APRI Honors Ernest Deckard

TYLER — Dozens turned out Friday evening as the Tyler A. Philip Randolph Institute honored longtime community leader Ernest Deckard. Speakers used words ranging from “warrior” and “super-negotiator” to “conciliator” and “comforter” during a banquet at Tyler’s Rose Garden Center. Deckard recently stepped down as president of the Tyler APRI and NAACP; he had presided over the latter group for 24 years. Deckard has also held membership or leadership roles in various other organizations.

Featured speakers included Tyler ISD Trustee Rev. Orenthia Mason; Tyler Police Chief Gary Swindle; and Cynthia Melontree Johnson, standing in for her father, former Tyler City Councilmember and Smith County Commissioner Andrew Melontree. City Councilmember Ed Moore served as master of ceremonies. Mayor Martin Heines, City Councilmember Darryl Bowdre, and County Commissioner JoAnn Hampton were among the dignitaries in attendance. Mason summarized all the remarks with a simple, “Well done, Ernest Deckard. Well done.” Deckard responded by thanking everyone on hand and voicing his commitment to stay involved. The event came a day before Deckard’s 86th birthday. According to its website — http://apri.org — the A. Philip Randolph Institute is “the Senior Constituency Group of The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.”