Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 8-10-18

Local
Group Wants To Honor Local Legend With Bronze Plaque
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
A group of local support- ers and Middletonians want to pay special tribute to a local legend and Olympian. They hope to accomplish this goal by honoring her with a bronze plaque.
Ms. Theresa Manuel,
a popular retired educator who became a part of United States history died in No- vember 2016. She was 90 years old.
Alphonso Ball, Ms. Cynthia Flowers, Ms. Ursula Odom, and Ralph Smith are members of the committee who are attempt- ing to make this happen. They are inviting members of the community who would like their names to be engraved on the plaque to be part of this endeavor.
Ball said, “There had been a sign, but it has been torn down. We wanted to erect something that would
withstand the weather, so we decided on the bronze plague.”
Ball further said the plague would be erected at Middleton High School near the track as a historical marker.
A native of Port Tampa, Ms. Manuel attended the public schools of Hillsbor- ough County. When she en- rolled at Middleton High School, she joined the bas- ketball team. After graduat- ing 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 en- couraged to run track.
Ms. Manuel became the first African American woman from Florida to par- ticipate in the 1948
MS. THERESA MANUEL January 7, 1926 to November 21, 2016
Olympics in London, break- ing 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 Basketball 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 hometown honored her in special trib- utes 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 Hillsborough High
School, from which she re- tired, was named in her honor.
In December 2015, Ms. Manuel visited Middleton 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 un- veiled May 16, 2016.
Individuals in the com- munity who would like to participate in the endeavor must contact committee members by November 16, 2018.
Anyone wishing to find out more information can contact Ball at (813) 293- 2866; or Ms. Flowers at (813) 545-0707.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-A