LITTLE ROCK Christopher C. Mercer, one of the first black students at the University of Arkansas' School of Law, died Tuesday, according to a release from the school. He was 88.

Mercer was a 1955 graduate of the school, passing the bar exam with the highest score in his group. He was one of a group of black students known as the "Six Pioneers" who integrated the school.

Mercer also served as an aide to Daisy Bates during the 1957 desegregation of Little Rock Central High School and drove the nine students involved to and from the school every day for the first semester.

Mercer practiced law for 58 years and was honored with the Silas Hunt Legacy Award in April of this year. He was also the first black deputy state prosecutor in the South.

Jane and I are saddened by the news of C.C. Mercers death, said U of A Chancellor G. David Gearhart. We had known him for many, many years and always had the utmost respect for him. He was an outstanding leader and advocate, a great Arkansan and a much loved member of the Razorback community. He will long be remembered and celebrated as one of our most influential alumni. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his family and salute C.C. for his life of service to others.

Read more in tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

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Christopher Mercer, civil rights activist, dies at 88

TWENTY years after his death, the legacy of Dr. Peter Jepson-Young has endured with the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation.

Born and raised on the North Shore, Jepson-Young was a gay Vancouver physician who was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 1986, shortly after graduating from UBC medical school.

After living with the disease for four years, Jepson-Young attempted to stem the tide of misinformation and to correct stereotypes related to HIV/AIDS by appearing on the CBC-TV show, the Dr. Peter Diaries.

"It was huge for him to go on TV," recalled his mother, Shirley Young while speaking to the North Shore News in 2010. "Here he was losing his vision, he didn't even have his guide dog yet, and he was going to go on television and say 'Hello, my name is Peter. I'm a doctor, I'm gay and I have AIDS.'

"We thought for sure he'd become the victim of a gay bashing."

Jepson-Young appeared on 111 episodes until his death in 1992 at the age of 35.

The shows were eventually turned into the documentary The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter, which was nominated for a 1994 Academy Award for best documentary feature.

Five years after Jepson-Young's death, the foundation he spearheaded opened the Dr. Peter Centre in Vancouver's West End.

The centre currently helps 400 people suffering from HIV/AIDS who also face extreme poverty, mental illness, addiction, and homelessness by providing day therapy and residency programs.

In 2010, Jepson-Young was posthumously awarded the UBC Medical Alumni Asssociation's Silver Anniversary Award. Shirley Young accepted the award on his behalf.

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Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation turns 20

DETROIT, MI -- Monica Smith enrolled at Wayne State University Law School in 2005 alongside 22 other black students.

The next year, after Michigan voters passed a ban on affirmative action in university admissions, Smith saw only 11 new black students enroll.

"After me, that was the end of affirmative action, and the number of black students coming in was cut in half," Smith said.

That ban was declared unconstitutional Thursday by a deeply divided federal appeals court.

"This means a lot to me," said Smith. "This means that my brother, my cousins, other people in Detroit, the Latino and black students can go to Wayne State Law School and Medical School."

In an 8-7 en-banc decision, the 6th Circuit Appeals Court ruled that the ban made it more difficult for minorities to convince a university to favorably alter its admissions policies than for alumni or other groups, violating constitutional equal protection.

"Michigan cannot force those advocating for consideration of racial factors to traverse a more arduous road without violating the 14th Amendment," the majority ruled.

"The actual issue here is: Do black and Latino and Native American people have the same political right to go to the regents or the faculty and ask to adjust the admission standards as the citizens of Grosse Pointe, as legacy candidates, as athletes, as anybody else does? It's a pure question of political equality," said Detroit attorney George Washington, of the group that challenged the ban, the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary (BAMN).

Voters in 2006 approved the ban 58 percent to 42 percent in a statewide ballot proposal known as the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative.

"During those six years, the lives of many, many black and Latino students have been changed forever," said Washington.

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After court strikes down affirmative action ban, Detroit activists predict minority enrollment will double at ...

By ALAN FROMAN

ThisWeek Community News Friday November 16, 2012 10:07 PM

The Grandview Heights High School Alumni Association has announced three recipients of the 2012 Distinguished Alumnus Award.

