Florida Tech to Celebrate Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Jan. 9, Will Present Winners of Pioneer, Bridge Builder Awards
By Space Coast Daily // December 21, 2023
public event runs from 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Florida Tech will celebrate the life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 9 as the university holds its annual commemoration of the civil rights icon.
The public event runs from 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at Gleason Performing Arts Center on Florida Tech’s Melbourne campus.
Admission is free but registration is requested.
The evening includes a live rendition of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech by orator Leonard Ross (pictured above at the 2022 event) and a keynote address from Pastor Leo Stoney from The MaxOut Church in Melbourne.
Also featured are two awards presentations: Bill Gary will receive the Dr. Julius Montgomery Pioneer Award, and Gordon Patterson will receive the Rev. Harvey L. Riley Bridge Builder Award.
The Dr. Julius Montgomery Pioneer Award is named for Julius Montgomery, the first African American student to enroll at Florida tech and the first African American professional to work for the United States’ nascent space program in 1956.
His namesake award is presented each year to a deserving candidate to honor their commitment and contributions to their community, and for nearly a half-century – and counting– that is just what Bill Gary has done.
A founding member of the North Brevard branch of the NAACP, which was chartered in 1979, he has served more than 25 years as president.
For the past 15 years he has served as president of the Harry T. and Harriet V. Moore Cultural Complex Board of Directors, during which time he helped secure over $1.5 million in legislative funding to construct the Moore Home replica, twin reflecting pools, a ceremonial gazebo, a Civil Rights Trail with historical posters and more.
Gary has received numerous awards including the prestigious Space Coast Hall of Fame Public Service Lifetime Achievement Award and Induction and the Florida Historical Society’s Dorothy Dodd Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to history and advocacy of the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore legacy.
He is currently working with an independent film producer to produce a new documentary of the life of the Moores and collaborating with a New York playwright/director on an expanded version of the Harry T. Moore stage play, “Fearless.”
Florida Tech faculty member Gordon Patterson, Ph.D., will receive the Rev. Harvey L. Riley Bridge Builder Award, which recognizes success in community activism and improvement.
An accomplished scholar, author, and historian he specializes in environmental history and the history of science and technology Patterson has taught for more than four decades in the School of Arts and Communication.
His unwavering commitment to community engagement and civil rights is epitomized by his affiliation with the American Civil Liberties Union and his Lifetime Silver Membership in the NAACP.
A recipient of six awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Patterson is the past chair of the social science section of the Florida Academy of Science, a former director of the Florida Historical Society, a former director of the Florida Humanities Council, and a past member of the Board of Advisers to Florida Defenders of the Environment.
The evening will open with remarks from Iryan Ogbezuwa, president of the Black Student Union at Florida Tech and an undergraduate student majoring in electrical engineering.
Another highlight will be brief remarks from Gaye Montgomery. An attorney, mentor, business leader generous benefactor, and daughter of Julius Montgomery, she will present the Dr. Julius Montgomery Scholarship.
Attendees are encouraged to come to campus early to see the “Breaking Barriers” mural in honor of Julius Montgomery on the third floor of Evans Library. Viewing is available from 5:45-6:45 p.m.
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