VERSAILLES – Familiar faces are taking the reins of the Versailles Area of Chamber of Commerce, with elections completed during Monday evening’s annual dinner meeting.
Versailles Local School Superintendent Aaron Moran will serve as president of the Chamber, and Village Administrator Rodd Hale will serve as vice president.
The V.A.C.C. also presented the annual “Citizen of the Year” and “People, Pride and Progress” awards.
The winner of the Citizen of the Year, as previously reported, was James Youngker, who, as a Weaver employee of more than five decades, was a founder of Poultry Days in Versailles.
In introducing Youngker, Randy Gump described the Citizen of the Year as “people that give of themselves significant time and effort to benefit their communities.”
Youngker said he was “honored beyond anything I can tell you to receive this award.” He said that Versailles is the type of community where “everybody seems to work together,” so any of his contributions amounted to just being part of that community. “They’re not looking for a pat on the back,” Youngker noted. “It’s just something the people of Versailles do.”
“For this reason, I am accepting it as a representative of all those people,” Youngker said.
State Rep. Jim Buchy agreed with Youngker. In presenting Youngker with additional recognition on behalf of the state legislature, Buchy said that Youngker was “so typical of this community.”
The People, Pride and Progress Award was presented this year to the Diamond Club, for its steadfast support of the schools and kids.
Moran told of the Diamond Club’s tireless efforts to get the new track complex built, and he said the members even take care of maintaining the facility.
He described how “they had a plan, they had the resources” to get the track facility built, and what he needed to do was just get out of their way.
“Since that day, this group has held true to supporting the kids academically and athletically.”
Buchy also presented additional recognition of the Diamond Club from the state legislature, adding, “I’m so thankful that generation after generation continue to invest in this community.”
