Austin College hosts MLK Day Celebrations in 2015

The eleventh annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Breakfast

will be held at 7:15 a.m. Monday, January 19 in Mabee Hall of the Robert J. and Mary Wright Campus Center at Austin College. Sherman and Grayson County Rotary clubs, Wilson N. Jones Regional Medical Center, and Austin College are sponsoring the event. Members of the community may attend the breakfast at a cost of $15 per person, payable at the door.

The keynote speaker for the breakfast is the Honorable Angela Tucker, Collin County Judge. In 2012, Tucker became the first African-American judge to be elected in Collin County. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin and attended law school at Southern Methodist University. Prior to becoming a judge, Tucker became a private attorney after working as an assistant district attorney in the Collin County District Attorney’s Office.

Dr. Marjorie Hass, president of Austin College, will welcome guests and senior Tre Stewart, of Dallas, Texas, will present a student address. The Sherman Federated Choir, directed by Ella Childs, will provide special music.

The Grayson County MLK Celebration Parade will be held on Saturday, January 17 at 12:00 noon in downtown Sherman. The parade route will begin at 400 S. Travis at the First Baptist Church and end at the Austin College campus. A community service will follow the parade in Wynne Chapel. The parade is free and open to the public.

Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.