Monroe County Commissioners gave out 2023 Citizen Service Awards at the first meeting of the new year on Tuesday, Jan. 2, honoring citizens who have made great contributions to the county over the past year.
Monroe County District 2 Commissioner Eddie Rowland presented on Tuesday, Jan. 2 a Citizen Service Award to local veterinarian Dr. Jill Lancaster.
Lancaster, a lifelong resident of Monroe County, graduated from Monroe Academy and the University of Georgia School of Veterinary Medicine and has practiced as a veterinarian in Middle Georgia since 2004.
Lancaster is an active member of the local agriculture community, including as a current member and former president of the Monroe County Saddle Club. Lancaster is also a member of the Georgia Farm Bureau Board of Directors, the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association, and the Middle Georgia Cattlemen’s Association. Lancaster was even named the Mid-Georgia Cattlemen’s Queen in 1993, which she said was called “Miss Heifer” to a roomful of laughs.
Lancaster has also served on the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association Board of Directors since 2008, including a stint as president in 2020. She is also a lifelong member of Forsyth United Methodist Church, including assisting with her church’s annual Thanksgiving meal distribution.
Commissioner Rowland said of Lancaster: “Most importantly to me, Jill’s been a friend, she has been an advocate, and we have worked and worked on a lot of things together in the last two or three years. . . She is a workhorse, she is a go-getter, and Monroe County should be proud to have her.”
Monroe County District 1 Commissioner Lamarcus Davis presented on Tuesday, Jan. 2 a Citizen Service Award to the Malik Herring Foundation headed by local football standout Malik Herring.
Herring, a lifelong resident of Monroe County, graduated from Mary Persons before going on to play football at the University of Georgia and the National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs.
When Herring made the Chiefs’ roster in 2022, he became the fifth Mary Persons alum to make it to the NFL and in February 2023 became the first Monroe Countian ever to win a Super Bowl title. Herring has participated in six games for the Chiefs in 2023, making five tackles.
Commissioner Davis said the Malik Herring Foundation is worthy of this year’s Citizen Service Award for its work in the local community. The Malik Herring Foundation recently provided Christmas gifts to Monroe County students. Herring also hosts an annual summer youth football camp and has hosted youth fun days and toy drives.
Commissioner Davis said Herring recently reminded him that he took Herring to his first Atlanta Falcons’ game. Commissioner Davis said Herring is now giving back to local kids the way that older mentors once helped raise him up.
While Herring was unable to be in attendance on Tuesday due to his football responsibilities, his mother, Sabrina Mays, and aunt, Wynita Colvard, accepted the award on his behalf.
Monroe County Commission Chairman Greg Tapley presented on Tuesday, Jan. 2 a Citizen Service Award to Bolingbroke fire chief J.D. Chapman.
Chapman, a Virginia native, moved to Macon when he attended college at Mercer University. After college, he stayed in Middle Georgia, joining the Macon Fire Department in 1963, where he worked for 25 years until his retirement. Also in 1963, Chapman married his wife Billie to whom he has been married for 60 years. Billie Chapman accompanied her husband on Tuesday to the award ceremony.
Chapman was also a member of the U.S. Navy, starting a Naval fire department while stationed in Gulfport, Miss. in the mid-1960s. After retirement, Chapman taught at the Georgia Fire Academy for nearly a decade before moving to Bolingbroke in 1997, where he was appointed as chief of the Bolingbroke Volunteer Fire Department, a position he still holds today.
Chairman Tapley said of Chapman: “When you ask J.D. to do something, he does it and does it with a whole heart.”
Chapman is also a longtime member of the Bolingbroke Community Club.
Bolingbroke Community Club co-president Brandy Bankston-Boynton said of Chapman: “J.D.’s knowledge of our community’s past is always helpful. He is always willing to lend a hand at Bolingbroke Community Club meetings and is front and center for parade day.”
Former Bolingbroke Community Club president Vicki Smith added of Chapman: “J.D. is always willing to help our Bolingbroke community anytime there is a need. He is one of the first to volunteer his services, whether giving someone a needed ride or assisting in whatever the need may be. He has a heart of gold. And personally, I love seeing him around and getting a hug. And he never lets you leave without saying, ‘I love you.’ And he’s a true brother in Christ.”
Upon receiving his award, Chapman said he taught the first fire class in Monroe County. He said Monroe County Commissioners are responsible for substantial fire equipment improvements throughout Monroe County, particularly in Bolingbroke.
