April 7, 2006

Willie E. Gary, Attorney and Chairman of the Black Family Channel, Serves as Keynote Speaker at Banquet held in Honor of Reverend Benjamin Hooks for 50 Years of Service to the Greater Middle Baptist Church

Stuart, FL – Willie E. Gary, prominent attorney and chairman of the Black Family Channel, recently served as the keynote speaker at a banquet held in honor of Rev. Benjamin and Frances Hooks. The event celebrated their 50 years of service and leadership at the Greater Middle Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee.

Gary addressed an audience of more than 400 community members, clergy and elected officials including County Mayor A.C. Wharton, at a banquet which ended a week long celebration for Rev. and Mrs. Hooks. The theme for the evening was “Celebrating 50 Years of Servant Leadership: The Legacy of Rev. Benjamin and Frances Hooks.” Gary and others expressed gratitude and appreciation for the guidance and leadership provided by Rev. Benjamin Hooks and his wife, Frances. Gary praised them for their lifelong contributions to civil rights and their commitment to the ministry at the Greater Middle Baptist Church. Rev. and Mrs. Hooks have worked tirelessly on behalf of the underserved and underprivileged. They have been a voice for the voiceless.

“Rev. Hooks and his wife Frances have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place,” said Gary. “Whether it is fighting for our civil rights, or building a successful ministry, they have blazed new trails and have never let obstacles get in the way of their goals,” continued Gary.

Hooks was ordained as a minister in 1956 after joining the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and began preaching in addition to running his law practice. In 1965, he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Tennessee criminal court judicial bench, becoming the first African American to serve on the criminal court in Tennessee. In 1972, President Nixon appointed Hooks as the first African American on the Federal Communications Commission. Hooks was voted in to serve as the executive director of the NAACP from 1977 until he retired in 1992. Following his retirement form the NAACP, Hooks taught at the Fisk University as a professor of social justice.

Gary is noted for taking on some of America’s most powerful companies--winning billions of dollars in verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients. Gary is also the chairman of the Black Family Channel, America’s only minority owned and operated, 24-hour cable network. Known for his philanthropic endeavors, he and his wife, Dr. Gloria Gary, founded The Gary Foundation, which provides college scholarships to at-risk students who wish to attend college. The Gary’s have donated millions of dollars to help Historically Black Colleges and Universities including $10 million to his alma mater Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina.