Gaines Honored At Chamber Banquet
Roy Gaines (center) accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award with Toccoa City Commissioner David Austin (left) and WNEG’s Connie Gaines (right) looking on.
The Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce honors a long-time broadcaster and civic leader.
Thursday, former AM 630 WNEG and WNEG-TV owner Roy Gaines received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Awards Banquet.
A World War II Navy veteran, Gaines arrived in Toccoa in 1946 to work for R.G. LeTourneau and WRLC Radio
He and his brother then founded WNEG Radio in 1956 and in 1984, he founded WNEG TV.
Gaines was named the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Broadcaster Citizen of the Year in 1971 and entered the GAB Hall of Fame in 2002.
He also spent years in public service.
Gaines served for nine years on the Toccoa City Commission, including serving as Mayor in 1971, 1974, and 1977.
Among the numerous boards and committees he served on, he is a former member and president of the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce, chaired the Toccoa-Stephens County 2000 Committee, is a former president of the Toccoa Rotary Club, and has received awards for his public service.
Gaines said he was surprised to receive this award.
He said that any success that he has enjoyed through the years has been the result of having the opportunity to work with a lot of dedicated, determined, and creative people.
“I have had a lot of support throughout the years,” said Gaines. “A family that supported me and worked with me. A wife that stood behind me, in front of me, and beside me for almost 68 years, so on behalf of all those that have meant so much to me and the successes that I have enjoyed, let me accept this recognition in memory of those people.”
The Lifetime Achievement Award is one of a number of awards that the Chamber handed out last night.
The others are as follows:
Retail Business of the Year — Shirley’s Sole Food
Service and Professional Business of the Year — Bryan Westmoreland (X-Factor Grill and Cornerstone Restaurant)
Tourism and Promotion Business of the Year — Currahee Military Museum
Entrepreneur of the Year — Patrick and Marilyn Hall — The Urban Barn
Senior of the Year — 50th District State Senator John Wilkinson
Youth of the Year — Abigail Vickery
Non-Profit of the Year — Keep Toccoa-Stephens County Beautiful
Volunteer of the Year — Linda Scofield
Ambassador of the Year — Beth Rider
Industry of the Year — ASI
Ag Award — Currahee Vineyard and Winery
Chairman’s Award — Tammy Riddle