The award honors GHHS graduates, living or deceased, who went on to great success after high school.

"When you look at how many people from Grandview have succeeded in so many career areas, well, this little old school has done alright," said Ron Harris, past president of the alumni association. "It's impressive that so many successful people have come from our small community."

The GHHS distinguished alumni for 2012 are:

* Eric Browning, class of 1972. Browning is a surgeon and health humanitarian now living in Findlay. He has conducted five surgical mission trips to the Univers Medical Center in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. Browning is a specialist in general surgery, thoracic surgery and surgical oncology at Findlay Surgical Associates Inc.

* Jean (McQuilkin) Carfagno, class of 1957. Carfagno is the founder of the Chemical Dependency Treatment Center of Torrance, Calif., now known as the Thelma McMillen Center. The facility is the second highest endowed treatment center in California, behind only the Betty Ford Center. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Graduate School of Psychology at Antioch University, Los Angeles. Carfagno has also served as a member of the adjunct faculty of Mission College of Sylmar, Calif., and Lindenwood University West.

* Morgan Jones, class of 1945. Jones was a film and television actor whose credits included more than 170 roles in television. He had recurring appearances in Highway Patrol during the 1950s and The Blue Angels. His screen credits included a lead role in Roger Corman's 1957 science fiction film Not of This Earth, as well as roles in Apache Woman (1955), Forbidden Planet (1956), Fear Strikes Out (1957) and Bells Are Ringing (1960).

A display with composite photographs of each of the 27 award recipients is located in the hallway by the cafeteria in the high school.

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Three GHHS grads lauded for career achievements

Nov. 13, 2012

Alumni leaders advise students at Human Ecology forum

Mark Vorreuter

Mark Vorreuter

To thrive at Cornell and beyond, learn to persevere and give back, physician Abiola Dele-Michael '01 advised undergraduates in the College of Human Ecology. He gave the keynote remarks Nov. 3 at the college's Association for Students of Color (ASC) 18th Annual Alumni-Student Forum, "Moving Forward: Directing Your Future," in Martha Van Rensselaer Hall.

At the event, 60 students -- most from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds -- networked with alumni working in medicine, fashion design and management, and psychiatry; received practical and inspirational advice; and bonded over shared Cornell experiences.

"Education is the gateway out of poverty toward success," Dele-Michael, a human biology, health and society major and a cardiovascular medicine fellow at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, told students. "And part of that is acknowledging others' sacrifices for you by helping others yourself."

Dele-Michael outlined skills students must master to graduate and succeed in the workplace, starting with identifying mentors. "We all have different stories and backgrounds, and we each require guidance to navigate the resources at Cornell or anywhere," he said.

Unique people and opportunities at Cornell grew his skills in leadership, critical thinking and stress and time management, particularly his training as an emergency medical technician and as an intern at New York City's Department of Health through Cornell's Urban Semester Program, he emphasized. Those experiences have served him well as a physician, he added.

Similarly, he urged students to be open to new experiences and never fear asking questions.

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Alumni leaders advise students at Human Ecology forum

MONTGOMERY Nine outstanding alumni were honored by Bridgemont Community and Technical College during Alumni and Friends Week.

Rocky Hackworth was selected as Bridgemont Alumnus of the Year by the college at large, while Amy Taylor Lewis, Eric Bess, Lisa Skidmore, Mary Gibson, Jon Casto, Dave Perdue, John Pennington and Scott Duffer were honored as departmental Alumni of the Year for their exemplary professional successes and/or service to Bridgemont academic programs. Additionally, Terry Easter, of Walker Machinery, was recognized as the 2012 Friend of the College for his support of the new program in diesel technology.

Below is thumbnail sketch of each of the honorees:

-- Rocky Hackworth Having received an A.S. and B.S. in mining engineering technology in 1980 and 1981 respectively, Stephen Rocky Hackworth, general manager for Pritchard Mining Company, was selected as the College Alumni of the Year. Hackworths professional success, his service as a charter member of the Bridgemont Foundation, his community service as a coach and director for youth sports, and his tireless efforts to obtain internships and scholarships for blasting, diesel and engineering technology students were highlighted during the ceremony.

