PIM -Fallen Angels-January 2017

Dear Readers of Prep Insight Magazine,
Mr. Bill Garth
My dear friend Bill was a giant
of a man. He understood the
power of community news.
He recognized that we as a
community, both civic and
business, needed to make sure
that our voices were heard
and the causes that we were
fighting for was legitimate so
others could recognized what
we stood for. In 1981, I had the pleasure of being
a sports writer and sports editor for the Citizens’
Newspaper Group, along with my late friend, Paul
Davis. In 1982, we were able to bring legendary African
American college football coach, Eddie Robinson of
the Grambling State Tigers to speak to the young
football players of the Chicagoland area. It is a date
that I won’t ever forget. It was an outstanding pleasure
working with Mr. Garth because he was able to make
sure that we were able to cover all news and sports.
We were able to cover the Chicago Bears, Bulls, Cubs,
White Sox, just to name a few. Mr. Garth often said, “if
they let other newspapers cover them, then damn it,
we are also going to cover it”. Bill believed in standing
up and standing firm for his community. When he met
and negotiated with the Nike Corporation to put a Nike
outlet on 85th and Cottage Grove, it had been a first
for an African American community. He also helped
bring Target, Marshalls and other big chain stores
to the south side of Chicago. I believe his greatest
achievement was being at the center of the election
of Chicago’s first African American mayor, Harold
Washington. He also participate in 3 presidential
campaigns. 1984, 1988 and 2008 election of President
Barack Obama. Bill Garth was a great man; a family
man, a business man, and a community man. His loss
will be hard for us to overcome for a long time.
4 PREP INSIGHT MAGAZINE - FALLEN ANGELS EDITION | JANUARY 2017
Out of all of my 60 years of being on this earth, truly 2016, was the year
of loss. That’s the reason we entitled this issue, Fallen Angels. Not only
did we lose a large group of dignitaries, sports figures, entertainers and
civic leaders but a lot of us went through tremendous, personal loss. For
this reason, this publisher’s page is going be dedicated to the wonderful
people and fallen angels of this past year. Below are my personal insights
on just a few of the Fallen Angels.
Dennis Green
Dennis Green was my friend
and mentor. In 1982, he
became the first African
American football coach in the
history of the Big Ten. Coach
Green was so interested in
helping the development of
African American football
coaches and players that for
5 years in a row, he was our
guest and keynote speaker at our football banquets.
While at Northwestern University, he made sure that
the African American press was represented at Big
Ten Football Luncheon which is an annual event every
July. Coach Green was a trailblazer. He did free clinics
for African American coaches and took a chance on
players that nobody else would touch such as Randy
Moss of the Minnesota Vikings. When Coach Green
was chosen to be the head coach of the Minnesota
Vikings, the first coach he hired was Tony Dungy as
his defensive coordinator who later became the first
African American coach to win a super bowl and is
now in the NFL Hall of Fame. I love Coach Green for
his conscience. He will be missed.
Herbert Rogers Kent
The greatest disc jockey in
the history of Chicago radio.
Herb Kent had a distinctive,
velvet, dynamic voice. You
could never mistake him for
anyone else. In my generation
for 15 years, he sent you to
bed every night, Monday thru
Saturday from 7PM till 11PM.
Without question, he was the
most creative man on radio. With the Electric Crazy
People and the Wahoo Man, from the Kappa Karnaval
at SIU to the high school sock hops at the gym to the
stage shows, Herb Kent was a fixture in our community
and he became the greatest dusty DJ in the history
of Chicago radio. It’s hard to believe he is gone.
Muhammad Ali
How does one describe a man who calls himself ‘The Greatest’ and then backs it up with his deeds? You know,
growing up as a little boy, your heroes were Superman, Batman, and Captain America. Well I am proud to say
that Muhammad Ali was a real life hero. When I was in the 5th grade at Oglesby Grammar School, we idolized
Cassius Marcellus Clay who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He would put rhymes to his predictions.
He would say things like, ‘If he keeps talking jive, I'll do him in five’ and he would back them up with a sure
knockout. He produced some of the greatest fights in boxing. The ‘What’s My Name’ with Ernie Terrell. The
‘Rumble in the Jungle’ where he defeated George Foreman, ‘The Thriller in Manila’, and of course The Fight of
the Century against Joe Frasier in Madison Square Garden but his greatest fight of all was when he took on the
federal government by refusing to go to the army and fight in the Vietnam war on his religious principles. I will
never forget a reporter asked him one day: “Mr. Ali, why won’t you go and fight for your country?” and Mr. Ali
replied by saying, “Ain’t no Viet Cong ever called me a nigger.” The legend of the champ will live on forever. He
truly was a role model and a symbol for black men.
Cheryl Brooks
Mrs. Brooks was the wife of Fenger High School’s former football coach, Greg Brooks. When the EAR Sportsmen’s
Club 4-H started its Annual All-City and All-State High School Football Team, we decided to put on an annual
banquet to honor and salute the kids. In order to make this banquet happen, the Chicago Public League Football
Coaches’ wives came together and started the Women’s Auxiliary of the EAR Sportsmen’s Club 4-H. There were
24 women in the auxiliary. Cheryl Brooks was the hardest and most dedicated member that I had the honor of
working with. Please understand that all of the women were wonderful. They committed time and raised money
for our young athletes. Cheryl Brooks never missed a meeting and never missed a function. Anything that was
asked of her, she delivered. She will be missed, not only by her husband and family, but all who had the privilege
to know her.
In closing, there are so many people that we can talk
about who left their mark and left us too soon. From
Billy Paul, Bill Nunn, Florence Henderson, Carrie Fisher
Ron Glass, Tommy Ford, Pat Summitt, Alan Thicke, to
Richard Pyror’s sidekick, Gene Wilder.
Ronald Kwesi Harris, a community leader from Simeon
High School and Chicago State University, mentoring
and changing the lives of African American men.
There’s also Gwen Ifill who brought the news every
night with dignity and grace to make us understand
what was going on in the world. To John Saunders,
an outstanding commentator for the sports network,
ESPN, another African American brother who did
things the right way not only with dignity and grace
but with style. And Prince, he was a musical and
entertainment genius. Not only could he produce
outstanding music but he also produced one of the
greatest African American films, Purple Rain. It is ironic
that his protégé, Vanity, a group and a person he
produced and created would go to heaven in the same
year. Then there is Doug Banks; a legendary DJ who
made us laugh and groove for years. Maurice White,
the founder and leader of the elements, Earth, Wind,
and Fire, who from the 70’s and the 80’s, was a member
a group with the most talent and exhilarating music.
They had tremendous crossover appeal.
May God Bless the soul of every one of our Fallen
Angels who passed away in 2016.
Sincerely,
Garret Gosha
Publisher of Prep Insight Magazine
JANUARY 2017 | PREP INSIGHT MAGAZINE - FALLEN ANGELS EDITION 5