ADRIA DUNN-HARRIS – Educator | Professional Violinist | Music Administrator | Minister of the Gospel
For more than three decades, Dr. Adria Dunn-Harris has demonstrated what becomes possible when education, music, and faith are not separate callings, but parts of one life devoted to service.
Dr. Dunn-Harris has spent 31 years in public education, including 27 years in the classroom, and throughout her career she has been a passionate advocate for fine arts education, believing that music and the arts belong at the center of a child’s educational experience rather than at its margins; today, as a fine arts music administrator, she is able to extend that commitment beyond a single classroom and influence music education on a broader scale.
Her commitment to students has always extended beyond instruction. Recognizing the transformative power of music, Dr. Dunn-Harris has established summer music camps designed to make music accessible to students who might otherwise never have the opportunity to learn an instrument, and her impact can also be measured through the students she has taught, many of whom have gone on to become educators and performers themselves, with several having the opportunity to share a performance stage with the teacher who helped begin their musical journey.
But Dr. Dunn-Harris has never advocated for music solely from the classroom. She has lived it. A professional violinist, she has been a member of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra for 35 years, and her performance career has also included the El Paso Opera, Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra, Juárez Symphony Orchestra, and Roswell Symphony Orchestra, along with conducting multiple regional orchestras throughout Texas and New Mexico. Her professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association, where she serves as Region 22 Secretary, the Texas Orchestra Directors Association, and the American Federation of Musicians.
Her academic journey reflects the same commitment to excellence; Dr. Dunn-Harris holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, a degree that complements her years of classroom experience and her current role as a fine arts music administrator, allowing her to advocate for the arts not only as a musician, but as an educational leader.
Alongside education and music, ministry has been another enduring part of her life. Dr. Dunn-Harris has ministered throughout the United States through both word and song, and her service has included years of volunteering with churches and music departments, as well as helping distribute truckloads of food to families in need during the COVID-19 shutdown, a ministry that reflects the same principle that has characterized her work in education: using what she has been given to serve others. Within the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, she has served in numerous leadership capacities, including Minister and Director of Music at the local and regional levels, Regional/Tri-State Christian Education Director, Regional/Tri-State Young People’s Director, and Assistant Secretary of the Young People’s Department.
Her contributions have been recognized across the educational and arts communities, including Teacher of the Year at the campus level, Elite 8 Educator at the district level, and Black El Paso Voice Fine Arts Professional of the Year, honors that reflect different aspects of the same body of work: a career dedicated to helping people discover their ability, developing talent, and making music accessible as a source of education, expression, and service.
What makes Dr. Dunn-Harris’s legacy especially significant is its generational reach. A teacher’s influence can sometimes be measured by the students sitting in a classroom; hers can be measured years later, when those students become educators and performers themselves, carrying forward lessons and opportunities they first encountered through her, and some have even returned to share the stage with the teacher who once taught them. That is a legacy that continues to reproduce itself.
In the concert hall, she has performed and conducted. In the classroom, she has educated. In administration, she has advocated. In the church, she has ministered. And in the community, she has served.
Dr. Adria Dunn-Harris represents a rare convergence of professional musicianship, educational leadership, and ministry; her 31 years in public education, 35 years with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, years of ministry, and continued advocacy for fine arts have created a body of work that reaches far beyond any single position or institution. Her story is ultimately not about how many roles she has held, but about what she has done with each one: she has used education to open doors, music to inspire, leadership to expand opportunity, and faith and service to give back.
For generations of students, musicians, educators, churches, and communities, Dr. Adria Dunn-Harris has demonstrated that the arts can educate, music can transform, and service can become a lifelong legacy.
BISHOP RICHARD L. JOHNSON
Bishop Richard L. Johnson was called to preach as a teenager at his home church in East Orange, New Jersey, long before he had any reason to believe that calling would lead him to El Paso. In 1965, the Army drafted him and stationed him there instead; two years later, on January 13, 1968, he married Adele Yvonne Carr, and though he couldn’t say when or where, he told her from early on that he knew God had called him to pastor.
For nineteen years, Bishop Johnson served under his father-in-law, Pastor Clayton Carr, as organist, minister of music, assistant Sunday School superintendent, and assistant to the pastor, while also holding corporate positions with the Bell System, now AT&T. God used those nineteen years to cultivate in him the vision for what would become Christ Cathedral New Life Worship Center; in January 1988, after a season of fasting and prayer, he received confirmation that the time was now and El Paso was the place.
Destiny Church began on February 18, 1988, in the living room of the Johnson family home with five members: Bishop Johnson, his wife, and their three children, Pastor Richard C. Johnson, then 18, Dr. Keith Johnson, then 16, and Pastor Karen Dykes, then 8. The church quickly outgrew the house and relocated to the Vista Del Sol Conference Center on April 3, 1988, then to a shopping center storefront at 9477 Dyer Street, where services began the first Sunday of January 1989. As the congregation grew, God supplied the resources to purchase the church’s own building at 9615 Dyer Street on August 12, 1993, the same address the church calls home today. The ministry’s name changed to Destiny Family Christian Center in September 2005 and to Destiny Church in 2021.
Bishop Johnson has preached the gospel for more than 50 years, gifted, he believes, with faith for miracles, healing, and compassion alongside an anointed preaching ministry. He was ordained by Bishop James A. Johnson during the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World National Conference in New Orleans on August 7, 1991; in December 1995, the church board unanimously elected to become an independent, non-denominational church. Bishop Johnson later received a second ordination from Bishop T. D. Jakes in Dallas on October 12, 2002, and remains submitted to Bishop Jakes’ pastoral covering as a member of The Potter’s House International Pastors’ Alliance.
His experience with church growth reaches back to childhood, to a congregation that once met in the basement of his parents’ home in Orange, New Jersey, a beginning that, in hindsight, prepared him early for the work of building Destiny Church from a living room into a lasting institution.
ADELE Y. JOHNSON
Adele Y. Johnson was born in 1949 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the late Pastor Clayton and Carmi Pettiford Carr, the fourth generation in her family called to ministry; that inheritance would come to define nearly everything that followed. She has spent 58 years as the wife of Richard L. Johnson, a respected bishop and spiritual leader, and thirty-eight years ago the two of them co-founded Destiny Church at 9615 Dyer Street, a congregation that has grown into a beacon of hope in Northeast El Paso. First Lady Adele, as she is affectionately known, credits God for Destiny’s ability to nurture and build faith in countless families, holding fast to the church’s guiding line: “More than a church, we are family.”
Alongside her ministry, Lady Adele built a 47-year career as a licensed realtor, work that let her negotiate the purchase and sale of church properties while also helping families across El Paso find their own homes. Her dedication to that profession is matched only by her devotion to her own family. She raised three accomplished children: her eldest son, Richard C. Johnson, a motivational speaker and preacher; her younger son, Dr. Keith R. Johnson, a Notre Dame graduate and orthopedic surgeon voted the #1 Orthopedic Surgeon in El Paso for five consecutive years by El Paso Inc., through 2025; and her youngest, daughter Karen Y. Dykes, Esq., a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law licensed in both Texas and California, who advocates for justice on behalf of CLEAT and serves as executive pastor of Destiny Church, where she also directs media and music.
Her family has grown further still with a daughter-in-love, Dr. Tiffani D. Johnson, who with Dr. Keith has given her four grandchildren, Kameron, Alexx, London, and Harper, and a son-in-love, Antoine M. Dykes, who with Karen brought her fifth grandchild, four-year-old Xavier, into the family. Pastor Adele’s life stands as a testament to love, resilience, and leadership, and she continues to inspire those around her through her unwavering faith, her commitment to family, and her dedication to community.
KAPPA ALPHA PSI® FRATERNITY, INC. | EL PASO-LAS CRUCES ALUMNI CHAPTER – Achievement | Leadership | Service | Legacy
For more than six decades, the Kappa Alpha Psi® Fraternity, Inc. El Paso–Las Cruces Alumni Chapter has carried forward a legacy built on achievement, leadership, mentorship, and service to the Borderland, a legacy that began on July 20, 1962, when 21 Kappa brothers living in El Paso, Texas, and Las Cruces, New Mexico, submitted the documentation required to establish a local alumni chapter. The Grand Chapter approved and granted the charter on October 13, 1962, and twenty of the twenty-one charter members went on to hold life membership with the Grand Chapter. (See sidebar for the full list of charter members.)
To understand what that founding meant, it helps to understand the fraternity it belonged to. Kappa Alpha Psi® was born at Indiana University in 1911, in an environment defined by open racism; Black students on campus were barred from dormitories, denied off-campus housing, and excluded from most university facilities and organized sports. Ten men, denied any place in the university’s social life, decided a fraternity of their own would fill that void, and built it around a single organizing principle: achievement. The fraternity was first named Kappa Alpha Nu, and it took its current name in 1915, in part after a white student was overheard mocking the group’s letters with a racial slur; rather than absorb the insult, the founders changed the name outright and kept the same purpose underneath it, achievement in every field of human endeavor. That founding conviction, that Black excellence would not be diminished by the hostility it was born into, remains the fraternity’s identity today.
That philosophy reaches the ground through Guide Right, the fraternity’s national service initiative, conceived in 1922 to provide young people with educational and occupational guidance; its flagship program, the Kappa Leadership Development League, or Kappa League, was founded in 1969 by the Los Angeles Alumni Chapter and adopted nationally by the Grand Chapter in 1970. Kappa Alpha Psi® describes Guide Right as the oldest continuously operating mentoring program for young people of color in the country, with member chapters reporting more than 500,000 young people mentored over the program’s history.
The El Paso–Las Cruces Alumni Chapter has spent more than 60 years translating those national ideals into direct, local service. Members have raised $13,219 to date for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the fight against childhood catastrophic disease, and have awarded more than $10,000 in scholarships and technology grants to local high school seniors. Through the chapter’s Thanksgiving Basket Drive, members have provided food to 25 families, and the chapter has donated more than $1,000 in toys to El Paso Children’s Hospital. Through its Kappa League and Guide Right programs, the chapter has directly mentored more than 20 young men, with an emphasis not simply on participation, but on developing leadership, cultivating an achievement mindset, and preparing young men to see themselves as leaders in their own communities.
The chapter’s reach extends beyond its own programming. Members have contributed significantly to community initiatives sponsored by the McCall Neighborhood Center, and individually hold leadership positions across the region’s civic and faith institutions, including the McCall Center, the Eastside-Central Coalition, the NAACP, and churches and mosques throughout the Borderland. The chapter has also built working relationships with other Greek-letter organizations, reflecting a belief that community advancement is stronger when organizations work together rather than separately.
The El Paso–Las Cruces Alumni Chapter is being recognized not simply for longevity, but for what that longevity has produced: scholarships awarded, families fed, children supported, young men mentored, and a community strengthened one chapter member at a time. Its members have embraced a simple but demanding responsibility, to leave the Borderland better than they found it, and to help the next generation go further than the one before it. More than sixty years after 21 brothers first sent paperwork to a Grand Chapter, that work is still being written, in the lives it continues to touch.
MICHAEL A. BEMBO SR. – Servant | Veteran | Musician | Visionary | Founding Member of The Divine Souls.
For more than three decades, Michael Bembo has used his voice to minister to the people of El Paso, and his story is not simply the story of a Gospel singer; it is the story of a man whose life has moved through music, faith, military service, federal service, and community, all built on the same foundation, none of it separable from the others.
ROOTS, FAMILY, AND FORMATIVE INFLUENCES
Bembo was born in Pensacola, Florida, in 1967 and raised in Milton (Ferris Hill), Florida, in a neighborhood he describes as full of love, family, and church, coming of age in a community where the Black population was roughly one percent in the early 1970s and sits closer to 5.3 percent today. His family taught him faith in Jesus Christ, love, hard work, dedication, and loyalty, along with the importance of treating people with openness and kindness; he is the eldest of two children, with a younger sister, Teresa Hoose.
Three family members remain guiding voices in his life: his father, Deacon Wilbert Lee Bembo; his late mother, Deaconess Barbara Lois Lewis Bembo; and his uncle, Ronnie Edward Lewis, whose insistence that the children never be caught “hanging on the corners” reflected the family’s emphasis on purpose and productive living. Another early influence was his first-grade teacher, Aunt Janet Gooden, who taught him in 1972 at an integrated school that his words, his writing, and the way he carried himself would help determine his future; she demanded discipline, structure, and complete sentences, told him she saw unlimited success in his life, and Bembo believes that success has, over the years, turned into favor. His formative years also included bullying and other challenges he credits God with helping him walk through, experiences that tested his heart and gave him wisdom he now shares with others; asked what he always wanted to become, he doesn’t point to a title, but to his father, a good man respected inside the church, outside it, and at home.
He is married to Priscilla Rosa Taylor Bembo, whom he describes as his beautiful and anointed wife, and together they have three children, Michael Bembo II, Myesha Bembo, and Portia Bembo.
THE DIVINE SOULS
One of the most visible chapters of Bembo’s musical legacy in El Paso is The Divine Souls, the Gospel quartet he co-founded in 2011 with lead guitarist Robert Trussell, where Bembo serves as lead singer, helping establish a music ministry rooted in the Gospel quartet tradition and carrying that sound and message to congregations and listeners in El Paso and well beyond it. (See sidebar for the group’s full history and lineup.)
The quartet’s recorded work includes Favor, a ten-song Gospel collection pairing traditional lyrics and themes with modern instrumentation, built around songs including “Running for Jesus,” “All Things,” “Have Your Way,” “Serve,” “Favor,” and “Change,” each reflecting themes of faith, perseverance, service, and God’s favor. The group’s musical identity is grounded in its harmonies and quartet tradition, developing a distinctive lower-register, traditional baritone sound that creates a fuller quartet texture while keeping the lead vocalist’s presence intact; Gospel music writer Bob Marovich took note of that same quality, observing that where many contemporary quartets reach for higher harmonies, the Divine Souls go low, producing what he called a meatier, more traditional sound. Beyond that notice, Bembo’s musical work has also been evaluated alongside established Gospel artists through the Journal of Gospel Music.
For Bembo, music has never been entertainment first. It has been ministry.
MORE THAN 30 YEARS OF EL PASO GOSPEL MINISTRY
The Divine Souls represent one chapter of a much longer musical and ministerial journey; Bembo has been ministering through song in El Paso for well over 30 years, meaning his calling predates the founding of the quartet by roughly two decades. That distinction matters, since the group did not create his ministry, it became another expression of a calling that was already deeply established. Through the years, Bembo has shared the Gospel in El Paso and abroad and has had opportunities to collaborate with respected figures in Gospel music through both word and song; he does not attempt to measure his impact by a number of people reached, pointing instead to the opportunity itself, to share the Gospel, use his musical gifts, and participate in work that can change lives. He believes the future is limitless.
MUSIC, SONGWRITING, AND PUBLISHING
Bembo’s contribution to Gospel music extends beyond his role as lead singer of The Divine Souls; he is also a singer-songwriter, music publisher, and visionary, bringing performance, songwriting, and the broader development of Gospel music together under one calling. As a singer, his voice serves as an instrument of ministry; as a songwriter, he creates; as a music publisher, he participates in bringing music into the world beyond the stage; and as a visionary, he continues thinking about what Gospel music can become in El Paso and how it can keep serving people. That combination makes his musical legacy broader than performance alone.
ORDINATION AND FAITH
Bembo’s musical ministry cannot be separated from his faith, and one of the honors that means the most to him personally is his ordination by the late Dr. H. B. Johnson, Sr., a process that involved two years of preparation and examination alongside three others before they were found worthy of servanthood. For Bembo, the significance was never the title, but being entrusted with the responsibility to serve God’s people; he counts surrendering to God, rather than to the world, as his greatest accomplishment, and that conviction shapes the way he leads, ministers, sings, and speaks to others, often closing conversations by speaking blessings over someone and their family. Prayer remains his non-negotiable practice, the discipline he says keeps him steady.
MILITARY SERVICE
Long before The Divine Souls and before his federal career, Bembo spent more than two decades in military service, entering basic training in 1988 and serving over 21 years before concluding his career in 2009. His service included Desert Shield and Desert Storm with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Bliss, Operation Joint Forge with the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, and Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom; he spent his final five years at the Fort Bliss Noncommissioned Officer Academy in a training and leadership capacity, wrote lessons for the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, and earned several military recognitions and awards along the way. Within that instructional role, Bembo served as a Small Group Instructor for both the Warrior Leaders Course and the Advanced Leaders Course, and went on to become Senior Instructor for the Warrior Leaders Course and, later, Senior Instructor for the Advanced Leaders Course. In 2007, he was the only E-6 promoted to E-7 at that academy, and in 2009 he chose to leave the military just two months before being considered for E-8, a decision he counts among the ones he is most glad he made, even though it may not have been the most obvious choice at the time.
A TEST OF CHARACTER
Bembo’s professional journey has not been without difficult moments; among the challenges he experienced was navigating an instance of prejudice in the workplace, and rather than allowing it to define him or derail his purpose, he turned to prayer and fasting for strength and direction, choosing to move forward with faith and keeping his focus on the work and calling before him. Looking back, he sees the experience as another part of the journey that strengthened his character and deepened his reliance on God, and he believes the doors that have opened since are evidence of God’s continued favor and direction in his life; what could have become a defining setback instead became another chapter in a life shaped by perseverance, faith, and the willingness to keep moving forward.
FEDERAL SERVICE
The uniform came off, but the instinct to serve did not; following his military career, Bembo entered federal civilian service at the entry level and worked his way forward. Today he serves as a Training Specialist and TMS Domain Manager for the Department of Veterans Affairs at the El Paso VA Healthcare System, work he views as a blessing and one more environment in which he can influence, mentor, and serve others while providing servant leadership.
COMMUNITY SERVICE AND GENEROSITY
Bembo’s commitment to giving back began with his parents, whom he watched raise their own family while also helping raise and support multiple other families, teaching him to recognize his blessings and understand that blessings are meant to be shared. Today, he gives to churches, multiple fraternities, and organizations within El Paso and abroad, intentionally allowing his musical ministry to be seen while keeping himself out of the spotlight when it comes to his giving; for him, service does not require an audience. His community vision includes greater unity among churches, and he would like to see congregations from many denominations come together for worship in oneness, believing too many people have grown more interested in winning purses than winning souls, and hoping to see the focus return to people, spiritual growth, unity, and transformation.
THE HEART BEHIND THE WORK
If someone knew Bembo only from his résumé, he believes there is one important thing they would miss: the size of his heart. He is a husband, father, son, uncle, brother, veteran, federal employee, minister, singer, songwriter, music publisher, and visionary, and also a man who values family and the simple moments that cannot be purchased; when he unwinds, he talks with family near and far and treasures the laughter and tears that come from those conversations, calling both priceless gifts that only God can provide. Few who know him primarily as a Gospel singer know he was also the head of his high school’s drumline, one more way music has run through his life.
WHAT COMES NEXT
Bembo is not finished building; he is working to bring quality Gospel music to El Paso and to develop seminars that build people from the inside out, while carrying a vision for other ventures he believes God has given him for such a time as this. His motivation is not visibility, it is impact, and he wants to change lives and change the culture, a vision that includes Gospel music, education, ministry, and unity. His philosophy is simple: it’s not about being seen, it’s about changing lives and the culture.
THE LEGACY
Michael Bembo’s legacy cannot be reduced to a single title, award, song, or career; it is found in well over 30 years of ministering through song in El Paso, in The Divine Souls, which he co-founded in 2011 and where he serves as lead singer, in his work as a singer-songwriter, music publisher, and visionary, in more than 21 years of military service, in his continuing federal service, in his generosity to churches, fraternities, and organizations, and in the people whose lives have been touched through his work. He does not claim to know how many people he has impacted; he simply believes he has been given an opportunity to serve, and he remains humble about that responsibility. Asked what he wants people to remember about his work ten years from now, his answer is unwavering: Jesus can do all things but fail.
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SIDEBAR: THE DIVINE SOULS
Founded in El Paso in 2011 by Deacon Michael Bembo and lead guitarist Robert Trussell, The Divine Souls is a Gospel quartet rooted in the tradition of quartet singing. Bembo serves as founding member and lead singer. Over time, the group has included Pastor Brian K. Rosette, Minister Delmus Lowe, Deacon David White, Elder Aaron Brown, James Rogers, Thomas Dawson, with Toraino Johnson later joining as a bass guitarist and singing member, backed by musicians including Elder Andy Williams on bass, Elder Ned Gadson III on drums, Isaiah Reyes on keyboards, and Robert Trussell on lead guitar. The group’s recorded work includes Favor, a ten-song Gospel project. The group’s current members are Michael Bembo, Robert Trussell, Pastor Delmus Lowe, Elder Stephon Bradley (current Musical Director), Elder Ned Gadson III, Lakeem Williams, Toraino Johnson, Zineko Peppers, Kyle Davis, and Jovan Jackson.
