saying, “You mean you’ll see me on the course, right?” I explained that I assumed he was wondering how the golf team was going to be this year. Life for black males seeking education at PWIs can be extremely enriching yet equally precarious. It requires moderation and measurement regarding their ability to express themselves and maintain their dignity. See MEN, A7
Kurly Taylor and Andrea Scott recognized at gala on Sept. 29 By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price
Back to School at Harris-Stowe
‘It’s not just a job for him’
Zariah Ware, a public relations and campus activities board member, line dances with students at Harris-Stowe’s ‘Back to School Rally’ on Wednesday, August 22.
So that right there kind of gives you some ambition to want to change something.” Seymore found out about the Fathers Support Center at a critical point in his life. He and his “future wife,” as he calls her, were raising their two sons – then 1 and 3 – in a rundown place in North St. Louis.
Something students recognize right away about Kurly Taylor, a college advisor at Riverview Gardens Senior High School, is that he sees them for who they are, said senior Michael Crymes. “One of things that I most admire about Mr. Taylor is that he knows everyone’s names,” Kurly Crymes said. “That means a lot. Taylor He takes the time out of his day to get to know us. It’s not just a job for him. It’s more like a passion to do what’s best for us and to help us.” Taylor, a University of Missouri Kansas City graduate, is a part of the Missouri College Advising Corps (MCAC), which is a two-year program for recent college graduates who want to make a difference and help Andrea students with college access Scott programs. Taylor said he had a MCAC advisor who he still keeps in contact with and who pushed him in the counseling direction. Being at Riverview Gardens, he said the thing that initially surprised him the most about being a counselor was what students go through on a daily basis.
See FATHERS, A6
See SALUTE, A6
Homegrown Black Males
‘He just needed someone to point him in the right direction’ Fathers Support Center helped Mark Seymore double his income By Jordan Wade For The St. Louis American Mark Seymore grew up in a neighborhood that police have labeled as one of the highest crime areas in the region, around Page and Goodfellow boulevards in North St. Louis. “There wasn’t a lot of role models or anything positive to follow,” Seymore said. “It was extremely rough for me because it
seems like all the easy routes were the routes I was trying to avoid.” But he has always prided himself on having the courage to go his own way and stay out of trouble. Life was a struggle for his single mother to raise his three brothers, sister and him, he said. “We went without lights and water sometimes,” he said. “I know she struggled to put food on the table and clothes on our back.
Two young, black and passionate educators – a 24-year-old college advisor at Riverview Gardens Senior High School and a 28-year-old lead teacher at William L. Clay Sr. Early Childhood Development/ Parenting Center – will be honored for their work at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2018 Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards Gala on Saturday, September 29. Riverview’s Kurly Taylor will receive the SEMO Counselor of the Year Award, and the Clay center’s Andrea Scott will receive the PNC Early Childhood Educator of the Year Award.