text: Society gearing up for annual banquet - News - Gainesville Sun - Gainesville, FL
  Society gearing up for annual banquet
  Mar 8, 2017 at 3:42 PM Mar 8, 2017 at 3:42 PM
  Recognition of residents for their good works, cultural heritage and tourism destinations of interest to African Americans, awards for middle school students and lots of mingling will take center stage at the Claronelle Smith Griffin Distinguished Speaker Banquet.
  Hosted by the Pleasant Street Historic Society, the banquet, now in its ninth year, will include a silent auction and will be held at 3 p.m. on March 19 at the D.R. Williams Fellowship Hall at 618 NW Sixth St. Tickets are $40 each and must be reserved in advance by calling 352-377-4217. The deadline to purchase tickets is Monday. Tickets will not be sold at the door.
  The Pleasant Street Historic Society was founded in 1984 to preserve, promote and protect the Pleasant Street Historic District.
  Melanie Barr, banquet chairperson, said proceeds from the banquet will benefit the renovation of the Smith-Griffin House at 321 NW Eighth Ave. Barr said Claronelle Smith Griffin, a retired educator who passed away in 2003, willed her house to the society. It was built in 1870 by her grandfather.
  Barr said the keynote speaker will be Eugene Franklin, director of the National Cultural Heritage Tourism Center in Pensacola. The center promotes cultural heritage and tourism destinations of interest to African Americans. Raised in Metaire, Louisiana, Franklin served for 27 years in the U.S. Navy, 11 as enlisted and 16 as an officer. He founded the Florida Black Chamber of Commerce.
  His many accomplishments include being named Civic Leader of the Year by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and being awarded the Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce Chairman's Award for Community Service. He is listed in Florida Trend magazine as one of Florida's most influential people in 2004 and was recognized for his community service in 2008 by the Southwest Chapter of the NAACP.
  During the event, four Alachua County residents will be recognized in categories that reflect areas of interest to Smith Griffin. They are:
  Community Service: The Rev. Karl Anderson, senior co-pastor at Upper Room Ministries of Gainesville.
  Education: Dr. Leila Pratt, retired school counselor and advocate for children and education.
  History: Bertha Lee, a graduate of the historic Lincoln High School and a genealogist living in Jacksonville.
  Religion: The Rev. Karl Smith, pastor of Greater Bethel AME Church.
  Barr said the winners of the Renee Servatt Essay Contest also will receive awards. The contest is open to middle school students who submitted essays honoring a person who paved the way for them to achieve success. The topic was "Standing on the Shoulders: Because You Did, I Can."
  Barr said the society applied for a $130,000 state grant to bring the Smith Griffin house up to code, but grant winners won't be announced until this summer.
  Barr encourages the community to continue supporting the banquet.
  "They (people) should come out to support the award winners and the children who win the essay contest," Barr said, "and learn about the importance of touring African-American sites."
  What: Claronelle Smith Griffin Distinguished Speaker Banquet, hosted by the Pleasant Street Historic Society.