Posted: February 5, 1997
Contact: Doug Anderson, doug.anderson@MinnState.edu, 651-201-1426
William Lucy, international secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), will be the keynote speaker at the Nellie Stone Johnson Scholarship Dinner on Thursday, March 20, 1997.
Lucy, a founder and president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, headlines the scholarship program in its 10th year. Nellie Stone Johnson scholarships provide financial assistance to Minnesota state university students of color who have family ties to organized labor. Since 1987, the fund has awarded 41 scholarships.
A civil engineer by trade, Lucy was an assistant materials and research engineer for Contra Costa County, Calif. In 1965, he became president of Local 1675, Contra Costa County Employees. Lucy was elected to his current post, the second highest national office of AFSCME, in 1972.
Lucy, who worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in the struggle for civil rights, is a member of the National Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. In 1994, he became the president of Public Services International, the world's largest union federation. He also serves on the boards of TransAfrica, the African American Institute and Americans for Democratic Action.
The March 20 scholarship dinner will be held at the Radisson South Hotel & Plaza Tower in Bloomington. The event begins with a social hour at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $50 each, with a tax-deductible $30 dedicated to the scholarship fund. Tickets may be obtained by calling Jane Otis at 612-282-6545.
The event celebrates Nellie Stone Johnson, who has dedicated her life to the advancement of minority concerns, the rights of workers and equal opportunities for all people. The dinner also will honor the four 1996-1997 recipients of Nellie Stone Johnson Scholarships: Tanya Adams, John Farabee, Sunni Schulz and Kristina Warren.
Adams, a senior at Winona State University, is pursuing a pre-law degree. Her father, Cecil Adams, is a member of the Minnesota State University Association of Administrative and Service Faculty (MSUAASF) bargaining unit, Teamsters Local 320, at Winona State.
Farabee, a senior at Metropolitan State University, is seeking a degree in professional communications. He is an auto worker at the Ford Motor Company Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul and a member of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 879.
Schulz, a senior at Winona State University, is a mass communications and advertising major. Her father, Gerald Schulz of Elgin, Ill., is a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 134.
Warren, a sophomore at Mankato State University, is studying law enforcement. She interned with the Minneapolis Police Department. Her mother, June Warren, is a member of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, Local 59.
