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LEROY J. ADKINS
Mr. Adkins was born in St. Louis, Missouri on June 17,1933. He is married to Glenda Jane Watt Adkins and their anniversary is January 19th. They are members of Newstead Missionary Baptist Church where the Rev. W. A. Scott, Sr. is Pastor.
My greatest personal achievement is receiving a Master's Degree after dropping out of college as a freshman some 28 years prior. An adversity in my life which I will share is this: I was disliked by a supervisor a few years ago. He told me that he would check everything I did with a fine tooth comb in order to document firing me. He tried for about two years, but couldn't come up with anything. I never became angry with him and later he became one of my biggest supporters. My occupation is police officer with the rank of Captain. I like performing a service for the community and helping people. I am pleased to now be in charge of the Homicide Department for the St. Louis Police Department and am the first Black to hold such a position. MEMBERSHIP: Local treasurer of N.O.B.L.E. (National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives); and Dean of Pledgees of Upsilon Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Cherished awards are the Omega Man of the Year, given by Upsilon Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity; and the St. Louis Argus Newspaper Award for Distinguished Public Service. My hobbies are traveling, reading and playing golf. My favorite television programs are 60 MINUTES, THE JEFFERSONS and CAGNEY AND LACY. "Jubilee" by Margaret Walker is my favorite book. It is a poignant true story of a Black family and their struggle for survival during the Civil War era. Their love and devotion overwhelm me as they endure unspeakable hardships on the road to freedom, a magnificent time for jubilee. An instance of discrimination in my life occurred like this: During my stint in the U.S. Navy, I was the only Black on a troop train which stopped in Columbus, Georgia. I was told that I could not eat in the restaurant there because it did not serve Blacks. I was convinced by an elderly Black woman to come and eat at her house rather than protest, because as she stated, "We have to live here after this train is gone". I ate with the old lady. Childhood punishment: As a youngster, along with my sister Joyce, I was always fascinated by the clock which sat on the mantle in the family living room. We thought it was a toy and played with it often. One day we decided to find out what made it tick by manually moving the hands hour by hour. Each time the hands passed the bell (through our manipulation) we laughed. Round and round we moved the hands until one fell off. When questioned by our Dad, neither of us knew who did it. Dad would always punish us by making us stay in the house for weeks at a time. Oh, how I wanted to go outside. To look out the window at my friends riding their bikes and playing baseball in the street was punishment enough for me. A humorous family incident is this: There's always one in the family who wants to leave home and never return. So it was with my teenage brother Alfred, who hitchhiked to Michigan to become an "instant millionaire". The work was hard and the living wasn't easy. Two weeks was the extent of this new life. He called Dad to send him a train ticket home. One Sunday morning he arrived home with his knapsack on his shoulder after having walked from the Union Station. He received the name of "Hobo". We laughed about this incident at our family reunion in Indianapolis, Indiana, in June, 1982. I live in North St. Louis and find nothing too great about it. I choose to live here, remaining in the city rather than fleeing to the suburbs. The entertainment area has grown, however.
CAPTAIN LEROY ADKINS
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