TANYA BERRY – Child Welfare Leader | Advocate | Mentor | Public Servant
For more than two decades, Tanya Berry has devoted her professional life to one of the most important responsibilities a community can undertake: helping ensure that vulnerable children have a safe place to call home.
A native of El Paso, Berry was born and raised in the city and is a graduate of Bel Air High School and The University of Texas at El Paso. Her career in child welfare began at the ground level as a caseworker, where she gained firsthand experience with the challenges facing children and families involved in the system, and from there she advanced into supervision and ultimately into program leadership.
Today, Berry serves as Program Director over the Foster and Adopt Program, where she oversees the recruitment, training, support, and monitoring of foster and adoptive homes, work that requires far more than administrative oversight; it requires careful attention to the people entrusted with caring for children and a commitment to ensuring those children have access to homes that are safe, stable, and nurturing. For Berry, the work has always been about more than filling placements, it is about helping create circumstances in which children can experience the security and care they deserve.
Her professional commitment is strengthened by her work as a certified facilitator for Knowing Who You Are, a training program that examines the ways institutional racism and systemic inequities can influence organizations, policies, and service delivery; through it, she helps professionals examine how their own systems and decision-making affect the people they serve, insisting that good intentions alone are not enough, that effective service requires awareness, accountability, and a willingness to examine whether systems are actually producing equitable outcomes.
Berry’s commitment to service extends well beyond her own job description. She is an avid volunteer with various community organizations, including Black El Paso Voice, and she has embraced a particular role within that network: sharing information across organizations so that each one is better equipped to serve the people who rely on it. For Berry, that is its own form of service, understanding that no single organization can meet every need alone, and that being a reliable partner in information is sometimes as valuable as any direct service she provides. That instinct extends to her long-standing passion for mentoring youth and advocating for children to grow up in homes that are genuinely safe and nurturing, and throughout her career’s progression from direct service to supervision to program leadership, that purpose has remained remarkably consistent: the people at the center of the system, children and families, have never left the center of her focus.
Berry’s impact is found in work that does not always make headlines. Recruiting and supporting foster and adoptive families, monitoring homes, preparing caregivers, and advocating for better outcomes are often behind-the-scenes responsibilities, yet those decisions can profoundly affect the trajectory of a child’s life, and that is exactly where Berry has chosen to make her contribution. Her more than 20 years in the field represent not simply longevity, but sustained commitment to public service in a profession where compassion must be accompanied by resilience, where difficult decisions carry lasting consequences, and where success is often measured in a child who is safer, a family that is stronger, or a young person who has finally found stability.
As an El Paso native, Berry’s service reflects a homegrown commitment to the well-being of families and children; her education, career, and community involvement have remained connected to one larger purpose, improving the lives of people who need advocacy and support. Her work as a facilitator, mentor, advocate, program leader, and community volunteer demonstrates that service can take many forms, sometimes direct, sometimes administrative, sometimes educational, and sometimes simply standing up for people whose circumstances make it difficult for them to stand up for themselves. Tanya Berry has spent more than 20 years doing exactly that.
Her legacy is not defined by a single position or accomplishment; it is reflected in the children protected, the families strengthened, the professionals influenced, the young people mentored, the organizations she has helped connect, and the foster and adoptive homes she has helped prepare to receive children. For Tanya Berry, public service is not simply a career, it is a commitment, and after more than two decades, that commitment remains focused on one fundamental goal: helping children and families have the opportunity to thrive.
GREGG D. DAVIS – Military Officer | Financial Services Professional | Mentor | Community Leader
Gregg D. Davis, born Gregory Dwayne Davis and known to many by his preferred names Gregg or Tariq, came to El Paso carrying a life already shaped by strong family values, service, and a clear-eyed understanding of what it means to overcome limited circumstances. Born December 24, 1959, in Beckley, West Virginia, and raised in an underserved community, Davis credits the support of an extraordinary family, particularly the strong Black women who shaped his foundation, and traces part of his roots to an Indigenous community in Central Virginia, a heritage that continues to inform how he sees his own place in the world.
Davis attended St. Augustine’s University from 1979 to 1983, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Management with a concentration in Economics, and went on to complete a Master of Business Administration through the University of Phoenix. Alongside that education, he served as a United States Army Officer for 13 years of active duty and reserve service, a chapter that instilled a discipline he would carry into every role that followed.
Professionally, Davis built a long career in financial services, spending 33 years as a Senior Mortgage Loan Officer before retiring; he served as President of the El Paso Mortgage Bankers Association from 2004 to 2005, was named El Paso Mortgage Banker of the Year in 2005, and became an Honorary Life Member of the association in 2010. But Davis’s impact on El Paso was never confined to a job title.
For more than 35 years, Davis has dedicated himself to youth mentorship through Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and Big Brothers Big Sisters of El Paso, a sustained commitment that stands as one of the defining elements of his legacy; that work with Big Brothers Big Sisters was formally recognized in 2012, when the organization named him its Big Brother of the Year, and his broader community impact earned him Black El Paso Voice’s Community Changemaker of the Year award in 2023. Within Kappa Alpha Psi, Davis was initiated in 1981 and has served the El Paso/Las Cruces Alumni Chapter since 1984 in nearly every capacity, as Polemarch, Vice-Polemarch, Keeper of Exchequer, and Director of Guide Right, and today as Kappa League Director, while also sitting on the boards of the Kappa Chapter and the Kappa Foundation; he holds Grand Chapter and Southwestern Province Life Memberships and has received multiple honors from the fraternity. Through Kappa League and Guide Right, he has spent decades helping young people recognize their potential and develop the leadership skills to act on it.
Davis’s civic reach extends well beyond the fraternity. He is a member of the El Paso NAACP, recognized among its Torchbearers, marking more than two decades of membership that has included service as Branch President from 2016 to 2019 and in numerous other leadership roles across the organization. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Islamic Center of El Paso as Vice President and Financial Secretary, a role that carries personal as well as civic weight, since Davis is himself a convert to Al-Islam and names that conversion, alongside being a husband, father, and grandfather, as one of the deepest motivations in his life. He also serves as President of the Board of Directors of the McCall Neighborhood Center, as Vice-Chairman of the Eastside-Central Coalition, and as a member of the YWCA Racial Justice Committee.
Davis describes himself simply as a community volunteer with aspirations to become a community organizer, a statement that reveals something fundamental about his philosophy: he sees community improvement as a collective responsibility, one where everyone has something meaningful to contribute. That philosophy has earned him recognition from organizations across El Paso and beyond, including El Paso Links, Inc., EP Top Ladies of Distinction, a Director’s Community Leadership Award from the FBI, and FirstLight Federal Credit Union, where he was named Employee of the Year.
Yet recognition is not what Davis identifies as the measure of his life. His message to young people is direct and built to be repeated: “Each one, reach one, teach one.” It is a philosophy that has carried him through more than three decades of mentorship, reach someone, teach someone, help someone move forward, then let that person do the same for someone else. His other guiding principle is just as plainspoken: “Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something,” a belief that has become a fitting summary of his entire community philosophy, that meaningful change does not require one person to do everything, only for each person to recognize what they can contribute and be willing to contribute it. To the next generation, he adds one more piece of practical advice: get in where you fit in.
For Davis, this Hall of Fame induction is not a culmination but an acknowledgment, recognition for decades of trying to make El Paso a better place to live, offered in a spirit he insists on sharing credit for, giving thanks first to what he calls the Creator, Allah, before anything else. His legacy is found in the young people he has mentored, the organizations he has served, the recognition he has received, and the example he continues to set as a husband, father, grandfather, veteran, and volunteer who has spent more than 35 years proving that showing up, again and again, is its own form of leadership.
MARK ALAN FOWLER – Musician | Bassist | Vocalist | Educator | Artist
Mark Alan Fowler got his first guitar in Juárez, a gift from his father, and decided on the spot that he was going to be George Benson. Four decades later, after spending much of his career as other people’s side man, Fowler released his first solo CD, a milestone that speaks as much to his patience and persistence as it does to his talent.
Born in Meade, Maryland, Fowler lived in El Paso until age six before his family moved to Albuquerque, where he grew up. His father, a career military man, eventually ended his service in El Paso, and Fowler would later find his way back to the same city, moving home for good in 2011.
Fowler describes his childhood as pleasant and grounded, shaped early by his father, his Uncle Wes, and a growing list of musical heroes. George Benson was first, followed by Bill Cosby, and later bassist Marcus Miller, whose influence would help shape the instrument Fowler ultimately made his own.
He attended Eldorado High School in Albuquerque for four year, where he played in marching band and jazz band. He continued his musical education at the University of New Mexico, studying music performance and participating in the jazz ensemble, jazz combo and symphony orchestra. He was a member of The Collegiate Singers show choir.
His first job, bagging groceries at Smith’s Food King, taught him a lesson that stayed with him: show up on time.
Fowler built his professional career the way many working musicians do, one gig, one band and one city at a time. He worked the Chelsea Street Pub circuit before moving to California, where he played up and down the coast with bands including Scott Carter and The New Breed, Beyond Category and Sector 7. He later spent a year performing at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Eventually, Fowler returned to El Paso, hoping to build the same kind of professional music career at home. Since then, he has performed with local acts across genres including cover bands, 1980s tribute shows, funk and jazz. He has recorded singles with local artists including Christina Gurrola and Bernard Brown Jr. and released his own single, “One Step.”
An accomplished electric bassist and vocalist, Fowler today serves as Musical Director at Destiny Church while continuing his work as a bassist and studio musician throughout the city.
But Fowler’s story has entered a new chapter.
After decades of performing other people’s music, he says his favorite part of the work today is performing his own material and songs of his own choosing. That shift has required him to confront a challenge he openly acknowledges: learning to see himself as an artist rather than only a side man.
It is a fitting evolution for a musician who spent so much of his career helping other artists shine.
Fowler teaches privately and hosts a twice-monthly R&B jam at Star City Studios, creating opportunities not only to perform but also to connect musicians and nurture the local music community. He is currently accepting new students.
His professional accomplishments include receiving a scholarship to the University of New Mexico and earning an Outstanding Soloist honor at the West Mesa Jazz Festival. He has appeared on the Rikki Smith podcast and other programs and has an artist endorsement relationship with Spectir Basses.
His commitment to service extends beyond music. When his schedule permits, Fowler has also given his time to prison ministry work at the Sanchez facility.
For those who know him primarily as a musician, there is another chapter of his story that may come as a surprise: Fowler once toured as a stand-up comedian.
He lives with his spouse and their dog.
After four decades in music, Fowler’s career offers a lesson in preparation, persistence and timing. His journey has taken him from a first guitar in Juárez to stages and studios across the Southwest and back to El Paso, the city he eventually chose to call home.
NICHOLE GOMEZ – Journalist | Anchor | Weather Forecaster | Producer | Community Icon
To the people of El Paso, Nichole Gomez is more than a television journalist; she is a familiar voice, a recognizable presence, and, for many viewers, a trusted part of the community’s daily life, and her career is not simply the story of a woman who made it into television, but the story of a homegrown El Paso woman who became part of the community she has spent her professional life serving.
Born and raised in Northeast El Paso, Gomez attended Andress High School before beginning the educational and professional journey that would lead her into broadcast journalism. She studied Mass Media at El Paso Community College, where an internship at KFOX-14 gave her early experience inside a television newsroom, and continued her education at the University of Texas at El Paso, studying Electronic Media. In 2003, while still at UTEP, she began working behind the scenes at KDBC-TV, a role that eventually became an opportunity to step in front of the camera as a full-time weekend weather forecaster and weekday reporter, establishing what would become a defining trait of her career: the ability to work across multiple sides of television rather than settling into a single role.
Gomez went on to join KTSM-TV as a multimedia journalist and weekend weather forecaster, expanding her experience in both reporting and weather coverage, while her education grew alongside her career; she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, completed specialized weather forecasting coursework through Penn State University, and in 2022 earned a Master’s Degree in Communication and Leadership. In 2013, she joined KVIA, where she spent eight years on Good Morning El Paso, becoming a familiar presence for viewers starting their day before her work led to a promotion to primetime anchor and producer for ABC-7 at 4.
Across intern, behind-the-scenes staffer, reporter, weather forecaster, multimedia journalist, anchor, and producer, each role sharpened her understanding of broadcasting and her ability to connect with an audience, and that range is the real measure of her progression, not simply the titles themselves.
But Gomez’s significance in El Paso reaches beyond her résumé; viewers respond to her candor, recognize her presence, and appreciate her delivery, and for many, seeing her on screen carries added meaning because she represents someone genuinely from the community she serves. That connection isn’t incidental. Gomez was raised in the Northeast, educated in El Paso, and built nearly her entire career in the same city, at a time when the industry often moves professionals from market to market; her story instead stayed rooted at home, letting generations of viewers watch her grow from an aspiring media student into an established anchor and producer.
Away from the newsroom, Gomez’s life centers on her son, Randy, affectionately known as Deuce, and much of her time outside work goes toward raising him, including regular trips to his local soccer games and travel throughout the region to watch him play. When she isn’t working or at a game, she enjoys working out, trying new restaurants, and watching movies.
Nichole Gomez’s career reflects persistence, versatility, and continued growth, but her legacy in El Paso is ultimately about connection; she didn’t simply build a career in the city, she became part of its story, and today she stands as a homegrown broadcast professional whose presence, authenticity, and representation have made her, in the truest sense, one of El Paso’s own.
CHARLOTTE GREENE – Entrepreneur | Beauty Industry Professional | Veteran | Businesswoman | Community Advocate
Charlotte Greene’s story is one of entrepreneurship, perseverance, service and a genuine desire to see her community thrive.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Greene eventually made El Paso her home, building her professional life around both entrepreneurship and service once she arrived. She is the founder, owner and operator of Genuine Style Beauty Salon, an El Paso business she established on August 2, 1997. A certified professional hairstylist since 1987, Greene has spent nearly four decades developing her craft and building a career in an industry she continues to love.
For Greene, however, business has never been simply about earning a living.
It has been about building something of her own, remaining relevant in a changing world and creating a life rooted in purpose.
Her nearly three decades as a small-business owner represent a significant achievement in themselves. Operating a business successfully over an extended period requires resilience, adaptability and the willingness to evolve. Greene understands that change is necessary, particularly for entrepreneurs who want to remain viable and continue contributing to the communities they serve.
That perspective is especially meaningful in El Paso, where small businesses are an important part of the economic and social fabric of the community.
Greene has a genuine desire to see entrepreneurs thrive in El Paso. She understands that when local entrepreneurs succeed, they contribute not only to their own families, but to the broader economic vitality of the community.
Her concern for others extends beyond business.
Greene is known for caring deeply about people, with a particular concern for the elderly community. That compassion reflects a broader belief that a strong community must make room for and care for people at every stage of life. Her commitment to others is part of the character she brings to both her professional and personal relationships.
Her path has also included military service.
From 1988 through 1991, Greene honorably served her country in the United States Army. Her military experience became another chapter in a life defined by responsibility, discipline and service.
Education has remained another important part of her journey.
Greene earned an associate degree in Business Administration from El Paso Community College, a degree in Management from Park University at Fort Bliss and a Master of Business Administration from Webster University at Fort Bliss. Her MBA was completed in May 2007.
That educational foundation complements the practical knowledge she has gained through years of operating her own business.
Her professional experience has also included service at William Beaumont Army Medical Center, where she worked in the Resource Management Division’s Uniform Business Office as a Health Insurance Technician in the Third Party Collections Program from 2016 to 2018. Her responsibilities included patient account management, billing, tracking outstanding accounts receivable, collections, deposits and reporting, as well as reviewing insurance claims and maintaining insurance records.
The combination of entrepreneurship, military service, higher education and federal healthcare experience gives Greene a professional story that reaches well beyond the beauty industry.
Yet entrepreneurship remains at the heart of her identity.
For Greene, owning a business is not simply about having a storefront or a title. It represents independence, perseverance and the ability to adapt. She recognizes that the business world is constantly changing and believes entrepreneurs must be willing to change with it rather than remain attached to the way things have always been done.
That belief is particularly relevant to the next generation of El Paso business owners.
Greene wants to see entrepreneurs succeed.
She wants to see businesses grow.
She wants to see people recognize their potential.
And she understands that building a stronger entrepreneurial community requires people who are willing to support one another and remain open to change.
Her compassion for the elderly adds another important dimension to her community presence. In a culture increasingly focused on speed and the future, Greene continues to recognize the value of caring for those who came before us and ensuring that older members of the community are not forgotten.
That combination of entrepreneurial vision and human compassion is what makes Greene’s story distinctive.
She has built a business that has endured since 1997.
She has maintained a professional career in hairstyling dating back to 1987.
She has served her country.
She has pursued advanced education in business and management.
She has worked in federal healthcare administration.
And she continues to care about the people and entrepreneurs who make El Paso home.
Charlotte Greene’s legacy is ultimately about staying the course while understanding when it is time to evolve.
She represents the entrepreneur who understands that longevity does not come from standing still.
It comes from learning.
Adapting.
Serving.
And continuing to care.
For nearly four decades, Greene has demonstrated that a career can become much more than a profession when it is rooted in purpose. From Atlanta to El Paso, from the salon chair to military service, from higher education to federal service, she has continued to build, learn and contribute.
And as she looks toward the future, her vision remains larger than herself.
She wants to see El Paso entrepreneurs thrive.
She wants to see her community continue to grow.
And she believes progress requires the courage to embrace change without losing sight of the people who matter.
That is the story of Charlotte Greene: a businesswoman who built to last, a veteran who served, an entrepreneur who continues to evolve, and a community-minded woman who understands that success means more when others have the opportunity to succeed, too.
MICHAEL D. HALL – Veteran | Masonic Leader | Community Servant
Michael D. Hall’s life has been defined by service.
A native of Canton, Ohio, Hall is the eldest of five children born to Diana C. Stevenson. He graduated from Glen Oak East Campus High School in North Canton, Ohio, before beginning a military career that would span nearly three decades and establish the foundation for a lifetime of leadership.
Hall enlisted in the United States Army in November 1982 and departed for Basic Training on January 26, 1983. He completed Basic Training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, followed by Advanced Individual Training at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, where he received the military occupational specialty of 63W, Wheeled Vehicle Repairman.
Over the course of his military career, Hall served in multiple campaigns and received three combat patches, including service connected to the Defense of Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War, the Liberation and Defense of Kuwait, and Southwest Asia Cease Fire. His military service also included assignments at Fort Bliss, where he served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Hall retired from the United States Army on January 31, 2012, at the rank of First Sergeant, completing 29 years and five days of military service.
His military accomplishments include the Bronze Star Medal, which is identified as his highest military award, as well as the United States Air Defense Artillery Order of Saint Barbara Medal and the United States Ordnance Corps Association Ordnance Order of Samuel Sharpe Medal. He also received multiple Meritorious Service Medals during his assignments at Fort Bliss.
But Hall’s commitment to leadership did not end when he retired from the Army.
For 39 uninterrupted years, he has been a Prince Hall-affiliated Mason. Hall became a Master Mason in April 1987 at Hiram Abiff Lodge No. 72 in Canton, Ohio. His Masonic journey has since taken him into multiple organizations and leadership roles in El Paso.
He is currently affiliated with Pride of the West Lodge No. 53, Rio Grande Consistory No. 24 and ORO Temple No. 9 in El Paso. Across those organizations, Hall has served in numerous leadership positions and continues to serve as Treasurer of both Pride of the West Lodge No. 53 and ORO Temple No. 9.
His Masonic leadership includes serving four years as Illustrious Potentate of ORO Temple No. 9. In 2010, he achieved the highest degree in Masonry as a Grand Inspector General, 33rd Degree Mason, through the United Supreme Council Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Southern Jurisdiction, USA, Inc.
He currently serves as the AEAONMS Imperial Organizer for the Desert of Texas, extending his leadership beyond the local level.
Hall’s service has been recognized through numerous honors, including Master Mason of the Year in 2022, Scottish Rite Mason of the Year in 2013 and 2014, Noble of the Year in December 2016, and numerous certificates of appreciation.
