Menu
Thomas named Person of the Year
Aaron Fredrick Thomas will be honored as the Person at the Year for 2006 during this Friday's Black History Banquet, sponsored by the Mountain Home Black History Committee.
Former BSU Bronco and NFL Jets football star Cedric Minter will be the keynote speaker at the semi-formal banquet, one of the top social events of the year in Mountain Home.
The 18th annual Black History Banquet will be held at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Mountain Home. The social hour begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:15 p.m.
The cost is $30 per person and seating is limited. Those planning on attending are asked to RSVP no later than Feb. 14 to Mildred McNeal, who can be reached at 587-3227 after 5 p.m.
Thomas was born in Boston, Mass., on Nov. 10, 1946. He retired from the Air Force after 23 years of service in Aircraft Maintenance.
Thomas, who has a love of children, was a foster parent for troubled and abused children for 11 years.
He was instrumental in starting the Juneteenth celebration in Mountain Home and currently is the committee chair for that project.
He has been a member of the Mountain Home Black History Committee since its inception. He is a past recipient of the committee's Thurgood Marshall Award for Outstanding Service and Dedication to the Committee.
Thomas has been active in other community events including being a key person in the formation of Mountain Home's first Diversity Celebration.
Thomas worked at the Marsing Job Corps, the Idaho State Correctional Facility in Boise, and currently is employed as a Therapeutic Technician at the Juvenile Correctional Facility in Nampa.
He is active in Andrew Horton Military Lodge No. 8 (PHA). He is a 33rd-degree Mason, Shriner, and Royal Arch Mason.
Aaron is married to Debra Gadson Thomas. He has five children, Jonterri Gadson, ChelaKhan Gage, Clayton Thomas, and Michael Thomas and special daughter Bobbie Jo. He is the grandfather of four children, Jabrien, Kylan, Miles and Kaleb.
The featured speaker, Cedric A. Minter, was born in Charleston, S.C. His father was in the Air Force and was transferred to Mountain Home Air Force Base in 1959. Cedric attended Hawthorne Elementary, South Junior High School and graduated from Borah High School in 1977.
He was recruited to play college football at the University of Kansas, University of Oregon and Boise State University, and accepted a full-ride football scholarship to BSU where he majored in elementary education.
His football abilities helped Boise State become one of the top Division 1-AA programs in the country. In 1980 Boise State University won the 1980 1-AA National Football Championship.
Minter continued playing football professionally for seven years, five years in the Canadian Football League (Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Roughriders) and two years in the National Football League with the New York Jets.
Minter retired in 1988 and began his teaching career. He currently works at the Mountain Cove Alternative High School.
Minter and his wife, Kim, have two teenage boys, Kellan and Preston. Kim works at Ft. Boise Mid-High School. Kellan is a senior at Timberline High School and Preston is a freshman at Les Bois Junior High School.