Be Role Models, Speaker Urges At King Breakfast

Children need to be guided by strong families and community, a former professional basketball player said Sunday at an annual breakfast that's part of the local Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Arts Festival.

Ricky Gallon credits his family, church and the Boys & Girls Club with keeping him on the "straight and narrow" as a youth when he was in danger of straying. He recalled seeing King on TV and being inspired by King and his own mother's emotional response to the civil rights leader.

He called on the audience to "keep the dream alive" by being role models to children.

Children "need a support system," said Gallon, who is community relations director for the Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay.

The leadership breakfast, now in its 23rd year, is part of a four-day celebration that included a step show, gospel concert and fashion show. The festival concludes today with a 10:30 a.m. tribute to the military, "Proudly We Served," at the Plant City Photo Archives, 119 N. Collins St.

Gallon, 52, said he first became a member of the Boys & Girls Club as a child growing up in Tampa. He said he went to the club to participate in sports, particularly basketball, but its leaders also taught him life lessons such as honesty and respect.

He was a star at Jefferson High who went to Louisville and played in the 1975 Final Four. He was a second-round National Basketball Association draft choice but spent most of his career playing in Europe.

Gallon, who is 6 feet, 11 inches tall, said he started working for the club about 14 years ago and that children need a solid support system now more than ever.

Henry Johnson, president of the Improvement League of Plant City, which stages the annual festival, said he felt Gallon was a wise choice as a guest speaker for the tribute to King.

At the breakfast, the Improvement League honored its longtime sponsors, including Bright House Networks, Felton's Meat & Produce Market, Hillsborough Community College, Publix, South Florida Baptist Hospital, Sunshine State Federal Savings and Loan, Sweetbay Supermarket, Tampa Electric Co. and Tots Active Learning Center.

The Plant City Police Department was also honored for providing help such as traffic control for festival events.