By Jim “Grand Dad” Nunnelly
Tyrone Aiken is a triple-A type of guy. He’s been that way
all of his life. Always moving up and forward. And certainly achieving and
contributing along the way. His life all
started in Amityville, New York before settling down, here in Kansas
City in 1995. From a large family of sixteen, Tyrone was clearly his mother’s
choice to lead the fatherless family, in her absence. Today, he smiles
widely about that designation, mainly
because he was neither the oldest or youngest sibling. Fortuitously, that challenge really was the beginning of his leadership
“coming of age”, here in Kansas City. And his mother’s wisdom continues to have a dailyl impact,
even in his current position, as well.
So what follows is a trajectory, built on some solid, motherly advice,that has
vaulted him from athlete to artist to administrator. Let’s look in closer.
In high school, Tyrone was involved deeply. He was part of
the German and the Humanities Clubs. Actually, he was a yearly “A” student,
always, working hard for his teachers and school administrators, alike. In
fact, he was so impressive in high school that he joined the Track unit and
excelled. He ran the 220 yard and the 440 yard dashes and was exceptional in
the triple jump. In fact, he medaled in all those events. But, he would have
done better had he not missed school so much. In one year, he was absent 25 %
of the time, leading teachers to wonder what he would have like, had his
attendance been up-to-par. But, nothing
was going to stop Tyrone from achieving in everything he attempted. His next
event of life, was that of becoming an artist.
After high school, Tyrone received a scholarship to the Eglevsky
School of Ballet. Having all that prior athletic ability made him a “natural”
at the dancing art. As usual, he was impressive and actually went on to receive
an additional scholarship at the Ailey School in Manhattan, New York. There he
studied under icons of dancing, including Alvin Ailey, himself. This association actually led to his coming to
Kansas City, as the resident teacher here, basically under the sponsorship and
direction of the Kansas City School District. And since 1989, this residency has became known as “Alvin Ailey’s
second home”. As planned,, it was Tyrone who instructed and brought the “Ailey
Camp” concept into being. Each summer, well over 200 local middle
schoolers rush to be a part of the dance
instruction, abstinence training and drug resistance skills that go to make up
the activities in this widely-respected camp. And it was in this “new beginning” that his
athletic and artistic skills would take him to the top.
At some point, Tyrone began to think and act strategically.
Applying his mother’s faith in him and assembling his experiences as an athlete
and an artist, Tyrone became the Administrator/Executive of the local Alvin
Ailey operations, in 2006. He had a lot to do with the present Eighteenth and
Woodland location for he wanted to be close to and a part of the other artistic
offerings i.e. the American Jazz Museum. To date, he has scheduled four, significant
upcoming events: a block party, a
concluding Ailey Camp finale, a symposium town hall and a landmark Alvin Ailey
dance event.
These are all testimonies to the support and guidance he has
received from his forward-thinking, board, his very capable staff and his
Eighteenth Street neighbors. Though he has received national attention for his
for his many contributions to and opportunities through the art of dance, he
really works the long hours for the 30,000 children who appear at his door
every year. And again, his mother adds leadership thinking to his gifted skill
set.
You see, Alvin had an older brother who was hooked on
heroin, at an early age. While everyone looked the other way and even denied his brother’s addiction ,
Tyrone’s mother advised him “ to never give up on any child, no matter how
severe the problem”. And so when someone
tells Tyrone that some child is not performing or acting appropriately, he
still hears those guiding words of his mother.
So while Tyrone may have climbed professionally, he is yet
wise enough to hold onto the timeless words, spoken by his wiser mother. While
her counsel cannot be put on his resume, Tyrone recognizes fully that it was
his mother, who really is rated “AAA”.
And he smiles when he says it.
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