The Greater Starkville Development Partnership held its annual awards banquet Thursday night and honored nearly a dozen citizens and businesses for their contributions to the community.
The big winners were Bill Poe and Joan Wilson. Poe, a member of the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum board of directors and a volunteer with the Starkville Community Market, among other activities, brought home the T.E. Veitch Community Service Award. The award is given every year to a person who demonstrates exemplary service to the community.
Working with the Heritage Museum, Poe and Wilson organized a program in the summer of 2010 to honor Oktibbeha County”s World War II veterans. The pair brought home the GSDP”s Service to the Military Award Thursday night for their work on the World War II program.
“That was just a fantastic opportunity for us to reach out to our very worthy World War II veterans,” Poe said.
Additionally, the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum won the GSDP”s Crystal Pineapple Tourism Award.
“I”ve had a lot of fun working in the community,” Poe said. “We”ve got a lot of great projects going on.”
Wilson urged those in attendance to stop by the museum, located at the corner of Russell Street and Fellowship Drive, and learn more about the county”s past.
“It”s your museum, your history,” she said.
The R. Clay Simmons Exemplary Enterprise Award was given to Metrocast, which upgraded technology over the last year and expanded service to Maben and other areas of Oktibbeha County. Metrocast also donated approximately $18,000 to local organizations.
Clark Beverage Group won the GSDP”s Oktibbeha County Industry of the Year Award, while GSDP ambassador Libby Gerald won the Ambassador of the Year Award. Gerald commended her fellow ambassadors and the rest of the GSDP.
“To be singled out among you is a great, great honor for me,” Gerald said.
Three people also were inducted into the Starkville Area Education Hall of Fame. Robin Dibble, an English teacher at Starkville High School since 1999, was the first inductee of the night. Dibble said she tries to “bring literature to life” for her students and then commended her fellow teachers.
“I”m just one representative of the educators who work very hard in your community every day,” Dibble said.
Dr. Denise Rowan, a music and history instructor at Starkville Christian School, also was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Rowan was principal of Ward-Stewart Elementary School from 2002 to 2008, assistant principal of Starkville High School from 2000 to 2002, music director and president of the Starkville/MSU Symphony Orchestra from 1998 to 2002, and assistant band director and orchestra director at Starkville High School from 1985 to 2000.
“This is an honor I will truly cherish,” Rowan said. “This will be part of my memories. I can”t put into words how much this means to me.”
Bill Simmons was the final inductee, though he said he wasn”t sure how he felt about it, considering he hasn”t been in the classroom in 25 years. Simmons taught accounting at Mississippi State for 39 years and, in 1982, was named the MSU Alumni Association”s “Most Outstanding Classroom Teacher.” The morning after Simmons won the award in 1982, he was up on the roof cleaning out his gutters. In the wake of his latest honor, Simmons worried Thursday night what tasks his wife would assign him today.
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