STATE OF CONNECTICUT
NANCY WYMAN COMPTROLLER	OFFICE OF THE STATE COMPTROLLER 55 ELM STREET HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT 06106-1775	MARK OJAKIAN DEPUTY COMPTROLLER

Five high school juniors from Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport were presented awards by State Comptroller Nancy Wyman for their entries in an essay contest celebrating Black History Month.

The contest, created and administered by the Comptroller's office, was open to high school juniors in Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport. The winners received U.S. Savings Bonds in a ceremony held February 14 at the State Capitol that was attended by the students, family and friends.

"This contest was not only a great way for these students to explore the heritage of African-Americans, but was an incredible learning experience for myself and my staff," Wyman said. "Everyone involved in this project was rewarded with new insight into a very important part of our nation's history."

The winners were:

Contest Judges:

• Dr. R. Eileen Baccus -- Pres., Northwestern Community College
• Dorsey Kendrick-- Pres., Gateway Community College
• Dr. David G. Carter -- Pres., Eastern Connecticut State University
• Prof. Daniel Rothermel -- Eastern Connecticut State University
• State Representative Annette Carter -- Hartford
• State Representative Wade Hyslop -- New London
• Mr. Harry Hartie -- Hartford
• Mr. Charles Tisdale -- Bridgeport

Corporate Sponsors:

• FleetBank, represented at the awards ceremony by Chandler Howard, President, FleetBank CT.
• People's Bank, represented by Mike Casparino, Vice President/Hartford Region.

*Photographs of the awards ceremony are available upon request

Essay Winner Facts:

1.Elijah McCoy:

• Born May 2, 1844
• Parents were former slaves
• Escaped from Kentucky and became free Canadian citizens
• Settled in Michigan after the Civil War
• Invented the "Drip Cup" to lubricate engines without first shutting them down
• His invention revolutionized the railroad industry
• Held 56 different patents
• The phrase "real McCoy" was coined to distinguish Elijah McCoy inventions from other cheap imitations.

2. Robert Johnson:

• Born in Mississippi in 1911
• Traveling blues guitarist, singer & composer
• Died mysteriously in 1938 at age 27
• In 1990, SONY/Columbia Music reissues his original recordings and they stay on the Billboard Chart for 26 weeks.

3. Richard Allen:

• Born into slavery in Philadelphia on February 14, 1760
• One of the first African-Americans emancipated during the Revolutionary era
• Founded the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church
• AME was the first black-controlled denomination
• Allen was AME's first Bishop

4. Maya Angelou:

• Poet & author
• Survived great hardship as a child
• Internationally known & loved
• Read a commissioned work at Clinton inaugural

5. "Rivers" terrazzo floor/cosmograph created in 1991 for the Schomburg Library & Research Center in Harlem:

• created by Houston Conwill, Estella Conwill Majozo & Joseph DePace
• Inspired by "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes
• Follows the travels of Langston Hughes & Arthur Schomburg
• Excerpts of the poem are laid out to correspond to events in Hughes' life
• Hughes' ashes are buried at the center of the cosmograph

The State Comptroller appreciates input on this and other issues from residents of the state. Please feel free to contact her office by phone - (860) 702-3300; mail - OSC, 55 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106; or, via E-mail - osc.opinions@po.state.ct.us

Learn more about the Connecticut Comptroller's Office by calling up our Internet Home Page, at the link below.

For Immediate Release
February 20, 2001

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