Page 13 - Florida Sentinel 9-21-18

FLORIDA SENTINEL
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018
B
Sons Of Allen Honor ‘Men Making A Difference’
REV. BOBBY JACOBS Pastor, Mt. Zion AME
of Riverview
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Recently, members of the community gathered at Mount Zion A. M. E. Church, of Riverview, for a special program. Church pastor, Rev. Bobby Ja- cobs, along with the con- gregation and Sons Of Allen Chapter of the church paid special tribute to several men in the community.
The program was enti- tled “Mt. Zion Sons of Allen 100 Men in Black.” The theme of the program that took place on Sunday Sep- tember 9th, was “Distin- guished Men Committed to Building A Better Community.”
Brother Terance Eady served as the Wor- ship Leader. Master Mar- tines Watts delivered a special tribute, “I Refuse To Fall.”
Brother Jeff Thomas
presided over the recogni- tion of the honorees. The honorees were:
Dr. Walter Smith, the 7th President of Florida A & M University. After earning his GED, Dr. Smith at- tended Gibbs Junior Col- lege, where he received his Associates Degree. His Bachelor’s and Master’s De- grees were bestowed upon him from Florida A & M University. He earned his Ph.D., degree from Florida State University.
A retired educator, Dr. Smith is an author, and served in numerous capaci- ties during his lifetime. He is the recipient of countless awards and forms of recog- nition.
Dr. Smith is a Trustee
HENRY “SHAKE” WASHINGTON Honoree
Isaac Mitchell, III, Presi- dent of the Mount Zion AME Church Sons of Allen.
at Allen Temple AME Church.
Chef Walter Bethea is a Tampa native and the son of Ms. Elizabeth Bethea. He was also one of 12 African American seniors to graduate from Tampa Bay Technical High School in 1970.
Chef Bethea launched his career in 1977, when he became employed as the manager of a restaurant in Dallas, Texas. In 1985, he became the proprietor of “Catering by Walt,” which he continues to own and op- erate. He is an active mem- ber of Greater Mt. Carmel AME Church and serves in several capacities.
A longtime member of Allen Temple AME Church, Henry “Shake” Wash- ington is a retired educator and administrator with the Hillsborough County Public School District.
Washington retired in 2017, but realized that there was much to be done to im- prove the quality of educa- tion in Hillsborough County. He believes a solid foundation, inclusive of sci-
PASTOR JARED GREEN Honoree
DR. WALTER SMITH Honoree
CHEF WALTER BETHEA Honoree
Among those in attendance at the program are from left to right: Rev. Glenn Dames, Pastor of Allen Temple A.M.E. Church; Dr. Walter Smith, one of the honorees; Walter Smith, II; Ms. Yvette Lewis, Pres- ident of the Hillsborough County Branch NAACP; and Rev. James O. Williams, Presiding Elder of the Tampa District.
ence, technology, engineer- ing, the arts, and math, is needed to produce students who can compete on an in- ternational level.
In pursuit of that belief, Washington is a candi- date for the Hillsborough County Public School Board.
Pastor Jared Green is a native of Fort Myers. He currently serves as Associ- ate Pastor at New Church of Faith in Tampa. He enjoys spending time with his fam- ily and striving to reach his spiritual goals.
Henry Dupree, Sr., and Col. Charles Wash- ington were recognized as “Retirees Actively Working in the Com- munity.”
The honors of “Inspiring Young Men” was bestowed upon Martines Watts, Jaylin Chambers, Devin Gaines, and Eugene Clark, all considered “Young Men on the
Members of the Exciting Gospel Warriors were the featured group at the program.
Horizon.”
The “Legacy of Love”
honor was presented posthumously to Bobby Giddens.
The service was a spirit- filled celebration, which in- cluded music presentations by the Tremendous Tampa District Sons of Allen Choir, Elder Rod Bostic and the New Expe- rience Singers. The Ex- citing Gospel Warriors ensemble was the featured group.
Other program partici- pants included: Bro. Eric
Edmonds, Rev. Bryant Fayson, Bro. John Frierson and Bro. Leroy Sims.
Event Coordinator, Isaac Mitchell, III, re- flected on the program and remarked that, “Each of the men recognized repre- sented a snapshot of our greatness in this world, and the extraordinary accom- plishments we often see, yet fail to celebrate. This was an intentional effort for men to tip our hats to fellow men as brothers and to recognize their accomplished works.”