Name/Title
Living the LegacyEntry/Object ID
2025.3.1Description
Alton and Gwen Yates were born and raised in segregated Jacksonville, Florida, but each of them had the benefit of hard-working, caring family and teachers who inspired them to aim for excellence. Growing up, Gwen traveled to Connecticut each summer, experiencing the awareness and sophistication that travel imparts. Alton, at 18, joined the United States Air Force and became a highly decorated pioneer in the nation's space program. He was featured in Ebony Magazine and received several commendations before leaving the Air Force due to urgent family obligations. Alton's road-trip home to Jacksonville from New Mexico to care for his dying father was a pivotal point in his life. Proudly wearing his Air Force Uniform, the courageous young airman who had risked his life 65 times for the space program, was refused service at eateries across the United States. "We don't serve your kind," he was told. It was 1960 and Jim Crow was very much alive in America. Alton came home angry, determined to change things for the better. Having lost his promising career and his beloved father, Alton took immediate steps forward. He married his childhood sweetheart, Gwen, and with her help, took on the care of two younger siblings, worked several jobs, and joined the local NAACP. From Ax Handle Saturday to Starbase Florida to receiving the Governor's Medal of Merit, Alton Yates has served his community well, shaping the current history of his hometown. Gwen Yates, too, has been a change-agent for good, founding the Youth Crisis Center, serving as a City Councilwoman for eight years and presiding as Chair of the Board for The Catholic Foundation. Together, Alton and Gwen Yates have raised their family and served humanity with love and humility, each exemplifying what Servant Leadership is all about. Their hopes, their dreams and their historic journey are now and always have been in the hands of God, in whom they place their trust.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
SignatureLocation
Front blank pageTranscription
To the Jacksonville Historical Society
Faith Love + Hope!
Gwen Yates
Alton Yates
1-7-2025Language
EnglishBook Details
Author
Alton Yates, Gwen YatesEditor
Brandenburg, Susan D.Publisher
Susan the Scribe, Inc.Date Published
2024ISBN
978-1-958174-13-5