Union A.M.E. plan,s
homecoming
"The Union Memorial
A.M.E. Church has taken on
n ambiliou t k of trying to
payoff its church mortgage.
To as i t in 'thi venture, a
Homecoming Celebration has
been planned for the first
weekend in August.
The African Methodi t
Episcopal Church i the olde t
and largest Christian Church
Readiness
'Center offers
college
The women who
participate in the Readiness
Center Program thi: fall will
have the opportuni ty to
particip te in college cia se .
Lake Michigan College
in tructors will be on- ite at
the Center. The fir t half hour
the moms and children will
work together and then the
mom will attend their COllege
cia s or ewing and craft
elas es.
, The Readi ne ' Center,
located in Lake Michigan
Cathol ic School. on
Columbu Street. Benton
Harbor, is now in their tenth
year. The program i. free and
tran portation is provided, if
needed. Rcgi trauon IS on a
firt come ba i .
For more information call
Q26-4084.
Civil Rigths relocates
The Benton Har r office
of the Michigan, Department
of Civil Right ha relocated
a of July 23, to 355 Gray
Street. Th telephone number
remains the same: 925-7044.
The office wa located at 242
Pipestone.
The Benton Harbor Di trier
office i st ffed by
Enforcement and Community
Sevice s Bureaus.
composed of' persons
primarily of African descent
serving the entire United
States. It is the oldest and
largest Black church of it
denomination in the local
twin cities area and in Berrien
County. It is perhaps tbe first
large Christian denomin tion
which sprang into existence
because of SOCiological
differences rather tban
theological. Union Memorial
A.M.E., a part of this great
heri tage, has been established
in the twin cities area since
1868.
A Souvenir Booklet
commemorating this
homecoming event will be
published and distributed
d uring : the celebration.
Included among the church
dignitaries who will be in
attendance for thi memorable
occasion, will be our 0 n
Presiding Bishop of tlie
Fourth Episcopal Di trier, the
Rt. Rev. James Haskell Mayo.
Our Homecoming ill .
begin Friday, Aug. 3 t 7:00
p.m. with a Welcoming
Reception/Musical at the
Church. On Saturday, Aug.
4th the Rt. Rev. Jame H.
M yo will be our speaker at a
Fellow hip Banquet to be held
at the Benton Harbor Ram da
Inn. To culminate our
celebration, Bishop Mayo
will again be OUf pecial
speaker at Sunday morning
wor hip service and �ftemoon
4:00 p.m. service. Sunday
will be an all- day spiritually
uplifting affair witb many
area churcbe and cboir
participating in the ervices.
Food ill also be available
all day by ay of dinner being
served in our Banyon Hall
and Bar-B-Que, being served
on the Church ground all day
long. Anyone and everyone is
invited to come out and enjoy
this joyous occa ion itb -
JULY 29 • AUGUST 4, t
MUSKEGON
PAGE 17
Erma Seals re _ires· "tner« comes Ii
rime you got to ha g it up"
By Mary Colllday
"'''''P'' CorregHHtlle
Erma L. Seals b hung it
up. She retired from S.D.
Warren with 3S years and 8
months of employment.
Erma said, "I am so rateful
to the good Lord and I thank
Him for the 35 years and 8
month ."
"I wa hired October 19,
1954, making $1.05 an hour.
Before I started working at
S.D. Warren, I wa employed
at Continental Motors from
1943 until 1947, being layed
err after v s. Day," she said.
Seals, having only three
job in her life, worked as a
waitress at the YWCA and
Occidental Hotel.
She worked on a farm until
1943, then she came to
Muskegon in June of 1943.
There in Muskegon he met
and married her late husband.
Uly es Seals on October 4.
1947. They stayed together for
32 years until his death on
February 23, 1980.
Mr. Se I worked at S.D.
Warren. formally Central
Paper Comp ny, where he got -
the job for Erma. "I am gratful
to my hu hand Ior gelling me
the good j�b," •. he, aid.
"Becau e I learned a lot about
paper, how it i made and the.
quality defect of it."
Erma said S.D. Warren i a
, part of her life, in which she
will never forget. She started
out at S.D. Warren as a sorter.
