Reflections on 40th BDPA Anniversary * Norman Mays

Norman Mays

Guest Blogger: Norman Mays, Past National President
'My 40-Year Historical Overview'

From Alpha to Omega - beginning to end – is an age old way of telling a story or reflecting upon the life of someone or something. For my brief story, there is a definite Alpha and may there not be an Omega for ages to come.

My 40-year journey with BDPA (Black Data Processing Associates) began in 1975, when founders Mr. Earl A. Pace, Jr., and the late David Wimberley created BDPA Philadelphia Chapter. I heard about the organization from Mr. Wilbur McReynolds, a mutual friend of Earl Pace. At that time, I was a Captain in the US Army, stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland and assigned to the first official US Army organization dedicated to Computer Systems Security. After being invited to be a speaker at one of the Philadelphia Chapter’s monthly program meetings, and coming to understand the value of the mission statement, I joined BDPA in 1976, not realizing that I had begun one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

I have remained involved with BDPA for the past 39 of those 40 years because the original mission statement spoke to me.

“To accumulate a pool of data processing knowledge and business experience with the intention of utilizing these resources to strengthen the expertise of the minority members of the data processing community; offer this expertise to minorities evaluating data processing for future career / business potential; and broaden the data processing knowledge of the minority community as a whole and participate in all activities directly related thereto.”

NOTE: The current mission statement has fewer words, but still embraces the original vision.

That was it for me. Throughout my 20 years of service in the US Army, my experiences have taught me that service and commitment are crucial keys to personal and organizational success.

Now, before I go any further, I want to give a standing ovation and strong kudos to those persons who over the years have volunteered their time, energy, talent, expertise, counsel and on occasion, a personal 'coin or two' while serving as: active members; committee chairpersons; chapter officers; outside directors; national officers; and any other positive support activity/position.

Some of the past National presidents

As our elected servant leaders (though not listed here), the lineup of National Presidents over the past 40 years deserve special praise. Like life, being a National BDPA President is not always an easy task, but from my experience, it is and certainly has been worth it. Life goes in cycles, sometimes up and sometimes down. But through it all, we have been blessed to have had some awesome, very talented 'Captains at the helm' of our BDPA ship. May that blessing continue.

My personal advice?

“By keeping one’s eyes on the mission and one’s heart on the people it takes to make it happen, one will rarely, if ever, go wrong.”

During the early days of my membership, I served as a National Vice President, two terms as National President, founded the Washington, D.C. Chapter, founded the Cleveland Chapter, and helped other chapters form to enter the BDPA family. As of this writing, I am still actively involved in BDPA Cleveland Chapter.

So here is a question: What is your commitment to the mission and vision of BDPA and how are you serving?

Throughout the years, BDPA and our members have been recognized for their accomplishments, via many media sources. One special media source has been the Diversity Careers in Engineering & Information Technology Magazine.

 I have selected two issues for you to review online.

1. You can go to: www.diversitycareers.com. There you will see their last issue (December 2014/January 2015); however, their previous issues are available by selecting the link “Click here for Digital Edition”, then select the “Archives” tab near the upper right corner.
2. My specific selections are: [“October/November 2010”, pages 90, 91 & 93 and100 & 101] -- highlights from our 2010 National Conference and Career Fair. 
3.  The next selection is: [“October/ November 2012”, pages 93 to 96 and 98 & 99] – it highlights the work of Dr. Jesse Bemley and Kevin Robinson as part of the STEM portion of our high school student program.
4. Additionally, the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF), born out of BDPA, is highlighted on pages 100 & 101 of the same issue. They are comprised of senior level IT professionals whose role has been to mentor members seeking greater career responsibilities.

Dr. Jesse Bemley

This story would not be anywhere close to telling without recognizing a true, “in the trenches” supporter of BDPA. He is one who has implemented the Mission by creating and guiding the BDPA High School Student Computer Competition (HSCC) and the BDPA IT Showcase -- Dr. Jesse Bemley. His foresight, patience and commitment have been invaluable. Through the BDPA family, the lives he has touched and their personal and economic impacts are astronomical. Why wouldn’t a person join BDPA when they have friends like Jesse? (EDITORIAL NOTE: Honor Dr. Bemley with donation to the Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship Fund).