His commitment to service also extends through his affiliation with The American Legion, Louis A. Carter Post 832, where he has been a member since 2003 and served as Second Vice Commander from 2015 to 2017. He is also an honorary member of the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club, El Paso Chapter, where he has been an honorary member since February 2015.
Hall has also played an active leadership role within the Inter Club Council of El Paso. He served as President from 2020 through 2024, following previous service as Vice President from 2015 through 2019 and Secretary from 2012 through 2014.
Across his military, Masonic, veterans and civic affiliations, Hall has consistently committed his skills and time to causes that support others and strengthen the community. His service has included countless hours of volunteering, both independently and through the organizations with which he is affiliated.
For Hall, leadership is not confined to a uniform or a title. It is demonstrated through consistency, responsibility and a willingness to serve.
His life outside of service is grounded in family. Hall is married to Simone M. Hall and is the father of two daughters, Bianca M. Hall, Sharquita V. Hall, and stepdaughter, Shaquanna Clark.
Away from his professional and community commitments, Hall enjoys basketball, cars and custom glass etching.
From a young man who enlisted in the Army at 19 to a First Sergeant who completed nearly three decades of military service, from a Master Mason of nearly four decades to a 33rd Degree Mason and Imperial Organizer, Michael D. Hall has built his legacy around one consistent principle:
Serve. Lead. Give back.
His story is not defined by one organization or one accomplishment. It is defined by a lifetime of showing up, accepting responsibility and using his skills and time to strengthen the people and communities around him.
That is the legacy of Michael D. Hall.
DEION HANKINS – Athlete | Hometown Champion | NFL Running Back | Community Role Model
Deion Hankins was born and raised in El Paso, and by the fall of 2016, as a Parkland High School sophomore, he was already running for more yards through five games than almost anyone else in the country, ranking third in the nation with 1,469 rushing yards. He topped 300 yards in back-to-back games that season, including a career-high 387 against Hanks, all before he turned seventeen, a pace unlike anything Parkland’s program had seen from a sophomore before.
That toughness had roots that went back to pickup football games in the street growing up, where he learned early that nothing would be handed to him. Hankins was raised in a single-parent home with his mother and two siblings, and he has said that upbringing taught him about hard work, sacrifice, faith, and perseverance long before football entered the picture. “Nothing was handed to us, and there were plenty of challenges along the way,” he has said. “But instead of allowing those challenges to stop me, I used them as motivation to keep pushing toward something greater.” He carried that same edge into practice with an older brother who also played for Parkland, the two of them pushing each other every day, close off the field and every bit as competitive on it.
Even as a sophomore, Hankins was already the player he is known as today: quiet, steady, and anchored in his faith. He ranked eighth academically in his class, led Parkland’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter, and earned a spot on the team’s leadership council, all while carrying the offense. He has credited his Christian upbringing and a household built on integrity and respect for the way he carries himself, on and off the field, leading by example in a way that made him easy for teammates to follow.
Part of what has shaped Hankins, on and off the field, is growing up as an athlete of both Black and Mexican heritage in a border city. He has spoken about what it felt like at times to be judged, doubted, overlooked, or bullied for not fitting someone else’s idea of who he should be, and about the lesson he took from it: that other people don’t get to define you. Through every obstacle, he has said, he kept his faith in God, believed in himself, and trusted the abilities he was given, refusing to let his circumstances, background, or anyone else’s opinion determine how far he could go.
By the time he finished at Parkland, Hankins had turned that early promise into the best rushing career in El Paso high school history, closing with 7,491 yards and 78 touchdowns, city records that still stand. He was named the 2018 El Paso Times All-City Football MVP and earned multiple Class 5A All-State honors along the way.
Hankins had chances to leave El Paso for college and chose to stay, playing for UTEP from 2019 to 2023 and becoming one of the steadiest presences in the Miners’ backfield. He was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team in 2020 after leading the team with 592 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns, then earned All-Conference USA Second Team honors in 2022 before turning in the best season of his college career in 2023, when he ran for a career-high 812 rushing yards. After entering the transfer portal, he completed his college career at Texas State in 2024.
In May 2025, Hankins signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent, and that preseason he caught a touchdown pass against the Miami Dolphins, a moment that showed exactly what he could do at the next level. He started the team’s second preseason game, against the Buffalo Bills, where he was injured; the Bears responded by keeping him on the roster, placing him on injured reserve for the season rather than letting him go. Hankins is now fully healthy and pursuing his next opportunity in the league, the same way he has approached every step since that 2016 season: trusting the process and letting the work speak. That faith and determination, he has said, are what took him from a kid growing up in El Paso with a dream all the way to the NFL.
Being recognized by the El Paso Black Hall of Fame carries particular meaning for Hankins, who has said he is proud of who he is and where he comes from, proud of both his Black American heritage and his Mexican heritage, and proud to represent a community made up of young people from Black, Mexican, multicultural, and diverse backgrounds across the borderland. He has framed his own story as a message to the next generation, especially the kid who feels different, overlooked, or like the odds are already stacked against them: that where you start does not determine where you can finish, that your circumstances and other people’s opinions do not determine your potential, and that the work is worth it if you keep God first and keep believing in what He placed inside you.
Ten years after he first drew national attention as a sophomore, the foundation hasn’t changed. Deion Hankins’ induction into the El Paso Black Hall of Fame will recognize a hometown son who built a record-setting career on faith, family, and a city he was born into and never stopped representing, and who hopes that a kid from El Paso making it to the NFL, and one day standing here in the Hall of Fame, gives another young person hearing his story the reason to ask the same question he once asked himself: why not me?
—
IN HIS OWN WORDS
ON GROWING UP IN EL PASO
“Growing up in El Paso in a single-parent home with my mom and two siblings taught me early about hard work, sacrifice, faith, and perseverance. Nothing was handed to us, and there were plenty of challenges along the way. But instead of allowing those challenges to stop me, I used them as motivation to keep pushing toward something greater.”
ON IDENTITY AND HERITAGE
“Growing up as an athlete of both Black and Mexican heritage in a border city like El Paso shaped a big part of who I am. I understand what it feels like to be judged, doubted, overlooked, or even bullied because of who you are or because you may not fit someone else’s idea of who they think you should be. But I learned that other people don’t get to define you.”
ON FAITH AND PERSEVERANCE
“Through every obstacle, I kept my faith in God, believed in myself, and trusted the abilities He gave me. I refused to allow my circumstances, my background, or someone else’s opinion to determine how far I could go. That faith and determination helped take me from a kid growing up in El Paso with a dream all the way to the NFL.”
ON WHAT THIS INDUCTION MEANS
“Being recognized by the Black Hall of Fame means something special to me because I am proud of who I am and where I come from. I’m proud of my Black heritage, I’m proud of my Mexican heritage, and I’m proud to represent a community where so many young people come from Black, Mexican, mixed, and diverse backgrounds.”
HIS MESSAGE TO THE NEXT GENERATION
“I hope my story reminds the next generation, especially the kid who feels different, overlooked, or like the odds are already stacked against them, that where you start does not determine where you can finish. Your circumstances do not define your future. Other people’s opinions do not determine your potential. Be proud of who you are and where you come from. Keep God first. Believe in the gifts He placed inside of you. Keep working, keep pushing, and never be afraid to dream bigger than what other people believe is possible for you.”
“If a kid from El Paso can dream of making it to the NFL and one day stand here being recognized in the Black Hall of Fame, then I hope another young person hearing my story can look at their own life and say, ‘Why not me?’”
“Keep the faith. Keep believing. And never let anyone else put a limit on what God has placed inside of you.”
JAMES HARKNESS – Broadway Actor | Singer | Dancer | Choreographer | Director | Educator
James Harkness is an accomplished Broadway actor, singer, dancer, choreographer and director whose extraordinary career began in El Paso, Texas, the city where he was born and raised.
A graduate of Bel Air High School, Harkness took the talent and discipline developed in his hometown and carried them to some of the most prestigious stages in American and international entertainment. Over a career spanning more than three decades, he has established himself as a true theatrical triple threat, mastering acting, singing and dance while expanding his artistry into choreography, directing and education.
For El Paso, however, his story represents more than Broadway success. It is the story of one of its own.
Harkness is best known for his starring role as Paul Williams in the Broadway production of Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. The role marked a defining moment in his career, placing him in a principal role in one of Broadway’s most celebrated musical productions and allowing him to bring the life of one of Motown’s legendary performers to the stage. His performance was not simply about singing and dancing; Harkness approached Williams as a character whose life, artistry, physical challenges and personal struggles required genuine understanding, and his portrayal demonstrated the depth of an artist capable of using his physicality, voice and dramatic ability to tell a deeply human story. The production’s cast recording also earned a Grammy Award nomination, adding another distinction to Harkness’s already remarkable body of work.
His Broadway résumé extends beyond Ain’t Too Proud, with appearances in major productions including Aida and The Color Purple, along with other prominent theatrical productions that have allowed him to demonstrate his range as a performer. But Broadway represents only one part of his career; Harkness has performed nationally and internationally, bringing his talents to audiences beyond the United States, and his professional journey has included extensive touring and performances across different cultures and theatrical environments, experiences that broadened his artistry and reinforced his ability to connect with audiences wherever he performs. His career has also expanded into film and television, with screen appearances including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the film North.
Harkness’s film work includes staging and choreography for The Mend, and as a singer and published songwriter, he also contributed to an album from The Wiggles, the Australian children’s group and television show, appearing on the episode ‘The Broccoli Brunch,’ available on YouTube, with the album available on streaming platforms.
Yet Harkness did not remain confined to the role of performer. He became a choreographer and director, taking on the responsibility of shaping performances and helping other artists bring stories to life; his choreography received major recognition when his work for the 2008 Annual Gypsy of the Year competition associated with The Color Purple was selected as the winning piece, and his transition into directing demonstrated another dimension of his artistic ability, with his regional production of The Color Purple earning him a Best Director nomination, recognizing him not merely as an accomplished performer but as a creative leader capable of guiding an entire production. That evolution is significant; Harkness has spent his career moving from being the person onstage to also becoming the person helping determine what happens onstage.
His professional philosophy has been shaped by experience, including the lessons of mentors who taught him that talent alone is not enough, that work ethic, responsibility, preparation, patience and the willingness to remain teachable are equally important, lessons that have become part of what he carries forward. Harkness has also embraced the role of educator and guest artist, and his work with young performers and arts organizations, including the Youth Opera of El Paso, represents an important continuation of his connection to the city that helped shape him. Looking ahead, Harkness hopes to become even more involved in El Paso’s arts community, sharing what he has learned across more than three decades as a working professional with the artists coming up behind him. For a young person in El Paso looking at Harkness’s career, the message is not simply that someone from the city reached Broadway; it is that someone from their community developed a dream, cultivated a craft and built a career capable of reaching some of the highest levels of professional theatre.
Harkness’s career demonstrates that success in the performing arts requires more than natural ability. It requires persistence through rejection, years of preparation, the humility to learn from others, and the courage to continue pursuing opportunities that may take years to materialize. His journey also illustrates the power of reinvention: he began as a performer, became a Broadway principal, expanded into choreography, moved into directing, continued into film and television, and has embraced education and mentorship, each chapter adding another dimension to the artist.
For El Paso, James Harkness represents the possibilities that can emerge when talent is matched with discipline and opportunity is met with preparation. His accomplishments have taken him far from the streets and classrooms of his hometown, but they have never erased where he came from; he remains connected to the development of young artists and to the idea that talent can be cultivated anywhere, including in a city on the western edge of Texas whose creative contributions are sometimes overlooked by the larger entertainment industry.
His Hall of Fame legacy is therefore not limited to the roles he has played or the stages on which he has performed. It is found in the breadth of his artistry, in the doors he has opened for himself, in the example he provides to aspiring performers, and in his continued willingness to give back through education and artistic mentorship. James Harkness has spent more than three decades proving that an artist does not have to choose between being a performer and being a creator; he has become both. He has acted, sung, danced, choreographed, directed, and taught, and he has represented his hometown on stages reaching far beyond El Paso.
From Bel Air High School to Broadway, from El Paso to international stages, James Harkness has built a career defined by versatility, perseverance and artistic excellence. His story is a reminder that where you begin does not have to determine how far you can go; sometimes, it becomes the foundation for how far you will take others with you.
James Harkness is not simply an El Pasoan who made it to Broadway. He is an El Paso-born artist who built a lasting career at the highest levels of his craft and continues to use that experience to inspire the generation coming behind him.
JAMES E. HOBSON – U.S. Army Veteran | Entrepreneur | Community Champion | Industry Trailblazer
James E. Hobson’s life is a story of leadership built through service. Born August 22, 1960, in East Orange, New Jersey, Hobson enlisted in the United States Army at just 17 years old; what began as a decision to trade the streets of his hometown for a uniform, a mission, and a sense of purpose became the foundation for a lifetime defined by discipline, determination, and service.
For 22 years, Hobson served his country with honor, rising through the ranks from driver to squad leader, platoon sergeant, and ultimately First Sergeant, completing the leadership and professional development schools that prepared him to lead others along the way, including the Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic and Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Courses, First Sergeant’s Course, Drill Sergeant Course, Air Assault School, and Master Fitness School. The Army gave Hobson more than a career; it gave him a leadership framework that would later become the foundation for his work as an entrepreneur, industry leader, mentor, and community advocate.
In 1999, after completing his military service, Hobson made El Paso, Texas, his permanent home, bringing with him the discipline and determination developed during more than two decades in uniform and beginning a new chapter through entrepreneurship. He founded and operated three El Paso businesses, H-Town Motors, an independent used automobile dealership, JKL Properties, a real estate investment company, and Sha-Meel’s Lounge, an entertainment venue, ventures through which he not only pursued business ownership but also contributed to the local economy and created employment opportunities. His commitment to education continued alongside that professional growth; he earned an Associate of Applied Science in General Management from El Paso Community College, a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources Management from Park University, and a Master of Arts in Leadership Management from Webster University in 2009.
But his influence on the automobile industry extended far beyond owning a dealership. Hobson became President of the El Paso Independent Automobile Dealers Association from 2004 to 2008 and later served as Vice President of the Texas Independent Automobile Dealers Association, roles in which he became a strong advocate for professionalism, ethical business practices, and excellence within the industry. His most lasting industry contribution may be the people he helped develop; he trained and mentored novice automobile dealers throughout Texas and in multiple states, conducting training programs, speaking engagements, and hands-on workshops focused on sales strategy, dealership operations, leadership, and performance, sharing not only what he had learned through business but the mindset and discipline necessary to build sustainable, ethical operations.
For Hobson, leadership has never been limited to a title. Since October 2009, he has served as a member of the City of El Paso Board Committee and was appointed to the Empowerment Zone Advisory Board, where he championed economic development and opportunity in underserved areas of the city.
His commitment to young people is equally significant. Through organized basketball programs, schools, churches, and community events, Hobson has used mentorship and his own life story to encourage the next generation, founding and serving as head coach of the Northeast Raiders Basketball Organization, which grew to five competitive teams, eight coaches, five team moms, and 75 area youth in El Paso’s Northeast corridor; he also coached the Midnight Basketball Program for three consecutive seasons, using athletics as a vehicle for mentorship, violence prevention, and youth engagement. As a youth speaker and motivator, Hobson has shared his journey from East Orange to First Sergeant and from soldier to CEO, demonstrating to young people that circumstances do not have to determine their destination; his mentorship extends beyond organized programs into one-on-one and group work with young men and aspiring entrepreneurs, emphasizing discipline, economic self-sufficiency, and character development, and he has also provided financial and organizational support to community events and youth programs throughout El Paso.
His civic and community involvement includes service as Worshipful Master of Sun Lodge 629 Masonic Organization, along with membership in American Legion Post #32, the Northeast Business Association, and the Northeast Toastmasters Club.
Recognition has followed decades of work. In July 2026, the Texas Independent Automobile Dealers Association honored Hobson with its Presidential Award, recognizing his decades of leadership and mentorship within the industry, and later that year he received the ETA Pi Omega Award for Outstanding Entrepreneurship, recognizing his accomplishments as a business owner and his impact on economic empowerment in the community.
Yet for all of his professional accomplishments, Hobson identifies something more personal as his greatest achievement: providing for his family and building a secure, loving, and dignified life for his wife and children. Married to his high school sweetheart, Kinna Andrews-Hobson, Hobson is the devoted father of Shyrell and Jahmeel, and the life he built with his family represents the foundation beneath everything else he has accomplished.
From a 17-year-old young man in East Orange to an Army First Sergeant, from soldier to entrepreneur, from business owner to statewide industry leader, and from coach and mentor to civic advocate, James E. Hobson has built his legacy through action. He has led businesses. He has trained entrepreneurs. He has invested in young people. He has served his community. He has supported economic opportunity. And he has remained committed to his family.
His legacy is therefore measured not simply by the businesses he owned, the positions he held, or the awards he received; it is measured by the people he has trained, the young people he has encouraged, the opportunities he has helped create, and the family he has built. James E. Hobson’s life demonstrates what can happen when discipline becomes leadership, leadership becomes service, and service becomes legacy.
REV. FELICIA P. HOPKINS, BSW, MDIV – Reverend | U.S. Army Chaplain (Major, Ret.) | Inspirational Speaker | Author
Rev. Felicia Pringle Hopkins is a native of Buffalo, New York, and will tell anyone who asks that, beyond her faith in God, the three most important things in her life are her sons, Samuel Hopkins of Dallas, Texas, and Adam Hopkins of Abilene, Texas, and her nuclear family. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Valparaiso University and a Master of Divinity from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, degrees that launched a ministerial career spanning more than 32 years in the United Methodist Church before her recent retirement.
Before entering ministry, Hopkins built a career in corporate logistics, working for Wal-Mart Distribution and Pepsi Cola Company, experience that would later shape the strategic, results-driven approach she brought to church leadership. She began her ministry work as Director of Campus Ministry for the Wesley Foundation United Campus Ministry at the University of Texas at El Paso from July 1996 to February 2003, coordinating religious life for an ecumenical group of 45 students annually and overseeing UTEP’s volunteer Community Service Based Learning program, PRAXIS, which placed more than 300 students each year in more than 70 nonprofit agencies across El Paso and Juárez, Mexico, a program so effective that more than 65 percent of student volunteers remained with their placement agencies after their class obligation ended.
Beginning in February 1998, Hopkins served at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in El Paso, Texas, as Associate Preaching Pastor, a role she held until June 2013. Her time there evolved over the years: while she served as Campus Minister, she worked at St. Mark’s part-time, and from 2004 until 2013 she served full-time, always as the Associate Preaching Pastor. There, she led and developed a Contemporary Worship service that grew from 17 members to more than 1,000, created and launched an entirely new church start that grew to minister to more than 800 parishioners in under six years, a congregation that was 40 percent Anglo and 60 percent cross-racial and cross-cultural, and designed and implemented an ecumenical Women’s Ministry that reached more than 200 women from various faith groups. Under her leadership, the church’s operational giving nearly tripled, growing from $700,000 to more than $2.1 million over seven years through innovative stewardship campaigns, prayer, and technology.
In the summer of 2013, Hopkins arrived in Abilene, Texas, as Senior Pastor of St. Paul United Methodist Church, and made history immediately as the first woman senior pastor in the church’s long history and its first Black pastor, chosen by a church committee from a blind resume on the strength of her qualifications and experience. She served more than 300 members in a cross-racial appointment while supervising a multi-functional team of 15 full-time staff, increased the church’s annual operating budget by 38 percent to $1.3 million over three years, directed a single line-item giving increase of 42 percent to the larger UMC, from $54,000 to $103,000 in two years, created an in-house Capital Campaign in less than 90 days that drew pledges of more than $1.25 million, and transformed the church’s worship experience so thoroughly that local television viewership grew from 1,200 to more than 9,000 households weekly within three years.
Her energetic preaching caught the attention of all of Abilene, not only the pews at St. Paul. She became an immediate favorite among the ministers and crowds of the Holy Week Luncheon Series, the popular annual spring gathering shared by St. Paul and other downtown congregations, and earned the lasting appreciation of Abilene’s downtown pastors for the enthusiasm she brought to their fellowship.
