GCCC DEIB Committee to Present Community Impact Honoree Recognition
[Garden City, KS] January 3, 2024 -- The Garden City Community College Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Committee invites the public to the first presentation of the Community Impact Honoree Recognition on Monday, January 15, 2024, at 7:00 PM in the Dennis Perryman Athletic Complex at GCCC during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. The inaugural recognition will honor the life and service legacy of the late Tommy Lou Austin, a true pillar of the community and the first African American woman to be elected and serve as City Commissioner in Garden City.
A Garden City native, Tommy graduated from Garden City High School and attended Garden City Community College. During her professional life, she worked as a Kwik Shop manager for United Vending at Tyson (then IBP) and then as a Dispatcher for St Catherine Hospital for 23 years. She was very involved in the community by serving as a Past President of VFW Auxiliary, Advocate for Family Crisis, a Red Cross Volunteer, a Past President of African- American Coalition, and served as a City Commissioner. Tommy championed support for local social services and advocated for workplace improvements and benefits in a time when finances were scarce. She passed away in 2018, but her legacy lives on.
The GCCC DEIB Committee invites the public to the recognition and the MLK Day guest speaker presentation by Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin. The speech topic will be "We Are All Trayvon & From Pain to Purpose: The Time is Now to Own Democracy."
For any questions, please contact Stacey Carr at stacey.carr@gcccks.edu.
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Garden City Community College exists to produce positive contributors to the economic and social well-being of society.