Jimmy Coe, well-known jazz musician and band leader, dies
Saxophonist emerged in city's fertile jazz scene during the 1940s and '50s and chose to remain here.
February 28, 2004

Jimmy Coe, an Indianapolis bandleader and jazz saxophonist, died Thursday at Methodist Hospital after a long illness. Coe, who would have turned 83 on March 20, was one of the most durable symbols of the Indiana Avenue jazz scene of the 1940s and '50s.

Out of that musical crucible -- comprising a dozen or so small clubs in the heart of the city's black community -- came Wes Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard, J.J. Johnson, Melvin Rhyne and other national figures. Coe was among several notable jazz musicians who opted to stay here.

He was born in Tompkinsville, Ky., and moved to Indianapolis with his family when he was 3. He came through Indianapolis' segregated public schools, graduating from Attucks High School when it was renowned for its music program.

His widow, Delores Coe, recalled his ability to play any instrument, but he specialized in alto and tenor saxophones. As an altoist, he replaced Charlie "Bird" Parker in Jay McShann's band in 1942. Upon returning to his adopted hometown after Army service in World War II, Coe led small and big bands here. He recorded rhythm and blues successfully for small labels in the 1950s. In his later years, Coe was known as an adept arranger for the big band he led under his own name.

The Coes were special guests of a jazz festival in Switzerland in 2002, when Coe gave three performances. In January, the International Association for Jazz Education presented a tribute to Coe at its annual convention in New York City.

"He spent his life making people happy with his music," said Delores, his wife of 46 years. "He was something else." To support himself and his family, Coe held jobs with the city of Indianapolis, the Marion County juvenile court and the U.S. Postal Service. After retiring in the 1980s, he devoted himself to music. Two of his children followed him into music: Earl, a drummer, and Jimmy Jr., a trumpeter.

Coe rebounded from a mild stroke in the early 1990s but was plagued in recent years by colon cancer and diabetes. Despite health problems, he could be seen occasionally playing from his wheelchair at special events, including the Independent Jazz Community Celebration in September at the Fountain Square Theater, featuring Hubbard and others, and the Hampton Sisters Tribute by the Indiana Historical Society in November.

Fire kills friend to many Retired IPS teacher was jail volunteer and advocate for disabled who loved to help
By Terry Horne
terry.horne@indystar.com
March 3, 2004

Bobbie Beckwith was gone, and a community was grieving. That was part of the consolation the Rev. Boniface Hardin, president of Martin University, could offer former Indianapolis Public Schools board member Hazel Stewart in her home Tuesday -- hours after a house fire claimed Beckwith's life.

You are not alone, Hardin told Beckwith's longtime friend. Countless others mourned the death of Beckwith. The 84-year-old retired IPS teacher helped make the city's public libraries accessible to the disabled. She ministered to jail inmates. And she never stopped working for children, spending the last dozen or so years volunteering at a childcare center.

"She was the most wonderful person you could imagine," said Selecia Triggs, director of Fahondzi Sugar Plum Tree Center, 4660 E. 62nd St. "Most of our teachers, she trained."

Beckwith served on the board of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library and was its board president in 1993 and 1994. She also was on the Martin University board until about five years ago. The late Gov. Frank O'Bannon made her a Sagamore of the Wabash.

Tuesday afternoon, a few charred mementos, recovered from Beckwith's burned-out two-story home in the 3100 block of Washington Boulevard, lay at Stewart's feet.

"Bobbie Beckwith was like a sister to me," Stewart said of her friend of about 20 years.
In a bedroom of Stewart's home, Beckwith's son, Larry Rogers, 66, was recovering from his own narrow escape from the blaze.

Rogers, who moved from Tennessee about five years ago to be with his mother, had gone to dinner with her Monday night at Glendale Mall.

Beckwith broke a bone in her ankle in January, and he had been trying to keep her home to recover. It wasn't easy.
They talked about seeing a movie, "The Passion of the Christ," but Beckwith was too tired. Then Rogers got a last-minute plea to help referee a basketball game for mentally handicapped youths. He drove his mother home, then went to the game. That was the last time they spoke. He later came home and went to bed.

Indianapolis Fire Department spokesman Capt. Gregg Harris said people reported the fire at six minutes to midnight. Firefighters arrived in four minutes.

Rogers remembered waking up to a thick cloud of heavy, black smoke. "I couldn't tell if it was a dream or what," he said.

He started down the hall to find his mother, but the smoke was too thick. He returned to his room and opened the second-floor window, but the smoke got worse, he said.

Once more, he tried to get down the hallway but had to return to the window to breathe. Then he blacked out.
Harris said Beckwith was found on the ground, four or five feet from the front door.
"Whether I jumped or whether I was pushed and God's angels took me down . . . " Rogers shook his head. "I didn't hear her call me or anything."

