Tribute to Charles R. Kilby

I called him Kilby.
He was born during the Jim Crow Era.
It was de-facto segregation in the North and de-jure segregation in the South.

Yet, Kilby took advantage of every opportunity to graduate from the Ohio State University
and to earn a MSW at Wayne State University.

I first met Kilby when he was a social worker at Dayton State Psychiatric Hospital.  He joined the Miami Valley Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Few African Americans in Dayton held a MSW degree at that time. He was a parent of four small children.

I came to know him better as I encountered him at professional conferences.
Case in Point. Kilby was at the 1968 Social Work Conference in San Francisco when the Black Social workers challenged the relevance of the professional organization and its racist practice. Black social workers walked out of the Convention Center, reassembled at Glide Memorial Church where the National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) and the Welfare Rights Movement of America were founded. The following year, I encountered Kilby on an airplane from Dayton to New York City to the 1969 Social Work Conference. Following the 1968 Conference Kilby and I attempted to start a Dayton NABSW Chapter.

A life dedicated to NASW, Kilby served on local and state committees. He worked tirelessly for the passage of professional  licensing for social workers in Ohio. I credit him for changing the mind of local State Representative, C. J. M Lin to support the Social Work licensing bill. He was an early Adjunct Professor of Social Work at Wright State University. He was a pioneer in mental health in Miami and Montgomery County.

Kilby was the 1976 recipient of  Ohio Region VII Social Worker of the Year Award and its Life- time Achievement Award, 2005.

Kilby hired me as part of his Administrative Staff at Day-Mont West Community Mental Health Center in 1975. My greatest professional remembrance is writing with him and others a eight million dollar federal mental health grant.





Kilby's legacy is a life of service and dedication to the profession of Social Work. He leaves behind a  a lovely family, Cynthia, sons, Karlton and Kevin and daughters Melanie and Rosalind.

My friend, rest from your labors in the presence of God.






Kilby NYC 1969

Kilby receiving 2005 NASW Lifetime Achievement Award
Presenter Gladys Turner Finney

Autobiography of Tammy

Books were important in my life as a child. One of the nuns at St Peter's Catholic School would say
"The library is the storehouse of of all the world's knowledge--Do you have the key?

Books enrich our lives and expand the mind. Books are educational. They are an educational laboratory.

I've always been interested in writing dating back to my college days when I won an essay contest. However, over the the years I've been very busy working as a professional social worker that I've not pursued writing as much as I've liked except for a few professional articles, and several book reviews for a magazine.

Writing is a hobby for me.

The writing of  of Autobiography of Tammy might be described as the use of synthetic imagination. I was inspired by material from my own experience, observation in my own environment. All of us have experiences in our daily personal lives which are interesting, funny, pleasurable, informative or validate common human experiences. Some people share their experiences verbally and some write them down.

Tammy chronicles the birth, early life, of Tammy, one of a litter of kittens the results of an adult male cat given to me by a co-worker at Children's Medical Center, and a female cat name Sandy given to my husband by a co-worker.

Tammy is a special cat who is observant, affectionate, and intelligent. She perceives human biases and fallibility. She is a happy cat who enjoys life and brings happiness.

Tammy's message is that we all have developmental growing experiences that we can successfully cope with with nurture and support of family and others--that as creation continues to unfold its a joy and special adventure to behold life forms besides ourselves.    Gladys T. Turner 1978
                                                                                   
                                                                                                      ISBN: 089421-007-6

BUILDING A POSITIVE SELF-CONCEPT: Prepared for Big Training/Workshop April 30, 1988

Our "self-concept exerts considerable power over our ability
to achieve career and life goals and develop effective
human relationships."

Our self-concept should be firmly based ... founded on real
capacity, achievement, and respect from others... A. H. Maslow

Our self-concept is the perception and picture we hold of
ourselves. It includes the roles we play in life, our
personality traits, our physical appearances, our skills and abilities.

Our self-concept, "formed in childhood, lays the foundation
for our attitudes towards work, success, personal abilities,
and the roles we play.

Later, in adulthood, our spouses, co-workers, friends,
professional colleagues, may continue to influence our self-
concept by reinforcing a pre-existing negative concept,
or reaffirming the positive image we have already developed.

Our "self-concept influences our career choices and how well we progress."

"If you believe in your power, other people will believe
you and trust you with respect."

