The I.U. Dons, Inc. celebrated their 48th Anniversary Education Banquet on Saturday, October 27 in the Genesis Convention Center.
State Representative Vernon G. Smith, president of the Organization Of Indiana University Alumni and Undergraduates, stated that $3,000 in scholarships was presented in memory of the late George R. Coker. Coker was executive director of the Urban League of Northwest Indiana when he died in 1971. The winners were Amecia Preyer, Veronica Bacon, and Tamron Matheny.
Smith said a distinctive feature of the evening was the keynote address delivered by the winner of the Dons’ 2018 Oratorial contest, Brittany Sanders, a senior at West Side Academy. The second place winner was Desiree Taylor, a junior at West Side Academy. The third place winner was Aliyahna Turnage, a junior at West Side Academy. The speech contest winners received cash awards of $200, $100 and $50, respectively.
During the banquet, the Dons awarded Lenetha Patterson, a teacher at McCullough Girls Academy, their coveted Educator of The Year Award. William B. Thomas, a teacher at Thea Bowman High School, was the recipient of the Patricia Tillotson Meritorious Service Award.
