Kattie Adams

Kattie Adams was an educator and community leader, who served the children of Orange County for 39 years. She was born Kattie Mae Johnson on September 8, 1939 in Orlando, Florida to Sallie Richardson and Kano Johnson. She was the youngest of three girls, preceded in birth by Bernice Britt and Ruby Kilpatrick of Jacksonville, Florida. Throughout her life, Kattie shared a unique bond with her niece Barbara Harrison, who was much like a sister to her.

Kattie was a cheerleader and proud graduate of Jones High School Class of 1957. She attended Edward Waters College in Jacksonville before transferring to Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. She graduated from FAMU in 1961 with a Bachelors degree in Psychology. She had a successful teaching career in Orange County Public Schools for 19 years, at both Jones and Colonial high schools. In 1980, in a groundbreaking election, she was elected to the Orange County School Board, where she served faithfully for 20 years. She was the first African-American to hold that position. Throughout her professional career, she also held positions at the University of Central Florida and Valencia Community College. Kattie was a member of several social, civic, political, and service organizations including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and the Silhouettes.

Kattie’s strongest love and passion was for her family. She was married to her helpmate and companion Henry Adams for 28 years. She had one daughter and son-in-law, Kathie and Joel Berry, and five grandchildren: Kourtnie, Kasie, Joel II, Kellie, and Jared. She was always very proud of the fact that all nine of them lived together in a house that her husband designed. Kattie grew up in Shiloh Baptist Church of Orlando, where she was baptized by the late Reverend Collier. In 1999, she and Henry became charter members of Grace Community of Faith Baptist Church, which Kattie was an active trustee and deaconess.

David L. Brewer III

David L. Brewer Ill is a retired Three-Star Vice Admiral who served 35-years in the United States Navy. He hails from a family of educators and has overseen several educational initiatives during his illustrious military career. Brewer was born in Farmville, VA., and attended elementary and secondary schools in Orlando, FL including Jones High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, TX. He also was a member of the first graduating class of the first Naval Reserve Officer Training Corp unit at Prairie View A&M University. He later earned a Masters of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies at the Naval War College in Newport, RI. During his distinguished naval career, Brewer was honored with the National war College's Distinguished Graduate Leadership Award 10th recipient, the Navy League of the United States Vincent T. Hirsch Maritime Award, the National Defense Transportation Association's Department of Defense Distinguished Service Award and numerous other military and civilian awards.

On October 12, 2006, Brewer was unanimously selected by the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education to become the 46th superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). He was awarded a four-year contract that took effect November 13, 2006. Brewer heads The David and Mildred Brewer Foundation, a family foundation that provides scholarships for African-American students. It is named in honor of his mother, a retired school teacher, and his late father, who taught at Brewer's high school for more than 33 years.

Brewer's accomplished leadership skills and history of career successes make him ideal to head the LAUSD, the second largest school district in the United States. As Vice Chief of the Naval Education and Training Command, Brewer spearheaded innovative programs to support students in their academic and personal development. During his tenure, Brewer was responsible for educational programs for hundreds of thousands of sailors and their families, and developed models to provide customized learning by leveraging technology and 21st century teaching strategies to accelerate student learning and deepen comprehension. Under his leadership, Brewer helped develop the Navy College Program and negotiated a contract with 11 colleges, universities and community colleges to provide bachelor and associate degree programs to more than 300,000 sailors. Brewer's extensive experience managing both large and complex organizations serve him well as superintendent of the LAUSD, which comprises more than 712,000 students, 800 schools, 77,000 employees, and a $ 7.5 billion budget. In addition, he also oversees the largest public works project in the United States, a $19.3 billion voter-approved transformation to build new schools and improve existing facilities to reduce overcrowding throughout the District.

With a family tradition of educators, Brewer possesses a passion for public education and a dedication to youth in the U.S. In his role in the Navy, Brewer developed partnerships between the maritime unions and public schools in the San Diego area to motivate students to stay in school and participate in apprenticeship programs. Over the years, he has visited hundreds of high schools across the country to inspire students to stay focused on their academic goals and to earn their diploma. Charismatic and energetic, with a commanding leadership style, Brewer is focused on transforming the LAUSD into a world-class school district and educating Los Angeles' diverse student population. With proper support and opportunity, he believes all children can learn and achieve academic success regardless of their ethnicity or socio-economic condition. It is Brewer's belief that everyone has a stake in the education of children. As he visits school sites and communities throughout Los Angeles, Brewer has made it his mission to enlist everyone he meets to join him in making academic improvements a reality for every child in LAUSD schools.

