Uncrowned Community Builders

Freddie Foshee graduated from Sapulpa high school in Sapulpa, Oklahoma and dreamed of a future as a nurse. Her grandmother, who was the family muse, and who recited poetry for the children each night, had suffered a stroke and Freddie wanted to give to others what her grandmother gave to her. However, in the coming years, she met and married Lance Cudjoe, one of the twins (Lance and Lawrence) who played basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters.

Lance insisted that she continue her education. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Langston University, Master of Arts from the University of Western Colorado, and Master's Equivalent Hours in Elementary Education at Oklahoma State University, Pine Manor College at Boston, Dillard University and Oklahoma Central University. She received her doctorate from Oklahoma University. She became a teacher, following in the footsteps of three aunts who were teachers at the school she attended. However, Freddie still desperately wanted to become a nurse.

Freddie became an avid, motivated teacher. She studied hard, taught hard and was rewarded. She won appointments as a member of a teaching team who pioneered the first Head Start program in the public schools of Oklahoma City. She became an integral part of the demonstration team who instructed teachers in the new Social Studies; conducted a school for white teachers who would soon be teaching black students; and pioneered many social programs, such as targeting the results of Integration on public schools. Her work included social outreach for incarcerated individuals. Her doctoral study at Oklahoma University investigated the reasons behind dropout statistics among black youth in Oklahoma. The study has been helpful to budding sociologists who seek to correct this problem.

In order to be more prepared for teaching Dr. Cudjoe took some members of her college Interdisciplinary studies classes on a twenty-one day tour of England, France and Italy. The students saw over one hundred churches, monuments, museums and landmarks. Dr. Cudjoe counts among the milestones of her career, Teacher of Music and English in Elementary Schools; Principal of Corpus Christi Catholic School in Oklahoma City; Curriculum Chief in Division of Family at Meharry Medical College; Associate Professor of teacher education; Assistant Professor and GED Instructor and Director of OSHA. Following a fulfilling teaching career, she chose to go back in the classroom as a substitute teacher while serving as a coordinator for and implementer of over 200 conferences, workshops and retreats for administrators, teachers and support personnel. She became Chief facilitator of a demonstration school for teachers who work with minority children for the purpose of adapting teaching styles to learning styles.

She is the author of Once in Every Generation, a poetry book of illustrated bulletin boards. She is an actress and had the lead role in "Hello Dolly" and "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf". Freddie sang and appeared in operas with the famous Evelyn LaRue Pittman Choir and toured Europe and the United States, extensively. She appeared in a documentary of the stage production, "Jim Noble" written and produced by Ms. Pittman. She, also, taught dance classes for the Oklahoma City YWCA and sponsored and chaperoned Top Teens and Jar Daughters on conference trips and excursions.

In her personal travels, she visited Africa, Asia, Europe and Islands in the Pacific. Her personal favorite was to be able to climb to the Parthenon in Athens. Years later, Freddie would serve as a nurse to her husband for seven years until his death. The Cudjoes have two sons, Lance and Patrick, who are teachers in Oklahoma City schools. She has two granddaughters and continues to be involved in her community. One of her priceless memories is when she was selected as favorite teacher and named mother of the "family of the year" twice when she served as Director of Interdisciplinary Studies at Langston University.

She is a member of Corpus Christi Catholic Church where she is one of four cantors and a member of the ladies auxiliary of Corpus Christi. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Queen of Clubs Bridge Club and several luncheon groups.