malcolm-black_web.jpgFORT LAUDERDALE — The Broward County Historical Commission has named retired Broward College administrator Malcolm M. Black a Broward County Pioneer.


Black will join other pioneers at the 39th annual Pioneer Day ceremony which will be held in conjunction with the city of Fort Lauderdale's 100th anniversary celebration on Saturday, Dec. 3.

Black’s service with several local or-ganizations had already won him recognition nationally and at the state level.

He has served with organizations and agencies, including Piney Grove Baptist Church, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, the Kiwanis Club, the city of Oakland Park, the Sistrunk Historical Festival, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Celebration Committee, the Miami-Dade Hampton House Jazz Restoration Committee, the Lakeside Homeowners Association, Jackson State University Alumni Association and the Broward County Housing Authority Advisory Board.

A jazz artist, Black retired from Broward College after decades as an administrator and director of jazz studies, as well as teaching and directing bands in Broward County public schools and in Mississippi. But he has continued to perform throughout the tri-county area.

He has also performed with internationally known artists such as as Nat Adderley, Greg Allman, Morey Amsterdam, Solomon Burke, Bobby Breen, Sam Cooke, Stanley Cowell, Billy Davis, Clifton Davis, Ivory Joe Hunter, Ramsey Lewis, Marilyn McCoo, Lil Milton, Pete Minger, Patti Page, Lonnie Smith, the Spinners, The Temptations, Stanley Turrentine, Freddie Waites and Betty Wright.

The Historical Commission has sponsored the recognition event since 1973, honoring Broward’s pioneers and individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to preservation and education.

allegra_webb_murphy_1.jpgNine other African Americans — W. George Allen, Helen Jean Hinton, Arthur Winfred Kennedy, Henry McNair, Katherine McNair, Essie Mae Crews, Allegra Webb Murphy, Eddie Lee Murphy Jr. and Enith Gloria Mulkey — are among the 32 Pioneers being honored this year by the Broward County Historical Commission. The more than 2,000 Pioneers recognized overall include more than 300 African Americans.

The recognition affirms  their place among the distinguished men and women pioneers who were foremost in developing the county and can serve as models inspiring successive generations to preserve those essential elements that most distinguish the place they call “home.”

The 39th Annual Pioneer Day ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Fort Lauderdale History Center, 219 S.W. Second Ave., Fort Lauderdale. For more information call 954-357-5553.

Photo:
Malcolm M. Black, and below is Allegra Webb Murphy