Dr. Demo Solaru

On another note of interest – in 2008, while listening to the Ambassador of Tanzania during his conference keynote speech, Dr. Demo Solaru (BDPA Cleveland) and I were inspired by the ambassadors request for BDPA to become more involved globally. Dr. Solaru and I represented BDPA on a trip to Tanzania, Africa to explore and promote a student-based IT educational concept we called 'The BDPA IT Corps'. It’s similar to the Peace Corps, except the design is with computer technology and our HSCC students. The concept was enthusiastically received by everyone to whom we spoke. Timing became the primary downside. The effects of the recession of 2008 reared its ugly head for our corporate sponsors, members, and ultimately for BDPA. Though the original form of the program has been downsized, the greater concept is still viable.

There is so much more that could be said about the past 40 years – the outstanding people, programs and events that have occurred in our local chapters is a story all by itself. The corporate support has been fantastic. Participation in the annual BDPA Career Fairs has been great. I love the coffee cups and pens! I understand the business case and many members have elevated their careers through BDPA. Kudos to each of you!

Earl Pace, Jr.

The value of the non-profit “wing” – our BDPA Education and Technology Foundation cannot be overlooked as a major growth factor for BDPA. One of our former National Presidents, Mr. Wayne Hicks, has been at the helm for many years. He is another of BDPA’s blessings.

In closing, I think it’s only fitting that we recognize our co-founder, Mr. Earl A. Pace, Jr. for all the work he has done over these past 40 years. Along with your blood, sweat and tears, BDPA has been elevated to the high levels of credibility. For example, Mr. Pace was inducted into the CompTIA Information Technology Hall of Fame in 2011, joining the likes of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

Please remember – WE – All of us are BDPA. So don’t hesitate to flash a warm smile and give a Big BDPA Family Hug as often as you can.

Much love to everyone. WOW! It’s been an awesome 40 years!!

Norman Mays, Past President
National BDPA

Throwback Thursday: 1986 National BDPA Technology Conference

This picture taken during the 8th Annual National BDPA Technology Conference held in 1986 at the Atlanta Peachtree Plaza hotel.

L-R: Earl Pace (founder), Larry Calloway (1986 BDPA Atlanta chapter president), Juanita Goss (1986 BDPA conference director), Joshua Smith (Keynote Speaker), Sheryl Gipson Franklin (1991-1992 BDPA Atlanta chapter president) and Norman Mays (past national president).

Where Are They Now? BDPA Cleveland Chapter Presidents

BDPA Cleveland chapter was founded in November 1980.  The idea of BDPA was brought to Cleveland by Norman Mays.   Norman served as president of the BDPA Washington DC chapter when he moved to Cleveland in 1980.   He found like-minded people in Cleveland who wanted an organization that would help advance the careers of African Americans in the information technology industry.

Gerry McClamy, Norman Mays, Vivian Wilson

I would love to hear from someone that could tell me the names of the other folks who joined Norman Mays as the initial charter members of the BDPA Cleveland chapter.   Do you know any of those names?

Their decision to create a chapter was a good one as evidenced by the fact that BDPA Cleveland was named 'Chapter of the Year' in 1986 and 1987.  BDPA Cleveland always believed in the concept of 'One BDPA'.   One of my earliest memories of the cooperation and support by BDPA Cleveland was at a regional conference that they hosted in 1989.  I remember traveling there with others from BDPA Detroit chapter.  We learned a great deal about how to successfully build a local chapter ... lessons that we put into practice immediately on our return to Detroit.

