The City of Flint Police Department is proud of two newly-inducted officers who share the same April 29 police academy graduation date and insignia on their uniforms – but, even more coincidental, they share the same last name: Reed. Officers Maria and Dion Reed are making Flint history as the first mother-son duo to join the department.
This month marks Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea’s two-year anniversary as president of Mott Community College. The warm welcome she received from the community, teachers, faculty and staff, as well as the students, was a clear indication to the Tulsa, OK native that Flint was a place she could call home. “Family is very important to me,” says Dr. Beverly, as she is fondly referred to on campus. She loves that she is called “Dr. Beverly,” because she considers herself an informal person.
When many of us get up in the morning to start our day, the first thing we do is pour a steaming-hot cup of Joe and turn on the morning news. Especially here in Michigan, the first thing we want to know is what the weather will be like for our morning commute to work. And many Greater Flint residents have relied on the familiar face of John McMurray, longtime ABC12 News meteorologist, for up-to-the-minute weather info. Last month, John retired after working for Channel 12 off and on for 47 years.
Judge John L. Conover has always been known for his lively sense of humor. He has taken that sense of humor to co-write a book with his wife, Karen. The book, entitled Off Balance, is a humorous view of life in the courtroom, based on stories he compiled during his two decades serving as a Genesee County District Court Judge. “People like to laugh,” smiles the judge. “I try to make the courtroom as relaxed as possible, so I always start the day with some light-hearted humor.”
“I’m all about second chances, because someone gave me one,” says Dennis Coselmon, a former drug and alcohol addict who recently celebrated his fifth year of being clean and sober. His belief in second chances motivates him to share his story.
November is the month that our country honors its veterans, the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way so that we can lead safe and secure lives. And there is perhaps no other veteran in the state of Michigan more deserving of recognition than Duane Hackney – a Flint native and Beecher High School graduate – and the most decorated enlisted airman in United States Air Force history. His story is on display at the Michigan Military and Space Museum in Frankenmuth. He served during the Vietnam War as a para-rescueman. To his son, Jason Hackney, his father was a humble man and a good father. “He didn’t like to talk about his time in the service,” says Jason, “and he didn’t think of himself as a hero.” But a hero he was.
Dr. Edilberto Moreno OB/GYN has been delivering babies for 28 years. Based in Grand Blanc, he is described as “a doctor who has a heart for his patients,” his warm smile and sense of humor immediately putting people at ease. Born in Cuba, Dr. Moreno always knew he wanted to be a doctor – his maternal grandfather was a physician. He never met his grandfather because he was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver before Edilberto was born, but he grew up listening to his grandmother’s stories about him, and playing with his grandfather’s medical instruments when he was a little boy. He remembers stories about how his grandmother would wake up in the morning and open the front door to find a live chicken on the steps – a payment for medical care. “He was paid with chickens, fruit, vegetables or rice,” he remembers.
It’s a well-known fact that we all love our cell phones, cameras, high-tech gadgets and computers. But did you know that in the Democratic Republic of Congo – sub-Saharan Africa’s largest country – many thousands of people are dying because of the minerals that are used to make them? Flint native Mike Ramsdell has produced a documentary to raise awareness of what has been called the worst human atrocity since World War II.
We all have a little bit of “I want to save the world” in us. Of course, “the world” sometimes ends up meaning something different than what we originally thought; “the world” could be a friend, a family, a community. For Samantha Pascal, it is her hometown in Haiti, which she left five years ago.
Tension has been high between the United States and Iran with the recent announcement of a nuclear arms deal. Many people were hopeful that the agreement would spur the release of three Americans who have been detained and imprisoned in Iran, including Flint native, Amir Hekmati. However, so far these prisoners have not been released. Luckily, Amir has a friend in Congressman Dan Kildee. Kildee, who has for years fought for Amir’s release, shared with My City Magazine what he and his staff have been doing to make sure Amir knows that he is not – and will not be – forgotten.
Everyone has a life story to tell and some are simply more unique than others. Anita Katherine Dennis has led an extraordinary life, which she chronicles in her book Beyond Myself: The Farm Girl and the African Chief. A farm girl who grew up in Ohio, the red-headed U of M-Flint student never dreamed she would fall in love with her college professor, Benjamin Dennis, who just so happened to be an African chief. The book was written as a memoir in honor of Ben, who passed away in 2009. “I wrote it to memorialize our love story,” says Anita. “I want my grandchildren to remember their African heritage.”
