James A. Floyd Honored as 14th Annual “Vivian Award for Community Service” Winner05/27/2010
The Vivian Award for Community Service, established by members of the Princeton University Class of 1942, recognizes a person who exemplifies the late Bud Vivian’s commitment to serve the whole of the Princeton community. Bud Vivian often saw the need for community action to solve problems, understood how to generate constructive compromise, and had the tenacity to carry solutions through to completion. Previous winners include Marcy Crimmins, Reeves Hicks, Hank Pannell, Jocelyn Helm, Harry Levine, Ted Vial, Harriet Bryan, Pat Van Ness, Claire Jacobus, Anne Reeves, William Johnson, Karl Light, Sarah Hirschman, and Shirley Satterfield. Jim Floyd is well-known as a tireless advocate for the community and his record of service to Princeton runs long and deep. Born and raised in Trenton, Jim moved to Princeton in 1946, the same year he married Fannie Reeves. Jim’s community service started at a young age when he served as his class and fraternity president while at West Virginia State College. He is well-known as Princeton’s first African-American mayor (1970 ) and he has served many years on the Borough Zoning Board, the Township Committee, the board of Corner House, and as a Charter Trustee of Princeton Community Housing. He has also served on the boards of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Mercer County Community College Foundation and the Princeton Area Community Foundation where he was a founder, and Chair of the Grants Committee for many years. He has served as an Elder of the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian church and a Clerk of the Session. Nominators note that Jim “…has served many organizations loyally over many years, has given generously of himself, and continues to do so. He has challenged the Princeton community often. Jim was willing to speak up even at the risk of being unpopular but he has always had the community’s best interests at heart, he’s cared long after it was fun or comfortable, and he has bridged many divides, especially racial ones, willing to press for the best outcomes for the entire Princeton community.” Others noted their deep respect for him and his convictions, for his willingness to speak up for those whose voice was not always heard, and for his commitment to his town as a true activist and leader. “Jim has been a community organizer his whole life, well before it became chic to be one. He has kept our community together, informed, and active through his advocacy for better living conditions and human relations in Princeton.” The Leslie “Bud” Vivian Award for Community Service is made possible through the Vivian Memorial Fund, an endowment fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation.
Valid from 05/27/2010 to 05/28/2011 |
The Princeton Area Community Foundation has announced the fourteenth annual Leslie “Bud” Vivian Award for Community Service. The 2010 recipient, Jim Floyd, has served his community his entire life. The award will be presented by the Community Foundation to Mr. Floyd at a public ceremony in the Princeton Public Library’s Community Room, followed by a celebration on Albert Hinds Plaza on Thursday June 24 at 5 PM.