Portland Observer, June 27, 1984 Page 3
METROPOLITAN
Education is beauty of the world
by Nathaniel Scott
Portland State University’s twenty-
six year old blind A frican student
earned both bachelor's and masters’
degrees in three-and-a-half years.
Twenty-two years ago, the sight
o f E lija h Andrew A kinyem i, a
native o f A beokuta, Ogun, in
Southeastern N igeria, began to
rapidly deteriorate after a violent
bout of scarlet fever, he said. “ Ac
cording to my mom, the fever lasted
two or three days, then my sight
dwindled very fast.’’ And from that
day, it seems. Akinyemi has sought
"the beauty of the world” through
education.
“ L ife has really gone very well
with m e,” he said. “ I don't have
much to cry over but, I still wish I
had my sight to see the beauty of the
world.”
A k in y e m i’ s world grew dark
before he had a chance to learn
about difference of a sort: to see and
understand the beauty of a red rose,
a purple lily, or the dark brown bark
on an aged tree.
“ I ’ve been so fortunate to get my
education,” he said. “ When I lost
my sight I got into Pacelli School
for the Blind.”
Pacelli School for the Blind is in
Lagos, Nigeria; it is run by Catholic
missionaries and Akinyemi credits
the nuns with being the “ backbone”
ELIJAH A N D R E W A K IN Y E M I
to his education.
“ (At the school) I learned how to
survive and became independent,”
he said. “ The nuns taught me basic
skills: reading and writing But. they
also taught me that independence
was necessary.”
Throughout his blind life ,
Akinyemi has maintained a policy
o f going it alone. As a child, he
romped and played with other
children, some b lin d , some not.
with the abandonment of childhood
adventure. Since coming to
America, and around the campus of
PSU, he could be seen navigating
with, and without the aid of a cane.
He walked close to walls, entered
classrooms and found his seat
without disturbing the class or in
terrupting the lecture: he moves in
his world of “ dim shadows” with
utmost grace.
H ow ever, A kinyem i's indepen
dently navigated w orld w ill soon
come to an end.
This summer, through a guide-
dog program in Los Angeles.
C a lifo rn ia , he w ill be getting his
first guide-dog. ” 1 should begin
training July 25th,” he said.
And one might ask why, after so
many
years o f
independent
navigation, the need for a guide-dog
becomes necessary.
Necessity, to begin with, is a need
(Photo: Richard J Brown)
derived from a source. And a source
is a ability to do, when defined an
Akinyemian way.
Akinyemi now stands on the cross
roads of his life. He has walked, no
galloped, at a fast pace through 22
years of “ dim shadows." And now,
when the vision of his dreams are
within his grasp, it is time to chart
the rest of his life.
Akinyemi’s dream is to continue
his schooling at F lo rid a State
University to obtain a P h .D . in
rehabilitation so his work with the
“ visually im p a ire d ,” w ill be en
hanced His dream is to run the last leg
of the trilogy race. But Akinyemi is
realistic. He knows that his financial
dependency has yet to be broken.
He knows (hat nothing is gotten
cheap; that taking notes and exams
in classrooms have to be paid for.
And he realises that his state and
national scholarships are not
enough to sponsor two more years
of education. (Who knows? He may
do it in one). In the meantime, he
has asked his home land, stale and
national, for the necessary amount
needed to continue his education.
However, the wheels of bureaucracy
grind ever so slow. He can attest to
that:
" I think PSU is a nice school,
but I am distressed w ith the ad
m in is tra tio n ,” he said, as he
rehashed the way finances were
handled during his stay: on a quar
terly basis.
Not only A kin yem i. but some
other foreign students as well, are
“ dissatisfied with the amount of red
tape; the amount of bureaucracy in
volved in clearing checks” from
their
governments.
