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GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS HEATHER
THURGOOD AND I'M HERE TO PRESENT THE JOHN LANDRESS AWARD.
BEING THAT I'M AN ACTRESS, YOU'LL
FORGIVE MY READING FROM MY SCRIPT.
BUT FIRST I'D LIKE TO TELL YOU A BIT
ABOUT THIS AWARD. IN 1985, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE BROOKHAVEN
LITTLE THEATRE DECIDED THERE WAS A NEED TO RECOGNIZE THOSE
VOLUNTEERS WHO WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND THAT WHICH IS NECESSARY TO
ENSURE THE CONTINUED SUCCESS OF BLT.
FOR INSPIRATION THE BOARD HAD TO LOOK
NO FURTHER THAN ITS VERY OWN JOHN LANDRESS.
MR. LANDRESS WHO, BEING A FOUNDING
MEMBER OF THE BLT, NEVER SHIED AWAY FROM ANY TASK, WHETHER IT BE
ACTING, DIRECTING, SET DESIGN OR ANY OTHER JOB THAT NEEDED TO BE
DONE. KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS WAS ALSO A TIME WHEN THE DIRECTOR DID
EVERYTHING. SO JUGGLING DUTIES WAS EVEN MORE DIFFICULT THAN IT WOULD
BE TODAY.
MR. LANDRESS HAS BEEN AN INSPIRATION TO
MANY OF US HERE AT BLT. SINCE I WAS UNABLE TO SAY THANK YOU PUBLICLY
TO HIM FOR ALL THAT HE HAS DONE FOR ME. I'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU
NOW, FOR WITHOUT MR. LANDRESS, I WOULDN'T BE STANDING ON THIS
STAGE, NOR WOULD I BE THE MOST RECENT RECIEPIENT (BUT I GUESS THAT
ALL CHANGES TONIGHT, RIGHT?)
HAD HE NOT GIVEN ME MY FIRST
OPPORTUNITY TO BE INVOLVED MANY YEARS AGO WITH MY FIRST PRODUCTION.
THANK YOU MR. LANDRESS, BECAUSE OF YOU
GIVING THAT FIRST CHANCE I'VE COME A LONG WAY IN MY ACTING AND HAVE
HAD MANY OPPORTUNITIES THAT I'D HAVE NOT HAD OTHERWISE.
NOW, WHAT QUALIFIES SOMEONE FOR THIS
AWARD:
--LONGEVITY (AT LEAST 10 YRS AS AN
ACTIVE BLT MEMBER)
--SOMEONE WHO HAS PARTICIPATED IN A
VARIETY OF TASKS AND ACTIVITIES DEALING DIRECTLY WITH PLAY
PRODUCTION FROM ACTING TO DIRECTING TO WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES,
--SERVING ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
AND/OR OTHER COMMITTEES AND
--ANY NUMBER OF OTHER TASKS.
THE SELECTION COMMITTEE CONSISTS OF THE
5 MOST RECENT LIVING RECIPIENTS PLUS MR. LANDRESS HIMSELF.
AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO ASK ANY PAST
RECIEPIENTS WHO ARE PRESENT TONIGHT TO PLEASE STAND WHEN I SAY YOUR
NAME. PLEASE HOLD YOUR APPLAUSE UNTIL THE WHOLE LIST IS COMPLETED.
NAMES & YEARS
1985
JOHN LANDRESS
1986
HOUSTON CASE
1987
NITA RITCHIE
1988
THELMA CASE
1989
CARROLL RITCHIE
1990
SUGAR FURLOW
1991
RICHARD GODBOLD
1992
HENRY WARE HOBBS, JR
1993
RAY DAVIS
1994
JAMES MINTER, JR
1995
JOE FERNALD
1996
DON UNDERWOOD
1997
SUE MINTER
1998
SARAH UNDERWOOD
1999
ROBERT (BOB) JONES
2000
LYNN CAMPBELL
2001
CARL CRAIG
2002
CHERYL SPROLES
2003
JANA FULDA RUSSELL
2004
GREG RUSSELL
2005
JIMMY DEMPSEY
2006
BARBARA SPROLES
2007
HEATHER THURGOOD
NOW, FOR THIS YEARS LANDRESS AWARD
RECIPIENT.
THIS PERSON HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH NOT
ONLY BLT, BUT ALSO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY FOR MANY YEARS, WHICH JUST
PROVES THIS PERSON IS REALLY OLD. (I SHOULD NOTE THIS PERSON IS A
GOOD FRIEND AND HOPEFULLY WILL KNOW THAT WAS A JOKE)
THIS PERSON IS SOMEONE ELSE WHO HAS
ALSO HELPED ME QUITE A BIT IN MY CAREER. THIS PERSON HAS BEEN
AVAILABLE FOR ADVICE WHENEVER ANYONE NEEDS IT AS WELL AS DOING
ANYTHING HE OR SHE CAN TO HELP PROMOTE ANYTHING HAPPENING WITH BLT.
CHERYL SPROLES ASKED ME TO SAY TO THIS
PERSON THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND ALL THAT YOU DO, WHEN I
ASKED HER FOR A QUOTE ABOUT THIS PERSON.
HE OR SHE HAS SERVED ON THE BLT BOARD
OF DIRECTORS, BEEN INVOLVED WHETHER ONSTAGE OR BEHIND THE SCENES IN
DIFFERENT CAPACITIES WITH SUCH PLAYS AS CACTUS FLOWER, CHARLIE'S
AUNT AND ALWAYS PATSY CLINE JUST TO NAME A FEW.
I HAD THE HONOR AND PRIVILEDGE OF
WORKING OFF STAGE WITH THIS PERSON IN PROFESSIONAL LIFE DURING HIS
TIME IN RADIO WHERE HE HOSTED A MORNING SHOW BUT HE'S GONE ONTO THE
SMALL SCREEN WHERE HE NOW HOSTS THE CHUCK IVEY SHOW ON CABLE ONE.
SO BY NOW, CHUCK YOU SHOULD HAVE
FIGURED OUT WHY JULIA MADE YOU DRESS UP.
IT'S MY HONOR TO PRESENT THE 2008-2009
JOHN LANDRESS AWARD RECIPEINT, MR. CHUCK IVEY.
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