The African American Achievers Association in St. Largus proudly welcomes 6 new members, recognizing their achievements and contributions to the community.
WARREN — The Trumbull County African American Achievers Association hosted its 38th annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday at DiVieste’s Banquet Center.
The six honorees inducted were Angie Davenport, Annette McCoy, Lloyd McCoy, Pearlie Phillips, Bill Reed and Marlene Roberts. Five students who received scholarships at the banquet were Donovan Boyd, Faith Code, Mia Jones, Elise Morris and Camille Richardson. Guest speaker was Bill Bradley, a graduate of Warren Western Reserve High School.
• Angelius “Angie” Davenport graduated from Warren G. Harding High School in 1977.
She attended several colleges and majored in business administration. After graduating from high school, she worked for City Hall in Auburn, Alabama, and at the American Red Cross in Atlanta, Georgia, before relocating back to Warren.
Davenport worked 18 years at Second National Bank of Warren and was promoted to administrative officer, becoming the first African American woman officer in the bank’s 100-year history. She later was promoted to assistant vice president in the community development department.
After the bank’s merger in 2004, she began working for Great Lakes Cheese in Hiram in administrative positions for 10 years. She is a former board member for the Warren Trumbull Urban League, and the Life Skills Charter School. Davenport was an original member of the Southeast Side Community Associaiton and has volunteered for Inspiring Minds and Game Changers, making a difference in the lives of local youth.
• Annette McCoy, a 1974 honors graduate of Warren Western Reserve High School, attended Tennessee State University and The Ohio State University with a major in nutrition and a minor in business management. She received her degree from ISSMA (Sports Medicine) as a personal trainer.
McCoy became involved in area politics while working for the National Institutes of Health in Maryland, where she was assigned to conduct a research project on brain tumors in the Mahoning Valley. She retired in May of 2023 after 45 years serving as a health care administrator. McCoy has been the Trumbull County NAACP president since 2012 and served as second vice president for the Ohio NAACP for 2015 to 2017. She was the first woman elected to a state position from Trumbull County since the charter was established in 1938.
With her team of leaders, she was able to reactivate the Youth Charter to establish a connection with the young leaders in Trumbull County. With her guidance and the support of Zipporah Ball, local president, the Youth Chapter of NAACP has more than 45 members. McCoy was elected third vice president of the Ohio Conference NAACP in September and is responsible for advocacy of the state’s 88 counties.
• Lloyd McCoy Sr. is a 1981 graduate of Warren G. Harding High School and attended Warren Western Reserve High School for auto body. After graduating, he attended Cleveland State University for electronic technology.
In 1985, he founded McCoy’s Auto Body, which was located on West Market Street in Warren, and later relocated it to Atlanta, Georgia, where it was renamed Ground Effect Auto.
After coming back to Warren and experiencing some life trials, in 1997, he became part of the Local 33 Sheet Metal Workers apprenticeship program. After long consideration, and the adversity seen in the job market for minorities, McCoy decided to start his own business. In 2012, he started Lodair Heating and Cooling LLC.
• Pearlie M. “Miss Pearlie” Phillips graduated from Washington County High School in Sandersville, Georgia, in 1973. Phillips started her 30-plus year career at Warren City Schools as a volunteer in the early 1990s when she and her family moved to Warren as a result of her late husband’s job transfer.
Through the years at the Warren City School District, she has held various roles: noon aide, lunchroom helper, van driver, manager-in-training and K-8 manager. She serves as the assistant supervisor of the food service department.
When she became a part of the Warren family, she became heavily involved in the Warren Gridiron and Warren Rebounder’s Association. As part of her work with the school district, she became one of the directors for the Supervisor and Nutrition Board. Her work in ensuring nutrition for all children continues as a member of the School Nutrition Association Chapter 43. Phillips has been a member of the Greater Apostolic Faith Church for more than 30 years.
