Page 14 The Skanner April 20, 2016
News
Obituary: Juanita Walton (Jay) May 19, 1954 – April 12, 2016
Wife, Business Partner, Friend of Business Enterpreneur Roy Jay Surrenders To Cancer
B
orn Juanita Alberta Walton on
May 19, 1954. Raised in Kinloch
Missouri, Juanita comes from a
family of great heritage, history
and self-determination.
She earned her Masters degree from
Washington University in St. Louis.
Her career calling was politics...elect-
ed to the Missouri Legislature, she
served eight years representing the
residents and businesses of St. Louis
County. At the end of her last term,
Juanita was about to make a dramatic
life change... move from her home of
Missouri, across country to Portland,
Ore., to pursue personal interest with a
man that gave her an opportunity and
encouragement to elevate herself to the
next level.
After moving to Portland, she not
only set up her own businesses, but
also served as Administrator for Proj-
ect Clean Slate. She served on various
board and committees and had a spe-
cial passion for The Sisters Network,
where she served as Director.
Juanita Walton was a very low-pro-
file, accomplished woman. She was
actively involved with the National
Foundation of Women
en at all levels of elected
Legislators where she
office.
served on the board. She
In a varied career out-
has traveled to various
side politics, Ms. Head
countries as representing
Walton was a licensed
the United States and Roy
real estate agent, and
Jay Enterprises based in
worked as a flight atten-
Las Vegas.
dant for TWA, a trainer
Juanita loved God and
for St. Louis Community
everyone around her.
College, and an instructor
Her and her business
at Alabama State Univer-
partner, Roy Jay were the
sity. She was the former
quiet sources of scholar-
director of the Grace Hill
Juanita Walton
ships, home financing,
Women’s Business Cen-
job placement and other community ter in St. Louis, and was president of
endeavors that were never publicized.
the Sisters Network, an African-Amer-
Mrs. Walton represented parts of ican breast cancer organization in
north St. Louis County from 2000 to Portland, Ore. She was on the board of
2008. She chaired the business and fi- the Center for Women in Policy and
nance committee for the National Black Politics in Portland, Oregon, comprised
Caucus of State Legislators, served as some a select group of influential and
president of the National Foundation effective females. In addition, she was a
of Women Legislators, and was Dem- registered lobbyist representing large
ocratic committeewoman of Ferguson corporations, government agencies as
Township.
well as Roy Jay’s business and commu-
She was also a founding member of nity interest.
the Black Women’s Political Action
Ms. Head Walton was born May 19,
Coalition, an organization aimed at in- 1954, at St. Louis County Hospital in
creasing the political influence of wom- Clayton, to John W. and Delores Head.
Her father, John, preceded her in death.
She was the fifth of their eight children.
She was a graduate of Kinloch High
School, Lincoln University and Lind-
enwood University, and she attended
Washington University. She held a
masters degree. She was a member of
Coleman-Wright CME Church in St.
Louis before moving and joining High-
land Christian Center in Portland.
Celebration of life event will be held
at 1 p.m., Saturday, April 30, 2016 at
Highland Christian Center located at
7600 NE Glisan Street. Her survivors
include her husband, Roy Jay of Port-
land; her mother, Delores Head; her
sons, Elbert Walton III of St. Louis and
Capt. Johnathan Walton of the Army
National Guard; and seven siblings,
Evelyn Head, Joyce Martin, John Head,
Charles Head and Sharon Gill, all of St.
Louis County, Patricia Johnson of Tex-
as, and Willie Head of Oregon.
In her loving memory, Roy Jay invites
people to make contributions to Sisters
Network to help educate other women
about cancer. Mail contribution to Sis-
ters Network, ORSWWA Chapter 3519
NE 15th Ave. #306, Portland OR 97212.
Girl Scouts Host Second Annual STEM Day
Duke Running for City Council
Public event ignites girls’ interest in often-overlooked STEM careers
Lanita Duke, a local award-win-
ning video producer/owner of
Grassroot News NW, journalist,
and 30-year veteran programmer
on KBOO FM radio announced her
candidacy for Portland City Coun-
cil Position 1. Ms. Duke is a lifelong
resident of Portland, OR. She holds
Lanita Duke a B.A. in History and Culture from
Marylhurst University.
The theme of Duke’s 2016 Portland City Council
campaign is Reimagine Portland. “Let’s reimagine a
city that works for all,” Duke said. If elected she will
work with communities and the Mayor to create
meaningful city plans that impact Portland’s chang-
ing demographics. Duke will focus on governance
structure, economic development, public safety, and
housing.
As a long-time reporter and video producer, Duke
has a deep understanding of the issues facing the
city and has forged relationships with citizens across
geographical districts. Her videos have tackled is-
sues such as teen interaction with police, low income
housing, low math scores of city schools, job skills
training and more.
“I look forward to being an independent voice on
the council, and join our citizens to reimagine a city
that works for all.”
Girl Scouts of Oregon
and Southwest Wash-
ington (GSOSW) invite
friends and family to the
GSOSW Portland Ser-
vice Center to explore
Science,
Technology,
Engineering, and Math
related careers and ob-
serve a head-to-head
LEGO® Robotics compe-
tition.
Girl Scouts’ STEM Day
allows girls to explore
STEM in a fun and ac-
cessible learning envi-
ronment.
Through
hands-on
discovery, the event
encourages girls to ex-
plore opportunities and
careers that they often
overlook, and puts them
face-to-face with female
role models currently
working in STEM fields.
Girls in grades K-12
will take part in a STEM
expo and participate in
hands-on activities with
Scratch programming,
math puzzles, and sim-
ple engineering offered
by local STEM program
partners.
The event will culmi-
nate with a head-to-head
mock LEGO® robotics
tournament and exam-
ination of the creative
skill involved in con-
structing LEGO® robot-
ics.
The event will be
held April 30, 2016, 3 -6
p.m. at GSOSW’s Port-
land Service Center,
9620 SW Barbur Blvd.,
Portland,
Oregon
97219.
This is part of an
ongoing effort by Girl
Scouts to ignite girls’
interest and confi-
dence in STEM sub-
jects and fields. More
than a dozen addi-
tional STEM-related
events are planned in
May and June, and can
be found at girlscout-
sosw.org/events.