Lake County NAACP, candidates pay tribute to T.H. Poole

August 2, 2012 Filed under FLORIDA Posted by admin

BY LOUIS C. WARD
SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

Lake County candidates had four minutes each to introduce themselves and reveal their platform for running for political office in the northwest Central Florida county.

Florida civil rights leader T.H. Poole is shown with Gwen Manning with the Lake
County NAACP executive board and Tri-City President Sannye Jones.

Most candidates, however, used their four minutes to share an anecdote about T.H. Poole, former state NAACP president and longtime Lake County activist during the NAACP Tri City Branch’s “Community Circle of Influence Candidates’ Dinner” held July 26 in Tavares.

Poole, who is in his 80s and the guest of honor of the dinner, is well-known in Lake County for his work improving living con

ditions for residents, specifically African-Americans.

Lake County Sheriff Gary Borders, who is running for re-election, amused the audience with his story about when he became the jailer for Lake County.

Borders said, “Mr. Poole visited me and said, ‘I know you are from Seminole County and you are new, but this is how we do things in Lake County.’’’

Through the years, Poole’s legacy has been his efforts to help make Lake County a better place to live for all people through his work with the local and national offices of the NAACP, his work as a schoolteacher and a football coach in Lake County’s school system.