Tournament of Roses float honors the Tuskegee Airmen. Uses UCR Archive

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – When the West Covina Rose Float Foundation decided to honor the Tuskegee Airmen with the city’s annual entry in the New Year’s Day parade, float designers turned to archivists at the University of California, Riverside for help.

UCR Libraries house the Western Region Tuskegee Airmen Archive, a growing collection of papers, photographs and oral histories of the pilots and others associated with the Tuskegee experience.

Charisma Floats, which is building the float designed by the award-winning Raul Rodriguez, contacted the UCR archive for information and photographs, including accurate profiles of the planes for painting and for patches and shields on the float, said Frank T, Scalfaro, chairman and president of the West Covina Rose Float Foundation. UCR “was very helpful to help us achieve getting this information,” he said. The float, titled “Tuskegee Airmen – A Cut Above,” pays tribute to the service, bravery and commitment of the Tuskegee Airmen, Scalfaro said.

The Tuskegee Airmen, the group of African American pilots who trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama, flew combat missions as bomber escorts in the European theater during World War II with few losses to enemy fighters. A total of 992 pilots graduated from the Tuskegee airfield courses. They flew 1,578 missions and 15,533 sorties, destroyed 261 enemy aircraft and won more than 850 medals.

University Librarian Ruth Jackson said UCR was pleased to assist the float designers and the West Covina foundation with their research.

“The honoring of the Tuskegee Airmen by the West Covina Rose Float Foundation with the beautiful float to be included in the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade is another extension of national recognition and celebration of the many accomplishments of this distinguished group of African Americans during their World War II service and afterwards,” she said. “The unique role of the airmen and airwomen who broke race barriers in military aviation history and other areas of flight in later years, including commercial aviation and ultimately space flight, will be beneficial for minorities and the fabric of the nation for generations to come.”

The West Covina float – the city’s 12th consecutive entry in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade – will include 16 of the original Tuskegee Airmen as riders. The riders and their cities of residence are: Harlan Leonard, Riverside; Isham “Rusty” Burns, Palm Desert; Dr. Robert McCoy (Rocky) Higginbotham, Rancho Mirage; Theodore Lumpkin, Los Angeles; Wilbert (Bill) Johnson, Los Angeles; Col. Louis Hill, Los Angeles; Mitchell Higginbotham, Dana Point; Oliver “Ollie” Goodall, Jr., Altadena; Clarence (Red) Finley, Los Angeles; Jerry Hodges, Los Angeles; Larry E. (Boon) Brown, Sacramento ; Dr. Thurston Gaines, Sun City West, Ariz.; Robert Ashby, Sun City West, Ariz.; Dr. Granville (Duke) Coggs, San Antonio, Texas; Col. Charles E. McGee, Bethesda, Md.; and Alexander Jefferson, Detroit, Mich.

The Western Region Tuskegee Airmen Archive includes oral history interviews with various of the airmen who will be riding on the float, including an interview with Goodall that can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/ucrwrtaa. The archive also includes the papers of Mitchell Higginbotham which can be viewed, in part, online at http://library.ucr.edu/content/tuskegee/findingaids/higginbotham.xml.

The archive, established in 2004, gathers the personal papers of pilots, mechanics, bombardiers and others who were part of the Tuskegee experience from their military service through careers as doctors, lawyers, judges, nurses, teachers, musicians and others.

“We’re interested in individual histories, not only from the Tuskegee years but also their contributions to society and their communities,” said Chuck Wilson, university archivist. “This archive is available for the public to get a better understanding of the Tuskegee experience and the people involved in it.”

UK University Offering Ph.D. Studentships & Research Awards

The School of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester, UK, is advertising six Ph.D. scholarships and awards for full- and part-time students to begin in the 2010–2011 academic year. There are two AHRC Studentships, four Museum Studies Studentships, and two Museum Studies Research Awards available. There are also a number of Graduate Teaching Assistantships. More information and details on how to apply are available at www.le.ac.uk/ms/research/PhDStudentships.html. The University of Leicester's School of Museum Studies has the highest proportion of world-leading research in any subject in any UK university, and in 2009 the University was awarded the Times Higher Education University of the Year Award.

UC EXTENDS APPLICATION DEADLINE AFTER COMPUTER GLITCH

UC EXTENDS APPLICATION DEADLINE AFTER COMPUTER GLITCH
BY LARRY GORDON | LA TIMES LA NOW BLOG

December 1, 2009 | 6:13 pm -- University of California officials have extended the admissions application period for panicked students who could not file their online applications in time for Monday night’s deadline because of a computer slowdown. The new deadline is 11:59 p.m. Wednesday (Dec. 2).

