The Dean's List

Transition of Health - 2017 wasn't the easiest year for me, but as my friend Robyn would say, "You're still standing!"  It was year three of dealing with my spine injury, I was recovering from major fusion surgery and began physical therapy.  Two cages, two rods and six screws now hold my spine together.  It's been difficult, but considering where I was and where I am now, it's an improvement!  I need to begin to focus on other aspects of my health and try to make myself the strongest I can be.  Strengthening my core is number one on my list as well as dropping some pounds! Transition of Politics - This is one area all of you know where I stand both locally and nationally! Never have I been silent and never will!  Nuff said! Transition of Finances - I started the year finally getting checks for disability for the full year. If the process of being approved didn't kill me, nothing would!  It was a relief to know I had an income and would be able

This is my Op-Ed originally printed in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle - May 2012 My Experience on Jury Duty by Ella Dean On Saturday, May 5th, I attended a community leaders meeting geared to improve minority participation on jury’s.  The meeting was coordinated by City Council President Lovely Warren along with local court and jury officials.  I was very happy to see this forum put together, as I recently experienced first hand the need for it. I have lived in Rochester for my entire life, minus 5 years and had never been called to serve jury duty, until last month that is.  I was called to serve on the Grand Jury, which is a month long commitment.  I never could have imagined how my time served would affect my life forever…. The first thing I noticed on my first day that included mainly orientation type activities was that I was only one of two minorities out of the 23 jurors.  During our breaks, I had done an unofficial poll of my fellow jurors, asking them w

Ruby Lockhart This is an op-ed I wrote that was published in the Democrat & Chronicle in August, 2013. I thought today would be a great time to share it again.....Mother's Day 2019 When I moved back to Rochester from Phoenix 6 years ago, I was unemployed and very scared.  I had never been without a job before and didn’t know what was ahead of me. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would be where I am right now! City Council President Loretta Scott When you turn on the television these days, most Black women are portrayed in a negative way, from the news to those horrible reality TV shows.  I literally feel embarrassed when I see it!  When I see any of these three women on TV, pride is the only thing I feel. Mayor Lovely Warren I actually work two part-time jobs.  I do PR & Marketing for Garth Fagan Dance and I am a Legislative Aide for a Rochester City Councilmember. With both jobs, I get the opportunity to work with what I consider thre

As most of you know, I used to maintain the website and social media for WDKX Radio. I also wrote a blog called The Dean's List. Five years worth of updates and original blogs were deleted from their website and they were unable to retrieve anything. Needless to say I was heartbroken since I didn't keep copies of everything....A mistake I will never make again!!!  So, bear with me as I take a trip down memory lane (pun intended) and republish the items I had copies of.  This is one of my favorites from June 2009!   Usually, I review concerts, interview artists and share it with all of you.  I am going to do a little something different this time. Unless you have been living under a rock for the last 40 years, you already know the type of performance Tower of Power is known for.  They didn’t disappoint any of the 10K plus crowd on hand for Friday night’s concert.  For those of you who hadn’t seen the band in awhile, you were treated to the lead vocals of Larry Braggs

I always love looking back on old blogs I've written.  I'm posting this as I sit in Phoenix, Arizona - My last stop. More on how I ended up back here a little sooner than I expected in the near future.  For now, check this out.... . August 16, 2010  Over the last week or so, I've been re-reading some of the blogs I've written over the last 3 years.  It will be 3 years next month that I returned to Rochester from Phoenix.  This blog stood out among the rest!  It was also printed in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle's Editorial section.  Has Rochester given me what I was looking for?? Originally run in the D&C in August 2007 Almost 5 years ago to the day, I wrote a "farewell to Rochester" that was runon the Opinion Page of the Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, NY local newpaper, as I planned my move to Phoenix, Arizona. I wrote about how much I would miss the place I was born and raised, but I also mentioned how much I looked f

I wrote this letter to Michael Jackson shortly after he died:     Dearest Michael, A piece of my heart died last Thursday.  I couldn’t believe it when I heard the news.  How could you be gone?  I haven’t stopped thinking and reminiscing about you since.  I will never forget the times I spent with you. You came into my life the same day I bought the Jackson 5’s first album – which was my first album too – well the first one I ever owned.  “Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5” never left my record player for months after I got it.  From the first listen to “I Want You Back” and “Who’s Loving You” to how cute you looked on the album cover – I knew you were the one for me.  There are so many times I remember from that day forward….. I Remember The Time ….When the Jackson 5 came to Rochester in the early 70’s.  My sister was allowed to go, but I couldn’t.  I cried for hours into my pillow while listening to your album. I Remember The Time ….When The Jackson 5 cartoon ca

