Students, faculty, and staff gather in the Harold J. Green Lounge for the First Annual Judge James B. Parsons Legacy Dinner, and are honored by the presence of members of Judge Parsons' family.
Professor Randolph Stone catches up with Eric Graham, '53, an old friend of Judge Parsons'.
Nat Piggee, '00, and Alex Bolden, '18, talk with Professor William Hubbard at the cocktail hour.
The evening's honoree, Judge Ann C. Williams, now retired from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, greets guests while Dean of Students Shannon Bartlett and Dean Thomas Miles look on.
Judge Parsons' grandson, John Parsons (center), his wife Mary Helen Reyna de Parsons (left), and their daughter, Grace, get to know Professor Randolph Stone and Pam Meyerson, '83, before dinner.
Ngozi Osuji, '19, a member of the BLSA planning committee, welcomes the audience to the dinner. The James B. Parsons Legacy Dinner will be held each year at the end of February as the culminating event for the celebration of Black History Month.
Dean Thomas Miles discusses the legacy of Judge Parsons, the first Black federal judge with life tenure to be appointed in the continental United States.
John Parsons, Judge Parsons' grandson, movingly tells stories of his grandfather.
André J. Washington, '19, presents the first James B. Parsons Legacy Award to the Honorable Ann C. Williams (Ret.).
Judge Ann C. Williams talks about lessons learned from her exceptional and varied career, and exhorts the crowd to work hard, never give up, stand up, and give back.
Kimberly Waters, '19, and Laurel Hattix, '19, both members of the BLSA planning committee, give closing remarks and congratulate Judge Williams.
André J. Washington, '19, is one of many to take a photo after dinner with the first recipient of the Parsons Award, Judge Williams.