The C.E. Palmer Award is the city's most prestigious honor for community service. Established in 1941 and named for the longtime publisher of this newspaper, the honor has been shared by more than 80 local luminaries in the years since.
It's always nice to be recognized for some good work or extraordinary effort. But the Palmer Award goes beyond any single accomplishment. Rather, the award comes in recognition of a lifetime of service to Texarkana.
On Friday, the winner for 2022 was announced -- Fred Markham, president and executive director of the Texas Pioneer Foundation, a private nonprofit organization that grants money to over 190 schools across Texas. His lifelong commitment to better our community, state and region makes him an ideal choice for the honor.
To be recognized by one's peers as someone who has contributed to the quality of life in Texarkana for many years is an honor indeed.
We congratulate Fred Markham as he joins the roll, listed below, of those who have helped make our city a better place to work and live.
1941 -- Robert Maxwell
1942 -- L.C. Barry
1943 -- Dr. T.J. Wilbanks
1944 -- W.B. Simmons
1945 -- Hal R. Moore Jr.
1946 -- Herman Wommack
1947 -- James Alan Whyte
1948 -- Wilbur Smith
1949 -- J.R. Crowder
1950 -- Mrs. A.R. McKinney Jr.
1951 -- Mrs. T.J. Robison
1952 -- Mrs. Arthur Temple
1953 -- Edwin L. Stanley, MD
1954 -- David Nelson
1955 -- J.R. Morriss Sr.
1956 -- J.Q. Mahaffey
1957 -- J.K. Wadley
1958 -- H.W. Stillwell
1959 -- James R. Bryant
1960 -- E.R. Bondurant
1961 -- Dr. W.H. Richardson
1962 -- A.G. Sanderson Jr.
1963 -- Leon Kuhn
1964 -- Stuart Wilson
1965 -- Mannie Stevens
1966 -- H.R. Wren Sr.
1967 -- Mrs. A.G. Sanderson Jr.
J.C. Cabe
1968 -- Pearson Walsh
1969 -- William G. Fuller
1970 -- George Rozzell
1971 -- B.A. Lemser
1972 -- Herbert Wren, MD
1973 -- E.M. Jones Sr.
1974 -- Josh R. Morriss Jr.
1975 -- Margaret Stuart Dickey
1976 -- George W. Thompson, MD
1977 -- Earl M. Jones Jr.
1978 -- L.E. Gilliland
1979 -- John F. Stroud Jr.
1980 -- David Orr
1981 -- E.D. Trice
1982 -- Charles Gardner
1983 -- Mrs. Christine Nelson
1984 -- Samuel Shuman
1985 -- Josephine Beck
Dr. Carl Nelson
1986 -- Truman Arnold
1987 -- Bruce Wilson
1988 -- Ben & Nancy Sandefur
1989 -- David Williams
1990 -- Hayes McClerkin
1991 -- Martha Morriss
1992 -- Frederick E. Joyce, MD
1993 -- Walter C. Barnes, MD
1994 -- Denzer Burke, DDS
1995 -- Donald N. Morriss
1996 -- C.A. Mitchell
Ann Forehand
1997 -- Remica Crank Gray
1998 -- William B. Roberts
1999 -- Connor Patman
George Crank
Florence Crank
2000 -- Vasco McCoy
2001 -- William O. Morriss
2002 -- Fred & Martha Norton
2003 -- R. Scott & Jane F. Bruner
2004 -- Judy Kelley Morgan
2005 -- Dan Haskins
2006 -- Shirley Finn
2007 -- Patty Smith
2008 -- Ruth Ellen Whitt
2009 -- Joan Carter
2010 -- Danny Gray
2011 -- Denis Washington
2012 -- James Henry Russell
2013 -- Lucille Cook
2014 -- Curt Green
2015 -- Steve & Lisa Ledwell
2016 -- Fay J. Durrant
2017 -- Dean and LeCrecia Barry
2018 -- Cary Patterson
2019--Sonja Hubbard
2020 -- James Carlow
2021 -- Prissy Hickerson
2022 -- Fred Markham
To Fred Markham and all C.E. Palmer Award winners past and future we say thank you for your service and commitment to our community.