A special place

Rev. Dr. Lorenzo Edwards, foreground center, holds a city of Ocala proclamation presented to him during a ceremony naming the Community Room at the College of Central Florida Hampton Center in his honor on Thursday, June 20, 2024. Behind Edwards, are, from left, Ocala City Manager Pete Lee, city council members Jim Hilty Sr. and Ire Bethea, and CF President James Henningsen. [Photo by Andy Fillmore]

Home » Community

Posted June 24, 2024 | By Andy Fillmore, andy@ocalagazette.com

The Community Room in the College of Central Florida Hampton Center was named in honor of retired pastor and community advocate Rev. Dr. Lorenzo Edwards during a ceremony Thursday, June 20.

“I wasn’t expecting it (but) I appreciate it,” said Edwards, 86, just prior to the ceremony.

A plaque mounted adjacent to the room’s entrance reads: “The Dr. Lorenzo Edwards Community Room Dedicated in Honor of Lifelong Service to the College of Central Florida and The City of Ocala.”

The city of Ocala and CF partnered to hold the ceremony, which included several city dignitaries and CF President James Henningsen, who opened the celebration at CF’s Hampton Center, located at 1501 W. Silver Springs Blvd.

“Dr. Edwards made a lasting impact on CF and the city. He is the pinnacle of success in helping all students with a focus on making sure minority and handicapped students had the resources to succeed. He rocked it,” Henningsen said.

Materials provided by CF press announcing the ceremony stated that Edwards began working with the college in 1989 as Coordinator of Project Success and Minority Recruitment.

“In 1990, Edwards advanced to the role of Dean of Minority Affairs and Handicapped Services, contributing to the inclusivity and support for all students until 1998. He then became the director of the Hampton Center, where he continued to influence and shape the community until his retirement in 2003,” the release stated.

The CF Hampton Center “holds a special place in CF’s history as the location where CF first began as Hampton Junior College in 1958. As the college evolved over the years, the Hampton Center remains a key location in Ocala for dental education and community outreach,” according to cf.edu

Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano signed the proclamation, which stated the “community applauds (Edwards) as a pastor, educator, statesman, and decision-maker” and noted his “remarkable service” to the community.

Edwards, who was active in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, served as a city councilman from 1986 to 1996.

Ocala City Council member Ire Bethea and City Manager Pete Lee presented the proclamation and award to Edwards, along with a mantle award. Bethea said Edwards was responsible for improvements at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex, including a regulation type football field. Lee said Edwards “blazed a trail where there wasn’t one” during his career of advocacy.

Edwards’ sons, Richard, 66, Stanley, 61, and Brian,48, joined their father at the celebration. They, along with friends, members of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church and community members who packed the room, stood and applauded for Edwards during the ceremony.

Edwards was born in Ocala in 1938 and graduated from Howard High School in 1955. He attended Florida A&M University and earned an associate of arts degree from Central Florida Community College (now CF), bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Florida and a doctorate in divinity from Inter-Denominational Theological Seminary, the proclamation stated. He and his wife Barbara were married in 1957 and he said in a later interview they “are still together and holding hands.”

He served as president of the Ocala Chapter of the NAACP and was pastor of Mount Moriah for 50 years. Regis Boatwright, who said she has attended the church for 70 years, called Edwards a dynamic preacher and teacher.

Frank Washington, a long-time deacon at Mount Moriah MBC, was on hand to celebrate his friend of over 50 years. Shiyann Washington, Frank Washington’s’ daughter, called Edwards a “great role model.”

As the ceremony closed, Edwards recited a few lines from an inspirational poem and then thanked the group.

“Thank God for all of you,” he said.