Twelve men who president Patricia Conyers O’Neal described as outstanding examples of “who we want our young men to emulate” have been named Men of Distinction, Excellence and Leadership for 2011 by Epsilon Nu Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and were honored at a luncheon held at the Marriott City Center.
This was the second year for the chapter to put on this event, and O’Neal says it reflects the members’ ongoing commitment to encouraging boys to become strong men. There’s no shortage of good examples, she maintains, and “The best way for us to let people know about them is through events like this.”
Even the choice of keynote speaker reflected that purpose. Farrah Gray, who grew up in poverty on the south side of Chicago, shared that his motivation to succeed came from “people always telling black men what we can’t do instead of what we can do.” A self-made millionaire by the age of 14, Gray is the author of the international best seller “Reallionaire.” He’s also the CEO of Farrah Gray Publishing, whose titles include the popular “Soup for the Soul” series, a money coach for AOL and the author of a syndicated newspaper column.
In addition to receiving a standing ovation from an audience of 700, M.O.D.E.L. Award recipients Elvin Caldwell Jr., Wiley Daniel, Frank Davis, Scott Gilmore, Dr. Johnny Johnson, Richard Lewis, K.C. Matthews, William “Bo” Matthews, Gregory L. Moore, David Reed, Ryan Ross and Gary Wilson were further honored by having their pictures on a calendar being sold to generate additional income for the sorority’s scholarship fund.
Denver photographer Bernard Grant captured their images in such venues as Red Rocks Amphitheatre and City Park. The men wore clothing supplied by Moda, a Larimer Square boutique.
Caldwell (Mr. August) is the owner and president of Caldwell-Kirk Mortuary; Daniel (Mr. June) is Colorado’s first African-American federal judge; Davis (Mr. December) is the pastor for Zion Baptist Church; Gilmore (Mr. September) is a wildlife biologist; Johnson (Mr. October) is an obstetrician/gynecologist; Lewis (Mr. January) is the founder and president of RTL Networks; K.C. Matthews (Mr. March) is the traffic standards and specifications manager for the state Department of Transportation); Bo Matthews (Mr. April) is the founder and CEO of the Bo Matthews Center for Excellence; Moore (Mr. November) is the editor of The Denver Post; Reed (Mr. May) is an auto broker and community activist; Ross (Mr. February) is dean of students and retention at the Community College of Denver; and Wilson (Mr. July) is an undersheriff and director of corrections for the Denver Sheriff’s Department.
Read more about their accomplishments — and some of those who attended the luncheon chaired by Barbara Johnson and Erin Brown — by visiting my Seen First blog: .
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, and twitter/GetItWrite