Felix E. Cosby

Felix E. Cosby graduated from Jones High School in 1926. He studied literature and earned a bachelors' at Florida A & M University and a masters’ in education at New York University because there were no graduate programs for African Americans in Florida in the 1930s-1940s. He was principal at Eatonville Elementary, a teacher at Jones High School, assistant principal at Holden Street Elementary and was the first principal at Washington Shores Elementary. He also owned the Orlando All-Stars Team from 1937-1960s. He also founded Washington Shores Savings and Loan Association which later became Metro Bank. He and the bank he founded was important in providing loans to black homeowners and homeowners through the civil rights years. 

Joseph N. Crooms

Before Professor Crooms made his name as the principal of the Crooms Academy in Sanford Florida, he was born and raised in Orlando and attended Johnson Academy--later to be named Jones High School. After fishing Johnson Academy he studied at Florida Memorial College (St. Augustine), Florida A & M University, and Hampton Institute in Virginia. In 1906 he was appointed principal of Hopper Academy in Sanford a school serving African Americans and later became principal of the Colored High School which was named Crooms Academy in his honor. He passed away in 1957.

Jerry L. Demings

Jerry L. Demings is a native of Orlando and was born to Freddie and Josephine Demings. He is the youngest of five children and has a twin brother. He was educated in Orange County, Florida public schools and is a graduate of Jones High School, where he graduated with honors in 1977. He later received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Florida State University in 1980 and his Master of Business Administration degree in 1989 from Florida Metropolitan University/Orlando College. He graduated Magna Cum Laude and is listed in Who's Who Among College Students. He is also a 1998 graduate of the 194th session of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Academy and 2000 graduate of the 23rd session of the FBI's National Executive Institute. In June 2001, Jerry was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from City College and in May 2003 was awarded a second honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Florida Metropolitan University in recognition of his long service to mankind.

Chief Demings is married to Captain Valdez B. Demings who is a member of the Orlando Police Department. They have three sons, two of whom are twins. The twins are graduates of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, Florida. The youngest son is an artist and attends high school in Orlando. Chairman Richard Crotty appointed Jerry as the Director of Public Safety for Orange County in October 2002. In this capacity, he oversees the Orange County Corrections Department, Orange County Fire Rescue Department, Public Safety Communications Division, Drug Free Community Office, Office of Criminal Justice Coordination and the Consumer Fraud Unit. He has combined budgetary oversight of $316 million and nearly 2700 employees.

Chief Demings was employed by the Orlando Police Department in August 1981 and quickly rose through the ranks. Mayor Hood appointed him as the first African-American Chief of Police in the history of Orlando on December 30, 1998. He retired from the agency in September of 2002 after 21 years of service. He was credited with reducing crime four consecutive years, decentralizing patrol operations by opening two substations, instituting a take-home vehicle plan, placing computers in police cars, implementing problem oriented policing, reorganizing the agency into three operational bureaus with an emphasis on service and getting the agency reaccredited by the Florida Commission on Law Enforcement Accreditation.

Chief Demings is an active member of the following organizations: Saint Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church Steward Board, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity, Central Florida YMCA Metropolitan Board of Directors, Board Member for the American Red Cross of Central Florida; Board Member of the Central Florida Boy Scouts of America, Board Chair City of Orlando Civil Service Board and Executive Board Member for the Heart of Florida United Way. He is also a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, International Association of Fire Chiefs, Florida Police Chiefs Association, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, International Counter-Terrorism Officers Association, FBI National Academy Associates and various other affiliations.

Dr. Sylvester James Gates Jr.

Dr. Gates received a Bachelor Degree in Physics and Mathematics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his Ph.D. in the area of elementary particle physics and quantum field theory. He was appointed as a Junior Fellow of the Harvard University Society of Fellows from 1977 to 1980. It ended with an appointment at California Institute of Technology from 1980-1982. He was a faculty member at M.I.T. from 1982 to 1984 and at the University of Maryland from 1984 to the present. From 1991 to 1993, he was on leave from the University of Maryland and served as Physics Professor and Departmental Chair at Howard University where he initiated over $ 14 million dollars of new research programs.

Professor Gates has written over one hundred published research papers, co-authored one book, and contributed numerous articles in others. His research is in the areas of the mathematical and theoretical physics of supersymmetric particles, gravity superstrings, and Einstein's unified field type theories. He has supervised twelve Ph.D. students to graduation.