She said the first papers she
sorted were Bible papers. The
orter ti tie changed to
inspector and then consumer
rep.
onard
eely' to
celebrate
8y M ry Golliel y
Rev. and Mr . Leonard
Neely will celebrate their 27th
Wedding Anniversary on
Augu t 3, with a dinner at
home with their family.
Mrs. Neely is the former
Bernice Clark. She is
employed a t Marquette
School. Rev. Neely i the
pastor of St. John C.O.GJ.C.
They are the parent of five
children.
The General Bapti t State
Convention wi)) be held at the
Greater H rve t Bapti t
Church, 2435 Riardan Street
beginning August 6-9. Their
theme will be, "Strength for
the '90's.'"
Rev. Jarne E. Witcher" i
the pre ident and the Rev.
Stanley Levey i tbe host
pa lor.
Erma pia ned many
retirement din er • wa a
Santa Clau and even bought
two Santa Clau uits during
the time he w employed
with S.D. War n. She w
very active, bei g a solicitor
for 20 years, wa on the Bond
Committee, did community
service, ringing the bell for
brothers and iter who were
laid off before Chri tmas,
Santa Clau to their children
and played Santa Clau to
different hospital .and nur in� .
homes. I'
Erma also wa president of
the Commu i!y Service for
Loc I 1015. She worked for
the company and the union.
"I am a community person",
aid Seal , "no grateful person
on earth than a human being. "I
am very active in my church
in many department of the
church. You mu 1 give (he
Lord ome time bee u e He i
the one who gives you the
strength, mind nd ability to
do whatever you do in life,"
she sid. '
I am planni ng a big
celebration and retirement and
birthday", he aid. "Some
people ha asked me why am
I having celebration on
myself, I told them I never had
any children to give me
anything, so I had to do it all
for myself.-
-I never had a birthday
cake in' my life," Seals said.
She ordered five cakes. Two
for her party in which he
invited over 200 people,
family and friends from all
over the world a far as
Michigan, C lifornia,
Tennes ee, Philadelphi,
Arkansas, Albama, and
Florida. One of the cakes, he
said, would be for her friend
who came by her hou e and
two cake for her church.
Se I said her future plans
are to go b ck to school and
learn more about public
relation, becomi ng more
community involved or
become a tour guide. But mo t
of a II be a coun elor for
troubling adult .
"f Jove working with people
and helping them in what ever
way I can be of ervice to
them," she aid.
"I pray and hope that th
good Lord will extend my life
in good he lth and mind to
enjoy the Irui t 0 the I bor
during my retirement and hav
many many more birthday."
he dded.
Every Women' Place i
brining Janet Guthrie to
Mu kegon on Augu t 23 at the
Frauenthal Center for the
Performing Art.
In celebration of Women'
Equality Day, Guthrie will
peak of her di fficult a d
hrlarious experiences a the
fir�t woman to compete in thi
o untry ': major oval-track
-auto races, 'including the
lnui anapol i 500 and the
Dayton SOO, where he wa
top rookie. I
Included in her
untraditional repertorre,
Guthnc ha been a pilot nd
night 10 tructor, an aerospace
engineer, a technical editor
and a public repre entative for
orne of the country' major
corporations.
Familie and friends re
invited to join in Ever
Woman' Place Equality Day
Cc lcb rati o n on Thur day,
Au u�t 23. at 7:30 p.m. wh rc
Janet Guthrie will p a of tbe
qualitie nece ary for anyone
to gai n ucce on a fa t trac
in any field. Tickets are S7.00
for adult and S5. 0 for
children 12 and under. .
This year' Women
Equaluy Day Celebrati n is
the tenth annu I being h ld in
Mu egon. E ch year a
pea er ha headlined thi
local commemoration of th
pas ge of the 19th
amendment, granting women
the ri ht to vote.
A po t-reception will be
held following the pea ing
engagement �t the Mu kegon
Harbor Hilton where the
recipient of the Ro: emany
Kleaveland award will be
announ ed.
Thi award. named or
Chart r Board memb rand
upportcr of' women, the late
Ro emary Klcave land, i
given each year by Every
Wom n's Place to an
individual who ha made
out tanding contribution to
women.
Ticke to the reception and
the Fra uen thaI peech are
SI0.00. '
For event information, cal)
616-72 -44 3.