Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 12-6-16 Online Edition

Features
U. S. Rep. Releases Student Military Nominations
Celebration Of Life
Planned For Legendary
Tampa Olympian
Last week, U. S. Rep. Kathy Castor released the high school students who received her official nomination for admission into the nation’s military academies: Air Force (USAFA), Naval (USNA), Military (USMA) and Merchant Marine (USMMA).
“I am proud to have so many students who are in- terested in serving Amer- ica. These impressive students are tomorrow’s leaders and by applying to a military academy are demonstrating their com- mitment to working hard for an excellent education and serving our country.
“Nominations are earned based upon an in- terview with the Congres- sional District 14 Nomination Committee and each student’s indi- vidual academic record, extracurricular activities and leadership qualities. Because of the stringent
application requirements, most students begin preparing for their appli- cation as early as their first years of high school,” Rep. Castor said.
The nominees and the schools they attend are as follows:
Adam Swanson, Alonso High School; Ale- sandro Maxwell, Berke- ley Preparatory School; Justin Jaikaran, East Bay High School; Kaiser Hartmann, Jesuit High School; Erin Hanson and Herbert Saumell, both of Lennard High School.
Ryan Acevedo, and Brittney Gray, of Mid- dleton High School; Maria Somrah, New- some High School; and Jacob Dennis, Osceola Fundamental High School were also chosen.
Students chosen from Plant High School are: Alexander Bremmer, Devon Gadarowski,
Matthew Hafer, Nicholas Hobson, Clayton Hurd, Destiny Johnson, Jacob Kuzmick, and Anna Lo- Grande.
Katherine Kraemer attends Robinson High School; and Roberto Grimaldi, who attends Tampa Catholic High School were also chosen.
All military academies, except the Coast Guard Academy, based upon U. S. law, require a nomina- tion from their congres- sional representative, senator or the Vice Presi- dent of the United States as part of the application process.
Parents and students interested in the nomina- tion process will find more information at www.cas- tor.house.gov.
Rep. Castor will an- nounce official “appoint- ments” at a later date per notification by the military academies.
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Ms. Theresa Manuel,
the first African American woman from Florida to participate in the World Olympics, died at the age of 90 on November 21, 2016. Ms. Manuel told her cousin and caregiver, Ms. Cynthia Flowers, that she did not want a wake or funeral. However, she gave her permission for a Celebration of Life at a later date.
The Celebration of Life for Ms. Manuel will be held on Saturday, Decem- ber 10th, from 11 a.m., until 1 p.m., in the Auditorium of Middleton High School, 4801 N. 22nd Street. Wal- ter Smith, II, will serve as the Master of Cere- monies. The event is spon- sored by the Middleton High School Athletic Booster Club.
Ms. Manuel began life in Port Tampa, and at- tended the public schools of Hillsborough County. She enrolled at Middleton High School, to obtain her high school education, and joined the basketball team. After graduating 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 became the first African American woman from Florida to participate in the 1948 Olympics in London, Eng- land, shattering the color barrier. She competed in the Women’s 80 meter hurdles and served as the third leg in the Women 4 x 100 yard relay.
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 Basket-
MS. THERESA MANUEL January 7, 1926 to November 21, 2016
ball Coach. During her 38- year career, Ms. Manuel was voted Coach of the Year on the county level and once on the state level.
However, her home- town honored her in spe- cial tributes as being a hometown legend. Ms. Manuel was the recipient 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 Hills- borough High School, from which she retired, was named in her honor.
Last December, Ms. Manuel visited Middle- ton High School and met with Art Teacher David Kramer and the students enrolled in the Art Class. The students included Ms. Manuel’s likeness in a mural. The mural was unveiled May 16, 2016.
It joined two others completed by previous students in the Art Pro- gram at the school. Cre- ated through a partnership between Middleton Art students and the East Tampa Community Revi- talization Partnership (ETCP) Aesthetics & Beau- tification Sub-Committee, the murals serve as a link between East Tampa and the school.
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