By Dwellie Striggles

About 100 people attended the ribbon cutting for the city’s newest park recently.

The Rev. J.W.H. Thomas, Jr. Park, named after the longtime educator and pastor, is on the corner of SW 9th Avenue and SW 1st Street. In attendance were Mayor Cary Glickstein, commissioners Shelly Petrolia and Jordana L. Jarjura, CRA Board Chair Herman Stevens, community leaders and members of the Thomas family.

The Community Redevelopment Agency provided $143,073.92 to build the parking lot and pocket park, which features park benches, playground equipment and lush landscaping.

Wilbert Brown, a Boynton Beach resident and a fraternity brother of Thomas, was pleased.

“It was a wonderful occasion and I was glad to see that the city and community leaders saw it fit to honor him in this way” said Brown, a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

The Delray Beach City Commission on July 1, 2014, adopted a resolution to officially name the pocket park in honor of Thomas, a distinguished member of the community who dedicated 30 years of his life to the Florida public school system.

Thomas, who died in 2008 after presiding over St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church from 1959 until 2007, earned dual undergraduate degrees in social studies and elementary education at Bethune-Cookman College. He continued his studies in graduate work at Florida A&M, Florida State, Marquette and Hampton Universities. Thomas began preaching in 1955.

Throughout his lifetime, he has dedicated countless hours to the youth and various organizations for the betterment of the community.