Florida Sentinel Bulletin

On Monday, July 16th a meeting will be held to make plans for a voter registration rally. The meeting will take place at the Mount Olive A.M.E. Church, 1902 W. LaSalle, beginning at 6 p.m.

Marvin Knight, one of the organizers said, “Now is the time for us to meet and discuss having a voter registration rally. The people who were not registered by July 16th cannot vote in the Primary Election, but they can vote in November.”

Knight said he is calling on all concerned citizens and organizations to attend the meeting. “There are never enough people if we want to make a difference,” he said.

He further stated that an earlier meeting was very successful and well attended. However, he feels that there is a lot of work left to do before the General Election in November.

“There is always something someone can do if we come together and unite. People have died for us to have the right to vote. If we don’t get involved, then don’t complain. We must make sure that the people in office do what they are supposed to do.

“We have to be willing to help ourselves and each other. We have to start looking out for each other and when we do, great things will happen.”

Knight said their goal is to register 500 to be eligible to vote in the General Election.

City Editor Iris B. Holton can be reached at (813) 248-1921 or by email at  HYPERLINK “mailto:iholton@flsentinel.com” iholton@flsentinel.com.

The 10th president of Florida A&M University, Dr. James Ammons has submitted his letter of resignation to FAMU’s Board of Trustees and its chair, Dr. Solomon Badger, III.

Chairman Badger states, “I am saddened by President Ammons’ decision to resign, but it is his choice to do so. Given all that has transpired, it seems to be in the best interest of the University and I applaud him for putting FAMU ahead of his personal goals.”

FAMU’s Board is made up of mostly Republicans, who according to some, continued to do Gov. Rick Scott’s bidding, when he asked for Dr. Ammons  job following the  band hazing incident in November, that left drum major, Robert Champion dead.

Gov. Scott will now have the duty of choosing Ammons’ successor.

Dr. Ammons letter to the Board chair reads:

Tampa Police are investigating a shooting that occurred Friday morning in the 2900 block of 25th Avenue.

Police said Richadean Cottman, 50, was shot on the left side of her neck with an unknown type firearm. The suspect fled the scene undetected.

Ms. Cottman was transported to a local hospital and is reported to be in serious condition.

The shooting is still being investigated, and police have identified no suspects.

BY GWEN HAYES
Sentinel Editor

A Tampa woman who has been very active in the community died suddenly Friday morning, July 6, 2012, apparently of a heart attack. Mrs. Dorothy E. Harmon’s death followed that of her husband, Elder John W. Harmon, Jr., by 3 months. She was 85 years old.

During the turbulent years of the late ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, Mrs. Dorothy Harmon was active throughout the community.  In recent years, some of the activity has been curtailed.

Mrs. Harmon, a native of New York City, was a classroom teacher for more than 50 years. She and her husband of 62 years, also a public school teacher, always taught “next door’ to each other. When the family moved to Tampa from Quincy, she taught in Hillsborough County and he was in Pinellas County. She was a graduate of Florida A&M University.

In Hillsborough County, she taught at Howard W. Blake High School, Just Jr. High School, Oak Grove, Jackson Heights, Potter, and Bryan Elementary Schools. She also taught at D. W. Waters School Resource Center.

She also taught troubled youth at Lake Magdalene and Seffner Correctional School for juveniles.

Mrs. Harmon became actively involved in the Civil Rights movement when one of her students was shot trying to go over a fence. Then sheriff, Malcolm Beard called upon her to use her community influence to bring peace in the community.

According to family members, following this involvement with the community, Mrs. Harmon began chartering Greyhound buses for yearly trips to Washington, D. C., New York, Independence Hall in Philadelphia and Tallahassee. With the help of Congressman Sam Gibbons and other politicians, she exposed underprivileged children to the workings of government and they had an opportunity to visit a number of sites.

These experiences led to the founding of Harmon’s Half-Way House, Inc. and Worlds of Help in Tampa To Save (WHITTTS) Associates Youth Service Clubs, which are active today.