He and two firefighters were treated at Methodist Hospital.
Rogers worries that the cause was an electric space heater. He and his mother had just bought more oil for the furnace, but she used the heater for comfort.

Harris said the cause will remain undetermined because the damage was too extensive. For safety reasons, a large backhoe tore down what remained of the house Tuesday afternoon.

Firefighters told neighbors their rescue attempt was hampered by clutter inside the home.
Rogers said his mother liked to collect antiques. And friends said Beckwith was always saving paper, art supplies and other items to donate to child care centers and other groups.

Pat Payne, IPS director of multicultural education, said Beckwith, even in recent years, remained involved. "She was just an icon in the community," said Payne. "She drew her energy from helping others." About 6 a.m. Tuesday, a friend called Payne to tell her she had seen Beckwith's house on fire and that maybe Beckwith hadn't gotten out.

By the time Payne arrived, only a charred shell remained.
Despite the heat and water, many mementos survived, Harris said, including election pamphlets dating to 1960. That year, Beckwith's future husband, Frank -- a janitor who had become a lawyer and judge -- ran in Indiana's Republican presidential primary. Facing Vice President Richard Nixon, Frank Beckwith got about 20,000 votes.

At the time, he was believed to be the first black person to run in a presidential primary.
Beckwith's husband died in 1965, 14 months after they married. She went on to complete a 20-year career as an IPS kindergarten teacher. Even after she retired in 1984, she continued to mentor "at-risk" students at Washington High School.

"Feisty and with-it," recalled City Councilwoman Jackie Nytes, who met Beckwith after Nytes became associate director of the library in 1988.

Beckwith also volunteered as a Bible teacher at the Marion County Jail for more than four decades. Her pastor at Barnes United Methodist Church, the Rev. Charles R. Harrison, said ex-inmates often called her "Momma Beckwith" and thanked her.

"She treated them like anyone else," he said. "She really loved people." Starting last year, she served on an editorial page advisory board for The Indianapolis Star. Tuesday morning, Martin University had a brief prayer service for Beckwith, and those gathered sang "Sweet Low, Sweet Chariot" -- all three verses, Hardin said.

"She touched everybody. She was always thinking of someone else," he said. "All I've been doing is talking to friends on the phone and comforting them. I guess I need a little comforting myself. But she's in heaven, and that's where we're trying to get to."

Richard Newman is running for Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey Committee on the Democratic ticket
  Richard Newman, Class of 1965 has lived in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey for more than seven years and has resided in Atlantic County since 1981. If you examine his life, you will see that he is a man of principle that believes in the betterment of his community and improving the quality of life of all the community’s residents.
   Newman has devoted his entire adult life to government service. He is an Army veteran and spent more than 30 years working for the Federal Aviation Administration. He has held many leadership positions within the government. In fact, he was one of the founders and the first president of the Technical Center Region of the National Black Coalition of Federal Aviation Employees. Under his leadership, the Coalition supported the community through several programs such as mentoring, feeding, and aviation awareness. Additionally, the Coalition provided numerous scholarships to deserving high school seniors throughout the Atlantic County area. His desire to fulfill his potential as a leader motivated him to earn a master’s degree in management with a concentration in leadership from Thomas Edison State College.
  When Newman retired from government service last year, he was the Civil Rights manager at the William J. Hughes Technical Center. In this position, Newman fought for the rights of the worker and the fairness of the system. His time in the Civil Rights Office helped him to see more clearly the need for getting people involved in whatever they hold dear to them.
  The 56-year-old, Indianapolis native believes that the citizens of Egg Harbor Township deserve the best service and commitment. However, he believes that to get the best, the citizens must be active participants in the process, i.e. citizens must get involved and hold the people that represent them accountable. Newman lives by this principle which is why he tries to be active in things that matter to him. However, he frequently goes a step further by serving in leadership positions.
  Newman is also an active member of the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Pleasantville, where he serves in the following areas:
Adult Sunday School Teacher
Assistant Superintendent, Sunday School
President, Male Voices
Youth Mentor
Computer Lab Coordinator and Instructor
Leadership Workshop Facilitator
  Newman’s leadership extends beyond church and career. His commitment to the youth of the community has also extended to Atlantic Cape Community College. There he has served as a Peer Mentor and community representative on the Board of Trustees’ Minority Advisory Committee.
  He is married with four grown children and nine grandchildren. His son is also a resident of Egg Harbor Township. Newman has found how to add a good balance to life. He participates in Tai Chi, is an avid reader, coaches third and fourth grade girl’s basketball in the EHT PAL League, is a big sports fan and enjoys jogging and weightlifting.

Diane Matchem-Jackson, Class of 1969 Appears on Front Page of the Indianapolis Recorder
February 20, 2004