Reprint from the Progress Times - September 14, 2007
©Progress Times 2007 - All Rights Reserved

Mission citizens awards nominations now open

Nominations are now open for Mission’s Man of the Year, Woman of the Year, Mr. Mission and First Lady of Mission. This year’s citizen awards will be presented at the Greater Mission Chamber of Commerce annual banquet by the Progress Times, sponsor for the awards.

Last year was the second time in the history of the citizen awards the presentations were made at the chamber banquet. Previously, the Progress Times coordinated the annual Mission Awards Showcase banquet where the awards were presented annually.

"We are pleased to partner with the chamber on this event to honor Mission’s finest citizens who have done much to serve our community. The citizens awards give the community an opportunity to recognize the hard work and dedication of our leading citizens who have helped make Mission a better place to work and live," said Jim Brunson, publisher of the Progress Times.

Nomination deadline is 5 p.m., Thursday, October 4. Nominations may be submitted in person at the Progress Times office at 1217 N. Conway or by mail to Citizen Awards, c/o Progress Times, P.O. Box 399, Mission, Texas 78573. Nominations may also be submitted by email to news@progresstimes.net or by fax to 956-585-2304.

Selection criteria for Man of the Year and Woman of the Year are as follows;

To be recognized for superior service either for a significant project or continuing broad service to the community in the past two to 10 years. This may be for work with one organization or for work in several different areas or organizations. The combined duration of service should span no less than two years.

May be for work in civic, church or community groups, or may be for exceptional professional or vocational performance if these labors have had significant impact on the citizens of Mission.

Must be a resident of Mission or work in Mission.

Service will be measured in terms of its impact on the entire community as a whole as well as to a particular organization.

Selection criteria for Mr. Mission and First Lady of Mission are the following:

Must have provided long term service to Mission through a civic or church group or in a professional or vocational endeavor or through charitable or benevolent service to the community or a combination of these factors.

Service most be ongoing and cover a minimum of 11 years.

Length of service, character and integrity will be among considerations.

Value of service to the community in general is the primary factor.

Must live, work or have significant business interests in Mission.

Nominations must include the nominee’s name, address and phone number as well as the qualifications of the individual. Qualifications may include positions and offices held, number of years of service and a description of the service the individual has given. Also, list any honors the individual has received, whether civic, church, or professional. Include a description of what is particularly outstanding about this individual. Also, include the name and telephone number of the person submitting the nomination.

Citizen committees, composed of past recipients of each award, will be appointed to review all nominations and make the final selections from those nominated. Several nominations for Woman of the Year and Man of the Year were kept on file from last year’s selection process and while those individuals’ names will be considered again this year, interested citizens are encouraged to submit updates regarding recent accomplishments of these individuals.

Last year’s award recipients were J.B. Townsend, First Lady of Mission; Norberto Salinas, Mr. Mission; Anne Whitfield, Woman of the Year and Ruben Plata, Man of the Year.

The Mission Chamber banquet will be held 7 p.m., Tuesday, October 16 at Mario’s Banquet and Conference Center. Tickets are $50 per person, or $500 per table of 10, and will be available at the chamber office located at 220 E. 9th Street. For more information, contact the chamber at 585-2727.

 

Man Of The Year Past Recipients

Ray Landry

Jim Miller

Miguel Olivarez

W.G. Morris

D.L. Rankin

Otis K. Smith

Frank Coulter

V.D. “Harp Anderson

Felix Staffel

Dr. Charles Mims

Bob Howell

Frank Perez

Dr. Kenneth White

Ralph Findley

Bill Warbritton

Warren Sutter

Charles Langston, Sr.

Sam Nixon

L.C. Chastain

Msgr. Dan Lanning

Carlos Martinez

Tom Landry

Kika de la Garza

Robert H. Wicks

Rigoberto Rodriguez

Roscoe Watkins

C.Y. Mills

Joe Summers

Clark Spikes, Jr.

Arnaldo Ramirez, Sr.

Ben Cavazos

Joe Correa

Norton Suter

Pat Townsend, Jr.

Mike Birdwell

Gerald Cook

J.D. Villarreal

Brad Findley

Norberto Salinas

E.E. Zweifel

Bobby Valadez

Harlan Woods

Hector Cavazos

Lauro Solis

Rick Acevedo

Paul Rodriguez

Dan Gerlach

Ciro Ochoa, Jr.

Eduardo Gomez

Charles Zey

Ruben Plata

 

Woman Of The Year Past Recipients

Linda Zahnow

Betty Bundy

Mary Glen Hodgin

Dina Trevino

Ruth Perez

Elena Barrera

Clara Bell Harrop

Judith Femat Rodriguez

Linda Castaneda

Gen Long

Adela Ortega

Estella Salinas

Connie Garza

Eddie Letha Hughes

Lupita Montoya

Genoveva Avila

Kathleen Mowery

Minnie Rodgers

Berta Pena

Anne Whitfield

 

Mister Mission Past Recipients

Arnaldo Ramirez, Sr.

Genaro Vela

Jim Miller

Ben Cavazos, Sr.

Richard Walsh

Carl Waitz

C.E. “Charlie” Langston

Dr. Kenneth White

Robert H. Wicks

Robert Howell

Roscoe Watkins

Warren Suter

Carlos Martinez

Neal King

Arturo Guerra

Ross Smiley

Bobby Valadez

Vernon Hill, Jr.

Norberto Salinas

 

First Lady of Mission Past Recipients

Mrs. Helen Eppright

Mrs. Dorothy Hill

Mrs. Opal White

Mrs. Genevieve Jeffries

Mrs. Alfreda Daniel

Mrs. Mary Robertson

Mrs. Ruth Langston

Mrs. Olive Held

Mrs. Juanita Whittlesey

Mrs. Quita Brazeal

Mrs. Ollie O’Grady

Mrs. Norma Andis

Mrs. Maurine Duncan

Mrs. Amanda Balthrope

Mrs. Freddie Saunders

Mrs. Marie MacDonald

Mrs. Felicia Currie

Mrs. Verna Gray

Mrs. Bernice Baker

Mrs. Esther Davis

Mrs. Harriet Brewer

Mrs. Delia Dusek

Dr. Cleo Dawson

Mrs. Zeola Thompson

Patty Johnson

Brigitte Waaser

Lucy Wallace

Mary Compton

Helen M. Hare

Juanita Speer Farley

Virginia Townsend

Vivian Thompson

Betty Watkins

Pat Gossett

Nancy Shary

Maude Wicks

Wilmuth Morgan

Elizabeth Ferrell

Rosalinda Gonzalez

Maria Lydia Rodriguez

J.B. Townsend