Political Quotes

“In honor of Black History Month, I want to recognize Lawrence Epps. Lawrence Epps moved to Lake Wales with his grandmother when he was 12 years old. As a Boy Scout, he and his troop shoveled out the graves, quickly changed into their uniforms during the funerals, then changed again and dashed back to the cemetery to cover the graves back up, just as a young boy. About 4 years ago, he began driving the ambulance on calls while also working for James P. Austin Construction Company, preparing the newly built homes for occupancy. An alumnus of Roosevelt High School, he transferred to Lake Wales High School in his senior year in 1969, the first year that the schools in Polk County were integrated. Epps completed his associate's degree in mortuary science at Miami- Dade Junior College in 1973, and returned to Polk County serving as a special deputy with the Polk County Sheriff's Office from 1974 to 1980. Epps, who was barely 26 when he began Epps Memorial Funeral Home in 1976, has served the bereaved of the community for over four decades. In 2013, the State organization named him Mortician of the Year, which Tommy L. Hayes, president of the Florida Morticians Association, says is an honor bestowed by Epps' peers. Two decades later in 1996, Epps achieved a personal goal when he was ordained a minister through the Progressive Missionary & Educational Baptist State Convention. Mr.…”