Higgins Celebrates 100th Birthday and 34 Years of Scholarships

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by Wendell A. LaGrand

It was a festive atmosphere at the 34th Anniversary Scholarship Awards Dinner and 100th birthday celebration of Ora

Higgins the great, great aunt of First Lady Michelle Obama.

The event was held at the Lexington House, on 7717 West 95th Street in Hickory Hills and featured proclamations from the First Lady, Mayor Richard M. Daley and Governor Pat Quinn.

Higgins, a first lady in her own right was the first African American employment manager for Spiegel, Inc. where she was hired to integrate that company and retired after 35-years to begin the Ora Higgins Youth Foundation with her own retirement funds.

The foundation awarded the now First Lady with one of the first foundation scholarships from Whitney Young Magnet School and at 100, Higgins continues to help send students to college.

Each year her foundation has awarded students $1,000 to $1500 in scholarships and provided them with positive role models as they matriculate through college.

I plan on going to school in Normal (Illinois) at Illinois State. I want to become a nurse

practitioner, said Shenai Jackson one this years Ora Higgins Youth Foundation Scholarship

winners. It means a lot to me because I have brothers and sisters who look up to me, Jackson said.

The money will go to school tuition. Im thinking of business marketing, maybe pursuing acting, said Jamel Gary also a scholarship recipient.

Along with the scholarship awardees, Georgia L. Smith Pearson, Anna Lee Boyd, and Maureen Terese Amos were recognized with 2010 Distinguished Leadership awards.

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