Dr. Jesse J. Lewis, founder and publisher emeritus of the Birmingham Times and founder and president of Agency 54, stands next to an award named in his honor. (Photo: Birmingham Times)
By Debert Cook
(September 6, 2018) It was a grand day for recognizing Founder and publisher emeritus of The Birmingham Times Jesse J. Lewis, who was recently honored with the inaugural “Dr. Jesse J. Lewis Trailblazer Award,” by the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD. Lewis was presented with the award for his longstanding volunteerism with the agency’s annual benefit golf tournament. Lewis, an avid golfer, is also the founder of Agency 54, the Lewis Group, the country’s first black-owned PR and advertising agency.
The award reads:
“The Housing Authority of the Birmingham District presents the inaugural Jesse J. Lewis Sr. Award to its namesake, Jesse J. Lewis, in appreciation for decades of community service, including a longstanding dedication to the George A. Pegues Memorial Family Self-Sufficiency Golf Tournament. Countless lives have been positively impacted by his selfless generosity.”
From left: HABD President/CEO Michael Lundy; honoree Dr. Jesse J. Lewis, founder of The Birmingham Times and Agency 54; Dorian Kendrick, Lewis’ great-granddaughter and Agency 54 Senior Vice President of Operations; and Martha Bozeman, Agency 54 Vice President of Public Affairs and Business Development. (Photo: Birmingham Times)
Upon receiving the award, Lewis told the Birmingham Times, “I greatly appreciate this award from the housing authority. The years I spent working to raise awareness and funds for this tournament weren’t about Jesse Lewis. They weren’t about the Lewis Group, and they weren’t about the Birmingham Housing Authority. This was all done to help the children of public housing who would receive scholarships, and the families who are helped through the Self-Sufficiency Program,” he said. “Let’s all work collectively to continue to grow this tournament and touch even more people in our communities.”
The beautiful trophy was presented by HABD President/CEO Michael O. Lundy and it features a bronze figure of man in vintage knickerbockers, topped with a traditional golf hat. Taking a closer look, the trophy somewhat resembles Lewis, a golf enthusiast known to embrace the historic dress of the game.
For the past 20 years, as long as the event has been held, Lewis has been a major supporter of the annual George A. Pegues Memorial Golf Tournament. The event is the housing authority’s largest fundraiser, with proceeds benefiting the agency’s scholarship foundation and the Family Self-Sufficiency Program. The annual golf tournament is HABD’s largest fundraising event. Last year there were nearly 100 participants and the tournament raised more than $80,000.
