The Bar-Kays, a legendary group since the mid-60's, proved they can still bring audiences to their feet as they performed at the Jackson Madison County African American Chamber of Commerce's 16th Annual JEWEL Awards Banquet on February 24th at Oman Arena. During the pre-event VIP Reception, soulmen James Alexander, a bassist and original group member, (in photo on left) and vocalist Larry Dodson (far right) stopped by to take pictures and talk with Chamber members, event sponsors and fans like Carolyn Nance (center).
More than 400 people attended the event which annually raises funds for the Follow Me Into Business® youth development and job readiness program and recognizes outstanding contemporary and historical business leaders. Congratulations to Jewel Award winner
John Forrest
of Jackson's
F & B Auto Sales
who vied with two other 20+ year-old companies
--
Robert King
of
C. King & Sons Construction
in Brownsville and
Michelle Griffin
of
Michelle's Magical Treasures
in Bolivar -- to take top honors. Other contemporary award winners were
Tia Jones and Dr. April Smith
of
Loving Arms LLC
(Ruby Award winner),
Robert Murphy
of
Futurlistic Barber & Beauty Salon
(Diamond Award winner), and
Lisa and Garey Jenkins
of
Sears Hometown Store in Milan
(Emerald Award winner).
A group of seven pro and all-star athletes who played prior to 2000 were honored as Historical Pioneers. Honorees were the late
Walt Bond
of the Cleveland Indians,
Tony Champion (far left) of
UT Martin and the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats,
Manley Fuller
of Merry High and Tennessee State,
Sylvester Hicks
of Tennessee State and the Kansas City Chiefs,
Ed "Too Tall" Jones
of the Dallas Cowboys, Humboldt High School head coach
Dorrington "Junior" Reid
(second from right) of the Tennessee Vols, and New York Jets defensive coordinator
Kacy Rodgers
of UT Knoxville and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Those who were unable to attend sent
close family members
: Keith Spann (2nd from left), Kevin Hicks (3rd from left), Bishop Nathaniel Bond (center), Mal Matthews (third from right) and Jimi Hess (far right). For more information
on these West Tennessee historymakers, visit jmcaacc.org.
Congratulations and many thanks to all honorees, program participants [including emcees
Chris Cherry and
Jazzii Anderson and presenters
Rep. Jimmy Eldridge and
Rep. Johnny Shaw,
Sandra K. Walls and
Ray L. Dunn, and
Darlette Samuels and
Andre Gist], and each of our hardworking and dedicated committee members. We also are grateful for the support of our event sponsors --
Toyota Bodine Aluminum,
City of Jackson,
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee,
MIG Steel Fabrication,
Tennessee Housing Development Agency,
West Tennessee Healthcare,
Lane College and
Gary A. Taylor Investment Company as well as
96KIX,
The Jackson Sun,
WBBJ-TV,
WOJG-FM,
West Tennessee Examiner and
Jammin' Jackson 97.7.
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