Oldest Living African American Funeral Director Celebrated at 90

Mr. Joseph H. Ivy, seated alongside his wife Margaret Ivy, is the oldest living
African-American funeral director in Tennessee. He is surrounded by well-wishers
who paid tribute to him on his 90th birthday, June 7. (Photos by Wiley Henry)

On Sunday, June 7, a small crowd gathered at the corner of Curry Drive and Hyde Park Street in the Hyde Park community – not to protest man’s inhumanity to man, but to honor a man for his humanity.

This was a special day for Mr. Joseph H. Ivy, his 90th birthday, one that was replete with fanfare and a fleet of limousines and funeral cars from more than 40 funeral homes in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi.

Funeral directors and morticians came together to pay tribute to one of their own, a man with the distinction of being the oldest living African-American funeral director in the state of Tennessee. 

Mr. Ivy has seen a lot of people in his 90 years – including the bevy while serving in the United States Army – but this groundswell was overwhelming from his vantage point under a tent at the corner of Curry, a short distance from his residence on the street.

Friends in the industry called out Mr. Ivy’s name from their funeral cars and esteemed him with their words as they made their way down Curry. He waved in return and said this about the experience: “It’s wonderful. I didn’t expect this attention.”

Funeral directors and morticians from funeral homes in
Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas, including several
motorcyclists, pulled up to Mr. Ivy's tent in more than 40
funeral cars and dropped off gifts to show their appreciation.

 

They presented gifts and more to celebrate the beloved funeral director for long life and his contribution to the industry. This was a surprise that the Rev. Quinton Taylor kept secret until this day. 

Mr. Ivy in return marveled at the unsuspecting display of affection. “I’m really surprised,” said Mr. Ivy, not a man of many words on this day. 

Age notwithstanding, Mr. Ivy is admired and respected throughout the funeral service industry all over the country, said Taylor, pastor of Second Baptist Church of Hernando, Miss., and president of Bluff City Funeral Directors & Morticians Association.

Hosted by Bluff City Funeral Directors & Morticians Association and Arkansas State Funeral Directors Association, Taylor thought the fêting of Mr. Ivy on his birthday was timely and the right thing to do for the man he nicknamed “The Godfather” of the funeral industry. 

When Taylor broached the idea of a surprise birthday celebration and a drive-by parade to his “boss” at M.J. Edwards Funeral Home – where Mr. Ivy works on the weekends when needed – he was given the green light to proceed. 

“When I was talking to my boss, he told me, ‘for Mr. Ivy, you won’t get no rejection.’ And everyone that I called to be a part of this, they said ‘[for] Mr. Ivy, we’ll be there,’” said Taylor, whom Mr. Ivy mentored at the onset of his career. 

City Councilman Edmund H. Ford Sr. of E.H. Ford Mortuary Services in Memphis happily answered Taylor’s call. Why? “Mr. Ivy is one of the greatest people in Memphis,” he said. “He’s helped everybody in Memphis.”

Including Ford’s father, the late Newton J. Ford, founder of N.J. Ford and Sons Funeral Home, Inc. “I go way back with Mr. Ivy to the days of my father,” Ford said. “He’s the father of all these funeral homes.”

Mr. Ivy was there when Monroe James Edwards founded M.J. Edwards Funeral Home, Taylor said, and drove the lead hearse in a long procession of white funeral cars after Mr. Edwards was eulogized last year in March.

Sarah Carpenter, a friend and neighbor, spoke fondly of Mr. Ivy. A community activist, she said the funeral director has been nothing but a man of integrity since meeting him 26 years ago. 

He also stepped in when Carpenter needed him the most. “When my mother died last year, Mr. Ivy drove the funeral car all the way to Somerville, Tenn.,” she said. “And he was 89 then.” 

Mr. Ivy started his career in the funeral service industry in 1966 at J.O. Patterson Mortuary. He was licensed in 1973 as a funeral director and managed the mortuary from 1985-2008.