He is the President of the National Society of Black Physicists, a member of Sigma Xi, a member of the Steering Committee for the 1995 Sigma Xi Forum, and the American Physical Society. He shared the N.T.A's 1993 Technical Achiever of the Year Award with Astronaut Dr. Bernard Harris, and he was the recipient of the N.T.A.'s 1993 Physicist of the Year Award.

Barbara Ann Parrish Green

Born in Orlando, Florida, in 1939 to Emma Mae Hendley and Lawrence Cornell Parrish, Barbara Ann Parrish Greene was an active member of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church and participated in many Jones High School activities, graduating in 1957. Currently she resides in San Antonio, Texas and is married to Thomas Greene, a fellow classmate at Jones. In 1961, Barbara graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology. In 1966, she received a Master of Science degree in embryology from Howard.

In 1980, she earned a Master of Education degree in science from Temple University. Some of her career experiences include a research assistant at the College of Dentistry at Howard University and research assistant in microbiology at Argonne National Laboratories near Chicago. Her first husband's job change led to a return to Washington, D.C., where she was employed as a public school teacher until research funding, which had been cut, was restored. At this time, she discovered a love for teaching and never sought a research position again. Her final position was biology and general science teacher at Springfield High School in Pennsylvania’s Delaware County.

She retired in 2000 after 23 years of service. Barbara has been involved in several community activities, including membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and various committees that provide programs to help senior citizens, African-American youths, businesses, and churches. She also served as docent for the African-American Historical and Cultural Museum in Philadelphia. In Springfield, she cosponsored a multicultural club and belonged to the Community Educational Council. She continues to tutor students, and with her husband Thomas Greene, has established the Parrish-Greene Academic Scholarship for African-American students. She has also supported the Jones High School Historical Society's annual scholarship fund since its beginning in 1999. Barbara Ann Parrish Greene has truly been a distinguished Jones High School graduate.

Dr. David B. Henson

Dr. David B. Henson is a native of Orlando Florida. In 1957, he graduated from Jones High School. In 1961, he earned a B.S. degree in Biology from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida, and in 1968, he earned the M.Sc.Ed. degree in Chemistry from Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama. In 1972, Dr. Henson earned his PhD. degree in Biochemistry from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. In 1978 he was awarded a Diabetes Research Fellowship by the University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas.

Dr. Henson’s faculty and leadership positions during 25 years in higher education include: the Acting Chairperson, Department of Biochemistry; Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, and Associate Professor of Biochemistry at Howard University College of Medicine; Dean of Student Affairs, Associate Dean of Yale College/Lecturer in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and Fellow in Timothy Dwight College at Yale University; Provost and Professor of Chemistry at the Broward Campus of Florida Atlantic University and Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Services/Student Support Services at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dr. Henson also served as President and Professor of Chemistry at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Alabama and as Vice President of Student Services at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. On July 2, 1997, Dr. Henson became the seventeenth President of Lincoln University. President Henson has an outstanding record of involvement in University, State, and Community activities. He serves on the Council of 1890 Presidents/Chancellors, National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges; Program Chair, 2003 National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education Annual Meeting; Vice President, President's Council, Heartland Athletic Conference; Secretary, Council on Public Higher Education; Board of Directors, Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Jefferson City Leadership Forum and the Rotary Club of Jefferson City. Dr. Henson is a member of Sigma Honorary Society, Beta Kappa Chi Scientific Honorary Society,

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity of America Inc., and Honorary Member of Kappa Kappa Psi Band Organization. To his credit, Dr. Henson has received the "African Americans Who Make a Difference Award", the Howard University College of Medicine Student Council's Award for "Excellence in Teaching", the George Washington Carver Research Foundation Student Award, and an American Council on Education Fellowship.

Dr. Henson has published extensively. His publications include, "Calorimetric Studies of Hydrophobic Interactions in Aqueous Solution" in Environmental Effects of Molecular Structure and Molecular Structure Properties and "Infra-red Spectroscopic Studies of N, N-disubstituted Amides as Models for the Peptide Bond Interactions with Water Molecules."

Dr. Henson, the son of Deacon Benjamin B. Henson and the late Mary Nixon Henson, is married to the former Earlene V. Ovietrea, and they are the proud parents of two children Mary and Charles. If asked what he is most proud, his answer would probably be his granddaughters, Samantha and Paris Olivia.

