Hughes Springs honors award recipients with Crystal Globes

Heavy rain did not put a damper on the Hughes Springs Chamber of Commerce’s 2022 Crystal Globe Awards Banquet on Jan. 28. Despite a steady, sometimes heavy rain all day, the Legacy Event Center featured a packed house of awards recipients, their families and friends, community members, and more.

The evening began with a welcome from Chamber President Tammy Mashaw, guests viewed a video presentation featuring over 175 years of history from the founding of Hughes Springs. The video featured photos and historical information regarding the city’s 175-plus-year history. They were offered a meal prepared by the Hughes Springs High School Culinary Arts Department, and served by members of the Hughes Springs High School Student Council. The Jackson James Band, featuring Hughes Springs students Jackson James, and Trapper Golden, as well as Ana McCullough performed for those in attendance during the meal. Then, it was on to the awards.

The first award of the night went to Ryan Cates. Cates, who has officially been a member of the department since his eighteenth birthday in 2015, was named the Firefighter of the Year by the Hughes Springs Fire Department. Cates helped fight the Bear Creek Fires in 2011 at the age of 12, and at 19 was named the youngest captain in the department’s history.

The Hughes Springs ISD presents their own Crystal Globes each year to their teachers of the year, and this year was no exception. The Hughes Springs Elementary School Teacher of the Year award was presented to Katie Savage. Savage, in her seventh year teacher, has spent the last six years at Hughes Springs where she taught fourth math for five years. Currently teaching the Voyager reading program, Savage looks forward to many years to come in the profession.

“I have really enjoyed teaching these past seven years, and I look forward to many years to come,” Savage said. Her award was presented by elementary school principal Brenda Fincher.

The HS Junior High Teacher of the Year award recipient, Mrs. Katherine Mefford, was unable attend to the banquet due to illness. Mefford began her teaching career in 2001,

BEE PHOTOS/TONI WALKER and joined the Hughes Springs family in 2020. She teaches sixth grade English at HSJH, after teacher younger students through third grade in California previously. Presenter Ginny Lindsay accepted the award on her behalf.

High School Principal Brian Nation presented Tamara Stocks with the High School Teacher of the Year award. Stocks, a ninth grade English teacher, moved to East Texas in 2008 after her husband went to work for Welsh Power Plant. Nation noted that, after COVID, the English scores did not drop as far as expected, due in part to Stock’s contributions in the classroom.

Brinda Mandella can be seen at just about any Hughes Springs event, whether it is helping at the Hughes Springs Area Public Library, or serving as president of the Red Radiance Garden Club. It is her community involvement that earned her the Sesame Club’s Crystal Globe award. Mandella, a 1968 graduate of Hughes Springs High School, where she was active in cheerleading and FFA and more, has had a long reaching career in the art and media world. She moved to Dallas in 1973 where she spent time as a fashion illustrator for Margo’s La Mode, a layout and design graphic artist for Sanger Harris, and as a corporate designer for the Dillard’s advertising department. She was instrumental in helping Dillard’s develop their first successful newspaper inserts, and has earned many awards, including Nintendo ads for Mario Brothers and for her newspaper inserts. Mandella returned to Hughes Springs after 43 years for a “slower pace of life,” but can be found taking part in many organizations, including the Red Radiance Garden Club, numerous plant and gardening societies, and more.

Each year, the Gemeta Castle Award is presented to a deserving member of the community. This year’s crystal Globe was given to Carl Holloman. Holloman, a lifelong resident of Hughes Springs, served in Operation Desert Storm in the United States Army after he graduated Hughes Springs High School in 1984.

Carl now spends his time serving food at local food banks, and most recently volunteered his time to help remove debris following the Nov. 4 tornados, and continues to offer his help and support to those in need.

“I live by the rule of ‘It’s better to give than to receive,’” Holloman said.

Wayne Hall was the recipient of the 2022 Spirit of Beauty Award, presented by Gina Humphrey and Gina’s Beauty Salon.

Hall is employed by Reeder-Davis Funeral Home and serves the community by preparing gravesites for families in need. Hall knows the locations of many cemeteries in several counties, even some not listed in national registries. Humphrey explained Hall’s contributions to the community during her introduction.

