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The Brundidge Rotary Club honored one of its members as Paul Harris Fellow Award recipient along with giving out a number of scholarships at Thursday’s annual banquet at Brundidge United Baptist Church to cap off the 2021-2022 service year.

Longtime Rotarian Sandy Boutwell was honored with the club’s highest award, the Paul Harris Fellow Award. It was Boutwell’s second Paul Harris Fellow Award. As a token of her service, the club will be giving $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation in her honor.

“There are words in her biography that speak so highly of her; involved, serve, serve, studied, specialized, experienced, knowledge, serve, training, serve, active, member, honored. She’s honored to be a member here,” Boutwell’s longtime friend Krissy Pinckard said of her. “You couldn’t pry her out of here on a Wednesday. She’s going to be here serving because that’s what it’s about.”

Brundidge Rotary President Markeith Blakely also spoke of Boutwell’s commitment to the club.

“This is my right hand and left hand and my crutch and wheelchair,” Blakely said. “She is a president’s best friend and I can’t tell you how much she does for the club. Anyone in this club can tell you that Sandy is a very important part of this club.”

Other special awards were presented to Dr. Ben Busbee, Jimmy Ramage, Markeith Blakely, Boutwell, Chip Wallace, Cookie Graham, Dixie Shehane, Freddie Turner, Samara Blakely, Don Dickert, Danny Graham and Cot Wallace.

The elected officers were also announced with Moses Davenport taking up the mantle of President Elect, Cot Wallace as Vice President, Boutwell as Secretary/Treasurer, Davenport as Sergeant-at-Arms, Don Dickert as Club Administration Chair, Shehane as Club Service Committee Chair, Cot Wallace as Club Service Chair and Chip Wallace as International Service Chair.

Markeith Blakeley was also elected to serve as President of the Brundidge Rotary for a second straight term. As a result, he was required to give both outgoing and incoming remarks as club president.

“As new president, I strive to do better than the other guy did. I can talk about him now, he wasn’t that good and I’m more handsome than he was,” Markeith Blakely joked. “We plan on having a good, fun year and we’re going to keep this thing rolling and try to do even bigger and better things.”

The Brundidge Rotary also announced the recipients of its annual scholarships. Since the scholarship fund’s inception in 1994, Brundidge Rotary has awarded more than $120,000 in scholarships.

Pike County senior Junious Jones was awarded to the Harold Rodgers Memorial Scholarship, while Pike County’s Kyah Rouse won the Sarah Spano Memorial Scholarship and Zion Chapel’s Jordan Morrow won the Wilburn Howard Rotary Scholarship. Pike Liberal Arts senior Kaylee Grace Copeland was awarded the J. Ralph Dickert Rotary Scholarship, PLAS senior Catherine Stockstill won the Robert L. Godwin Memorial Scholarship, PLAS senior Drew Nelson won the Reynolds E. Wallace Rotary Scholarship and Shelby Barefoot of Ariton High School won the Lawrence Bowden Honorary Scholarship. Ariton senior Caleb Bullock won the Sherroll D. Tatom Memorial Scholarship and Artion senior David Colson Collier won the Donald Johnston Jr. Memorial Scholarship. Also, Goshen senior Samuel Trotte was awarded the Don C. Dickert Honary Scholarship, Zion Chapel’s Hailey Carter won the Ivy Mobley Memorial Scholarship and Goshen’s DeMarcus Sankey won the Oscar Kyle McDowell Memorial Scholarship.