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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2002)
(Elje Jîortlanh ©bseruer Page B2 O c to b e r 16, 2 0 0 2 R eligion Pioneering Business Leader Dead at 78 Son of a slave leaves legacy as local African American mentor A memorial service will be held Saturday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. in Room 327 of the Smith Me morial Center at Portland State University for David M. Nero Jr., who died at his home in Portland on Sept. 17. He was 78. Mr. Nero was bom in 1924 on the fa m ily ’s cotton farm in Greenwood, Miss. The farm had been in his family since the Civil War. He often noted he “was the son of a slave and the grandson of a slave.” He served in North Africa and Italy during World War II as an infantry enlisted man in the seg regated 10th Cavalry. After the war, he attended Officer Candi date School and served in Korea as a Captain in the U.S. Army Engineers Infantry and Trans portation Corps, where he be came one of the first African American officers to command integrated troops. During his service in the mili tary he was awarded the Com bat Infantry Badge, two Bronze Stars and the Soldier’s Medal for Heroism. He left the military as a Major. Mr. N ero held a M aster o f A rts d egree in S peech and C om m unication from C olum bia C ollege o f C hicago. He did graduate studies in Business A dm inistration at Los A ngeles State C ollege and C alifornia C oast U niversity. He studied Torts, C rim inal and C ontract Law at Van Norm an U niver sity College o f Law. From 1972 to 1974 he was A ssistant P ro fessor in the School o f B usi ness and T echnology at O r e g o n S ta te U n iv e r s ity in C orvallis. From 1989 to 1991 he was a director o f the P ort land State U niversity F ounda tion and rem ained an advisor to the Black Studies D epart ment at PSU. In 1970, he founded Nero and Associates, Inc. (NAI) a m an agement and research consult ing firm. In 1973, Mr. Nero became the first African Am eri New Millenium Wireless (formerly Galore Paging) a a a: ♦ 3 2 1 3 NE MLK JR BLVD can to be named “Oregon’s Small Businessman of the Year.” Mr. Nero pointed to 1980 as the “break through” year when he took advantage of a Reagan administration program giving private companies opportunities to operate and maintain govern ment installations. In January 1981, the company was awarded a $4 million one-year contract to operate and maintain electrical, plumbing, air conditioning, and boiler systems, security and pro curement at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif, with two op tion years. The Air Force exer cised those options and in 1984 renewed the contract for five years. The com pany rem ained a wholly owned minority firm and under Mr. Nero’s guidance grew to over $17 million in annual sales with over 400 employees with offices in 18 states. The business managed contracts with the U.S. Army proving ground in Yuma, Ariz., and numerous environmental studies for pri vate companies and federal, state and local governments. He derived great satisfaction from expanding opportunities for young people of all ethnic back grounds. In an effort to get young David M. Nero Jr. was an Oregon Small Business man o f the Year. Opera Society, NAACP, Repub lican Senatorial Inner Circle, World Affairs Council of Or egon and Republican National Committee. He was a director of the Sickle Cell Anemia Associa tion, the National Alliance of Black School Educators and the Willamette United Way. He was a Regional Director, Office of Federal Contract Compliance for Region 10. He is survived by his wife, Beverly, four sons, a daughter, nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren. African Americans interested in the arts he would regularly take 10 or so n ortheast Portland youths to the symphony or the Portland Art Museum. He was a firm believer that role models were necessary to inspire young African Americans and enjoyed sharing his success with young people. Mr. Nero was active in the community serving on the board of Oregon Citizens Concerned with Excellence in Education, the Urban League, Chamber of Com merce, Rotary Club, the Namechange He Is Who He Is (A P )— A m an w ho w anted to change his nam e to G od ch o se a new nam e w h e n a F lo r id a ju d g e tu rn ed dow n his request. T h e fo rm e r C h a rle s H a ffe y ’s new nam e is I A m w ho I Am . T h e fo rm er H affey said afte r