BEDELL SPEAKS & WORKS Maryland Persons of the Year 2015

The following Marylanders have been selected by The Bedell Speaks & Works online blog column as distinct persons of the Year 2015. Please take your own time to read the claims with open mind.

When working out the details on writing this column one of my daughters said I should let everyone know that I gave up the financial world, cashed in the chips so to speak and went off to really live life with all its beauty exposed to me. Assuredly I had seen what economic enslavement is all about. Funny how you can learn to live on bread and butter when you really want to, when the reward is your soul's growth.

As beauty is diametrically opposite to ugly you can work out the math when I tell you that I have found, seen and lived things of such great beauty that a billionaire would trade places with me to have lived it; yet it is not for sale but is given freely to those that choose to awaken from within to be all that they can be.

My late Dad taught me that things are not always as they appear to be. God rest his soul (actually he is back as one of the twins) he took it all in good stride. So read on, learn what your soul wants you to know. 'Just because you do not believe that something is true does not mean it is not true'; that is until you prove or disprove it for yourself. If my sentences seem to get too long sometimes, known as run on, please forgive me and edit yourself, to what you believe it to mean, just remember that 'things are not always as they appear to be'.

This work is dedicated to all Marylanders, Edward Nagbe (the martyr volunteer) and to humanity, to you and you and you. May you find some light within and continue to live the joys of it all on your path to conscious enlightenment. In neuro-linguistics parlance, things can easily be mixed up in the sense that we can make ourselves mean what we want them to mean. Sort of our take on reality and thus make it mean this or that. So, please remember throughout this Article, that while trying to be explicit as possible, do not just take things to mean what you would like them to mean, try and understand the flavor of it and thus attain the true 'gnosis' of what is being said and thus meant. The 'gnosis' of it would be the 'higher, leaning towards, truth' of what is being accomplished by those we mentioned herein.  Feel the message in your heart as you read it with your mind. These are two processes that when joined within you allow you to really understand the 'total' meaning of our work.

Maryland County is situated deep in the belly and keyhole of the Southeastern Region of the Republic of Liberia. For this reason, like all other counties in the Southeast, it is marginalized. But thank God, its sons and daughters can rise up to the challenge to move her forward in terms of human resource and infrastructural development.

Amongst those sons and daughters of Maryland, there are a few who are chosen each year for their contributions and stances on issues in that year. The following represent the ones who were voted by Marylanders in the Diaspora and at home in Maryland.

ELIZABETH DAVIS RUSSELL Maryland woman of the Year 2015. She towered over all other Maryland women in her work and contributions to Maryland, yea Liberia. Dr. Russell partook in the establishment of The William V. S. Tubman University in Maryland County and since then became its President taking it from “nothing” to “something” placing it the legion of national and global universities. There was no indication the University would reach the point of development it has reached. Because, there was a belief that since it did not begin as an associate degree program and shooting straight to a four-year program, it would fail. Seven years ago, the University is only still standing, it is reaching noblest heights. The University is incomparable to any university in Liberia and elsewhere when it comes to students’ deportment and comportment. It is refined! Dr. Russell withstood the test of time to raise up the name of the University. To date, students are transported to and from class by buses owned and run by the University. This was then unimaginable! To date, it is as real as life itself. Having not resided in Liberia for quite too long, no one thought Dr. Russell would spend the next Evening in Maryland when she first arrived. More than six years gone, she’s still a trailblazer. Dr. Russell was initially misunderstood due to media hype. Those who did not trust her style of administration (no nonsense) and yet they trust her with their children at the University.

BHOFAL CHAMBERS Maryland Man of the Year 2015 is very principled. Through the passageway of life and in the course of human events, there are very few men who stand for principles and hold on to them even at the time when all seems unfruitful and uncertain. One of those men happens to be Dr. Bhofal Chambers, representative for Pleebo/Sodokeh District in the Liberia House of Representatives. Malcolm X once observed, “I have more respect for a man who lets me know where he stands, even if he's wrong, than the one who comes up like an angel and is nothing but a devil.

ALLEN N. YANCY Humanitarian of the Year 2015. His values transcend politics. He’s humanistic. This man committed class suicide years ago before the expression and principle reached my generation in Maryland. He is one of the great national redemptive heroes of our time. “AY” as he’s affectionately known, has a philosophy in life that transcends politics. Thus, he’s not a politician but a revolutionary. He sets his life on the foundation of Gandhi’s wise saying, “Be the change you want to see.” He is a peerless hero, a pious and God-fearing man and verily a manifestation of all the virtues of a born leader. Allen would like to see his people happy. So he stretches out his hand to everyone he can reach, irrespective of class, origin and association. There is no caste and religious discrimination in his life. Everyone has equal rights even if he were poor or rich. As Managing Director of the Liberia Sugar Company (LIBSUCO), he demonstrated his love for all. He stands for humanity, freedom, brotherhood and justice. He is a symbol of intelligence. Allen is a teacher. His teaching spreads peacefully. He is spiritual, nonviolent, loves peace and love for all creatures of God. We are blessed to have someone such as Allen N. Yancy, III.

