Jane Graves and Ken Newell earned the Richard Mike Brown Award on Saturday, Feb. 16 during the annual meeting of the Dawson County Homeowners Civic Association (DCHCA).
The award was created in 2000 in memory of Brown to annually honor Dawson Countys most civic minded residents. Brown was an activist and humanitarian who cared for the people of Dawson County and its environment.
His legacy of good works lives on through his award entitled, You Care.
The Board must have gone to great lengths to keep this secret from me, said recipient Jane Graves, president of the DCHCA. I am honored to receive it and proud to represent the home owners association and the good works that everyone has done to make Dawson County a better place to live.
Graves recently accumulated more than 3,000 signatures on a petition to prevent sludge from being sprayed on a 65-acre tract in Dawson County. Currently, the permit has been put on hold as the applicant, Ken Curren, is looking for an alternative way to dispose of it.
Other Mike Brown award recipients include: Arlene McClure, Roy Coleman, Sheriff Billy Carlisle, County Commission Chair Mike Berg, Margie Weaver, County Commissioner Julie Hughes-Nix, George David, Jim King, Bill Hess, Terri Tregasser, and Helen Taylor.
Brown frequently wrote letters to the editor of the News & Advertiser and made a habit of leaving a candy Mallo Cup on the desk of former reporter Charles Duncan when he had a tip on a news story. Just like a silver bullet, whenever I found a Mallo Cup on my desk, I knew who to call, Duncan later wrote in a column dedicated to Mike Brown.
Saturdays DCHCA program also featured EMS Director Billy Thurmond who reviewed preparations the County makes in the event of climate and weather emergencies, such as drought, fire, winter weather, thunderstorms and tornadoes. Thurmond distributed guides for residents and business owners to help increase their knowledge and to encourage them to prepare individual and family emergency plans at home or at work.
Sheriff Carlisle reviewed the Countys preparations and how individuals can plan to react if there a human disaster such as shooter in a public venue, including showing a training video of how people can preserve their own safety and that of their co-workers or students if a shooter targets their location.