Saturday, September 17, 2016, the Dr. Edna B. McKenzie Branch of ASALH invites everyone to a panel of “Pittsburgh African American Trailblazers” in the Foerster Student Services Center on Ridge Avenue of the Allegheny Campus of Community College of Allegheny County.  The program starts at 11:30 am, is free and open to the public.  After a welcome by CCAC President Dr. Quentin Bullock, the panel presentations will be followed by Q&A and refreshments.

Featured panelists are:  Martha Conley, Esq., Robert Grier, Sr., Robert B. Harper, Eugene Harris, Robert Lavelle, Jr. and Ronald Saunders speaking about Nathaniel L. Clark (deceased).  Serving as Moderators for the panel are the distinguished Robert L. Hill, retired from the University of Pittsburgh and Imogene Hines, retired from Boyce Campus of CCAC. 

Martha Conley, Esq. was the first African-American female graduate of the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Law and first admitted to practice law in Allegheny County.  She was employed by the US Steel Corporation for 27 years, retiring as Senior General Attorney.  Conley Chairs Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty-Pittsburgh and as an Official Visitor of the PA Prison Society has been visiting death row inmates for 16 years.

Robert Grier, Sr. was the first African American to play in the Sugar Bowl for the University of Pittsburgh in 1956 against Georgia Tech.  After college he joined the military for 11 years, retired from the Air Force as a Captain; having served in Germany and Japan.  His final career was at CCAC from which he retired as an Administrator of Maintenance in charge of Physical facilities of CCAC’s North Campus.

Robert Harper, J.D., was the first tenured Black Law professor and first minority full professor at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Law.  He authored two books, served 20 years as a Board Member of Neighborhood Legal Services, as well as being the former Police Legal Advisor for the City of Pittsburgh.  Currently he is Professor Emeritus at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Law, having received the School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award among other honors and awards.

  Eugene Harris was the first graduate of a Pittsburgh public high school to be awarded a basketball scholarship to Penn State University.  He is a graduate of Duquesne University School of Law and a retired human resource professional with more than 30 years of experience including implementation of strategies in personnel, labor relations and organizational development.

Robert Lavelle Jr., was one of three (3) Pittsburgh students who actively participated in Black voter registration in Mississippi during Freedom Summer 1964.  He is a distinguished graduate of Pennsylvania State University, served with his father at the former Dwelling House Savings & Loan and currently is the CEO of Lavelle Real Estate, Inc. in the Hill District.

The late Nathaniel L. Clark, who was the first African American in the USA to receive a full athletic scholarship for swimming at a Major Division 1 School, will be represented by Ronald Saunders.  He was an All American swimmer at Ohio State in 1962 and 1963. Nathaniel competed in the 1964 summer Olympic trials in the 200 yard butterfly, missed making the final trials by .2 of a second.  He received his BS in engineering from Ohio State, his JD degree in 1969 and MBA in finance in 1970, both from the University of Chicago.  He retired from Rockwell International as Senior Corporate Attorney and died on June 21, 2011.

Panel Moderators are Robert L. Hill, distinguished retired Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs of the University of Pittsburgh from 2001 to 2013 and Imogene Hines, who served as Editorial/Program Coordinator linked to The Boyce Collegian for almost 30 years at CCAC.

For more information about this program, contact Ronald Saunders at 412-824-1917, ronniesaunders@comcast.net  or Ann F. Mason, Treasurer of the Dr. Edna B. McKenzie Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History at 412-478-3289, annf.mason@gmail.com.