One of my two favorite people in BDPA is from Cleveland -- Vivian Wilson.  I served as National Vice President during Vivian's term as national president.  Did you know that Vivian is the only person in the 35+ years of BDPA history to be elected National President without ever serving as a local chapter president?   She was the BDPA Cleveland chapter vice president when she was elected to serve as our national president in the early 1990s.   Vivian earned a number of national awards over the years: Member of the Year (1986), President's Award (1988) and the BDPA Excellence in Leadership Award (1992),


Other award winners from BDPA Cleveland chapter include: Gerry McClamy (Member of the Year, 1995), Willard Brown (Outstanding Chapter President, 2006) and Monica Bowe (Member of the Year, 2010).

It would be great to hear from our past, current and future BDPA Cleveland chapter presidents. Here is the list as best we can tell:

Ken Wilson

• Norman Mays (1980-1982)
• Barbara Whitfield (1983-1984)
• Ken Wilson (1985-1989, 1995, 2008-2009)
• George Williams (1990-1992)
• Crystal Kelson Farmer (1993-1994)
• Judy Williams (1996)
• Bruce Keene (1997-2002)
• Beverly Peterson (2003-2004)
• Willard Brown (2005-2007)
• Henry Wiggins (2010-2011)
• Demo Solaru (2012-2014)

It is worth noting that Norman Mays and George Williams are past BDPA Cleveland chapter presidents who served for a number of years as the national BDPA president.   Monica Bowe is the only other BDPA Cleveland chapter member (to my knowledge) to serve on the national BDPA executive committee.   Monica served as both our acting VP-Finance (2010) and our Outside Director (2010-2011).

The chapter hosted the national BDPA Technology Conference in 1994 ('Unleashing the Power of a Creative People').

The chapter competes regularly in the national high school computer competition (HSCC). BDPA Cleveland chapter has never won the national HSCC championship.  However, they did finish as high as 3rd place in 1990.  That 1990 HSCC team consisted of four remarkable high school students: Ronald Banks, Phillip Chow, James Gombas and Justin Polburn.

We've mentioned alot of names in this blog post.   The question remains:

Where are they now?

Related articles

• History of BDPA Awards (1986-2011)

Where Are They Now? BDPA Washington DC Chapter Presidents

BDPA Washington DC chapter was founded in May 1978 by Norman Mays. This was a significant event in BDPA history as it moved the organization from a local phenomenon in Philadelphia to a 'national' movement.

Our Washington DC chapter hosted national BDPA technology conferences in 1979 ('The Role of the Black Technical Organization), 1980 ('A New Era of Minority Involvement in Data Processing'), 1990 ('Education and Technology Bonding for Excellence'), 2000 ('Taking IT to the Net: From High-Tops to High-Tech') and 2007 ('Global Strategy for the IT Professional').

BDPA Washington DC won the national high school computer competition (HSCC) championship in 1986 and 1990. Sadly, our historical archives are not complete, so we do not know the names of the young people that won those two championships.

Here are some HSCC alumni from our Washington DC chapter who shared their testimonials with us: Stephanie Lampkin (2000), Janeen Thomas (2003) and Tarik Massac (2006-2008).

We would love to make a connection with other HSCC alumni from our Washington DC chapter. Where are they now?

It surprised me to learn that BDPA Washington DC chapter has never won 'Chapter of the Year' honors. Perhaps current chapter president Perry Carter can bring that honor to our nation's capital this year?

A number of past BDPA Washington DC chapter presidents have served important roles at the national level. Norman Mays was our second national president. Dr. Jesse Bemley invented both the High School Computer Competition and the BDPA IT Showcase. Margaret 'Midge' Jennings was our first-ever BDPA executive director. It would be great if we could hear from each of the past BDPA Washington DC chapter presidents:

• Norman Mays (1978-1980)
• Wilbur MacReynolds (1981-1982)
• Shirley Ginwright (1983-1984)
• Jessie Bemley (1985-1986)
• Linnie Frank Bailey (1987-1988) [shown in photo]
• Margaret Jennings (1989-1990)
• Michael Harvey (1991-1992)
• William Johnson (1993-1994)
• Debbie Hodnett (1995-1996)
• Rudy Duke (1997-1998)
• Jimm Middleton (1999-2000)
• Reginald Crawley (2001-2002)
• Gerald Peppers (2003-2004)
• Gwen Hunnicutt (2005-2006) [shown in photo]
• Marcella Black-Caro (2007) [shown in photo]
• Perry Carter (2008-2012)

Where Are They Now?

