Ben Bumbry Memorial Banquet set for Sept. 17 at QU Hall of Fame Room

QUINCY — The annual Jackson-Lincoln Swimming Complex Ben Bumbry Memorial Banquet is set for 5 p.m. Sept. 17 in the Quincy University Hall of Fame Room. The banquet honors and remembers Bumbry, who died in 2018, and celebrates the community, people and businesses supporting the pool.  

The Moorman Foundation will be recognized as the 2021 “Friend of the Pool.”  It has provided financial support of the Jackson-Lincoln Swimming Complex through grants, and it also supported two summer events hosted by Arts Quincy at the complex. Mercantile Bank will be recognized as the 2020 “Friend of the Pool.”  Since the pool’s charter in 1997, Mercantile Bank has been a supporter of the pool, providing both leadership and financial backing.

The evening will feature a check presentation with Blessing Health System donating $8,000 to the Jackson-Lincoln Swimming Complex.  The funding will be directed toward a number of improvement projects at the pool as well as for the continuation of the Family Swim Nights sponsored by Blessing Health System.

Board chair Cecil Weathers will deliver a “State of the Pool” address, noting the accomplishments and highlights of the 2021 season and what is anticipated for the coming years.  

This year’s banquet features music by the Messengers, a local band with whom Bumbry performed for nearly 30 years. 

Bumbry worked for more than 20 years at Moorman Manufacturing. After his retirement, he taught in the Quincy Public Schools for 22 years, retiring in 1998. Bumbry served on the Quincy City Council from 2004 to 2010, the Quincy Park Board from 1993 to 2003 and was director of the Redmon and Lee Community Center.  

The Jackson-Lincoln Swimming Complex opened Aug. 2, 1997, after the late Bill Black, an ardent Quincy boater, observed disadvantaged children swimming in the Mississippi River.  His vision and generosity resulted in the creation of the complex that features a large swimming pool with a diving well, a wading pool for young children, shower and concession facilities and a filter house. The complex is operated by community donations and grants.  

For more information or to donate, contact Weathers at 217-779-7737 or weatherscecil@yahoo.com.