Mayo Lester Community Service Award
The Mayo Lester Community Service Award was the first annual program established by the Chamber of Commerce.
Given annually to an individual who has excelled in community service to Putnam County, the award was named after one of the Chamber’s founding members and first Chairman, the late Mayo Lester.
To receive the award an individual’s personal attributes and contributions to the community may include, but not be limited to:
- Personal involvement in county-wide or local civic improvement projects.
- Active participation in community organizations.
- Support of a community project(s) and/or organization(s). Support may include personal involvement or financial contribution, but not necessarily membership in a particular organization.
- An example of what a citizen and community leader should be in donating time, energy, and personal resources for the betterment of their community.
- Showing some degree of personal sacrifice for an organization or toward the accomplishment of a community project.
Past Recipients
1979-1989
1979 Mayo Lester
1980 Paul Jackson
1981 David Hofstetter
1982 Leff Moore
1983 Sally Holliday
1984 Bill G. Deel
1985 J.A. McClanahan
1986 Florence Sprouse
1987 Irene Ghiz
1988 Dr. Roy Alford
1989 Jack Kessler
1990-1999
1990 Laeuna Erwin
1991 Frank Addington, Jr.
1992 Robert O’Dell
1993 Ernest Page
1994 Raymond Peak
1995 Gayle Vest
1996 Pat & Lovell McDonald
1997 Karen Lilly
1998 Bobbie Hill
1999 Frank Gritt, Jr.
2000-2009
2000 Steve & Diane Parks
2001 Martha Cook Carter
2002 Leff Moore
2003 Greg Eiler & Sally Blessing
2004 Wayne Bennett
2005 Tim & Melissa Meeks
2006 Oshel Craigo
2007 Jacquelin Chaney
2008 Karen Haynes
2009 John Wilson, Jr.
2010-2019
2011 Jim Caruthers
2012 Debbie Phillips
2013 O.C. “Hobby” Spaulding
2014 Jack Wilson
2015 Roger Randolph
2016 Nathan Wills
2017 Glenn Yeager
2018 Joe Haynes
2019 John Chapman
2020-Present
2020 Grace Randolph
2021 Dr. Sam Sentelle