I originally wrote this in 2001 for the Democrat & Chronicle while serving on the Board of Contributors. My daughter was getting ready to start her senior year in high school We all remember that TV commercial a few years ago that showed  the  man riding on a shopping cart down  the  aisles of a office supply store.  He was celebrating  the  fact that his kids were going back to school.  All parents know that  the  closer September gets every year,  the  happier we become.  Summers can be a very stressful time for parents.  Trying to find activities to keep kids busy and safe can be almost impossible at times.  Fact is, school is out, but work goes on.  Every year, I have taken  the  first week of school off as vacation from my job just so I could exhale. Now, do you also remember  the  TV commercial for  the  same office supply company where  the  parents are measuring their child’s room so they can install a hot tub?  I always smiled when I saw that commercial because

The  barracuda  is a  ray-finned fish  known for its large size, fearsome appearance and ferocious behavior. Rochester's Barracuda It was 2007 and I was living in Phoenix, Arizona. A serious horseback riding accident and several other situations led me to make a hard decision.... come back home.  It felt good being home. I spent the first couple of weeks catching up with old friends.  One of the people I visited was a woman who was a constant in my life while I was growing up. Mrs. Slater lived across the street from my childhood home on Bernard St.  I learned she had some severe health issues and was wheelchair bound. She told me her son Jimmy had returned to Rochester from North Carolina to take care of her.  She made me call him at work. We talked for a bit and made plans to get together soon.  Unfortunately, that never happened.... Jimmy was working as a community organizer for Action for a Better Community. He attended a stop the violence meeting, but became a victi

The year was 1978. I was 16 years old and just started working as an intern at WDKX radio in Rochester, NY. One of the perks of working at a radio station was getting free concert tickets. Mr. Langston gave everyone on the staff tickets to see the Commodores (for you youngins, Lionel Richie was the lead singer). This group was one of the hottest acts out there! Every song they released went #1 on the R&B charts! And the fact that I had a crush on Lionel Richie was the cherry on the sundae. I couldn't wait to see this show!! Other than Lionel sitting at a white baby grand piano rising in the air with fog coming out of it while singing "Three Times A Lady", I really don't remember the groups performance that night. Why? Heatwave! We were standing on the floor of the War Memorial (now called the Blue Cross Arena) awaiting the start of the show.  I was excited to see the opening act, Heatwave.   Their singles "Boogie Nights" and the newest popular weddin

I wrote this letter to Michael Jackson shortly after he died. Today marks 8 years since he passed away...     Me holding my very first album Dearest Michael, A piece of my heart died last Thursday.  I couldn’t believe it when I heard the news.  How could you be gone?  I haven’t stopped thinking and reminiscing about you since.  I will never forget the times I spent with you. You came into my life the same day I bought the Jackson 5’s first album – which was my first album too – well the first one I ever owned.  “Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5” never left my record player for months after I got it.  From the first listen to “I Want You Back” and “Who’s Loving You” and how cute you looked on the album cover – I knew you were the one for me.  There are so many times I remember from that day forward….. I Remember The Time ….When the Jackson 5 came to Rochester in the early 70’s.  My sister was allowed to go, but I couldn’t.  I cried for hours into my pillow while

I wrote this a few years ago and will continue to share every Father's Day.... . It's odd...A man that I didn't have that much time with, one that has been gone since I was 6, one that I only have a few memories of, can still to this day have so much influence on my life! As time goes on, I thought it would get easier, but it has become harder! I guess it's the wondering what my life would have been like if he was around a little longer.... For now, all I have are the memories and proof that I had a Daddy...... I was around 5 years old and I was riding in the car with my daddy. A guy cut him off and my father had to slam on his brakes to stop. This was before car seats and seat belt laws, so I flew forward and hit my head on the dashboard. My daddy jumped out the car and ran over to my side to make sure I was alright. He picked me up and held me while drying my tears, at the same time cursing out the guy he had just hit. He took me to his favorite watering h