For nearly three decades Nellie Weddle, former owner of the Surfside 16 Bar and Lounge, sponsored an NBA Pro-Am Men’s Basketball League and a Youth-Am Basketball Program. Eventually Nellie sold the Surfside Lounge and ended her involvement with the basketball leagues only to become an active volunteer with the Neighborhood Leadership Committee. On April 24, 2016 Nellie decided to celebrate her 80th birthday by inviting NORI’s Community Heroes to a Recognition Banquet.
All proceeds from the birthday celebration at the Italian Community Center will be donated to Nellie’s Outreach Resource Initiative (NORI), which works to establish partnership relationships in neighborhood communities throughout the city of Milwaukee with private foundations, businesses, corporations, banks, religious institutions and community-based organizations.
In the top left photo Nellie Weddle and Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper Founder Nathan Conyers exchange greetings. At right Nellie (seated in the print dress) is with members of her family.
The following individuals and organizations were honored: John Steinmiller, Clifford Pitts, Sylvester Polk, Chris Protz, the late Gary Dobbs, the late Calvin Patterson, Dick Garrett, Chuck Jones, Sherman Claypool, Rodney Anderson, the late Willie Perkins, Fred Jones, Oscar Johnson, Bezelee Martin, Odell Kern, the late Gary Dobbs, Former U.S. Senator Herb Kohl, Edward Bolton, Ronald McDonald House of Eastern Wisconsin, Milwaukee Foundation Corporation, County Supervisor Roger Quindel, Nurma Brown, Ruth Varnado, The Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper, Mary Allemang, Reuben Harpole, Jim Marks, Barbara E. White, Pauline Redmond Coggs Foundation and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,
