Atlantic City Weekly

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Last weekend Redenia Gilliam-Mosee left our world. She was one of the nicest, most charming women I have ever had the privilege to know. She started her working career as a chambermaid in a Boardwalk hotel and finished her working career as the business administrator of Atlantic City.

In between, Redenia spent over 25 years working for Bally’s Hotel Casino and Caesars Entertainment. She was the first African-American woman to become a senior vice president in a casino hotel. She was also the first woman to become the president of the Greater Atlantic City Regional Chamber of Commerce. When she went to work for Bally’s, she let it be known that she would be working diligently to improve Atlantic City. One of her first achievements was to have Bally’s provide the funding for the Jacob’s Terrace housing development on Baltic Avenue. It gave many people their first opportunity to own a home. Her greatest achievement was taking the underdeveloped Atlantic City Boys and Girls Club and making it into one of the finest in the nation. She asked me to be the MC of their first fundraising event that featured the appearance of Willie Mays, a close friend of Redenia. People came from around the nation to be a part of that event and to be able to have their picture taken with Willie. It raised a considerable amount of money and was continued for several years. At the same time, she was working diligently to get the Chamber of Commerce to be super active in the city. She worked her way through the chairs and became one of their outstanding presidents. She loved to play golf and take pictures. Redenia lived in a house at Maryland and Baltic avenues. She completely refurbished its exterior and interior and made it into a model home. She never forgot her roots and her church. Proudly she would tell us of the varied activities of the church and the wonderful people with whom she was constantly in contact.

The people of the community had grown to love, admire and respect this wonderful woman. Her love affair with her husband Israel Mosee, who passed away in 2003 led to one of the most beautiful weddings one could ever attend. She always made sure to let people know that her name was Redenia Gilliam-Mosee. Whenever there was anything good taking place in the community, Redenia would be there aiding and assisting in every way possible.

I guess by now you can tell my feelings for Redenia. I, and all those who had the privilege of knowing or meeting her, will never forget her. Without a doubt, she is now working in Heaven and looking out for us. Thank you Lord for giving me the honor of being a friend of this magnificent woman. I would urge that the Atlantic City Boys and Girls Club be renamed the Redenia Gilliam-Mosee Boys and Girls Club so that in the years to come when people ask for whom the club was named, they would tell the many wonderful stories about Redenia Gilliam-Mosee.

One Atlantic is Open

One Atlantic, a dramatic, upscale venue for extraordinary events, is officially open. The venue stands atop The Pier Shops at Caesars, and is the area’s only over-water, independent (non-casino) event space. One Atlantic was the only major opening in Atlantic City in 2009, and stands as a bright spot for the region’s events business leading into this year. It has already booked more than 60 events for this year, a testament to the excitement and interest it is already drawing among meeting planners, newlyweds-to-be and others organizing events such as bar and bat mitzvahs. Gourmet custom catering will include special menus for kosher, international, and vegetarian preferences, and is complemented by the services of an award-winning mixologist. The contemporary design of the venue features 10,000 feet of integrated event space and a 2,000-foot outdoor terrace. This flexibility allows for a broad range of setups accommodating everything from cocktail receptions for 1,000-person banquets to intimate gatherings for as few as 20.

It is nice to know that Atlantic City finally has a quality wedding chapel out over the ocean to take advantage of the magnificent views of our skyline and the Atlantic Ocean thanks to this brand-new facility.

A Story Worth Sharing

This column has never repeated any funny stories I felt were worthy of this space. However one such a story came to me from a friend, and after testing it with many people of varied ways and walks of life, I have decided that you should enjoy it. I read it on my radio show recently and unfortunately no one laughed. I was upset, but I finally realized that there was no one live around for me to hear laughing. I did have a couple stop me and tell me how much they enjoyed it. So, here it is:

Four Catholic men and a Catholic woman were having coffee. The first Catholic man tells his friends, “My son is a priest and when he walks into a room everyone calls him Father.” The second Catholic man chirps, “My son is a Bishop. When he walks into a room people call him Your Grace.” The third Catholic gent said, “My son is a Cardinal. When he enters a room everyone says, Your Emminence.” The fourth Catholic man then says, “My son is the Pope. When he walks into a room people call him “Your Holiness.”

Since the lone Catholic woman was sipping her coffee and silent, the four men gave her a subtle “Well?” to which she replied, “I have a daughter who’s slim, tall, 38-D breasts, 24-inch waist and 34-inch hips. When she walks into a room people say, “Oh My God!”

It took all these years to find a story I thought worthy of being here, so please let me know — did you smile or laugh?