After several years at St. Paul, Hopkins was named by her bishop at the time, Rev. W. Earl Bledsoe, as District Superintendent of the Amarillo District of the Northwest Texas Conference, a post she held from July 2019 to June 2021; from July 2021 to July 2024, she returned to Abilene as District Superintendent of the Abilene District, strategically leading more than 50 churches and 50 pastors across a 50,000-square-mile region of Northwest Texas. In those roles, she provided assessments, strategic growth plans, and specialty training, developed new missional strategies for local outreach, community partnerships, and entrepreneurial church ventures, formed Equipping Pastoral Leadership groups for peer learning, recruited new clergy, assisted low-performing churches with financial forecasting, budgeting, and stewardship training, and managed more than $70 million in property assets held in trust by the United Methodist Church, including the sale, rental, and purchase of church property. Following the disaffiliation of 175 churches from the Northwest Texas Annual Conference, Hopkins spearheaded, developed, and implemented the successful launch of four new church plant communities across the Texas Panhandle, rebuilding presence in a region that had just lost a significant share of its congregations.
Her retirement has been only partial. As the United Methodist Church has undergone momentous change, with many conservative congregations leaving to become independent or join the Global Methodist Church, a small group of loyal United Methodists in Clyde, Texas, formed a new congregation, Open Door United Methodist Church, after the Clyde UMC left the denomination, and Hopkins served as its part-time pastor, preaching on Sunday mornings two to three times a month.
Hopkins is also a retired Army Major and Chaplain, having served more than 20 years on active duty and in the reserves. From February 2001 to May 2006, she served as a Reserve Army Trauma Chaplain in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, leading, coordinating, supervising, and motivating a four-member Spiritual Care team that provided immediate personal evacuation support, trauma counseling, and ecumenical spiritual care, working in concert with ICU and CCU staff, to more than 350 Very Seriously Ill patients, including eight American prisoners of war taken by Iraqi forces, and more than 12,000 Wounded Warriors over the course of a 13-month deployment. For her service, she received the Meritorious Service Medal in recognition of her exceptional care for the wounded and ill under her watch.
Since May 2004, Hopkins has built a parallel career as a keynote speaker, delivering more than 75 motivational keynote addresses to community and nonprofit audiences across multiple states and in Germany, including the YWCA National Leadership Conference, Positive Directions, the Rockford Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Army, the Lubbock, Abilene, and El Paso Independent School Districts, the Texas Department of Justice and Corrections, the University of Texas at El Paso, Abilene Christian University, and numerous United Methodist churches and Annual Conferences across New Mexico, Northwest Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri. In 2008, she authored and published the book “Halfway Home.”
Hopkins’s honors include being named El Paso Woman of the Year in 2003, induction into the El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame in 2005, and recognition as an Abilene, Texas, Outstanding Woman in 2018. In El Paso, she remains especially well known and well respected for Bible studies that those who have attended describe as inspiring, empowering, and deeply educational, a reputation built over her many years in the city that has carried forward even after her ministry took her elsewhere in Texas.
In her spare time, Hopkins enjoys listening to music, walking her mini-poodle, Clifford, and traveling to faraway places. A devoted sports fan, she is a diehard Buffalo Bills supporter and follows the University of Texas Longhorns, particularly women’s basketball and volleyball, along with men’s football. Those who have heard her preach describe an ability to connect deeply and spiritually with congregations large and small; she is known throughout Texas and across the United Methodist connection as a superb, inspirational preacher whose ministry has touched hearts for the good of the gospel of Jesus Christ for more than three decades.
SHOSHANA NYREE JOHNSON – U.S. Army Veteran | Former Prisoner of War | Purple Heart Recipient | Author | Veterans Advocate | El Pasoan
Shoshana Nyree Johnson’s story is one of courage, survival, faith and service.
Born in the Republic of Panama to Claude and Eunice Johnson, Shoshana Johnson was raised in a military family and eventually made El Paso, Texas, her home. Today, she is known nationally as a retired United States Army Specialist, a Purple Heart recipient, an author and veterans advocate, and, most notably, as the first Black female prisoner of war in U.S. military history.
Her journey to that historic distinction began long before the events that would make her known around the world.
A second-generation Army veteran, Johnson participated in JROTC at Andress High School, graduating in 1991. She attended The University of Texas at El Paso before joining the United States Army in September 1998. She completed basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, followed by Advanced Individual Training at Fort Lee, Virginia.
Her decision to enter the military was connected in part to a dream she already carried: culinary arts. She ultimately enlisted as a Food Service Specialist, combining military service with a path toward the culinary education she hoped to pursue.
Her first military assignment was at Fort Carson, Colorado. In February 2003, while serving at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Johnson received orders to deploy to Iraq with the 507th Maintenance Company, 5/52 Battalion, 11th Brigade, serving as a Food Service Specialist.
On March 23, 2003, during the opening phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Johnson’s convoy was ambushed near the city of an-Nasiriyah, Iraq. She was wounded by gunfire in both ankles and captured along with other members of her unit. The attack became one of the most closely followed stories of the early Iraq War.
For 22 days, Johnson was held captive.
She endured serious injuries, uncertainty and the psychological and physical ordeal of captivity. Yet her story is not ultimately defined by the fact that she was captured. It is defined by the fact that she survived.
On April 13, 2003, U.S. Marines rescued Johnson and the other American POWs. Images of her return brought her instantly into the international spotlight and transformed a relatively unknown Army specialist from El Paso into a symbol of courage and survival.
The United States Army identified Johnson as the first female prisoner of war of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first Black female POW in U.S. war history.
Her military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal and Prisoner of War Medal, along with the Army Service Ribbon, Army Commendation Ribbon, National Defense Ribbon and Good Conduct Medal.
Her service and historic place in military history have also been recognized by her native Panama. Johnson was awarded the Order of Manuel Amador Guerrero, Panama’s highest honor.
In December 2003, Johnson was honorably discharged from the Army following her medical retirement.
But coming home did not mean the journey was over.
Johnson had to rebuild a life after an experience that had changed her forever.
She returned to El Paso, completed her education and began transforming her experience into a story that could be shared with others.
In May 2008, she earned an Associate of Arts degree from El Paso Community College. In May 2011, she earned a degree in culinary arts, with a focus in pastry, from the same institution.
Her love of cooking remained part of who she was, even after her military career ended.
Johnson also became an author, telling her own story in the memoir I’m Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen—My Journey Home, published by Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. The memoir chronicles her military service, capture, 22 days as a POW and the difficult journey of returning to civilian life.
The book was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, bringing further recognition to a story that had already become part of American military history.
But Johnson’s legacy did not stop with telling her own story.
She chose to continue serving others.
In El Paso, she has remained active in veterans’ organizations and community life, speaking to schools and community groups, supporting veterans and participating in organizations committed to helping those who have served. El Paso Matters reported that she has served on Veterans Affairs advisory committees at the national level, assisted veterans’ organizations at the local VA and supported the Military Order of the Purple Heart’s work with Purple Heart Elementary School in the Socorro Independent School District. She has also welcomed opportunities to speak with area students.
Johnson is also a member of the American Legion in El Paso and has continued finding ways to serve fellow veterans. One of those ways is remarkably personal: she cooks monthly at her American Legion post, combining her culinary talents with her desire to give back and connect with the veteran community.
That may be one of the most meaningful parts of her story.
After being known around the world because of war, Johnson has chosen to be known at home for service.
She gives her time.
She shares her story.
She supports veterans.
She speaks to young people.
She cooks for her fellow veterans.
And she remains connected to the community that became her home.
Her faith has also been an important source of strength. During her captivity, Johnson drew upon her Catholic faith and thoughts of her family to maintain hope. Today, her church remains part of her community life.
There is another dimension to Johnson’s legacy that deserves recognition: she survived without allowing survival to become the end of her story.
She became an author.
She returned to school.
She pursued culinary arts.
She advocated for veterans.
She spoke to young people.
She continued serving her community.
And she chose to keep moving forward.
Johnson has spoken publicly about the importance of community in her life after captivity. Her story demonstrates that resilience does not mean pretending that difficult experiences never happened. It means finding ways to continue living, serving and contributing despite them.
Her legacy is therefore much larger than the historic title attached to her name.
Yes, she was the first Black female prisoner of war in U.S. military history.
Yes, she is a Purple Heart recipient.
Yes, she survived 22 days of captivity during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Yes, she wrote the story of that experience.
But Shoshana Johnson’s Hall of Fame significance lies in what she did after the headlines faded.
She came home to El Paso.
She rebuilt.
She learned.
She cooked.
She wrote.
She served.
She advocated.
And she continued giving herself to others.
For a city with a deep military identity, her story carries particular significance. El Paso was not simply the place where Johnson lived before her deployment. It was the place she fought to return to, the place where her family remained, the place she rebuilt her life and the community she continues to serve.
Her story is woven into the history of Fort Bliss, the Borderland and the United States military.
It is also woven into the history of Black women in the American armed forces.
When Johnson became a prisoner of war in 2003, she entered history under circumstances she never sought. But she has spent the years since then demonstrating that history does not have to be the end of a person’s story.
It can become the beginning of a legacy.
Shoshana Nyree Johnson is a survivor, a soldier, a mother, an author, a veteran advocate and an El Pasoan. Her life represents courage under fire, strength through adversity and the enduring power of service.
She did not choose the circumstances that made her historic.
But she chose what she would do with the life that remained.
And she is still standing.
LINDA JOYCE KIRK, H.C. – Visionary | Founder | Faith Leader | Entrepreneurial Advocate
Dr. Linda Joyce Kirk, h.c., is a visionary, faith leader, entrepreneur, and community builder whose life’s work has been centered on one powerful idea: people are capable of moving to their next level when they are given the spiritual, personal, and professional encouragement to do so.
A native of El Paso, Texas, Kirk is the Visionary and Founder of SOS Enrichment Inc., an organization whose name, SOS, represents “help,” and through it she has created an enrichment platform designed to encourage individuals to grow, develop, and pursue greater possibilities in their lives. Kirk’s own professional background reflects the intersection of business, technology, finance, and leadership; in her marketplace assignment, she works in banking and technology and holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, along with two Bachelor of Science degrees in Finance and Management, with a minor in Accounting.
That combination of business knowledge and ministry calling is central to Kirk’s approach. She does not view spiritual development and professional development as competing priorities, but believes individuals can be strengthened holistically, moving forward spiritually, physically, and professionally at once. Kirk describes her philosophy through the word EPIC, using it as an encouragement for people in Christ to move toward their next level, rooted in the belief that personal transformation should ultimately translate into a life of greater purpose, service, and impact. At the heart of her calling is what she describes as the work of the Kingdom and the responsibility she believes God has entrusted to her, to expand the “mantle of Greater Works” worldwide, a vision that has not remained confined to El Paso; Kirk also serves as an intercessor with More Than Conquerors Faith Church in Birmingham, Alabama, led by Apostle/Pastor Steve Green, extending her commitment to prayer and spiritual leadership beyond the work of SOS itself.
Through SOS Enrichment, Kirk has developed programming designed to reach people at different stages of life, hosting enrichment conferences for Sisters of Spirit, designed for women, Brothers of Spirit, designed for men, and YES, Young Excited Saints, serving young adults and teens; the structure reflects her understanding that enrichment cannot be limited to one demographic, since women need spaces for encouragement, men need opportunities for fellowship and growth, and young people need guidance and spiritual grounding as they navigate their futures. SOS has also maintained a Prayer Network, providing daily prayer calls and opportunities for corporate prayer, since in Kirk’s model, prayer is not simply an occasional activity, it is a foundation. The organization’s public nonprofit record confirms SOS Enrichment Inc.’s longstanding presence as an El Paso-based religious and spiritual-development organization, with Kirk identified as its president, and in 2013, SOS Enrichment received the Community Service Award from Epitome magazine, recognition of the organization’s contribution to the community.
Perhaps the most important aspect of Kirk’s legacy is the way she has connected faith with action; she has not simply spoken about enrichment, she has built platforms for it, creating conferences, establishing prayer networks, developing programming for women, men, young adults, and teens, and continuing to carry a vision that extends beyond geographic boundaries. Her professional life gives her a distinctive perspective on the people she serves, since her education in finance, management, and accounting, combined with her MBA and work in banking and technology, gives her real experience in the marketplace that complements her ministry work; she understands both the language of faith and the realities of professional life, and that intersection is part of what makes her leadership distinctive.
Her message is not simply to believe, it is to become, to grow, to develop, to move, to serve, and to reach the next level, understanding that spiritual purpose can coexist with professional excellence and personal development. Kirk’s story is also deeply connected to El Paso; as a native daughter of the city, her work represents a homegrown vision that has expanded beyond local boundaries while remaining rooted in community, and her legacy is not based on a single event or achievement, but is found in the people who have been encouraged, the women who have been strengthened, the men who have been challenged, the young people who have been given a place to grow, the individuals who have found a community of prayer, and the people who have been reminded that their next level is still possible.
That is the significance of Linda Joyce Kirk. She is a visionary who built an organization around help, a business professional who understands the marketplace, a faith leader who believes in the power of prayer, and a mentor and encourager who challenges people not to remain where they are, a founder whose vision has created opportunities for enrichment across generations. For more than a decade, SOS Enrichment has provided a framework through which Kirk’s vision could become tangible, and the organization’s nonprofit record confirms its continuing existence and religious and spiritual-development mission in El Paso.
Her work is ultimately about greater works, not as a slogan, but as a philosophy of living. The question is not simply what has been accomplished, but what can still be accomplished through people who are willing to grow, believe, serve, and move forward. That is the vision Dr. Linda Joyce Kirk, h.c., continues to carry, and that is the legacy worthy of recognition.
THE HONORABLE BARBARA JEAN LEE – 52nd Mayor of Oakland | Former U.S. Congresswoman | Former California State Legislator | Author | Trailblazer | Daughter of El Paso
Barbara Jean Lee, an El Paso-born former Congresswoman and 52nd Mayor of Oakland, was born on July 16, 1946, in El Paso, Texas, and her story is one of perseverance, courage and public service shaped by the realities of growing up Black in a segregated America.
Long before she became a nationally recognized political leader, Lee was an El Paso girl learning firsthand what inequality looked like. She was born into a military family; her father was a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and veteran, and her mother, Mildred Parish Massey, was herself a woman of remarkable strength and civic consciousness. The family lived in segregated El Paso, where Lee attended Catholic schools, including St. Joseph’s, because of the racial barriers that existed in the city’s public education system, experiences that would become part of the foundation for a lifetime of activism.
When Lee was a teenager, her family moved to California, where she continued challenging racial barriers; at San Fernando High School, she worked with the NAACP to challenge the school’s discriminatory policy preventing Black students from joining the cheerleading squad, becoming the first Black cheerleader in her school district. It was an early indication of the woman she would become. Lee did not simply accept exclusion, she challenged it, a pattern that would follow her throughout her life.
As a young woman and single mother raising two sons, Lee attended Mills College in Oakland, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1973, and went on to earn a Master of Social Work from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1975. Her college years placed her directly into the civil rights movement; while at Mills, Lee became president of the Black Student Union and invited Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, to speak on campus, and Chisholm’s message to young activists to become involved would have a profound impact on Lee’s life. She subsequently became involved in Chisholm’s presidential campaign; she later worked for Congressman Ron Dellums, eventually becoming his chief of staff.
Her professional background was not limited to politics. Lee founded and operated a community-based mental health organization, the Community Health Alliance for Neighborhood Growth and Education, and also became a small-business owner, work as a clinical social worker that reflected an enduring interest in the health and well-being of underserved communities.
In 1990, Lee entered elected office, winning a seat in the California State Assembly; six years later, she was elected to the California State Senate, where her legislative career established her as a formidable advocate on health care, education, labor, women’s rights, environmental protection, and public safety. Then came Congress: after Ron Dellums retired, Lee won a 1998 special election to succeed him in the U.S. House of Representatives, going on to serve more than 27 years in Congress, representing California’s East Bay until January 2025, across the 105th through 118th Congresses.
Her congressional career would make her a national figure, but one moment above all others came to define the courage associated with her name. On September 14, 2001, just days after the terrorist attacks of September 11, Congress voted on the Authorization for Use of Military Force, and Barbara Lee cast the sole vote against the resolution. Her decision was deeply controversial at the time and drew intense criticism, but Lee maintained that her responsibility was to exercise constitutional judgment rather than respond to fear or political pressure, rooted in a belief that Congress should not surrender its constitutional responsibility to declare war. History would make the vote one of the most recognizable acts of individual dissent in modern congressional history, and it became part of the larger story of her public life: the willingness to stand alone when she believed principle required it.
Her legislative work, however, extended far beyond that single vote. Lee became a leading national advocate on HIV/AIDS, poverty, global health, women’s rights, peace, and social justice, instrumental in shaping legislation addressing HIV/AIDS domestically and internationally and serving as a founding co-chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, including support for the policy framework surrounding PEPFAR and the Global Fund. She also rose into significant congressional leadership, serving as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus from 2009 to 2011 and as co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, along with leadership positions on the House Appropriations Committee and other influential bodies. Her congressional career made her a trailblazer in multiple ways, becoming one of the most prominent Black women in American public life and a nationally recognized voice for peace, justice, economic opportunity, and human rights.
But beneath the national profile remained the girl from El Paso. She has spoken openly about growing up in segregated El Paso, including experiences of racial discrimination that shaped her understanding of inequality; her mother, Mildred Parish Massey, was herself born and raised in El Paso and became a social advocate and civil rights activist, and the Parish family was part of El Paso’s historic Black community, with roots in the city’s civic and civil rights movements. Lee therefore inherited more than a political interest in justice, she inherited a tradition, and she never stopped carrying it with her when her family moved west.
In 2008, Lee published her memoir, Renegade for Peace and Justice: Congresswoman Barbara Lee Speaks for Me, chronicling her journey from her upbringing in El Paso through her activism, political career, and service in Congress. The memoir is particularly important for a Hall of Fame biography because it allows Lee’s story to be understood in her own voice, not simply as the résumé of a politician, but as the story of a woman whose convictions were forged through personal experience.
And the story did not end when she left Congress. In 2025, Lee entered a new chapter of public service, winning a historic special election for Mayor of Oakland and becoming the first Black woman elected mayor of the city; she was sworn in as Oakland’s 52nd mayor on May 20, 2025. Her return to local government represents another evolution in a career that has moved from community activism to the California Legislature, to Congress, and now to executive leadership at the municipal level. As mayor, Lee has emphasized restoring trust in government, addressing public safety, homelessness, housing, economic opportunity, and the city’s fiscal challenges, bringing more than three decades of state and federal public-service experience to the mayor’s office.
For an El Paso Hall of Fame, that achievement has a special resonance. She was not an El Paso politician who went to Congress; she was an El Paso-born woman whose childhood experiences helped shape a lifetime of national public service. She grew up knowing what it meant to be excluded, she learned to challenge barriers, and she became an activist, a social worker, a businesswoman, a state legislator, a congresswoman, a national leader, an author, and now a mayor.
That is Barbara Lee’s story. Her El Paso roots are not a footnote to her legacy, they are part of its foundation. Barbara Jean Lee is a daughter of El Paso who carried the lessons of her hometown into a lifetime of public service, becoming one of the most consequential Black women in American politics and a trailblazer whose career has broken barriers at the local, state, and national levels. From the segregated streets of El Paso to the halls of Congress, and now to the mayor’s office in Oakland, Barbara Lee has built a legacy defined by courage, conviction, service, and an unwavering belief that public leadership should be used to expand opportunity and protect human dignity. That is why her story belongs in the El Paso Black Hall of Fame.
DUWAN M. MASON SR. – Community Servant | Mentor | Public Servant | Veteran | Humanitarian
Duwan M. Mason Sr. has spent more than three decades building a life around service to others, work that began not with a title or an organization, but with his mother, Dorothy Ann Mason, whom he identifies as his true inspiration and the person who first taught him the importance of helping others. Since 1989, Mason has been a consistent presence in the El Paso community, using his time, resources, relationships, and personal example to make the city a more giving and connected place.
Born April 17, 1967, in Louisville, Kentucky, Mason graduated from Iroquois High School in 1985 and attended the University of Louisville, where he played football; in 1986, while still in school, he joined the U.S. Army Reserve, and the following year he entered active-duty Army service, remaining on active duty until May 1993. After his military service, Mason continued in public service, working for the El Paso Sheriff’s Department until September 1996, before entering federal service with the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where he continues his career today.
But Mason’s commitment to El Paso extends well beyond his professional responsibilities. For more than 30 years, he has invested himself in the people and causes of the community, characterized by a willingness to help wherever there is a need, whether through an organization, a community initiative, a nonprofit event, a family gathering, or an individual who simply needs someone to step forward; his nomination specifically describes him as someone who supports organizations doing positive work in the community without limiting that support to groups he is formally affiliated with. Youth mentorship has been a significant part of that service as well, and he speaks regularly to youth groups about education, personal development, and future endeavors, encouraging young people to think beyond their present circumstances, an approach that reflects the same philosophy guiding his broader community work: people are strengthened when someone is willing to invest in them.