In addition to directing Monroe J. Edwards’s funeral service, Mr. Ivy handled the services of other notables as well, including Bishop J.O. Patterson Sr. in 1989, the first presiding prelate of the Church of God in Christ, Inc.; Bishop J.O. Patterson Jr. in 2011, pastor of Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ and former chairman of the COGIC General Board; and Bishop Gilbert E. Patterson in 2007, also the presiding prelate of the Church of God in Christ, Inc.

Wendell Naylor, marketing manager for M.J. Edwards Funeral Home, said Mr. Ivy taught him a lot about the funeral business. And you don’t have to be a notable, he pointed out, for Mr. Ivy to provide quality service.

Naylor, president of Tennessee State Funeral Directors and Morticians Association, reflected on this advice from Mr. Ivy: “When driving a funeral car, he taught me to drive 5 miles below the speed limit – and don’t rush the family.” 

Mr. Ivy is the Association’s sergeant at arms emeritus, Naylor said, a position he’s held since 1979. He also attends meetings regularly, including meetings called by the Bluff City Funeral Directors & Morticians Association.

“He’s just a wonderful man,” Naylor said.

Mr. Ivy has been married to Margaret Ivy for 60 years. They have a son, Mario Ivy Sr.; a grandson, Mario Ivy Jr.; and one great grandson. He is a dedicated member of Smother’s Chapter CME Church in the North Memphis community.

And he’s just as dedicated to the funeral service industry – even at 90.

Nursing home residents treated to a parade of love

A parade of automobiles rolled in and out of Graceland Rehabilitation and Nursing
Center's parking lot in a show of love and appreciation for residents sheltering in
place due to COVID-19. (Photos by Wiley Henry)

After shutting the doors to visitors in mid-March due to COVID-19, the staff at Graceland Rehabilitation and Nursing Center exceeded their goal for residents to see their loved ones.

More than 50 automobiles at one time stretched four city blocks in the Whitehaven community on May 30 between 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. The parade snaked in and out of Graceland’s parking lot in a show of love and appreciation. 

The staff positioned most residents under tents to shade them from the mid-day temperature as horns blared ceremoniously. Some residents waved approval as the parade rolled by them – some carrying balloons, others holding signs with the names of loved ones.

“Today was an opportunity for residents who haven’t had a chance to see their families – going on two months now – to have the face-to-face time,” LaToya Baker, Graceland’s director of Marketing and Public Relations, explained. 

“We saw nationally where other organizations were doing a parade,” said Baker. “We thought that would be a great way to maintain social distancing and encourage a little back and forth with their family.”

This three-wheel car, or trike, was one of more than
50 automobiles on the scene.

Elizabeth Perkins was delighted. She had not seen her sister Dorothy Brown since management shut the doors to keep COVID-19 at bay. She and her husband, Arthur Perkins, pulled into the parking lot with the name DOROTHY BROWN emblazoned on a sign. 

“It brought joy to my heart not only to see my sister, but to see other patients,” she said. “It was nice the way they had it set up. It was more close-and-personal than what I thought.” 

Brown thought the “close-and-personal” parade of automobiles was a good idea. “Some people haven’t seen their folks in a long time,” she responded by phone the next day. “It was good.”

Not all well-wishers expressed love from their automobiles. At least seven of them from Greater Love Miracle Center Church on Vance Avenue stood outside the wrought iron gate singing. Their songs were underscored with messages of love.

“We’re here doing our duty as Christians…encouraging these patients and the people that are working here…letting them know somebody cares, somebody loves them,” said Vernita Westbrook, who co-pastors the church with her husband, the Rev. Dennis Westbrook.  

“This is our duty to visit those who need us,” she said. “We have a group of people here just to encourage them.” 

Two sisters and a niece and nephew were encouraged. They came to lay eyes on Daisy Pettis, if only for a moment.

“I really miss coming to see my sister every week like I normally would do,” said Maria Lee, but then added, “This works for me.”

 Another sister, Mary Watson, chimed in. “I usually come every Wednesday. Since this (pandemic) has been going on, I can’t come and can’t call. [But] I’m glad the day was a good opportunity for me to see her.” 

Watson was happy to know that Daisy Pettis, a resident of two years, was looking good.

