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Proclamations commending the 2006 Spirit of King Award sponsors for honoring the lifetime achievements of Dr. Eugene Lloyd Youngue, Jr. and Mr. Everett Emory Utterback.
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WHEREAS, each year, the Spirit of King Award, established by the Kingsley Association, Port Authority and the Pittsburgh Pirates, honors the lifetime achievements of local citizens who pursue human rights and equality in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and
WHEREAS, born May 21, 1914, Eugene Lloyd Youngue, Jr. received his undergraduate degree from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and his medical degree from Howard University Medical School; and
WHEREAS, after a two-year tour of duty in Italy with the U.S. Army, he studied psychiatry at Homer Phillips Hospital and Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and several years later studied under world-renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Karl Menninger, at the Menninger Psychiatric Institute in Topeka, Kansas, as well as with the well-known neurologist, Dr. Francis Forrester at Georgetown University, and in 1950 Dr. Youngue came to Pittsburgh to work at the Veteran's Hospital in Oakland but soon discovered that as an African American physician he did not have equal rights in the medical field, as African Americans were not eligible to join the Allegheny County Medical Society, a state requirement in order to care for patients in area hospitals; and
WHEREAS, because of this injustice, Dr. Youngue worked tirelessly as an advocate to correct ethnic and racial inequality in the healthcare industry, emphasizing the importance of mentoring future African American healthcare professionals, and he authored more than 50 award-winning educational articles based on his own experiences in medicine; and
WHEREAS, he belonged to numerous professional organizations including the Gateway Medical Society, Chi Delta Mu Medical Society, the National Medical Association and the Black Faculty and advisory board of Minority Health Center at the University of Pittsburgh, also serving as medical director of the Homewood Brushton Health Center and the El Elegba Drug Center and even in his retirement he continued to serve on the staffs of Mayview State Hospital, Western Penitentiary and Somerset State Hospital;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Allegheny County Council does hereby commend the 2006 Spirit of King Award sponsors for its wisdom in honoring Dr. Eugene Lloyd Youngue, Jr. Dr. Youngue will always be remembered in the community as a distinguished psychiatrist that devoted his entire life to serving and educating others and for his outstanding contributions to improving the quality of life of this region.
WHEREAS, each year, the Spirit of King Award, established by the Kingsley Association, Port Authority and the Pittsburgh Pirates, honors the lifetime achievements of local citizens who pursue human rights and equality in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and
WHEREAS, born March 2, 1906, Everett Emory Utterback overcame his humble beginnings to achieve success, receiving an athletic scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Utterback received his law degree from Duquesne University's School of Law, practicing in the Courts of Allegheny County, the Pennsylvania Superior and Supreme Courts, U.S. Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, he served as General Counsel to the Housing Authority and represented the nightclub, The Crawford Grill, working closely with Gus Greenlee, the owner of the club and the Pittsburgh Crawfords baseball team, later becoming a Senior Partner in the law firm of Utterback, Brown and Harper; and
WHEREAS, he became a great track star at the University of Pittsburgh earning the nickname “Speed”, he was the first African American to captain a varsity team at Pitt and won numerous awards in athletic events like the broad jump, high jump and relay, later being inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, and he was the first African American selected for Pitt's Lettermen of Distinction Honor in 1964 and the first African American to sit on the University of Pittsburgh's Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, he was involved with many professional organizations including the NAACP, the American Bar Association, the Allegheny County Bar Association, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Authorities, the Kay's Boy's Club, the Hill House Association, the Pittsburgh Child Guidance Center and Presbyterian University Hospital; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Everett Utterback will always be remembered within the community as a distinguished lawyer and an inspirational leader who helped others overcome life's hurdles;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Allegheny County Council does hereby commend the 2006 Spirit of King Award sponsors for its wisdom in honoring Everett Emory Utterback. Mr. Utterback lived life with great dignity and kindness, reflecting great integrity and strength and leaving his stamp of good will and compassion upon those who had the pleasure of crossing his path.