BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor

This week, members of the community will welcome Dr. Henry Lewis, III, president of Florida Memorial University to Tampa. During his visit, Dr. Lewis will share his vision for 2020.

Dr. Lewis said Tampa is one of the stops in his tour around the country. “We’re trying to make people aware that we are the only historically Black institution in South Florida.

“We are also the only HBCU (Historically Black College or University) with an Aviation Program. This year, we are offering an Air Traffic Controller Program. We offer five bachelor’s degrees in this program,” Dr. Lewis said.

He further stated that Florida Memorial University trains approximately 35% of all African American teachers and focuses on the areas of Aviation, Education, and Business.

Dr. Lewis said the 133-year-old university is ripe with history. Formerly located in Jacksonville, James Weldon Johnson wrote the “Life Every Voice and Sing,” as a poem, and his brother, John Rosamond Johnson, wrote the lyrics to the poem while on the faculty there. The song became the Black National Anthem.

He said the school was founded in 1879 in Live Oak as the Florida Baptist Institute. It moved to Jacksonville in 1882, and changed its name to Florida Normal and Industrial Institute. In 1918, the college moved to St. Augustine.

Dr. Lewis said in 1968 after someone poured acid into a St. Augustine swimming pool to keep Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from wading in it for the purpose of integration.

The school relocated to South Florida after whites threatened to burn it down during the period of civil unrest. However, Dr. Lewis said the school still owns the 300 acres of land and plant to establish a branch campus on the property.

Dr. Lewis said he is coming to Tampa to concentrate on some of the outstanding minority students who he would like, “To come to Miami to achieve their dreams of a college education.”

A native of Tallahassee, Dr. Lewis received his B. S. degree in Pharmacy from Florida A & M University. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from Mercer University, and completed his post Doctoral training at the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University.

He became the 12th President of Florida Memorial University last year.

On Thursday, at 7 p.m., Dr. Bartholomew Banks, pastor of St. John Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, 2504 E. Chipco Street, and his congregation will host a “Forum with the President” in honor of Dr. Lewis.

On Friday, at noon, Dr. Lewis will be the guest of honor at a luncheon at the Hilton-Tampa Airport, Westshore.