FRANKLIN
A ceremony will commemorate and recognize the installation of an historical marker in honor of civic leader Pauline Morton on Saturday, March 10, at 10 a.m., in the Regional Workforce Development Center of Paul D. Camp Community College, 100 N. College Drive, Franklin. The Virginia Historical Society approved this milestone to honor Morton’s contributions to the communities of Suffolk, Franklin and Southampton County in the following ways:

• Chartered two Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority chapters (Lambda Psi Omega in Franklin and Zeta Epsilon Omega in Suffolk)

• Helped organize the Franklin NAACP in 1943

• Chaired the Boards of the Franklin City Public Schools and Paul D. Camp Community College

Judge Alfreda Talton-Harris, sponsor of the initiative to recognize Morton, said, “Mrs. Morton made significant and life-changing contributions to the very fabric of the Franklin, Southampton and Suffolk communities — and beyond. Although her AKA engagement is of particular interest to me personally, one cannot overstate her tremendous positive influence in the state of Virginia.”

Born on Feb. 19, 1912, Morton served on the boards of more than 23 organizations, and achieved several major state-wide impacting accomplishments in Virginia. She served as an officer in the Statewide Home Economics Association. She also served as president of the Virginia State University Human Ecology Alumni Chapter. Further, Morton also served as president of the Old Dominion Home Economics Association. Additionally, she also held numerous roles in her local church.

Lambda Psi Omega Chapter President Dr. Cynthia Nicholson, said, “We are so proud to be part of this historic occasion. Mrs. Morton is a legend within the Alpha Kappa Alpha organization, and it is truly wonderful to see this honor bestowed on her even though she has gone on.”

Joyce Henderson, Mid-Atlantic Regional director of Alpha Kappa Alpha, and Adriene James, Tidewater Cluster coordinator of Alpha Kappa Alpha, will both participate in the ceremony.

A reception will follow the ceremony.

For more information, contact Rhonda Chambliss at 647-9007.

The Mid-Atlantic Region of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. encompasses North Carolina and Virginia. Home to more than 130 graduate and undergraduate chapters, the Region boasts more than 7,000 members. Joyce Henderson serves as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director. For more about the “Marvelous Mid-Atlantic Region,” please visit www.midatlanticaka.org.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. is an international service organization that was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908. It is the oldest Greek letter organization established by African-American college-educated women.

Alpha Kappa Alpha is comprised of more than 290,000 members in 993 graduate and undergraduate chapters in the United States, Liberia, the Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Germany, South Korea, Bermuda, Japan, Canada, South Africa and Dubai. Led by International President Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson, L.H.D., Alpha Kappa Alpha is often hailed as “America’s premier Greek-letter organization for African-American women.” For more information about Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, log on to www.aka1908.com.