And
in
A k in y e m i’ s case, he said, he was
“ penalized” the amount of "$ 1 0 ",
on a q uarterly basis, because the
school did not process the paper
work in an efficient manner. Never
theless, he feels the school fulfilled
its function: it provided him with an
education. N ow , he waits eagerly
for word from his homeland; fe r
vently hoping it w ill provide him
with the finances necessary to com
plete the trilo g y. And while the
wheels grind ever so slowly,
Akinyemi finds solace in the com
fort o f music, reading rom antic,
detective, and mystery novels, and
contem plating the possibility of
becoming an attorney.
“ If I had my sight, 1 am not sure
it would help m e,” he said, as he
turned the music up.
Transamenca
Occidental Life
Support our
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T
Say You S aw
It in The
700 N .E . M u ltn o m e h »230
PORTLAND
OBSER VER
Portland
Oregon 97232
233 8841
284 0303
fWwo« W»«l«v Thompson A q » o I
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Scholarship Fund of Oregon
Alumni Association
W o u ld lik e to ta k e this o p p o rtu n ity to express o ur sincere a p p re c ia tio n
to the fo llo w in g individuals and sponsors w h o m ad e co n trib u tio n s to the
b e n e f it d in n e r, o u r fir s t fu n d ra is in g e f f o r t in 1984, on b e h a lf o f th e
M a rtin L u th er K ing. J r., S ch o larsh ip Fund of O reg o n .
Albertson s Food Center
909 N. Killingsworth
Fred Meyer, Inc.
P.O Box 42121
Nike
3900 S.W . Murray
Ann Palmers Bakery
2824 N Lombard
Friday's Beauty Supply
4564 N.E. Union
Cascade Coins
3228 N. Lombard
Fuqua Hair Design
3232 N. Lombard
Portland Trail Blazers
Basketball Club
700 N.E. Multnomah
Convenient Food Mart
Union Square
Ja Bells’ Beauty b Barber
Supplies
5834 N.E. Union
Rivergate Bakery
8320 N. Ivanhoe
Killingsworth Market
1616 N.E. Killingsworth
Safeway, Inc.
Clackamas, Oregon
The Flower King Florist
Union Square
Sunshine Pizza
Union Square
Micro Computer School of
America
321 N.E. 20th
Waves Hair Design
3327 N.E. Broadway
Conway-Bruno's Portrait Studio
3246 N. Lombard
CSS & Associates
310 S.W Fourth
Couplings
2140 N.E. Dekum
Bishop H.B. Daniels
Greater M. Calvary Church of
God in Christ
13th & Killingsworth
Ronaldo's
Union Square
Mrs. C’s Wigs & T-Shirt Shop
707 N.E. Fremont
Portland Observer
2201 N Killingsworth
We would also like to acknowledge and give special thanks to the following Individuals:
Angela Crews. Delores Crews. Al Graham, Bessie Fields of Anchorage, Alaska, Reverend Gar-
lington, Jessie Jackson. Wendy Daniel Jackson, Franklin Jenkins, Coordinator of the NZNE
Community Mental Health Minority Ethnic Conference, Pearl Kelly, Grade Kennedy, Tom
Kennedy, Gloria McMurtry, Maria Mitchell, Michell Mitchell, Barbara Pittman, Eleanor Pittman,
Floyd Pittman. Stephnie Pittman, Consuelo Reeves, Elnora Smiley. Deanna Smith, Merthene
White, Yvonne White, A.D. Williams, Al Williams, Gina Wood.
And finally a special thanks to all the people who supported this endeavor
Teens win traffic safety awards
City Commissioner Mike Lind
berg presented checks and cer
tificates to three Portland high
school students at the Portland
City Council meeting this week.
The students were winners of the
Portland T ra ffic Safety C om
mission’ s High School Jour
nalism Contest on Drinking and
Driving (hat was conducted
during April and May.
First place award of $500 goes
to M ike Gorsline o f Benson.
M ike is an electronics m ajor,
member of the school newspaper
staff, and graduated with a 3.26.
