The Daily Southerner
John H. Walker
TARBORO —
Plans are being finalized for the 2013 Tarboro-Edgecombe Chamber of Commerce’s 80th anniversary, annual meeting and distinguished service awards banquet.
Activities will get under way at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 17 in the T.S. Fleming Building at Edgecombe Community College, 2009 W. Wilson.
Keynote speaker for the banquet will be Hailey Best, Miss North Carolina 2011. Best, of Goldsboro, attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Meredith College.
A cocktail reception catered by Top of the Pines Catering will precede Best’s talk in the Mobley Atrium before the group moves into the Keihin Auditorium for the chamber’s annual meeting, followed by the awards presentation.
Chamber President Bobbie Martin explained that this is the first year for the chamber to have presented a distinguished service award.
From 1985 until 2010, the chamber selected a “Citizen of the Year” from community nominations. In 2011, there was no annual meeting, and in 2012, the chamber honored its small and large businesses of the year.
Following the chamber’s annual meeting, awards will be presented to members of the Edgecombe County Community, including EMS Personnel of the Year, Firefighter of the Year, Law Enforcement Officer of the Year and Young Educator of the Year as well as the Distinguished Service Award.
Nominees for the EMS, firefighter and law enforcement awards came from department chiefs in the community, while the young educator — a teacher with less than three years’ experience — is nominated by school administration officials. The DSA recipient is being selected by a committee of community members.
Tickets for the gathering are $25 each and are sold in advance only. Members of the community may purchase tickets to allow members of the EMS, firefighter and law enforcement communities to attend.
For more information, call 823-7241 or email Martin at bmartin@tarborochamber.com.
The following people have received the Tarboro Edgecombe Chamber of Commerce’s
Distinguished Citizen Award
(* denotes deceased):
2012: No award presented
2011: No annual meeting
2010: Dr. Ed Conner
2009: Lena “Bill” Calvert
2008: Dr. Jim Winslow
2007: Joe Perry
2006: Dr. Steve Hoard*
2005: Joe and Bernice Pitt
2004: Joe Dickens
2003: Joel Bourne
2002: Lee Hall
2001: Dr. John Brooks
2000: Robert Barnhill Jr.
1999: Donna Cooper
1998: Rev. Robert E. Burns*
1997: Vines Cobb Jr.
1996: Russell B. Holderness
1995: Ruth Cherry
1994: Donald Morris
1993: Rev. Richard Joyner
1992: Meade Horne
1991: Herbert Taylor Jr.*
1990: Nancy Holderness*
1989: Mae W. Dawson*
1988: Betty Keel
1987: Charles Brantley Martin*
1986: Claudia Edwards
1985: Dr. Moses Ray*
