The St. Louis Gateway Classic Sports Foundation and AmerenUE will host the 17th Annual Walk of Fame Induction Ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 at the St. Louis Gateway Classic Sports Foundation, located at 2012 Dr. Martin Luther King Dr.
This year’s honorees are Earl Wilson Jr., Charles Edward Fleming, the late Nathaniel Allen Sweets and the late Myrtle Hilliard Davis.
“The Walk of Fame is an honor for African-American citizens that have achieved greatness in the St. Louis community,” said Richard Gray, president and CEO of the Gateway Classic.
“We haven’t had any place in the city of St. Louis where we’re really able to give the recognition.”
In addition, this year’s induction ceremony will include a renaming of the organization’s building as the Earl Wilson Gateway Classic Sports Complex, after a 2010 honoree, the founder of the Gateway Classic.
“The founder Earl Wilson has vision, drive and passion that have put us on a level that no other Classic has when it comes to community involvement and commitment to the city,” Gray said.
One 2010 honoree, Charles E. Fleming, was the architect who designed the building. He praised the organization’s mission in funding scholarships to study at historically black colleges and universities.
“This is the way to help people that may not have the funds or opportunities to move ahead,” Fleming said.
“It’s a great thing to help someone who really has talent and to make sure they get on the right path and become successful.”
To date, over $2.5 million has been awarded in scholarships, with 70 Gateway Classic scholars graduating from HBCUs.
Another honoree, Nathaniel Sweets, was the owner and publisher of The St. Louis American for 45 years. Sweets’ vision was to give a voice to the African-American community and bring newsworthy information to the St. Louis community.
“My family is honored, and it feels good that the Gateway Classic feels the way we always have,” said Fred Sweets, who called his father “my personal hero.”
“He provided a legacy for young black journalists,” Fred Sweets said of his father.
Honoree Myrtle Hilliard Davis left a very concrete legacy in the form of a federally qualified health center. She founded St. Louis Comprehensive Health Center which was renamed in her honor in 2001.
“Myrtle Davis was a pioneer and a visionary,” said Archie Griffin, president and CEO of Myrtle Hilliard Davis Comprehensive Health Center.
“She was among the few who developed community health centers in the neighborhood bringing a host of primary care services.”
Griffin said he and board members would attend the ceremony. Board member emeritus Ina Boon, a close friend of Davis, will speak.
“She dedicated her whole life to tyring to reduce health disparities in North St. Louis,” Griffin said of Davis.
Tickets for the Walk of Fame ceremony and luncheon are $25. For more information, contact Melba Carter at 314-621-1994, Ext. 211.
The Gateway Classic’s biggest fundraising event is an annual football game featuring two teams from HBCUs. It will host the 17th Annual American Family Insurance Gateway Football Classic on Saturday, Sept. 25 at the Edwards Jones Dome. Tickets are on sale now.
“The more that contribute, the better,” Fred Sweets said.
For more information, call (314) 621-1994.
