LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 26, 2010) – The recent 29th annual Lyman T. Johnson Awards Banquet recognized outstanding student achievement in the areas of scholarship, leadership and service.
Sponsored by the UK Black Student Union with assistance from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Cultural Center, the Lyman T. Johnson Awards Banquet is a long-standing tradition at the University of Kentucky. In addition to student recognition, it is dedicated to the legacy of Lyman T. Johnson, the legendary educator whose efforts to enroll at UK in 1948 resulted in the landmark case which ended state-sanctioned racial segregation in Kentucky’s colleges and universities.
The theme of the 2010 banquet, A 60-year Journey of Strength, Courage and Perseverance, is an acknowledgment of the 60th anniversary of African American presence at the University of Kentucky. The banquet speaker was Senator Gerald Neal of Louisville, a senior member of the Kentucky Senate.
The students recognized for their special achievements include:
-- Outstanding Freshman – Unique Young. A native of Louisville, Young is a freshman in the College of Business and Economics
-- Outstanding Senior – Christopher Chance. A native of Lexington, Chance is completing his Bachelor of Science in agricultural biotechnology
-- The John T. Smith Award for Outstanding Graduate/Professional Student – Valerie Clay. A native of Louisville, Clay has a bachelor's in interior design and is working toward a master's in education
-- The Doris Wilkinson Award for the Outstanding Female Undergraduate Student – Kaelysia Woods. A native of Louisville, Woods is a senior majoring in accounting in the Gatton College of Business and Economics
-- The Lyman T. Johnson Award for Outstanding Male Undergraduate Student – Dwight Lacy. A native of Louisville, Lacy is a senior working on a bachelor's in community communications and leadership in the College of Agriculture and a bachelor's in journalism in the College of Communications and Information Studies
-- The Outstanding Student Organization of the Year – Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
-- The Evelyn Black Award for Outstanding Faculty or Staff Person – Rebecca Comage, assistant director for diversity education and community building
