Ex-Rep. Crawford, retired firefighter get Black Expo Awards

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Gov. Mike Pence has honored former state Rep. Bill Crawford of Indianapolis and Fort Wayne’s first female firefighter among eight others at Indiana Black Expo’s Summer Celebration in Indianapolis.

Crawford received the Rev. Charles Williams Community Service Award during Black Expo’s Governor’s Reception Tuesday. A Democrat, he served 40 years in the Indiana House and chaired the Ways and Means Committee before retiring in 2012.

Retired firefighter Genois Wilson Brabson of Fort Wayne received the Sam Jones Trailblazer Award. She rose to become a district chief.

The Governor’s Award for Achievement in Entrepreneurship went to Gil Michel, the CEO and president of Caleb Group, Inc., a South Bend small business solutions company. He also formed a financial literacy program to teach teens about business, real estate, banking and other topics.