Take Five: John Hoffler (Charlotte)

Can you tell me what Linnie Bailey, James Banks, John Hoffler, Norman Mays, Michael McCrimmon and Jimm Middleton have in common?

I'll share the answer at the end of this Take Five interview with John Hoffler.

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1. How did you get involved in working with BDPA? - It's hard to remember now, but I believe I was introduced to BDPA through an article in Black Enterprise. The article included the national site URL, so I searched the site for a St. Louis chapter. Once I joined BDPA I quickly became involved in the St. Louis HSCC program. Mark Grady was the chapter president and we had frequent conversations about what the chapter could do to make an impact on the St. Louis community. Mark encouraged me to run for president.
2. What is the most rewarding aspect of working with BDPA? - I have often commented that when we are young we imagine that we can change the world. As we grow more mature we begin to realize that changing the world requires a broad range of skills. BDPA St. Louis was an organization that collected people with different skills and different life experiences, but the same overarching goals. We sought to make volunteering as easy and stress-free as possible, building a chapter of teachers, database administrators, project managers, programmers, and even graphic artists. We felt like we could take on any program that was sufficiently valuable. That feeling was the most rewarding aspect of working BDPA -- the feeling that we could change the world.
3. Tell us about a defining moment in your life? - During my freshman year at MIT I answered a volunteer request to help the supply officer at my Navy ROTC unit. My first semester had not gone very well, both from an academic and military point of view. Only in hindsight do I see that I wasn't successful because I wasn't engaged. I believe that many people obey the rule, "the less you do, the less you want to do." Working in the supply office made ROTC a bigger part of my college life, which led me to invest more in all other facets of the ROTC program. I also got more engaged outside of ROTC. I joined the MIT Jazz Band and volunteered as a physics and math tutor with the Black Student Union. The turn-around was profound. I was a poorly ranked freshman, nearly kicked out of ROTC by an academic review board. Junior year I earned the first straight-A's in my life during what is supposed to be an MIT Physics major's most difficult semester. That feat helped me become Midshipman of the Year for Academic Excellence. The following year I was appointed Battalion Executive Officer, the second highest rank in the ROTC unit. My college experience has taught me that engagement counts - I fully engage in all endeavors and I only undertake activities that justify the time commitment associated with full engagement.
4. Who is your hero and why? - I don't have the sort of personality that contemplates hero status for people.
5. Any advice for people considering donation to BETF? - BDPA is a volunteer organization focused on the relationship of Information Technology and African Americans with regard to education, business, and the general community. Monetary funding is only one third of the support BDPA needs for its mission. We need experience and ideas about how BDPA can make a positive impact on the world. That's what gives your donation meaning. Finally, we need "boots on the ground" - your volunteer time gives these world-impacting ideas concrete substance. If you've given of your purse, also consider giving your mind and your hands.

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John is a remarkable man. It is worth noting that his daughter was a member of the BDPA Charlotte HSCC team that competed for the 2009 national championship in Raleigh NC.

Oh yeah ... the answer to the question in the opening paragraph? Methinks that these are the only five people in BDPA's history to serve as chapter president for more than one chapter: Bailey (Washington DC and Inland Empire), Banks (Bay Area and Kansas City), Hoffler (St. Louis and Greenville), Mays (Washington DC and Cleveland) and McCrimmon (Indianapolis and Atlanta).

BDPA Cleveland Chapter Supports IT Corps Program

BDPA Cleveland Chapter Supports IT Corps Program. This 3-part video was taken by Henry Ford at the Community Meeting hosted on 11/17/2009 by BDPA Cleveland chapter. This 3-part video features a comprehensive overview of the BDPA IT Corps by Ademola Solaru and Norman Mays.

Part 1-of-3



Part 2-of-3



Part 3-of-3



I hope that other chapters are discussing the BDPA IT Corps. Our goal is to have BDPA students from around the nation added to the BDPA IT Corps in 2010. Are you interested in learning more?