He will attend Portland State in
(he fall and plans to jo in the
ministry after college.
Second place award of $250.00
goes to Ben McCullar of Benson.
Ben was editor o f the school
paper “ Tech Pep” . He is a health
occupations major and graduated
with a 3.29. He w ill attend
University of Portland in the fall.
Third place winner is Joan
Hoffm an of Marshall. Joan has
been elected president o f the in
coming junior class. She served
as sophomore class activities
chairman and was a member of
the school’ s academic honors
program, research scholars. Her
ambition is to pursue a career in
journalism or news broadcasting.
King fund seeks community help
by Helen Pittman
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Scholarship Fund o f Oregon was
established in 1968 by the Black
Student Union at Portland State
University. In 1971, the scholarship
fund was incorporated as a non
p ro fit educational corporation
within the State of Oregon.
The scholarship’ s purpose is to
provide financial assistance and
supportive services to academically
qualified and highly m otivated
minortty/disadvantaged students to
enable them to obtain a college
education.
The fund has provided over 2000
scholarships to date. Presently, the
scholarship fund is experiencing a
financial crisis and the M a rtin
Luther King. J r., Scholarship
A lum ni Association are raising
funds to eliminate this crisis and to
maintain a strong financial base for
the coming years.
The 1984-85 academic year goal is
to raise $100,000 and we are asking
all concerned citizens, businesses,
organizations, and groups to assist
us in fund-raising activities or con
tributions for this worthy cause.
The alumni’s first fund raiser for
1984 was a benefit dinner on June
GRAND
OPENING
This is your invitation to Rediscover Union Avenue That
is the theme tor the grand opening at Union Square N t
Union at Morris Friday evening and Saturday. July 6 and 7
All ot us hope youll be able to jom us 7 pm - 9 pm
Friday night and noon to 6 p m Saturday for break dance
demonstrations (Friday night) and gospel music and jazz,
sports celebrities, a tree throvy contest, balloons and fun
(Saturday)
Were proud to be part of Union Square Were proud
to be port o, this neighborhood And we hope you II be
proud Of US
So come )Oin us tor our grand opening of special events
— and special discounts Well see you here
L. „ v w . ii »«,.,
o n w n w n—^2,—
Alvffi
Manus.
a m ., Menu».
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La Ru« M anin , Jr
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— ---------------------------------
Ronaklo M«/yck
Mazyck
Hon«ido
Ronaldo a lea c
Craam
Parlor
Ron»tdo»ice
.— m p».io.
Jude
Juda Stetly
Staily
Sunthma Pizza
Entertainment provided by ' Better Entertainment Attractions Network
M artin Luther King. Jr.. Alum ni Scholarship Fund raising Com
mlttaa. Front row (l-rl Cottrell White. Marla Mitchell. Edna Pittman.
Veronica Alberti. Halen Pittm an. M ichelle M itchell. Back row (l-rl
O.B. Hill. M ichael Hill. Bruce Posey. Charles Crewe; not pictured.
Roosevelt Carter end Betty Jones.
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
24th, at G eneva’ s Lounge which
raised approxim ately $1,500. A d
ditional fund-raising activities will
be conducted throughout the year
and we would like everyone’s con
tinued support.
Tax deductible contributions can
be made by writing a check to Dr.
M artin Luther King, J r., Scholar
ship Fund of Oregon, P.O . Box 751.
Portland State U n iversity, P ort
land OR 97207 or calling 229-4475
for pledge cards and additional in
formation.
N.E. UNION & MORRIS
□L. JULY 6 & 7 -JL.
F rid a y 7 p m
F rid a y • S a tu rd a y
- 9 p m / S a tu rd a y N o o n - 6 p m
BREAK D A N C IN G • MUSIC (JAZZ 8« GOSPEL)
FREE THROW CONTEST • SPORTS CELEBRITIES ♦ BALLOONS - DISCOUNTS