Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Heroes honored at Chamber Banquet

A memorial monument is being planned for local service men and women.

This announcement was made during the annual Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce banquet Thursday, March 31. Chamber President Joe Graham said the plans, though not firm, are to build a monument for the men and women of all branches of the military and place it at the courthouse. The names of all the soldiers from the county will be engraved on it.

Soldiers from the 39th Brigade of the Arkansas National Guard were honored at the banquet for the service and time they gave to the nation.

State Representative Tommy Roebuck presented a special citation from the Arkansas Legislature to Sgt. Ricky Hopkins.

Members of the Guard, he said, normally drill two days a month and two weeks during the summer. However, they fought with soldiers who drilled every day while in Iraq and did a magnificent job.

Roebuck said there had been 10 or 12 bills passed concerning the Guard during the session, but the one he wanted to let them know about was a $12,000 tax break on their military pay. This will be voted on in the state senate this week and then go to the governors office to be signed into law.

Barbara Brown presented Sgt. Hopkins and the Guard with a framed poem she wrote about the soldiers. We heard about what good soldiers and men you were and you served us well, she said. Thank you for the sacrifice you made and the time youve given in service. We missed you.

State Rep. Chris Thomason presented a Legislative Citation as well, only this one didnt go to a soldier. Instead, it went to a six-year old girl  Taylor Hopson, who saved her father and older brother when their home caught fire.

When Tommy (Roebuck) and I talked about citations, I kept thinking about my grandfather, a veteran of World War II, Thomason said. He talked about being impressed going through his grandfathers albums and seeing what those soldiers went through.

They were the greatest generation and I wondered how they would be replaced. Thomason said the current generation of soldiers is the next greatest generation for what theyve done to preserve freedom in the world.

Were here to honor the smallest hero among us, Taylor Hopson, he said. She is a model for all of us, big and small.

Jessie Ward, former Miss Arkansas, was the next presenter, honoring students of the year in the three Nevada County schools. Kelly Bird was the winner from Emmet, with Amber Baker, a sophomore at Nevada High who will graduate next year, being the NHS student of the year. Katy Wilson was named Prescotts student of the year.

Graham returned to the podium to present the treasure of gold award, which went to Carroll Morehead.

Morehead, he said, married in 1942 and was drafted, serving in WWII until 1946. He earned the Purple Heart, Good Conduct and Sharpshooter medals.

The Moreheads have two children and three grandchildren. He opened Carrolls Grocery in 1966, and also worked in the Veteran Affair office at the Nevada County Courthouse until he retired in 2004.

Morehead, like thousands of other soldiers from WWII, got his GED diploma a few years ago.

Always the soldier, Morehead first addressed the Guard members in the audience, saying, this is what old soldiers look like.

He urged them to have their DD-214 forms recorded in case they need it someday for their Social Security.

The Steve and Janis Wren family was recognized as the Nevada County Farm Family of the Year.

Jim Franks, with the Bank of Prescott, presented the award, saying the bank sponsors this award, along with Entergy, because it knows the economic impact agriculture has on the area.

The Wrens, he said, operate Wren Racing Stables. During the early days, Steve traveled the racing circuit while Janis stayed home. But, when the opportunity to start their own business came about, they jumped at it.

The Wrens have two children, Brandon and Kelly, and two grandchildren.

Brad Crain presented the business leadership award to Gilbert Lumber Co. This business, he said, has been here since 1950 and is no stranger to Prescott.

According to Crain, Gilberts is the oldest retail business in Prescott, with the employees having more than 60 years of combined service.

Educators of the Year were recognized next, with Dr. Gene Ross getting things started for Emmet.

Ross began by thanking the Chamber for placing such emphasis on education as students cant be judged solely on the basis of test scores, but how they turn out.

In Emmet last year, he said, there was no problem judging the senior class as 25 percent joined the armed services right after graduation.

The educator of the year, began teaching in Emmet in 2001 at the kindergarten level. Prior to that she was the director of Head Start in Arkadelphia. In 2002 Emmet received a Century-21 grant from Yale and Lynn Johnson was named C-21 coordinator.

Its an honor to be named teacher of the year, she said. When I was young I wanted to be a teacher and I still do.

Tiffany Beasley presented the Nevada Educator of the Year award to Sue Phillips. Beasley read the Creation of Teachers, which stated the model needed six hands and three pair of eyes, be able to run on coffee and leftovers, work when theyre sick, teach children who dont want to learn, teach children who arent theirs, be soft hearted, be able to think, reason and compromise, have joy and pride in seeing a child accomplish the smallest things.

Phillips, she said, got a late start at being a teacher, starting in 1986 at Bodcaw, coming to Nevada when the schools in the area consolidated.

I always wanted to be a teacher, Phillips said. Im humbled being chosen for this award. Its an honor.

Hyacinth Deon, superintendent of the Prescott School District, presented the award for Prescott to Niki Byers.

Many teachers could have been chosen, Deon said, but the committee picked the one who exemplifies the ideals of the profession.

The habits of an effective teacher is woven into the fabric of their lives. They prepare students to be good citizens, and unless they do their job well, democracy is at stake. Freedom can be taken away if schools dont do their job.

Byers, she said, has high standards and uses a variety of methods to teach children.

I thought I was here to support the soldiers, Byers said. This is a wow. I thank the people of the district for trusting me with their children every day.

Citizen of the Year went to Congressman Mike Ross, who was unable to attend.

A letter written by Flo Brackman nominating Ross, read, in part, that she had seen him grow up and glad there are people like him representing us.

Ross, in a taped interview in which he was presented the award, said he never expected it, and thought he was being called upon for a Chamber project. Its a pleasant surprise. I feel Im just doing my job. Im proud to call Prescott and Nevada County home.

At the start of the banquet, a PowerPoint program designed by the PHS EAST Lab students was shown. The program depicts life in Prescott and tells why this is a good location for business and industry. The program won an award with the Arkansas Department of Economic Development, and can be seen on the ADED web site.

Entertainment was provided by H3T, a hip hop group of young ladies who danced for the audience, along with students from Dancetastics, to tapped to Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company C.

Roger Delano and the Southern Thunder Band were the featured performers. Delano sang Colorado a song climbing the indie charts, along with a duet, Heartbreak Ridge with Anita Wicker.