Transcript TLOD Culture - Top Ladies Of Distinction, Inc.

Crowns
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Founder and Past National President
Top Ladies Of Distinction, Inc. was chartered in
the state of Texas on September 8, 1964 as a
non-profit educational, humanitarian
organization with the following as charter
members: Mrs. Franchell Boswell, Tyler, Texas;
Mrs. Ina Bolton Brown, Houston, Texas; Mrs.
Augusta R. Cash, Memphis, Tennessee; Major
Ozell M. Dean, Washington, D.C.; Mrs. Willie Lee
Glass, Tyler, Texas; Mrs. La Verne R. Madlock,
Tyler, Texas; Mrs. Ruth Payne Smith, Navasota,
Texas; and Mrs. Georgia B. Prestwood Nelson,
Dallas, Texas.
Lady Laverne Madlock
Lady Madlock and Lady Glass
Founder Lady Ozell Dean
LADY FAYE BEVERLY BRYANT
THIRD NATIONAL PRESIDENT
1975-1979
Theme: "Top Ladies of Distinction-Shapers of Change -A Continuing Commitment"
Lady Faye Bryant assumed the leadership of TLOD when the organization was eleven years
old becoming the first national president who was not a Founder. The four Founders who
were in the state of Texas continued to be active participants.
TTA President
Number of chapters chartered (10)
Atlanta Chapter - Atlanta, Georgia
Dayton Chapter - Dayton, Ohio
Phoenix Chapter - Phoenix, Arizona
Queens Empire State Chapter - Long Island, New York
Detroit Chapter - Detroit, Michigan
Rockville Center Chapter - Rockville, Maryland
Cleveland Chapter - Cleveland, Ohio
Inglewood Chapter - Inglewood, California
Baltimore Chapter - Baltimore, Maryland
Pensacola Chapter - Pensacola, Florida
Initiatives:
The Bryant administration focused on education. The National Top Teen National
Scholarship Program was initiated and the first National Top Teens Scholarships awarded.
A National Membership Program was initiated. The support of NCNW with TLOD becoming
an affiliate organization was initiated.
Convened four National Meetings:
Eighth Syn-Lod - Chicago, Illinois
Ninth Syn-Lod - Columbus, Ohio
Tenth Syn-Lod- Los Angeles, California
Eleventh Syn-Lod - Austin, Texas
Lady Faye B. Bryant
4th National President
THE NETWORKING YEARS
LADY BOBBIE WOOTEN MOOREHEAD
Fifth National President
1983 - 1987
TTA National Presidents
Teen Stanley T. Lewis, Lufkin Chapter (1983-85)
Teen Alain Lee, Houston Chapter (1985-87)
National Theme: TLOD - Networking to Serve Youth and Adults
Number of Chapters Chartered - 30 (including the first international chapter in Montego Bay, Jamaica)
Number of Ladies Inducted - 1520
The National Program for the Networking Years was comprised of five goals that were carried out on the
National, Area and Chapter levels through individual and collaborative efforts utilizing resources both
within and outside of the organization.
Goal
Goal
Goal
Goal
Goal
One - Strong Communication within the Organization
Two - Development of a Relevant Top Teens Program
Three - Political and Social Action Involvement
Four - Community Service Involvement
Five - Support of the Affiliates
Excitement, enthusiasm, cooperative actions and productivity were engendered by
the chapter
presidents networking with each other; by Area Directors finding new ways to nurture their chapters to
encourage organizational and programmatic growth; by the designing of pins that are still worn today by
the National President, the Past National Presidents, Past National Officers, Lady of the Year for National
and Chapters and Lords; by the planting of trees in the Los Angeles Baldwin Hills by the Top Teens at the
1987 Syn-Lod; by the initiation of the Syn-Lod pin at the 1987 Syn-Lod; by the compilation of the first
small notebook holding the documents which today we know as the governance and the purse size
membership directory; by the Founders, National TTA President and TTA Director traveling with the
National President to each area conference; by TLOD networking and collaborating with government,
education, health and religious institutions and agencies as well as other service organizations. The
following is one of the highlights.
