An investment in knowledge pays the best return
Our 2026 Community Honorees
Each year, in addition to providing scholarships, we recognize members of our community who have made significant contributions to our community.
Below are our 2026 Honorees, who have each distinguished themselves in their careers.
_edited.jpg)
Mr. Eric Anderson
2026 Educational Service Impact Award
Mr. Kenneth Bond
2026 Community Service Impact Award
Rev. Dr. Michael Clayton Harris
2026 Educational Achievement Award
Rev. Dr. Linwood Smith
2026 Pillar of the Community Award
Eric Anderson is a dedicated Health and Physical Education teacher with over 33 years of experience promoting student wellness and athletic achievement. A graduate of Coatesville Area High School, Eric earned an Associate of Arts
degree in Health and Physical Education from Wesley Jr. College in Delaware, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education with a Minor in
Administration from Greensboro College in North Carolina. His postgraduate work includes a Master’s Degree in Sports Administration from West Chester University. Eric began his teaching career at Great Valley High School in 1993. After five years, he moved on to West Chester East High School, where he was also the Head Coach for the Boys Basketball team. In 2020-21, Eric joined the staff at West Chester University as a Men’s Assistant Basketball Coach. Eric’s coaching career spans more than 40 years at both the high school and
collegiate levels, including roles at Coatesville, Pottsgrove, and West Chester East high schools. During his tenure at that level, he received the Coach of the Year award twice.
In 2015, he joined the staff at Wesley College as an Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach, where he received the Coaching Staff of the Year award in 2020. He was also inducted into the Wesley College Hall of Fame for Men’s Basketball in 2020 and in 2022, the coaching staff and the entire 2020 Men’s Basketball team were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Eric’s invaluable coaching insight and contributions at Wesley led to a 2019–2020
Atlantic East Conference Championship and NCAA Division III tournament appearance, and in 2024–2025, a PSAC at-large bid to the NCAA Division II tournament with West Chester University.
Eric is also deeply committed to mentoring youth, helping students build confidence, set goals, and develop positive habits. A recipient of multiple coaching and community service awards, he strives to create a supportive, engaging environment that
promotes lifelong fitness, mental wellness, and personal growth. This is why Eric continues to mentor students today in Chester County to help build a better tomorrow for our children.
Ken Bond is a Coatesville native, husband to Anna Bond, father to six, grandfather to fourteen, great grandfather to twenty plus and a man with many accomplishments. Ken served with Rev. Martin Luther King at the “I Have A Dream Demonstration”, and at “The Girard College Demonstration” to help get minority students admitted.
While in the 1st Infantry Division (Big Red One) in Vietnam he was in combat and amassed such honors as the Combat Infantry Badge (CIB), Oak Leaf Clusters for major battles
fought in, the Vietnamese Gallantry Croix, the Bronze Star for Heroism with a “V” device attachment for Valor. While at Goldey Beacom college, Bond helped get the Black Student Union functioning. While
at Cheyney University he did theatrical work for Edith Scott-Bagley (Rev. Martin Luther Kings sister-
in-law). While at University of Penn he was accepted as an announcer on WXPN Radio Station. As the Suburban Liaison for “The All-Wars Committee” he helped make
the city of Philadelphia re-locate a 34-foot historical monument to 20th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway. This monument when erected was named “Monument to Colored Soldiers & Sailors”. Ken is a charter member of the Director’s Circle of the National Museum African American Historical Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC. LIFE MEMBER: NAACP, Screen Actors Guild (SAG)Appeared in the movie “Beloved” directed by Oprah Winfrey, VFW. MEMBER: American
Legion, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Prince Hall
Masons, and TABERNACLE BAPTIST CHURCH. Kenney, while working at the Coatesville Veterans Administration, helped a lot of people as a national shop steward with the National Association of Government Employees (NAGE)Union. Ken was also director of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) under Clarence Thomas, before Clarence Thomas became a Supreme Court Justice. At age 45 Ken retired. His passion is to always advocate for someone/anyone who needs it, especially veterans or those who cannot speak for themselves and need help through advice or representation. Many veterans have gotten their benefits/entitlements because of Kens help. Ken’s ultimate gratitude is in knowing that he has changed young peoples and others lives for the better.
Rev. Dr. Michael Clayton Harris is a 2006 honors graduate of the Candler School of
Theology of Emory University in Atlanta, GA, where he earned a Master of Divinity
degree, and is a 2024 graduate of Payne Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, OH,
where he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree. Dr. Harris is a fourth-generation proclaimer of the Word. He was licensed in January of 2002 to the gospel ministry by the Wheat Street Baptist Church and ordained in May of 2003 by Wheat Street, under the pastorate of his father, Dr. Michael Neely Harris. Dr. Harris pastored the Higher Piney Grove Baptist Church in Decatur, GA, for four years, and organized and pastored the Acts of Faith Baptist Church in metropolitan Atlanta, GA, for sixteen years. On November 6, 2021, he accepted the call to pastor the First
Baptist Church of Passtown in Coatesville, PA, which is also the church that his late
father pastored from 1971 to 1980.
Dr. Harris is an active and devoted member of the Coatesville community. In 2024, he served as one of the leaders of the city’s MLK Day March. His portrayal of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., evoked the spirit of the movement through the resounding delivery of some of Dr. King’s most famous words. Dr. Harris has led and championed efforts to ensure that Coatesville’s youth have access to resources and opportunities that will help them reach their full potential. Through the creation of Passtown’s Job for Jesus program, Dr. Harris helps empower youth by providing job opportunities that allow them to grow spiritually, develop career skills, discover their interests, and gain work experience in pursuit of their passions. He has led the development of a summer camp program through Passtown that provides Coatesville families with affordable access to a Christian character-building summer enrichment program. Dr. Harris’ passion for youth and his
determination to put his faith into action have compelled him to create a vision and lay the groundwork for the future establishment of the Hope Center, a place where youth and the community can gather and access community resources, services, events, recreational activities, and facilities. He uses his platform as a pastor and voice in the community to lead by example. During a significant storm in 2024, Dr. Harris called upon Passtown to open its doors and offer free meals and a
place of refuge to those in the church’s community who lost power. Dr. Harris has
directly addressed members of the Coatesville Area School District School Board regarding its hiring processes and has challenged the Coatesville Area School District to expand its recruitment of African American teachers through local HBCUs. And, as a proud alum of Morehouse College, Dr. Harris created the path in 2025 to bring his own HBCU to the local area, as he and Passtown hosted the world-renowned Morehouse College Glee Club for a night of spirituality, culture, arts, and entertainment in Coatesville. In 2025, he was given the vision to launch the 610 C’Ville Sports Network (aka “The Sports Pride of Coatesville”) and the C’Ville Sports Mentality Show. Dr. Harris effectively uses his sports knowledge and
skills to draw local and national attention to Coatesville’s sports legacy and the current athletes and coaches. Dr. Harris has been blessed to have one of his sermons, “The PHD (The Power to
Handle the Devil),” published in the late Dr. Fred C. Lofton’s book, The Trash Man. In October of 2007, Dr. Harris wrote a book entitled The Devil Ain’t All That. Dr. Harris has been privileged to preach the Gospel in states across America and in Nassau, Bahamas, internationally. Dr. Harris currently serves as the president of the Pennsylvania Progressive Baptist Alliance (PPBA), which is affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC). Dr. Harris is the proud husband of Dr. Valorie Harris, and together they are the parents of three young adult children: Michelle, Gabrielle, and Joshua.