(Hawkins, Texas)—Jarvis Christian College will host its 2021 Athletic Hall of Fame Luncheon featuring special guest speaker Willie H. Gregory, director of global community investment for NIKE, Inc. The luncheon will be at noon Saturday, October 16, in the E. W. Rand Center on the Jarvis Christian College main campus, U.S. Hwy 80 and PR 7631. Ticket prices are $50 per person for the luncheon, or $300 for a table for six. Call Institutional Advancement for more information at (903)730-4890, ext. 3003.
“We are pleased to welcome Mr. Gregory to the Jarvis Christian College Campus as we kick off the reinstatement of our Athletic Hall of Fame Luncheon after a 41-year hiatus,” said Jarvis Christian College President Dr. Lester Newman. “Mr. Gregory is a long-time friend, and we are encouraging him to be a friend of Jarvis. Please know we are excited to honor 10 of our outstanding Jarvis Christian College athletes and coaches from throughout the years in various sports.”
Gregory is the chairman of the board of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce. A member of 100 Black Men of America civic organization and service club that seeks to educate and empower African-American children and teens, he has served his birthplace, the city of Memphis, Tennessee, for two decades using his 30 years of experience working with NIKE in sports and sports marketing, business investments, and government and community relations. Gregory has received awards for his community service including NIKE’s “African American Network Person of the Year,” the Ralph Hatley University of “Memphis Hall of Fame Athletic Award,” and as a LeMoyne Owen College’s “Beacon of Hope” honoree and as a Memphis City Schools “Hall of Fame” inductee.
An alumnus of Mississippi Valley State University and the University of Memphis, Gregory continues to be involved with community organizations that promote education, cultural awareness and civic responsibility. He is a former board member of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, the Youth Villages of Memphis, the Memphis Development Foundation and is a former board chairman of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Memphis. He also served as board chairman of the Memphis/Shelby County Sports Authority and spearheaded the sports athletic contract for the University of Memphis. A native son of Memphis, Gregory also served in 2010 as president of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
Celebrating 110 years of educating students, Jarvis Christian College is dedicated to empowering students to achieve their career goals through an affordable academic experience that prepares them for today’s global economy. Whether a student is fresh out of high school and seeking a college experience to gain independence and maturity or a student is a working adult seeking to start or complete a degree, Jarvis Christian College can help. A college degree develops students of all ages intellectually, physically, spiritually, socially and culturally. JCC is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and is among the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities supported by the United Negro College Fund.
