BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor
On Wednesday, February 9th, at 11 a.m., a ceremony will be held that will officially rename the College Hill Library, 2607 E. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd.
The library will be renamed the C. Blythe Andrews, Jr., Public Library during the ceremony. Mr. C. Blythe Andrews, Jr., Chairman of the Board of the Florida Sentinel Bulletin, died after an illness on January 12, 2010. He was 79.
A Tampa native, Mr. Andrews graduated from Middleton High School in 1946, at the age of 16, and ranked third in his class. He continued his education at Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama, and earned his B. A. Degree in Economics in 1950.
Mr. Andrews spent the next year enrolled at Boston University, School of Journalism. After serving a stint in the U. S. Army, Mr. Andrews returned to Tampa and obtained employment in the family business.
He worked in every facet of the business and earned several promotions. Mr. Andrews assumed the reins of the business as the publisher after his father, the late Mr. Cyril Blythe Andrews, died in 1977.
During his lifetime, Mr. Andrews nurtured the newspaper as it grew in popularity throughout the state. Tampa natives who relocated to other cities subscribed to the Sentinel to keep in touch with their former communities.
As a member of the community, Mr. Andrews earned the respect of politicians on a local, state, and national level. The Sentinel became recognized as the most prestigious and successful African American owned newspaper in the state.
As a community activist, Mr. Andrews served on numerous boards and committees. He also served as the voice of the community ensuring that the African American community was included in the governmental decision-making process.
To ensure that the underserved received adequate medical attention, Mr. Andrews served on the board of Trustees at Tampa General Hospital for several years. He was the Board Chair and Vice Chair of the Tampa Park Apartments. He was also the Grand President of the Lily Security Benefit Association.
The renaming of the library pays tribute to the memory of Mr. Cyril Blythe Andrews Jr., the contributions he made to the community, and the legacy he left behind.
His wife, Mrs. Gloria Andrews, children and family will represent the late Mr. Andrews.