BDPA Legacy: Norman Mays

Originally Posted: December 11, 2007

BETF-Blog Readers, one of our goals is to provide a repository of information about our BDPA legacy. We hope that reading about our heroes and sheroes of BDPA's past you will be encouraged to help raise money to fund scholarships and youth education programs for our future legends. Please consider clicking here to make an online donation today.

Today we share information about a prolific BDPA leader who founded BDPA chapters in both Washington DC and Cleveland OH. Norman Mays served as the 2nd national BDPA president in 1981-1984. He led the annual conferences held in Philadelphia (1981, 'Growth Through Professional Association'), Detroit (1982, 'Entrepreneurship: A Successful Attitude'), Newark (1983, 'Rise to the Challenge') and Cleveland (1984, 'Information Processing: A Vote for the Future').

Norman is a native Clevelander who graduated from the "old" Glenville High School in January 1959. In August 1959, he entered the US Army where he served for 20 years, specializing in administration, military intelligence and computers. During various assignments, he attended several colleges and began the national expansion of a professional computer organization. Upon retiring from the service in 1979, he spent ten years in the corporate world. Tiring of corporate downsizings, and recognizing the need to have a "safety net", he became an entrepreneur. Norman is currently doing his thing within the financial services industry in Cleveland.

BETF-Blog Readers, Norman is a brother with immense passion for BDPA. He is writing a book on BDPA history. He envisions a televised documentary with BDPA leaders, past and present, talking about the magic of our programs and services.

Norman had a "eureka" moment at a presentation by the Ethiopian Minister of Finance at the 2007 national BDPA conference held in Washington DC when BDPA was challenged to develop an 'IT Peace Corps' ... ambassadors from an advanced nation providing services, developmental support and clarity in IT to the underdeveloped world. Norman wrote,

"We live in an increasingly connected global village, and as an IT organization, we observe many enterprises adapting to the challenges and opportunities of globalization. Without changing BDPA’s core mission, but to expand it, one such intersection of opportunity to impact BDPA in remarkable and unprecedented ways has been presented to us."

Norman accepted the challenge by teaming with Dr. Ademola Solaru to create a proposal that would aggressively move BDPA into the African continent. The proposal is currently under review by the National Executive Committee. I encourage any of you with interest in the book, documentary or IT Peace Corps to reach out to Bro. Mays in the COMMENTS section below.

BDPA IT Corps: Can We Go Global?

Norman Mays is a man with a vision. His vision led him to become the founder of BDPA chapters in Cleveland and Washington DC. His vision led him to become our national BDPA president from 1981 thru 1984.

Norman Mays currently has a vision about taking BDPA to Africa.

He partnered with Ademola Solaru to propose that our Student IT Education & Scholarship (SITES) program be expanded to include students from different countries in Africa. Norman and Ademola traveled to Tanzania earlier this year to meet with African officials at the Leon Sullivan Summit to talk about creation of a BDPA IT Corps ... loosely based on the Peace Corps concept.

We are now entering into the second year of the pilot program. The BDPA IT Corps is a program that is characterized by connectivity on an international level - through computer technology as well as by establishing direct social ties. It is designed to work hand in hand with the SITES and the BDPA IT Showcase. Its mission is to broaden the experiences and professional preparation of its participants through exchanges of technology and cultural knowledge that address community issues in the United States and in developing countries.

The mission will be fulfilled by visits to African countries by teams of BDPA high school computer competition (HSCC) alumni students. While in Africa, the students and chaperones will participate in visits to educational institutions in order to meet, socialize and work with local peer group students. They will engage in discussions on a variety of technology topics and creation of African-based computer competitions.

At this stage we need to raise money to fund this program. You can help by making a pledge to the BDPA IT Corps program. Or you can direct us to a funding source in America or Africa that you think might be interested in working with the BDPA IT Corps program.

Please share your thoughts via the COMMENTS option below. We need to generate some enthusiasm and support for this program. What say u?

