Black Judge Marvin Teer, Jr. of St. Louis, Missouri
August 15, 2008
Judge Marvin Teer, Jr. shows off the lamp he donated for a charitable organization
Mayor Slay Appoints New Municipal Judge
ST. LOUIS – Mayor Francis G. Slay today announced he has appointed Marvin Teer, Jr., as a Municipal Judge in the City of St. Louis. Judge Teer was an assistant city counselor and is the president of the Mound City Bar Association, one of the oldest African American bar associations west of the Mississippi River.
“Marvin Teer is a terrific lawyer. His experience as a prosecutor, assistant attorney general, and assistant city counselor will serve him well in his new capacity,” Slay said.
“I am very pleased that Mayor Slay had enough confidence to appoint me to this important position,” Judge Teer said. “I will make him and the City proud.”
Municipal judges hear cases ranging from traffic violations, to housing cases, to problem properties. It pays $70,694 per year.
Mound City Bar Association
PO Box 1543
St. Louis, MO 63188
Judge Marvin Teer, Jr.
President
4326 W. Pine Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63108
(314) 267-6132
Popularity: 2% [?]
Ann Peebles, “I Can’t Stand the Rain,” Makes St. Louis Native Shine
July 14, 2008
Ann Peebles was born in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, and she was discovered as a talent by Gene “Bowlegs” Miller of Hi Records during a 1968 trip to sit in singing with him at a Memphis, Tennessee, nightclub.
Peebles released many successful albums that were well received by the critics produced by Willie Mitchell on Hi Records in the 1970’s. Her music was drowned out by the crashing waves of the disco fad in the late 1970s.
Hi Records was eventually sold but Peebles hooked up with Willie Mitchell in 1989 for her comeback album called “Call Me.”
Her most recognizable song is titled: “I Can’t Stand the Rain
In 2006 she released the album Brand New Classics which consists of re-recordings of some of her songs in an acoustic style. Ann Peebles has been sampled by many Hip Hop artists, such as Missy Misdemeanor Elliot, Wu Tang Clan and RZA. In 1997, artist Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott recorded an interpolation of “I Can’t Stand the Rain,” entitled The Rain (Supa Dupa FLy), as the first single from her debut album Supa Dupa Fly. The single reached the top ten in the US and UK, peaking at number 3 in U.S. Billboard Hot Single Sales.
Want the original Ann Peebles album? There are a few left on Amazon.
Ann Peebles on YouTube
Want to check out Missy Elliott’s rendition?
Missy Elliott “The Rain”
Popularity: 21% [?]
Bruce R Watkins Kansas City, Missouri Leader and Successful Black Entrepreneur
July 14, 2008
Bruce R. Watkins was Kansas City’s first African Ameriican city council member and he also made a serious run for Kansas City mayor. Richard Berkley beat him, but make no mistake in that Watkins made a deep impact.
The impact was so deep that Kansas City considers Bruce R. Watkins as a local hero worthy of historic recognition. In his name and honor are the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center located in Kansas City and the Spriti of Freedom fountain.
Watkins stepfather was Theron B. (T.B.) Watkins, who married his mother, Olivia and adopted Bruce when he was a young boy. Theron served on the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners from 1941 to 1948. The T.B. Watkins Housing Complex was named after him and is located on 12th and Woodland for his hardwork and commitment to the community.
T.B. was big on rallying folks together to work on community projects such as the Kansas City clean-up campaign of 1940. He organized the Gateway Athletic Association to help the Kansas City youth by participating in sports and raised money through fundraisers for the construction of the Paseo branch of teh YMCA.
Bruce Watkins, who rose to become chairman of the Jackson County Democratic Committee, once followed in his father’s footsteps and actively served in the Republican Party.
As city councilman, Bruce successfully fought for civil rights issues by pushing for equal employment opportunities at city hall. He introduced Public Accommodations Ordinance No. 29153, which prohibited discrimination against African-Americans in all public business establishments, including restaurants, stores and theaters. The city council passed the ordinance on September 13, 1963. The ordinance was then subjected to a public referendum in one of the city’s most heated campaigns. The issue passed by 1700 votes on April 8, 1964.
Bruce was sworn in as a Jackson County Circuit Court Clerk in 1966, where he is credited with streamlining the office’s accounting system, investing idle funds, upgrading office equipment and establishing a businesslike approach to employee problems.
Bruce R. Watkins lost his battle with cancer in 1980 but his legacy still lives on. Undoubetedly, his own son, Bruce R. Watkins, Jr. is active in the Kansas City community and continues in his father’s footsteps as a successful businessman.
Popularity: 17% [?]
Theron Watkins Father of Bruce R Watkins Kansas City, Missouri
July 13, 2008
Theron Watkins (1877-1950), or T.B. Watkins, a prominent African American of Kansas City and father of local politician Bruce Watkins. Watkins was born near Indianapolis and came to Kansas City in 1909 as an undertaker and soon co-founder of Watkins Brothers Funeral Home at 1729 Lydia Avenue, which became “one of the most successful black businesses in Kansas City”. He became a leader and activist in the community starting in the 1910s and candidate for city alderman in 1921 and the Missouri legislature in 1944.
Excerpt taken from “Take Up the Black Man’s Burden: Kansas City’s African American Communities, 1865-1939″ (Hardcover)
by Charles E. Coulter (Author)
Popularity: 15% [?]
Missouri Association of Social Welfare Pass Phil Curls Resolution
January 21, 2008
Senator Yvonne Wilson presented SR 1244, honoring the late Phil Curls, who passed away a few days earlier.
Popularity: 14% [?]
Black Missourians Who Achieved Success Despite Obstacles
January 21, 2008
Black Missourians achieve fame in their fields. Among them were Clarence Gregg, known for his machine gun and smoke-consuming devices, John McClennand for sparktimers, oil pumps, and carburetors; and Robert H. Pennington for his railroad signals. Read more
Popularity: 22% [?]