Susan Wilbur, UC’s director of undergraduate admissions, said her office was investigating the cause of the computerized malfunction, which at least temporarily blocked some last-minute filers from sending their applications in on Sunday and Monday nights. She said she did not know how many students might have been affected but said that about two-thirds of applicants wait until a week or less -- and many less than a day -- before the traditional deadline to file.

Wilbur said she regretted the slowdown and said she knew it added to the anxiety students already face in applying to UC. Her staff notified high school counselors and posted online notices about the extension and have answered many e-mails and phone calls from worried students and parents. The problem seemed to be solved Tuesday evening, but she also said the deadline could be extended again if anything else goes awry.

The extension was great news for Stephanie Duque, a Long Beach City College student who could not get the online system to accept her transfer application to seven UC campuses by Monday’s original deadline. She said she was crying with frustration and anxiety. "I lost hope and felt that’s the end of it. It was very hard," the Lynwood resident said. Then, after she learned of the extension, she was able to file Tuesday morning and felt "so relieved and happy."

By this evening, about 129,000 UC applications for freshman and transfer students had been received, compared with about 126,700 by last year’s deadline, Wilbur said. About 2,600 were submitted between 6 a.m. and about 5 p.m. today.

A similar situation and extension occurred five years ago, officials said. Wilbur said technicians recently performed "rigorous stress tests on the system" and had planned for a heavy load of applicants in the final days. "Our preliminary analysis indicates that this was not a problem of capacity, but we have not yet found the root of the problem," she said.

UC officials said applicants who experience technical difficulties can call UC's application help desk at (800) 914-8820 in California, or (925) 808-2150 outside California, or e-mail ucpath@ucapplication.net

UC regents approve partnership with L.A. County to reopen King Hospital

In a unanimous vote, the University of California Board of Regents today approved a plan to partner with Los Angeles County to reopen Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital by 2013.

The partnership is a crucial step in reviving the long-troubled facility, which shut down two years ago after repeated findings that inadequate care led to patient injuries and deaths.

"This is a proud day for the University of California," said UC President Mark G. Yudof to shouts of "thank you" from the audience. "The reopening of Martin Luther King Hospital will provide not just adequate care but the best care to the underserved."

Before the vote, Eddie Island, a retired attorney appointed to the board by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, urged his fellow regents not to delay.

"There is no greater public good than to engage and embrace the need a community has for healthcare," Island said. “I’m going to embrace without hesitation this Martin Luther King arrangement. It’s the right thing to do.”

But many hurdles remain, including hundreds of millions of dollars in needed seismic repairs to the campus, which originally opened in 1972. The reopening of King Hospital would be considered a significant victory by community advocates, who point out that the South Los Angeles area remains severely medically underserved despite a population that suffers disproportionately from chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

Under the proposal approved by the regents, the county and UC will create a nonprofit entity, overseen by a board of directors, to run the hospital. The university will provide physician services and medical oversight.

The new hospital will be considerably smaller, 120 beds instead of the 233 the facility once had. It will include an emergency room and three operating rooms but no trauma center, a sore point with some supporters.

John Stobo, senior vice president, health sciences and services for the UC system, said the agreement provided protections for both L.A. County and UC.

The plan calls for 14 to 20 full-time physicians and other medical professionals to staff the hospital's in-patient services, part of a larger group that will include physicians from White Memorial and Harbor UCLA. The nonprofit will also retain all hiring powers, a key concession that will make it possible to start fresh at a facility that was plagued with problem staff.

The plan to partner with L.A. County drew tough questions from some regents.

"Our reputation is going to be involved," said George Marcus of the Palo Alto-based Marcus & Millichap Co. investment firm. He expressed particular concern about the role the state will play given continuing financial struggles facing the university system.

"We are going to be in business with a potentially unreliable partner again," he said. "What is the ability for us to disengage in the event of a breach?"

Stobo responded that the partnership protected the UC system legally. But he added: "The court of public opinion is another thing."

After the vote, county Supervisor Don Knabe stood amid the crowd.

"I was chair of the [Board of Supervisors] when we voted to close MLK," Knabe said. "I can't tell you what this means to me today."

