Eight outstanding alumni of Richmond Public Schools were honored at the fourth annual Pride of RPS: Living Legacies Breakfast.

The event, sponsored by the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation and held April 24 at a Downtown hotel, recognizes former Richmond schools students who have made significant accomplishments in their professional and personal lives and correlate their success to their formative years in public schools.

The honorees and their alma maters:

• The Rev. Donald L. Coleman, Armstrong High School, lead pastor of East End Fellowship and chairman of the Richmond School Board.

• William Russell Flammia, Thomas Jefferson High School, retired social studies teacher and a volunteer at the school.

• James “Saxsmo” Gates, John F. Kennedy High School, national recording artist and director of the Billy Taylor Jazz Studies Program at Virginia State University.

• Reginald E. Gordon, Thomas Jefferson High School, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross of Virginia.

• Vita M. Harris, Thomas Jefferson High School, executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Foote, Cone & Belding advertising agency.

• Anne B. Holton, Open High School, state secretary of Education.

• Florence Neal Cooper Smith, Armstrong High School, retired executive director of the Sickle Cell Awareness Program.

• Sabrina Squire, Huguenot High School, news anchor for WWBT-NBC12.

“These individuals represent the phenomenal community of Richmond Public Schools alumni who are enriching the communities they touch in Richmond and beyond,” said Adele Johnson, executive director of the foundation.

“Their achievements are not only a tribute to their personal dedication and commitment to excellence, but to the wonderful academic foundation they received while attending Richmond Public Schools.”

The Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to boosting the city school system, has raised more than $4.4 million to support students, teachers and schools during the last five years.