Will You Support 'Day of Blogging For Justice: Community Organizers'?

I am a member of The AfroSpear. I think that Sarah Palin is out of line with her caustic criticism of community organizers like Martin Luther King Jr. or Norman Mays.

As such, I will participate in the Day of Blogging for Justice: Community Organizers on Monday September 8, 2008. I will join other AfroSpear members by blogging about community organizers and the great work they have done in America's communities.

I invite you to participate as either a blogger or a blog reader.

BDPA IT Corps Unveiled at Leon Sullivan Summit in Tanzania

The BDPA Education & Technology Foundation (BETF) provided grant funding to empower BDPA's efforts to establish itself on the on the global landscape. BDPA will unveil its Information Technology (IT) Corps at the Leon H. Sullivan Economic Summit, an annual economic development conference being held in Arusha, Tanzania.

“This is our response to a rapidly globalizing world, and we are taking our place in it”, remarked Norman Mays as he prepared for the trip this week. Mays, an entrepreneur and past national president of BDPA serves as the first Executive Director of the IT Corps initiative. Similar to the Peace Corps, BDPA's IT Corps will send teams of young adults on technology-based community service missions in the United States and to targeted locations abroad, particularly Africa. Mays added that “….this is an exciting new journey and we hope to engage many of the (30) African countries that have already showed interest and will be represented at the conference.”

In the near future, IT Corps members will assist students in African countries to review existing civic priorities and jointly devise technology based solutions that are locally effective and globally relevant. Dr. Demo Solaru, the IT Corps's Director of International Relations from BDPA Cleveland chapter, will participate on this trip also. An African immigrant, he maintains that “……Africa is ripe for this initiative - capacity building, knowledge sharing and transfer - our youth have the most fertile minds. In the United States, they have already showed us what's possible. In an interconnected world, this is the logical next level.”

The premise of the Leon H. Sullivan Summit is socio-economic development in Africa through foreign direct investment. A specific area of interest to BDPA is the summit's stated objective to advance information technology through regional economic community discussions. BDPA's IT Corps student teams will be doing just that - sharing the many skills learned in BDPA's mentoring, competition and technology education initiatives in the United States with colleagues in Africa and around the world, and applying these skills to real world problems.

The first student teams should deploy as early as summer 2009. What are your thought of the BDPA IT Corps concept?

Grant Recipient: National BDPA ($2,975)

The BDPA Foundation approved $2,975 grant funding to National BDPA's member services business area. The funds will be used in two areas:

1. BDPA International IT Corps - BDPA seeks to add a new program to the Student IT Education & Scholarship (SITES) program that would call for summer swaps of HSCC students in American with technology-aware students in Africa. Phase I of the project calls for Norman Mays to attend Sullivan Conference in Tanzania to identify educational institutions for BDPA to partner with on this project. BDPA Foundation provided $2,000 in funding to support this project.
   
2. BDPA IT Institute - We are providing $975 in hardship scholarship funding to support tuition for three students in the Spring 2008 session of BDPA IT Institute. These students will begin their distance learning certification process on May 12, 2008.

Please consider making tax-deductible donation to the BDPA Foundation so that we might continue to fund these programs in the future. We need the funds in order to advance the careers of African Americans in the IT industry from the 'classroom to the boardroom'. What are you waiting for? Make a small donation right now!

BDPA Cleveland Election Results

BETF-Blog Readers, please join me in congratulating the 2008-2009 officers of the BDPA Cleveland chapter.

2008-2009 BDPA Cleveland Chapter Officers

• President - Kenneth Wilson (Wilco Information Management)
• President-Elect - Aubrey Morgan (KeyBank)
• VP-Finance - David Moore (Self-Employed)
• Immediate Past President - Willard Brown (National City)
• Founder - Norman Mays (Self-Employed)

These brothers have the challenge of maintaining the remarkable legacy of a chapter, founded in November 1980, that currently sits as the 8th largest chapter in America. Share some love in the comments section for Kenneth (shown in photo) and his incoming leadership team.