—Molly Hennessy-Fiske in Westwood

Photo: Dr. Sunao Gilbert dresses a leg injury for patient Christina Guzman at Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital while Reginald McCoy Jr., right, waits for treatment for what he thinks is a broken finger.
Credit: Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times

Great Business Advice

by Cynthia Renee Frazier Class of 85'

On Friday (September 18, 2009) I attended Rep Joe Bacca’s first Women’s Conference. It gave me a chance to thank him in person for the certificate of recognition presented to me from his office last year when I accepted the 2008 NAWBO Trailblazer Award. I also had the chance to see quite a few folks I hadn’t seen in a while, including the speakers. I must say, the speakers were marvelous. I just had to share the inspiration with my Facebook family. Enjoy my notes. I listened well.

Peggy Long reminded me after the event that we served on the Fontana Business Women’s Conference committee together. No wonder she looked so familiar. LOL She began the conference by sharing her personal work history and how she went from a part time Woolworth’s employee to one of only 16 women next to 700 men in the local electrical union. Peggy was moved to tears when she talked about how being in a nontraditional field for women afforded her the ability to provide resources for her aging parents. It was a touching moment. Peggy’s advice was stellar. She told us to fight for what we believe in, “stand up and be counted,” don’t run when faced with difficult situations, and most importantly, stay true to yourself.

Next, Gillian Zuccker provided great inspiration with her tremendous success story of climbing the NASCAR ladder to President of the Fontana Speedway. When introductions are made in a group and someone says I want you to meet the President of the Fontana Speedway, Gillian is often overlooked as the expectation is that this position belongs to the male staffer in attendance. Gillian had a moment of truth when she went from VP of Operations to the largest Speedway operation. She was offered SR. Director, a title that sounded “beneath” VP. A sobbing Gillian called her father to tell him she was not going to take the job. Her father’s words came as a dose of reality. He said something like, “so you are going to pass up a great opportunity to work with wonderful people, take on great challenges that you know you can accomplish, show how good you are at solving problems, all over a title? Needless to say, Gillian came to her senses and accepted the position. Her first event was such a huge success and she was given the title of VP as a result. Gillian’s claim to fame is that she doesn’t take no for an answer. She says we have to be prepared to put the work out there first before the rewards come in.

After Gillian, a business associate Robin Allen De-Ivy made us laugh with a vivid description of the two women who live inside her head. One thinks positively and the other thinks negatively. Boy could I relate. Being a Gemini, I always thought that having conflicting thoughts was a trait given only to those born under the sign known for a double personality. Thanks Robin for letting me know that I am “normal”. LOL Those of us who know Robin are aware of the phenomenal transition she has made in her own personal life by eating healthy. One thing Robin said that stays in my mind is “wise women create more opportunities than they find.” She continued by sharing ten success tips. You can contact her for the entire list as I want to point out only a couple. One is that we need to practice mental fitness and the other is that we need to ID the power players.

Then Michelle Skillgien reminded us how important it is to continue to invest in professional development by quoting Thomas Jefferson: “I can't live without books.” Michelle obviously practices what she preaches because she opened a bag of books and began sharing tidbits from them. From Rita McGrath and Ian McMillian’s top ten characteristics of entrepreneurial thinking to Ken Blanchard’s four principles of success, Michelle illustrated the wealth of information available to entrepreneurs worldwide. She stressed the significance of starting any venture with a vision that comes from a personal passion for the service or product you want to offer. Then take that vision and develop a mission statement. Like the previous speakers, Michelle pointed out how destructive negative self talk can be. Her suggestion to those of us who want the break the bad habit of thinking negatively is to wear a rubber band around the wrist and snap it every time a negative thought comes to mind. Ouch! I am definitely going to try that.

The last speaker is someone who is very dear to me. She is a no nonsense woman who has a kind and generous heart, Hilda Kennedy gave a dose of reality with a side of love, tenderness, and spirituality. Quoting often from Dr Ben Carson’s book Thinking Big and the book of Luke (chapter14) in the bible, Hilda made the point that when an entrepreneur has a business plan that includes solid research and sound numbers, anything is possible. She told us that last year 627,000 new firms began operation and that by the end of the year 595,600 had closed. She further explained that it takes women business owners at least four attempts to obtain a bank loan or line of credit. Yet, in spite of it all, today’s market is an opportunity market. I totally agree!