Everyone needs to learn how to protect their self-concept
against those who try to diminish or limit their potential
and to listen to those who encourage and challenge them.

By controlling what goes into your subconscious mind, you
can change your self-concept.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A POSITIVE SELF-CONCEPT
Future oriented...Not overly concerned with past mistakes or
failures. Learn from errors and not immobilized by them.

Act on their own best judgment.

Able to deal with problems regardless of the opposition or the
prospects of failure.

Able to establish and maintain effective human relations.

Able to help others, and accept help from others.

Able to accept other people as unique, talented individuals.

Some Approaches To Building A Positive Self-Esteem

1. Accept self as is.

2. Set goals.

3. Use positive motivational affirmations as reinforcements
    towards achieving your idealized self.

4. Make decisions. Take every opportunity to make decisions
    both in setting up goals and devising ways to achieve goals.

5. Visualize the results you want to achieve.

6. Role play. Act the part you want to play before you have
     a chance to play it. Dress according to the image you want to project.

7. Develop expertise in some area.

8. Use reinforcing techniques.

9. Identify and accept own limitations. Continue to learn throughout life.
    Never stop learning!

Source: Effective Human Relations In Organizations
             Barry L. Reece and Rhondos Brandt
              
 

Cudjoe of Jamaica

Cudjoe of Jamaica
By Milton G. McFarlane
Ridley Enslow Punlishers
60 Crescent Place, Box 07078
Short Hills, N.J. 07078
143 pp. $7.95
By Gladys T. Turner

Cudjoe of Jamaica is a fascinating historical novel about
the dauntless military chief of the Maroons who were the
runaway slaves of Jamaica. The term Maroon is believed to be
Spanish in origin, meaning "untamed, wild, or unruly."

This is a story of struggle and war against enslavement;
the courageous battles of a group of slaves to live forever free,
and their ultimate triumph.

Milton G. McFarlane, the author, is a descendant of the Maroons,
and he has imaginatively recreated the times and life of
Cudjoe from documentary records and oral accounts maintained
by his people, as related to him by his Grandpa Wallen, "a
 man old and wise in Maroon ways."

"The before-time people, "ancestors of the Maroons, were
enslaved by the Spaniards and brought to the Carribean Island
of Jamaica from the Gold Coast of West Africa early in the
16th Century as a source of cheap labor. Prince Naquan, a
Koramanteen, had traded gold to Spanish traders in exchange
for copper and was subsequently tricked into sailing
supposedly to their homeland in search of more copper, with
some of his strongest men, but they ended up as slaves in
Jamaica. Naquan and his tribesman , reacting to the
conditions of slavery, refused to work and escaped to the
high mountains of the island. Although, the Spanish attempted
to recapture them, they were unsuccessful because the Koromanteens
were skillful in blending into the forestation by using the
African disguise of "ambush."

In 1655, the British captured Jamaica from the Spanish
and increased the number of African slaves to work on the
sugar plantations. Consequently, as more slaved escaped to
the Maroon community, the Maroons were seen as a menancing
threat to the colonists' way of of life and their labor supply.
Thus, British soldiers and the colonists on the plains
were to wage war over three fourths of a century against
the Maroons, believing it to be their civilized and God given
duty to wipe out the heathens, until a peace treaty was
signed in 1739.

Grandpa Wallen is the chief story teller of the feats
of Cudjoe, who was the oldest of Naquan's three sons, born
late in the 17th Century. Propelled by an oath to his father
that he would never surrender himself or his people into
slavery, Cudjoe organized the Maroons' settlements stragetically
for defense. Although, the Maroons possessed only antiquated
weapons against the powerful British, they successfully defeated
them because of their knowledge of Jamaica's mountaineus
terrain, Cudjoe's leadership skills and abilities in
guerilla warfare the art of camouflage in battle, and intelligence
data gathering.Furthermore, the Maroons possessed a communication
tool, the abeng, a bugle made from a cattle horn, which allowed
them to single out each other and send messages over long
distances. Finally, the British government in Jamaica, through
an intermediary, requested the Maroons to make peace. A peace
treaty was concluded March 1, 1739 guaranteeing Cudjoe and
the Maroons "a perfect state of freedom and liberty forever."