Eleanor Mitchell Hunter

Eleanor Mitchell Hunter, a fourth generation Floridian of Orlando, has dedicated her exceptional talents to public service throughout her professional life. She is highly regarded for her legal expertise and integrity in carrying out her duties. Judge Hunter represents many firsts as an African American in the highly competitive area of law.. She graduated with a B.A. Degree from Bennett College, an M.A. Degree from John Hopkins University and a J.D. with honors from Florida State University College of Law.

Judge Hunter has a distinguished career as a lawyer and judge. She was the first African American member of the Florida State University College of Law Moot Court team, the first African American law clerk for a Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, and the first African American woman to serve as deputy general counsel to a governor of Florida. Additionally, she is the first African American woman member of the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, and the first to serve as a state administrative law judge in Florida, having held the latter position for thirteen years. Judge Hunter became the Executive Director of the Florida Bar of Examiners on May 1, 2003. The Board is the administrative agency of the Florida Supreme Court that conducts background investigations and administers the Florida Bar Examination to all prospective Florida attorneys. The Board consists of 15 volunteers, 12 lawyers, and 3 public members. As Executive Director, Judge Hunter coordinates the work of Board staff, currently comprised of 40 people.

A role model for young people of all races, particularly young women, Judge Hunter has given unselfishly of her time to community organizations. She serves or has served on the Board of Directors for the Big Bend Chapter of the American Cancer Society, the Board of Visitors for the Florida State University College of Law, the Board of Trustees at Maclay School, the Board of Directors for the Florida Bar Foundation, the Board of Directors of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the Governor's Administrative Procedure Act Review Commission, the Florida Supreme Court Select Committee to Study the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, the Board of Directors for Leon County Schools Foundation, the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society, the Board of Directors of the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, and the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Commission. She is the recipient of many awards including the John Kilgore Award which was presented by the Capital Press Club and Tallahassee Democrat. Judge Hunter has also been published in several professional journals.

Idell Jackson (nee Reed)

Idell Jackson was the first librarian if the Booker T. Washington Branch of the Albertson Public Library in 1924. He was the librarian there for over 22 years. She taught the Ladies’ Bible Class at the Mt. Olive A.M.E. Church in Orlando. She attended Johnson Academy and then Morrie Brown College in Atlanta.

Arthur “Pappy” Kennedy

Arthur “Pappy” Kennedy graduated from Jones High in the 1930’s. He served as Orlando’s first black city councilmen. He was passionate about Jones High School and while on the city council he kept Jones High from shutting down.

Dr. Carl MaultsBy

Composer, arranger, conductor, keyboardist, singer, author, lecturer and teacher Dr. MaultsBy has successfully juggled a career between the professional music performance world and academia. He is a contemporary "renaissance artist" whose talents have been utilized both in the commercial media of musical theatre, film, television, records, and in the cultural media as well. MaultsBy received the Doctor of Fine Arts degree and the Bachelor of degree in Mathematics and Music from Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL, as well as the Masters of Music degree in Jazz/Commercial Composition from Manhattan School of Music. He also studied music and electronic music composition at Columbia University and sacred music and organ at Pacific school of Religion, Berkeley, CA, and organ at FSU. He is a 2002 inductee into the African Music Hall of Fame.

Carl's compositions include Eye of the Sparrow, a 2001 Harvard University Fromm Music Foundation Commission Award; The Journey, a 2003 New York state Council on the Arts Commission for Quintet of the Americas. Other works are When Mountains Move, commissioned by the Atlanta University Center Orchestra; Rejoice!, a revue composed for the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors concert series; still Rockin' in Jerusalem, a woodwind quintet composed for quintet of the Americas. In 1992, the Mt. Fuji Jazz Festival (Japan) commissioned him to write a choral and percussion arrangement of "Lift Every voice and Sing". His St. Mary Mass was recently published in the hymnal Enriching Our Music. He is also a contributor to Lift Every Voice and Sing Il-An African American Hymnal; Enriching our Music Il; voices Found; My Heart Sings Out and Wonder, Love and Praise. His "Kwanza Song" appears in the silver, Burdett textbook Making Music. His composition Blackbird Fly is featured in the movie "Beat Street" as is his arrangement of Us Girls.