LaToya Lee, whose mother is Maria Lee, is the niece of Watson and Pettis. She noticed something about her aunt. “When we did drive by, I saw my aunt shed a few tears,” she said. “It lets me know that she misses us as much as we miss her.”

She added that the “drive by” had really shown her that people really care about their loved ones instead of just dropping them off and not coming back to see them.

Tommie Lee Jr., LaToya Lee’s brother, expressed a little sadness, though. He said the experience touched him. “But it’s kind of sad that you can’t sit with her, speak to her, or pick her up.” 

The residents at Graceland are faring well considering COVID-19’s onslaught on nursing homes around the country and in Memphis and Shelby County. However, Baker said there hasn’t been an outbreak among the 155 residents at the 200-bed facility.

At least 70 residents participated, she said.

While COVID-19 is ravaging nursing homes, the most vulnerable population, Baker said Graceland is following the Center for Disease Control and Prevention protocols to ensure the safety of residents and workers.

According to the Shelby County Health Department’s latest figures, there are 4,581 cases of COVID-19 in Shelby County, and that number includes 102 deaths. At least one-third of those deaths were nursing home residents and workers.

Has there been any residents infected with COVID-19 at Graceland?

“We’ve had people that we suspected; and when we did, we tested them,” said Baker. “But we’ve been very fortunate that we don’t have any confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the facility.” 

The residents’ temperatures are checked periodically and sporadically throughout the day, Baker said. Also, the staff wears masks, including the residents when they’re not in their rooms.

Although the residents have been confined to the facility with little interaction with their families, Baker said they may plan another parade to connect residents with families before it gets excruciatingly hot.

Business owner brings Class of 2020 together using social media

The coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, has spread rapidly throughout every nook and cranny around the world. It has disrupted life as we knew it and, in Memphis, the rite of passage for high school graduates.

Eighteen-year-old Brienna Cooper finished her senior year at Southwind High School with a 3.8 GPA. But she was quite upset when the senior class was informed that all senior activities had ceased rather than risk the spread of COVID-19.

Brienna Cooper

“The only thing we got a chance to do was have our senior breakfast, and after that, it was nothing,” said Brienna Cooper, who was scheduled to graduate May 23 at FedEx Forum in Memphis. 

Graduation, however, hasn’t been a total bust for the Class of 2020. Telisa Franklin, owner of Flowers and More and other businesses, created a page on Facebook called “Memphis Class of 2020.” 

The page is a collection of stories and senior photos celebrating the accomplishments of graduating seniors from Shelby County Schools. Over a thousand members – students, parents and well-wishers – have joined the page. 

“There are a lot of underprivileged schools,” Franklin surmised. “There are only stories of the valedictorian and the salutatorian. On this page, the students are all in this together.”  

Franklin’s own son, 13-year-old Charles Edward Earl, was the source of inspiration that compelled her to honor graduating seniors. He had finished eighth grade at Elmore Park Middle School, but he, too, would not experience graduation before moving on to ninth grade at Bartlett Academy.

Joshua Franklin

“I woke up one Friday morning when Charles was passing to the ninth grade and realized that the school would not be holding graduation,” Franklin said. “So, if I’m missing out on his graduation to high school, I know others feel the same way.” 

Debra and Alan Cooper certainly felt that way. But COVID-19 dashed their hopes of celebrating Brienna’s achievements and her rite of passage from high school to Middle Tennessee State University to study nursing.

“I was upset about it, because she worked hard,” said Debra Cooper, a nursing assistant and mother of two other children as well. That pivotal moment for Brienna Cooper would have to wait for now. 

Belinda and Joe Franklin were disappointed. Their only child, Joshua Franklin, will not be walking across the stage just yet to accept his diploma from G.W. Carver College and Career Academy. 

A registered nurse, Belinda Franklin had talked to her son about graduation and the pandemic that brought everything to a screeching halt. Then she concluded the school was right for shutting down. 

“For the sake of everybody, I understood,” she said. 

“At first when this happened, I was sad. I know I did everything I could. I put my best foot forward,” said Joshua Franklin, a biochemistry major with a 4.0 GPA. Then he added: “We never had our senior trip or prom.” 

