ROCKINGHAM — Next weekend will be packed full of events in celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

The Richmond County Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Foundation Committee will host:

• “There is Still Hope in the Dream” gala from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 17 at Liberty Place located at 214 W. Washington St. Contact Bruce Stanback at 910-331-4246 or Dot Fisher Bynum at 910-582-0848 for more information.

• Prayer Breakfast at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18 at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital – Richmond,

• Commemorative Parade/March for the life of Martin Luther King will begin at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18 in front of Leath Memorial Library. Contact Maurice Stuart at 202-486-0143 for more information.

• Youth Speak Out! will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18 at the James C. & Ruth P. Watkins Cultural Center located at 1004 Leak St. in Rockingham. For more information contact Curtis Ingram at 910-206-1240.

• Youth Extravaganza will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18 at the James C. & Ruth P. Watkins Cultural Center located at 1004 Leak St. in Rockingham. Contact Bruce Stanback at 910-331-4246 for more information.

• Ecumenical Worship Service at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19 at First Baptist Church located at 208 Charlotte St. in Hamlet. The guest speaker will be Torian McKenzie.

• and will conclude Celebration Luncheon at 12 p.m. on Jan. 20 at the Sidney Grove Agape Center located at 401 McIntyre Rd. in Ellerbe with guest speaker Pastor Tommy Legrand of Prayer and Faith Temple Church of God in Christ.

To submit posters and essays for the youth programs, contact Angeline David at 910-206-3542.

Dennis Quick has been named the Grand Marshal for the festivities. Quick, currently the Associate Superintendent of Richmond County Schools, is a career educator. He has served as teacher and coach at J.F. Webb High School in Oxford, High Point Central High School and Richmond Senior High — a point of pride is his being an assistant football coach when RSH won its first state championship.

He was also a school administrator in Lexington City Schools and Alamance-Burlington Schools. He has served as principal at: Southwest Guilford High, Griffin Middle School (both in High Point), and Richmond County Ninth Grade Academy. Mr. Quick served for 5 years as Executive Director of Auxiliary Services for Richmond County Schools.

Quick was born and reared on the North Yard section of Hamlet, later named Dobbins Heights, as the middle child of Bishop and Pastor Mary L. Quick. He graduated from Hamlet High School. He married Nadine Williams, formerly of Petersburg, VA. He has one daughter, Alden, who resides in Greensboro with her husband Karl Mitchell.

Quick attended UNC-Chapel Hill where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Education, while participating as a two-sport athlete in track and basketball. He earned a Master of Science degree in Education Administration at NC A&T State University. He earned the Education Specialist degree in Education Leadership at East Carolina University which grants certification for school superintendent.

He also serves on the board of Richmond County Hospice, Arts Richmond, Richmond Community Theater, Richmond County Planning and Zoning, and the local advisory board for the State Employee’s Credit Union.

Pastor Tommy Legrand, the guest speaker at the Celebration Luncheon on Jan. 20, celebrated 50 years as pastor of Prayer and Faith Temple Church of God in Christ last year.

Among his many accomplishments in a long career, Legrand was a key figure in the efforts to demolish the Imperial Foods plant following the devastating fire that kill 25 people on Sept. 3, 1991 and worked with the City of Hamlet to construct a memorial park for the victims. Legrand was named Grand Marshal for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day festivities in January 2015.

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Contributed photo Richmond County Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Foundation Committee’s Steering Committee members pictured: (seated, from left) J.C Watkins, Angeline David, and Rev. James Smith. (standing) Rev. Dian Jackson Davis, Curtis Ingram, Chairman, and Sabrina McDonald. Members not pictured: Minister Bernice Broady, Dot Bynum, Bruce Stanback, Maurice Stuart, and Mary Swann.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_2020-MLK-Pic.jpgContributed photo Richmond County Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Foundation Committee’s Steering Committee members pictured: (seated, from left) J.C Watkins, Angeline David, and Rev. James Smith. (standing) Rev. Dian Jackson Davis, Curtis Ingram, Chairman, and Sabrina McDonald. Members not pictured: Minister Bernice Broady, Dot Bynum, Bruce Stanback, Maurice Stuart, and Mary Swann.

Staff Report