MARIETTA - Disappointment is something that Dr. Anitra Graves, chief of critical care services at Northside Hospital-Cherokee, encountered early in her career as a physician.

Though she was the only fully funded and published pulmonary fellow at Emory University affiliated hospitals in Atlanta, Graves recalled being granted just a part-time appointment. "I was valued at five-eights of a physician," she remembered.

However, she didn't allow her disappointment to stop her. Graves went on to establish her own practice, Cherokee Lung & Sleep Specialists P.C. in Canton.

She spoke Saturday night as the keynote speaker at the Cobb chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's fifth annual Martin Luther King Jr. gala at Consolidated Club at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

The formula for success for black people today lies in education, spiritual clarity and generational wealth, she told the audience. "All of these are the values of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as it ascribes to in its mission," said Graves, who is also director of the Northside Hospital-Cherokee Sleep Disorder Center.

Cobb SCLC President Rev. Dwight Graves - who is not related to Anitra Graves - said the gala was the culmination of the chapter's King celebrations that were conducted this month. King helped found the SCLC, an Atlanta-based civil rights organization, in 1957.

"We're going to continue to be a viable entity here in Cobb County," Dwight Graves said.

Among events the Cobb SCLC has planned over the next year, Graves said, is participation in a commemorative March on Selma, Ala. and a salute to past civil rights heroes. He also said the chapter hopes to have the new SCLC president, Dr. Bernice King, speak at an event this year.

Saturday's gala was emceed by NBA Hall of Famer Walt Bellamy. The event featured an oratory performance by 14-year-old Bryana Robinson, an eight-grader at Lindley Middle School, who won the Cobb SCLC's Youth Speak Out competition this year. Among guests was the Rev. Samuel Mosteller, president of the Georgia SCLC.

The chapter also presented its annual awards at the event.

The Faithful Servant Award went to Zion Hill Baptist Church in Smyrna for its support of the Cobb SCLC's parade. The Drum Major Award was awarded to Cathy Bailey, president and founder of GivingBack Foundation Inc. where she mentors young people to build leadership skills and self-esteem. The Executive Leadership Award was presented to April Shines for increasing the chapter's social networking presence. The President's Award went to Dr. Benjamin Williams for his leadership in the chapter's initiatives and 2010 MLK activities.