By Andrew Skerritt
Tallahassee and Leon County officials held a ceremony to formally name the Dr. Charles L. Evans Pond in honor of the late civil rights activist and Florida A&M University professor.
The event was held on the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and attracted neighborhood residents as well as FAMU administrators familiar with Evans’ work and contributions. Evans’ widow, Connie Evans, and her family also participated in the ceremony. Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey and Leon County Commission Chairman Bill Proctor addressed the outdoor gathering near the pond in Myers Park at 816 Circle Drive. The City Commission approved the name change in 2020.
Evans was a longtime civil rights leader, president of the Tallahassee NAACP, and faculty member and administrator at FAMU.
“Dr. Evans deserves this recognition for his 31 years of distinguished leadership and service as associate dean, professor of marketing, and director of Graduate Programs for the FAMU School of Business and Industry and oversight of the Small Business Development Center at FAMU,” FAMU President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., said. “His life and legacy reflect everything Florida A&M University represents, “Excellence with Caring,” and when I think of him, I think of “Excellence without Excuse.”