On recordings, he has collaborated as composer and arranger with such artists as Harry Belafonte, Vivian Reed, Friends of Distinction, Baby Washington, David Lampell, Pure Inergy, Weldon Irvine, and Zulema. His career in records began with his being signed as a songwriter to Donny Hathaway's Don-Pow Publishing Company. It was his skills learned while working with Hathaway that led to his working as a staff artist and repertoire producer for RCA Records, as well as recording with artists at Columbia Records, United Artists Records, Atlantic Records, Sesame Street Records, Polygram Records, Lawton Records and Carrere Records. Recently, he conducted and produced the CDs "Rejoicensemble Sings a Tribute to David Hurd" and "Revive Us Again," the companion to the MaultsBy authored book Playing Gospel Piano; The Basics, published by Church Publishing, Inc. In the area of theatre, his performing credits include the Broadway musicals Jelly's Last Jam, High Rollers, Big Deal, It's So Nice to Be Civilized, Eubie, Timbuktu, Ain't Misbehavin', and Bubbling Brown Sugar, as well as the National Companies of Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, the play Paul Robeson and numerous other Off-Broadway and regional productions. He wrote the dance music for It's So Nice to Be Civilized. Because of his work as choral director for Harry Belafonte World Tours, he is a much sought after choral arranger/director and clinician. As the music director of the Vivian Reed Show, he has conducted orchestras in Europe, Asia and South America. In the sacred arena, he has conducted choirs and led workshops for the American Guild of Organists, the Association of Anglican Musicians and the Episcopal Youth Event. In 2004, he was appointed to the Standing Commission on Liturgy & Worship of the Episcopal Church. His academic appointments include Dartmouth College, City College of New York, Rollins College, and FAMU.

Dr. Portia K. Maultsby

Portia K. Maultsby, an ethnomusicologist, is a Professor of Ethnomusicology, and Director of the Archives of African-American Music and Culture at Indiana University. She received the B.M. degree in piano and theory/composition from Mount &. Scholastica College, Kansas, and both the M.M. degree in musicology and the Ph.D. degree in ethnomusicology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Maultsby teaches historical and theoretical courses on Black music and ethnomusicology. For ten years, she served as founding director of the Indiana University Soul Revue, a forty-three-piece performing ensemble that specializes in performances of Black popular music. She served as the group's primary song- writer, arranger, and producer of commercial recordings. One of them, "Music Is Just A Party," was selected by Billboard as a "Top Single Pick" in its "First Time Around Category" in 1977.

Dr. Maultsby's research has centered on Black religious and popular traditions, African-American music, and African-American music in Europe. Her research findings appear in both American and European journals, books, and newspapers, and she has lectured throughout„ both continents as well as Africa. In 1988, Dr. Maultsby was one of six American ethnomusicologists invited 10 participate in an American- Soviet research conference held in Russia. During the summers of 1988 and 1989, while establishing an Ethnomusicology Program for the Zimbabwe College of Music, she presented several lectures on Black music in Zimbabwe and Malawi. In 1990, she participated in a workshop/conference sponsored by the National Chorus of Cuba and the Ecumenical Council of Cuba held in Havana and Santiago, Cuba. In 1994, Dr. Maultsby presented a keynote address for an international CATT conference on cultural exchange between the United States and Europe organized by the Boekman Foundation (study center for the Arts in Amsterdam). Three years later, she served as the 1997-98 Bellevan Zuylen Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where she taught graduate courses on African-American music. In 1999, she presented the keynote address for the Netherlands-American Studies Association conference.

Eugene McCray

Eugene McCray was called to serve. He answered the call. He was 71 years old when he died, but his deeds and accomplishments befit a life of greater years. His love of humanity eclipsed his love of politics. He had a craving to fix the world a little bit at a time. For twenty years, he tried to do just that. Many times he succeeded. He was strong and just and patient; soft-spoken, even-tempered and wise. Eugene McCray was a strange political animal. He was ethical. He was a businessman and he represented his district, indeed the Black community as a whole, like a business. He will be remembered as a man who saw and valued other men as colleagues, as peers, as friends.

McCray was a welcome fixture at City Hall where he promoted economic development all over the city, and especially in the economically depressed areas further blighted by white flight and redlining. He took few bows for his efforts and accomplishments. He was a promoter, a negotiator, an arbiter. He followed through. He garnered support for projects that benefitted the city as a whole. A transplanted Texas, he embraced the city as his own. He saw racism diminish and waver under government of which he delighted in being a part. His first taste of political destiny came at the grassroots level when in 1970 he campaigned for Hugh Parmer's successful mayoral bid. At the time, McCray was a senior auditor for Atlanta Life Insurance Company. He retired from the company in 1989. Feeling the political tug once more, he successfully ran for the District 5 City Council seat vacated by retiring Bert C. Williams. Using his office and business acumen, McCray guided co-councilmen toward several city planning ventures to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Fort Worth. Among those were the purchase of land along Lake Arlington and the subsequent establishment of a city park: Lake Arlington Park.

