2013 Suffolk's First Citizen Award Recipient was announced on February 28, 2013 at the Rotary Club of Suffolk weekly meeting.  Dr. R. Leroy Howell, Sr. was named as this year's Honoree.

Read the article published in the Suffolk News Herald March 1, 2013.

The reception for the 2013 Suffolk's First Citizen Award Recognition will be held Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 6:00 pm at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts.  Registration is $30 per individual and several sponsorship levels are available. Make your reservation and select a sponsorship level online using the link for 2013 Suffolk's First Citizen Online Registration form in the Club Links tab in the upper left hand column of our Home Page.  Profits from the First Citizen event will be donated to charitable organizations.

Suffolk and North Suffolk Rotary Announces Suffolk’s 2013 First Citizen
Dr. R. Leroy Howell, Sr.

Suffolk, VA, February 28, 2013 - The Suffolk and North Suffolk Rotary Clubs announced Suffolk’s 2013 First Citizen Award Recipient. The award given each year since 1956, except for a hiatus from 1999-2002, is given to an outstanding individual who best exemplifies the spirit of citizenship and who has shown significant leadership through his or her time, talents and efforts in order to make Suffolk a better place to live.

“There are incredible leaders in the Suffolk community,” said Suffolk Rotary Club First Citizen Committee Chair Ashley Greene. “Many are our unsung heroes and the First Citizen Award gives us a way to honor them,” added North Suffolk Rotary Committee Chair Rob Estes.

The award was started by the Cosmopolitan Club, but ended in 1999 when the club disbanded. In 2003, it was taken up by the Rotary Club. Initially, members of the club were not permitted to be honored, but that was changed in recent years.

Last year’s recipient was community leader and North Suffolk Rotary Club member M. Caroline Martin. Other prior recipients have included Senator Fred Quayle, Dr. Doug Naismith, Delegate Chris Jones, Betsy Brothers, who was active in renovating Suffolk High School as the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, community activist W. Ross Boone, attorney Whitney Saunders, longtime City Councilman Curtis Milteer, historian Sue Woodward, former Mayor E. Dana Dickens, business owner George Birdsong, longtime General Assembly member Sam Glasscock, dentist Dr. George Barnett, former Mayor Andy Damiani and former Governor Mills E. Godwin Jr.

The award reception will be held Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 6:00 pm at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts.  Tickets are $30 each and sponsorships are available. Make your reservation and select a sponsorship level online using the link for Suffolk's First Citizen Reception 2013 in the Club Events tab in the upper left hand column of our Home Page or visit www.suffolkfirstcitizen.com.   Profits from the First Citizen event will be donated to charitable organizations.