“I shall pass this way but once; therefore any good that I can do or any kindness that I may show let me do it now. For I shall not pass this way again.”
Photo History : Charlie James interviewing Fitzgerald Beaver at THE FACTS NEWSPAPER OFFICE on Empire Way (Martin Luther King Jr. Way) and Cherry
Forever In Our Hearts.
FITZGERALD REDD BEAVER (FITZ) (1922–1992)
Fitzgerald Beaver was born January 18, 1922, in Martinsville, Virginia. He graduated from high school in Martinsville and then attended North Carolina A & T College in Greensboro, North Carolina in the late 1930s. Beaver left college without graduating and worked as a railroad porteracross the United States. By the beginning of World War II he had arrived in the Pacific Northwest and was living in the city of Portland, Oregon.
During the war “Fitz” Beaver, as he was now known, worked briefly for the U.S. Army as a civilian employee and then was hired by the Kaiser Company in Portland as a shipyard worker. After the war he briefly resided in North Bend, Oregon where he worked at a local radio station. Finding a career he liked, he moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue radio and public relations training.
In 1955, he returned to Portland and at the age of 33 became a local radio personality known as “Eager Beaver.” In 1961, Beaver moved to Seattle, Washington to manage radio station KZAM-FM, the first black-owned radio station in the Pacific Northwest. He stayed at the station only a few months before launching The FACTS newspaper on September 7, 1961.
The FACTS quickly became a major media presence in black Seattle. The paper’s mission stated: “We try to pick up where the daily papers leave off” meaning the paper would focus on stories not covered by the major daily newspapers but which were of particular interest to black Seattleites. He gave the paper a distinctive “pink” color to separate it from its competitors. By the late 1960s, Beaver authored a popular column called “Right On!” that discussed local and regional issues.
Beaver was an eclectic personality who often clashed with other black journalists over news related to African Americans such as coverage of the race riots in Seattle and across the nation in the late 1960s. His FACTS newspaper also became a community icon. Its office, on the corner of Cherry Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way, was a familiar landmark in Seattle’s Central District with an old truck situated on top of the slanted roof and a large reader board.
Despite his clashes with other black journalists Beaver also hired numerous young black journalists who went on to other newspapers. Chris Bennett, owner and publisher of a competing African American weekly newspaper, The Medium, and Ernie Foster, publisher of The Skanner newspaper in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington, were aided by Beaver when they established their respective new
An ardent golfer, Beaver was a founding member of the predominantly African American Fir State Golf Club. He also served as president of the Boys and Girls Club in Seattle and worked with the Army, Navy and Coast Guard in minority recruiting programs in the 1970s and 1980s.
Fitzgerald “Fitz” Beaver died on
New Year’s Day, 1992 in Seattle, Washington at the age of 69.
Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children, Dennis, Marla, and LaVonne Beaver who are the current publishers of the newspaper.
Celebrating The Life Of Dr. Edna Travis
My Heart is hurt but My soul rejoiced to know that a Queen is seating in her throne next to our King, our Lord, and our Savior. Doctor Edna Travis was so much to so many people. She will be more than missed. My heartfelt condolences and praises go out to all of the family, friends, and followers of Pastor Edna Travis.
David Fredrick Mann, the youngest of ten children, was born in Dalton, Georgia, on February 16, 1933 to the union of King Solomon and Mary Mann located at 603 Spring Street. After attending first through eighth grades at Emery Street School in Dalton, David moved to Detroit, Michigan, to live with his brother, John “Snook” Mann. He finished his high school education at Miller High School in Detroit and soon after attended Wayne State University. In 1953, David had the privilege of being the first Sepia athlete to sign a professional baseball contract out of the State of Michigan. Adding to this historic fact, two black Daltonians, he and Harry “Suitcase” Simpson, were the first and only athletes to play pro baseball from Dalton,Georgia. David played professional baseball for 13 years with the St. Louis Browns, Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Indians organizations. David holds the distinction of playing with and being the roommate of Satchel Paige, when they played for the Miami Marlins in 1960.
Another prominent memory for Dave happened in 1963 when he became the first black baseball player to play for the then Atlanta Crackers of the International League. In 1962, the year of the World’s Fair in Seattle, David moved out west to play baseball. He, along with Hall-of-Famer Carl Yastrimski and Earl Wilson, came from the Minneapolis Millers, a Triple A Club of the Boston Red Sox organization, to play for the Seattle Rainiers. David played with the Rainiers for three years before retiring in 1965. David fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and made Seattle his home. After retiring from baseball, Dave worked for Nordstrom. He was the first African American male model to be featured in the Nordstrom catalogs. His recognition and achievements in the black community were important, but David was even more passionate about the growth of mankind. He was an ambassador for equal rights and the struggle that brought all of us together.
In the early 70’s, David found an outlet to speak his truths from a black athlete’s point of view. He became the sports editor for The Facts Newspaper, a weekly publication with a focus on the black community in the Pacific Northwest. He wrote Mann’s Bits & Pieces, a newspaper column that was published weekly for over 40 years. David was also a photographer (Mann’s Photography) capturing the memories and moments of a lifetime. David was a man of habit. Healthy living was his obsession. He worked out relentlessly. After baseball, Dave played tennis, skied, and lifted weights. A true man’s Mann, David had three heart attacks on the racquetball court. But his love was golfing. For David, it was more than chasing rabbits and squirrels….it was about the individuals and people he met .
Fir State “David Mann Celebration of Life”
With much of the Houston area still underwater, levees in surrounding counties breached, and stormwater reservoirs overflowing, it might seem an odd time for victims of Hurricane Harvey to think about legal services. But as first responders try to save lives in the middle of an increasingly deadly storm, legal-aid organizations along the Gulf Coast of Texas are already working to assist victims with a process that can be almost as stressful as a natural disaster itself: rebuilding.