At McCray's urging, fellow council members voted to use federal block grant funds to provide a neighborhood health care clinic in Stop Six. The clinic, located on Stalcup, is an extension of John Petersmith Hospital. The clinic provides outpatient services and limited dental care. There is also a pharmacy inside the clinic. Medical services are provided on a sliding fee scale. December 1, last year, McCray was among the powerbrokers who enticed the Minyard Food Chain owners to break ground for a major supermarket in Southeast Fort Worth. La Vida News-The Black Voice covered that story. McCray attended the groundbreaking ceremony at 4205 E. Berry Street. The store is the first major supermarket to be constructed in southeast Fort Worth in 30 years. At that ceremony, McCray thanked fellow council member, Chuck Silcox, for supporting him in his effort to get Minyard's located in his district and he thanked Minyard's executives for having the foresight to come to Southeast Fort Worth. McCray said, "I wondered if Minyards knew we eat. If they were wondering, they could have just looked at me; I buy a whole lotta food. They may have to add some wings"

Belvin Perry

Belvin Perry Jr. is an attorney and former chief judge in Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit. Judge Perry graduated from Tuskegee University in 1972 and a Masters’ degree in Education in 1977 from Tuskegee. He earned a law degree from Texas Southern University in 1977. Judge Perry retired in 2014 and joined the law firm of Morgan and Morgan. 

Altamese N. Pinder

Altamese N. Pinder has received honors not only for her achievements in education, but also for her dedication to community service. Growing up in Orlando, she attended local schools, graduating from Jones High School in 1954. Her high school graduation was just the first rung on her ladder to success. The second was her graduation from St. Augustine College in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in English and mathematics. Later she received a Master of Education degree at the University of Central Florida which led to outstanding career experiences as an English teacher at Henderson Institute in Henderson, North Carolina; Jones High School in Orlando, Florida; Phyllis Wheatley High School in Apopka, Florida, and finally Winter Park High School in Winter Park, Florida.

During her terms at those schools, she received many honors, including Teacher of the Year at Winter Park High School twice and inclusion in Who's Who Among American Teachers. During her thirty seven years as a teacher, she helped thousands of students, inside and outside the classroom. She even allowed some students to live in her home and helped get them enrolled in college. Her community service has been no less stellar. She has mentored students in the Parramore Heritage neighborhood and often provides them school clothing. Currently, she is working with the First-Start supplies Program at Shiloh Baptist Church and other missionary programs. For several years, she worked with McKnight achievers at Montsho books. Indeed, Altamese Pinder has brought "honor and esteem to Ole Jones High" and excellent service to the Central Florida community.

Curtis Rayam

Curtis Rayam graduated from Jones High School in 1969. He had a thirty year career as an opera singer. Notably performed at the John F. Kennedy Center celebration of the Berlin Wall when it was torn down.

Audrey Hightower Reicherts

Audrey Hightower Reicherts, a 1947 graduate of Jones High School, began her education at Mrs. Annie Crooms' kindergarten. She did so well in kindergarten that she was allowed to skip the first three grades entirely, beginning her elementary school education in the fourth grade. Her advanced placement in elementary school paved the way for her early graduation from Jones High School.

In 1951, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Talladega College, Talladega, Alabama. Later, she completed 30 hours toward a Master of Arts degree in English at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. While Studying at IU, she was one of five national Wall Street Journal fellows, completing 8 hours in journalism. She was awarded a Master of Arts degree in English and Education at Rollins College, where she was inducted into Kappa Delta Pi with a 4.0 average. In 1990, she received a Master of Liberal Studies degree, also from Rollins College. Her forty-three-year teaching career includes one year as an English instructor at Amory High School in Amory, Mississippi; four years as an English instructor at Hunt High School in Columbus Mississippi, fourteen years as an English instructor at Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, and twenty-three years as an English instructor at Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida. While at Jones High School, she served five years as chair of the English Department and adviser to the school’s newspaper staff.