Joshua Franklin will be heading to Tennessee State University in the fall. But he is unsure if the university will return to normal just in case he has to stay on campus or if he would have to take virtual classes.

Whatever happens, COVID-19 won’t stop Joshua Franklin from pursuing a career in science. “Biochemistry is so broad,” he said. “So I would like to become a pathologist or a toxicologist.”

Shelby County Schools, which is home to over 100,000 students in more than 200 schools, has contingency plans to hold traditional graduation ceremonies in July, which is tentatively set between July 13-26. 

Of course, the District will abide by city or state health and safety regulations to ensure the safety of graduates. If this doesn’t work, SCS will have a backup plan to conduct virtual graduating ceremonies.  

Until then, Franklin will continue to host the “Memphis Class of 2020.” 

“She did more than the schools when they closed,” Debra Cooper said of Franklin. “It is such a good idea.”

Young jeweler sets ambitious goal to become a millionaire by 16

Kalen Johnson is 12 years old and has the gumption to believe he will become a millionaire by the time he reaches the ripe age of 16. Could it be that this preteen prognosticator knows something that we don’t know?

He’s already begun working to make real his audacious prediction. In September 2018, he grossed more than $1,200 in a single day selling exquisite wire and beaded jewelry at the Cooper-Young Festival in Midtown Memphis. 

Kalen Johnson is an up-and-coming jeweler
who sees a bright future for himself.
(Photos by Kayla Johnson)

“I believe in myself. And my mother, granny, brother and sister believe in me too,” said Kalen, who is unabashedly frank about his ambition to become financially secure by 16 and beyond via Kalen’s Exquisite Pieces, a home-based jewelry business he started in 2018.

Although Kalen is young, he is rather mature, thoughtful, confident, and fully grasps what it will take to reach his goal. He also counts every opportunity as a move forward in that direction. 

“When I was thinking about careers, I wanted to do something that’s fun,” said Kalen, a seventh-grade student at Germantown Middle School. “I didn’t want to work for someone where I would be sad and miserable.

Kalen abounds in contentment over patrons like Jacqueline Jordan, who became acquainted with him and his “exquisite” jewelry in February at Golden Gate Cathedral, the church where she and Kalen’s family are members. 

One Sunday she noticed a black clustered necklace coiled around the neck of his mother, Tomeka Johnson, employed at Regions Bank, and was smitten with its beauty and intricate design.

Jordan asked Johnson where she’d gotten the necklace. “She said, ‘My son made this.’ I asked her his name. The little boy was standing near her and said, ‘It’s me. Here I am.’ Then I asked him if he could make one for me.”

An intricately designed purple necklace,
earrings and bracelet.

A week or so later, Jordan paid Kalen $100 for a hefty necklace that he had made of elegant glass and crystal on a thick silver chain. He threw in matching earrings and a bracelet for good measure. 

Jordan was happy, to say the least, and boasted openly after receiving the necklace that Kalen had presented in a dainty box. “It’s beautiful! Simply beautiful!” she said excitedly.

Since the launch of Kalen’s Exquisite Pieces, this dedicated kidpreneur has made his rounds at various marketplaces such as workshops, bazaars, and a children’s business fair at Germantown Presbyterian Church.

Tamika Heard, manager of the locally owned and family operated Makeda’s Cookies, recognized Kalen’s business in 2018 in an online marketplace called 901 Kidpreneur that she started on Facebook in 2016. The concept is to inspire and empower young entrepreneurs. 

Kalen is humbled by Heard and other entrepreneurs who have paved the way for him. His mother, however, has been his support and pillar of strength since he first started tinkering with her jewelry at five years old. 

An exquisite pearl and beaded necklace
with matching earrings.

“I’ll always love my mom,” he said. “She has been here for me for the whole journey.” 

So has Kaleb, Kalen’s 12-year-old identical twin; Kayla, his 17-year-old sister; and his maternal “granny,” Mary Perry, whom he treasures. It was Perry who didn’t need to be convinced that Kalen’s refashioning of his mother’s old jewelry “will pay off some day.”

“He would take my jewelry, take it apart, and make new jewelry,” said Johnson, alluding to Kalen’s inquisitive nature and his creative mind. “Me and my mother asked him what he wanted to do in life.” 

