Preservation Woodstock Names Citizen of the Year

Preservation Woodstock has announced the recipent of its 2014 Barbara G. Ingram Citizen of the Year Award.

Jim Drinkard will be presented the award after the city’s Christmas Jubilee Parade and Parade of Lights, which will start at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6 in downtown Woodstock. Drinkard will be given the award at the Park at City Center.

Drinkard, whose grandfather was Dean’s Store founder Linton Dean— is a member of Preservation Woodstock, and visits the Woodstock Visitors Center where he and his band, Jim Drinkard & Friends, play bluegrass music to commemorate the store’s birthday, said Kyle Bennett, the city’s director of tourism.

Drinkard, who lives in Vinings, is a Woodstock native and is also the past president of the organization. He is currently the assistant general manager for planning and development at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Formerly the Woodstock Centennial Commission, Preservation Woodstock gives the award to a Woodstock-area citizen who has made notable contributions toward the preservation of the city’s heritage.

The award is named in honor of Barbara Ingram, who served as secretary and co-chair of the organization.

The commission, which later changed its name to Preservation Woodstock, was responsible for organizing the festivities surrounding the city’s centennial celebration in 1997.

Ingram passed away in December 1996, just one month shy of the centennial. Former Mayor David Rogers pitched the idea of the award to honor Ingram and others who followed her passion to preserve the city’s history.

Listed below are past recipients of the award:

• Juanita Hughes (1997)
• Smith Johnston (1998)
• Glen Hubbard (1999)
• David Rogers (2000, posthumously)
• Mary Lou Reece (2001)
• Claud Barnes (2002)
• Homer Hughes (2003)
• Denver Rainey (2004)
• Mary Johnston (2005)
• Milicent Barnes Fox (2006)
• Christine Blight (2007)
• Raymond Dodson (2008
• Elaine Hubbard (2009)
• Jo Marchildon (2010)
• Kim Jordy (2011)
• Bill Johnston (2012)
• Patti Brady (2013)

Along with promoting and preserving the city’s history, Preservation Woodstock also places plaques on historic places and areas throughout the city.

Photo: Jim Drinkard, bottom left, has been named Preservation Woodstock’s 2014 Barbara G. Ingram Citizen of the Year. Credit: Main Street Woodstock