“Wayne prepares the final resting places for Reeder-Davis. He does this at more than a dozen cemeteries covering five counties in our area,” Humphrey explained.

“And he’s done it for decades, as those in his family did before him. It is draining work. Emotional work, especially when it is done for people you know and love. I have been around him and have seen him grieve while I’ve been at the funeral home doing my work. He creates beauty because he also puts flags out for memorials, sets gravestones, and does maintenance. On a year we celebrate our town’s 175 years, he is one of the reasons we have a lovely town to celebrate.”

Known as a “cemetery savant,” Hall knows who is where in many different graveyards. Many times, he’s helped locate ancestors, was once instrumental in helping James Yarber III, from the Washington, D.C. area locate the gravesites of many relatives. It is for his tireless devotion to the community that he was presented the Spirit of Beauty Award.

Humphrey also implored those in attendance to join Hall and herself in helping maintain the local cemetery, which was first established in the late 1800s. The historical cemetery suffered over $10,000-dollars of damage to the fencing alone in last year’s November tornados. Humphrey asked guests to consider giving a contribution to the fund to help repair and maintain the cemetery in honor of Hall either at the conclusion of the evening or by contacting Rebecca Morgan or Byron Terry to make a donation.

The final three awards of the evening were those presented by the chamber itself. The Citizen of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards were chosen from community nominations, and the Business of the Year was chosen from the four Quarterly Pride Award winners.

The Citizen of the Year Crystal Globe was presented to Debbie Dennis. Dennis began her career in 1990 when she earned her bachelor’s degree in Dusiness Administration, and passed her board exams to become a Certified Public Accountant in 1993. In 2004, she opened her business in small office in downtown Hughes Springs, and moved to her larger location just down First Street in 2006.

She is an active member of Crossroads Missionary Baptist Church, and is a member of Eastern Star, where she and her husband have served as Worthy Matron and Patron.

She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, as well as the Hughes Springs Chamber and many other organizations.

Each year, the chamber presents a monthly Business Spotlight Award and a Quarterly Business Pride Award. Those businesses honored each quarter are then voted on by chamber members to determine the Business of the Year.

Last year’s quarterly Business Pride award recipients included Terry Insurance and Real Estate, Snack Shack, Vanguard Ford, and Full Throttle Fitness.

The business voted as the Business of the Year was Snack Shack. Owned by Lacy and Kevin Morrow, the Snack Shack offers quality products at cost-effective pricing, The walls of the Shack are covered in artwork by local children, and the Morrows have been known to even auction some of that artwork off for a good cause. The staff at Snack Shack is known for their service with a smile and caring hearts.

The final award of the evening was, perhaps, one of the most surprising to the recipient. The recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award was Greta Wright, owner of Steel Belt Gymnastics. Wright and her family moved to Hughes Springs in 1971 from California, where she and was a part of her dad’s “Tumbling Frongs” team. In 1973, Wright began teaching gymnastics to ten students with only two red and white tumbling mats.

In 1974, she purchased more equipment and moved into a building in downtown Hughes Springs.

The growth precluded a move to a larger building, in Linden, but by 1977, Wright was back in Hughes Springs in her current gymnastics building.

Over the last 50 years, well over 100 students have come through Wright’s gym doors to study gymnastics, cheer prep, and cheer squad lessons.

Wirght began her gym to help promote strength, flexibility and confidence in her students, and strives to encourage leadership and positive attitudes in younger generations. It is a testament to Wright’s leadership that former students now bring their children to study under her.

“We’ve worked hard to bring out the best in our athletes,” Wright said. “My greatest accomplishment is having the children I had as students in the 70s, 80s, and 90s bring their kids back to enjoy the experience they had. That is my greatest compliment.”

Wirght and her husband Rod have raised three sons in the community, and she is an active member of many organizations, including The Red Radiance Garden Club, National Wildlife Federation, The Piney Woods Iris Society, and more. She is an active member of First Methodist Church and founded Nadine’s Outreach and Diaper Bank for those in need.

Wright is a well-known member of the community, and was the honored recipient of the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Following the final award, several special guests were introduced by Mashaw, including Cass County Judge Travis Ransom, Northeast Texas Community College President Ron Clinton, Mayor Jimmy Samples, Police Chief Randy Kennedy, and Fire Chief Jay Cates.