Food, fellowship, and direct assistance have become hallmarks of Mason’s service. He organizes an annual Friends and Family community picnic that has served more than 500 people, along with annual free Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners open to the wider El Paso community, events built on donations of money, food, and toys that Mason personally solicits, with the Christmas celebration including gifts for children; together, those two holiday events have provided meals for more than 200 families. His service has also extended to causes affecting families and vulnerable populations, supporting Breast Cancer Awareness, Alzheimer’s Awareness, and local orphanages through fundraising luncheons and dinners, and he regularly assists nonprofit organizations with whatever their events require, including cooking and other direct support. Among his community contributions is his assistance to Black El Paso Voice in establishing its annual Juneteenth celebration, one more example of his willingness to lend his time to initiatives that bring the community together and honor its history and culture.
Perhaps most significantly, Mason’s service is not limited to large public events; he places particular importance on caring for elders in the community, reaching out to assist them with their needs, acknowledge their accomplishments, and provide ongoing support. That personal attention is central to the kind of service Mason represents, not simply organizing events, but making people feel seen, valued, and remembered. He is also a member of the Texas Masonic family, adding another dimension to a lifelong commitment to fellowship and service.
Mason’s philosophy of service shows up in the many roles he fills within his own family, described as a devoted husband, father, brother, mentor, teacher, mediator, and friend; married to his wife, Kathy, for 30 years, he is the father of five children, four sons and one daughter, and grandfather of two. His approach to people outside his family is equally personal, and he is known for treating strangers as though he has known them for years and for opening his home to anyone who reaches out to him, a reputation built not through titles or organizational positions, but through relationships and trust earned over time.
That service has been recognized repeatedly. Among his documented honors are the 2013 Outstanding Citizen Award from Houston Attractions LLC, the 2015 Unsung Hero Award from the El Paso Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, the 2016 Community Service Award from the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the 2018 Man of the Year Award from Black El Paso Voice, the 2018 Humanitarian Award for Outstanding Community Service from the MLK Committee and Bishop Harrison Johnson, the 2023 Community Champion of the Year Award from Black El Paso Voice, and the 2025 Black El Paso Man of the Year Award for Community Service, along with numerous honors through his Masonic organizations.
Yet the awards are secondary to the legacy. Mason’s own account of his life makes clear that service was never something he began doing for recognition; it was something he learned from his mother and carried forward into adulthood, and what began as a lesson in helping others became a lifelong commitment to family, youth, elders, veterans, nonprofits, community organizations, and people in need. Since establishing his connection to El Paso in 1989, Duwan M. Mason Sr. has demonstrated that community leadership does not always require a formal title, sometimes it looks like making sure families have a Thanksgiving meal, finding toys for children at Christmas, cooking for a nonprofit, mentoring a young person, supporting another organization’s mission, raising funds for a cause, or simply checking on an elder, and for more than three decades, Mason has consistently answered those calls.
His legacy is one of service without limitation, leadership through action, and a belief that a stronger community is built when people are willing to give of themselves. For his sustained commitment to the El Paso community, his mentorship of others, his support of families and vulnerable populations, his public service and military service, and his decades-long record of bringing people together through service and fellowship, Duwan M. Mason Sr. is a fitting inductee into the El Paso Black Hall of Fame.
ELDER BEVERLY MATHIS – Elder | Minister | Vocalist | Community Servant | Mentor | “Mama Bear” | Daughter of El Paso
For more than six decades, Beverly Mathis has been a familiar and trusted presence in the El Paso community. A woman of faith, music, service and compassion. Mathis has spent her life answering a call to ministry while simultaneously giving her time and talents to churches, civic organizations, youth, families and community initiatives. Her journey is one marked not by a single accomplishment, but by decades of consistent presence, service and care for others. An El Pasoan since birth in 1951, Mathis graduated from El Paso High School in 1969, an institution recognized as the oldest high school in El Paso, Texas.
Her years at El Paso High helped shape the young woman who would become a leader in both faith and community life. During her senior year, she received the second-place ROTC trophy and was selected by the ROTC cadets as their Military Queen. She was also president of the “A” Choir and was named a Senior Favorite with early indications of her leadership skills and will to serve. Add her musical ability and personal connection with others which continues throughout her life. Music has always been an important part of Mathis’s story. She began taking piano lessons at the age of seven and, by the age of nine, was serving as a church musician. Her musical gifts would eventually become intertwined with her ministry, allowing her to reach people not only through preaching and teaching, but through song.
Mathis’s call to ministry came in 1993. She began her ministerial journey in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in January 1995, following the call she had received two years earlier. Her ministry would ultimately bring her into a historic role in her hometown. On March 1, 1998, Beverly Mathis became the first woman licensed to preach at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in El Paso, Texas. The milestone represented more than a personal achievement. It marked a significant moment in the history of her church and reflected her willingness to answer her calling and step into leadership in a traditionally male-dominated role. Today, Mathis serves as an Elder at Faith Tabernacle Full Gospel, where she continues her ministry and remains passionate about serving God and people. After more than three decades since answering her call, her faith remains central to the way she lives and serves. Her ministry, however, has never been confined to the pulpit. Mathis has built a reputation as a woman who shows up for people. Within the community, those who have experienced her compassion and protective spirit affectionately call her “Mama Bear.” The name captures something deeper than a nickname: Mathis is known for caring deeply about others, advocating for people, creating a sense of family and belonging wherever she serves. Her community involvement has included active participation in the Phillis Wheatley Civic Club, where she serves as Chaplain, as well as service with the El Paso High School Alumni Association, where she serves as Parliamentarian and volunteers with the organization’s annual C.D. Jarvis Basketball Tournament. Her civic engagement also extends to the NAACP, the Religious Affairs Committee, the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee, and the Eastside-Central Coalition, Inc. She has also volunteered at the McCall Neighborhood Center, giving her time to a community institution dedicated to serving El Paso residents.
Especially at the Juliet Hart Enrichment Summer Camp for the youth. Through these organizations and initiatives, Mathis has demonstrated that her understanding of ministry extends beyond church walls. For her, service is personal. It means being available, encouraging others, contributing her talents and remaining connected to the people and institutions that make up her community. Her professional life has likewise been rooted in caring for others. Mathis is a retired Certified Nursing Assistant who spent 15 years in telemetry at Sierra Medical Center, bringing her compassion and caregiving abilities into the healthcare environment. She also served as an instructor and teacher with NAMI of El Paso, further expanding her commitment to education, mental health awareness and community support. Her experience as a healthcare worker and educator adds another dimension to a life already deeply invested in the well-being of others. Her influence has also reached El Paso’s younger generations. Through her involvement with her high school alumni association, community organizations and volunteer efforts, she has remained connected to programs that encourage youth, preserve institutional history and strengthen community relationships. One of Mathis’s more recent expressions of ministry came on June 13, 2025, when she officiated her first wedding. The occasion represented another chapter in a ministry that has continued to evolve throughout her life, allowing her to serve families in yet another deeply personal and meaningful capacity.
Her story is also a story of family.
Mathis is a proud mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and family remains one of the great joys of her life. When she is not engaged in ministry or community service, she enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.
Yet what distinguishes Mathis is not simply the number of organizations on her résumé or the titles she has held. It is the consistency of her presence.
For more than 60 years, she has remained connected to El Paso and its people. From a young girl learning piano and serving as a church musician, to a high school leader, healthcare professional, educator, minister and community advocate, the different chapters of her life have all shared a common thread: she has used what she has been given to serve others.
Her path has also demonstrated the power of opening doors for those who come after you. In 1998, when she became the first woman licensed to preach at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, she became part of the continuing story of women answering the call to spiritual leadership and claiming their rightful place in ministry.
Today, Elder Beverly Mathis continues to serve with the same spirit that has characterized her life: faith-filled, compassionate, candid, protective and deeply invested in people.
She is a minister who understands that ministry happens in the sanctuary, but also in the community.
She is a caregiver who understands that healing can take many forms.
She is a musician who learned early that a song can reach a place words sometimes cannot.
She is a civic servant who continues to give her time to the institutions and causes that strengthen El Paso.
And to the many people who know her simply as “Mama Bear,” she is something even more personal: someone they can count on.
Beverly Mathis’s legacy is therefore not measured by one title, one church or one moment in time. It is measured in decades of service, generations of family, people encouraged, communities strengthened and lives touched by a woman who answered her calling and never stopped serving.
From the classrooms and ROTC ranks of El Paso High School to the church, the healthcare field, civic organizations and community centers of her hometown, Mathis has spent her life demonstrating that leadership can be both strong and compassionate, and that faith is most powerful when it is lived through service.
In 2023, she received the Black El Paso Voice Lighthouse Beacon Award presented by the founder for being an advocate for and participant as one of El Paso’s very own who are the keepers of Black History.
For more than six decades, Beverly Mathis has been part of the fabric of El Paso. Her story is one of faith, music, caregiving, leadership and unwavering community devotion. For the El Paso Black Hall of Fame, she represents the enduring power of a life dedicated not merely to being present, but to being there for others.
NOLAN RICHARDSON – Player | Head Coach | Championship Trailblazer | Naismith Hall of Famer
Nolan Richardson Jr. was born December 27, 1941, in the Second Ward, also known as El Segundo Barrio, in El Paso, Texas, to Nolan Richardson Sr. and Clareast (Mims) Richardson. His mother died of miliary tuberculosis in 1945 when Nolan was just three years old, leaving behind three children: Shirley, age five; Nolan Jr., age three; and Helen, six months old. The children moved in with their grandmother, Rose Richardson, known as Ol’ Mama, who had a profound impact on Nolan, instilling in him the drive and determination that would define his life. His father visited but often did not live with the family, battling alcoholism for much of his adult life. Richardson grew up as part of the only Black family in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood, an early experience that shaped his understanding of being an outsider and a trailblazer.
Richardson attended Bowie High School in El Paso, where he became a standout athlete. He began his collegiate playing career at Eastern Arizona Junior College during the 1959-60 season, then returned home to play for Texas Western College, now the University of Texas at El Paso, playing his junior and senior years under Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins. He became the first Black star player for Haskins at Texas Western. While Haskins’ structured, defensive-minded system limited Richardson’s offensive output compared to his earlier years, it instilled in him a deep understanding of defensive pressure that would later define his own coaching philosophy. Richardson graduated from UTEP in 1963. He went on to brief professional stints in both the American Football League with the San Diego Chargers and the American Basketball Association with the Dallas Chaparrals before returning home to begin his true calling: coaching.
Bowie High School and Western Texas Junior College (1968-1980)
Richardson began his coaching career in 1968 at his alma mater, Bowie High School in El Paso, becoming the school’s first Black head coach. Over ten years, he compiled a 190-80 record and won two city championships. In 1977, he moved to Western Texas Junior College, where in three seasons he built a 101-13 record. His final season there, 1979-80, was perfect: a 37-0 record capped by the 1980 NJCAA National Championship.
University of Tulsa (1980-1985)
Richardson’s junior college success drew Division I attention, and he took over at Tulsa in 1980. He engineered an immediate turnaround, leading the Golden Hurricane to the 1981 NIT Championship in his very first season, becoming the first Black head coach to win an NIT title and the first coach in NCAA history to win 50 games in his first two seasons. Over five seasons, Tulsa went 119-37, a .763 winning percentage, adding conference regular-season titles in 1984 and 1985 and conference tournament titles in 1982 and 1984. It was at Tulsa that Richardson became known for his trademark polka dot ties, a quirk that led Tulsa students to wear polka dots to home games.
University of Arkansas and “Forty Minutes of Hell” (1985-2002)
In 1985, Richardson was hired at the University of Arkansas following Eddie Sutton’s departure for Kentucky, making him the first African American head coach at a major university in the South and the first African American head coach of a men’s program in the Southwest Conference. He inherited a program built around Sutton’s deliberate, halfcourt style, and his frenetic, high-pressure system was a jolt to the fan base, especially after a rocky 12-16 first season. The skepticism didn’t last. By year two, Arkansas was back in the postseason with an NIT berth; by year three, they were in the NCAA Tournament, a stage the Razorbacks would reach in 13 of the next 15 seasons.
His system, “Forty Minutes of Hell,” forced opponents into relentless full-court pressure, mental fatigue, and turnovers, and it transformed Fayetteville into a national power. Over 17 seasons, Arkansas made 15 postseason appearances, reached three Final Fours (1990, 1994, 1995), and captured the 1994 NCAA National Championship, defeating Duke 76-72 after finishing the season 31-3. The following year, Arkansas returned to the title game but fell to UCLA. Richardson’s teams averaged 27 wins a season through the 1990s and were the winningest program of the decade until 1997; their 270 wins from 1990 to 1999 trailed only four programs nationally. He finished as Arkansas’s all-time winningest coach at 389-169, a .697 record, and stands among an elite handful of coaches, alongside names like Roy Williams and Jim Boeheim, to win 365 games in 15 seasons or fewer. In 2012, ESPN’s SEC Storied series featured his philosophy in the documentary “40 Minutes of Hell.”
Throughout his time at Arkansas, Richardson was outspoken about the racial double standards he and other Black coaches faced. In February 2002, following a postgame press conference, he publicly challenged the administration, telling Athletic Director Frank Broyles, “If they go ahead and pay me my money, they can take my job tomorrow.” He was dismissed shortly after. In December 2002, Richardson filed a lawsuit against the university, its board of trustees, and the Razorback Foundation alleging a racially discriminatory environment; the suit was dismissed in 2004. His longtime assistant Mike Anderson became Arkansas’s head coach in 2011, and Richardson remained a regular presence at Razorback home games during Anderson’s tenure.
On March 28, 2019, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees voted unanimously to name the court at Bud Walton Arena the Nolan Richardson Court, an honor that followed years of growing public support, including a resolution introduced in the Arkansas General Assembly.
International and WNBA Coaching (2005-2011)
Richardson, who speaks fluent Spanish, served as head coach of the Panama national team from 2005 to 2007 and was named head coach of the Mexico national team in 2007. In 2009, he was named head coach and general manager of a prospective WNBA expansion franchise in Tulsa. When the Detroit Shock relocated to become the Tulsa Shock that October, it marked Richardson’s first professional head coaching job and his first time coaching women. The transition proved difficult; the team’s championship-era players from Detroit largely declined to relocate, forcing Richardson to rebuild around Olympic track star Marion Jones, who hadn’t competed in meaningful basketball in over a decade. The roster lacked continuity throughout, and the Shock finished 6-28, last in the league. After an attempt to revive the team by bringing Sheryl Swoopes out of retirement produced a 1-10 start, Richardson resigned on July 8, 2011.
Career Totals
Richardson finished his college coaching career with a 508-206 overall record, a .711 winning percentage, across 22 seasons in Division I, with 20 postseason tournament appearances. His NCAA Division I tournament record stood at 26-14 and his NIT record at 9-4.
Category | Record / Detail |
High School Record (Bowie HS) | 190–80 (.704) |
Junior College Record (Western Texas) | 101–13 (.886) |
NCAA Division I Career Record | 508–206 (.711) |
Tulsa Record | 119–37 (.763) |
Arkansas Record | 389–169 (.697) |
NCAA National Titles | 1 (1994) |
Final Four Appearances | 3 (1990, 1994, 1995) |
Honors and Legacy
Richardson’s championships span every level he coached: the 1980 NJCAA National Championship, the 1981 NIT Championship, and the 1994 NCAA Division I National Championship, making him the only coach in history to win all three. He also won two MVC regular season titles (1984, 1985), two MVC tournament titles (1982, 1984), three SWC regular season and tournament titles (1989-1991), two SEC regular season titles (1992, 1994), four SEC West Division titles (1992-1995), and the 2000 SEC tournament.
His individual honors include NABC Coach of the Year and Naismith College Coach of the Year, both in 1994; two-time MVC Coach of the Year (1981, 1985); three-time SWC Coach of the Year (1989-1991); SEC Coach of the Year (1998); and the 1995 USBWA Most Courageous Award, given after he continued coaching through the loss of his daughter, Yvonne, to leukemia in 1987. He was inducted into the El Paso Sports Hall of Fame in 1974, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1998, the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2015, and the NJCAA Foundation Hall of Fame in 2023.
Tributes and Permanent Legacy
In El Paso, Richardson is honored with two prominent local landmarks beyond his Bowie High School alumnus status. Nolan Richardson Middle School, located at 11166 Vista Del Sol Drive in East El Paso, is part of the Socorro Independent School District. Adjacent to it, at 4435 Maxwell Avenue, sits the Nolan Richardson Recreation Center, a city-operated facility featuring sports courts, a weight room, and community spaces. In 2016, the gymnasium at Bowie High School, the same gym where Richardson played, graduated, and launched his coaching career, was officially renamed the Nolan Richardson Gym.
Beyond El Paso, Bud Walton Arena’s basketball court was named the Nolan Richardson Court in 2019, and in 2021 the Fayetteville City Council voted unanimously to rename a prominent street Nolan Richardson Drive. Richardson is celebrated permanently in El Paso as the Outstanding Alumnus of Bowie High School, remaining an inspiration for young athletes across the Sun City.
Local El Paso Landmarks
Further Reading
The definitive account of Richardson’s life is Forty Minutes of Hell: The Extraordinary Life of Nolan Richardson by Rus Bradburd (Amistad, 2010). The biography traces his journey from El Paso’s Segundo Barrio through his playing days under Don Haskins, his rise through every level of coaching, his battles with racial discrimination as a pioneering Black coach in the South, and his 1994 NCAA Championship at Arkansas.
ROUCHELLION LUCILLE SAMUEL – Civic Leader | U.S. Army Veteran (Retired) | Public Servant | Advocate
Rouchellion Lucille Samuel joined the United States Army at a time when doing so meant fighting simply to be recognized as an equal member of the service, and she spent the next 20 years proving exactly that, retiring as a decorated veteran whose commitment to service was only just beginning.
Born in Rosehill, North Carolina, and a graduate of North Lenoir High School, Samuel was raised by her parents, Rudolph and Rebecca Davidson of Kinston, North Carolina, alongside her sister, the late Dr. Sheila Davidson-Pressley. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Logistics Management, a foundation that would carry directly into the second half of her career; after retiring from the Army, she joined the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, where she served for 26 years, first as Budget Director and eventually as Executive Administrative Officer, overseeing fiscal responsibility for more than $130 million in taxpayer funding. Colleagues who worked alongside her for decades describe her attention to detail and work ethic as the reason the Sheriff’s Office’s budgeting was handled responsibly and professionally year after year, a quiet but essential form of leadership that rarely makes headlines but shapes an entire organization.
Samuel is also the Co-Owner of the Third Generation Martial Arts Association, one more example of her willingness to work in fields not traditionally associated with women, a pattern that has defined her career from the Army onward. Her military and professional affiliations run deep: she is a lifetime member of Colonel Louis A. Carter Post #832 of the American Legion and of the Northeast #187 Disabled Veterans Association, a member of El Paso Texas Women Veterans and the International Association of Military Women of Color, a member of the Association for Accountants and Financial Professionals in Business, and a member of both the National Association of Professional Women and the National Association of Women in Law Enforcement as Executives. She is also a Diamond Lifetime Member of the NAACP, a member of The Woman’s Club of El Paso, and a member of the Eastside-Central Coalition. She currently holds membership in Kappa Epsilon Psi Military Sorority, Inc.
Beyond her career, Samuel has built a second body of work almost entirely in service to others. She is a profound advocate in the fight against domestic violence and the fight against cancer, working with organizations including La Posada Home, the YWCA Transitional Living Center, and breast cancer support groups to bring resources and hope to people facing some of the hardest moments of their lives. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the McCall Neighborhood Center and on the Board of the El Paso Commission for Women, extending her civic leadership into the institutions shaping opportunity for women across the city.
Samuel’s leadership also extends deeply into the Prince Hall Masonic Order, where her record of service has earned her a place in its permanent history. Her portrait is displayed in the Wilbert M. Curtis Texas Prince Hall Library Museum, honoring her as the First Grand Princess Captain Emerita of Texas of the Lone Star Grand Guild and the First Royal Grand Perfect Matron Emerita of Texas of the Margaret A. McDow Grand Court, Ladies of the Circle of Perfection. She currently serves as National Elected Treasurer for the General Conference of Grand Courts, Ladies of the Circle of Perfection, USA and Bahamas, as International Elected Officer for the International Grand Court Order of Cyrene Crusaders USA, and as CEO of the Grand High Court Heroines of Jericho, Texas, an organization headquartered in Fort Worth. She was instrumental in securing Historical Landmark designation for the Grand High Court Heroines of Jericho office from the City of Fort Worth, as well as a Texas Historical Landmark designation from the Texas Historical Commission.
