P7
March 2013
P6
March 2013
eraldineDavis
knowsallaboutthechallengesfacing
teenage mothers as they try to continue their education.
More than 30 years ago, she was that teen mom.
After Geraldine gave birth to her daughter,
LaTonya
, she refused to give up on college or a
career. Her parents in Tulsa, Okla., cared for the
girl while Geraldine earned a bachelor’s degree in
special education from Oklahoma State University,
graduating in 1983. Mother and child moved within a
year to the Dallas area, where Geraldine found work
teaching children with learning disabilities.
She’s still there, teaching at Robert T. Hill Middle
School in the Dallas Independent School District, and
what a story she has to tell.
“It was difficult, but it can be done,” says Geraldine, 52,
who went on to earn master’s degrees in education
administration and special education from Grand
Canyon University and is tracking to receive a
doctorate, also from GCU, in organizational leadership
this summer.
And little LaTonya? Now 34, she has a bachelor’s
in business administration from Texas Southern
University and a master’s in leadership from GCU and
is on pace to receive the same doctorate as her mother
from GCU in the summer.
If you’re keeping score, that’s two women, six doctoral
residencies, four degrees from GCU – and one huge
inspiration to us all.
“We basically grew up together,” Geraldine says of
their close bond. Both are members of the Southwest
Dallas County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma
Theta, a predominantly African-American sorority of
college-educated women.
There’s more. Geraldine married LaTonya’s father,
Charles Davis
, in 1986, and their two sons –
Eric
,
24, and
Deric
, 20 – also know the meaning of hitting
the books. Eric graduated magna cum laude from
Morehouse College in kinesiology, health and physical
education and is taking pre-med classes toward
becoming an orthopedic surgeon. Deric is studying
criminal justice and playing football at Texas A&M
University-Commerce.
“Education is so vital to success,” Geraldine says. “It
determines your livelihood. ... My inspiration was my
children. I had to be a model for them, so that they’d
be even more successful than me. I was the first of five
siblings to graduate from college.
“We’re beginning a legacy.”
To hear them tell it, Geraldine and LaTonya are just
getting warmed up. Their goal is to launch a nonprofit
organization that will provide services and support for
teen mothers.
“The vision has a three-point thrust of career, health
and education,” Geraldine says. “We want to motivate
and encourage them to pursue their dreams and goals.”
LaTonya, who is on the staff of St. John Church in Grand
Prairie, Texas, where Geraldine also is a member, says
the women have observed an aching need in the Dallas
area and plan to start locally.
“We see teen pregnancies every day,” she says. “They
don’t know what to do. They need the moral support,
someone as an example. Their mother may not have
been a teen mother.
“(A college education) may not be for everyone, but
everyone needs to have a successful career to be able
to provide for their family.”
Geraldine acknowledges that she benefited from the
assistance of her parents,
Gerald andMary Reynolds
,
who recognized that their daughter was destined to
go places in life. LaTonya says there’s no better mentor
for young women who are at a crossroads than one
who has been at that difficult place herself.
“My mother is such a wonderful example to all three of her
children,” LaTonya says. “She’s a tough act to follow.”
■
online
Doctoral learners LaTonya (left) and Geraldine Davis
expect to receive their degrees together later this year.
Photo courtesy of Davis family
Mother, daughter
from Texas want to
inspire teen girls
DUAL DOCTORATES
DUAL DOCTORATES
– by Doug Carroll
G
Olivia’s mom,
Gretchen Baumgardner
, remembered
one of their first hospital visits. At one point, Olivia
looked up as the two were snuggled under a
blanket and cried as she said, “Mommy, I don’t want
any shots anymore.”
“It just rippedmy heart out of my chest,” saidBaumgardner,
who, along with husband
Michael
and Olivia’s sister
Ella
, 3, will be returning to the race this year. “That’s the
last thing you want to hear your child say.”
GCU’s community outreach manager,
Jose Moreno
,
and his colleagues from the Office of Communications
and Public Affairs have grown the race into more of a
festival-like event. He and others have advocated for a
national campaign to fight childhood cancer, marked by
gold ribbons in September. Runners and walkers will be
provided with gold shoelaces to wear, and young cancer
survivors will receive gold, superhero-like capes for the
cancer survivors’ walk.
Race supporters have seen some children pass away in
the midst of their fight against cancer, their memories
now etched on a Hero Wall. Moreno said the father of a
child who died from leukemia drove to GCU from Yuma
to help say goodbye and grieve. Like others involved
with the race, getting to know the children affected by
cancer focused his attention to the cause.
“I’ve also seen kids can live through it and persevere,”
said Moreno, who has been instrumental in etching the
Run to Fight in more hearts and minds.
This March marks another step toward that goal, with
Grace, Olivia, Cooper and every other childhood
cancer survivor out the of gate to lead the charge.
■
Getting to know
Children’s Cancer Network
Proceeds from GCU’s Run to Fight Children’s Cancer
benefit the Arizona-based nonprofit Children’s Cancer
Network and Phoenix Children’s Hospital. CCN
provides programs and services that assist families
dealing with the emotional, physical and financial
strain of a child’s treatment.
Programs:
CCN supplies families with basics such
as admission bags (care packages with toothbrushes,
tissues, writing materials, teddy bears, etc.) and
prepaid gas cards to help ease the massive financial
burden of cancer. Programs also link families with the
best resources based on their individual needs and
help childhood cancer survivors develop inner strength
and self-esteem.
Formation:
Patti Luttrell
, a former GCU assistant
professor of nursing, co-founded the organization
after coping with her own son’s cancer diagnosis.
Jeff Luttrell
was 5 when he was diagnosed with
leukemia and underwent a bone marrow transplant.
Now 24, he has survived several relapses of cancer.
Funding:
This year, the operating budget has doubled
to nearly $250,000. The organization plans to open its
first office in Chandler and will hire its first employees
this year as it continues to grow. Luttrell says about 91
cents on the donated dollar goes directly to families
in need.
How to help:
Go to
for more information.
How to join the fight
For more information, go to the Run
to Fight Children’s Cancer website at
.
Friend the race cause on Facebook at
/runtofightchildrenscancer
and follow
it on Twitter
@Run2Fight
.
All race photos courtesy of GCU archives
