The road to success nearly always is paved with obstacles, twists and turns. This certainly was the case for many of the 150 graduates in the Harris-Stowe State University Class of 2016.
For Joseph Wells, it took some 30 years to complete his degree in business administration. The obstacles of living, he said, delayed his walk across the stage.
“I chose to start a family with my wife in my early 20s, and we had four children within a six-year period,” Wells said.
“I was taught the responsibility to raise and provide for them, and that was my main focus. I left school to work two jobs and ultimately start a small business in lawn care and construction to support my family, and my wife sacrificed her education at the time to be a stay-at-home mom.”
Wells, now 54, also had to deal with three heart attacks and coronary artery disease.
Family expectations helped drive Wells toward this degree. Wells’ parents, Donald Wells Sr. and Lores Wells, espoused the virtues of education every day, he said. His mother was an educator in the Saint Louis Public Schools system and retired as director of counseling at Harris-Stowe. Wells described his father as an avid reader, student of life and community servant with incredible wisdom.
“Growing up, my five siblings and I were given an expectation from the time we started school that going to and graduating from college was a goal to be achieved,” Wells said.
“Both (parents) believed that education was the great equalizer for the African American and one of the many debts we owed to our ancestors for their many incredible struggles and sacrifices. So I gave them my word I would finish, and I feel a great sense of accomplishment for keeping that word to my parents more than any feeling of perceived status that comes with having a degree.”
Wells, who works in the St. Louis City License Collector’s Office, said that his former and current supervisors, Michael McMillan and Mavis Thompson, have been extremely supportive along his educational journey.
Accident survivor graduates
For Doyle Williams, injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in 2007 changed his fortunes but did not shatter his dreams.
A student at Harris-Stowe at the time of the accident, Williams sustained severe head trauma and spent several years in physical and occupational therapy relearning to walk, talk, read and write. He returned to his studies in 2012 on a part-time basis, then became a full-time student and earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science in December 2015.
“I knew I needed a good education to be able to support myself and help my mother when she needs it,” said Williams, now 35. “It was difficult, because I didn’t have any transportation, so I used Call-A-Ride for school physical therapy and water therapy until I finished school.”
Williams credited his mother, Joyce Herrin, as well as Wayne Weaver, a friend he made while undergoing therapy, for helping him remain focused on finishing his degree. He currently is searching for employment.
Pier Scott of HSSU noted that Williams’ gait was only slightly uneven as he took an unassisted and triumphant stroll to receive his diploma during the May 14 commencement ceremonies.
“The slight wobble did not reveal his arduous journey from total immobility to gradually using a wheelchair, a walker, a cane and finally walking with a bit of a limp,” Scott said.
Award recipients
The inaugural Harriet Beecher Stowe Award recipients also were introduced. The award winners were state Senator Jamilah Nasheed (D-St. Louis) and Joseph F. Reagan, president and chief executive officer of the St. Louis Regional Chamber. This award is given to individuals who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the university’s mission and its students through investments of time and energy.
HSSU also began a new commencement tradition by recognizing 50-year alumni. Ten members of the Class of 1966, representing the 94 graduates in that class, received personalized medallions.
Five Distinguished Alumni Award winners were recognized. The awards are presented to individuals for outstanding achievement in their chosen endeavors. Recipients included Roxanne D. Crawford (Class of 1991), senior area director, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis; Nicole Evans (1994), principal at City Garden Montessori School; Bruce Green (2001), assistant superintendent in the Hazelwood School District; Christopher Petty (1994), interim principal at Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School; and Betty Porter Walls (1965), assistant professor in HSSU’s College of Education.
