Parks receives Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award, Madden remembered

Jan. 17—With people gathered in the Mack Gaston Community Center on Saturday, Jan. 13, for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Banquet in Dalton, Henry Parks was surprised to find himself as a featured guest being called to the stage by Mayor Annalee Harlan Sams.

"On behalf of the city of Dalton (including Mayor Pro Tem Tyree Goodlett and City Administrator Andrew Parker, who were also in attendance), I have the tremendous privilege to present a service award this evening," said Sams.

Before presenting the award, Sams echoed words from King.

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is 'What are you doing for others?' and this year's recipient most certainly (displays that), not only in his professional career before he retired, but in his day-to-day life after retirement," she said. "This recipient has poured his heart and soul into this community and it is my privilege to recognize and provide the 2024 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award in recognition of outstanding service to the Dalton community and emulating the ideals and deeds of Dr. Martin Luther King."

As Sams asked Parks to join her on stage, Parks looked across the room with incredulity.

"I'm speechless," he said. "But I appreciate this award and appreciate all of you coming out."

Parks, a retired state trooper who volunteers regularly at the Emery Center in Dalton, took a moment to look around the room, pointing his finger in the air.

"And to those of you who had knowledge of this prior to tonight, I'm gonna get you back," he joked as the audience laughed and applauded.

The banquet, jointly hosted by the Dalton-Whitfield chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee, featured several guest speakers.

Introduced by the banquet's master of ceremonies Jackie Killings, Kinslee Stokes, who was crowned the winner of the 2023 Miss Juneteenth Pageant during the Dalton-Whitfield NAACP's fifth annual Juneteenth Celebration, provided the welcome.

"When we think of Martin Luther King Jr., we see someone who fought for African American rights and someone who's kind, courageous and a leader," Stokes began. "But more importantly, he's a hero, whether it's from helping start the Montgomery bus boycott, the March on Washington and his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech, which states 'I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed ... we are all created equal.' Today, we celebrate his name and honor him for the noble acts he committed that will be remembered throughout generations and generations to come."

Dalton State College student Navah Jordan, who graduated from The Dalton Academy in 2023 as a Rotary Scholar, recited a famous poem from Maya Angelou titled "Human Family."

"I note the obvious differences in the human family. Some of us are serious, some thrive on comedy," the poem begins.

Jordan called attention to the final stanzas of the poem.

"I note the obvious differences between each sort and type, but we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike," she said, repeating the last half of the stanza twice more.

This year's banquet was held in honor of Debbie Baker Madden, a longtime member of the MLK Committee and a "strong community advocate," the program read, who "won her battle with cancer on June 27, 2023."

To dedicate the celebration in her honor, Dalton-Whitfield NAACP President Marisa Kelley and Madden's pastor, David Thomas of Community Fellowship Church in Dalton, remembered their friend.

"The MLK Committee and the Dalton-Whitfield NAACP joined together for this year's celebration, and before we even started meeting, we knew that we wanted to dedicate it to our friend and sister," Kelley said as members of Madden's family looked on. "There was a gaping hole missing in our planning for this event and we knew we would be remiss if we didn't honor her. We thank her for everything she has done in this community. Her life is an example for all of us that only what you do for Christ will last, and what she did is going to last."

Thomas said he was honored to have the opportunity to speak about the many characteristics Madden displayed throughout her life.

Characteristics, friends and loved ones said, which included her positive and encouraging attitude, kindness, faithfulness, generosity and genuineness.

"To me, one of her biggest characteristics was her smile," Thomas said. "She would light up a room when she walked in. We're going to miss Debbie. She was so nice to me and my family and a real blessing to our church."

Thomas said Madden carried herself in a way much like King.

"She seemed to have a lot of influence, and notice I said influence and not power, because she didn't seem to be interested in power or a title or a position," he said. "She was truly interested in God and people. True leaders aren't interested in power, but in empowering others, and that's what she did. People like her don't come by very often."

Thomas finished by sharing a quote "not from the Scriptures," but from Dr. Seuss.

"Dr. Seuss said, 'Don't cry because something is over, but smile because it happened,'" Thomas quoted. "Let's all smile like Debbie Baker Madden."