BY GWEN HAYES
Sentinel Editor
We always hear the adage, ‘what goes around, comes around,’ and in many instances proves to be true.
So it is with one of Tampa’s native sons, whose spiritual elevations took him away from the area and is now bringing him back.
It was in 2002, here in Tampa, also in June, when Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Jr. was elevated to lead 2.5 million in the African Methodist Episcopal Church as President of the Bishops Council. At the time he was one of 19 bishops.
For the past 8 years, he has been the Presiding Prelate of the Second Episcopal District (Washington, D. C./Maryland area).
It was again in June, 10 years later, this time in Nashville, Tennessee, during the General Conference when Bishop Richardson received a new assignment. This time he will oversee the Eleventh Episcopal District for the next 8 years, which includes all the AME Churches in Florida and the Bahamas.
Bishop McKinley Young, who served the 11th Episcopal District, has been assigned to the 3rd Episcopal District, serving Ohio, West Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Bishop William Phillips DeVeaux, Sr. has been sent to the 2nd Episcopal District.
Bishop Richardson, who still has several family members in the Tampa community, quickly shared the news with local family. Sharing in the good news are aunts and uncles – Curtiss Wilson, Mary Scott, Mordecai and Charles Walker. He also has several cousins in the area.
He is the son of the late Rev. A. J. Richardson, Sr. and Inez Walker Richardson. He and his wife, Mrs. Connie Speights Richardson, are the parents of 2 adult children – Monique and Trey.
A graduate of Middleton High School and a former drum major, Bishop Richardson matriculated to Florida A&M University, where he was also a drum major, during the era when the drum majors at FAMU were referred to as the ‘8 Wonders of the World.’
Bishop Richardson served as pastor of Bethel AME Church in Tallahassee for 18 years before elevating to episcopacy in 1996.
Bishop Richardson spent several years in Africa preparing for his elevation.
An aunt here in Tampa, Mrs. Curtiss Wilson, says, “we are so very proud of him.”
