Citizens honored with awards for 71st year

The honors of Oxford Citizen of the Year and Citizen of the Years are given to people who have contributed materially to making the Oxford community a better place to live.

Recipients are selected from among numerous individuals nominated by members of the Oxford community.

The individuals are selected on the basis of contributions made as volunteers rather than as part of employment responsibilities.

An individual recognized as Citizen of the Year has volunteered an important specific contribution to Oxford during the past year. A Citizen of the Years has made contributions to Oxford extending over many years, typically in multiple ways.

The Citizen of the Year recognition was started by the Oxford Press in 1952. Since then, 163 individuals have been recognized as Citizens of the Year and 182 as Citizens of the Years.

An individual may be honored only once as Citizen of the Year and only once as Citizen of the Years. The selections are made by individuals who were recognized in prior years.

Recipients are honored at a lunch hosted by the Oxford Kiwanis Club.

Each honoree receives a reproduction of a watercolor painting of Oxford by local artist Marjorie Bowers. The painting is reproduced through a grant from the Oxford Community Foundation and is available only to the Citizen of the Year and Citizen of the Years recipients.

The Oxford Kiwanis Club provides more information on the Oxford Citizen of the Year and Citizen of the Years program on its website, k01501.site.kiwanis.org.