Uncrowned Community Builders

Rosalind Boling was the first of sixteen children born to the late Zorie Bell (Mosley) Boling and Floyd Boling Sr. Born on May 20, 1941 in Niagara Falls, New York, she graduated from Niagara Falls High School in 1959.

After graduation, Rosalind moved to Buffalo, New York and enrolled in Bryant and Stratton Business Institute where she earned two business degrees and upon graduation, became the first African American secretary to work in Buffalo's City Hall. She did not forget about her family however; remembering that she had younger sisters and brothers at home and that they needed her help. She assisted her mother in the care of her beloved siblings in ways they are grateful for and will never forget.


When Rosalind left Buffalo, she moved to Washington D.C. where she was employed as a stenographer at the Department of Defense- Pentagon. She was assigned to work in the Embassy in Saigon and was among those who had to be evacuated when the embassy was ambushed during the Vietnam war. A traumatic experience for her, she recalled how the Vietnamese women attempted to hand her their children "to take to America for safety." Before the evacuation, Rosalind recollected how she heard the frequent sound of gunfire outside of her hotel. With the help of her mother and the community, she was able to leave Vietnam and took up residence in California. She loved the west coast and raised her family there. In addition, she also earned two associate degrees from Laney College in Oakland, Ca.

A devoted mother, Rosalind received a degree in nursing, but found clerical work more suitable for a mother of young children.

She worked as a secretary at Highland General Hospital in Oakland California and the State Department of Compensation and Insurance during her children's school years and quit to run her own business, "The Busy Bee Daycare." Rosalind raised her own children, Desiree and Asa, with the belief that education was primary and as a single parent, worked hard to send her children to private schools and to be sure that they received a college education. She also traveled extensively with her children so that they would be better exposed to the world they lived in.

In 1988 she relocated to Sacramento, CA and worked for the Department of Public Works before becoming ill and retiring in 1991.

Roz," as she was affectionately called, loved beautiful colors of green, blue and yellow, nature, gospel music (with her favorites being the Staple Singers, and Mighty Clouds of Joy and Mahalia Jackson), old school jams of the 50s-70s sung by artists such as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Etta James, Barry White, The Floaters, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Fifth Dimension, The Righteous Brothers, Little Richard, James Brown, Gladys Knight &The Pips, The O'Jays, Whispers, Stylistics, Dramatics and a host of others. Music was always playing in her home.

Rosalind, a Christian Woman, strongly believed in the Lord and his word. She believed everything and anything was possible through him. She encouraged her children to pray and to go to church even though many times they didn't want to. She always reminded them how the Lord saw her through all the abuse and drama she lived through and that she wanted to live long enough to see his new kingdom. Her children believe she is already there waiting for the rest of us. Rosalind believed in miracles too. She loved the story of Job and said, "With all that he lost, it was restored to him even better than before." This was a lesson of faith for her children.

She is the mother of two children: daughter, Desiree Sample; and a devoted son, Asa Goldsby.