Dixon Council honors two community members for Black History Month

DIXON – The City Council honored two community members for their dedication and accomplishments Tuesday as part of Black History Month.

Ike Mercer memorial awards were presented to Tameka Deatherage and Devrick Sayles.

In 2019, the council changed the name of its annual Black History Month certificate of achievement award to honor Ike Mercer, who died in January 2019 and was renowned for his longtime support and service to the area, including co-founding the Al Morrison Baseball League and serving on the Lee County Board and the city’s former public safety commission.

Detherage, of Sterling, who moved to Dixon in 2008, is a fitness trainer and has promoted health and fitness throughout the area for years for those young to old. She coached track and field at Newman Central Catholic High School and Challand Middle School, and was previously an activities director at a nursing home.

She founded TC Fitness815 in 2013 and launched a fitness apparel line in 2017.

Detherage said she was honored and humbled to receive an award named after a legendary member of the community.

Sayles, 22, is an operations journeyman with the U.S. Air Force and is stationed at Travis Air Force Base in California. He was deployed to Qatar in 2019 and will be deployed there for a second time in March. He received an Air Force Achievement Medal following his first deployment.

Sayles was a longtime member of the Al Morrison Baseball League and was fond of his time with Mercer, who encouraged his involvement in sports. He played football, baseball and basketball before graduating from Dixon High School in 2017.