Funeral director Sterling A. Williams will be keynote speaker at the 28th annual induction dinner for the Trumbull County African American Achievers Association Hall of Fame

Staff report

WARREN

Funeral director Sterling A. Williams will be the keynote speaker at the 28th annual induction dinner for the Trumbull County African American Achievers Association Hall of Fame induction dinner Saturday at DiVieste’s Banquet Hall, 754 North River Road.

Tickets costing $25 per adult are still available and can be purchased by calling 330-399-6525.

The six people being inducted this year are Alma Currie, Dr. Fareedah Goodwin Capers, Michalene Hughley, Joe Louis Jackson, Darryl Parker and Loree Richardson. Scholarship recipients are LeShun Daniels Jr. and Shauntiaonia Johnson.

Williams, owner and operator of Sterling-McCullough Williams Funeral Homes of Youngstown and Warren, graduated with honors from The Rayen School, Miami University of Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and Kent State University with a master’s in business administration.

He is a licensed funeral director.

He and his wife, Kimberly, have two children and live in Warren.

He also owns Twin Realty, Loving Memories Monument Service, Tax Master Accounting Service and is involved in several partnerships.

alma currie

Currie, born in Birmingham, Ala., is the oldest of seven children. Her husband, Joseph, and son, Terry, are deceased. She has been employed as a secretary with the Warren Urban League, was a part-time state worker and county worker and is retired from General Motors.

She is a former member of Second Baptist Church and now is a member of Believers Church, Seniors Helping Seniors, and Women of Believers Church. She volunteers with Guardian Angels from Judge Thomas A. Swift’s court, Church Women United, and is a former member of Warren Civic League and Club 15. She has played golf and helped organize an over-50 women’s golf tournament.

dr. fareedah goodwin capers

Dr. Capers was born and raised in Youngstown, the daughter of Elus Abdul-Salaam and Marymax Howard. She was a 1996 honors graduate of The Rayen School. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from the University of Akron and her medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University, formerly known as NEOUCOM, in 2002.

She completed her family medicine residency training at Summa Health System’s Akron City Hospital in 2005, after which she opened her own solo medical practice, Warren Family Medical Inc., later that year. She cares for patients from newborn to elderly.

She is married to Dante Capers, head principal of Warren G. Harding High School. They have two daughters.

michalene hughley

Hughley started college at Kent State University Trumbull Campus in 1965 while raising two sons on her own, one of whom was developmentally delayed. She completed her degree in seven years, graduating from Youngstown State University.

She worked for the state unemployment office, welfare office and Fairhaven Program, serving as an advocate for people in similar circumstances as herself. After retiring from the state, she worked for Valley Counseling and Summit Children Services, then became certified as a licensed insurance agent. She has been a volunteer at food pantries and Trumbull New Theatre.

joe louis jackson

Jackson is a deacon at Second Baptist Church, where he has been a member since 1967. He’s been active with the Boy Scouts 45 years, currently serving as cub master for Pack 107.

He retired in 2001 from Republic Steel after 44 years. He is married to Irene Jackson and is the father of four children and two stepchildren, has eight grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

darryl parker

Parker is president of United Steelworkers Local 1375, which represents more than 1,200 members affiliated with the former RG Steel. In 2012, he became the first black to lead the union in its 75-year history.

He has worked in the steel industry 44 years at U.S. Steel, Republic Steel, WCI and RG Steel. He has been a certified overhead crane trainer since 1992 and worked in that field more than 40 years. He developed a plantwide training program that was still in use when RG Steel closed.

He has served the union 25 years and has been civil rights chairman 14 years. He was instrumental in developing the “Keep it Civil” motto developed and posted throughout the plant.

He is a lifetime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. A lifelong Warren resident, Parker and his wife, Collette, have one daughter.

loree richardson

Richardson, formerly associate superintendent in the Warren City Schools, recently retired after 36 years in education. She had been the associate superintendent since 2006, serving also as interim superintendent. She was principal at Alden Elementary School nine years. During that time, Alden was identified as an Ohio Venture School as well as an Ohio School of Promise.

She also was a high school and elementary teacher in Warren, high school teacher in Lordstown and high school teacher in Girard. She taught at Youngstown State University and Kent State University Trumbull. She was involved in the creation of the Jump Start program 12 years ago while principal at Alden Elementary.

leshun daniels jr.

Daniels is a senior at Warren G. Harding High School and is a member of the National Honor Society and a four-year honor roll student. He’s in the top 15 percent of his class.

He is a four-year letter winner in track and field and three-year varsity football player. He was 2009 USATF Youth Indoor Triple Jump champion. He helped the Raiders football team in 2012 win the Lake Erie League championship and earn a playoff berth.

He is the fourth-leading rusher in Harding football history and was voted to the Associated Press All-Ohio First Team, All Trumbull County team, Lake Erie League Player of the Year and was selected to play in the Ohio North/South All Star Game.

He plans to continue his education at the University of Iowa to study engineering.

Shauntiaonia Johnson

Johnson is the daughter of Melissa Johnson and Cleo Richardson, a senior at Warren G. Harding High School and a member of student council, positive force drill team, and yearbook. She is a member of Agape Assembly church, where she is part of the youth mime team and praise-and-worship team. She will join the Army Reserves and study nursing in college.