In 2022, the Quilts of Honor Foundation recognized Samuel’s military service, presenting her with one of its comforting and healing quilts given to service members and veterans touched by war. That decades-long record of service reached another milestone in 2025, when Samuel was inducted into the El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame, formal recognition of a legacy already well known to the people and organizations she has served.
At the center of it all, is her family. Samuel is married to Dr. Bernard F. Samuel and is the mother of two children, son Terrence Samuel of San Diego, California, and daughter Kametra Marzette, a retired Air Force Staff Sergeant now living in Virginia, and mother-in-law to Army Chief Warrant Officer Joseph Marzette. Away from her many professional and civic responsibilities, she finds joy in traveling and bowling, simple pleasures that balance a life otherwise defined by service to nearly everyone around her.
Those who have worked alongside Samuel describe her not simply as a colleague, but as an example, a woman who has spent every chapter of her life, military, professional, civic, and fraternal, proving that leadership and compassion are not opposites, but partners. Her career reflects a lifelong pattern: enter a space not built for her, lead it with excellence, and then open the door wider for the next woman who follows.
SUNDRA JILL STRICKLAND – Community Advocate | Trailblazer | Daughter of El Paso’s Historic Heights
Sundra Jill Strickland was born into a loving military family, an upbringing that took her across the continental United States and abroad during her formative years, giving her what she describes as a global education long before she ever set foot in a classroom. When her family eventually settled in El Paso, her parents purchased a home in the historic Heights neighborhood, and it was there that Strickland grew up.
Strickland graduated from Bel Air High School in 1972, where she made history as the school’s first African American Cheerleader and Spring Festival Queen, breaking barriers in roles that had not been open to Black students before her. Her connection to that history has continued into the present: her exhibit was one of many featured in the El Paso Museum of History’s Heights Neighborhood Exhibit downtown last year, a public record of the community and the era that shaped her.
Service and community work, she says, are woven into her DNA, a lesson she didn’t have to be taught so much as watch in action. She spent her childhood observing her parents give of themselves and work hard to improve the lives of others, an example that shaped the way she has approached her own life since. That commitment has carried directly into her faith; Strickland has belonged to only one church, Mt. Zion, for more than 50 years, where she serves across multiple ministries, including Music with the choir, Youth, Culinary, and Sisters-in-Christ, the church’s women’s ministry.
For Strickland, being recognized carries a meaning rooted in faith as much as family. She describes herself as humbled and honored by the recognition, and is direct about where her passion for service comes from: a love for family and for others that she calls, in her own words, “truly God-centered.”
GINGER THOMPSON – Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist | Investigative Reporter | Editor
Ginger Thompson was raised in El Paso, Texas, where she edited her high school yearbook and developed a fluency in Spanish that would later become inseparable from her career, before going on to become one of the most decorated investigative journalists of her generation, someone equally at home, as she has put it, on both sides of the border.
Thompson attended Purdue University, though not on the path she originally intended. Coming from a working-class family, she enrolled to study computer technology, a choice driven by financial practicality rather than passion, and the toll was immediate: she developed severe anemia during her freshman year and spent days hospitalized receiving blood transfusions while struggling to keep up. A journalism class with professor Dave Nelson during her sophomore year changed the trajectory of her life; she left computer technology, enrolled in liberal arts, and became managing editor of Purdue’s student newspaper, The Exponent, graduating in 1986. She went on to earn a Master of Public Policy focused on human rights law from George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.
Thompson began her career at the Los Angeles Times through its METPRO training program, then worked as a national and Latin America correspondent for the Baltimore Sun and the Chicago Tribune before spending 15 years at the New York Times, where she served as a Washington correspondent, an investigative reporter, and ultimately the paper’s Mexico City bureau chief. Her reporting has focused on exposing the consequences of U.S. policy in Latin America, particularly around immigration, political upheaval, and the fight against drug cartels, work that has taken her into breaking news across the region, including Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela.
Among the defining projects of her career is a series she co-wrote with reporter Gary Cohn in 1995 for the Baltimore Sun, the result of more than a year investigating a secret Honduran military unit backed by the United States that kidnapped, tortured, and murdered hundreds of suspected leftists; the series was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for Public Service and remains, in Thompson’s own words, some of the work she loves most. In 2001, she was part of a team of New York Times reporters awarded the Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting for the series “How Race Is Lived in America.”
Since 2014, Thompson has worked at ProPublica, where she now serves as managing editor after previously serving as chief of correspondents and deputy managing editor overseeing recruitment and reporting projects. There, she was part of the reporting team whose coverage of the Trump administration’s Zero Tolerance immigration policy, including reporting that helped force an end to the practice of separating undocumented immigrant children from their parents at the southern border, won a Polk Award, a Peabody Award, and the Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award, and was a second career Pulitzer finalist for Public Service. Her additional honors include the Maria Moors Cabot Prize, the Selden Ring Award for investigative reporting from the USC School of Journalism, an InterAmerican Press Association Award, an Overseas Press Club Award for human rights reporting, and a Chancellor Award from Columbia Journalism School, where she also teaches.
In May 2022, Thompson was elected to the Pulitzer Prize Board at Columbia University, one of nineteen members overseeing the prizes established by Joseph Pulitzer. Board co-chair Katherine Boo said at the time that Thompson had “distinguished herself at virtually every level of journalism the Pulitzer Prize honors, from local beat reporting to courageous international coverage to innovative storytelling to meticulous, groundbreaking investigations in the public interest.” Thompson is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Overseas Press Club Board of Governors.
Her advice to today’s graduates reflects the same instinct that carried her out of a computer science program and into a Pulitzer-winning career: don’t be afraid to make mistakes, because safe roads generally take you nowhere.
REV. KAREN M. WILSON-CURLESS – Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army (Retired) | Ordained Minister | Educator | Community Leader
Rev. Karen M. Wilson-Curless has spent more than five decades leading, developing, and lifting others, first in the United States Army, then in the classroom, and always, running underneath every chapter, in the church and the community she calls home. She entered the Women’s Army Corps in 1970 and served more than 30 years of active duty, retiring in September 2000 at the rank of Command Sergeant Major, the highest noncommissioned officer rank in the Army, a career defined not by a single achievement but by a pattern of historic firsts.
Wilson-Curless was among the first women to serve in multiple senior leadership roles within the U.S. Army Medical Command, becoming the first Black female selected to teach First Sergeants at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy’s First Sergeant Course at Fort Bliss in 1994, and the first Black female Command Sergeant Major to serve at the General Officer level, appointed CSM of William Beaumont Army Medical Center under Major General Nancy Adams in 1998. At retirement, she was only the second female Command Sergeant Major in U.S. Army Medical Command history to retire with 30 or more years of active service.
Those milestones sat on top of a substantial record of hands-on leadership. As CSM of the 187th Medical Battalion, one of the Army’s largest and most diverse battalions, she was cited for exceptionally meritorious service and awarded the Legion of Merit, the Army’s highest non-combat decoration. She pioneered the first Combat Lifesaver Training Program for the 9th Infantry Division, developed the Battalion Leader’s Handbook for junior leaders, and created the “300 Club,” a physical fitness initiative built to raise Soldier readiness and performance, alongside a Junior NCO Development Program she founded to deliberately prepare young noncommissioned officers for the weight of leadership. In 1996, the Army Medical Department Center and School selected her to participate in a national-level NCO Leadership Development Study with the RAND Corporation that helped shape Army-wide training doctrine, and in 1997 she served on the TRADOC Drill Sergeant of the Year Board.
Wilson-Curless was also an early participant in expanding opportunities for women in the military, taking part in the MAC-WAC integration test at Fort McClellan, a pivotal evaluation that helped open field training and combat-support roles to women across the Army and, eventually, opened the door to women performing combat duty without limiting the Army’s mission. As a small group leader at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy’s First Sergeant Course, her groups were consistently rated the outstanding group among the 114 small groups in the course, with her students routinely posting higher Army Physical Fitness Test scores and outperforming their peers across all examinations. She served two consecutive tours as First Sergeant, five years total, earning the I Corps Commander’s Safety Multiplier Award and the Unit Fit to Fight Award during her tenure with A Company, 109th FSB, at Fort Lewis, Washington.
Her military awards and decorations reflect the full scope of that service: the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal (10th Award), the National Defense Service Medal (2nd Award), the Joint Service Meritorious Unit Award, the Army Superior Unit Safety Award, Saint Barbara ADA Honorary Membership, and the Army Medical Command Medical Merit Membership, a distinction typically reserved for commissioned Medical Officers.
The uniform came off in 2000, but the mission didn’t change. Wilson-Curless continued her federal service as a GS-11 Course Manager and Senior Training Developer at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, a role she still holds today, developing training support packages, instructional materials, and evaluation tools for the Warrior Leader Course used across 33 NCO Academies Army-wide. She has been named Civilian Employee of the Quarter, received the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service, and been honored with a certificate marking more than 40 years of combined federal service to the United States government.
Her academic record runs alongside that career at every step. Wilson-Curless holds a Master of Arts in Human Resource Development and Management from Webster University, a Bachelor of Science in Vocational Education from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts from the University of Maryland, along with an Instructional Systems Specialist certification (GS-1712 to GS-1750) from the University of Texas at El Paso, and was inducted into the National Scholars Honor Society in 2006. For more than 13 years, she taught undergraduate and graduate courses in Human Resource Development, Management, Business, and Marketing for the University of Phoenix, extending her mentorship to adult learners well beyond the military.
Her faith runs through every chapter rather than sitting apart from it. An ordained minister at Word of Life Church, Inc., COGIC in El Paso, under the direction of Bishop Albert J. Mays Jr., Wilson-Curless has taught Sunday school at the primary level, sings and plays drums in the choir, and serves as Urban Initiatives President for both Word of Life COGIC and TWJ COGIC. She has served as Finance Chairwoman at both the local church and District 1 (Zion) TWJ COGIC levels, sits on the Pastor’s Aide Committee and the Young Women’s Christian Council, and chaired the TWJ COGIC Scholarship Committee for more than 15 years, overseeing scholarship awards for graduating students.
Her community involvement extends further still: she volunteers with the Friends of the El Paso Library, the MLK Committee of El Paso, the Phyllis Wheatley Civic Organization, and the You Eat I Eat food support program, and holds membership in the DAV Northeast Chapter 187 and a lifetime membership in the United States Sergeants Major Academy Association.
Rev. Karen M. Wilson-Curless is the embodiment of servant leadership, a woman who has spent more than half a century showing up for soldiers, students, congregants, and community members with consistency, discipline, and genuine care. Her firsts were never about the milestone itself, but about the doors they opened for those who came after her. She currently resides in El Paso, Texas, with her husband, Command Sergeant Major (Retired) Charles N. Curless.
WILBUR “BOOKIE” COLEMAN – Youth Community Advocate | Co-Founder, Bookie and Mommy’s Helping Hand | 2023 Youth of the Year, Black El Paso Voice
Wilbur “Bookie” Coleman was still a young boy when the pandemic hit El Paso, and rather than sit it out, he and his mother, Cheree Coleman, started cooking homemade meals and delivering them to their neighbors every Sunday. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Bookie turned that weekly habit into something lasting: together, he and his mother co-founded Bookie and Mommy’s Helping Hand, a nonprofit that provides year-round support to people experiencing homelessness across El Paso.
The organization’s work runs on consistency rather than one-time gestures. Bookie helps package weekly meals, collect Thanksgiving leftovers to prevent food waste, distribute seasonal supplies, and share the personal stories of the people the organization serves, work that requires him to see the people he’s helping as individuals rather than a cause. That effort earned him recognition as the 2023 Youth of the Year from Black El Paso Voice.
Away from his community work, Bookie is a dedicated drum player with a love of music, and he stays active in track and other sports. Turning 12 with an already established record of leadership and service, Bookie is deeply devoted to his family and shows every sign of carrying that same instinct to help others well into the years ahead.
MONTRAVIAH LEGG – Youth Leader | 2024 Youth of the Year, Black El Paso Voice
Montraviah Legg’s kindness shows up in the smallest things: a text sent just to say hello, an attempt to make someone laugh on a bad day, a bit of joy nobody asked her for.
Montraviah Legg is a bright and joyful young leader, recognized as the Black El Paso Voice 2024 Youth of the Year. Born in El Paso, Texas, on June 4, 2015, Montraviah is the loving daughter of Shauna Y. Battle and Montrez Legg, and a cherished sister to her three beautiful sisters.
A dedicated student, Montraviah attends Charles Middle School, where she is in the 6th grade. She is an active member of her faith community at New Dimension Kingdom Worship Church, under the guidance of Pastor Lori A. Bowden.
Montraviah possesses a vibrant spirit and loves engaging in activities that utilize her natural gifts and talents. She enjoys trying new things and is particularly passionate about singing, modeling, and dance. Montraviah participates in various events, utilizing these skills to inspire others.
Her defining trait, more than any single talent, is her unwavering commitment to making people smile. She has a kind heart and often goes out of her way to bring joy to others, whether by trying to make someone laugh during a bad day or sending thoughtful text messages just to say hello and express her love. She approaches every task given to her with dedication, striving to do it to the best of her ability.
Montraviah lives by the scripture, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7), a verse that guides her fearless and loving approach to life.
JORDAN SHEFFIELD – Student-Athlete | Scholar | 2025 Teen/Youth of the Year, El Paso Black Hall of Fame
Jordan Sheffield is the proud son of Vincent and Michelle Hill-Sheffield, a senior at Coronado High School who has built his own record through discipline in the classroom and on the court. In February 2026, Jordan scored the game-winning basket against Montwood High School, sending the Coronado Thunderbirds into the UIL Class 6A playoffs, a moment the El Paso Times covered directly, crediting him with the winning basket that helped qualify the team for postseason play. Jordan plays center for Coronado, wearing jersey number 33.
That moment carries extra weight given his family history: Jordan is the grandson of Bobby Joe Hill, the star guard whose steals and scoring helped Texas Western College win the historic 1966 NCAA national championship, a title later immortalized in the film Glory Road. It’s a legacy Jordan carries quietly, letting his own performance, rather than the family name, speak for itself.
Jordan maintained an impressive 4.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale throughout the 2024-2025 academic year, earning membership in the National Honor Society and recognition as an Academic All-District Athlete. As a starting varsity player, he earned a District 1-6A honorable mention in boys’ basketball, and his leadership on and off the court earned him the captaincy of the Coronado Varsity Basketball Team for the 2025-2026 season.
Jordan’s involvement extends well beyond athletics. He served on the Coronado yearbook staff, served as president of the El Paso Chapter of Top Teens of America, was recognized as Mr. Top Teen for 2024-2025, and was a proud member of the Kappa League, engaging in leadership and service initiatives aimed at empowering young men. He is also an artist. His community service record includes volunteering at the Unidos Games for Special Needs Children, the TLOD/Top Teens Beautification Roadside Cleanup, the Peter Herrera Memorial Walk, the El Paso Black History Parade, and Bingo with Seniors at the Ambrosio Guillen Texas State Veterans Home.
In 2025, Jordan was named Teen/Youth of the Year by the El Paso Black Hall of Fame. He is now a college student pursuing a degree in Business Administration, carrying with him the same faith that has guided him throughout, drawn from Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”
REGINA EVELYN DANIEL – Student | Scholar | Community Volunteer | Aspiring Immunology Researcher | 2026 Black El Paso Voice Youth/Teen of the Year
On a free Saturday, Regina Evelyn Daniel would rather work through a 2,000-piece puzzle with a good show playing in the background than do almost anything else. It’s a small detail, but it says something true about her: she is patient, deliberate, and willing to sit with a hard problem until it comes together, whether that problem is on a table in her living room or in a physics notebook.
Regina is a senior at Transmountain Early College High School in El Paso. She was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and moved to El Paso at age two after her father retired from the Army. She has four siblings, and her family is known, in her own words, for being big and always getting bigger; every Christmas, she and her parents drive to Chihuahua, Mexico, to spend the holiday with her mother’s family. Her father, Reginald Daniel, a retired Command Sergeant Major with a master’s degree in business, is the man she calls her hero; her mother, Mayra Daniel, born and raised in Mexico and bilingual with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, is the person Regina says has shaped her the most, teaching her patience, kindness without dishonesty, and creative thinking.
At school, math is where Regina feels most at home, and she fills the rest of her schedule with a Science program, Student Council, Yearbook, Theater, the Historical Society, a role as student ambassador, and JROTC, including the demanding Raiders physical program. A physics class with her teacher, Mrs. Hohnholt, changed how she thinks about learning altogether, not as a checklist, but as something worth understanding fully, and that curiosity now points her toward a degree in Biomedical Sciences and a career as a research scientist in immunology, ideally at a university such as UT Austin or Rice.
Outside of school, Regina crochets, scrapbooks, paints, reads, and has spent the past year teaching herself guitar, alongside a love of the gym that fewer people would guess. She’s part of Destiny Church and a member of the NAACP, and her volunteer record runs long, spanning Operation Hope food and toy drives, highway and community cleanups, work at the Old Glory Memorial Site through Flags Across America, school event setup and campus tours, the VAB Annual Cookout, local food banks, Summer Diabetes Camp, JROTC parades, and daily flag detail. She currently mentors students through a science summer internship program at El Paso Community College, and in 2025 was selected for HOBY, the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership program, earning a $2,000 scholarship to that year’s World Leadership Congress.
Behind that record is a harder lesson Regina learned the hard way. After a stretch of severe migraines brought on by the pressure she put on herself to be perfect, she learned to step back and understand that doing her best didn’t mean doing everything, a lesson she now carries into how she treats other people, including a second grader she once tutored who has since become a high-achieving student himself. Friends describe her in three words: smart, funny, kind.
Regina pushes back on the idea that her generation is unready or unserious, and believes being a young leader simply means being kind and lifting up the people around her. Asked what she’d fix in the world, she names corrupt leadership; asked about her legacy, she keeps it simple: to speak positivity into others and be known for building people up rather than tearing them down. She lives by a line she keeps close: “In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.”
Regina’s honors include the TMECHS Citizenship Award (2024), the President’s Volunteer Service Award (2023), Distinguished Honor Roll (2024), the Military Excellence in JROTC Medal (2024), Superior Cadet in JROTC (2025), first place in Group UIL Social Studies and second place individually (2025), a District Science Fair sweep and second place at Regional Science Fair (2026), a qualifying score at the UIL Guitar Ensemble State Competition (2026), a State Science Fair (TXSEF) competitor spot (2026), the Up and Coming Teen Award from the El Paso Black Democrats, and selection as a HOBY delegate with an accompanying $2,000 scholarship (2025).
FRANCK RICHARD BONHOMME – U.S. Army Veteran | 33rd Degree Mason | Grand Inspector General | Community Leader
February 4, 1951 – June 16, 2013
Franck Richard Bonhomme was born on February 4, 1951, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and relocated to the United States on November 10, 1965, at just fourteen years old, a journey that would eventually carry him into decades of military and Masonic service half a world away from where he started. While attending schools in America, he earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Restaurant Food Service Management, a practical foundation before the two callings that would come to define his life: the Army and the fraternity.
Bonhomme enlisted in the United States Army during the Vietnam War and continued serving his country through Desert Storm, a span of service covering some of the defining conflicts of the late 20th century. He retired in El Paso, Texas, after 20 years in uniform, choosing the Borderland as the place to build the rest of his life.
It was in El Paso that Bonhomme found his second calling. He became a Master Mason on June 19, 1982, and rose steadily through the fraternity’s ranks over the decades that followed, serving as Past Master of Pride of the West Lodge No. 53 and Past High Priest of El Paso Holy Royal Arch Chapter No. 90. In October 2008, he became a Grand Inspector General, receiving the 33rd degree, the highest degree conferred in Scottish Rite Masonry. He held membership in every Prince Hall Masonic organization in the state of Texas, a breadth of involvement matched by few.
