HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - (Jan 18, 2005) - In tribute to the memory of Martin Luther King Jr., Tidewater Community College held its sixth annual recognition event on Jan. 14 honoring two outstanding individuals who embody King's dreams and life work. They received distinguished service awards during the TCC dinner that featured guest speaker Rev. Peter M. Wherry, senior pastor, Queen Street Baptist Church ; the Norfolk State University Chorale; and the Virginia Symphony Ambrosia Quartet . The college also awarded a scholarship to an outstanding student.

TCC Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Distinguished Service Award

– Dr. John O. Simpson.

As the newly retired superintendent of Norfolk Public Schools, John Simpson provided equitable educational opportunities for all of Norfolk 's children and increased student achievement. During his six-year tenure, he worked to build leadership capacity at all levels and instill a belief that all children can be academically successful regardless of the challenges they face. As a result, Norfolk Public Schools moved from just two schools being fully accredited at the introduction of Virginia Standards of Learning four years ago to 27 schools reaching full accreditation in 2004. For this work, Simpson was named 2005 Virginia Superintendent of the Year.

“The work that I do has largely been on behalf of children of color,” Simpson says. “There have been many who've worked beside me to help make a real difference for our kids. It's quite an honor and I feel humbled to be nominated, let alone receive TCC's award.”

In October 2004 Simpson took the job of senior executive with the Stupski Foundation, working on national policy issues and forging stronger organizational and government alliances in support of public education. The goal of the foundation is to create successful models and achieve systematic reform of public education policies and practices to greatly improve educational outcomes for all of America 's school children - especially poor children and children of color.

Simpson, an active community volunteer, is a member of the Committee of 200+ Men and has served on the governing boards of the Urban League of Hampton Roads, the Governor's School for the Arts and the Hampton Roads Workforce Development Board.

TCC Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Distinguished Service Award

– Dr. Quintin Bullock

Provost of TCC's Norfolk Campus since fall 2002, Quintin Bullock has implemented many innovative programs to serve underrepresented communities, including “Bridges Learning Systems,” a specialized learning center designed to help students develop and strengthen critical thinking and perceptual skill; and “Beating the Odds,” a men's support and mentoring program that aids in retention and improves academic performance. He also provided leadership for the Huntersville Community Outreach Partnership Collaborative program, which encouraged young men and women in the Huntersville community to obtain their GED, explore college life, and obtain college admissions at TCC.

“When I'm out on campus, it's not uncommon to find me with a group of students - I enjoy talking with them and discussing strategies that will enhance their personal and educational success,” Bullock says. “It's my goal to encourage and motivate them to do scholarly work, achieve academic excellence, give back to their respective communities and become productive citizens. ”

Bullock also established new partnerships with private religious affiliated schools and strengthened collaboration between the college and Norfolk Public Schools through dual-enrollment programming and joint development of a Middle College High School program. In April 2004 Bullock won the prestigious Leadership Award from the National Council on Black American Affairs. He was chosen from numerous nominations across the nation for his dedication and expertise in reaching urban-student populations.

Active with a variety of community service groups, Bullock serves on the Lake Taylor Hospital Board of Commissioners, United Way of South Hampton Roads Community Funding Committee, Empowerment 2010 Board of Governance, Norfolk Public Schools Guiding Coalition and is a member of the Sunrise Rotary Club and the Committee of 200+ Men.

TCC Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship – Ruth Yvette Woods

Hoping to work with at-risk youth, Woods is studying social sciences. She plans a career in human services, and hopes to influence today's youth to become productive members of society. Woods, an honor student and member of Phi Theta Kappa, actively volunteers in the community serving as a mentor for the Upward Bound Program, a teen program volunteer for the Indian River Library, and a family advisor for juvenile offenders for Chesapeake Volunteers in Youth Services. Woods juggles family responsibilities, while attending TCC full time.

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Tidewater Community College is the second largest of the 23 community colleges in the Commonwealth of Virginia, enrolling more than 35,000 students annually. The 37th largest in the nation’s 1,600 community-college network, TCC ranks among the 50 fastest-growing large community colleges. Founded in 1968 as a part of the Virginia Community College System, the college serves the South Hampton Roads region with campuses in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach as well as the TCC Jeanne and George Roper Performing Arts Center in the theater district in downtown Norfolk, the Visual Arts Center in Olde Towne Portsmouth and a regional Advanced Technology Center in Virginia Beach. Forty-four percent of the region’s residents attending a college or university in Virginia last fall were enrolled at TCC. For more information, visit www.tcc.edu