JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Mayor Alvin Brown honored on Friday 17 community leaders with his inaugural Trailblazer Award."
They were the first African-Americans to enact changes in fields such as business, education and public policy.
"Being a Trailblazer means setting the right example to influence greatness that goes beyond self," said Mayor Brown. "I'm proud of the accomplishments each of these Trailblazers has made, and I'm inspired by the paths they have set for the next generation of leaders to follow."
More than 450 people attended the ceremony.
The Mayor's 2013 Trailblazer award recipients are:
The Honorable Henry Lee Adams, Jr. - First African-American Judge for the Middle District of Florida
Dr. Chester A. Aikens - First African-American from Jacksonville to be National Dental Association president
The Honorable Corrine Brown - First African-American elected to the U. S. Congress from Florida since Reconstruction
The Honorable Pauline Drake - First African-American female appointed to the Duval County Court
The Honorable Dr. Arnett Girardeau - First African-American male elected to the Florida Senate and Senate Pro Tempore
The Honorable Nathaniel "Nat" Glover, Jr. - First African-American elected sheriff in Duval County and Florida since Reconstruction
Dr. Adam Herbert - First African-American President of the University of North Florida, Chancellor of the Florida State University System and Chairman of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce
The Honorable Dr. Wendell P. Holmes, Jr. - First African-American in Duval County and Florida to be elected School Board Chairman
The Honorable Betty Holzendorf - First African-American female from Jacksonville elected to the Florida Senate
Mrs. Brenda Jackson - First African-American to be Named to the New York Times Best Sellers List and the USA Today's Best-Selling Books List for Romance Novels
The Honorable Gwendolyn Leaphart - First African American to be named to the Civil Service Board-
Dr. Charles B. McIntosh - First African-American to practice pediatric medicine in Jacksonville
Ms. Rita Perry - First African-American founding female publisher of a weekly newspaper in Jacksonville and Florida
Dr. Alvin G. White - First African-American chief of staff of Duval County Public Schools
Dr. Norma Solomon White - First African-American in Jacksonville elected international president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Dr. Landon Williams - First African-American from Jacksonville to be elected international vice president of the International Longshoremen's Association - AFL-CIO
Lt. Col. Alton Yates (ret.) - First African-American from Jacksonville to be an Air Research and Development Volunteer for the U.S. Air Force
