advertisement

Nominations open for Randolph Society Awards

CHESTER - The Randolph Society Foundation has begun the nomination process for its annual awards to honor outstanding historical citizens of Randolph County and their achievements.

"Randolph Society Foundation is seeking to honor the prominent men and women who contributed to Randolph County by living extraordinary lives," said Dr. Marc Kiehna, founding member of the Randolph Society Foundation. "Through their deeds and notoriety, they have added to the reputation of Randolph County being one of the 'Great Counties in Illinois.'

"We encourage everyone that knows of a person of special merit to submit their nomination to the Randolph Society Foundation for consideration," Kiehna added.

Nominations may be made through the society website www.randolphsociety.org or contacting Kiehna, Randolph Society chairman, by mail at the Randolph County Courthouse, #1 Taylor Street, Chester, IL 62233 or by email at mkiehna@randolphco.org.

Nominations should include a name, picture, and a narrative highlighting why the individual is worthy of being honored.

The nominations are open to everyone and will be accepted through Dec. 13. Nominees must have passed away at least 5 years ago to be considered. The Foundation Board will review the applicants and select up to 5 nominees. The awards will be announced in January 2019 with a special reception to be held soon after.

The honorees will have special plaque that tells their story of significant contribution displayed on a prominent wall in the Randolph County Courthouse. The plaques will hang in the designated area of the courthouse on permanent display and be available to the public for viewing during normal County business hours.

The Randolph Society members are highlighted on a special website at www.randolphsociety.org. In-depth stories of the honorees are included with video footage when available.

The current list of honorees includes John Willis Menard; Albert, John, Walter, and Kenneth Hunter; Nora Lane; William E. Mullins, Jr.; Pastor Henry Gerecke; George Khoury; Elzie Segar; James Thompson; Charles Briggs Cole and Alice Emily Cole; and Gilbert and Emma Penny Holmes.

The Randolph Society Foundation is sponsored by the Randolph County Historical Society and the Rotary Clubs of Chester, Red Bud and Sparta. Officers and members of the Randolph The Society is now a 501c3 Foundation and tax-deductible donations are being accepted. Donations can be mailed to Justin Jeffers, treasurer of the Randolph Society Foundation, at the Randolph County Courthouse, #1 Taylor Street, Chester, IL 62233.

The vision of the Randolph Society is: Remembering Our Past, Educating Our Future.</group><group id="48511C3D-95BB-4D69-B4CE-9E43EF6EE772" type="seoLabels"><seoL