At Valencia Community College, she worked from 1974 to 1993 with students in developmental courses. In the early 1990s, she developed and taught honors English courses. From 1985 to 1993, she was coordinator of the writing laboratory at Valencia. In that job, she wrote student study guides and workbooks and developed a handbook for faculty teaching lab and developmental courses in English. In addition to her classroom and laboratory duties, she wrote the course competencies for English 1101: Freshman Composition 1. Also, she served on numerous college committees: Committee of Faculty Review, Learning Resources Committee, MPA/CLAST Advisement Committee, and Follow-up and Placement Committee, to name a few. For many years, she was a member of the Southeastern Conference on English in the two-year College, serving a two-year period as Florida's representative on the executive board (1975-77) and of the Florida Developmental Education Association, serving a two-year term on the executive board (1983-85). During the Jones High School Centennial Celebration, she was co-chair of the Education Committee, chair of the Arts and Literature Committee, and secretary of the Steering Committee. Currently, she is on the board of directors of the Jones High School Historical Society, Inc., and is that group's secretary.

Colonel Hezekiah Milton Richardson

Hezekiah Milton Richardson is a 1957 graduate of Jones High School. Upon graduating from Florida A&M University in 1962 with degrees in Mathematics and Chemistry, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. As an Army Officer, he studied guided missile engineering at the Royal Military College of Science in England.

His military schooling included attendance at the Army War College. He received a Masters of Business Administration (NBA) degree from Babson College in 1973. He also studied Advanced Management (Technology & Innovation) at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University in 1987. He held Army troop and staff positions in the United States as well as abroad. These positions included tours of duty during the Vietnam War and staff assignments in the Pentagon (Washington D.C.) the Army Staff, Officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He also was a Program Manager of a 3.6 Billion dollar air defense missile system.

Richardson retired from the Army with the rank of Colonel in December 1988, after 26 years of service. He resides in Washington, D.C. area with his wife, Mary. Retired Colonel Richardson is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Senator Gary Siplin

Gary Siplin was born on October 21. 1954 in Orlando, Florida where he lived with his loving mother, Aretha Mae Dawson and his 3 siblings. Siplin graduated from Jones High School in 1973 and then received his B.A. degree in Political Science from Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, North Carolina in 1976, M.A. in Public & International Affairs from the University of Pittsburg, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in 1977, Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in 1981, and an Honorary Doctorate from City College, Orlando, Florida in 2003.

Siplin worked as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Edward B. Davis in the US District Court, Southern District of Florida, as an attorney for a private firm in Miami, Florida, and he has been a Managing Partner in Miami and Orlando, Florida since 1992. He has many  accomplishments, honors, and awards. Gary Siplin was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 through 2002, and the Florida State Senate, District 19, Orlando from 2003 to 2011, making him the First Black State Senator elected from Central Florida.

Charlie B. Walker

In January 2000, Charlie B. Walker became the first African-American to head the Orlando Fire Department in its 115-year history. Chief Walker is Orlando's 15th Fire Chief and a 30-year veteran of the department. Chief Walker is also a Jones High School graduate.

Walker started his firefighting career in 1966, when he entered the Air Force and found himself in the Fire Service Unit. Four years after his return to civilian life, he decided to utilize his military skills by applying for a job with OFD. Hired in 1971, Chief Walker began his gradual, steady ascent to the top of the firefighting ladder. Taking advantage of every promotion and educational opportunity that was presented to him, Walker returned to school and received his A.S. Degree in Fire Technology from Valencia Community College, then earned a B.S. Degree with honors in Fire Safety Administration from Rollins College. Each educational advancement qualified him for higher promotions, and in 1981 he became the first African-American Lieutenant in the Orlando Fire Department. Ten years later, he was appointed to the position of Deputy Chief, and today he has reached the top of the ladder. Chief Walker leads a team of about 400 employees, 13 percent of whom are African-American. One of his main goals as Fire Chief is to increase the minority representation in the department. Recruitment programs now in place target minorities to attract them to the field of firefighting through job fairs, associations, and cadet programs.

Today's firefighting job includes the Emergency Medical Services (EMS), which takes 75% of the department's time. In addition, specialty teams include: immunization, technical rescue, water rescue, Hazmat, EMS bike squad, arson/bomb squad, citizens fire academy, and citizens emergency response teams. OFD personnel receive constant training and certification in all areas of response. OFD has a budget of 33 million dollars and continues to provide a wide variety of services for its citizens.

