We were pleased to see two local community leaders receive prestigious awards this past week.

 Dr. Melvin O. Baker DMD was honored with the I Have A Dream Award — an award that was presented for the first time in 1987.

 Dr. Baker has been a quiet leader in our community serving as the chairman of the Washington Street Community Center Board of Directors and on countless other boards such as at Newton Medical Center and the local YMCA.

 Dr. Baker has devoted his life to the service of others and joins the ranks of 21 other like-minded and deserving individuals who have won this award.

 The Trailblazer Award was presented to Newton County Sheriff Ezell Brown. He is the second recipient of the award.

 Brown is an example of what hard work and honesty can produce, as he has steadily risen through the ranks of law enforcement to become Newton County’s first black sheriff.

 Both of these men are deserving of their recognitions given by the Newton County Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee.

 It is men like Baker and Brown, who through their efforts, have helped make Newton County a place where all men are judged by their accomplishments and their civic activities, not by the color of their skin. We are proud of both of them and feel that both Baker and Brown truly keep Dr. King’s dream alive.