Representative Marvin Abney (D-Dist. 73, Newport, Middletown) was honored by the Texarkana Independent School District as a 2018 Distinguished Alumnus last week at a ceremony held in Texas.

Representative Abney graduated from Dunbar High School in 1968, which is located in Texarkana, Texas.

“This was a great honor to be recognized by my high school alma mater and it was an absolute pleasure to speak with the current students in attendance to share my story of how hard work and perseverance pays off later in life.  I will always cherish my time growing up in Texarkana and it was wonderful to return for this honor,” said Representative Abney, Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, in a prepared statement.

Since 1992, the Texarkana Independent School District has sponsored a Distinguished Alumni Awards program to recognize the outstanding personal and professional achievements of their alumni.  The former Texas High School and Dunbar High School graduates are models to current and future alumni in terms of their professional, leadership and ethical standards.

Texarkana, Texas is located in northeast Texas, on the Texas-Arkansas border.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...