(BALTIMORE – June 22, 2025) – Reserve your spot today for Doni Glover 6.0: A BMORENews Benefit, set for Friday, June 27, 2025, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Baltimore Unity Hall, 1505 Eutaw Place.
🎟️ RSVP now at DoniGlover60.eventbrite.com.
This special evening celebrates Doni Glover’s 60th birthday and the enduring mission of BMORENews. The program will feature the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards, a proud BMORENews tradition since 2011, honoring nearly 3,000 Black entrepreneurs, professionals, and allies across nine major U.S. cities.
Proceeds will support BMORENews’ independent Black media work—including our Emmy-nominated podcast, TV show, and events that uplift Black excellence. A portion of the evening’s proceeds will also benefit the Bea Gaddy Family Center, recognizing its unwavering service to the Baltimore community.
Honorees include Beverly and Pete O’Neal.
Beverly Frazier O’Neal
Emmy-Nominated TV Producer and Retired Educator
Beverly Frazier O’Neal is an Emmy-nominated television producer and retired educator whose career spans over four decades in both broadcast media and public education. A creative visionary and passionate teacher, she has dedicated her life to enriching minds both in the classroom and on the screen.
Born with a natural flair for storytelling and an unshakable commitment to education, Beverly spent over 40 years working in Baltimore City Public Schools while simultaneously cultivating a prolific career in television. Her professional journey is a testament to her tireless work ethic, resilience, and ability to bridge two seemingly separate worlds—education and entertainment—into one powerful, purpose-driven career.
In Beverly’s mind, her television career officially launched in 1997 with the creation of It’s Kindertime, an educational children’s program that aired every Saturday morning for six years on WMAR-TV. The show, which would go on to win multiple Emmy Awards, combined her academic expertise with her creative instincts. Beverly not only produced the show but also created and portrayed the unforgettable character Mrs. Alpha Bett, a zany, unconventional teacher who took viewers on educational adventures across Baltimore and the state of Maryland. Through this beloved character, she brought learning to life in a way that was accessible, engaging, and unforgettable.
Working alongside her husband and creative partner, Pete O’Neal Sr., Beverly has produced a wide array of television content, including public service announcements, local commercials, and thought-provoking documentaries. One of their most significant collaborative projects is All the King’s Horses: The Story of Gwynn Oak Amusement Park, a documentary chronicling the 1960’s civil rights struggle to desegregate one of Baltimore’s popular attractions. The film stands as a powerful example of the couple’s commitment to using media to educate, inspire, and spark conversation.
Beverly is known in production circles not only for her creative ideas but also for her hands-on, all-in approach to filmmaking. Whether it’s setting up lighting, operating a camera, supervising scripts, editing footage, picking up equipment, or managing on-set logistics, she does whatever it takes to get the job done—often quietly and efficiently behind the scenes.
Expanding her on-screen presence, Beverly also hosted RV Destinations, an entertainment-travel show that took viewers on exciting journeys via RV to locations throughout Maryland and as far away as Kentucky. With her signature warmth and curiosity, she gave audiences a personal, up-close look at regional attractions, blending travel, storytelling, and local culture into a fun and educational viewing experience.
In addition to her television and teaching careers, Beverly is also a passionate playwright. She has written ten original plays that were performed by students in her children’s church ministry. These productions not only gave young people a platform to express their faith and creativity, but also nurtured their confidence, discipline, and love for the arts. Through these works, Beverly extended her mission of education and inspiration into the spiritual and creative lives of children.
Today, Beverly continues to thrive in her second act as the producer, writer, and editor of The KSAL Show, a magazine style program that airs Saturday evenings on WMAR-TV. Her enduring presence in Baltimore media and her legacy as an educator serve as a shining example of what can be achieved through passion, perseverance, and a deep love for both teaching and storytelling.
Beverly Frazier O’Neal remains a trailblazer, not only for women in media but for educators who dare to dream beyond the classroom.
Pete O’Neal Sr. – Award-Winning Filmmaker, Photographer, and Community Leader
Pete O’Neal Sr., retired WMAR-TV news photographer and accomplished independent filmmaker, has dedicated over 40 years to capturing the life, culture, and spirit of Baltimore through the eye of a camera. With a career defined by storytelling, service, and impact, Pete continues to produce television programming and is currently developing new projects aimed at uplifting communities and reflecting authentic narratives.
Pete’s love for visual storytelling began at just eight years old when a chance encounter with a photographer allowed him to look through a camera’s viewfinder. That brief moment ignited a lifelong passion. Growing up in East Baltimore, Pete explored the city of Baltimore by ten speed bicycle unknowingly laying the groundwork for his future career. Later as breaking news photographer, Pete on the Street, he became known for his knowledge of the Baltimore landscape enabling him to “magically” appear first at any crime scene.
In 1981 Pete fulfilled his lifelong dream by snagging a coveted position at WBAL-TV. In 1985 Pete merged his deep connection to the streets of Baltimore and expanded his career by obtaining a job at WMAR-TV which created the opportunity to not only explore the streets of Baltimore as he had done as a teenager but to explore the world as far away as the Vatican in Rome and locations in Central America. Pete has been lauded as one of the top breaking news photographers in the region. As he grew increasingly frustrated by the predominance of negative portrayals of his community that he was recording, Pete took the initiative to tell a different story. He began producing original, uplifting content that offered a broader, more accurate picture of Baltimore’s energy and resilience.
While at WMAR, Pete created the entertainment show Turn It Up in 1991, showcasing local and national talent in music, dance, and comedy. He later worked as an actor and technical advisor on the acclaimed national TV drama Homicide: Life on the Street.
Tragedy struck in 1993 when Pete discovered his mother had been murdered in her East Baltimore home. Rather than letting this heartbreak define him, Pete and his wife Beverly transformed their grief into purpose by creating It’s Kindertime, an Emmy Award-winning children’s television program dedicated to his mother’s legacy. This show also launched the It’s Kindertime Toy Drive, which has been running for over 26 years—bringing joy and tens of thousands of toys to sick and underprivileged children throughout Baltimore and Maryland.
Pete’s contributions to television and community service have earned him multiple Emmy awards and numerous accolades including both the Gold and Silver Circle Award and the Ted Yates Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chesapeake Region National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS)—recognizing his decades of exemplary work in the industry. He currently serves as a committee member of the Gold and Silver Circle Award Committee (NATAS) and is a former Board of Governors member.
Over the years, Pete has received countless community service honors such as the Scripps Give Light Community Service Award. In recognition of his impact on the community in 2023 Pete was honored by the Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore as it named its welcome center in honor of his mother who was tragically murdered in 1993. Whether behind the camera or in the community, he continues to use the force of the media for good and to champion stories that matter, people who inspire, and programs that make a difference.
Pete lives by the timeless wisdom of William Penn:
“I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do for any fellow beings, let me do it now… as I shall not pass this way again.”
