For over twenty years, Livingston ISD has chosen Scholarship Night activities to pay tribute to the Outstanding Graduates of our schools.
In previous years, over 100 graduates of either Livingston High School or Livingston Dunbar High School have been honored for their commitment to enhancing the lives of others.
These honorees have included many of our greatest achievers, but more than that, the list contains people who, wherever they chose to call home, made their community better through their compassionate actions.
We honor an individual who shares the common trait of giving to make the next generation better, stronger, and more caring.
Pastor Kenneth Darden is a 1980 graduate of Livingston High School and serves as pastor of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church. He has shown loyalty over the decades by finding creative methods to meet the dire needs of his community. In addition to officiating over countless weddings and funerals of members and non-members of his parish, he continues to provide spiritual care to parishioners through counseling as well as providing home and hospital visits for the sick and elderly. Pastor Darden has hosted and facilitated awareness meetings for community issues. He has coordinated community blood drives, clothing drives, and annual fall festivals to help bring greater unity to his hometown.
For forty-two years, Kenneth and Janice Darden have been united in their commitment to their community. They have raised their children, Latisha Darden-Taylor and Kendrick Darden, to be active volunteers, a source of great pride for Pastor Darden. The entire family comes together on a weekly basis to serve in areas of significant need, a testament to their shared values and dedication to making a difference.
He has a reputation for being an active and caring leader in serving within the religious, business, and educational communities. Governor Rick Perry appointed him to serve as a minority representative on the Housing and Health Coordination Council for many years and presently serves as a Gubernatorial Appointee by the Honorable Governor Gregg Abbott to The Housing and Health Coordination Council as the minority representative for Polk County. His leadership skills have led him to serve in many other areas. He served on the board of Habitat for Humanity, the board of NAACP, and is a member of Harris County Ministers Supporting Precinct 7.
Pastor Darden is responsible for overseeing many different initiatives that cater to the needs of the elderly, unemployed, and underserved. He established Abundantly Blessed Child Care, Abundant Light of Livingston, Inc., which is a 501(c)3 job training and placement corporation. He established a local nurse aid and phlebotomist training course and launched the Abundant Light Summer Food Program. He also launched a prison ministry to provide spiritual care to local prisoners. He is often called on to provide spiritual insight and help unify in community matters.
Pastor Darden was proud to become a published author with his book A Pioneer in the Rural, “You do not have to be mega to matter,” which was written in 2021 to inspire other pastors, lay leaders, and others who serve in the Lord's vineyard. His hope was to inspire those who needed a spiritual pick-me-up. If they have been sent, called, and placed by God, they are already a person of good success no matter where they serve.
Livingston ISD is proud to honor Pastor Kenneth Darden as the Outstanding Graduate for 2024.
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