The Dean's List

The Dean's List - It's Time For Resurrection Originally published on  www.WDKX.com  - April 21, 2011 Resurrection  -  a: the rising of Christ from the dead b: the rising again to life of all the human dead before the final judgment c: the state of one risen from the dead Christians are celebrating the most holy time of the year. Easter marks the Resurrection of Jesus three days after his Crucifixion (no, it has nothing to do with bunnies, eggs or chocolate). During my morning wake up prayer, I thought about the word, "Resurrection." It is a powerful word and one that I think we all need to stop and think about for a moment. Turn on the news, read a newspaper - From one story to the next, we hear about all of the horrible things going on in our city, country - our world! The death and destruction from the wars, illness, natural disasters, hunger and the recession - all things that are riding on our shoulders or lingering in our minds on a daily b...

Wednesday night brought another big name to Rochester - Brandy!! An album release party was given for Brandy premiering her new project "Human", scheduled to be released on December 9, 2008. Sponsored by WDKX Radio and host, VENU on St. Paul Street, this event rivaled those given in major cities like New York and Los Angeles. Guests began  arriving around 6:30 to find Brandy posters and CD's everywhere I set up prior to the doors opening. The DJ played many of Brandy's hits as we waited for her. Around 7:30, the guest of honor arrived. As she walked through the door, people clapped, cheered and one woman almost tackled Brandy when she ran up to her and gave her a big bear hug! Instead of being shocked and scared (as I would be if someone I didn't know jumped out at me), Brandy returned the hug and thanked her for coming. The Dean's List decided to grab her before everyone else got to her and we sat and chatted for a minute. I decided that I wouldn...

Today: My Father and Grandmother This is the last day of Black History Month and I couldn’t decide who I would feature today.  I thought what a better way to close it out than to salute the two people that were the most important to me (other than my daughter): The one who is responsible for me being here by planting the seed, and the one who is responsible for me being who I am today by teaching and loving me. My father, Selven Dean, Jr. – March 8, 1922 – January 17, 1970 – Born in Winter Park, Florida – Veteran, Chef (first black chef at an upscale restaurant in Rochester – Royal Scot), Restaurant Owner (LB’s on Hudson Avenue) I don’t have many memories of my father since he died when I was 6. I remember him staying up all night roasting a pig in the backyard preparing for an after-party from my dance recital, I remember going to his restaurant he owned on Hudson Avenue and eating clams, I remember him dancing in his boxer shorts in the living room to one of hi...

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 ...

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 fell...

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 ...

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 v...