Hamilton Twp. Dr. King event honors Gold Star mom
Middie White, mother of Eric Snell, will receive the annual Spirit of Community Service Award Thursday evening during Hamilton’s 16th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration at Faith Baptist Church.
White entered into the honorable Gold Star Mother realm when Snell, a Hamilton Twp. high school graduate and former baseball star for then coach Marty Flynn, made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq in 2007 when he perished there as a U.S. Army sergeant.
Later that year, Hamilton’s Shady Brook Park was renamed in dedication to Snell and Army Pfc. Eric Wilkus, who perished on Christmas Day of 2006 in Iraq.
Ms. White serves as a Social Worker at the Trenton Public School District and is a past recipient of the Dr. Irwin A. Hyman Service To Children Award.
“We dedicated the park in Eric’s name and then maintained a positive relationship with each other even after the tragedy,” Flynn, mayoral chief of staff for Mayor Kelly Yaede, said.
“Having a player like Eric for four years .... Middie White was very supportive of the program and her son. Our relationship strengthened after the tragedy. It had always been a solid relationship, something like that impacted us, made us even closer. Could not ask for a better recipient for the Service Award.”
A special keynote address will be given by Patricia Vincent, a former Hamilton Township Public School District Principal and former Director of Elementary Education.
Additionally, three local high school students (Matthew Coulanges of Steinert High, Makayta Cole of Nottingham High and Dami Adigun of Hamilton West) will receive Dr. King Community Service Scholarships.
“I hope that many of our residents will be able to join us in celebrating Dr. King and his enduring legacy at our tribute ceremony,” Mayor Yaede said via a released statement.
“The annual ceremony helps to bring our community together, as we enjoy beautiful musical performances and inspirational messages that help to keep the legacy of Dr. King alive.”
The tribute includes remarks by Mayor Yaede and Pastor Lance Walker of Faith Baptist Church, musical performances by the Hamilton High School West Jazz Band and student soloist Aliyah Clark, along with performances by the Faith Baptist Church Choir.
The annual tribute is organized each year by the Hamilton Township Municipal Government and cosponsored the CYO Bromley Neighborhood Center and the J.O. Wilson Neighborhood Service Center, as well as Faith Baptist Church, which hosts the ceremony; and the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is and Texas Roadhouse who support the scholarship program.
Faith Baptist is located at 2111 Kuser Road in Hamilton. The free event begins at 7 p.m.
L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @ LAParker6 or email him at LAParker@Trentonian. com.