Judge Joshua Clark Bell will be the featured program speaker and Winston M. Rollins the grand marshall of the parade when the community celebrates the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, Jan. 20.
The day’s observance begins with opening ceremonies at the Decatur County Courthouse at 9:45 a.m., then the parade, or march, will leave at 10:30 a.m. for Hutto Middle School where the memorial program will begin at 11:30 a.m.
Theme of this year’s observance is “A New Vision – think big, reach far in education, jobs and health care.”
Judge Bell, whose law offices are in Whigham, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, a Master of Public Administration and a Juris Doctor, all from the University of Georgia.
He currently serves as municipal court judge for the cities of Bainbridge, Cairo, Climax, Donalsonville and Pelham, as well as a recorders court judge for the city of Whigham.
Included in his list of community involvements are: past director of the United Way of both Decatur and Grady Counties, past president of the Bainbridge Decatur County Humane Society, board of directors of the Cairo Rotary Club, and board of trustees of Southwest Georgia Technical College, among others.
Winston Rollins retired in October 2013 after 34 years of service to the State of Georgia at Southwestern State Hospital where he filled many different roles.
He is a 1974 graduate of Bethune Cookman College where he received his Bachelor’s in Psychology. He has attended various other colleges to enhance his knowledge and education in several fields. He is a veteran of four years in the U.S. Navy in the Middle East and Mediterranean Sea and for the past nine years has been a member of the Decatur County School Board, representing District 3. He is a member of First African Baptist Church in Bainbridge where he is a member of the deacon board and the Sunday School Superintendent. He is a member of the NAACP.
Organizer of the annual event, Liz Tomlin, said the community celebration has been a Bainbridge tradition for more than the 25 years she has been involved and always attracts a large crowd to mark the birth date of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She encourages the community to come out and celebrate the day.