Florida Tech Commemorates Martin Luther King Day; Bestows Award for Community Achievement

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Florida Institute of Technology celebrated the life and achievements of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 12. The event was hosted by Florida Tech’s Office of Alumni Affairs and the Department of Humanities and Communication.
A highlight was the presentation of the Sixth Annual Julius Montgomery Pioneer Award by Florida Tech President Anthony J. Catanese. The 2011 award recipient, Eugene C. Johnson, was honored for his significant contributions to the community.

Johnson, a Brevard native and resident of Satellite Beach, Fla., has been a well-known and recognized leader in the community for more than 35 years. He was appointed to the Brevard Community College (BCC) Board of Trustees by Governor Lawton Chiles in 1977 and again by Governor Jeb Bush in 1999 when he served as chairman. He was a member of the Wuesthoff Health Systems Board of Directors and BCC’s Harry T. and Harriet V. Moore Multicultural Center’s Advisory Committee. Johnson, who served in the Air Force for 31 years before retiring in 1982, is also a life member of the NAACP.

Melbourne, Fla., resident Julius Montgomery was one of Florida Tech’s first African American students. An associate of Florida Tech founder Dr. Jerry Keuper, Montgomery was a technician and co-worker of Keuper’s at RCA at Cape Canaveral in the late 1950s.