Mayor Alvin Brown (left) said since he entered office in 2011, he has wanted to honor Artis Gilmore (middle) for his contributions on and off the basketball court. On Tuesday night, he finally had the chance when he proclaimed Oct. 8 “Artis Gilmore Day” in Jacksonville. As part of the recognition, Gilmore’s No. 53 jersey will be retired and displayed at Veterans Memorial Arena. Gilmore, several NBA stars and Brown spent part of Tuesday visiting a couple of Jacksonville schools to talk about the importance of education, part of the two-day event culminating with an NBA preseason game played tonight at the arena.