On Saturday, June 26 the Mound City Bar Foundation and the Mound City Bar Association held their annual Scovel Richardson Scholarship Dinner at Sheldon Concert Hall. The event was hosted by News Channel Four anchor Vickie Newton who helped hand out two awards and two scholarships.
The Mound City Bar Association was founded in 1922 as the St. Louis Negro Bar Association. Now it is the largest black bar association west of the Mississippi River.
Scovel Richardson, who the scholarship fund is named after, was the first African American member of the St. Louis Bar. He was also a member and president of the Mound City Bar Association, president of the National Bar Association and was appointed to be a member of the Federal Parole Board by President Dwight Eisenhower. As a judge, Richardson helped improve the judiciary system by making it more responsive to minorities.
“The scholarship is given to the students that exhibit the same determination and character as Judge Scovel Richardson,” Ronda Williams, president of the Mound City Bar Association.
The Scovel Richardson scholarships are $2,500 – $3,000, given to two St. Louis University, Washington University or University of Missouri – Columbia students. This year the scholarships were awarded to Chalana Scales-Ferguson and Jerina Phillips, both second year students at St. Louis University School of Law.
Scales-Ferguson is a St. Louis native who attended University of Missouri – Columbia, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in interdisciplinary arts. Before attending law school she worked in insurance and non-profit social service.
“The Mound City Bar has been very supportive of me. They’ve offered mentoring and educational opportunities outside of law school,” Scales-Ferguson said.
Phillips, originally from East St. Louis, Illinois, attended Loyola University of New Orleans, earning degrees in Sociology and Criminal Justice. After witnessing the effects of Hurricane Katrina, Phillips helped rebuild the city with Habitat for Humanity and Rebuild Nola.
“[The event] was special because they honor people who do so much for the community. It was just an honor to be among such great people,” Phillips said.
The Community Service Award went to Victoria E. Nelson, executive director of Girls Incorporated of St. Louis. She directs three centers in the metropolitan area for girls to recognize their full potential.
Judge Jimmie M. Edwards received the Legal Service Award. Edwards is the chief judge of the St. Louis family court and serves as a circuit judge for Missouri’s 22nd Judicial Circuit. He helped to open Concept Academy, which is geared towards helping troubled students in St. Louis Public Schools. Edwards also helped to improve the processing of child abuse and neglect cases in the Juvenile Court by assigning a deputy juvenile officer to each specific case. Both Nelson and Edwards spoke at the event.
The Mound City Bar Association and Foundation work hand-in-hand as a professional development group and as a charitable one that gives back to the community. For the past year the Mound City Bar Association has worked on a series of community service projects with two St. Louis Public Schools, Northwest Law Academy and Soldan International Studies High School.
“With that project we put on various programs with the schools such as interviewing workshops, writing workshops, etiquette workshops and a Law Day program where the schools visited a local law school and a law firm,” Ronda Williams said.
Shelby Watson received the President’s Award at the scholarship dinner for her work as chairperson of that project. Publisher Donald M. Suggs and the St. Louis American also received the President’s Award for supporting the Mound City Bar’s work in the African American community.
New Mound City Bar Association board members were sworn in at the event, including incoming President Ebony McCain, who outlined her plans for the organization for the upcoming year.
