By Kendall Joyner
Student reporter, WEAA 88.9 FM
The 12th Annual Jazz Brunch of the Columbia Maryland Chapter of The Links, Incorporated was a special occasion this year for WEAA 88.9 FM. Our very own Marcellus “The Bassman” Shephard was the ‘Inaugural Recipient’ of the Emerald Star Award presented by the prestigious women’s organization at its annual event last Sunday.
The award recognized Mr. Shepard’s contribution to the arts, specifically in areas of his work in Jazz music and his distinctive voice on both stations “In The Groove” (WEAA 88.9 FM) and the nationally syndicated “Cool Jazz Countdown”. He was also recognized for having started with his wife a public community service initiative named “Project Goodwill” which caters to homeless men and women who live on the streets in Washington, D.C. and Maryland.
The Link Sisters’ attire created sea of green which helped emphasized the festive atmosphere where vendors, friends, and family members helped celebrate the occasion, which was held at The University of Maryland College Park’s newly redesigned hotel. The atmosphere was also rich with prominent and influential black professionals. The tone of the evening was set by smooth jazz sounds of Billboard Recording artist Julian Vaughn, from Kansas City. Vaughn displayed his passion for jazz through a live band performance after Mr. Shepard was presented with his award. Link Sister Dr. Lisa Cooper-Lucas introduced and presented Mr. Shepard with the Emerald Star Award after the reading his bio and spotlighting his character. In Mr. Shepard’s acceptance speech, he expressed his appreciation for The Link Sisters recognizing all of his accomplishments.
In addition to Mr. Shepard being the honoree of the occasion, the brunch was also a fundraiser sponsored in partnership with the Links Foundation, Incorporated. Proceeds collected at the event helped benefit programming and scholarships. Mr. Shepard was lauded by Dr. Cooper-Lucas as one of the greatest examples someone who exemplifies the meaning of living in your craft, and very deserving of the award.
He encourages young professionals who wishes to pursue a career in radio: “Remember that number one, you are the master of your fate. You know God is in control by all means; however, if you’re not taking the steps on the daily basis to get where you want to be, you’ll never get there… Know that nothing is ever out of reach… anything you see, anything you want its attainable but you have to work at it.”