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Gramblinites honored by Shreveport group

President Willie Larkin was the keynote speaker at the 28th Annual African American Scholarship Awards Banquet in Shreveport Saturday night. But he was by no means the only Gramblinite with high visibility at the event.

Grambling alumni Broderick Fobbs, GSU head football coach, and David Aubrey, director of external affairs for AT&T in Louisiana, received plaques as one of the Top 10 winners of 2016 African American “Make A Difference” Achievement Award. Dr. Larkin was also among the 10 recipients of the award.

The other seven honorees at the event were James Stewart, Caddo Parish’s first African American district attorney; Mary Trammel, president of the Caddo Parish School Board; Sandra Ratliff, founder of Springboard 2 Universal Success Inc.; Isaac Palmer, CEO of Christus Health Shreveport-Bossier; Jessica Latin, 2015 Mrs. Shreveport, who is a children and adolescent counselor; Verni Howard, executive director of Providence House; and Larry Hall Jr., North DeSoto Elementary School assistant principal.

The award recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the community.

Other community members — including more Gramblinites — were given certificates as “Make A Difference” Award finalists. Among them were Fobbs’ parents, Sheila Fobbs, director of the Career Counseling Center at GSU, and Lee Fobbs, an assistant football coach at Grambling.

Another Gramblinite, Caddo Parish Commissioner Steven Jackson, was on the program to acknowledge any elected officials who were in the audience. Jackson and Aubrey are former Student Government Association presidents at Grambling State.

All proceeds from the awards banquet go toward scholarships to students in north Louisiana.

Katie Latin, the director of the Shreveport-Bossier-DeSoto African American Scholarship Awards and founder of the Awards Banquet, says anyone who knows a student 15-18 years old who plans to attend college should notify her in April at  318-422-0876.