The Manhattan Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Celebration Committee administers the Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service Award. The award was initiated in 2005 and is presented annually to at least one recipient during Manhattan's MLK Jr. Community Celebration on Saturday, January 16, 2023.
Past award recipients:
2006 – James E. Butler
2007 – Dr. James B. Boyer and William A. Greene (in memoriam)
2008 – Rev. Don Fallon and Geraldine (Gerry) Walton
2009 – Murt Hanks (in memoriam) and Dr. Sherry Wright
2010 – Karen Franklin and Don Slater
2011 – Karen McCulloh and Veryl Switzer
2012 – Ivory Anderson
2013 – Rev. Jim Spencer
2014 – Larry Hackney and Rev. L.E. & Queen E. Madison
2015 – Lynda Bachelor and Linda Morse
2016 – Caela Simmons-Wood and Dr. Zelia Z. Wiley
2017 – Barbara Hartnett and Richard Pitts
2018 - Marianne Cullers and Rev. Sterling & Patricia Hudgins
2019- Dave and Sonya Baker
2020- Rev. Jonalu Johnstone, Mrs. Sharon Patterson Davis and Dr. Cheryl Grice.
2021- Majorie Dorstine Johnson, Linnetta Ann (Johnson) Hill, Debbie Nuss and Brad Fenwick.
Award Criteria: Guidelines for selecting an award recipient were established through a cooperative
Effort of the Manhattan MLK Memorial Celebration Committee. The three principle criteria for a
nomination is that the recipient:
1. Demonstrates service and long-term commitment in uniting the diversity of our community for the
greater good.
2. Expresses a history and track record of bringing people together in a non-polarizing manner.
3. Resides in and/or is currently actively participating in the Manhattan, KS community.
The nomination form can be downloaded at the link below:
Past award recipients:
2006 – James E. Butler
2007 – Dr. James B. Boyer and William A. Greene (in memoriam)
2008 – Rev. Don Fallon and Geraldine (Gerry) Walton
2009 – Murt Hanks (in memoriam) and Dr. Sherry Wright
2010 – Karen Franklin and Don Slater
2011 – Karen McCulloh and Veryl Switzer
2012 – Ivory Anderson
2013 – Rev. Jim Spencer
2014 – Larry Hackney and Rev. L.E. & Queen E. Madison
2015 – Lynda Bachelor and Linda Morse
2016 – Caela Simmons-Wood and Dr. Zelia Z. Wiley
2017 – Barbara Hartnett and Richard Pitts
2018 - Marianne Cullers and Rev. Sterling & Patricia Hudgins
2019- Dave and Sonya Baker
2020- Rev. Jonalu Johnstone, Mrs. Sharon Patterson Davis and Dr. Cheryl Grice.
2021- Majorie Dorstine Johnson, Linnetta Ann (Johnson) Hill, Debbie Nuss and Brad Fenwick.
Award Criteria: Guidelines for selecting an award recipient were established through a cooperative
Effort of the Manhattan MLK Memorial Celebration Committee. The three principle criteria for a
nomination is that the recipient:
1. Demonstrates service and long-term commitment in uniting the diversity of our community for the
greater good.
2. Expresses a history and track record of bringing people together in a non-polarizing manner.
3. Resides in and/or is currently actively participating in the Manhattan, KS community.
The nomination form can be downloaded at the link below:
| the_spirit_of_mlk_award_2022.docx |