Former Surgeon General to Keynote Regional MLK Celebration at SVSU

 

Former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher will deliver the keynote address during the first Great Lakes Bay regional Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Saginaw Valley State University Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts. Regional businesses, chambers of commerce and community foundations and educational institutions have combined efforts to showcase the area's diversity and consolidate events previously held separately.

In February 1998, Dr. Satcher became only the second person in history to have simultaneously held the positions of Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary for Health when he was sworn in. He brought to the office a wealth of public health experience and encouraged public debate about such varied topics as mental health, bio-terrorism, sex education, AIDS, suicide, cloning and achieving a balanced community health care system.

Serving under both Democratic and Republican administrations as Surgeon General, Satcher led efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health. He also released Surgeon General's reports on tobacco and health, mental health, suicide prevention, mental retardation, sexual health and responsible sexual behavior, youth violence prevention and a report on overweight and obesity.

Pior to accepting his position as Surgeon General, Satcher served as director of the Centers for Disease Control and President of Meharry Medical College. He is currently the director of the new National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. Well-respected by the medical, business and political communities, Satcher is a champion of promoting healthy lifestyles for the American people.

In addition to Satcher's talk, the program will also include the presentation of regional scholarship awards. The Bay Area, Midland Area and Saginaw community foundations will present the honors to high school seniors who have embodied Martin Luther King's ideals. The following students will receive awards:

Student Name                         High School

BreAna D. Allen                        Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy

Kara Brewer                               Garber High School

Nathaniel R. Bruder                  Bay City Central High School

David C. Burt                             Carrollton High School

Danielle A. Danso                    Midland High School

Chelsea E. Dull                         Midland High School

Sidney Dupuis                         Garber High School

Sarah R. Frederick                    Bullock Creek High School

Emilia G. Gutierrez                    Garber High School

Connie C. Shao                        Herbert Henry Dow High School

Paige A. Smith                          Bay City Central High School

Anthony C. Soave                   Bay City Central High School

Cameron T. Sullivan                Bay City Central High School

Erika L. Trigg                            Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy

Nicole L. Wrubel                      Garber High School

Sponsors for the event include Chemical Bank, Delta College, The Dow Chemical Company, Dow Corning, Lamar Advertising, S.C. Johnson and State Farm. The event is open to the public; admission is free of charge. Tickets are required; they are available through the SVSU Box Office at (989) 964-4261 and through the chambers of commerce and community foundations in the Great Lakes Bay region. For more information, visit www.svsu.edu/mlk or contact the Saginaw Community Foundation at (989) 964-4068.