Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 3-10-17

Local
Former Commissioner To Receive Coveted Award
Roland Martin To Keynote At The George Edgecomb Bar Association’s 34th Scholarship Banquet
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
For the majority of his life, Rubin E. Padgett has been in the public eye. On Wednesday, April 5th, his service to the community will be recognized with the pres- entation of a coveted govern- ment award.
Padgett has been chosen as the recipient of the Ellis- worth G. Simmons Good Government Award. The presentation will take place at 9 a.m., in the County Cen- ter, Second Floor Board- room, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd.
The Ellisworth G. Sim- mons Good Government Award was established in 1996 to recognize an individ- ual or group of individuals who have played a significant role in improving govern- ment through leadership and vision. It is presented to the chosen recipient annually.
Of being chosen as the re- cipient of the award, Pad- gett said, “I feel very humbled and honored to have been there and to have worked with the people I worked with during my tenure and working together,
RUBIN PADGETT
we were able to get much ac- complished.”
Padgett launched his ca- reer with local government when he was elected to serve on the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners in 1985. He was the first African American to serve in this ca- pacity.
He went on to become the first African American to serve as Chairman of the Board as well. During his two terms in office, Padgett ini- tiated numerous changes in his district as well as county- wide. He is responsible for
the construction of libraries in Thonotosassa, Palm River, and Belmont Heights. He is also credited with preventing the closure of the West Tampa Library.
Padgett served as the “first African American” to serve as Trustee on the Board of Tampa General Hospital, Board of the University of South Florida, Board of Hos- pital USF, and Secretary and Chairman of the Tampa In- ternational Airport Author- ity.
Mayor Dick Greco ap- pointed Padgett to serve on the Tampa Housing Author- ity as a Commissioner. He was reappointed by Mayors Bill Poe and Pam Iorio, accumulating more than 20 years on the Board.
Governor Rubin Askew appointed him to serve on the State Licensure Board of Nursing Home Ad- ministrators, and was reap- pointed by Governor Bob Graham. He went on to fill the roles of Secretary and Chairman on the Board.
President Jimmy Carter appointed Padgett to the Federal Health Care Association and he is cred- ited with helping to formu- late the Bill of Rights for Nursing Home patients.
A Tampa native, Padgett served as the President and CEO of Padgett’s Nursing Home for 37 years. He over- saw the business created by his mother.
Roland S. Martin,
journalist, author and com- mentator, will serve as the keynote speaker at the George Edgecomb Bar Asso- ciation’s 34th Annual Schol- arship Banquet. This year’s event will be held on Mon- day, April 24, 2017, at the Hilton Tampa Downtown Hotel. The event will begin with a cocktail reception at 5:30 p. m. and dinner at 6:30 p. m.
Thanks to community support and sponsorships, GEBA has awarded more than $290,000 in college scholarships, helped to make the goal of obtaining a higher education attainable for dozens of outstanding African American students enrolled in public high schools in Hillsborough County, and given many families the opportunity to see their first relative attend college.
GEBA views these awards as much more than scholar- ships. Rather, these awards represent an investment in the future leaders of our communities, our country, and our world.
Roland S. Martin is the National Association of Black Journalists 2013 Jour- nalist of the Year. Over the course of his journalistic ca- reer, he has interviewed multiple U. S. presidents, top athletes, and Hollywood en- tertainers. He is a two-time
ROLAND MARTIN ...Keynote Speaker
NAACP Image Award win- ner; and has been named by Ebony Magazine on three occasions as one of the 150 Most Influential African- Americans in the United States. He has won more than 30 awards for journal- istic excellence and spent six years as a contributor for CNN.
Martin is the host and managing editor of TV One’s NewsOne Now, the first daily morning news program in history to focus on news and analysis of politics, en- tertainment, sports, and cul- ture from an explicitly African American perspec- tive.
Individual tickets are $75 and sponsorship packages are available. For additional information or questions, go to gebaannouncements@ gmail.com.
PAGE 8-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017