Immediately after being elected, this office began formal meetings with the National Foundation-March
of Dimes in White Plains, New York to formulate plans for a TLOD/NF-MOD. As a result, it was decided
by the NF-MOD that a program with the Top Teens of America would be very beneficial to the
Foundation's image as well as to TLOD. At the 1983 Fall Parliamen-Top meeting, the idea was presented
by Mrs. Beryl Battle, the Foundation's National Director of Community Development and Outreach. It
was accepted by Parliamen-Top in-session as a segment of the 1983-85 National Program. Thus, the
peer education program, Teens Outreach Programs (TOPS), was born and continued throughout the
Networking Years.
In their various communities, via programs Teens developed, mentored and
Lady Bobbie Moorehead
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educated other teenagers on the dangers of drug and alcohol
abuse as well as on teenage pregnancy as it related to birth
defects. Teens collaborated with local MOD chapters. As the
program expanded in 1985, the National Top Teens Director, Lady
Sharon Carpenter, and the 1983-85 National President, Alain Lee,
attended national meetings and events of the Foundation. Teen
Alain Lee became a part of the NF-MOD National Teen Board. The
National Foundation-March of Dimes gave awards for the best
programs by Top Teens chapters and sponsored Teens nutritional
breaks at the 1985 Syn-Lod in Chicago and the 1987 Syn-Lod in
Los Angeles.
PHOTOS
Photo One: Lady Bobbie presiding at a 1985 Parliamen-Top
meeting.
Photo Two: Lady Bobbie with Founders Willie Lee Glass, Ina
Bolton Brown, LaVern Madlock and Ozell Dean in 1986
Photo Three: Past National Presidents LaVern Madlock, Faye B.
Bryant, Vivian Crawley and National President.
Photo Four: National TLOD and TTA Presidents along with Teens
and Park service agent planting the first tree at
the June, 1987 National TTA Tree Planting Ceremony in Baldwin
Hills.
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Lady Bobbie Moorehead
Lady Bobbie Moorehead
5th National President
LadyBobbie Moorehead
The Fifth National President
Lady Jacqueline H. Parker
Orchids
Lady Vivian Coe Richards
National President’s Highlights
Lady Peggy Lewis LeCompte
10th National President
LADY PEGGY LEWIS LECOMPTE
10TH NATIONAL PRESIDENT
2003-2007
Lady Peggy Lewis LeCompte was installed at the 10 th National President in Arlington, Va.
She chose as her theme – “TLOD: MOBILIZING YOUTH AND ADULTS TO PROVIDE GLOBAL SERVICE AND
21ST CENTURY LEADERSHIP.”
Theme and Focus - THE MOBILIZING YEARS – focused on working in partnership with
organizations and groups for strengthening the TLOD Programmatic Thrusts, raising the public profile of
the organization, expansion and growth by actively involving the membership on all levels, humanitarian
activities, open communication that was built on shared objectives, mobilizing the teams through
empowerment strategies designed to promote leadership skills, acting and responding to priority issues
with unity, accountability, and consensus.
The TTA Presidents during the” Mobilizing” years were James Stephens, Jeanne McCray and DeAndrea
Yeoman. Top Teens officers, in addition to holding their Board meetings, participated in the 40th
Anniversary Celebration held in Tyler, TX and the National Leadership Summit held in St. Louis, MO.
5,183 teens were inducted into TTA between 2005 and 2007.
Expansion – Fourteen chapters were chartered during the mobilizing years – Jasper, Texas;
South Suburban Bayou, Texas; Oklahoma City Metroplex; Hampton Roads, VA; Alexandria City, VA;
Midway Chicago, IL; Evergreen Park, IL; Will County Cosmopolitan, IL; Cary, NC; Wendell, NC;
Hattiesburg, MS; Inland Empire,CA; Richmond Heights, , FL; and St. Petersburg, FL. Two chapter were
reactivated – Madison, WI and Starlight, Nevada.
