New man of the house

Jet, May 10, 2004

NEW MAN OF THE HOUSE: Randolph McLaughlin (r), the recently appointed interim executive director of Hale House in New York, and staff member Shakeena Lesane enjoy play time with a Hale House child in the playground of the renowned Harlem children's shelter. McLaughlin, who also serves as general counsel for the charity and a civil rights law professor at Pace University, said he will be part of the search for a permanent director.

"I want to make sure our children are well cared for," he said. "It's basically keeping the train moving forward." Hale House was founded nearly 35 years ago by the late Clara "Mother" Hale as a refuge for sick and abandoned babies of drug addicts and AIDS sufferers. The charity endured a period of negative press three years ago, when it was discovered that then-executive director Lorraine Hale, daughter of Mother Hale, was stealing from it. Lorraine Hale and her husband, Jesse DeVore, each was sentenced in October 2002 to five years probation. McLaughlin said the charity has installed controls to ensure that situation doesn't happen again.