Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. will present its 2026 Valentine’s Scholarship Fundraiser Feb. 13 at 7:06 p.m. at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.
The gala is being presented by the Delta Sigma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha in conjunction with the Southeast Arkansas Jewel Foundation. The theme is “All Black Affair with a Touch of Gold.”
In addition to presenting scholarships to area students, the fraternity also honors Community Jewels, citizens who make significant contributions in the community, according to a spokesman.
Community jewels to be honored during the gala are Lula Dickson, Quranner Cotledge and Carlton Saffa, according to Stuff in The Bluff.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
LULA DICKSON
Lula Dickson, who worked in many leadership roles at the Pine Bluff Arsenal, is a Community Jewel. She worked at the arsenal more than 30 years before retiring in 1996, according to her biography.
In 1963, she began as a Department of the Army Civilian Biological Laboratory aide at the Directorate of Biological Operations at the arsenal.
As the result of God’s guidance, she made many accomplishments as the first black person, first Black woman or the first woman at the arsenal in several roles.
These included:
• First Woman of the Year at Pine Bluff Arsenal
• Arkansas Federal Woman of the Year in a Professional Area
• Outstanding Woman of the Year from Black employees at the Arsenal
• First Black Woman to join the International Toastmistress in Communication Organization in the State of Arkansas and after holding all offices at the local level, to become the first Black ITC Council President that included portions of five surrounding states
• First Black Division Chief in a scientific position
• First Black person to achieve the level of GS 14, where she served as the Director of Environmental and Natural Resources Directorate until her retirement in 1996. Also, she was the first woman to achieve this rank
• Organizer and Charter President of the Federally Employed Women Chapter at the Arsenal
• Secretary of the Central Arkansas Chapter of the National Association of Blacks in Government
• Reglon VI Treasurer and Officer Training Instructor for Blacks in Government.
Dickson she worked in many areas at the arsenal including purchasing agent; EEO manager; production line worker; timekeeper; clerk; postmaster; chief of the Aquatic Toxicology and Natural Resources Division; environmental coordinator and director, Environmental Management and Natural Resources directorate.
While chief of the Aquatic Toxicology and Natural Resources Division, she prepared a draft design for a facility to house her staff and include an aquatic laboratory.
Dickson graduated in 1957 from Merrill High School as salutatorian and from Arkansas AM&N College (now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff) in the top 10% of the class in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. Later, she attended Henderson State University in Arkadelphia where she did graduate study in Aquatic Biology.
Dickson is the widow of Melvin Dickson and they had one daughter, Vickie Dickson Conaway, three grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
She is a member of Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church. She is a Gold Life Member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and belongs to the Pine Bluff Branch. She received recognition for serving as a regional consultant for the NAACP’s 44th Annual Leadership Training Conference.
Dickson has served as a member of the board of directors for United Way of Southeast Arkansas, the Pine Bluff Zoning Adjustment and Planning Commission.
QURANNER COTLEDGE
Quranner “Q” Cotledge, whose work spanned 43 years in state government, youth mentorship and civic engagement, is a Community Jewel.
Now retired, Cotledge is an Arkansas Certified Public Manager. He excelled in many challenges in leadership, supervision and management.
Noted positions include in 1983, the first person of color as County Director for the Jefferson County Human Services office, at the time; program manager, Statewide DHS Arkansas Food Stamp Program; area director, DHS, Divisions of County Operations; assistant director, DHS Division of Children and Family Services; and the Arkansas Department of Health Administrator, Jefferson County Health Unit.
Cotledge graduated from Peake High School in 1966 and Arkansas AM&N College (now UAPB) in 1970, where he majored in sociology. He has completed course work at Oklahoma University and Tulane University.
Committed to the community, Cotledge served as a mentor to Waston Chapel School District students involved in the Jefferson County Juvenile Justice System. He is the current board chairperson for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Southeast Arkansas.
He is a board member of the Southeast Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, a NAACP Life Member, the UAPB Alumni Chapter and member of Damascus Missionary Baptist Church, where he serves as an ordained deacon and Sunday School teacher.
In 2024, Cotledge received his 55-year award in recognition of his service as a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
He is the board president of the Windsor Place Homeowner’s Association. He is a chartered board member and current president Emeritus of Buffaloes’ Foundation Inc. in Arkadelphia, where he was born. The foundation provides scholarships to Clark County High School graduates and students seeking college degrees, advanced degrees or certifications from a trade school. He has impacted many college men at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, where he served as the 1973 Dean of pledges for the charter line for Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, at that time the first Black Greek letter organization on the Campus of A-State.
He was married to the late Beverly Jo Cotledge for 46 years. He is father to Sonya and Jonathan and is a grandfather and great-grandfather.
CARLTON SAFFA
Saffa currently serves as chief market officer at Saracen Casino Resort. ln his role, Saffa reports to the Quapaw Business Committee, the elected governing body of the Quapaw Nation.
Saffa was Saracen’s first employee and oversaw the licensure of the enterprise in all forums, including the property’s casino gaming license.
Today, as CMO, Saffa is directly responsible for all outward-facing functions of the property as well as day-to-day management of the property’s 800-plus employees, which is co-managed by Saffa alongside two additional senior executives.
Notably, Saffa led the effort to regulate mobile sports gaming in Arkansas, and today BetSaracen books a majority of all online wagers placed in our state. BetSaracen is currently the 13th largest online sportsbook operator in the United States and is seen as a national leader in this gaming vertical.
Previously, Saffa served as senior advisor to then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson, work which began before the governor’s inauguration. ln this role, Saffa handled complex and potentially controversial issues on behalf of the governor as well as coordinating the passage of Hutchinson’s priority legislation packages, including the elimination of the Robert E. Lee holiday.
Saffa serves on the board of directors of the Arkansas Symphony, the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Historic Arkansas Museum, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, the UAMS Board of Visitors and the United Way of Southeast Arkansas.
He also serves on the House Corporation of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Saffa is currently serving his second six-year term as a member of the Arkansas Supreme Court’s Office and Committee on Professional Conduct, a body appointed by the court to regulate the practice of law.
A graduate of the University of Arkansas, Saffa and his wife Kristen live in Little Rock with their two young children.
ALPHA PHI ALPHA GALA
The Alpha Phi Alpha Valentine’s Scholarship Fundraiser on Feb. 13 is expected to feature hundreds of attendees. Last year, the event awarded 26 scholarships to area students.
General admission to the gala is $50 per person. Scholarship sponsorship opportunities are also available. Checks or money orders should be mailed by Feb. 6 to Southeast Arkansas Jewel Foundation, Post Office Box 3159, Pine Bluff, AR 71611. Checks should be made to the foundation, which is a 501(c)3 organization. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Details: Arzo Knox at (501) 351-7336 or arzo.knox@hotmail.com.