-- Amy Taylor Lewis Amy Taylor Lewis, executive director of the State and Local Government Purchasing Card program, was selected by the Business and Health Management Department. Amy graduated with her A.S. degree in office administration in 1994. She has been employed in the state auditors office for 17 years.

-- Eric Bess Civil engineering technology honored Eric Bess, coordinator of geographic information systems at Chesapeake Energy. Bess serves on several college advisory committees and as an adjunct professor for Bridgemont. He graduated with his A.S. degree in civil engineering technology in May 1995 and a B.S. in engineering technology in May 1996.

-- Lisa Skidmore Selected by the Collaborative Studies Department, Lisa Skidmore, a 2007 graduate of the A.A.S. Board of Governors program and a 2008 B.A. graduate of the Board of Regents program, began her college studies at the age of 40 while working full-time. She works as an employment associate for the Charleston Area Medical Center and serves on an advisory committee at Bridgemont.

-- Mary Gibson The Department of Dental Hygiene honored Mary Gibson, who works as office manager and hygienist at Gibson Family Dentistry. Gibson enrolled in the dental hygiene program as an adult student and has served as a role model for her children as well as Bridgemont students as an adjunct clinical instructor and a member of the advisory committee. She graduated with an A.S. degree in dental hygiene in May 1990.

-- Jon Casto Jon Casto was selected by the Digital Design and Print Communication Department. Casto is the director of global logistics engineering for Elizabeth Arden. He received his A.S. degree in printing technology in May 1991, his B.S. in printing management in May 1993, and his M.B.A from Wake Forest in 2003.

-- Dave Perdue Selected by the Drafting and Design Engineering Technology Department, Dave Perdue, production control senior engineer at NGK Spark Plugs, Inc., has been a long-term advisory committee member and is responsible for multiple donations to the college. He graduated with his A.S. degree in 1993 and earned a B.S. in industrial technology in 1995.

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Bridgemont honors alumni and friends

A tip of the basketball bowler to St. Mary Catholic Secondary School, which recently inducted four more outstanding hoopster alumni into their Wall of Fame.

The Crusader program is unparalleled on the hard court in the province of Ontario: 12 OFSAA gold (11 girls and 1 boys); four OFSAA silver (girls); two OFSAA bronze (girls) and 55 graduates who are presently playing or have played varsity basketball at the CIS or NCAA levels.

Julie Lamparski was among the 2012 honourees. The four-time OFSAA basketball gold medallist was thrilled to be included onto the wall with so many players whom she looked up to as role models when she was a little girl.

Its amazing that I get to be on the wall next to the girls I used to pretend to be in my driveway, said the two-time OUA West First Team All-Star. St. Mary is a special place. It has such a rich tradition of success.

When I went to Western, the work ethic I learned from Richie (Wesolowski) and the St. Mary coaches helped me to make the transition to university.

After graduating from Western, the two-time OUA West defensive player of the year took her game to Holland, where she played professionally for Rene Mulders Katwijik Grasshoppers.

Within three days of Julies arrival in Holland, our family realized that we had a new family member in our home and in our hearts, said Mulder. Julie became a Canadian daughter to my wife, Nancy, and myself; and a big sis to both our sons (Patrick and Tom).

Mulder remembers a person who everybody on the team loved. She brought back the love for the game to our team. No matter what happened on the court, Julie was always positive.

Lora Mighty Mouse te Boekhorst was also called to the Wall. I was thrilled and felt extremely honoured to be inducted into the St. Mary Wall of Fame, said the three-time OFSAA basketball gold medallist.

St. Mary is an extraordinary school, said the magna cum laude Niagara University graduate. I am so fortunate to have such a strong supportive basketball community around me.

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Hoopster all-stars called to St. Mary Wall of Fame

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- Loras College has received a $2.5 million gift commitment from a graduate, officials announced Friday.

Loras President Jim Collins said the gift from Dr. Patrick J. Lillis, a 1971 graduate, will advance strength in the health sciences and medical school preparation. The gift helps ensure even more graduates can pursue medical fields, Collins said.

