Get in line for second Monroe Colston Speaker Series

AIB College of Business has announced its second season of events honoring the late Des Moines civic leader Monroe Colston.

On Oct. 23, Brian O. Brown, associate athletic director at Drake University and director of Drake Relays, will be the first featured presenter at the Monroe Colston Speaker Series.

The three free events – which address the relationship between success and good character, for which Colston was well-known – are open to the public and begin at 11:45 a.m. at the AIB Activities Center, 2500 Fleur Drive. Complimentary light lunches from INtheBAG will be served while quantities last.

Future speakers include: 

·                  Jan. 29, 2014 – Suku Radia, CEO and president of Bankers Trust

·                 April, 23, 2014 – Michelle Gowdy, director, Community and Academic Relations at Pioneer/Dupont

Seating is limited, and guests are asked to register for the first event by Oct. 18, Call 515-246-5101 or visit www.aib.edu to register.

Those are the housekeeping details, but here’s the real scoop: Word is spreading about the success of last year’s inaugural events honoring Colston – both the Speaker Series and the fund-raising dinner. It is amazing how many people in Des Moines – from well-known and affluent businessmen and women to ordinary folks – respected and admired him and want to be part of the events honoring him.

Interestingly, a good many of those people say they considered themselves “best friends” with Colston. Apparently, he possessed the ability to make everyone feel like he or she was special to him.  

Colston was a former real estate commissioner for the state of Iowa and consultant to the Greater Des Moines Foundation, serving as its president in the 1990s. Known as a nonconfrontational civil rights leader, he was inducted into the Iowa African-American Hall of Fame in 2007 and served on many business boards and councils. A week before his death at age 77 in August 2011, he was named by dsm magazine as one of Des Moines’ “Sages over 70,” a group selected for leaving a lasting impact on the community.

“A person of modest means, Monroe Colston did not leave his imprint on buildings or monuments; rather he imprinted through example, civility and respect in the consciousness of our community,” businessman Johnny Danos told dsm magazine. 

The Speaker Series is a great opportunity for AIB students and community members to hear talks by area business leaders, says AIB Vice President for Advancement Dawn Roberts.

“More than 1,000 students and community members benefited from the first Speaker Series presentations,” Roberts says. “And a capacity crowd of community leaders and friends of Monroe gathered at the May dinner to honor his legacy. That event raised more than $91,000 for AIB scholarships.”

The second-annual Monroe Colston Scholarship Dinner is scheduled for May 1, 2014, at Wakonda Club – where Monroe and Frances Colston were the first African-American members. It again will be a fund-raiser for AIB’s Monroe Colston Diversity Scholarship fund.

Cosponsors of the events are Dupont Pioneer, Prairie Meadows and Bill and Susan Knapp. For more information, contact Roberts at 515-246-5357.