Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 2-18-22

Black History: The History Behind The Names
Lesley “Les” Miller, Jr. All People’s Life Center
LES MILLER, JR.
In 2020, after several years in public office, Lesley “Les” Miller, Jr., retired as a Hillsborough County Com- missioner at the end of his term. A building located at 6105 E. Sligh Avenue, was re- named in his honor.
Kwane Doster Center
A Tampa native, Kwane Rashid Doster was a prom- ising athlete who graduated from Robinson High School in 2002. He earned a full scholarship to Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Ten- nessee, where he was a mem- ber of the football team’s starting lineup.
During his junior year, in December 2004, Doster came home to visit family members and friends for the Christmas holidays. On De- cember 26th, the young man went to a downtown Tampa club with friends.
After an argument at the club with unidentified sus- pects, Doster and his friends went to a local eatery. A car containing unidentified sus- pects followed the group and fired several shots into the ve-
KWANE DOSTER 4/13/1983 --- 12/26/2004
hicle, fatally wounding
Doster.
Following his death, the community center in South Tampa where the young man grew up was renamed the “Kwane Doster Community Center” in his honor.
Gwendolyn Miller Community Center
On September 27, 2013, Mayor Bob Buckhorn and city officials gathered at the Woodland Terrace Commu- nity Center, 6408 N. 32nd Street, in East Tampa, to re- name the facility in honor of a retired City Councilmember Gwendolyn Miller.
During her tenure as a member of City Council, Mrs. Miller was instrumental in obtaining funding for the con- struction of the center. The fa- cility opened in 2002 and she secured funding for its expan- sion in 2008.
Mrs. Miller was the first African American woman elected to represent the citi- zens of District 5 in 1995. She served as Chairperson from 2004 to 2008, and Chair Pro- Tem from 2008 until her re- tirement.
MRS. GWENDOLYN MILLER
During her tenure on City Council, Mrs. Miller became the second African American and the first woman to serve in that capacity. She also be- came the first African Ameri- can to serve as Chairman. Her victory in the 2003 race for District 1, marked the first time an African American won an at-large, citywide City Council seat.
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