A religious man who led by example, Bonhomme extended his support beyond his own lodges and chapters to Masonic houses and community organizations throughout El Paso. His leadership as Excellent High Priest of El Paso Holy Royal Arch Chapter No. 90 helped shape the Chapter’s culture around integrity, mentorship, and service, standards that outlasted his own tenure and continue to guide the Chapter today. Since his passing, El Paso Holy Royal Arch Chapter No. 90 has honored his legacy each year through the Annual Franck R. Bonhomme Appreciation Banquet, an event that brings together Masonic leaders, community partners, families, and youth to celebrate academic achievement and community service in his name. Scholarships awarded through the banquet, along with the Chapter’s continued support of local youth organizations, carry forward the same investment in the next generation that Bonhomme championed throughout his life.
Franck Richard Bonhomme’s story is one of a man who crossed borders twice, from Haiti to the United States as a teenager, and from a two-decade military career into a second life of fraternal leadership in El Paso, leaving behind a legacy that, a chapter and a community continue to actively live out rather than simply remember.
MACEO CRENSHAW DAILEY, JR. – Historian | Professor | Publisher | Academic Administrator
July 4, 1943 – Oct 11, 2015
Maceo Crenshaw Dailey, Jr. was born July 4, 1943, in Norfolk, Virginia, to Marguerite L. Britton, a pharmacy clerk, and Maceo C. Dailey, Sr., a steelworker at Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard, the oldest of eight children. When he was six, his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where an elementary school teacher, Mary Carter Smith, introduced him to African cultures through her own travels to the continent, an early exposure that would shape the direction of his life’s work decades later. He played basketball at Forest Park High School, earning first-team All-Maryland Scholastic Association honors along the way.
Dailey earned history degrees from Towson and Morgan State Colleges in 1967, studying under notable intellectuals including Benjamin A. Quarles and David L. Lewis at Morgan; he went on to Howard University in 1971, where mentors Arnold H. Taylor, V. Merze Tate, Lorraine A. Williams, and Rayford W. Logan guided him toward his 1983 dissertation, “Emmett Jay Scott: The Career of a Secondary Black Leader,” a biography of Booker T. Washington’s closest adviser that would become the defining project of his scholarly life.
Dailey’s teaching career spanned more than four decades and an extraordinary range of institutions, including Towson High School, where he was named Teacher of the Year, Colby College, Boston College, Brown University, Howard University, Morehouse College, Morgan State University, New York University, Smith College, and Spelman College, before he became associate professor and the first director of the African American Studies Program at the University of Texas at El Paso in 1996, a position he held until his death in 2015.
His scholarship earned significant recognition, including the Atlanta Historical Society’s 1986 Alex W. Bealer Prize for his essay “Neither ‘Uncle Tom’ nor ‘Accommodationist’: Booker T. Washington, Emmett Jay Scott, and Constructionism,” with additional essays appearing in Freedomways, The Langston Hughes Review, The Review of Black Political Economy, Harvard Business History Review, and Dígame! He chaired the Texas Humanities Council from 2000 to 2015 and held membership in the American Historical Association and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
Dailey co-edited or authored several books, including Wheresoever My People Chance to Dwell: Oral Interviews with African American Women of El Paso (2000), Tuneful Tales (2002), When the Saints Go Hobbling In: Emmett Jay Scott and the Booker T. Washington Movement (2013), and African Americans in El Paso (2014). At the time of his death, his long-awaited full Scott biography, drawn from fifty years of research and built on his near-singular access to Scott’s long-closed papers at Morgan State University, was under review by a Texas academic press; it was later published posthumously as Emmett J. Scott: Power Broker of the Tuskegee Machine, with a foreword by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Levering Lewis, a close friend of Dailey’s, and an afterword by Elaine Brown, former Black Panther Party chairwoman and granddaughter of Emmett J. Scott.
Dailey married Sandra L. Prettyman in 1967, and together they had five sons: Cameron C., Christopher D., Cranston D., Maceo C. III, and Michael S. He remarried in 2003 to Sondra Elise Banfield, and the two immediately established Sweet Earth Flying Press, a publishing house dedicated to books by women and people of color, including a 2009 reissue of the overlooked 1930s text Boy of the Border by Arna Bontemps and Langston Hughes, which told the story of a young boy’s experiences during the Mexican Revolution.
After a brief bout with cancer, Maceo Dailey died on October 11, 2015, in Baltimore, Maryland, at age 72. He was survived by his five sons, four daughters-in-law, a brother, Melvin A. Dailey, four sisters, Myra Lunsford, Millicent Boone, Marcella Fisher, and Mitzi E. Dailey, and a wide circle of nieces, nephews, and friends.
CURTIS LEE BROWN – Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army (Retired) | Civic Leader | Trailblazer | “The Master Gardener”
March 7, 1925 – July 14, 2026 • El Paso, TX
Curtis Lee Brown was born on March 7, 1925, in the small lumber town of Dierks, Arkansas, to Curtis Brown, who worked in the sawmill, and Hazel Brown, who raised him alongside his three sisters, Lois, Gladys, and Idella, and his brother, Arthur. He learned to hunt, fish, and play baseball at an early age, favored math above every other subject in school, and graduated from Texarkana High School. When he turned 18, his mother insisted he become an undertaker; to avoid that fate, Brown enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 in Little Rock, Arkansas, instead, launching a military career that would span more than three decades and three major conflicts of the 20th century.
In 1960, Brown made history when he was commissioned by the U.S. Congress as one of the first African Americans promoted to the rank of Command Sergeant Major in the U.S. Army. His first assignment placed him with the largest air defense unit in the Army, the Missile and Artillery Brigade covering Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana. In 1961, the Pentagon selected him to serve as Intelligence Sergeant Major of the 8th Army Air Defense Command in Korea, and later with the 38th Artillery Missile Brigade. In 1965, he was stationed in Kaiserslautern, Germany, attending night school in Heidelberg to study math while continuing his service. At the height of his career, Brown commanded and was responsible for more than 10,000 soldiers at the 94th Air and Missile Command, serving as confidant and advisor to two senior officers, and he also served in the Microwave Signal Unit and the Intelligence and Transportation Battalion during the Berlin Airlift. Later in his career, Brown helped shape the next generation of Army leaders by writing lesson plans for the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy in El Paso.
Brown’s life outside the uniform was defined by the same discipline and joy he brought to his service. He tried out for the Chicago Cubs in 1949 and made the team, but chose the Army over baseball, later recalling, “I told the manager of the Cubs that I just wanted to see if I could make the team, I really wanted to be a soldier.” He played against Ernie Banks, then stationed with the 510th Tank Battalion in Germany, and in his later years cheered for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a passion the team itself acknowledged by sending him merchandise in his final days. Music, especially B.B. King, Frank Sinatra, and Etta James, brought him joy throughout his life, and Psalm 23 remained his favorite scripture. He was a faithful member of Shiloh Baptist Church in El Paso for more than 50 years.
After more than 32 years of service, Brown retired from the Army in 1975 and began a second career at Casa Ford, where he worked as a salesman and later General Sales Manager for more than 30 years. In retirement, he filled his days with fishing, hunting, gardening, and making his famous peach and pear preserves, along with an enduring habit of studying the U.S. Constitution, which he prided himself on memorizing word for word. At 99 years old, he was still active enough to work on the mayoral campaign of El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson.
Brown remained a steadfast presence in dozens of El Paso organizations throughout his life, including the El Paso Chapter of the NAACP, the McCall Neighborhood Center’s 50/50 Club as a lifetime member, Sunset Lodge #76 PHA M.W.P.H.G.L., Oro Temple #9 A.E.A.O.N.M.S., and American Legion Post #832. He was a Bronze Legacy Life Member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2451, an Honorary Member of the National Association of Buffalo Soldiers and Troopers Motorcycle Club, an honorary member of the National African American Gun Association, and a member of Rio Grande Consistory #24, Scottish Rite Masonry.
Brown was a loving and devoted husband to his wife, Doris, for 67 years. He is survived by his daughters, Inge Puchner, Lisa Ross, and Renata Brown; grandchildren Jade Lauren Canales, Joshua Curtis Jacobs, Heaven Ross, Kimon Ross, Biron Ross, Tanja Sindel, and Andrea Probst; and great-grandchildren Jackson, Nico, Issa, Kiersan, Kyle, Maximilian, Hana, Henry, Lilia, Jabari, Sabbath, Sojourner, Skylar, and Solomon.
Brown died on July 14, 2026, in El Paso, at the age of 101. In August 2026, the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss held a formal funeral ceremony in his honor at the 1st Armored Division Chapel, drawing leaders from the division, the El Paso community, and his family. The Army’s own tribute called him “The Master Gardener,” a fitting description, it noted, for a life spent gaining knowledge and giving it back, having invested in people through military service, mentorship, community involvement, and family for more than a century, still developing leaders even at 101. Retired Army Command Sergeant Major Reggie Daniel, who knew Brown personally, said it plainly: “He was always about leadership. He loved his country. He loved his people, and he definitely loved his family.”
IOLA L. BROWN CRUMADY – Educator | Civic Leader | Community Servant
El Paso, Texas • 1924–2011
For nearly four decades, Iola L. Brown Crumady helped shape the earliest years of El Paso’s children, and in doing so, helped shape the future of the city itself. Born in San Marcos, Texas, she later moved to Galveston, where she graduated from Central High School before earning her degree from Prairie View A&M College. In 1949, she arrived in El Paso to direct the Early Childhood Development Program at McCall Day Nursery, located on the campus of the historic Douglass Elementary and High School. She would serve with distinction in that role until her retirement from the El Paso Independent School District in 1986, dedicating thirty-eight years to nurturing young minds and strengthening families through early childhood education.
Mrs. Crumady’s work at McCall placed her at the forefront of a growing movement to improve educational opportunities for young children. Her name appears among the educators, pediatricians, and community leaders who participated in the Texas Office of Early Childhood Development’s 1973 regional forum in El Paso, a statewide initiative focused on identifying and addressing the needs of young children and their families. It was the kind of steady, foundational work that rarely sought recognition but transformed lives one classroom, one child, and one generation at a time.
A gifted communicator and respected leader, Mrs. Crumady also invested in developing her voice as a tool for service. As a member of the International Toastmistress Clubs, she joined a distinguished organization that, during an era when women had limited access to many professional leadership organizations, provided women with advanced training in public speaking, parliamentary procedure, and civic leadership. Her involvement reflected her lifelong commitment to personal excellence and equipped her to serve with the confidence, poise, and effectiveness that became hallmarks of her leadership throughout the El Paso community.
Her influence extended well beyond the classroom. Mrs. Crumady was a Golden Life Member and past president of the El Paso Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a member of the Zeta Pi Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, and an active participant in Church Women United, the Retired Teachers Association, the El Paso Teachers Association, and United Way of El Paso. She also served as past president of the historic Phillis Wheatley Civic Club of El Paso, an organization rooted in the tradition of Black women’s service, and under the organization’s 1981 charter, faithfully served as Secretary. At Second Baptist Church, she taught Sunday School, served as Church Clerk, and was an active member of the Missionary Society, weaving her faith into every aspect of her civic and professional life.
In 1993, Mrs. Crumady was named one of El Paso’s “Unsung Heroines” by the El Paso Times, and that same year she was inducted into the El Paso Commission for Women’s Hall of Fame. These honors acknowledged what generations of families had long known: her unwavering dedication had helped build stronger children, stronger families, and a stronger community.
In 1954, she married James B. Crumady, beginning a partnership that spanned fifty-six years and was grounded in faith, service, and family. Together they raised two daughters, Charlotte and Pamela, and were blessed with a grandson, DeShaun Barnes, and a great-grandson, DeVonte Barnes. She was also survived by her siblings, Leon T. Brown of Texas City, Texas, Benny Brown of Hayward, California, and Edna M. Brown of Port Lavaca, Texas. In 2005, Iola and James relocated to Augusta, Georgia, to be near their daughter Charlotte and her husband, Kenneth Campfield. James passed away in January 2011, and Iola followed him that July, at the age of 86.
Mrs. Iola L. Brown Crumady leaves a legacy defined by quiet excellence, steadfast leadership, and compassionate service. Whether nurturing preschool children, mentoring fellow educators, strengthening civic organizations, serving her church, or standing confidently before an audience as a Toastmistress, she dedicated her life to lifting others. Her induction into the El Paso Black Hall of Fame honors a woman whose influence reached far beyond the walls of a classroom, leaving an enduring imprint on generations of El Pasoans and on the history of the Borderland itself.
JOHN EDWARD DOUGLAS SR. – El Paso Police Pioneer | First Black Lieutenant, El Paso Police Department | Sheriff’s Department Captain | Community Leader
April 12, 1935 – September 10, 2018
John Edward Douglas Sr. was born in Marlin, Texas, and moved to El Paso in 1939, becoming a lifelong resident of the city he would spend his career serving and protecting. He attended Douglass Elementary and graduated from Douglass High School before attending Texas Southern University in Houston. In 1960, at age 25, Douglas graduated from the El Paso Police Department Academy as part of its largest class to date, 48 recruits, earning the highest grade point average in the Academy’s history at the time, a distinction that made him not just a standout in his class but the first Black graduate of the Academy itself.
Douglas joined a department where, as of the mid-1940s, Black officers had only recently been allowed on the force at all, and where the enforcement authority of Black officers was, for years, restricted to citizens who were Black or of Mexican descent. He began as a beat patrolman in 1960, and in a newspaper profile from around 1967, when he was 32 and had already logged more than eight years on the force, Douglas spoke candidly about his ambitions, telling a reporter he hoped to “work up through the ranks and become the first Negro chief of police of the El Paso Police Department.” He credited then-Chief Earl Chokiski, the department, and the citizens of El Paso for an absence of the restrictions and prejudice he might have expected elsewhere, while also expressing hope that uniformed police officers in general would someday be regarded “with pride, honor and respect” rather than the scorn he saw too often directed at them.
Douglas moved from patrol into the Criminal Investigation Bureau’s Burglary/Theft Division as a detective in 1969, then was promoted to Sergeant of Detectives in 1972. Contemporary department history complicates the “first” framing that has followed Douglas for decades: a 1977 El Paso Herald-Post feature on his promotion to lieutenant quoted the department’s unofficial historian at the time, Ed Agan, stating that Douglas was the department’s second Black sergeant, not the first, a fact later confirmed by El Paso Times reporting in 2018 that identified Milton R. Lege as the department’s actual first Black sergeant. What is not in dispute is what came next: in 1977, after finishing third out of 38 applicants on the lieutenant’s exam, one year after narrowly missing promotion by a single spot, Douglas was named to the rank of Lieutenant, becoming, without question, the first Black Lieutenant in the history of the El Paso Police Department. “When I first started this would never have been possible,” Douglas told the Herald-Post at the time. “I just feel like I have to thank my wife and the department and the citizens of El Paso.”
As Sergeant, Douglas became the first Black officer to supervise the department’s Auto Theft detail. As Lieutenant, he commanded the Vice Squad and later the Criminal Investigation Bureau’s Burglary/Theft Division, where his detectives set a departmental record for the most arrests made in a single month, more than 100. He remained the highest-ranking Black officer in the department’s history from his 1977 promotion until his retirement in 1985, capping 25 years of continuous service. In 1967, the El Paso Times had already named him its “Policeman of the Month,” and in 1977 the Downtown Optimist Club of El Paso honored him with its Friend of Youth Award for his community involvement and dedication to public service, an honor also recognized by El Paso Mayor Thomas Westfall.
Retirement from the police department was not the end of Douglas’s career in law enforcement. He joined the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department as Jail Administrator, holding the rank of Captain, under Sheriff Leo Samaniego, a retired El Paso deputy police chief. Facing a jail administration that was underperforming and in need of reform, Douglas set clear, reasonable performance expectations that produced a turnaround recognized by his staff and colleagues. In June 1989, that record of leadership earned him appointment as Division Commander of the Sheriff’s Department’s Criminal Investigation Division, a unit whose staff later presented Captain Douglas with a plaque in appreciation of the leadership that helped establish it as one of the outstanding criminal investigation units among El Paso County’s law enforcement agencies. He retired from the Sheriff’s Department in 1996.
Douglas’s fluency in Spanish allowed him to connect directly with El Paso’s community throughout both careers. Away from law enforcement, he played on the police department’s softball team for years and coached his sons, John Douglas Jr. and Christopher Douglas, in city league basketball. His faith was central to his life: he served for more than 20 years as Chairman of the Steward Board at Phillips Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, a role overseeing church finances that he carried out with high ethical standards and consistent accountability, and he also served on the Board of Directors at Prince of Peace Fellowship until his health no longer permitted it. Colleagues and church members alike remembered him as a mentor known for his knowledge, integrity, and willingness to help; his daughter, Carmen, recalled that he would always tell people, “you got to find the good in whoever you meet. You may not understand why people do certain things, but you got to respect them.”
Douglas passed away peacefully at Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso on September 10, 2018, at the age of 83. He was preceded in death by his son, Christopher Douglas, and survived by his wife of 61 years, Jessie Mae Douglas; his son, John Douglas Jr.; his daughter, Carmen; his sister, Violaree Beverly; nine grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and a wide circle of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. His funeral was held at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, where he was expected to receive retired police honors, and the El Paso Municipal Police Officers’ Association issued a public statement of condolence to his family. A Black history display at El Paso Police Department Headquarters names Douglas as the department’s first Black Lieutenant, a permanent, physical marker of a legacy that current Chief Greg Allen, the department’s first Black officer to head it, credited Douglas with helping make possible.
ALGIE ANDERSON FELDER – U.S. Army Veteran | Federal Civil Servant | Broadcast Engineer | Entrepreneur | Civic Leader
June 3, 1928 – January 7, 2026 • El Paso, Texas
Algie Anderson Felder, known to generations of family and community as “Pops,” showed signs of his life’s calling before he was old enough to understand what electronics even was. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, on June 3, 1928, to the late Rev. Anderson Henry and Lera Trammell, one of five children, Felder grew up repairing radios and cars and tinkering with anything electrical; after his father’s death, while the family lived on Tallapoosa Street, he built a warning system so the household would know when someone approached the front door, and built a working radio out of matchboxes, thread spools, and copper wire. His mother turned the back porch into a workshop for him, giving a curious child the space to become an engineer decades before he held the title.
Felder graduated from Parker High School in Birmingham in 1947 and enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he served as a Military Police Officer stationed in Japan. He learned the language and developed a lasting respect for Japanese culture that stayed with him for the rest of his life. After his military service, he attended Miles College in Birmingham, where he met Ruth McMurry, the woman who would become his wife of nearly 64 years; the couple married and moved to Chicago, where Felder attended the De Forest Resident School, now DeVry Institute, earning a diploma there while working at a machine shop and the Baby Ruth factory to support himself. He went on to earn an Associate of Science degree from Pacific International College of Arts and Sciences and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1972, continuing graduate-level studies in business management along the way. In 1967, the Department of the Army Air Defense conferred on him an Honorary Doctor of Air Defense.
Felder began his civil service career at Camp Gordon, now Fort Gordon, in Georgia, working as a Field Radio Repair technician with the U.S. Army South. In 1961, he transferred to El Paso with the Signal School, beginning a 27-year federal career at Fort Bliss and the U.S. Army Air Defense Center that spanned radar repair, division-level training and supervision, frequency scan instruction, and command and control systems support, directly strengthening the Army’s air defense readiness through the height of the Cold War, before his retirement in August 1979.
Felder’s entrepreneurial instincts ran alongside his federal career from the start. He worked as an engineer for WYBF-TV in Augusta, Georgia, from 1957 to 1961, then, after relocating to El Paso, worked weekends as an engineer for KDBC-TV from 1968 to 1979 and as a contract engineer for KISO and KLOZ Radio from 1966 to 1979. In 1965, he founded “F” Communications, offering radio repair and broadcast consulting. Upon retiring from civil service, he pursued a lifelong dream: he built and operated radio station KLMF-FM in Fabens, Texas, from 1979 to 1983 as a joint venture with his sister, Lois, the station’s call letters drawn from her initials, involving his family in every part of its daily operation, from sales and commercial production to DJ duties and tower maintenance. After selling the station in 1983, he purchased the license back in 1986, relocated it to Clint, and renamed it KPAS-FM, becoming President and Proprietor of a gospel broadcast company that delivered bilingual inspirational and gospel programming to the El Paso-Juárez region for nearly four decades, one of the area’s longest-standing minority-owned broadcast institutions, until he held the FM license until 2024.
