Young Man / Young Woman

The Young Man/Young Woman of the Year Banquet takes place each year in February. At the banquet, one young man and woman are honored for their unselfish volunteer efforts and civic service to the community. Over the years, this dinner has become a staple of our community, with the list of past recipients representing some of the best and brightest leaders in Gainesville/Hall County.

The History

The Gainesville Jaycees have proudly presented the “Young Man and Young Woman of the Year Award” annually for more than the past 70 years. The annual banquet honors a Young Man and Woman who have been stewards to the community with their unselfish volunteer efforts and civic service.

The services for which they are honored must be performed prior to their 40th birthday. The event includes a presentation of the recipient’s accomplishments for which they are honored, gubernatorial proclamations in their honor, and special guests.

Congratulations to the 2023 winners:
Young Woman of the Year: Callie Flack
Young Man of the Year: Casey Ryals

Nominate Here!

Nominations must be submitted no later than January 31st, 2025!

  • Young Man of the Year Award Winners

    Charles Thurmond 1945

    John Black 1946

    Robert Matthews 1947

    Elred F. McLeod 1948

    Gene Bobo 1949

    Dr. Ed Shannon 1950

    Carl Lawson 1951

    John Jacobs 1952

    James A. Dunlap 1953

    Sylvan Meyer 1954

    Loyd Strickland 1955

    Glenn Gilreath 1956

    Claude Williams, Jr. 1957

    James Mathis 1958

    Jack Prince 1959

    Robert L. Fowler 1960

    Graham Hixon 1961

    Don Kahlson 1962

    J. Robert Cooper 1963

    Thomas Sheffield 1964

    D.P. McGeachy, III 1965

    John Lackey, Jr. 1966

    Don Carter 1967

    Carl Romberg, II 1968

    William A. Bagwell 1969

    Austin Edmondson 1970

    W. Woodrow Stewart 1971

    John G. McCormick 1972

    Nathan Deal 1973

    Harold Smith 1974

    Philip Wilheit Sr. 1975

    Dale Morris 1976

    Tom Mundy 1977

    George Jones 1978

    Ed Cabell 1979

    Jimmy Faulkner 1980

    James Mathis, Jr. 1981

    Wayne Clark 1982

    Steve Gilliam 1983

    Joe T. Wood, Jr. 1984

    Rick Story 1985

    Jack Hodge 1986

    Dick Valentine 1987

    Keith Morris 1988

    Rich White 1989

    John Byrne 1990

    Eddie Staub 1991

    James Tipton 1992

    J.C. Smith 1993

    Jimmy Adams 1994

    John Vardeman 1995

    Doug Carter 1996

    Lee Chapman 1997

    Mark Alexander 1998

    Anthony Dye 1999

    Jody Cooley 2000

    Gary Funk 2001

    Chip Frierson 2002

    Ab Hayes 2003

    Cooper Embry 2004

    R.K. Whitehead 2005

    Allen Nivens 2006

    Larry Baldwin 2007

    Mack Vinton 2008

    Lee Rogers 2009

    Davis White 2010

    Brian Daniel 2011

    Jim Coyle 2012

    Jimbo Floyd 2013

    Trey Wood 2014

    Philip Wilheit Jr. 2015

    Brett Fowler 2016

    Drew Echols 2017

    John Simpson 2018

    Phil Bonelli 2019

    Nick Bruner 2020

    Matt Dubnik 2021

    Nathan Crumley 2022

    Casey Ryals 2023

  • Young Woman of the Year Award Winners

    Tracy Vardeman 2001

    Dixie Truelove 2002

    Maria Calkins 2003

    Emily Bagwell 2004

    Heather Hayes 2005

    Denise Deal 2006

    Dr. Jennifer Gottsman 2007

    Elizabeth Baldwin 2008

    Robyn Lynch 2009

    Hart Wilheit Payne 2010

    Kelly Lee 2011

    Staci Tunkel 2012

    Melissa Tymchuk 2013

    Heidi Ferguson 2014

    Jessica Butler 2015

    Julia Greene 2016

    Bethany Magnus 2017

    Jenny Floyd 2018

    Katie Dubnik 2019

    Staci Vinton 2020

    Joy Griffin 2021

    Erin Williamson 2022

    Callie Flack 2023