It was a foregone conclusion that Johnson’s young millionaire in waiting wanted to be a master jeweler and knew this before she had an inkling that he was teeming with talent. While he was polishing his skills, she undergirded him along the way.

Johnson recalls Kalen taking a briefcase to W.E.B. DuBois Elementary School of Entrepreneurship for Career Day when he was nine and in 5^th-grade. “He had all his creations in it to show the class. Then he explained to them that he wanted to be a master jeweler,” she said. 

“He’s so talented. He will not make two pieces alike. I’m so blessed to be his mom,” said Johnson, a single parent who likewise embraces the skill set of Kaleb, a computer gamer, and Kayla, a budding artist and future OBGYN.

So, who or what inspires Kalen? “I don’t know what inspires me,” he said matter-of-factly. “I’ve just been fascinated with gemstones, beads and natural pearls.”

Then it dawned on him that he is actually enamored with Peter Marco, an influential Beverly Hills (Calif.) jeweler who has a high-profile clientele. Like Kalen, Marco knew what he wanted to do in life at an early age. 

An interesting parallel, to say the least.

The storyline of Ilunga Adell’s success in Hollywood

If you’ve ever noticed the closing credits of some of America’s popular TV sitcoms – “Sanford and Son,” “City Guys,” “Married with Children,” “Roc,” “A Different World,” “Moesha,” “That’s My Mama,” “227,” just to name a few – the name Ilunga Adell might’ve caught your attention. 

Adell, a native Memphian, wrote several episodes of each sitcom and others as well. However, before his spate of film credits started adding up, it was “Sanford and Son” that launched him as a screenwriter, TV and film producer, and story editor. 

Ilunga Adell

It all began after Adell (born William Adell Stevenson III) left Memphis to pursue a career in acting and discovered his love for the theatre. A graduate of Hamilton High School, he’d moved to New York and delighted himself as a thespian. Then he added screenwriter to his repertoire.

 “When the opportunity for ‘Sanford and Son’ came up, I was prepared,” said Adell, reputed for his stage plays. Just by happenstance, he was asked by Aaron Ruben, the esteemed producer of “Sanford and Son,” to write a script for the show.

Known for producing “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,” Ruben was getting flak, Adell said, because he didn’t have any black writers for “Sanford and Son.” 

“He said he couldn’t find any.” 

Adell was in his early 20s and working at the Public Theater, an arts organization in New York City that Joseph Papp founded as the Shakespeare Workshop for up-and-coming playwrights and performers.

The theater was revered for showcasing the works of the best playwrights and performers, including Adell and others like Jason Miller, who wrote a play called “Championship Season.” He also starred as a young priest in the “Exorcist.”  

Adell was in good company with several well-known playwrights. Ruben discovered this fact when he noticed a photo of them in a New York Times article. According to Adell, Ruben said, “Well, they wrote for Papp, they can write for us.” 

He said Ruben then contacted the theater and asked him to come to California. A play Adell had written was already in the hopper and he was acting in another one when Ruben called. 

“They wanted to talk to me about doing ‘Sanford and Son,’” said Adell, who had not seen the show at that time.

Norman Lear was the executive producer of “Sanford and Son.” He said Lear and Ruben had cast funnyman Redd Fox in the lead role and actor Grady Demond Wilson as his son Lamont. 

Wilson wasn’t a stranger to Adell. “The (Off-Broadway) play I did in New York, ‘Five on the Black Hand Side,’ one of the actors in that play was Demond Wilson,” he said. 

Adell’s character was named Gideon and Wilson played the First Junkie. This was Adell’s first play in New York at the American Place Theatre.

After arriving in California and settling in his hotel room, “they gave me a couple of tapes (of “Sanford and Son”) to watch.” Confident as a writer – even though he had no experience writing for TV – Adell produced a couple of episodes.

Ruben liked what Adell had written for one of the episodes. But then he asked him to go back to the hotel and this time write a story outline. He was given a template to follow. 

“As I’m writing up my idea, dialogue comes to my mind. So I just started writing dialogue,” said Adell, and returned with 10-12 pages of dialogue. But Ruben was upset, he said, until he started reading. 