JAMES ELLIOTT Diaspora Man of the Year 2015. James has been working feverishly in almost all Maryland organizations in the United States. One of the founding members of Marylanders for Progress (MFP), National Association of Maryland County of Liberia in The Americas (NAMCAL) and others. Currently, he’s investing in infrastructure and partly human resource development in Harper City and its environs.

MARY BAdDWEHAYENE SETON Legendary Market woman of the Year 2015. She has been a market woman since the 60s and still a market woman. Currently, she is the longest serving market woman in the Harper General Market. Besides her, the rest of her generation has passed on to the great beyond. She remains standing. This woman whether you believe it or not, is a living legendary woman. See, women power did not just begin. Unnoticeably it’s been around for centuries in our country. It isn’t about celebrity or popularity; it’s about influence. In some cases to figure out a woman’s contribution, analysis looked for those who run countries, big companies or influential nonprofits. Their rankings are a combination of two scores: visibility and the size of the organization or country they lead. Mary Seton has done none of the above. She is a pure African market woman. She’s intrigued by her surrounding, evidential circumstances to her life and community. She’s a Christian. She gave her life and heart to Jesus Christ and accepts her condition. She has exhibited traces of exquisite sensibility, soundness of understanding, and decision of character. She received no literary instructions. The pecuniary concerns of her life made her practiced rigid economy in her expenditures, and with her savings is enabled to procure her children’s academic education, to which without aid, they could not have had access to university education.

Rev. Dr. JAMES N. WILSON voted Diaspora Maryland leader of the Year 2015. Rev. Dr. Wilson is currently President of NAMCAL-USA. Born and reared in Harper City, Maryland County. Rev. Wilson is a visionary.  

From time to time, many of us tend to experience an occasional insight which is simply the ability to change our filter and look at things differently.

In moments of insight, there's a sudden burst of clarity where there had previously been static; there is an epiphany of movement. It's the a-ha moment. When we are firmly entrenched in our beliefs and rooted in our certainty, some are not typically open to insights. Rev. Wilson has insight that makes him temporarily suspend his personal beliefs and open to new possibilities. He has been working feverishly hard to create the groundwork for it to come forth. In other words, he’s getting out of his own way, and opening to new considerations. Without insights we're shackled to a fixed and stagnating reality in which little changes. It tends to look as if life is just replaying itself, day in and day out. Rev. Wilson is a man with such marvelous insights as a leader.

ADAM GYUDE MOORE Maryland Youth of the Year 2015. He was elected in July, 2015, as First Vice President for administration of The Maryland Youth Association (MYA). The Election took place in Karlokeh, Karluway District of Maryland.

“A youth is a person who is going to carry on what you have started. He is going to sit where you are sitting and, when you are gone, attend to those things which you think are important. You may adopt all the policies you please, but how they will be carried out depends on him. He will assume control of your cities, states, and nation. He is going to move in and take over your churches, schools, universities, and corporations. The fate of humanity is in his hands. So it might be well to pay him some attention.”

Moore was able to apply himself progressively along with his immediate staff to convince the Local government of Maryland to allocate TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS for his youth organization. As far as known history can see, no youth achieved such to convince the County to ever allocate such an amount for youth development.

Gyude Moore won applause for his assertiveness and organizational skills. Besides, Gyude has been very instrumental in youth activities in the county including support for Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) activities throughout the county. Gyude is a sophomore student reading Agriculture at The Tubman University in Harper, Maryland County. His hobby include, sports, reading and debates. He loves Palm-Butter with kitty-lay, bitter roots, crab and good dry fish.

EDWARD NAGBE is voted volunteer martyr of our time. He led the charge to bring electricity to Maryland as a volunteer. He died as a volunteer. Without his volunteer contributions along with others, electricity would not have been a reality in Maryland. Isn’t it great to die for your country at the age of getting married? A brave man he was. Love him and a big salute to him. I He was a real HERO! As the record agent of the West African Power Pool and Liberia Electricity Corporation, Edward Nagbe has consistently demonstrated high moral and ethical standards. He was organized, highly dependable and took an effective systematic approach to solve issues or concerns. For more than three years, Edward volunteered his time to help establish electricity in Maryland and was instrumental in keeping development a key component of several programs within the process.

It is pathetic to see that Edward Nagbe doesn’t have a top place in our hearts. Let us not stop until Edward Nagbe has a colorful place in Maryland.

JOHN HILARY TUBMAN voted Maryland Businessman of the Year 2015. He is a young entrepreneur. Just like his late father, John Hilary Tubman who ran his father’s (Bor Willie) estate in Maryland, “Small” John or “John-John” as he is affectionately called, is making it happen in Montserrado County.

ROBERTA BROWN COOPER voted Diaspora Maryland Woman of the Year 2015. Roberta Brown Cooper has been in the vanguard in the formation of many Diaspora Maryland organization and has led some with flying colors.

PATRICK NUGBA Maryland Sports Official of the Year 2015. Patrick is entering his seventh year with the Maryland Sports and Athletic Commission.