Good evening, everyone.

Thank you so much for being here this evening.

Welcome to the City of Gehana's celebration and presentation on Black History Month.

We have so many wonderful people here in the audience, many of our almost all of our council members, all but just a few of them are here, as well as our city attorney.

And for those of you who might be watching this at home, either in the moment or perhaps later on, we welcome and invite you and encourage you and thank you for joining us here online this evening.

Again, today is a special celebration of Black History Month, but there's an also a very special individual we want to recognize tonight.

Black History Month is about honoring the lives of individuals whose courage, vision, and dedication have truly helped to shape our Gehana community.

And in that spirit, we are coming together this evening in a special honor to celebrate a truly remarkable life, a life that has left a lasting mark here on our community and on our values here in Gehana, and that is the life of Cora May Thurman.

Cora May's story is one of courage, service, and breaking barriers, and her connection to Geahana runs very deep.

From her earliest days, she faced challenges that could have held her back, but she didn't let them.

In 1904, she became the first and only African American student in Gehana schools.

Imagine what that must have been like for her at that time to walk into a schoolroom where no one looked the way she did.

But when she walked through that door, she didn't just persevere.

She opened the door for those who followed behind her.

She believed in the power of education, not just as a path for herself, but as a way to lift up her students and her community.

Cora spent her life in classrooms and communities, inspiring children and colleagues alike.

She saw potential where others saw obstacles, and she worked tirelessly to make sure that every child and every individual was given a chance to shine.

Her compassion, her patience, her bravery, and her unwavering belief in others left a mark that continues to be felt today, and I believe is truly a hallmark of our Gehana community.

Cora May's story is filled with firsts, but what truly stands out is her heart and her courage.

During Black History Month, her life and her legacy remind us that progress comes from people who are willing to serve, people who are willing to imagine a better life, and people who have the courage to pursue that better future.

As we honor Cora May's legacy tonight, let us remember that the best way for us to celebrate Black History Month is to carry forward the same spirit of those who have gone before us by lifting up others, by embracing opportunities, and believing in the potential for each and every person, just as Cora did.

This evening we have an incredible presentation for you.

And we have a very special person as well to thank for that.

Mr.

Tom Gregory, many in Gehana will know Tom.

But Tom actually is going to tell the story of how he discovered the incredible story of this remarkable woman.

And we have some of Cora May's family members here with us this evening who shared, she didn't know the story either.

And it is, you know, this it should be a reminder to take the time and spend those few minutes with your family members, with those with those neighbors and talk to them.

Ask them stories, ask them their his stories.

We always talk about history being his story or her story.

Ask them, talk to them, ask the questions so that you can learn all of the treasures that they hold in their hands and in their minds to share with you that help enlighten our past as we move forward.

I'd like to thank Councilwoman Jamil Jones for being the architect of tonight's event.

We I believe we have to remind folks that there are wonderful uh treats by Bake Me Happy here available as well.

So thanks to them as well for providing those.

Uh and now I'm actually going to turn this over to Councilmember Jones for a few words.

Good evening, and thank you, Mad Mayor Jadwin, for that welcome.

Um we are here tonight, as you heard, to learn more about a legend or icon in our community's history.

But that story is being delivered by a bit of an icon or legend in Gehana history.

And so I wanted to take a moment to introduce uh Mr.

Tom Gregory, who is a proud graduate of Gehanna Lincoln High School class of 1982, and a 2015 inductee into Gehanna Lincoln Alumni Hall of Fame.

For decades, Mr.

Gregory has been a familiar and respected presence in our schools, serving as a teacher, mentor, and visionary behind WGLHS TV, where he guided students in public speaking, storytelling, and broadcast journalism until his retirement in 2019.

But Mr.

Gregory's dedication has always extended beyond the classroom.

He is widely known as a passionate steward of local history and a champion for ensuring that the people and events of our past are not forgotten.

From preserving the Jefferson Town House one-room schoolhouse to honoring veterans through the GLHS Memorial and his work with Honor Flight, Mr.

McGregory has consistently helped our community connect with its roots.

And tonight that commitment brings us to this especially meaningful story.

So please join me in welcoming Mr.

Gregory to hear more about Cora Mae Thurman.

Okay, before I even start talking about Cora herself, I went and researched a little bit about her family, her grandfather, who was born about 1815, and died in 1883.

He was born in Virginia.

And married in it was like 1840.

They lived in Virginia and then moved to Jackson County, Ohio.

And Jackson County still is not a very diverse area, but there is a pocket area there where the Jones and a number of African Americans lived.

And his first son, Private Joseph Jones, actually was part of the Civil War, which this would be Gore's uncle at the time.

He was part of the African American troops, and he died in the Civil War fighting for our freedom in our country at the time.

And if you look over there in the 1870 census, it lists they had 10 kids, but there's nine, because he's not alive, but the oldest, Cora's dad, is listed right there.

And you can see at 14, he's working on the farm in Jackson County.

He married Cora's mother, Laura, and they eventually left Jackson County, and after they married, and they um moved to Hamilton Township in uh Franklin County, which is kind of the Obets area.