Felder’s civic footprint across El Paso was extensive. He was an active member of the Sigma Tau Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. for 64 years, attending meetings until age 97, proudly identifying himself as Life Member No. 22 and having served as Basileus from 1982 to 1983. He was a Life Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a Senior Certified Member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, where he helped organize the El Paso Chapter and served as its Certification Chairman and later President. His memberships and board service extended further still, including the Matrix Society at UTEP, the Ysleta Lions Club, where he served as At-Large President, the Mescalero District of the Boy Scouts of America, the El Paso Cable Compliance Commission, founding membership on the El Paso Central Appraisal District board, where he served as Secretary and Vice Chairman, and board seats with Project Bravo, the Mental Health/Mental Retardation board, and the Child Treatment Center, where he served as Second Vice-President.
Among his volunteer accomplishments, Felder counted his election to the Ysleta Independent School District School Board among the most meaningful, joining first by appointment in 1974 and then by election from constituents in 1975. While not the first African American to serve on the board, he was the first elected to it by the Ysleta community, a genuine milestone in local civic representation. He served as Secretary and Vice President during his tenure, led the district’s negotiation to acquire Morningside Mall as its new headquarters, and served on the board during a period when the district was recognized as one of only twelve in Texas by the Governor’s Committee for the most effective use of the tax dollar. He was later named an Honorary Life Member of the Texas Council of Parent-Teacher Associations.
At home, Felder raised his children to be self-sufficient, providing them with musical instruments and the means to pursue a bachelor’s degree in any field of their choosing, while personally teaching them electronic repair, business skills, public speaking, plumbing, painting, general repairs, and how to care for farm animals. He remained a lifelong learner and instilled that same work ethic in his children and grandchildren, often helping with math and science homework whether or not the method matched what their teachers had in mind.
Felder was preceded in death by his wife of almost 64 years, Ruth McMurry Felder; his daughter, Gwendolyn Felder; his brothers, Rev. Dr. Albert Horace Felder and Alphonsa Felder; and his son-in-law, Frank Hicks. He is survived by his children, Cheryll Ann Felder, Algie Anderson Felder Jr., Xavier Franklin Felder, Valerie Irene Felder Hicks, Hubert Alonzo Felder, Benita Ruth Munoz, and Carla Lorraine Felder; nine grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; his brother, Willie Woodrow Felder; his sister, Lois Felder Jones; and a wide circle of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Algie Anderson Felder passed away on January 7, 2026, in El Paso, Texas, at the age of 97, leaving behind a legacy carried forward in every child, grandchild, and community member he helped nurture along the way.
CLAUDIA B. GREEN – Credit Union Executive | Financial Services Trailblazer | Community Leader
June 30, 1950 – July 25, 2025 • El Paso, Texas
Claudia B. Green lived a life of service to others, anchored in faith and defined by a rare combination of quiet humility and uncommon professional achievement. Born June 30, 1950, she was raised in El Paso and graduated from Bel Air High School before earning a Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences, Sociology and Psychology from Chapman University in Orange County, California, and later a Master of Science in Human Resources Development from Indiana State University, alongside numerous credit union and financial certifications throughout her career.
Green dedicated more than 34 years to the El Paso Area Teachers Federal Credit Union, now known as Raiz Federal Credit Union, beginning her career as a loan officer and steadily rising through the organization, promoted to Branch Manager, Compliance Officer, and Executive Vice President before culminating her career as President and CEO from 1992 to 2014. Under her leadership, the credit union grew from $18 million to over $650 million in assets, expanding its branch network, products, and services in a deliberate effort to reach El Paso’s underserved communities. With poverty rates high across the region, Green made it her mission to provide high-quality, low-cost financial services accessible to the entire community rather than a narrow membership, growing the institution into the third-largest credit union in El Paso while earning the highest ratings in the credit union industry. Her legacy continues in Raiz’s ongoing success; the credit union now holds over a billion dollars in assets. In July 2026, Raiz unveiled the renaming of its Operations Building as the Claudia B. Green Operations Center in her honor, with Raiz President and CEO Max Villaronga saying, “Her compassion and people-first approach shaped both Raiz and the El Paso community for generations. Claudia’s door was always open, her advice practical, and her heart with our members.” Raiz has also described Green as one of the first Black women in the nation to lead a major financial institution.
Green’s professional reach extended well beyond her own institution. She served as a Director of Southwest Corporate Federal Credit Union from 2006 to 2010, including as Chairman of its Supervisory Committee from 2004 to 2010 after joining as a committee member in 2001, and as Director of El Paso Affordable Housing CUSO. Her community board service was extensive and sustained: she served on the Salvation Army Advisory Board from 2007 to 2014, on the Board of Directors of the United Way of El Paso County from 2004 to 2007, and on the YWCA’s Consumer Credit Counseling Service Advisory Committee from 2000 to 2005, applying her financial expertise to help each organization achieve greater success. She also assisted numerous school and community organizations with financial support and scholarship funding throughout her career.
Faith remained central to Green’s life outside her professional accomplishments. From 2014 until her passing in 2025, she served as Chairman of the Finance Committee at Restoration Fellowship Church, overseeing church finances with the same ethical rigor she brought to her career. Those who knew her describe a woman who led with love, ethics, and generosity, someone who made others feel deeply known and cared for, whether through a listening ear, a silent prayer, or a steady embrace.
Green shared 55 years of marriage with her devoted husband, Norvel, building a home together where, as her family remembers it, wisdom guided, laughter flowed, and unconditional love was the foundation. Together they raised three sons, and she is survived by her husband, her sons and daughters-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, extended family, and many friends. Claudia B. Green passed away on July 25, 2025, at the age of 75, remembered as a woman whose legacy of love, compassion, perseverance, and unwavering trust in God shaped countless lives across El Paso.
NANCY LORENZA GREEN – Educator | Poet | Musician | Storyteller | Cultural Activist – Proud Afro-Chicana
1952 – July 31, 2024 • El Paso, TX
Nancy Lorenza Green spent her life bridging worlds, African and Indigenous heritage, English and Spanish, music and the written word, and in doing so became one of the defining cultural voices of the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez border region. A lifelong El Pasoan, Green attended Bowie High School from seventh grade in 1965 through her graduation in 1971, where she was a standout well before her artistic career began: a member of both the Intermediate and Senior High Student Council, a member of the Mighty Bowie Marching Band, the 1969-70 Band Sweetheart, the 1969 Track Champion, Student Body President her senior year, an All School Favorite, a National Honor Society member, and a top-10-percent graduate. She was later inducted into the Bowie Memory Lane Hall of Fame.
Green went on to earn a Master of Education from Cambridge College in Massachusetts and spent much of her career teaching at El Paso Community College while building a body of creative work spanning music, poetry, and photography. Identifying as an Afro-Chicana artist from the border, Green described her work as grounded in spiritual values shaped by that dual heritage, and she carried that perspective into a career built on collaboration with major cultural institutions, delivering bilingual programs through the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum, for which she developed and facilitated interactive Día de los Muertos programming presented in both El Paso and Ciudad Juárez.
As a musician, Green specialized in percussion and flute traditions from the Americas and Africa, playing Indian, Native American, and ocarina flutes alongside chimes, bells, and rain sticks. Her solo recording, Aura, made possible through an MCAD Artist Incubator grant, was created with children with special needs and elderly listeners in mind, inviting audiences to listen, reflect, and relax. She also performed with the Imani Cultural Performance Troupe, sharing traditions of African spirituality and storytelling with El Paso audiences at venues including the El Paso Museum of History.
As a writer, Green’s poetry and essays appeared in numerous anthologies and journals, including Cantando al Amanecer (Mujeres de Maiz, 2007), Somos Medicina (Mujeres de Maiz, 2008), Our Spirit, Our Reality (Wheatmark, 2012), and Mezcla (Mouthfeel Press, 2016), along with regular contributions to BorderSenses and Chrysalis, El Paso Community College’s literary and arts journal. Her bilingual poetry collection, Crucified River, depicted the movement and struggle of life on the border, described by Dr. Irasema Coronado, co-author of Fronteras No Mas: Toward Social Justice at the U.S.-Mexico Border, as capturing “the conscience and soul of the border.” Green was a member of Mujeres de Maiz and Poets & Writers, and for years helped organize the Dead Poets Open Mic, an annual Day of the Dead community gathering where writers, artists, and scholars honored life and the return of departed loved ones and ancestors.
The El Paso Museum of History, remembering her passing, described Green as “a fronteriza, educator, artist, musician, poet, community activist, and overall beacon of positivity in our arts community,” noting that she received numerous grants through MCAD’s Cultural Funding Program over the years and worked closely with the museum on its “Still We Rise: El Paso’s Black Experience” exhibit, contributing objects from her own experience in the arts community and helping ensure the exhibit reflected the community it represented.
Green’s identity as a member of El Paso’s Afro-Latinx community earned her lasting civic recognition. In 2024, when Dr. Jackeline Biddle Richard, founder of the Soy Maravillosa initiative, established El Paso’s first Afro-Latinx Heritage Week, the City of El Paso’s official proclamation specifically named Green among the individuals embodying the city’s Afro-Latinx heritage, noting that she “was a profound member of the community and looked forward to seeing this proclamation come to pass,” a recognition she did not live to see formally signed, as she passed away just weeks before the proclamation’s August 27, 2024, signing. Dr. Biddle Richard has continued to honor Green’s memory through an annual Afro-Latino symposium held in her name.
At the time of her passing, Green was also set to receive the Vanguard Award from Black El Paso Voice as its Poet/Spoken Word Artist of the Year, an honor she had been looking forward to and one presented in her memory just days after she died on July 31, 2024, at age 72. She is survived by her older sister, Griselda; nieces Claudia and Laura; nephews Steven and Adrian; grandnieces and grandnephews; cousins; and a wide circle of dear friends. The museum that had worked alongside her for years put it plainly: her impact on generations of students would keep her memory and her work alive.
PASTOR ONNIE ISAAC KIRK SR., D.D. (Hon,) – Founding Pastor, Unity Missionary Baptist Church | “The Praying Pastor” | Eldest Senior Pastor in El Paso
September 29, 1924 – July 31, 2012 • El Paso, Texas
Pastor Onnie Isaac Kirk Sr. was born a sharecropper as the 26th child of 27 on September 29, 1924, in Stranger, Texas, to Frank and Mary Lowe Kirk, and would go on to spend nearly six decades as a minister, becoming known throughout El Paso and beyond as “The Praying Pastor,” a man of the Word whose reach extended into some of the hardest corners of the community he served.
Kirk preached his first sermon, “I Have Meat to Eat That Ye Know Not Of,” drawn from John 4:32, in 1956, and from that point never lost what those who knew him described as a hunger for souls. He carried his ministry into beer taverns, homes, hospitals, jails, orphanages, elder care facilities, and prisons, taking the gospel to people in places many ministries never reach. In 1962, God blessed him with dual assignments, founding Pastor of Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church and interim Pastor of St. James Missionary Baptist Church, two congregations that came to believe, in the spirit of Christ, that they were stronger together than apart. In 1963, the congregations agreed to the name of Unity Missionary Baptist Church as suggested by First Lady Mary Jane Kirk, and Pastor Kirk became founding pastor. He would go on to lead Unity for 49 years, continuing to serve until his passing and becoming, by the end of his ministry, the eldest Senior Pastor in El Paso. Who served in many capacities: President of TX/NM Fellowship, officer of Lovely Sunset District, Interdenominational Ministers Alliance, Northeast Pastors prayer group, and first advisor to SOS Enrichment Inc. Over the course of his ministry, Kirk raised up more than 80 spiritual sons and many daughters who themselves entered the ministry, a mentorship legacy nearly as remarkable as his own decades in the pulpit.
Kirk was preceded in death by his son, Pastor David Kirk (Dr. Patricia, deceased), and by his wife of 57 years, First Lady Mary Jane Kirk. He is survived by his children, Onnie Kirk Jr. (Margie) of Nashville, Tennessee; Brenda Kirk-Harrison (Herman, deceased) of Round Rock, Texas; Samuel Kirk (Cynthia) of Nashville, Tennessee; Linda Kirk of El Paso; Gay Onna Miles ( Lester) of Dallas; Barbara Wilson of Dallas; and Bettie Beard (Ramsey, deceased) of Waco, 26 grandchildren; a host of great and great great grandchildren; godchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, and the entire Unity Missionary Baptist Church family and friends.
Pastor Kirk passed away peacefully at his home on Tuesday, July 31, 2012, at age 87. His three-day celebration of life drew the El Paso community, the Lovely Sunset District, and ministries from abroad, and in his memory, the family supported the Mary Kirk Scholarship Fund, carrying forward the same spirit of investment in others that defined nearly 60 years of his ministry.
ANGIE MARIE CARPENTER ROPER – Entrepreneur | Fashion Show Organizer | Community Servant | Beloved Mentor
May 12, 1939 – January 30, 2019 • El Paso, Texas
Angie Marie Carpenter Roper was born on May 12, 1939, in Mexia, Texas, to H.L. Carpenter and Thelma Demas, and went on to spend her life as a devoted daughter, wife, and mother whose gentleness and warmth left an impression on everyone who crossed her path. She loved the Lord and served Him faithfully throughout her life, a devotion that anchored her deep involvement in her church community. She built a career as an entrepreneur, owning and operating Angie’s Showcase of Fashion, a clothing business that earned her a loyal following of devoted customers throughout the community. Roper was also widely known for the fashion shows she organized and hosted, events that went beyond style and spectacle; those who knew her remember them as spaces where women were encouraged to embrace who they authentically were, a reflection of the same kindness and care Roper carried into every relationship in her life.
Roper was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Leroy Roper Sr., and her son, Michael Troy Roper. She is remembered by her loving sons, Charles Roper and Leroy Roper Jr., along with nieces, nephews, a sister-in-law, and a wide circle of friends and fellow members of her church community.
Angie Marie Carpenter Roper passed away peacefully on January 30, 2019, at the age of 79. Her funeral service was held at Unity Missionary Baptist Church, with committal services following at Fort Bliss National Cemetery. She is remembered not for any single title or achievement, but for a kind soul who loved and served the Lord, a savvy entrepreneur, and someone who helped instill confidence and self-acceptance in the women who shopped at her store and joined her on the runway.
CHARLES N. TAYLOR JR. – EPISD Board of Trustees, District 5 | U.S. Army Veteran | Educator
Charles N. Taylor Jr. was assigned to Fort Bliss in 1957, the beginning of a lifelong relationship with El Paso that would carry him through a distinguished military career, a second career in education and mental health, and eventually a seat on the El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees. Taylor served with the Buffalo Soldiers Regiment and rose to the rank of Command Sergeant Major before his retirement from the Army.
After his military service, Taylor moved into work that few people ever take on: he became the first Black man to hold the position of Assistant Superintendent for the Skyview Maximum Security Unit at Rusk State Hospital, a facility whose maximum-security psychiatric unit had a segregated history dating back decades before Taylor broke that barrier. The position came with a house on the hospital grounds, a detail that speaks to how significant and full-time the role actually was.
Taylor’s path to marriage carried its own story. He met Doris Taylor, originally from El Paso, at a party they were both invited to… and the rest is history.
Taylor’s civic and fraternal involvement ran deep across the city. He was a Big Brother through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, a member of the Sun City Lions Club, a member of VFW Post 2451, and a Board member of the Volunteer Services Council for the state Center for Disability and Aging. He was also involved with Friends of Jazz and the 9th and 10th Cavalry Association of Buffalo Soldiers, keeping alive the history and legacy of the very regiment in which he had served.
Taylor went on to build a wide-ranging professional life beyond his military and Rusk State Hospital careers, teaching in EPISD’s hospital classroom program and later in high school resource classes, and working as a mental health administrator managing multi-million-dollar budgets, human resources, and disaster preparedness, while also running his own restaurant and building trades contracting business. His academic credentials reflected that same range: a Master of Arts in Health Services Management, a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, a Bachelor of Science in Education with certifications in Special Education and Sociology, an Associate of Applied Science in Law Enforcement, and Texas Education Agency certification in Education Mid-Management, along with a certification in Massage Therapy.
Taylor ran for and won a seat on the EPISD Board of Trustees representing District 5, campaigning on a vision centered on creating a school culture geared toward learning, ensuring policy compliance as a foundation for meaningful change, promoting equitable in-school learning opportunities, and remaining accessible to students, staff, and the public. Asked what moment had changed his life, Taylor answered simply: becoming a father.
Charles N. “Chuck” Taylor Jr. passed away on December 20, 2022, at the age of 86, closing out a life defined by more than six decades of service to El Paso, in uniform, in a maximum-security psychiatric unit few would take on, in the classroom, in fraternal and civic organizations, and finally in public office.
LEONA FORD WASHINGTON – Educator | Community Activist | Newspaper Publisher | Founder, McCall Neighborhood Center
March 24, 1928 – August 5, 2007 • El Paso, Texas
Leona Ford Washington was born in El Paso in 1928 to Eugene and Lollie Ford, one of four children that included her twin sister, Leana, and brothers Eugene Jr. and Roland. Her mother worked as a housewife and at the Poplar Store, and her father worked as a shop helper for Southern Pacific Railroad. Washington grew up in El Segundo Barrio and attended Douglass School, the segregated school she would later return to as a teacher. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Prairie View A&M College, now Prairie View A&M University, and taught in Las Cruces, New Mexico, for two years before coming home to El Paso to teach.
Known to generations of students and colleagues simply as “Mrs. Washington,” she taught for 39 years in the El Paso Independent School District, beginning at the segregated Douglass School and retiring from Alta Vista Elementary School in 1989. Fluent in Spanish and deeply knowledgeable about the histories of El Paso’s Mexican American and Native American communities, she wove that history directly into her classroom teaching, a habit that reflected her lifelong instinct to connect communities rather than let them stand apart. She was fond of saying, “My students would tell me that I preach too many sermons. I wouldn’t be teaching. I would be preaching.”
Washington’s influence extended far beyond her classroom. Prominent El Pasoans, mayors, city council members, business leaders, nonprofit officials, and philanthropists, regularly sought her advice on improving the city and its race relations, but her most significant contributions centered on the development of El Paso’s Black community specifically. A longtime member of Second Baptist Church, founded in 1884, she frequently played organ and sang in the choir. She served as a charter member and secretary of the Black El Paso Democrats, cofounded the Martin Luther King Committee and led the effort to bring prominent speakers to El Paso, including Rev. Bernice A. King, and cofounded and principally organized the annual Miss Black El Paso Southwest Scholarship Pageant. She served as president, vice-president, and treasurer of the Phillis Wheatley Chapter of El Paso, helping provide sustenance to needy families and the elderly, and additionally served on the NAACP, the El Paso Community Foundation Advisory Board, the Arts and Resources Board of El Paso, and the Planned Parenthood Board of El Paso.
Washington’s most enduring legacy is the McCall Neighborhood Center, which she founded and led as executive director beginning in 1983, naming it in honor of famed Douglass High School teacher Olalee McCall and her husband, Marshall McCall, one of the city’s few African American postal carriers in the 1920s. The Center served both the African American and Mexican American communities as a gathering place for events ranging from political organizing to educational classes, health fairs, a senior citizen lunch program, and celebrations including Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Juneteenth, and Kwanzaa, while regularly hosting fraternities, sororities, the Inter-Club Council, and the Inter-Denomination Faith Council.
Believing deeply in the importance of historic memory, Washington wrote and edited The Good Neighbor Interpreter newspaper, formerly The Southwest Torch, which filled a real gap in local coverage by providing historic timelines, biographies of Black community leaders, and essays on issues affecting El Paso’s Black residents that the city’s two mainstream dailies largely overlooked. At the McCall Center, she built a library dedicated to Black history and collected artifacts documenting the local Black community’s evolution, eventually donating her photographic collection of more than 800 images to the University of Texas at El Paso in 1991.
Washington’s honors accumulated across decades of service: induction into the El Paso County Democratic Hall of Fame in 1984, the Commander’s Award from White Sands Missile Range in 1989, induction into the El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame in 1991, the City of El Paso’s Conquistador Award in 2000, a Woman of the Year Award in 2002, and the YWCA’s Myrna J. Deckert Lifetime Achievement Award, awarded posthumously in 2007. In 2001, the City of El Paso renamed the Missouri Recreation Center the Leona Ford Washington Recreation Center in her honor, and a scholarship foundation was later established in her name to help high school graduates attend college. During the 1980s, Washington composed a song titled “The City of El Paso,” which Mayor Jonathan Rogers adopted as the city’s official song.
Leona Ford Washington died in El Paso on August 5, 2007, at the age of 79, survived by her daughter, Valerie Washington-Geason. She was widely credited by El Pasoans and former students alike for building the city’s Black community from within while forging genuine relationships across every other community in El Paso, Anglo, Mexican and Mexican American, Asian American, and Native American alike.
