The event will mark the 10th anniversary of the dinner recognizing the legacy of Anthony Brown, Springfield’s first black physician and surgeon.
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University of Massachusetts head basketball coach Derek Kellogg, seen here at the MassMutual Center in Springfield last year, will be the keynote speaker at the annual George Williams Fruits of Labor scholarship dinner in Chicopee on Sunday.SPRINGFIELD – The annual George “Big Will” Williams Fruits of Labor scholarship dinner will be held Sunday at the Knights of Columbus, 1559 Memorial Drive, Chicopee.
The event, scheduled from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., will mark the 10th anniversary of the dinner recognizing the legacy of Dr. Anthony L. Brown, Springfield’s first black physician and surgeon.
The keynote speaker will be Derek Kellogg, head coach of the University of Massachusetts men’s basketball team.
The dinner was started by Williams, the former athletic director of the Dunbar Community Center with four decades of experience in athletics, education and community service.
Williams died in 2009, and the dinner is being continued by his daughter, Joyce Williams Calhoun.
Proceeds benefit the Fruits of Labor scholarship fund, which supports young athletes as they continue their educations.
Three city residents – Tony Pettaway, of the city’s Department of Health and Human Services, Charles Hollins, of the Springfield Boys & Girls Club, and Wilda Griffin, of the Urban League – will also be honored.
Brown was born in Springfield in 1863, attended college and medical school at Howard University and opened a practice here at 796 State St. Before his death at the age of 42, he was a member of the city’s Board of Health, the Hampden Medical Society, St. John’s Congregational Church and the Summer Lodge of Masons.
