CHOSEN TO SERVE

Synopsis: Alberta Brannon, my mother-in-law, was the rock and inspiration of our family. She was a black entrepreneur who owned a bakery shop with her husband, James, in the 1940s. In the 1950s, she became a sought-after caterer, serving Oklahoma's elite, including Senator Robert S. Kerr and even U.S. President John F. Kennedy during his 1961 campaign tour. Alberta opened Alberta's Tea Room in 1968, which was the most prestigious and fabulous black owned restaurant in the state of Oklahoma. It b