Nominations Open for 2023 Miss Athelyne C. Banks Citizen of the Year Award
The Chamber invites you to nominate a member of our community for the 2023 Miss Athelyne C. Banks Citizen of the Year award, which honors a resident who reflects dedication, service and faithfulness to our community. The award is presented at the Chamber's Annual Meeting, set for Wednesday, March 29. Last year's recipient was Sonny Craig. Other recent recipients include Dr. James E. Boyle, Decatur Morgan Hospital employees, Jim Odom, Murphy Brown, June Odom, Blake McAnally, Fred Underwood, Bill and Betty Sims and Phil Hastings.
Born in 1904, Miss Banks devoted 42 years of her life to education, serving 29 of them with Decatur City Schools. She was a public school teacher, the first woman principal at Carver Elementary School and a public school administrator. She served on numerous boards, and in 1994, your Chamber named her Humanitarian of the Year. In 2000, the National Conference for Community and Justice honored Miss Banks for her community contributions and in 2001, Miss Banks was presented with the Decatur General Foundation's John A. Caddell Award. Because of her dedication and commitment to our community, the Chamber named this award in her honor. Miss Banks passed away in 2006 and she was proud to call Decatur home for 98 years.