Charlie Walker's career with the Orlando Fire Department includes:

January 2000 to present - Fire Chief

January 1995 to January 2000 -Deputy Chief of Field Operations Bureau

February 1991 to January 1995 - Deputy Chief of Administrative Services Bureau

June 1989 to February 1991 - District Chief of Field Operations Bureau

Derrick D. Wallace

Derrick D. Wallace is a native and longtime resident of Orlando, Florida. Mr. Wallace attended Florida A&M University and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Accounting and a minor in Business Administration. In 1991, Mr. Wallace completed the Crummer Graduate School of Business Management Program at Rollins College under the sponsorship of the Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce. He is also an alumnus of the Leadership Orlando, Leadership Central Florida and Leadership Florida.

Wallace is the President and CEO of Construct Two Group, a leading minority construction management firm in Florida. Mr. Wallace founded Construct Two Group over 20 years ago and has watched it evolve to the company it is today. In his role as a project executive on many of Construct Two Group's projects, Mr. Wallace is a hands-on leader and continually challenges his project teams to provide quality services to the project and to understand the needs of the community surrounding the project.

On a personal basis, he continues this community-minded philosophy by involving himself in many noteworthy organizations. His most recent achievement was being appointed as the first minority Chairman of the Economic Development Commission of Mid-Florida, a private-public commission that works to attract businesses to the area and helps existing ones expand. He is also involved with the Boards of P.R.I.D.E., Florida Chamber of Commerce, Business force, Central Florida Innovation Corp. and Goodwill Industries.

Like Mr. Wallace's involvement with the EDC, he has dedicated himself to helping other minority/ women business enterprises succeed. He is a founding trustee and member of the Minority/ Women Business Enterprise Alliance, Inc. and the Businesses for Better Education. In 2000, Mr. Wallace helped establish a new organization, The African-American Contractors Alliance. Mr. Wallace has received numerous awards from the business community including the "1998 Small Business Person of the Year" from the North Florida SBA District Office and the 1998 "Jim Moran Institute Entrepreneurial Excellence Award" from Florida State University. In 1999, he received the "Graduate Client of the Year" Outstanding Performance Award from the Black Business Investment Fund.

Lewis Williams

Born in Orlando in 1943, Lewis Williams is a 1961 Jones High School graduate. In 1965, he graduated from Allen University, Columbia, South Carolina. Five years later, he earned a Master of Arts degree at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. At the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, he has nearly completed the course work for a doctoral degree in education.

After an outstanding career as an elementary school principal (1973-1979), he was named principal of Seminole Middle School (1979-1981). In 1981, he became principal of Pinellas Park high School (1981-1987). In 1987, he became Director of School Operations, Areas Ill and IV, Pinellas County. From 1991 to 1995, he was Associate Superintendent for Pupil Assignment in Pinellas. Presently, he is Area Il Superintendent of Pinellas County Schools.

During his early career, Mr. Williams received numerous awards:

• An academic scholarship to Clark College, 1961
• Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities, 1954
• Most Outstanding Student in Foreign Language Program, Allen University, 1964
• Danforth Foundation Fellow, 1982

Most recently, he received the Boss of the Year Award, American Business Women (1990) and was selected for Superintendents Prepared (1996).

Lewis Williams is certainly an outstanding educator not only in Florida but also in the nation. We are, indeed, proud of his accomplishments.

Colonel William Johnson

William Johnson is a 1953 of Jones High School. He attended Florida A & M University and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics. He received a Masters degree in Business Administration and Telecommunication engineering.

Johnson entered active duty in 1958. After commissioned Second Lieutenant at Florida A&M University ROTC Program, he then had an extensive career in the United States Army. Among his many career achievements are the following: In 1960, he helped install the communication system at VI ROK Corporation to support President Dwight D. Eisenhower's visit to the Republic of Korea. From June 1966 to June 1967, he served as chief of the Signal Maintenance Branch, Directorate of Maintenance Headquarters, 1st Logistics Command, and Republic of Vietnam.

As Chief of Operations and Student Officer Academic, Officers' Department, Signal Center, Fort Gordon, Georgia, he developed and implemented a Signal Center Operations course providing Junior Signal Corps Officers an opportunity to supervise enlisted personnel in a tactical environment. Johnson served over twenty-two years in the United States Amy and Signal Corps. In addition, he held staff and command positions at battalion, group, division, company, corps and army levels.

Colonel Johnson has received the Meritorious Services Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Korea Service Medal.