Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 6-7-19

Feature
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
KALAYA
This week’s Beauty Unlimited feature, Kalaya, knows it will take more than what the others are doing to be successful. She knows you will have to have that certain something different to catch the at- tention of the powers that be. Just understand that Kalaya will not quit until she’s where she wants to be. This young lady is definitely going places, and we appreciate her allowing us to feature her as this week’s Beauty Unlimited feature.
Educator Closes Chapter Of Service With Retirement
MRS. ROSEMARY BUCHANAN
... Retires from Middleton High School
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Last Friday, Hillsborough County students left school for the summer. And, Mrs. Rose- mary Buchanan left to begin her retire- ment.
Now, having her time as her own, Mrs. Buchanan has not settled on what her future plans will be. But, if she chooses to just relax, it’s okay because she has accumulated a list of accomplishments in which she can be proud.
She was hired by retired School Adminis- trator Henry Washington 16 years ago.
Mrs. Buchanan served her entire career at the school where she attended, graduated from, and then had an opportunity to return to as an educator.
The retirement celebration was hosted by he Middleton High School Alumni.
Mrs. Buchanan graduated from Middle- ton with the final class of the original school in 1971. After that class graduated, the school was closed and re-opened as a middle school.
She continued her education at the Univer- sity of South Florida, where she graduated with a B. A. Degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Mrs. Buchanan then entered the work- force, obtaining employment in the banking industry. Her career in banking spanned more than 20 years.
During her lifetime, Mrs. Buchanan served as a trailblazer for other African Amer- icans. She was the first African American em- ployed as a loan officer at Barnett Bank in Lakeland; first African American Assistant Manager at Associates Financial Services in Lakeland; the first African American Mort- gage Representative and the first female in that position at Jim Walter Homes covering homes built in Central Florida, the east and west coast of the state.
She continued to become the first African American loan officer of NCNB of Lakeland, (now Bank of America), and the first African American loan officer at the University of South Florida’s Credit Union.
Mrs. Buchanan admits being the “first” is an honor, she said that it was not always easy for African Americans to obtain these
types of roles.
A chance meeting led her
to her role as Parent Liaison at Middleton High School. She met Henry Washing- ton, who was then principal of the newly opened school. In her role, she became the voice of the community, responding to parents with concerns about their students.
She was married to the late Reverend Alex Buchanan for 27 years, and is the mother of three daugh- ters, one son, and ten grand- children.
Local
Sheriff Launches New Community Policing Initiative
On Thursday, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office launched a new Community Policing Initiative. It is known as “Walk It Like I Talk It.”
Sheriff Chad Chronister said, “The initiative is all about building strong relationships with the citizens we protect. We hope the program will give all of our residents the confi- dence to report a crime or simply con- tinue to build trust in law enforcement.”
CHAD CHRONISTER Hillsborough County Sheriff
The initiative will consists of deputies walking the neigh- borhoods they patrol and meeting the residents to establish a rapport of trust.
Meeting
Howard W. Blake Class Of 1967
The Howard W. Blake High School Class of 1967 will meet on Saturday, June 8, 2019, 11:30 a. m. The meeting will be held at the West Tampa Public Library, 2312 W. Union St.
For more information, contact Gwen Andrews, (813) 248-1071, or Lorraine Wiley, (813) 871-2874.
FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2019 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 11-A