Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Ila Upchurch Awards Banquet Is Saturday

Tracy L. Steele, executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, will be the speaker at the 1996 Ila Upchurch Awards Banquet on April 27.

The banquet will be held in the Prescott Middle School cafetorium at 6:30 p.m.

The Ila Upchurch Commission strives to promote social improvement in Arkansas communities and organizations by helping others achieve new levels of leadership and public service.

Steele is a native of North Little Rock. He attended Rice University in Houston, Texas, and earned a degree in political science. As a standout basketball player, he was named to the All-Southwest Conference defensive team and team captain.

He was special assistant for economic and community development in the governor's office under former Gov. Bill Clinton and Gov. Jim Guy Tucker. He has recently been appointed to serve on the governor's task force on the national voter registration act.

The commission works directly with youth encouraging them to embrace alternatives to violence and discover their common diversity.

The Upchurch Center is a non-profit organization and the banquet is one of the center's projects to provide the necessary resources for the programs provided by the center.

For ticket information call 887-2980.