Gary Crusader staff report
Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson is the chairperson of the Gary Crusader’s 55th Anniversary Gary.
The gala will be held on June 3 at 7 p.m. at the B. Coleman Aviation hangar at the Gary/Chicago International Airport. A reception at 6 p.m. will precede the event, which will celebrate the history of the Crusader, which was founded in 1961.
This year’s theme is “55 years Highlighting Our Past and Crusading for Our Future.” The newspaper will also honor several of Gary’s leaders who have helped shape the newspaper and the city’s future.
Anticipation is building as numerous Gary residents join in on several committees that are planning the big event. Several attended a planning meeting at the Crusader’s office on April 28. Some 126 people are on the 55th Anniversary Emerald Committee.
The 55th Anniversary celebration of the Gary Crusader kicked off April 4th with a festive planning reception at the Genesis Convention Center. The event included speeches by event Chairperson, Freeman-Wilson and Dorothy R. Leavell, publisher of the Crusader News-paper Group, which produces the Chicago Crusader and Gary Crusader. Jazz music and fine dining highlighted the evening as guests joined committees to begin planning the birthday bash.
For Freeman-Wilson, it’s the second time she’s served as chairperson for the Crusader Newspaper Group. She headed the committee that planned the Chicago Crusader’s lavish 75th Anniversary Gala at Loews Hotel in Chicago last June. Some 500 people attended the affair.
As the city’s first Black female mayor, Freeman-Wilson is looking forward to The Gary Crusader’s 55th Anniversary Gala, which promises to be a grand affair. Businesses can purchase sponsorship packages that include reserved tables for 10 guests at the 55th Anniversary Gala.
The deadline to RSVP for the 55th Anniversary Gala is May 24. Guests can RSVP by emailing [email protected].
