Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 4-9-19

Feature
Local Legends Honored At NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Game
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Good basketball wasn’t the only outcome of the NCAA Women’s Final Four –recognizing good works of local community leaders was too.
Attorney Carolyn House Stewart and for- mer Tampa City Council chairwoman Gwen Miller were among the honorees feted Sunday evening at the Women’s Final Four cham- pionship game with the Baylor Bears winning the national title.
They joined former Hillsborough High School and University of South Florida player and WNBA champion, Wanda Guy- ton and University of South Florida president, Judy Genshaft on the court at Amalie Arena to bask in ap- plause from a crowd esti- mated at 20,000.
Each year, the NCAA hosts a Legacy Celebration at its Women’s and Men’s Final Fours to recognize
From left: honorees, Wanda Guyton and Gwen Miller; Dr. Katrice Albert, Executive Vice President of NCAA; and honorees, Judy Genshaft and Atty. Carolyn House Stewart.
coaches,
administrators,
former student-athletes, and community leaders. These individuals are hon- ored for their significant achievements on or off the
court or have positively in- fluenced intercollegiate ath- letics or sports overall.
Atty. Stewart said she was “honored that the NCAA Final Four recog- nized me as an advocate for women inclusion and diver- sity.”
She further said, “I’ve been blessed and hum- bled that people have ac- cepted my blessings.”
Miller said the acknowl- edgement was “very surpris- ing.”
“It’s a national award and I’ve never received a na- tional award before,” she said. “That was surprising, that they knew about the work I’m doing here.”
Tampa’s honorees also were honored at a private event prior to the game.
“It is an honor to cele- brate the lives of these four women who are activists, educators, community lead- ers, role models and former athletes,” Darryl A. Peal, NCAA managing director of external engagement and community partnerships, said in a news release.
“These honorees repre- sent fortitude, excellence and commitment as women who have broken barriers and led the charge for change and inclusion. Their lives and work are worthy of celebration.”
2019 Women’s Final Four Living Legends
WANDA GUYTON
Guyton is a University of South Florida Athletics Hall of Famer and longtime ambassador for the South Florida women’s basketball program for which she played as a center and for- ward. She also made a name for herself on a national level as a two-time WNBA champion and standout in the Italian and German leagues.
She was the first woman basketball player to break the 1,000-point scoring threshold in becoming Hillsborough County’s girls all-time leading scorer in her senior year. She led her team to its first Florida High School Athletic Association Girls Class 4A State Basket- ball Championship final in 1984, earning state runner- up honors.
GWEN MARTIN MILLER
A Tampa native, Miller received both her Bachelor and Master’s degrees from Florida A&M University and then went on to teach ele- mentary school in Hillsbor- ough County for 13 years and was the school district’s Human Relations Specialist for 24 years. She was also a
Tampa City Council mem- ber and became the first Black woman to serve as chair. She accomplished an- other first by becoming the first Black woman to be elected to an at-large City Council seat (District 1) in 2003.
JUDY GENSHAFT
Genshaft is president of the University of South Florida and a vocal advocate of higher education. In 2010 as president at South Florida, Genshaft became the first woman to chair the NCAA Division I Board of Directors. She also is a past chair of the Big East Confer- ence and American Athletic Conference Councils of Presidents.
CAROLYN HOUSE STEWART
A Tampa native and at- torney, Stewart graduated from the University of South Florida. She then graduated with a law degree from Uni- versity of South Carolina and then embarked on an impressive 39-year legal ca- reer. Atty. Stewart is noted as the first African- American partner at Mac- Farlane Ferguson & McMullen, one of Florida’s oldest law firms. She was also the 28th international president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
PAGE 10 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019