Of course I couldn’t sign off without mentioning the beautiful and very talented Niya Brown who sang throughout the day. She is a lovely young woman with a great future ahead. Her current work “must Be Love” can be found at www.NiyaBrownMusic.com

Christmas presents for Mark Yudof

by: Sabelosethu Mzizi Class of 2011



Whenever Politics and Capitalism mix the end result is most likely evil. I'm not anti-politics or anti-capitalism but I'm anti humans with bad intentions staying in power (politics) and using that power and resources to undermine others in order to increase their bank accounts parking garage (capitalism). The only way that Capitalism and Politics could ever work for the majority instead of the minority (upper class) is for a spirit of compassion, empathy and true leadership to reign among those that we have entrusted with power and our wealth.

I can't believe my Birthday money and Christmas money will be going to Mark Yudof and his cronies. It's as if we're paying taxes to the University of California board of regents.

May I remind everyone characteristics of true and sound leadership? Okay let's go:

1. Nelson Mandela: Who fought against Apartheid (discrimination of black people and non-whites in South Africa). Nelson Mandela believed in the cause so much that he spent 27 years in prison. A leader is willing to sacrifice so that his constituents can be led.

2. Alexander the Great: Not only did he conquer the known world, but Alexander was a remarkable leader because he actually fought along his soldiers. He didn't command from the mountain tops and hills but was involved in the very present danger that his army was exposed to on a daily basis. How many Chancellors and UC Regents are willing to walk in our shoes or understand the financial challenges we face?

3. Martin Luther King: Martin Luther King was a great leader who used his voice to represent the voiceless minorities of the United States. Despite threats on his life and many other dangers, he continued to voice the calls to Justice and Equality! How are our voices and concerns being represented? Where is the justice and equality when we are being forced out of college and our teachers are being told to take days away from educating us and meanwhile the salaries of the UC Regents is way above 6 figures??

There are many more leaders that I could have chose who showed true leadership which is the spirit of servant-hood. Leaders should shepherd their flocks and do all to protect them. Who in the state of California is protecting our interests? Just like the early colonies of this nation we are being taxed without representation. If you recall this was the greatest cause for the Revolutionary war.

If we truly are in a budget crisis then let's suffer together. Are we not a family? Does not even our own Chancellor claim to have immense "pride" in the UC and even more so loves UCR? Then let him also take pride in suffering along with his UC family. Let Mark Yudof, the UC president, decrease his paycheck by 32% for the next coming quarter and 40+ % for the coming school year. Let his decreases reflect our increases, let those who have voted for our increase reflect their sympathies through decreases in their own paychecks. ONLY then will we know that we are in a crisis that cannot be prevented. Do any of them care to suffer with us? NO, never and they never will.

The UC regents might have worked hard to earn those positions but students, faculty and staff have also worked hard and sacrificed much to be this and many other institutions.

I have to stop and wonder: whos interests are they truly representing? If it's not the students then who? Education is power, knowledge is the realization of my dreams. Why am I being told to become weak and stop dreaming? They tell us to dream big yet they vote into legislation the realization of our dreams.

This is what happens when an institution of education is run by Business people not Educators. Educators would place student learning and affordability as the top most goal. Business people would be thinking about money all the time. Capitalism without Ethics is the precursor to sure destruction. History tells us time and time again. The rich get richer and the poorer get poorer.

It's sad that my Birthday money will be going to Mark Yudof. It's sad that my Christmas money will go to support this hoax that the UC does not have any money of its own.

STAFF and Students alike know that the situation can be resolved without tuition going up. But being good students of Business, the UC Regents have weighed that it would be easier for them if the students pay the rest, while the UC system continues to withhold Billions of dollars in savings and investments. What has happened to California which less than a decade ago was the 5th largest economy in the world?

Governor Schwarzenegger at the Press Conference

Date: Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Time: 1:00pm – 1:45pm*
*Arrive by 12:30pm for check-in purposes

Location: Sixth Avenue Elementary School – Library
3109 Sixth Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90018
(South of the 10 Freeway, just North of Jefferson
Blvd. between Crenshaw & Arlington)




On July 24, President Obama and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced federal eligibility and competitiveness requirements for states to compete for $4.35 billion in Race to the Top funding, the single largest pool of discretionary funding for education reform in U.S. history. Building on his commitment to ensure California gets every possible dollar from the federal economic stimulus package during this national economic downturn, the Governor called a special session of the legislature and announced a legislative package to ensure California is eligible and highly competitive for this funding. We have 60 days to qualify.