Lillis received his bachelor's degree in biology from Loras and then received his medical degree at the University of Iowa in 1975. Since then, he has lived and worked in Denver, where he is a partner with Lake Loveland Dermatology and a leader in the dermatology field, officials said.

Lillis played on the Loras basketball team during his four years at the school. He is the fifth-leading all-time scorer and the third-leading all-time rebounder at Loras. He was inducted into the Loras Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Lillis Court in the Athletic and Wellness Center was named in 2011 in recognition of his financial support of the building construction. Lillis also has received the Loras Alumni Excellence Award.

Originally posted here:
Loras College Gets $2.5 Million Gift From a Graduate

Ross University School of Medicine students have achieved a 96 percent first-time pass rate on Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam between January 1, 2012 and the end of September 2012, according to reporting by students.

Miramar, FL (PRWEB) November 09, 2012

Our students performance on USMLE Step 1 meets or exceeds the rate achieved by students in U.S. medical schools, said Dr. Joseph A. Flaherty, dean and chancellor of RUSM. This is a great testament to the quality of our students and our program.

USMLE Step 1 is designed to test the knowledge acquired during the basic science years of medical school. Graduates of international medical schools must take and pass USMLE if they want to practice in the United States. In 2011, the first-time pass rate for RUSM students was 95 percent, one percentage point higher than the rate for students in U.S. and Canadian medical schools reported in the National Board of Medical Examiners Annual Reports. Updated 2012 data on U.S. and Canadian schools is not yet available.

RUSM features an integrated organ systems-based basic science curriculum taught by faculty whose sole responsibility is the teaching and mentoring of medical students. Students build a strong foundation for USMLE Step 1 success during the four semesters spent on the Schools Dominica campus. There the students not only complete a rigorous, accelerated study in the basic sciences, but also learn in RUSMs cutting-edge anatomy and medical imaging laboratory, as well as a simulation center where students begin to develop clinical skills.

About Ross University School of Medicine

Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM), founded in 1978, is committed to educating a diverse group of skilled physicians to serve as leaders in the US healthcare system. With more than 9,000 alumni, RUSM has become an important part of healthcare education in the United States. RUSM alumni practice in virtually every medical specialty and can be found in every U.S. state. Students complete their foundational studies in Dominica, West Indies, before completing their clinical training in one of RUSMs affiliated teaching hospitals throughout the United States. RUSM is accredited by the Dominican Medical Board and the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and Other Health Professions. Over the last five years, RUSM has placed more graduates into U.S. residencies than any other medical school in the world.

Nicole Pride DeVry Medical International 732-509-4822 Email Information

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Ross University School of Medicine Students Post 96 Percent USMLE Step 1 First-Time Pass Rate To Date in 2012

There will soon be a new memorial at Science Hill High School to honor alumni who have fallen in battle, and officials at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center Friday honored those it serves prior to this Veterans Day, which is Sunday.

A ceremony was held Friday morning at the location where the memorial will be on the campus of the high school. At least 50 people attended the somber occasion.

Theresa Billings was instrumental in getting the memorial placed.

She began work on the project about a year and a half ago by contacting Jenny Brock, Johnson City School Board member, and they started this project thinking there would be a lot of money to raise, but many businesses contributed to the effort.

Billings son is a major in the Marine Corps and also a 1994 graduate of the school.

So, yes, were a military family and it makes it even more dear to us, Billings said.

Thirty-eight names will be on a wall that will be included in the memorial. The area will be known as Alumni Memorial Circle. Each class will decide what to add to the area, but certainly there will be landscaping and pavers that match the school building in addition to the wall.

This memorial will honor fallen Science Hill veterans and will be located around the flagpole in the commons area between the schools old office and auditorium. Names of veterans will be etched in panels attached to brick walls that will surround the flagpole, which will feature an alumni flag that will fly under the American flag.

Science Hills JROTC will monitor the area.

Brock said she was already looking for a project to bring the alumni of Science Hill together when Billings approached her with this idea.

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SHHS, VAMC pay tribute to veterans