Annie now oversaw one of the biggest Black-owned businesses in St. Louis. In 1914, she briefly put her business on hold to marry her love Aaron Euguene Malone, an ex-teacher and Bible salesman. Yet even with all this success, Annie’s most ambitious venture was about to turn from a dream to a reality. On Sunday, November 24, 1918, a crowd gathered at the intersec- tion of St. Ferdinand and Pendleton Avenues and joined Annie in celebrating the dedication of Poro College, a massive, four-story building designed and built by Annie. This was more than just a place for more bookkeepers and agents to work. It was Poro’s inter- national headquarters created to train, empower, and motivate.
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