BY CHUCK WILLIAMS
chwilliams@ledger-enquirer.com
The Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce on Thursday night honored during its annual banquet two men at different stages of their community leadership.
State Rep. Calvin Smyre, in his 43rd year in the Georgia General Assembly, received the Jim Woodruff Jr. Memorial Award, a lifetime achievement honor named for one of the city’s most prestigious leaders who died in 1977. Smyre was given the honor by Chamber Chairman of the Board Bill Blanchard, the son of the retired Synovus executive, Jimmy Blanchard, who hired Smyre to work at the bank in 1976, shortly after he was elected to the legislature.
Tyler Townsend, a local financial planner who has been active in the chamber and many other civic activities, was given the J.R. Allen Award, recognition that goes to a young leader and named for the former Columbus mayor who died in a plane crash. The award, formerly given by the Columbus Jaycees, became a chamber of commerce honor in 2009. Townsend owns Townsend Wealth Management and has been active in the community, recently helping lead the unsuccessful attempt to thaw the local property tax freeze, since returning home after graduating from Georgia Tech.
“It is a great honor to get any award with the name Jim Woodruff on it,” Smyre said. “I only met him twice, but I know he loved Columbus. And I love Columbus.”
The honor, which is not given every year, was to be a surprise, but by the time he got to the Rivermill Event Center in Bibb City, Smyre had figured out something was afoot. Chamber of commerce President Brian Anderson, Billy Blanchard and others had called to make certain Smyre would be at the event after attending Day 8 of the General Assembly session Thursday in Atlanta.
“I came in and saw my family and I knew something was going on,” he joked. “They were sitting at the Smyre table and I didn’t buy a Smyre table.”
Nearly 700 people attended the event in which Blanchard took over as the 2017 chairman from Cedric Hill, who led the chamber last year. Hill, a local funeral home operator, praised those in the local business community.
Hill presented retired Georgia Power Co. executive Jackie Lowe with the Chairman’s Award for her volunteer efforts with the chamber over many years.
Chuck Williams: 706-571-8510, @chuckwilliams
Photo: Calvin Smyre poses Thursday night at the Rivermill Event Center with LaTivia Rivers after receiving the Jim Woodruff Jr. Memorial Award. Facebook
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Posted By: How May I Help You NC
Monday, January 30th 2017 at 3:47PM
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