A14 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2015
FROM PAGE A1
HONORS:
continued from page A1
sat on the Umatilla Coun-
ty Planning Commission,
Hermiston School Board,
Blue Mountain Communi-
ty College Board and the
Umatilla-Morrow Regional
Strategy Committee. With
many of those, Hansell said,
he has held a chairman posi-
tion for at least one year.
Additionally, Anderson
has served as the director and
secretary for the Hermiston
Development Corporation,
Eastern Oregon Trade and
Event Center Steering Com-
mittee, the Umatilla Army
Depot Reuse Authority, the
Hermiston City Council and
led the effort to get the city
to create a Hispanic Advisory
Committee.
If that wasn’t enough,
Anderson is also a decorated
Vietnam veteran, where he
served as a credentialed army
counter intelligence agent and
advised the South Vietnam-
ese National Police. He is
also married to his wife, Kar-
en, and the proud father and
grandfather or three children
and three grandchildren.
“You will never know, in-
cluding George, how much
pro-bono work he has done
for charity, clients, causes
and community projects,”
Hansell said. “Perhaps one
trait that consistently defines
who George Anderson is,
is his commitment to doing
what is right.”
When he got up on the
stage to accept his plaque,
Anderson quickly gave cred-
it to not only his family, but
to the families of many in the
Hermiston community.
“Tonight is a great testa-
ment to what an unusual and
interesting and growing place
we have,” he said. “My fami-
ly is a testament to that. I have
three children and all of them
now live in Hermiston ...
They too will help make this
a better place ... Many other
families like Karen and mine,
their children have done the
same thing.”
Anderson said he has been
proud to see Hermiston grow
through the years and expects
that growth to increase.
WOMAN
OF THE YEAR
Honored as this year’s
Woman of the Year, Shirley
Parsons has also given much
of herself in an effort to help
others and the overall Herm-
iston community.
Presenter Kelly Bissinger
said Parsons was nominated
for the honor because of her
dedication to her career and
clients, her community in-
volvement, her love for fam-
ily and friends and her faith in
God.
Bissinger said Parsons has
held many jobs, but being a
realtor is her calling. He said
her favorite part of her job
is helping first-time home
builders.
“Give her a young couple,
and she lights up,” he said.
Her role as a realtor is not
only limited to selling real
estate, however, he said. Par-
sons was the 2014 president
of Columbia Board of Real-
tors, and she was recognized
by her colleagues as realtor
of the year in 2005. Bissing-
er also described Parsons as a
prominent member of the Na-
tional Association of Realtors
and a prominent figure for the
Desert Sky Estates, one of the
new subdivisions in Hermis-
ton.
With all her career accom-
plishments, Parsons also pro-
some is my family.”
Parsons said her family
stuck by her when she wanted
to get her realtor license at the
age of 50.
“They have been so sup-
portive,” she said.
OUTSTANDING
YOUNG CITIZEN
MAEGAN MURRAY PHOTO
Hermiston resident George
Anderson speaks to audi-
ence members after receiving
the honor of Hermiston Man
of the Year Wednesday night
during the Distinguished
Citizens Awards Banquet at
the Hermiston Conference
Center.
vides more than enough time
for her family, Bissinger said.
“Her family comes first,”
he said. “She has been known
to sit in a gym watching a
basketball game and, once it
has ended, immediately head
to another town to watch a
dance recital.”
Parsons has also been
active in booster clubs,
Hermiston Little League
and basketball, watched her
granddaughters show their
pigs through 4-H, traveled
all over to watch her grand-
daughters’ dance competi-
tions, hosted team dinners,
put together goodies bags for
trips to state basketball tour-
naments and more.
Bissinger said what guides
Parsons is her faith. She is an
active member of the Oasis
Vineyard Church.
Upon accepting her award,
Parsons said she was speech-
less for probably the first time
in her life.
“This is an awesome, awe-
some feeling to be here,” she
said. “What is the most awe-
M RE
Also during the banquet
Wednesday night, Altrusa
President Dorothy Smith
presented Hermiston High
School student Skylar Grigg
as the club’s outstanding
young citizen.
Smith said Grigg always
has a positive demeanor and
is a well-rounded individual
who cares about others and
finds ways to help.
“At age 14, our recipient
began a recycling business, a
lawn and landscape business
to earn money to purchase a
specific car to fix up and get
ready to drive in two years,”
she said.
Grigg also teaches Sunday
school at his church, volunteers
at the Lions Club fair booth and
also helps with the Lions Easter
egg hunt. Additionally, he is a
counselor for the Sunset Ele-
mentary School Outdoor Ed-
ucation Program, is a member
of the Hermiston High School
tennis team, a member of Na-
tional Honor Society and has a
grade point average of 3.72.
CHAMBER
VOLUNTEER
OF THE YEAR
Hermiston Chamber of
Commerce CEO Debbie Pe-
dro and Oregon Rep. Greg
Smith presented Teresa Mon-
crief with the chamber Volun-
teer of the Year award.
Smith said Moncrief has
been an active participant in
a variety of service organi-
zations in the community,
including Eagles Auxiliary,
Elks, Relay for Life, Altrusa,
the Emblem Club and Hos-
pice.
Pedro said Moncrief has
also served as a chamber am-
bassador for more than 20
years.
“It seems like no mat-
ter how busy she is with her
family obligations and com-
mitments, she finds time to
give back to her community,”
she said. “We all recognize
this woman because she was
Woman of the Year in 2008.”
COMMUNITY
SERVICE AWARD
Tom Denchel Ford Coun-
try was honored with this
year’s Community Service
Award for its continuing con-
tributions to the Hermiston
community. The award was
accepted by co-owner Tim
Buffington.
Presenter Peggy Ander-
son said Tom Denchel Ford
Country is expanding con-
stantly in response to com-
munity requests and special
needs.
“They go out of their way
to assist the customer with
anything they need virtually
day and night,” she said.
Anderson said the com-
pany has also been active in
supporting a number of youth
programs, including youth
basketball, baseball, track,
football and golf. It has also
supported Festival of Trees,
the Hermiston Education
Foundation, FFA, the Herm-
iston Art Festival, the Laven-
der Festival, Funfest, Agape
House and many others. The
company has also raised more
than $60,000 for high schools
in the region through its Drive
One For Your School pro-
gram.
“While these things seem
like little gestures, in the
small community such as
ours, these acts of compas-
sion do not go unnoticed,”
Anderson said.
BUSINESS
OF THE YEAR
Affordable Family Eye
Care owners Marcia and Al-
lan Lambert were presented
with the Bob Severson Rotary
Business of the Year Award.
Rotary President Bryn
Browning said Affordable
Family Eye Care exemplifies
all that Rotary stands for.
“This business owner
reached out to our schools
from day one, not only in
Hermiston, but in our sur-
rounding communities, of-
fering to examine any student
of any age that might have
vision issues,” she said.
Browning said many fam-
ilies may lack the money for
vision screenings and eye
wear, but the business makes
sure those families have those
services regardless of their
ability to pay.
Additionally, Browning
said the company has looked
beyond the scope of Herm-
iston and even the United
States to help others with vi-
sion problems. She said one
of the owners returned last
month from a South Pacific
territory, islands without elec-
tricity, after working with a
group that has helped restore
sight to hundreds of people
in the region, some of them
blinded by cataract for years.
“This is the type of busi-
ness that makes our commu-
nity better in many, many
ways,” Browning said.
The Hermiston School
District also recognized its
educators of the year.
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