She also promoted her “Reading Corner,” where she supplied books to recreation centers for children to read.

Outside of the classroom, Mrs. Harmon was a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and was founder of Tau Zeta Chapter. She also passionately delivered services to the homeless population, regularly participating in weekend feedings and earning the name, “the doughnut lady.”

Funeral services for Mrs. Harmon will be held on Saturday, July 14, 2012, 1 p. m. at St. John’s Cathedral, Bishop Eddie Newkirk, Pastor.

Among her survivors are 3 sons, William, John, III and James Harmon; and other family members.

On Friday, July 13, evening, youngsters will have an opportunity to attend a Step Show and Pizza Party. The event will take place at the Jackson Heights NFL YET Center, 3310 E. Lake Avenue.

Entitled ‘Safe Summer Part 2: Stepping Crime Out of the Neighborhood,’ the step show will begin at 7 p.m., and conclude at 10 p.m. It is earmarked for youngsters ages 12 through 18 years only.

The Step Show will feature step teams from throughout East Tampa. Various City of Tampa Departments have joined forces with the East Tampa Community Revitalization Partnership to provide this event for the teens of East Tampa.  The show will be filled with entertainment specifically for the youngsters in the area.

“This is just one of the ways the organizations are working to provide teenagers with a safe venue where they can socialize with each other and interact with positive role models in the community,” Ms. Janelle McGregor, spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said.

Tampa Police and family members of 15-year-old Nngozi Evans are asking for help in locating her.

According to her aunt, Nadia Tulloch, Nngozi has been missing for two weeks. She left home to spend the night at a friend’s house.

Ms. Tulloch said Nngozi has never run away before, and she has no medical problems.

“Two weeks ago she spent the night with one of her friends. She had told the friend I was outside to pick her up, but my car wasn’t running, so we don’t know who picked her up. It seems she’s just disappeared.”

Ms. Tulloch said she’s cared for Nngozi for 10 years, and she’s very worried about her.

“I’ve talked to her father in St. Petersburg and her mother in South Carolina, and they haven’t heard from her. She has a lot of relatives in Tampa, and none of them have heard from her.

“She doesn’t have a boyfriend, and I was just telling her to be careful, because bad things can happen to you out there.”

Nngozi is a student at Tampa Bay Vo-Tech, and was in honors courses. She will be a sophomore this year.

Nngozi was last seen at the Lago Vista Apartments on Waters Avenue.

Anyone who has seen Nngozi Evans or know her whereabouts is asked to contact Tampa Police at (813) 231-6130.

A 30-year-old Tampa man will enter a plea of guilt for possession of a firearm. Police discovered the firearm last year after he reported being a victim in a shooting.

According to court documents, Jawaun Rashidi Jackson reported that two men approached him last September and ordered him on the ground. When he ran, the men fired several shots at him.

When Hillsborough County deputies arrived at the scene, they reportedly discovered a loaded .38 caliber handgun on the floor.

The deputies detected a strong marijuana odor and Jackson’s girlfriend gave them verbal consent to search the premises.

Deputies found 213.9 grams of marijuana, an electronic scale, and a gun inside a dresser drawer containing men’s clothing. Jackson admitted to owning the guns, scale, and marijuana, court documents stated.

Police also located a black computer bag on the dining room table. The bag contained three debit cards, several bound notebooks of names and personal information, open UPS envelopes filled with medical information of other individuals, and paperwork associated with Turbo Tax.

Jackson’s girlfriend, who has not been identified, admitted that the items belonged to her and Jackson and that they had filed several fraudulent federal income tax returns. Some of the people whose information they used are dead, the document said.

Deputies also locate a large floor safe in the bedroom that contained $102,230 in cash. Jackson had $4,900 in his pocket at the time of his arrest.

If Judge Elizabeth A. Jenkins accepts the plea agreement, Jackson could face up to 15 years in jail on the gun charge. He has not yet been charged with any crimes related to tax fraud.

BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor

During the segregation era, African Americans in Tampa gathered at a park at the dead end of N. 30th Street for their outdoor activities. Named in honor of businessman, G. D. Rogers (pictured), it was the only place in East Tampa where they could socialize, picnic, and even fish off the dam.

In 1952, the group of African Americans who had mastered the game of golf sought permission to build a 9-hole golf course on the property. Then Mayor Curtis Hixon gave the players permission and they constructed the Rogers Park Golf Course.

Rogers Park Golf Club became the only African American golf course in Tampa.

Recently, Barbara E. Mattick, Ph.D., Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer contacted Mayor Bob Buckhorn and informed him that the Rogers Park Golf Course has been nominated as a listing in the Register of Historic Places.

“The nomination proposal will be reviewed by the Florida National Register Review Board on July 16th. If the Review Board determines that the property meets the criteria, a formal nomination will be submitted to the Keeper of the National Register in Washington, D. C., and that organization will make the final determination,” she wrote.

James Ransom, grandson of G. D. Rogers said, “We would like to especially thank Dennis Fernandez, Historic Preservation & Urban Design Manager, for his professionalism, diligence, dedication, and commitment to shepherd the process along to help us preserve the history and legacy of Rogers Park Golf Course as part of the fabric of history of the city, county, state, and nation.

“There are too many others unnamed who lived through that era and know the story of Rogers Park when part of it was transformed from a public park to a 9-hole golf course. “… Rogers Park must be remembered as a place where African American men who worked as caddies at the Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club, but could not play golf there, so they cleared the land and hand shaped a challenging and beautiful golf course.”

Ransom named some of the greats who have played on the course such as Charlie Sifford, Lee Elder, Jim Thorpe, Charlie Owens, and other legends.

He further stated, “The time has come for the community to take action by supporting the historic preservation of Rogers Park Golf Course.”

Upgrades for the golf course were in 1976, when the City of Tampa gave management rights to the then-newly formed Tampa Sports Authority, championed by TSA Vice Chairman, C. Blythe Andrews, Jr.

Once the Authority took the course over, a $400,000 renovation project began that included a new irrigation system installation and expansion to another city-owned property across the street.

In 2000, the Authority renovated the course again by replacing the nearly 30-year-old irrigation system, rebuilding the greens to USGA specifications, landscaping and reshaping holes.

In 2001, a new maintenance compound was completed, and in 2002, a new clubhouse was constructed.

BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor

The passenger in a vehicle involved in a traffic accident died Saturday night at a local hospital. Both drivers, one of which was a Tampa Police officer, received minor injuries.

According to police, the accident took place at the intersection of E. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd., and N. 12th Street, shortly after 8 p.m. Joseph A. Williams, 61, was traveling southbound on N. 12th Street, when he drove his 1995 Toyota Camry into the path of a Tampa Police vehicle driven by Corporal Bryan Felts.

The police car, traveling eastbound, was unable to avoid the collision and struck the right side of the Camry. Joseph Henderson, 63, was a passenger in Williams’ vehicle.

All three men were taken to Tampa General Hospital, where Henderson was admitted in serious condition. He later died from his injuries. Corporal Felts and Williams received minor injuries, police said.

A native of Augusta, Georgia, Mr. Henderson attended the public schools there. He relocated to Tampa as a young adult.

In 1979, Mr. Henderson obtained employment at Kimmins Construction Company and worked there for more than 30 years. His daughter, Ms. Genise Henderson said her father retired about 1½ years ago.

Since retiring, she said her father enjoyed spending time with his family, his best friend, “Lucky,” and other friends.

“He loved to dance. If there was music, he was going to dance,” she stated.

A widower, Mr. Henderson was the father of 6 children. He was also a grandfather and great grandfather.

Ms. Henderson said her father was on the way home when the accident occurred. Funeral services will take place on Saturday, July 7th.

Aikens Funeral Home is in charge of handling arrangements.