• Bill Reed was honored posthumously. He was a January 1952 graduate of Warren G. Harding High School, where he played basketball, football, baseball and ran track. He received multiple offers to play sports in college, but he decided to stay in his hometown of Warren and worked in the rubber mill for Packard Electric, retiring in 1995 after 43 years.
Reed coached American League 16-17-year old baseball teams; helped pay for a friend to attend college who later became a doctor; helped start the bowling league for young black youth of all ages at Crest Lanes; and refereed junior and high school basketball. He also was a mentor at the Rebecca Williams Community Center and throghout the city.
Reed was an original member of the Hilltopper’s Bowling League, which began 50 years ago; was an original member of the Browns Club; a member, past president and hall of famer of the Warren Men’s Bowling Association; an original member of the March Club, serving as president for more than 60 years; was a volunteer for Trumbull Mobile Meals; and member of Grace AME Church, where he was a member of the men’s choir, trustee board, finance committee and janitor.
• Marlene Roberts is the executive director / president of the Community Volunteer Council. She has been serving in this position since 2016 and has been a member since 2013. In addition, she has served on the TCAP’s board of directors since 2019.
For eight years, Roberts served as the former executive secretary for the board of directors, chairwoman of the nominating committee at United Methodist Community Center and board member of the former Rebecca Williams Community Center.
Roberts attends Second Baptist Church, where she has held many offices and also is a member of NAACP.
Roberts retired from General Motors / Delphi Packard Electric after 39.5 years, serving as the first African American woman to hold the position of general supervisor of the hourly and salary North American operations for payrolls and timekeeping.
STUDENT HONOREES
• Donavan Boyd is 17 and attends Warren G. Harding. He spends most of his time playing games and studying. He has two siblings and a Norwegian dwarf rabbit.
He plans on going to Ohio State or Kent State to become a veterinarian after first getting his bachelor’s degree in zoology.
• Faith Miracle Code is a senior at Warren G. Harding High School. She has been on the honor roll every year since third grade and is involved in several clubs and organizations, including National Honor Society, Student Council, Quiz Bowl, English Festival and senior class vice president.
She is first chair in WGH’s Jazz Ensemble and was section leader in the marching band. She has volunteered as an usher at church for the past four years. She has been working at McDonalds for 1.5 years.
Faith’s GPA is 4.074. One of her main post-high school goals is to attend college at Kent State University in the Bachelor of Nursing program. Her overall goal is to become a physician’s assistant with a concentration in pediatric orthopedics and an ultimate goal to work at Akron Children’s Hospital.
• Mia Bella Jones is a senior at Warren G Harding High School and is on track to get her diploma in May as summa cum laude. Her GPA stands at a 4.67 weighted and 3.933 unweighted. She is president of Student Council and the National Honor Society.
She is a student athlete who participated in soccer, track and majorette, while juggling advanced placement and college credit plus courses. Outside of her studies and athletic activities, Mia has worked as a server at a local coffee shop and a sales associate at a shoe store.
She plans to get a bachelor’s degree in radiology at The Ohio State University and continue her education by obtaining a master’s degree as an anesthesiology assistant.
• Elise Morris is a senior at LaBrae High School, where she is captain of the cheerleading squad. She also plays the B-Flat horn in the marching band and plays French horn in the Stambaugh Youth Honors Band.
She has worked as a summer camp mentor at Bascom Elementary all four years of high school. She also is a youth leader at The Life Church. She is an honors student and is a member of the National Honor Society.
After graduating, she plans to attend Kent State University to major in premedicine, hoping to one day become a pediatrician.
• Camille Richardson is a senior at Warren G. Harding High School. She has attended Harding all four years and is a member of the National Honor Society, Key Club and Student Council, serving as secretary in NHS and Key Club, as well as secretary for the senior class.
She has been on honor roll for all four years, gaining an academic letter, with a cumulative GPA of 4.29. She has played volleyball since seventh grade and earned her letter her junior year. Camille plans to attend The Ohio State University majoring in biology, in hopes of eventually becoming a pediatrician.
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