Dr. Donald M. Suggs, St. Louis American publisher and civic stalwart, said he considers himself and his newspaper “champions for the hospitality industry.”
Suggs, the first African American to serve as president of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of St. Louis, now Explore St. Louis, was celebrated Wednesday during the dedication of the Dr. Donald M. Suggs Entry and Lobby at the America’s Center Convention Complex.
Located at 9th St. and Martin Luther King Drive, the new entrance is part of a major convention complex expansion. It is adjacent to the 72,000 square-foot exhibit hall that was completed in 2022, expanding Hall 4 westward onto the block between Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Cole Street, 9th Street, and 10th Street.
Continuation of America’s Center improvements and investment in the tourism industry is essential to the St. Louis economy’s growth, Suggs said at the ceremony.
“I believe it is critically important to our overall success,” he said.
“We owe it to St. Louis to continue this vital project and build the outdoor event space and connectivity that will make us competitive. We want to keep jobs coming for our citizens.”
Suggs said the importance of the tourist industry and its impact are “under-appreciated.”
“The industry employs tens of thousands of workers on a year-round basis. Many of those workers are people in our community who need help the most to get year-round jobs.
Unlike sports venues which offer only seasonal employment, “convention centers operate all year,” said Suggs.
“They [provide] consistent employment, are attended by people from across the country, and in some cases, from around the globe, showcasing our city to new audiences – but get relatively meager public financial support.
The audience included Suggs’ daughters Dina and Dawn, his granddaughter Delali Suggs-Akafu, and dozens of his friends and fellow civic and business leaders.
“Everyone tells me my grandfather is an influential man. To me he is just my ‘papa,’” Suggs-Akafu said during the ceremony.
“He taught me the most important things in life are family, giving back to the community – and art.”
She thanked him for “flying four hours to see one of my performances,” when she lived on the West Coast, and “for the hours you spent with me on weekends teaching me how to drive.”
Suggs dabbed tears from his eyes as he remembered his parents and the sacrifices they made for him as a boy in East Chicago, Indiana.
“We all must realize how things came to be. How someone with ordinary ability could go on to have a very interesting life,” he said as his voice quivered.
“I grew up a Black boy in a Black world. Morris and Elnora Suggs, the sacrifices they made to give to me what they didn’t have – for that I will always be eternally grateful.”
Michael P. McMillan, who now serves as Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis president and CEO, first met Suggs as a teenager and he became instrumental in seeing McMillan rise in politics from a St. Louis alderman to license collector.
“Dr. Suggs had nothing to gain from taking this teen under his wing,” said McMillan.
“My father died at a young age and Dr. Suggs has been a father figure to me for many years.’
McMillan applauded Suggs for the St. Louis American Foundation’s use of the Convention Center for many of its Salute to Excellence celebrations over the last 30 years.
“No one has brought more people to this facility than you have with your galas. And [during the events] your foundation has given tens of millions of dollars in scholarships.
“This is truly a historic day for a historic man.”
Carol Daniel, a longtime KMOX news anchor who now serves as a director of the Urban League Save Our Sisters program, said “if you know Dr. Suggs, you know he has never liked the spotlight being put on him.”
“During the Ferguson Uprising (in 2014,) I wanted to interview him. He refused saying, ‘talk to the young people.’ He is a wise man, a humble man.”
“He quietly, yet loudly, expanded our minds. He taught us that we can be leaders, we can demand more, we can do better.’
Ed Skapinok, Explore St. Louis chief commercial officer, called Suggs, “a remarkable leader, visionary, and friend of St. Louis.”
“This new entry is more than a doorway. It celebrates a man who has opened doors for many people.”
Suggs’ closing statement may have summed up his commitment to the region he serves in many ways.
“St. Louis is my city. It will always be my home.”