Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Chamber Crowd Largest Ever; Several Honored

Gurdon's annual Chamber of Commerce Banquet, held Monday night in the Gurdon High School cafetorium, was filled with laughter and joy.

The cafetorium was filled to capacity, as residents gathered not only to hear Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee give the keynote address, but to see who would be the teacher and citizen of the year.

Huckabee's address to the audience was filled with anecdotes, jokes and humorous stories, mostly directed at himself.

It appeared the governor has a career as a stand up comic once he leaves public office, as the audience guffawed shamelessly at his jokes and jibes.

But he was also serious at times, saying he loves to attend Chamber banquets. This, he said, is because these functions are where a communities positive people will be found.

He told the gathering how it was different for his family to move from the same neighborhood they had lived in for 10 years in Texarkana to the governor's mansion in Little Rock.

The mansion, he said, is located in the Quapaw District, where an eclectic group of people live. In fact, he said, ever kind of person imaginable can be found in the area and walk by the mansion.

His self-depreciating humor consistently found its mark with the audience, as those on hand were enrapt with his stories.

"You're here to have a good time," he said, "and I'm here to have a good time with you. I love to hear you laugh, but you realize you live somewhere special."

Because of this realization, the community honors those who work hard to make Gurdon a better place to live and raise a family.

This is why Charles Failla was named Teacher of the Year and Freddie Horne was recognized as Citizen of the Year.

The Chamber Member of the Year went to the First State Bank of Gurdon.

Chamber President Anita Cabe called Gurdon Superintendent Bobby Smithson to the podium to announce the teacher of the year.

However, Smithson said part of his job is to delegate duties to others and called GHS Principal Leonard Gill to handle the chore.

Gill said the teacher of the year was a person who has done many things for the district as well as Gill himself.

In announcing Failla as the recipient, he said, he (Failla) was instrumental in Gurdon obtaining grants for technology and helping the district have state-of-the-art technology for the students.

Gill said Failla was not only deserving of the honor for this, but because of his willingness to do the job at hand without question.

"He wrote a technology grant that brought in $75,000 for the district," Gill said. "He's our computer guru, and if not for him, our technology effort wouldn't have gotten off the ground."

Cabe presented the citizen of the year award, saying Horne has worked hard to make Gurdon a better place to live.

She talked of how he teaches physics and COE at GHS, sponsors the Future Business Leaders of America Club, works with the Close Up Program, Hee Haw, the CD&E Club and Forest Festival.

In presenting First State Bank with the Chamber Member of the Year award, Cabe pointed out the bank does many things for the community besides banking.

She said it supports all community programs, pays $25 for each touchdown scored by the Devils football team or interception made, works with the Close Up Program, the Future Farmers of America and donated the sign for GHS.

This honor was accepted by bank president John French.

Huckabee, during his talk, said the Chamber, in honoring those people during the night, was doing more than presenting plaques.

He said FSB was recognized as a good corporate citizen for what it does in Gurdon.

In recognizing Failla as Teacher of the Year, he said, this was honoring the most important profession around teaching.

"I'm the product of public schools," he said. "Teachers inspired me to learn, and I learned I could choose what I did with my life. Teachers helped me believe learning was something worth doing, and if not for them, I wouldn't be standing before you tonight as Governor of Arkansas. I don't know what I'd be doing."

Chamber banquets, he said, are more than plaques and honors being passed out. They help show how people strive to make their communities better places to live and raise families.

"I like Chamber banquets," he said. "Negative people aren't found there and I like that. Those who attend have a cheerful optimistic spirit and this is the real success. You work hard for each other and did what you've done to have a better town for children to grow up in."

Huckabee said these banquets help us remember what great places we live in, and of the 50 states in America, Arkansas is the premier place. "We have folks here who know how to be neighbors and friends."

Entertainment for the banquet was presented by Winnie Clark, who sang "Crazy" by Patsy Cline, an angel song and Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA."

Cabe ended her part of the banquet by introducing the Chamber board, telling who was going off and coming on.

She then turned the festivities over to the new president, Charles Shaver, who officially ended the banquet.