Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 10-9-15 Edition

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Hillsborough High To Induct It’s First African American Coach Into School’s Hall Of Fame
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
On Friday, October 9th, Coach Billy Reed will be- come the first African Ameri- can coach inducted into Hillsborough High School’s Hall of Fame.
Coach Reed’s coaching career began in 1957 as the baseball coach at Middleton High School. When the high schools desegregated in 1971, Coach Reed found himself at Hillsborough High School ini- tially as the assistant football coach. A little over a year later, he became the baseball coach for the Terriers.
“Being inducted into the school’s Hall of fame is a great honor. I spent 26 years coach- ing at Hillsborough, and dur- ing that time, we helped each other. My greatest success came at Hillsborough.
“Keep in mind, when I was coaching at Middleton, African American players weren’t being drafted from Hillsbor-
COACH BILLY REED
ough County. When I got to Hillsborough, all of that changed, and I was fortunate to have sent a lot of players to college.”
Among the players Coach Reed sent on to professional careers were Dwight “Doc” Gooden, Gary Sheffield and Carl Everett.
“When I left Middleton and came to Hillsborough, there were hard times at first, be- cause the schools were being
desegregated and I didn’t come as a baseball coach.
“I think Hillsborough has always had a great baseball program. We had just started integrating baseball in Hills- borough County and we started the Belmont Heights Little League (BHLL) to de- velop players and prepare them for the Majors.”
Looking back, Coach Reed said they had some great teams and by then a lot of the little league programs had just started.
“When I was at Middleton, my only recruiting place as in the playgrounds, and later at BHLL.
“My best year coaching was 1989. I had five players drafted into the Major Leagues, and four went to college. That was a really special team.”
Coach Reed’s induction ceremony will begin at 5 p. m. with a reception, and the cere- monywillbefrom6p.m.to7 p. m. in the school’s audito- rium.
East Tampa Resident Retires After 38 Years In School System
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
During the 1950s, Louise Meteye-Leggett was among a group of children who attended St. John Missionary Baptist Church. At that time, the church was located on the cor- ner of Cass Street and Gover- nor.
Ms. Meteye-Leggett re- calls participating in the choir, usher board, and attending vir- tually all of the services.
“I can still hear Rev. Webb preaching. As a child, he had a great impact on me and the other children. It was great being a part of that church.”
As a student, Ms. Meteye- Leggett said she always wanted to be a teacher. She at- tended and graduated from Middleton High School, and her instructors left a deep im- pression on her.
“I was never able to com- plete my studies to become a teacher, but in 1976, I worked as an aide at Lockhart with EMH students. I later went to the Caminiti Exceptional Cen- ter, and stayed there for 28 years. That’s where I am retir- ing from.
“In 2000, I was proud to have been voted Employee of the Year.”
“I think it was my music
LOUISE METEYE-LEGGETT
teacher at Middleton, Ms. Ollie Hunter, who really made me want to be a teacher.”
While working at Caminiti, Ms. Meteye-Leggett was re- sponsible for putting together its Black History Program and Luncheon.
“I did that for 28 years and everyone enjoyed it. I did my best to make it an event for everyone.”
Ms. Meteye-Leggett said now that she’s retired, she plans to work in her yard, be- cause she loves flowers.
“I’d love to open a nursery business along with my sons who have a lawn care business.
“Now that I’m retiring, I have the time to look back and cherish the years I spent work- ing in the school system and all the great people I met along the way.”
THAP To Showcase Small Businesses At Gala
REV. LOUIS JONES DR. SAM
...Special Tribute WRIGHT, SR. ...President/Chair, THAP
ROD CARTER ...News Reporter ...Emcee
Tampa Hillsborough Ac- tion Plan (THAP) will host its 2nd annual gala dinner and fundraiser on Thursday, November 5, 2015. The highly anticipated event will feature a special tribute to one of its founders, Rev- erend Louis Jones. The event will also spotlight some of THAP's thriving small businesses and their unique stories. The gala will also highlight THAP's im- pact on the Tampa Bay com- munity and introduce its
current programs, initia- tives, and future plans of ex- pansion.
This year's gala is at the TPepin Hospitality Centre (4121 N. 50th Street, Tampa). The reception will begin at 6 p. m. followed by the program at 7 p. m. WFLA-Channel 8 News Reporter, Rod Carter, is this year's emcee.
Tickets are available for purchase.
“Small businesses are the heart of our community. We
need them to survive and thrive. THAP will continue to be innovative and offer as many resources as we can to our entrepreneurs - and those wanting to become en- trepreneurs," says Dr. Sam Wright, Sr., President/Chair of THAP.
For more information about the event or sponsor- ship requests, please visit www.thap-inc.org or contact Gala Chairperson Mrs. LaKendria Robinson at (407) 680-8236.
Sorority Chapter Awarding Scholarships In Honor Of 75 Years Of Community Service
Gamma Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated will cel- ebrate its 75th anniversary the weekend of December 4 - 6, 2015. The theme is “A Dia- mond Jubilee: Celebrating 75 Years of Scholarship, Service and Sisterhood.” During that weekend, the chapter will sponsor a reception for Corpo- rate Sponsors and hosts a Gala Luncheon to commemorate this diamond anniversary.
In honor of the anniversary, Gamma Theta Omega will award academic college schol- arships to deserving Hillsbor- ough County High School seniors.
The chapter is cur- rently accepting scholar- ship applications via its website www.akagto.com. The deadline to apply is October 22, 2015.
Gamma Theta Omega was chartered December 4, 1940. It was the second chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha to be char- tered in the state of Florida. In addition to awarding scholar- ships, leading up to the an-
DONNA DOUGLAS ...Basileus 0f Gamma Theta Omega Chapter of AKA
niversary weekend, the chapter will continue to sponsor nu- merous community service projects - one of which will be to provide healthy lunches and snacks to children at a local Boys and Girls Club.
The members of Gamma Theta Omega are proud of this diamond anniversary and are looking forward to providing community service to the Tampa Bay area for the next 75 years and beyond. The chapter boasts a membership of over 300 college educated women and is led by president, Ms. Donna Douglas. Deidre Jones is the General Anniver- sary Chairperson.
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