Russell Goings, whose varied career has included playing for the Buffalo bills, being the first African American to hold a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, and serving as the original publisher of Essence magazine, has found a new field to explore: poetry.

Mr. Goings has worked with award-winning poetess Kim Bridgford, Ph.D., and has studied in several of her classes at Fairfield University. The culmination of that intense effort is an epic poem, "The Children of Children Keep Coming," in which he dramatically chronicles the African-Americans' struggle to assimilate into the mainstream of life in the United States and celebrates the rich cultural identity that African-Americans contribute to our pluralistic society. He will read selections from his poem on Thursday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pepsico Theatre on the Fairfield University campus. Admission is free.

Mr. Goings also has a keen interest in art and is a major collector of artistic works by Romare Bearden, Charles White and several other contemporary American painters. A graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati, he is a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit honor society, and currently serves on its National Board of Directors.

Posted On: 02-15-2000 09:02 AM

Volume: 32 Number: 175