There were so many proud moments and an overall excitement in many arenas and with many
initiatives. Initiatives/Programmatic Thrusts – Launched the Mobilizing Program with National Days
and partnerships with Fannie Mae for lst Time Women Homebuyers; Led a convoy to deliver clothing,
bedding, food and other necessities to Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita victims, gift packages for
soldiers in Iraq; newspapers for soldiers in Iraq; Placed a historical marker in Tyler, TX at Texas College
to memorialize the birthplace of Convened the first National Leadership Summit, Instituted the Salute to
Outstanding African American Males, adopted Sickle Cell Anemia as a national project; convened
national meeting of the Constitution and Bylaws, Awards, and Budget and Finance Committees, held a
Strategic Planning Committee, issued grants in literacy, cancer, teen obesity; held the 40 th Anniversary
Celebration; chose a headquarters and cut the ribbon on the TLOD Headquarters in Houston, TX;
participated in Homebuild at Superbowl XXXVIII sponsored by Habitat for Humanity to build 38 homes
in 38 days; partnered with UNCF in a letter writing solicitation campaign; presented $15,000 to the
NAACP, UNCF; 10,000 to NCNW; $1,000 to Sister to Sister Network; $1,000 to Katherine Dunham
Museum; adopted the Katherine Dunham Museum; $1,000 to Nigeria Pantry; held Teen Leadership
Academy(ies) on the campuses of Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN and Harris Stowe State
University in St. Louis, MO; held the first Teen Academy Graduation Ceremony complete with caps and
gowns; wrote the National TTA Program – MOMENTUM; reinstituted partnership with the March of
Dimes and attended MOD conferences; initiated teen representation at the NCNW Convention;
40th Aniversary
Tyler, TX
Lady Peggy Lewis LeCompte
Lady Peggy Lewis LeCompte
Lady Jackie Pope
11th National President
Lady Jackie Pope
11th National President
2007-2011
TTA President: Teen Marcus Washington
Them: “Empowering youth and adults to provide exemplary service with passion
and purpose.”
Accomplishments
10 new chapter chartering:
Trinity West
Rocky Mountains Colorado
Northwest Indiana
Prince George’s County
Dale City-Prince William County
Victoria
Kentuckiana
Atlanta Metro
Durham
Pearland
*Revised TLOD Governance Documents
*Revised TTA Governance Documents
*Established a successful collaboration with Rice University and the Vivien Coe Richard
TTA Academy
*Major fundraiser for TLOD (particularly the TTA Academy)
Lady Audrie L Lawton
12th National President
Lady Audrie L. Lawton
2011-2013 Executive Committee
Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc.
Making an Impact on our
Communities
Take The Time To
Add Those Other Legacies
To Your Historical Data…
Those Who Have Gone Before Us
We are in the process of adding all
deceased Past Presidents to our
PowerPoint.
Please help by providing photos and
information to the Historian.
Thanks to Lady Peggy Lewis LeCompte for
providing information on Lady Marie Stellos
Need your help!
Lady Marie Stellos
7th National President
Lady Marie Helen Stellos
1991-1995
Lady Marie Helen Stellos, Ph. D., J.D., was elected as the 7th National President of Top Ladies
of Distinction, Inc.
The theme for this administration was: “Programming Our Thrusts for Effective Empowerment
in the 21st Century”.
The TTA Presidents who served during the “Programming” Administration were Teen Damon
Cane and Teen Florence Lockett.
Chapter Chartered: Sixteen chapters were chartered during the “Programming” Administration.
They were Skyline, Gotham, Central Oklahoma, Sandhills, Altadena, Sugar Valley, Temple
Wildflower, Kaycee, Sunshine State, Rockford, Killeen, Stone Mountain Lithonia, Tampa
Bay/WCF, Oakland, Madison and Starlight chapters.
Initiatives and Achievements during the “Programming” Administration included: the
establishment of a national headquarter in St. Louis, Mo; the initiation of the TLOD
marketing brochure, approval of the National TLOD Prayer written by Lady Rita Franks
Bell, commissioned a national history book, standardization of the ritualistic setting for
induction of Ladies and Teens, increase the fees distributed for scholarships, copyrighted
TLOD orchid, crown and TTA emblem and TLOD emblem, membership growth through chapter
charterings and inductions.
The greatest challenge faced during the “Programming” Administration was bringing unity and
diversity into the membership and leadership.
Lady Marie Stellos