NATCHEZ — The separate legacies of seven very different individuals were honored at the convention center Friday evening, but all of their contributions have come together to better Natchez and Adams County, master of ceremony Phillip West said.

The Legacy Tribute Banquet honored Dr. James R. Todd, the Rev. Leon Howard, Alfred Hunter, Thelma Latham, Harry Lee Gaylor, Willie Minor and Everett Sanders, whom were all present at the banquet.

Gaylor worked for the union at Armstrong Tire and Rubber Company and served on the International Executive Board for unions, presenter Katie Moore said.

He was also a civil rights activist who, along with others, was the first to integrate the Eola and Holiday Inn dining rooms and the Duncan Park golf course.

“His motto was sticks and stones may break my bones, but a man’s got to be a man,” Moore said of Gaylor’s civil rights actions.

Howard was a civil rights worker and minister who always said that he was a minister first, Moore said.

“But that wouldn’t stop him from fighting for his people,” Moore said.

Howard attended a Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Frogmore, S.C., when Martin Luther King Jr. was also in attendance.

“Reverend Howard is a dedicated warrior,” presenter Moore said.

Hunter, a deacon at New Beginnings Baptist Church, was elected president of the Natchez chapter of the NAACP four times, presenter Moore said.

Hunter worked for 43 years at the International Paper Company, where he served in many positions from construction worker to assistant superintendent.

Moore said Hunter also attended the Million Man March in 1995 in Washington, D.C.

Latham is owner of Latham’s Flower Shoppe, a business that has been open for more than 30 years, presenter Rosa Wilson said.

Latham is also a member of 15 or more religious, fraternal, civic and social organizations and is remembered by her constant smile, Wilson said.

“This has been one busy lady in her time,” Wilson said.

Presenter Lovie Martin said singing with the Voices of Hope, the All Male Chorus and the Adams County Mass Choir have made Minor known throughout Mississippi and the adjacent parishes.

Minor spent a total of 30 years of active and reserve duty with the military and retired as a 1st Seargent. He was valedictorian of his class at Natchez College and continued studies at the University of Southern Mississippi, Martin said.

Sanders, the attorney for the City of Natchez, was the first black person in Mississippi to be elected as a prosecuting attorney when he held the position in Claiborne County in 1974 and 1979, Wilson said.

He has been actively involved in the legal service community and is a member of several legal associations.

“Everett Sanders has done pro bono work through Adams County, Southwest Mississippi and Mississippi,” West said.

West said Sanders is also a good friend.

“This is the only man friend I have that I call to talk to on the phone for a minute and we end up talking for an hour,” West said. “We make each other laugh.”

Todd, the first black person to establish a health clinic in Natchez, was an advocate for equal opportunity and access to quality health care for the poor, Moore said.

“(Todd) is a great man of character,” Moore said.

She said Todd is also a great historian of Natchez.

“Anything you really want to hear about Natchez; go talk to Dr. Todd,” Moore said.

Rep. Robert Johnson read part of a proclamation commending the honorees of the Legacy Tribute Banquet.

Johnson said Natchez has always been on the cutting edge of any social movement, such as the civil rights movement.

(Natchez) never takes, ‘No,’ for an answer, and that’s the spirit of how (people) operate here and how I operate in Jackson,” he said.

Johnson also spoke of the importance honoring community members to create a legacy for the future to honor the past.

“Any task we do today is nothing compared to what has come before us,” Johnson said.

West introduced the mayor of Hattiesburg and candidate for the governor of Mississippi, Johnny DuPree, who attended the banquet.

DuPree, who is in his third term as mayor of Hattiesberg said more cities should honor its citizens like Natchez does.

“What you do for yourself dies with you,” DuPree said.

“What you do for others makes you immortal.”