(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.
»