Bishop Henry L. Porter
Post Office Box 4321, Sarasota, Florida 34230‑4321
e‑mail Address: BishopHLP@ aol.com
Home phone: 941‑351‑2329, cell phone : 941‑915‑0377, Office phone: 941‑365‑7543
The Selby Foundation scholarship assisted me to enroll at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), Tallahassee, Florida; in 1965. Upon matriculation my declared major: Mathematics and Chemistry.
My Selby scholarship covered, 1965‑1969. Policy at Florida A. and M. University, granted "free" tuition the semester following the achievement of a 4.0 ( "A") average. I did obtain that honor a few semesters.
I tried to locate my 40-year records, the approximate total of scholarship assistance toward my undergraduate study was $600‑$800. Fees were very moderate in the mid‑sixties, and $100 went a long way.
Life is easier with assistance. Mrs. Janie Leo Thelma Jackson Poe, a Master Teacher and mathematician at Booker High School, secured a scholarship for me from the Selby Foundation. After the grading period, I sent my grades to the foundation. During one Christmas break, Mrs. Poe arranged an appointment for me with Mr. Richard Jackson, who was secretary of the Selby Foundation. It was my first time going into the offices of a bank building ‑ the Palmer First National Bank. We sat at his desk, and he talked in such a friendly, helpful way that I will never forget. It wasn't "all business", but the Foundation showed "interest" in my long range goals, not just my academic career. That experience as a student impacted my life and attitudes. I returned to the university after the break with a clearer vision and purposeful resolve. I shared the experience with my colleagues about the "after closing hours" activities at the bank building, "They're still doing business. "
Impacted by the favor and scholarship given to me, I gave my time and mind to help other students in various academic disciplines. In the evenings, I tutored students in (what we termed) The Math Clinic ‑ a totally free service. That lasted from my freshman year until my graduation. "Giving" touches the hearts of recipients and imparts the power to help. Having a scholarship left room for exploration, and openness of spirit. In the process, I helped hundreds of students. Sheer joy! I became the first student conductor of the now famous, Florida A. and M. Gospel Choir. And, in my senior year, I was appointed Student Dean of Academic Affairs.
With tuition, book, room, and board fees paid, I was able to "study without worry". Mother and Dad worked hard on low‑paying jobs. Sending me to school would have taken much of the money out of our household. They wanted me to have a better life through education. They encouraged me to the fullest extent of my academic prowess. The scholarship made it possible. My parents' wish was "faith"; Selby's scholarship was "work". Faith without works is dead. Faith with works is phenomenal.
A scholarship not only provides money; it teaches fiscal and social responsibility. My encouragers and supporters had expectations of me. I gave them regular reports, and kept in contact with my sponsors. I grew intellectually. After seeing other students' situations in comparison to my own, I came to understand that it is a blessing to have someone to "invest in one's future". Much of that future may be unknown, but the possibilities of life are infinite.
My senior year, a dear Professor of Mathematics, Mrs. L. B. Clarke, handed me an application, "Henry, apply for the Ford Foundation Doctoral Fellowship. " From my experience with Selby, I knew that grants make it easier to pursue one's ambitions. I noticed on the application that the deadline had already passed. I brought that to Mrs. Clarke's attention. She responded, "Henry, they were not talking to you. They are looking for you." I applied and became the top choice. I gained acceptance into the doctoral programs at Yale University, Harvard University, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Illinois, Boston University, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Chicago. After I received a telephone call from the Dean of Graduate Studies, I chose Yale University to study toward the Ph.D. in Mathematics.
What did my good fortune lead to? The first impact was: I returned to Sarasota in 1969, to help my neighbors in Newtown. This encouraged the "old folk", and gave hope to the young. I formed a core‑group of teenagers (most of whom were distraught and discouraged after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), and pulled them to positive living ‑ without drugs and violence. I met with them. I talked with them. I taught them; and with help, they completed school, went to college, and moved out of the projects or slum dwellings. Over seventy‑five per cent (75%) of that group own homes, and are contributing, productive citizens.
At age 23, 1 founded the Henry L. Porter Evangelistic Association, Incorporated., a not‑for‑profit, charitable, educational organization engaged in religious activities, to advance spiritual growth and enlightenment moral and personal purity; to aid in the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth by a worldwide, soul‑winning ministry of preaching, music, prayer, miracles and healing; also, to educate, prepare and ordain Christian men and women for the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus. By age 25, 1 was invited to join the faculty at Florida A. and M. University. From 1973‑79, 1 established the Spiritual Growth and Enlightenment Prayer Groups at universities across the State of Florida.
In 1980, I opened the Westcoast Center for Human Development (Downtown Sarasota). Thousands have been helped. The Westcoast School for Human Development, grades K‑ 12, opened in 198 1. It has produced nineteen (19) senior classes. Eighty‑five per cent (85%) attend college. Our alumni have attended twentyseven (27) universities across the nation, some graduating summa cum laude and magna cum laude. They range from teachers to psychologists, from duly ordained ministers to professional singers and actors.
The Henry L. Porter Nursery and Primary School, established in Takum, Nigeria, since 1987, has a consistent enrollment of 700 students. The Westcoast School for Human Development ‑ Panhandle, in Panama City, opened in 1991, and Westcoast School for Human Development ‑ South Florida, opened in 1993 in Miami.
Millions have been reached, touched and taught via our radio and television broadcasts, from 1973 to 2004 (Christian Television, Black Entertainment and Word networks). We have aired on National Kenyan TV, East Africa; and on Nigerian National TV, West Africa.
In 2000, Henry Porter and The Love Campaign performed at The White House. I have conducted Leadership Conferences in Italy, Nigeria, Kenya, Germany, and France. I have led educational tours in Ghana, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and England. In 1991, U. S. Army chaplaincy services invited me to lead a Marriage Retreat in Germany for military personnel affected by "Desert Storm ". I teach a college preparatory course, "Higher Thoughts and Peaceful Ways ", (logic, mathematics, current events) to students at Westcoast School.
Governor Jeb Bush designated me a Governor's Point of Light, 2002. I was inducted into the State of Florida Gospel Music Hall of Fame (June, 2003), The Sarasota Hall of Fame (April, 2004), and the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame, Akron, Ohio (September, 2004). 1 have written over 2,000 songs, released 17 albums (CDs); and have authored several books and self‑help manuals. I am publisher of Westcoast Magazine.
In 2005, 1 addressed a radio audience in Cape Town, South Africa. Upon consultation with me, the Western Cape Center for Human Development will open in April, 2005. Churches in Owerri, and Abuja Nigeria and in Dakar, Senegal, named, Westcoast Ministries are our affiliates in West Africa. Hundreds are helped.
In 2005, we will build a new facility for Westcoast Center for Human Development in my hometown, the place that my (then 23 years old), grandfather brought my 3 year old mother, 82 years ago. The Selbys made the choice to help me. That action showed me, "take the chance" to "make the choice" to be the change the world needs. That inspiration sets the world aflame with philanthropy; and great, great things get done.
I am a catalyst for empowerment, an engineer of progress, an agent of hope, love and peace. I help to hone good skills of logical thinking. I lend a hand wherever I can. I invite and persuade people to think for themselves; and to be kind, considerate and compassionate to fellow human beings ‑ whoever they are, however they are and wherever they are.