Ed Price

Edgar Hilleary Price, Jr., (January 1, 1918 – December 1, 2012), was a World War II Bomber pilot, Florida legislator, community leader and agricultural manager who fought for civil rights and public education.

Marriage and children Price married the former Elise Ingram on May 24, 1947 and the union produced one son, Jerald Stevens Price. Their wedding took place in the First Baptist Church of Bradenton where they were lifetime members. They both served as Sunday school teachers and Ed was twice chairman of the board of deacons. During the last 18 months of Elise's life, he took care of her 24/7. The marriage lasted for over 62 years until Elise's death on July 22, 2009. He was appointed chairman of the senate higher education committee and a member of the senate appropriations committee where he played a key role in developing Manatee Junior College. While serving on the board of directors at a local financial institution, he discovered that certain neighborhoods were redlined. Price threatened to resign unless the policy was abolished. Price declined to seek any office, intending to focus on his job at Tropicana. Askew also said, "He was one of the closest friends I've ever had. He was also, I might add, one of the warmest, nicest human beings I have ever known. I had enormous personal respect for him." He was named to the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Manatee Agricultural Hall of Fame. He was a former board chairman of the Manatee County School District, past president of both the Manatee Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and chaired the Advisory Committee for Selection of the Chancellor for the Florida Board of Regents.

Awards The Edgar H. Price Humanitarian Award is presented annually by the Palmetto Youth Center. The Manatee County Rural Health Services Foundation honored Price in 2006 with the first Edgar H. Price Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award, and each year names a worthy individual to receive it. A Statesmanship in Human Affairs Award was created by the Manatee County Branch of the NAACP to honor Ed Price.