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Prop 1 would make SLPS salaries more competitive District officials say Proposition 1 on the April 5 ballot in the city will help them attract and retain better teachers.
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St. LouiS AmericAn The
CAC Audited MAR. 31 – APR. 6, 2016
november 20, 1943 – mArch 23, 2016
St. Louis mourns community leader Ida Woolfolk
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Vol. 86 No. 52 COMPLIMENTARY
Competition bridges cops and community 28 to Life basketball team beats St. Louis city officers By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American About 10 St. Louis city police officers walked out of the Marquette Park Recreation Center, 4025 Minnesota Ave., on Saturday, March 26 dripping with sweat and in shock at their loss on the basketball court.
n “It’s important to have something like this to show that everyone is human.” – VonDerrit Myers Sr.
“We definitely don’t like to lose,” said Sgt. Todd Ross of the Third Police District. “We are missing a few key players, but trust me they will be here next time.” The officers spent their Saturday afternoon facing off with a team of mentors and youth members of 28 to Life, an initiative that aims to empower the youth to be strong See 28, A8
‘We will never forget this incredible lady, educator and true civic treasure’ By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American The St. Louis region lost a treasure – one of its most brightly polished gems – with the sudden death of Ida Woolfolk on Wednesday, March 23, 2016. She was 72. “Requesting prayer for strength and comfort,” her daughter Sarah Woolfolk Edwards posted on Facebook. “My BFF, my queen, my mommy Ida Goodwin Woolfolk has passed away suddenly.” The cause of death was not immediately known, but recently she had experienced congestive heart issues, said her friend, Michael P. McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. McMillan said he had rushed to a hospital emergency room to see Ms. Woolfolk on many previous occasions. “She had beaten that kind of stuff so many times,” he said. One of three daughters born to B.W. and Myrtle Goodwin on November 20, 1943 and raised in the Ville neighborhood, she was baptized and reared in Kennerly Temple Church of God in Christ. She was a lifelong member of the historic church. “She was a great ambassador for her church and denomination and the Ida Woolfolk city as well,” said her friend Sherman George, St. Louis’ first black fire chief. After graduating from Sumner High School in 1961, she went on to Stowe Teachers College, where she pledged Delta Sigma Theta. She proudly carried these institutions on her shoulders as she made her way to the top of St. Louis’ civic ladder. She would be inducted into Sumner High School’s Hall of Fame alongside some of the city’s most famous native sons and daughters. n “This city will She worked for more than four decades in never see another the Saint Louis Public Schools. Her last position Ida Woolfolk.” was special assistant to the superintendent and director of community engagement and – Michael McMillan partnerships. She stayed on as a consultant for several years after her retirement. She also served as an adjunct instructor at Harris-Stowe State University, Washington University and Webster University at different points in her career. The final years of her life were spent sharing her time and talents with a host of community organizations, corporations, initiatives and nonprofits – including The St. Louis American Foundation. Donald M. Suggs, president of The St. Louis American Foundation and See IDA, A6
Photo by Wiley Price
Learning about healthy food Patrick Henry Elementary School early childhood students Andrehyiona Autoome, Gavin Bradford, Chaniya Blanks and Jerzy Bailey learned about healthy eating and how food gets to stores from teacher Kelly Valentine on March 30. Voters will have a chance to approve continued funding for the district’s early education programs by voting yes for Proposition 1 on the April 5 ballot.
Beyond Rx Outreach Michael Holmes is 2016 Lifetime Achiever in Health Care By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price
Michael Holmes, founder and board chair at Rx Outreach, hosted U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill at the non-profit pharmacy’s production center, along with his successor as company president, Darryl Munden, on July 31, 2015.
Michael Holmes, who will turn 58 this summer, is on the young side for a Lifetime Achievement in Health Care award, which he will receive from the St. Louis American Foundation at a luncheon on Friday, April 29. “I’m too young,” he said, “and I’m not done yet.” He had only recently turned 50 when he heeded a call from God to leave corporate America after 30 years. Holmes previously was honored as Corporate Executive of the Year by the foundation at its inaugural Salute to Excellence in Business Luncheon in 2000, making him a first major dual awardee. He left an executive position at Express Scripts in 2010 to found a non-profit pharmacy as a spinoff. Rx Outreach is an option for individuals and families who earn up to 300 percent of the poverty line. It fills prescriptions in 45 therapeutic categories, and many of See HOLMES, A8