Jeremiah Clark Scholarship, Salute To Mothers Banquet Held
BY C.S. HOWARD
Pictured are Darron O. Mayes, Jr., Samaria Glasco and Honore J. Sandifer. Not pictured is Chellesy Foster.
The Jeremiah N. Clark, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Banquet – A Salute to Mothers – was held on Friday, May 10th at the Carlisle Inn in Sarasota. For the past 31 years, the St. Petersburg District Board of Christian Education Scholarship Committee, West Coast Conference of the 11th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, has sponsored the banquet to salute mothers and recognize graduating seniors and recipients of the Jeremiah Clark Scholarship. This year’s graduating seniors were Chellesy Foster, Samaria Glasco, Honore J. Sandifer and Darron O. Mayes, Jr. Chellesy graduated from Booker High School and will further her education at the University of Florida. Samaria also graduated from Booker High School and will attend St. Leo University. Honore is a graduate of from Manatee High School and will attend the University of Akron and Darron graduated from Southeast High School and will attend Manatee Technical College after graduation. Entertainment and a musical showcase was provided by Unified Praise and the artistry of mime by Darion Langston. E. Daryl Robinson was toastmaster. The first “A Salute to Mothers banquet” was held in 1987 at Greater Hurst Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church and was the brainchild of Christine Clark who served as the Director of Christian Education Department at Hurst Chapel. Initially designed as a local fundraiser for the church, over the years the scholarship has expanded to its current status as the premier fundraising vehicle for the Christian Education Department of the St. Petersburg District to provide scholarships for worthy high school seniors. Later, the banquet became known as the A Salute to Mothers/Jeremiah N. Clark, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Banquet to celebrate the life and work of the late Jeremiah Clark, a member of Greater Hurst Chapel, and an educator in the Sarasota County school system who worked as a classroom instructor and administrator. District Scholarship Banquet coordinators were Christine Clark and Karen Chester. Rev. Adam J. Richardson, Jr. is President Elder, Brother Donald Moore is District Consultant and Rev. Keturah D. Pittman is Christian Education Director.