This is a book that adds richness and diversity to our
knowledge of African people, thir descendants and their
survival in the colonized New World. It disspells the myths
that all the slaves were happily and passively working "Di
Backra's" plantations. It is a book that should inspire all
freedom fighters in their fight against oppression, apartheid,
and injustices.

Tenth Annual Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame Induction

An impressive ceremony was held Thursday, October 4, 2018 at the Ohio Statehouse Atrium in
Columbus to induct the 2018 selectees for the Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame.

The six selectees were Dr. Errol D. Alexander, Dr. Joseph Carter Corbin, (posthumously) Jo Ann Davidson, James Obergefell, Reene Powell, William Powell (posthumously).

Dr.Joseph Carter Corbin was nominated posthumously by local resident, Dr. Gladys Turner Finney
who accepted the award on his behalf. Dr. Corbin, the founder of the University of Arkansas-
Pine Bluff, was honored for his advancement of education as a civil right for freed slaves and their descendants.

The day began with a VIP breakfast where the inductees greeted each other, the staff, and
Commissioners of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. Among them was Commissioner Dr. Carolyn Peters from Dayton. Also in attendance was an entourage of supporters from College Hill Community Church-PCUSA and Ohio University-Chillicothe including Dr. Martin Tuck, Dean.
Dignitaries in attendance included Congresswoman Joyce Beatty and State Senator Vernon Sykes.

The Mistress of Ceremonies was Angela Pace, WBNS-10TV. The keynote speaker was The
Honorable Judge Algenon L. Marbley, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Ohio. Closing Remarks were by Commissioner Lori Barreras, Ohio Civil Rights Commission Chair. A lavish reception followed.

The Stars: From Birth to Black Hole by David J. Darling--A Review

The Stars: From Birth to Black Hole
Minneapolis: Dillon Press, Inc. 1985. 64 pp.


The stars have fascinated man since time immemorial. They have
long been the subject of study and attempts to explain some truth or
reality.

Unlocking their secrets and characteristics, through observation and
study, has been the work of astronomers and scientists.

The Stars: From Birth to Black Hole, is one of a series of ten
"Discovering Our Universe" books, aimed towards helping young readers
discover the wonders and mysteries of the universe.

The book is divided into sections on star facts, questions and
answers, and appendices on self-discovery, well-known stars, and
amateur astronomy groups in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain.
There is an excellent glossary, and suggested reading list.

Through an imaginary journey on a star ship, the author takes the
reader on a journey to the stars. Along the way, a variety of stars:
red giants, white dwarfs, twin stars, and neutron stars, are observed.

We see how stars are formed from hydrogen and helium and then
disintegrate or die. There are also stars which cluster and form
constellations, such as Orion the Hunter, Cygnus the Swan, and
Ursa Major the Great Bear.

Finally, the Great Milky Way, the galaxy in which we live, with
more than one hundred billion stars, is explored.

This book offers the youth reader, ages ten to fourteen,
excellent information on understanding of the stars.

Death of a Hospital: Requiem for Good Samaritan

Good Samaritan Hospital which traces its founding to the Sisters of Charity eighty six years ago is closing its doors forever on July 23, 2018. Just thinking about it makes me ill. The health care and
economic impact to the community are enormous. Will there be an antidote? Is the ten million dollars
offered by Premier Health to help redevelop the site fair and equitable compensation for the injury to the community? Non-profit hospitals have evolved into mega businesses or have been taken over by
corporate entities. As I mourn the death of Good Samaritan Hospital my self-prescribed antidote is to protest, pause, and reflect.

This gem of the community, feted as 20th in Ohio and among the Best in the Nation," Has been the difference between life and death for so many in the Dayton View Community. And it is difficult to let go with an uncertain future.

On May 12, 1932 when the people of Dayton celebrated the opening of the new hospital, at the
corner of Salem Avenue and Philadelphia Drive, the cost to build was $2,325,051, mostly financed by the Sisters of Charity. The nurses' residence, Regina Hall, was an additional $223,00. The people also had given generously to the fund raising effort. Of the requested million dollars, the Kettering Family gave $50,000. Dr. B. W. Beatty donated four acres at the corner of Salem Avenue.

Thanks to the Sisters of Charity for their vision and philanthropy. Thanks to all the staff past and present (physicians, nurses, social workers, etc.) who have shared their profession on behalf of
the patients of Good Samaritan Hospital. Thanks to the volunteers for their gifts of healing and caring.