Chamber honors four for community service

Helen Garner, James Elkins, Johnny Reed and Dawn Holley were honored by Shelbyville & Bedford County Chamber of Commerce during the chamber's annual membership meeting and awards banquet Monday night at the Blue Ribbon Circle.

Commissioner James Neeley of Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the scheduled keynote speaker, was unable to attend due to pneumonia; instead, Joe B. Brandon of the department spoke.

The banquet also served as the ceremonial transfer of power from outgoing chamber president Ronda Clanton to incoming president Ivan Jones.

The chamber's four annual community service awards were given to four popular and well-known community volunteers. Chip Walters of The Celebration announced the awards and described each recipient's life and contributions.

Incoming Chamber President Ivan Jones and ougoing president Ronda Clanton congratulate Helen Garner, center, on being the recipient of the Franklin Yates Lifetime Achievement Award at Monday night's Chamber banquet. (T-G Photo by John I. Carney)

Franklin Yates Lifetime Achievement Award, Helen Garner: Garner, a former chamber president, is responsible for numerous beautification efforts including the chamber's annual crape myrtle sales and the annual Duck River cleanup. She has served community organizations ranging from Great Strides Therapeutic Riding Program, the Solid Waste Regional Planning Board, The Bedford County Bicentennial Committee, Argie Cooper Public Library, Shelbyville Garden Club, Shelbyville Women's Club, Beta Sigma Phi, the South Central Tourism Board and the Symphony at the Celebration local steering committee.

She is a past recipient of the chamber's Deery Eakin Volunteer of the Year award, Rotary's Outstanding Citizen Award, and other volunteerism and citizenship awards.

The Franklin Yates Lifetime Achievement Award is named for the late long-time publisher of the Times-Gazette.

James Elkins (T-G Photo by John I. Carney) [Click to enlarge]

Special Services Award, James Elkins: Elkins spent decades as Bell Buckle's fire chief, and while he has retired from that position he continues to serve the town and its fire department.

A decorated World War II veteran, he was a combat engineer and was working on the Lurendorff Bridge in Germany when it collapsed, throwing off Elkins and 200 other engineers. He was pulled from the wreckage and flown to a hospital in Paris.

He used his skills as an ironworker to craft the iconic gates at the Celebration grounds and at the old Bell Buckle school. He recently designed concrete benches with stone aggregate leaf motifs which were donated to the Bell Buckle town park.

The new Bell Buckle fire hall is named for Elkins.

Johnny Reed (T-G Photo by John I. Carney) [Click to enlarge]

Outstanding Leadership Award, Johnny Reed: Reed was elected Bedford County Register of Deeds in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. He is active in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and "Hee Haw & Howdy" fund-raisers. He is chair-elect of the United Way of Bedford County board of directors, a volunteer coach for youth baseball and soccer, vice president of the Thomas School PTO, chaplain of the Tennessee Registers' Association and president of the Middle Tennessee Resigsters' Association.

He and one of the other honorees, Holley, served as activities co-chairs for the 2007 observance of Bedford County's Bicentennial.

Dawn Holley (T-G Photo by John I. Carney) [Click to enlarge]

Deery Eakin Volunteer of the Year, Dawn Holley: Holley's full-time job is as executive director of United Way of Bedford County. Before that, she worked for the Community Development Center. But she is active as a volunteer in many other community activities, from formerly working as a candy-striper at Bedford County Medical Center to serving as president of Bedford County Arts Council.

She has been secretary of her Leadership Bedford class and later secretary of the Leadership Bedford board of directors; long-time chair of the Symphony at the Celebration steering committee; Bedford County representative on the Motlow College Friends and Alumni Committee; member of the new team commitee for the American Heart Association's Heart Walk; vice-chair of Bedford County Health Council; Bedford County representative on the regional Health Council; member of Community High School advisory council; member of Shelbyville Breakfast Rotary Club; and a licensed First Responder.

As mentioned, she and Reed co-chaired the Bicentennial activities commitee with Reed.

The award is named for the late and beloved local educator, who was also the namesake of Deery Eakin Primary School.

Clanton, in her farewell address as president, spoke about the importance of developing relationships with existing businesses and industries.

"It's all about our community working together and staying connected," she said.

She said there were about a dozen business expansions in 2007, adding over 500 local jobs. Only a few of those companies chose to make public announcements, she added.

Clanton, who is Bedford County Assessor of Property, yielded the gavel to Ivan Jones, who is director of Tennessee Technology Center at Shelbyville.

Brandon, a resident of Marshall County, spoke about the importance of a trained workforce in industrial recruitment, saying that "people issues" are becoming more important than "money issues" in companies' site selection process. He talked about shortages in specific skills such as nursing and tool and die making.

Jones chaired a brief business meeting for the purpose of appointing three new members to the chamber board.

Both the incoming and outgoing presidents recognized the chamber staff -- CEO Walt Wood, Kim Taylor and April Stout -- for their hard work.

Scott Cocanougher welcomed attendees to the meeting and introduced special guests, while Wartrace mayor -- and Church of Christ minister -- Don Gallagher delivered the invocation.