Graham said the pilgrimages helped 6,500 American mothers and widows travel to Europe from 1930 to 1933 to say goodbye to their dead husbands and sons who were buried in Europe during World War I.

He said it was a great example of the government carrying out an operation to spend public money to relieve private grief and suffering.

But there is a horrible memory: racism. The War Department segregated black women from the white, forcing them to travel on separate, and not equal, pilgrimages.

"Since the War Department was sponsoring the pilgrimages, it set down regulations, which included separation of whites and blacks,'' Graham said. "They had the option of traveling under segregated conditions or not going at all because they could not afford it.

"Those that went would travel to New York, separately. Whites were put in first-class hotels in Manhattan while blacks stayed at the YWCA in Harlem. But when they arrived in Paris, all the women stayed in first-class hotels and ate at first-class restaurants.''

Graham, a manager in the public document and patent department at the main library downtown, discussed the history of the Gold Star Mothers at the Mariemont Branch Library, 3810 Pocahontas Ave., on May 8.

His documentary aired Sunday on WCET and is scheduled several more times.

To obtain a schedule, go to the Web site WCET.org.

Advocate of the year

Khoa Ma, a Princeton High School junior, was one of 52 students across the country who passed out more than 8,000 petitions urging MTV to stop glamorizing tobacco use in its programming and videos it airs.

He has been honored as the 2004 East Regional Youth Advocate of the Year by the National Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

He received the award this month in Washington, presented by Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.

District 3 open house

The Annual Community Day and Open House at District 3 police station will start at 9 a.m. today with a memorial rededication ceremony, honoring fallen officers Sgt. Charles Handorf and Officer Gary Weber.

Officers will showcase fingerprinting; bike patrols; canine teams; a mounted horse patrol; a SWAT team van; underwater rescue; and motorcycles, and badge, hat and helmet displays.

Gloria Morgan, of Price Hill, is chairing the event.

POSITIVELY KIDS: Eagle Scout

Matthew McClellan, of Troop 772 chartered to Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church, has achieved the highest rank of the Boy Scouts of America: the Eagle Scout award.

For his Eagle community service project, he and his crew cleared an area of weeds, set out mulch, planted shrubs and installed benches and pavers in building a "Garden of Reflection" at the church.

Matthew, a senior at Roger Bacon High School, is son of Cheryl and LeDon McClellan of Bond Hill. He plans to study aerospace engineering in college.

Leadership gathering

Nadine Scholz, an exchange student from Germany living in Avondale, was selected to attend the Presidential Classroom International Future World Leaders Summit in Washington in March.

Participants representing more than 30 countries explored international relations, diplomacy and the changing world economy.

Nadine is attending the School for Creative and Performing Arts during her stay in Cincinnati.

Art Institute degrees

These students have earned associate degrees in applied science in graphic design/computer graphics from the Art Institute of Cincinnati:

Yolanda Addo-Ansah of Fairfield; Zachary Clark of Wyoming; Rob Combs of Waynesville; Andy Dean of Amelia; Kelly Foscardo of Independence; Kent Goforth of Monroe; Rainy Morrison of Sharonville; Patrick Mounteer of Clifton; Latisha Oldham of Middletown; Jason Riedel of Williamsburg; Jason Short of Finneytown; Daniel South of Hamersville; and Rachel Desenberg, Wesley Messer and Andy Scarth of Hamilton.

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