Senate Bill X5 1 (Romero, Huff, Alquist, and Wyland)
Race to the Top Education Reforms

http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sbx5_1&sess=CUR&house=B&author=romero

FACT SHEET
Staff Contact: Jackie Kinney (916) 651-4024
jacqueline.kinney@sen.ca.gov

President Obama Challenges States to Pursue Innovative Strategies to Reform Public Education
The $4.35 billion Race to the Top program provides an opportunity for California school districts to choose
to partner with the state and receive federal grant funds to implement innovative strategies to improve public
education. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is seeking applications from eligible states with ambitious and
comprehensive plans to implement systemic reforms at the local level. The overarching goal is to improve
academic achievement among all students and especially to provide new hope and opportunity to highpoverty
communities with the lowest-performing schools, highest dropout rates, least support for effective
teaching, and most challenging learning environments. Secretary Duncan has discretion to award grants to
states based on 19 selection criteria related to a state’s current progress and plans for implementing reforms.
California is a leader in certain reforms, such as using data for continuous improvement in student learning,
with Secretary Duncan recognizing data systems that Garden Grove and Long Beach have implemented in
collaboration with their teachers and school communities. These and other districts could join in the state’s
application and get funds to replicate the success of similar reforms aimed at improving student learning.

But to meet eligibility requirements and match up against other states on the 19 competitive criteria,
California must make several changes in state law to provide a statutory framework for the state to develop a
comprehensive plan with partnering school districts that choose to participate.
SBX5 1 Makes California Eligible AND Competitive for a Race to the Top Grant
SBX5 1 would make the necessary changes in state law to ensure that California is both eligible and
competitive for a Race to the Top grant. This bi-partisan measure not only removes the so-called “firewall”
prohibiting use of student data in teacher evaluations, but also provides for turning around California’s
historically low-performing schools, authorizes greater use of data to improve instruction and student
performance, removes the cap on the number of charter schools, authorizes open enrollment options for
students stuck in low-performing schools, and requires a state plan to implement other reforms that greatly
increase California’s chances for a grant.

SBX5 1 Maximizes Federal Dollars for California
SBX5 1 positions California to get the maximum amount of federal funding to support school districts that
agree to implement reforms early, such as improving use of data to support instruction, developing a system
to use student growth as one of multiple measures of teacher effectiveness, and directly intervening to turn
around the persistently lowest-performing schools. Without changes made by SBX5 1, California risks
losing not only $500 million or more in a Race to the Top grant; the Legislative Analyst predicts that other
2

federal funds under the stimulus bill and possibly billions in ongoing federal funds for public education are
likely at risk if California does not make real progress toward implementing these reforms. Most recently,
new proposed regulations for School Improvement Grants require states to adjust policies and set priorities to
distribute funds to school districts that commit to turning around the lowest-performing schools using the
same strategies that also are required in Race to the Top.

SBX5 1 Provides New Public School Options for Students in the Lowest-Performing Schools
In order to build on the public school options for students and parents already established in federal law and
by the state’s District of Choice program, SBX5 1 would provide students in the state’s lowest-performing
schools the option to attend another public school outside of their district’s ZIP code assigned school. This
enhances California’s competitive position for a Race to the Top grant and, most significantly, ensures that
no California child is denied access to a quality education based on his or her ZIP code.
Additional Information
SB X5 1 – For the full text of the bill, click here.

http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sbx5_1&sess=CUR&house=B&author=romero

Race to the Top Guidelines -- For an Executive Summary of Race to the Top guidelines and what states
should do to be competitive for a grant, click here. Additional information is available here.
Federal Funding at Risk -- For a report by the Legislative Analyst’s Office on how billions in federal dollars
for California’s K-12 schools are likely to be linked to the state’s progress in implementing the President’s
education reform priorities, click here.

School Improvement Grants Require Race to the Top Strategies -- Proposed federal rules for distributing
School Improvement Grants require the same strategies for turning around the lowest-performing schools
that are required in Race to the Top. For the proposed rules, click here.

Linking Reform Progress to Federal Funds – Proposed rules for Phase 2 of State Fiscal Stabilization Funds
require states to collect and report data on 33 measures of progress in implementing education reforms,
which the federal government claims it will use when allocating federal education funds. To see the data
requirements, click here.

The Four Reforms -- To review speeches by Secretary Duncan on the four education reforms, click below.
Secretary Duncan has spoken on the need to:
· Adopt rigorous standards that prepare students for success in college and the workforce (2009
Governors Education Symposium)
· Recruit and retain effective teachers, especially in classrooms where they’re needed most (National
Education Association annual conference)
· Build data systems to track student achievement and teacher effectiveness (ED’s Institute of
Education Sciences annual conference)
· Turn around low-performing schools (National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Conference)