his first ch o ice was reje cted in A p ril, he w ent to th e B ib le to fin d a back u p . H e drew on a p a s sag e w h ere M o ses ask s G od w ho he is and hears: ‘’ I am w ho I am or I w ill be w ho I w ill b e .” " T h a t ’s k ind o f w ordy, so I ’m ju s t go in g for ‘I A m W ho I A m ’ as m y full legal n a m e ,” he said. " M y first n am e, o f co u rse, w ould be ‘I A m .’” The 55-year-old said he sought the nam e change as a way to gain release from feelings o f anxiety and rage that have plagued him since he served in Vietnam . W ho I A m said he be cam e a C hristian and was baptized in April. It was shortly after that when he decided to change every thing, beginning with his nam e. DO YOU NEED A PHONE NOW ??? It ’s as 1-2-3 Muslim Insight Offered at Ethics Event CALL503-288-9180 EASY as 1. Purchase your first $30 airtime card 2. Pay a $15 activation fee 3. Give us your name and address and enjoy your new Phone N am e No Credit Check Address. No Monthly Bill No Contract Phone# * * phone comes with 1 00 peak mins. Or 2 5 0 off peak mins. * nngdlstances, caller Id, and voicemail Included GET ON-BOARD TRI-MET AND MAKE YOUR CAREER CONNECTION Abdulaziz Sachedina, Ph.D., a professor o f religions studies at the University o f Virginia, headlined the Providence Center for Health Care Ethics' Visiting Scholar and Inter faith Speaker Series on Monday, Oct. 7 at the University o f Portland. Sachedina is an accom plished researcher and writer on Islamic biomedical ethics. He hosted meetings with healthcare profession als and hospital s ta ff about serving Muslim patients, preparing for cultural and religious sensitivities, Muslim clinical ethics, Islamic directives on patient care and on understanding the human suffering associated with the death and dying in Islam. St. Charles to Host Spaghetti Dinner Tri-Mct proudly serves our comunity with over 2600 employees offering exciting career opportunities in many different areas. Authentic Italian recipes are on the menu for a spaghetti and meatball dinner to be held Sunday, Nov. 3 at St. Charles Church from noon to 6:30 p.m. The church, located at 42nd and N.E. Emerson will offer dinner plates for $8 for adults and $4 for children. Take-out trays are available. Advertise with diversity in Visit Tri-Met’s website at www.tri-met.org/jobs. Call our jobline at 503-962-7640 or visit us at 4012 SE 17th Avenue Cf)bseruer call 5 0 3 .2 8 8 .0 0 3 3 TRt-MFT How w e g e t th e r e m a tte rs or email: ads@port landobserver.com Tri-M rt is an equal opportunity employer. * W o rs h ip w it h us a t th e : ] . Albina C hristian Life C enter C h u r c h o f G od Cle v ia n d . Tennessee •■•Full Gospel” 2 1 4 » N . W illa m e tte (a t In le rM M -tlo n o f Gay S t.) Sunday School: 9:45 AM Morning Worship: 11 AM Evening Worship: 6 PM Wednesday Family Training Hour, 7PM P o r t la n d . O re g o n »7217 Sr. Pastor Bishop Samual M . Irving Church Anniversary & Call To Solemn Assembly o b i t u * 5 0 3 2 8 3 -1 6 3 5 Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. Joshua 24:15 7 :0 0 P .M . N ig h tly i r i e s DON LEE JO N ES— A homegoing celebration will be held Thursday, Oct. 17 at noon at Daniel Memorial Church of God in Christ, 1234 N.E. Killingsworth, for Don Lee Jones, 66, who died Oct. 11,2002 at Care Center Nursing Home. He was a life long caregiver as he was a faithful and dedicated member of Daniel Memorial COGIC. Survivors include his mother, Della Shorter; cousins, Sam and Doris Gulledge, Francis Hampton and Pat Obie of Pasadena, Calif., Elmo and Hattie Shorter, of Arkansas, Gary Shorter of Illinois and Aunt Dot of Portland; lifelong brothers and friends, Rev. Harry Daniel Jr. and Arthur Richardson; the Daniel Memorial COGIC family and a host of friends. O c t 2 3 -2 7 , 2 0 0 2 Please call fo r information or councUing. a f R J.T A C K E R — A memorial ser vice was held Tuesday, Oct. 15 in Willamette National Cemetery for R.J. Tacker who died Oct. 7, 2002 at age 72. # Mr. Tacker was born April 11, 1930, in C ollege Station, Ark. He served in the Navy. He moved to Portland in the 1950s. He was a retired w elder in ship building for the U.S. Arm y C orps o f Engineers. In 1990, he m arried M ary Glass. Survivors include his wife; d au g h ters, N aom i and A ri; stepsons, M ark W illiam s and A lbert W illiam s; sisters, M ar garet Teasley, Mary Cox and T h e r e s a L o w e ; b ro th e r , D elm ar; and seven grandchil dren. »
