Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 2-21-17

Feature
U. S. Rep. To Enter Local Icons Into Congressional Record
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Thursday, February 23rd, in keeping with past traditions, U. S. Rep. Kathy Castor will make special presentations to three local community lead- ers. The presentations are part of her annual Congres- sional Record entry.
Rep. Castor will cele- brate Black History Month with a special presentation of statements entered into the Congressional Record. The three individuals are Ms. Deborah Gano, Alton White, and Ms. Theresa Manuel, posthu- mously.
The presentation will take place at 3 p.m., at the Robert W. Saunders, Sr., Public Library, 1505 N. Ne- braska Avenue.
Ms. Deborah Gano
Ms. Gano is a Tampa native who graduated from Middleton High School and became a member of the U. S. Army after graduation. Ms. Gano served in the military from 1968 until 1971.
During her tenure in the military, she was stationed at several bases, including
MS. DEBORAH GANO
the Long Binh Viet Nam Fi- nance & Accounting Office in Viet Nam. She was one of the first women from Tampa to serve in Viet Nam during wartime.
She is the recipient of numerous awards and com- mendations. She recalls her military service in a book entitled, “Our Untold Story,” where she reflects on the service of women Viet Nam veterans.
After her military serv- ice, she was employed with the State of Florida Depart- ment of Labor and Employ- ment Security for 10 years. For the next 35 years, Ms. Gano was employed at the James A. Haley Veteran’s
ALTON WHITE
Hospital.
She retired in December
2013. She is a member of Hood Temple AME Zion Church.
Alton White
A native of Winter Park, Florida, Alton Maurice White is the oldest of seven children born to Moses and Lucille White. He at- tended the public schools of Hillsborough County and graduated from Middleton High School in 1959.
While in high school, he played football and earned an athletic scholarship to Florida A & M University. White was a leader in the early 1960s student-led Civil Rights demonstrations against segregation in Talla- hassee. He and several of his fellow college students were arrested for their activism in pursuit of social justice.
He graduated from FAMU in 1963 with a degree in education. He became a teacher and coach at Mercer University in Macon, Geor- gia and in Hillsborough County public schools.
White then launched a long career in government service, beginning in 1967 with the federal Model Cities Program, and brought millions to Tampa network- ing with political leaders in Washington, D. C.
MS. THERESA MANUEL 1/7/1926 to 11/21/2016
In 1968, he became the first African American ap- pointed to the Florida Edu- cational Television and Radio Advisory Board, which he later chaired. The following year, he became the first African American to be appointed to the Florida State Medical Advisory Board.
In 1974, White became the first African American to run for the office of mayor of the City of Tampa. He was unsuccessful, but he later served as Mayor William (Bill) Poe’s ex- ecutive assistant, the first Black person to hold this position.
He accepted the Execu- tive Director of the Tampa Housing Authority. He was a trustee for Hillsborough Community College (HCC), eventually chairing the board.
White is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Frater- nity, Inc., and attends Beu- lah Baptist Institutional Church. He and his wife, Geraldine, are the parents of three adult children.
Theresa Manuel Ms. Theresa Manuel will be honored posthu- mously. She died, at the age of 90, on November 21, 2016. She was the first African American from
Florida to participate in the Olympics, in London, in 1948.
She competed in the Women’s 80 meter hurdles and served as the third leg in the Women 4 x 100 yard relay.
A native of Port Tampa, Ms. Manuel attended the public schools of Hillsbor- ough County. When she en- rolled at Middleton High School, she joined the bas- ketball team. After graduat- ing from Middleton High School, Ms. Manuel con- tinued her education at Tuskegee Institute, where she continued to play bas- ketball.
She went on to lead the school to four straight con- ference championships. But, it was also at Tuskegee where Ms. Manuel was encouraged to run track.
Ms. Manuel graduated college in 1949, and re- turned to Hillsborough County to embark upon a teaching career at her alma mater, Middleton High School. She also served as the Girls Basketball Coach. During her 38-year career, Ms. Manuel was voted Coach of the Year on the county level and once on the state level.
Her hometown honored her in special tributes as being a hometown legend. Ms. Manuel was the recip- ient of numerous honors.
In 1994, Ms. Manuel once again became “the first African American woman” to be inducted into the Tampa Sports Hall of Fame. The Manuel-Griffin Relays, one of the largest high school track events, is also named in her honor. In 2004, the high school track at Hillsborough High School, from which she re- tired, was named in her honor.
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