African Achievers Association plans hall-of-fame induction

Tickets are available for the dinner Saturday.

STAFF report

WARREN — The Rev. Melvin L. Howard Sr., pastor at St. James Church of God in Christ, will be the keynote speaker at the Trumbull County African Achievers Association 25th annual Hall of Fame Inductee Dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday at DiVieste Banquet Hall, 754 North River Road.

For tickets, call (330) 720-2215, (330) 719-3863 or (330) 980-3410. Tickets are $25 per adult.

This year, the organization will honor six people who will be inducted and two young people who will receive scholarships.

Howard, who will speak on the theme “Striving Together in Unity,” is a graduate of Warren G. Harding High School. He graduated from New Castle School of Trades and the American Baptist Theological Seminary.

He was ordained to the ministry in 1974 and was elevated by his father, the late David Howard Sr., to be assistant pastor and, in 1992, became pastor.

After retiring from GM Lordstown, Pastor Melvin Howard devoted full-time service to the church. He and his wife, Betty, are the parents of three children, Melvin Jr., Dinita and Travis.

The 2010 inductees are:

UFaith M. Brogdon-Hall, who has an associate degree in divinity and biblical counseling from Zoe University International and certifications in evangelism explosion international and prison fellowship ministry, which have allowed her to serve in the Trumbull Correctional Institution.

Under the leadership of Pastors Joseph and Gina Cameneti at Believers’ Christian Fellowship, she has carried the message of hope and reconciliation to diverse denominations, including New Freedom Missionary Baptist Church, Coleman’s Chapel, Greater Apostolic Faith Church, Third Christian Church, New Jerusalem Fellowship, Genesis Christian Community Center and Progressive Baptist Church.

UAngela McKinnon, a 1976 graduate of Warren Western Reserve High School, worked for Sajar Plastics in Middlefield for 10 years.

She was a parent volunteer at Jefferson Elementary School in Warren and became one of the first people to hold the position of liaison in the school district starting in 1999.

She now serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade at Jefferson and Horace Mann schools and Western Reserve Middle School. She is known as a “surrogate mother” to many students as she readily shares school supplies, supportive words and sometimes reprimands.

ULeana P. Spencer, a lifelong Warren resident, is a graduate of Warren Western Reserve High School. She has a bachelor’s degree in education from Kent State University and a master’s degree from the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati.

She teaches first through sixth grades in the city school district and is a literacy coach at Jefferson Elementary. She was awarded the Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence and in 1997 traveled to the White House to receive recognition for National Board Certification.

UJack Will-iamson first became interested in karate in 1963 when he received training in South Korea and later changed his style of karate to Shorin Ryu.

He is a member and trustee of Grace African Methodist Episcopal Church and on the usher board and sings in the male chorus.

He has been teaching karate 47 years in the Youngstown-Warren area.

UStacy Warfield-Luton is a Warren native and graduated with honors from Warren G. Harding High School in 1981. She is the mother of two sons, Derrick and Draye Luton.

She has worked for the city of Warren for 27 years, becoming the first black woman to work for the city law department in 1982. She moved from clerk-typist to legal secretary and is now office manager for the prosecutor’s office at Warren Municipal Court. She is also co-owner of Loving Memory Monument Service.

UAntwaun Molden, a Warren native, attended Warren G. Harding High School, where he excelled in track and field and football and placed 6th in the state in the 300 hurdles his junior year. As a football player, he helped the Raiders advance to the state finals.

He later transferred to Cleveland Glenville High School, where he was a member of three relay teams that set three national records. He attended the University of Toledo, where he lettered in football and track. In 2008, he was drafted by the Houston Texans of the National Football League in the 3rd round. A cornerback, he saw action on special teams in 2008.

USharea Elkins, a senior at LaBrae High School, has a 3.62 grade-point average and is ranked 6th in her class. She has been accepted at several colleges but is undecided which school she will attend.

She is president of the student council and is editor of the yearbook. She also has been class treasurer and graduated from Youth Leadership Mahoning Valley and was a Buckeye Girls State delegate.

She will earn eight varsity athletics letters, including three in track and field, three in basketball and two in soccer.

UOneal D. Brown, a senior at Warren Harding High School, is planning a career in computer graphics. He has been on the honor roll and received an Academic Recognition Certificate for having a 3.5 to 3.99 grade-point average.

He is a three-year varsity letterman in football, two-year letterman in basketball and two-year letterman in track.