The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce recognized Valorie Ashcraft with the 2019 Saints’ Roost Award for her lifetime of service and commitment to the community during the annual Chamber Awards Banquet last Thursday, February 13.
Man of the Year honors went to Morris Crump, and Jenny McIntosh was named the Woman of the Year. Best Western Plus Red River Inn was named the Business of the Year, and Roger Estlack was named the Man of the Decade.
The Saints’ Roost Award is the highest honor given annually by the Chamber to recognize a lifetime of volunteering and community service.
Ashcraft was recognized for her many years of service as a member and officer of the Saints’ Roost Museum Board, where she works tirelessly for the annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff and annual Museum Christmas Party; and her service to Clarendon High School and the First Baptist Church as a pianist. She has from a young age played the church piano and organ and provided accompaniment for numerous graduations, weddings, memorials, and pianos. CHS students have also relied on her accompaniment in UIL Vocal events. As a member of the Courthouse Lighting Committee, she helps decorate the courthouse square for the holidays, and many youth have been blessed by her volunteer work through the Mustard Seed, Unashamed Youth, and Clarendon College ministries.
The Man of the Year for 2019 is Morris Crump, who made his living in agriculture from pulling cotton by hand to hauling hay to shoeing horses to ranch work. Last year, Crump took on the part time job of caring for Clarendon’s Prospect Park, but he went far beyond his 30-hour work schedule, going by on his days off and weekends to make sure trash and tree limbs or anything that might hurt children were picked up. He put rocks in buckets, so the lawnmower wouldn’t throw them, and children even started helping him with caring for the park. Throughout the summer heat, he enjoyed working to make the park a safe and pretty place for everyone to enjoy.
Jenny McIntosh was named the Woman of the Year for 2019 for her community involvement. In addition to her work as a part time junior high teacher and fitness coach, she leads a children’s Move-and-Groove class that meets every other week at the library. On Wednesday evenings, she leads a class in the Mustard Seed Ministry, and on Fridays she started a moms’ group for mothers of toddlers that meets twice a month.
The Chamber of Commerce named Best Western Plus Red River Inn as its Business of the Year. Hotel owner Steve Hall provides Clarendon with a beautiful location for folks attending family reunions and special events as well as a great overnight stop for travelers. His employees strive to make each guest feel important, and Hall leads by example, having grown up in the hotel business. Hall serves on with the Lions Club and on the Clarendon Economic Development Board. Every day, hotel employees refer guests to local businesses for a wide range of services and encourage them to visit local tourist attractions, and the hotel makes its own significant contribution through property taxes, payroll, and the collection of Hotel Occupancy Taxes (HOT), which are used to promote tourism to our community. The Red River Inn collects 87 percent of the city’s HOT funds, which have been used to help Bring Back the Mulkey as well as fund events such as the chuckwagon cookoff, the Saints’ Roost Celebration, the arts festival and many others.
This year the Chamber also presented a unique award, naming Roger Estlack as its Man of the Decade for 2010-2019 for going above and beyond for the Chamber and the community. Estlack worked for more than 15 years on the Mulkey Theatre project, helping to secure funding, at times overseeing construction, and now volunteering with his family to help operate the theatre. As a member of the Clarendon Economic Development Board he was integral in developing façade grants, securing funding for quality of life projects, and supporting local tourism and historic preservation initiatives. Estlack is the immediate past president of the Chamber and led the way to reorganize the Chamber, which had a rebirth and growth during his time on the board. He is a past Worshipful Master of the Masonic Lodge, is secretary of the Lions Club, is a member of the Al Morrah Shrine Club, and is the Cubmaster of Pack 437. He and his two children are the fourth and fifth generations of their family to cover the news at The Clarendon Enterprise, which has won regional, state, and national awards for its work to expose corruption, help right wrongs, fight for improvements, and keep a finger on the pulse of the community. He has served as the past president of the Panhandle Press Association and West Texas Press Association and is currently the PPA secretary and a member of the Texas Press Association board.
The Chamber also recognized outstanding youth from Clarendon and Hedley.
The Young Man of the Year from Clarendon is Trenton Smith. Trent is an Eagle Scout, president of the Student Council, secretary of the Senior Class, a member of the National Honor Society, a UIL regional qualifier in Math, and a member of the First United Methodist Church. He enjoys helping around the school and community and is a member of the SHAC committee, has helped clean the highway and cemetery and decorate the courthouse for Christmas. He’s also helped with the veterans, the school board, the chuckwagon cookoff, and canned food drives. He plans to graduate from Clarendon College with an Associate’s Degree in May before he graduates from high school and he intends to pursue a mechanical engineering degree from West Texas A&M University.
Collin Monroe is the Young Man of the Year from Hedley and has been very active in many athletic and UIL events. He has participated in basketball, football, tennis, and golf and received the Fighting Heart Award for football in 2018. He also runs cross country and track and has qualified for regional in both sports. As a UIL participant in several events, he has advanced to the regional level three years in a row. He is a member of the NHS and volunteers with multiple organizations. He is a member of the First United Methodist Church in Clarendon.
Mattee Johnson is the Young Woman of the Year from Clarendon. She has been active in basketball, golf, cross country, track, cheerleading, student council, UIL Number Sense, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Community Service Class. She was the 2018 homecoming queen, sophomore and junior class treasurer, senior class president, Lions Club Sweetheart, a member of NHS, and an honor student in several classes. She seeks to serve the Lord in all she does, and she plans to attend Hardin Simmons University to study Pre-Dental.
Perla Carreon was the Young Woman of the Year from Hedley and has also been very active in sports, student government, and other organizations. She has participated in cheerleading and basketball, is the NHS president and class president. She has been in One Act Play and competed in UIL Calculator Applications, Math, and Accounting. She has worked in community service activities and has received the Hedley High School Teachers’ Honor and Effort Award for two years. She was the 2019 HHS homecoming queen and has completed 27 hours of dual credit classes. She will attend Clarendon College in the fall to pursue a career in nursing.
This year’s Chamber banquet followed a “Sweetheart of the Panhandle” theme and was catered by Great Western Dining. Approximately 170 people attended the event, which was held in the Bairfield Activity Center.
Attendance was down slightly from last year when 200 people attended.
Western romance author Jodi Thomas, who has ties to Clarendon through research she did her for some of her novels. She spoke on pursuing her dream to be an author and said her motto is “Triumph comes through perseverance.”
Gift Box pull winners were Phyllis Cockerham, Doug Kidd, Derlene Gray, and Jowelene Weiss.
Tables were sponsored by the City of Clarendon, Clarendon College, The Clarendon Enterprise, the Donley County Senior Citizens, Herring Bank, Phelps Plumbing, Pilgrim Bank, Saints’ Roost Museum, and Shelton & Shelton Law Offices. Thomas selected the Clarendon College table as having the best table decorations reflecting the banquet’s Valentine’s theme.
This year’s corporate sponsors of the Chamber Awards Banqeut were Best Western Red River Inn, Broken Road Junior, The Clarendon Enterprise, Greenbelt Electric Coop., GreenLight Gas, Lowe’s Family Center, and Pioneer General Contractors.
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