Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Hines Names 'Citizen Of The Year'

Recognizing the efforts of area teachers and citizens highlighted the annual Prescott- Nevada County Chamber of Commerce Banquet Tuesday, April 28.

Three area instructors were bestowed with the title Teacher of the Year from the various districts. Brenda Smith received the honor from Dr. Gene Ross for the Emmet district, while Natalie Sherwood earned the accolades from Nevada. Jim Franks, president of the Prescott School Board, had the privilege of presenting his wife, Ann, with the plaque as the Prescott Teacher of the Year.

Billy Hines was shocked to learn he had been named the Citizen of the Year.

The fourth Treasure of Gold went to Maurice McLelland, the inventor of the domino clock.

The 85-year-old jeweler joked with the audience saying the voting was rigged. "Tom Mitchell (master of ceremonies)," he said, "has been here for years and waited till he got away to blind side me."

Still, McLelland thanked the Chamber and people of Nevada County for the award, saying he loved them all and "they've been good to me."

The packed house was thrilled with the top-notch entertainment. After all, how many communities the size of Prescott could attract such stars as "Dolly Parton," the "Statler Brothers," and, believe it or not, "Elvis," who proved the rumors of his demise were premature and exaggerated.

Actually, the "stars" were all local performers who enjoyed entertaining the crowd. Julie Stockton dressed as Dolly, lip syncing to "9 to5", "Here You Come Again" and "Two Doors Down" songs made famous by the real Dolly Parton.

Elvis was none other than Chad Cornelius, who sang "It's All Right", "Jailhouse Rock", "Are You Lonesome Tonight", "Hound Dog" and the medley of "Dixie/Battle Hymn of the Republic".

The featured speaker, Sidney Moncrief, former Razorback star and future NBA Hall of Famer, gave a solid message for success to those on hand.

"I'm impressed by what I've seen here," Moncrief said. He talked of the signs at the city limits proclaiming Prescott to be a city of progress, filled with good people.

"I'm here to stimulate thought and tough the heart," he said. "Prescott has a special place in my heart. My father was from here."

Moncrief talked about catching the train in Little Rock to come here and visit his grandparents, who still live here. "It was always a treat," he said, "I have a lot of fond memories."

Prescott, he said, is doing great things, with the Chamber spearheading the effort to make sure the community moves forward. The Chamber's job is to promote the community and attract jobs.

Some places don't think this is important, he told the audience, and want to remain static. This one, though, is trying to move forward and progress for better schools, parks and city services everyone deserves to have.

Such moves are required if a community is to compete for industries and jobs.

It's hard for those living in the community to be objective when looking at themselves, he said, because the flaws are not always seen.

While it's important to see the good in a community, he stressed, it's equally important to know the areas which need to be improved.

It is important to look at the children because they are the future, he told the throng. "They're not all bad kids. There's a lot of good ones."

He posed a series of questions communities need to ask if they plan to move forward.

First, he asked, would the community be stronger if the children stayed after graduation or returned after being trained.

Next, what does the community have to offer them to stay and/or come back.

Who will continue to expand on the community's legacy if they don't, he questioned. "We must look to the future because we won't be here forever. We must make sure the community has what it takes to keep its young."

Moncrief said there are four things industries look for in expanding to an area.

They shop for schools, safety, tax breaks and infrastructure first and foremost, he said.

But, there's more they look for as well.

He said businesses look to see if communities are grounded in the word of God. This is something they can see and don't have to be told about.

Communities also have to have an environment that is safe and academically stimulating for the young. The threat of violence needs to be minimized and the drug problem should be eliminated.

The drug and alcohol problems need to be taken seriously because they destroy lives in our communities. They also cause industries to leave, he said.

A commitment to education is also important for a community to succeed. This includes a commitment to the vocational educational system, and encouraging vocational training.

Moncrief told the audience many students aren't geared for college, but need additional training after high school. This is where vocational training comes in. He said the automotive technicians working for him received this kind of training and make about $50,000 per year.

Athletics can't be forgotten either, he said. This is also part of education and communities can't let it die. If athletics dies, he said, everything else follows.

Extracurricular activities are important as they give students a place to fit where they may not otherwise.

Community leadership, he said, must be all inclusive. All races, genders, religions everybody must be included by the leaders for an area to be successful.

"We were all created different," he said, "and need to celebrate our diversity and differences or we will be holding back the community and setting a bad example for our young people."

Diverse opinions are important and necessary. They make unity easier because a community is only as strong as its weakest link.

The leadership, he said, must be fair and decisive in service to the community and not be self-serving.

The leaders must have vision, lay a plan and sell the concept, he said.

If this is done, Prescott will keep being a great place, but how great. "You have the ability to be the best of communities if you all keep working together," he said. "Exciting things are happening you can be proud of."

In addition to Moncrief's speech and the presentation of the awards, Chamber President Faith Beavert told those on hand 36 new members were added during the past year, along with the Partnership being developed.

The Partnership is a combination of the Chamber of Commerce and the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office. This was done to help alleviate duplication of effort of the two entities.

The auction raised quite a bit of money, the exact figure is not known as yet, with items going for more than their value.

State Rep. Percy Malone purchased a basketball autographed by the 1997 Arkansas Razorbacks for