Then he started chuckling, Adell recalls, and followed with an imperative: “Okay, fine, go write the script.”

Adell had never written a script for TV, taken a writing class, or studied at a film school. What he did have was innate writing ability that he managed to hone into a new set of skills. 

He’d never written a comedy either, saying instead, “I considered myself a serious writer.” 

“Sanford and Son” was Adell’s foray into the business. Now he’s a bona fide screenwriter. “I had a knack for writing,” he said. “But through usage and overtime, the knack became a skill. I was always a good writer, but I’m a much better writer now.”

Adell had performed in, written, and directed productions at the American Place Theatre, The Black Magicians theatrical troupe, the Negro Ensemble Company, and, of course, the Public Theater in New York.

He debuted a short film, “Avenging Angels,” last year in October at the Black Hollywood Education Resource Center (BHERC) 25^th Anniversary African American Film Marketplace & S.E. Manly Short Film Showcase in Los Angeles, Calif. 

“Avenging Angels” is about two 16-year-old’s violent confrontation with an adult sexual predator. Supported by Films With A Purpose, Adell wrote and directed the 29-minute film. He has already completed the script for a feature film of “Avenging Angels.”

Not bad for a Memphian who continues to rack up film credits in Hollywood. Now he’s working with kids in an afterschool program in Memphis and Shelby County called Knowledge Quest.

Remembering John A. Simpson of the Memphis State Eight

The Memphis State Eight (circa 1959): Luther McClellan, Marvis Kneeland Jones,
Sammie Johnson, Ralph Prater, Eleanor Gandy, Rose Blakney Love, Bertha
Rogers Looney and John Simpson. (Courtesy photo)

In the fall of 1959, eight African-American students broke the color barrier and integrated the former Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis). Known as the “Memphis State Eight,” four of the eight are now deceased.

John Arthur Simpson is the latest member to die, on Feb. 8. Two others also died, ironically, in February, Black History Month: Eleanor Gandy, 76, who died Feb. 6, 2017, in Charlotte, N. C.; and Rose Blakney-Love, 75, who died Feb. 12, 2017, in Memphis. Sammie Burnette Johnson, 71, died on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday on Jan. 15, 2011. 

Robert E. Simpson Sr. has fond memories of his brother. “We were closer than most brothers. We were inseparable,” he said. “We went to church together, sang in the male chorus together, went to the Grizzlies games together. We enjoyed our relationship as brothers.”

John Arthur Simpson

Mr. Simpson was eulogized on Feb. 14 at Trinity Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. He was 78. Friends and loved ones paid respect to a man who unwittingly made history by defying the status quo.

He and seven others, with moxie aplenty, challenged the university and gained entrance into the all-white institution that once judged them based on the color of their skin rather than scholarship.

Mr. Simpson has been laid to rest now. His accomplishments are duly noted in his obituary and in the annals of history. As Black History Month winds down, only four of the Memphis State Eight remain: Luther McClellan, Marvis Kneeland Jones, Ralph Prater and Bertha Rogers Looney.

 “Last year in September we celebrated 60 years,” said Looney, recalling the 18th day of that month when the University of Memphis honored the five remaining members of the Memphis State Eight.

“I thought it was ironic that we were caught up in history,” she said.

Looney remembers Mr. Simpson as an intellectual who wanted to make sure that everyone was doing well. “I admired him. He was a great person,” she said. “When I walk back on campus, his spirit will be with me.”

“They all seemed to weather the storm and came out balanced,” Simpson said. However, he added that his brother soon grew tired of the rigmarole and didn’t finish Memphis State.

He left the university and married his sweetheart in 1961 from Manassas High School, the former Marion Larkin. He also joined the U.S. Air Force that year and remained for 28 years and retired with the rank of major. After returning to Memphis, he joined MetLife as a retirement marketing sales representative.

Mr. Simpson had made a life for himself after his ordeal at Memphis State University and joined the ranks of other trailblazers who found themselves embroiled in the Civil Rights Movement.

Much to his chagrin, Mr. Simpson had other plans.

