Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Hill Featured Speaker At Banquet

Coach Fitzgerald Hill will be the speaker at the annual Ila Upchurch Awards and Recognition Banquet Saturday, April 24, at 7 p.m. in the Prescott Middle School cafetorium.

Coach Hill is a recruiting coordinator and assistant football coach at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He is a graduate of Arkadelphia High School and Ouachita Baptist College, where he received degrees in physical education and Communications.

He earned an M.A. degree in student personnel services at Northwestern State University in Louisiana. He did further study in communications and counseling and earned his doctorate in higher education from the University of Arkansas.

Before employment at the University of Arkansas, he did an internship in the National Football League with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he served as assistant football coach at Utah State University in Logan, Utah, Northwestern State University in Louisiana and Arkadelphia High School.

Coach Hill has written several journal articles, dissertations and other articles relating to career opportunities and hiring practices of black football coaches.

He has received many awards and honors in his involvement of sports throughout his high school and college years and others for his work from state organizations. Three medals were earned for services rendered in Operation Desert Storm.

He and his wife, Cynthia, (the former Cynthia Dixon of Hope) are parents of two daughters, Destiny and Faith. They currently live in Springdale.

Entertainment for the banquet will be provided by Margie Dansby and the Voices of Harmony and the Voices of Praise.

For tickets, contact George Odom at Prescott Parks Department, or call 887-2782; Verion Adams at PES or call 887-3563; or Helen Miller at the Nevada County Library or call 887-3193. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 10 years old.