“He didn’t like the way he was being treated at Memphis State. They had to sit in a special area. They couldn’t go to the games,” said Markhum “Mark” L. Stansbury Sr., who served as special assistant to Dr. Shirley Raines and three other university presidents.

Once denied admission to the university, Stansbury advocated for the Memphis State Eight. Soon a historical marker was erected in front of the Administration Building in 2006. Raines, then president of the university, welcomed the trailblazers back on campus for the special honor.

Mr. Simpson was in attendance, Looney said, and, like the other trailblazers, welcomed the fanfare. Sixty years ago, they were isolated and faced unbearable hardships trying to get a college education. Now they are celebrated.

Stansbury said he noticed nearly a dozen non-blacks at Mr. Simpson’s funeral. “Back in the day, they couldn’t accept you. Now 60 years later, non-blacks can accept you for what you did.”

St. Jude’s children ignite one man’s passion for giving

Eugene Phillips (standing third from right) is surrounded by his friends and supporters.

Children grappling with catastrophic diseases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis are being treated by the best of doctors without their families worrying about paying the bill.

That’s why fundraising is integral to the hospital’s success and important to Eugene Phillips, who started raising money over 30 years ago in honor of his birthday. In lieu of receiving gifts, he asks his friends to donate to St. Jude. 

On Feb. 10, Phillips welcomed several of his friends into his lavish home in Germantown to celebrate his 69th birthday – which was actually Feb. 12. They supped with him and, of course, donated to the hospital. 

“He doesn’t allow you to bring gifts for him,” said Janelle R. Eskridge, who attended the event with her husband, Reginald L. Eskridge, both attorneys and longtime friends of Phillips.

Dino Palazzolo (right) and his wife, Louisette, are longtime
friends of Eugene Phillips and his support of St. Jude. They
brought a gift to show their appreciation. (Photos
by Wiley Henry)

The idea of raising funds for St. Jude’s children ignited Phillips’ passion for giving after touring the hospital one day with the late Sandy Vogel Lewis, a longtime community activist and board member of St. Jude.

“I asked her to take me on a tour and I was impressed,” said Phillips, a respiratory therapist who has been in the medical profession for 48 years. He has raised to date nearly $100,000.

“Eugene is a selfless individual,” said James Bridges Jr., Phillips’ cousin. “It’s a wonderful gesture that he would take this time to celebrate his birthday and support the children of St. Jude.”

This is the third birthday celebration and fundraiser for Bridges and his wife, Anita. His mother, Doris Bridges, and aunt, Gwendolyn Nelson, were earlier supporters of Phillips, but could not make it this year.

Terry Pickett and his wife, Gisela, live approximately three blocks from Phillips. They have supported Phillips for 10 years and wish him the best as he endeavors to lend St. Jude a helping hand. 

“It’s typical of Eugene. His whole life is dedicated to serving people,” said Terry Pickett, a retired college professor who taught at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and at Sanford University in Birmingham, Ala.

“He is so positive. It’s unbelievable,” Gisela Pickett added.

Dino Palazzolo said Phillips is the most loyal person and that he is a friend of St. Jude. He added: “He has the enthusiasm for St. Jude. He donates and never asks for anything for himself.”

Palazzolo and his wife, Louisette, have been friends with Phillips for 40 years. “We try to make every party he has because of St. Jude,” he said.

Phillips has a heart for philanthropy and a hearty spirit for giving. What he does for St. Jude’s children means a lot to him. “This is an encouragement for young black people to help somebody,” he said, and added that people have to be taught to give. 

Giving is second nature to Phillips.

Like the others, Dr. Gregory Hanissian also responded to Phillips’ clarion call for help. He and his family, Phillips said, have been supportive of his birthday and St. Jude fundraiser throughout the years.

Phillips said Jim and Sarah Schwab are avid supporters. She was present, but her husband, Phillips was told, has been grappling with an illness and was not well enough to make it.

Other longtime supporters of Phillips once again made the annual pilgrimage to his home, including Sally Molasky and Rita Hutchings, Michael Fahr and his fiancé, Sara Alwafai, and Zeina Alwafai and her friend, Matthew Yarbrough.