When Georgia state Sen. Jack Hill was asked to be keynote speaker for the 2017 Deen Day Smith Service to Mankind Awards, he had no idea he was to be named the second-ever Man of the Decade for the prestigious honors program.
At the end of the invitation-only gala, Statesboro Herald President Joe McGlamery announced a surprise award that wasn’t included on the printed program.
“That was pretty slick,” Hill said as he accepted the unexpected award. “I thought (the event) was over.”
The award has not been presented since 1990, when football legend Erk Russell was named the very first Deen Day Smith Service to Mankind Man of the Decade.
Hill received a standing ovation before McGlamery was finished introducing him, and again when he came forward to accept the award
“He loves the people, and the people love him,” McGlamery said. “We honor Jack Hill for the man he is.”
From Reidsville, the republican senator was first elected to the Georgia Senate from the 4th District in 1990 and was re-elected in 2012 to his 12th two-year term. The 4th Senatorial District includes Bulloch, Candler, Effingham, Evans and parts of Emanuel and Tattnall counties, according to his biography as seen on www.senatorjackhill.com.
He is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and also serves on the Natural Resources and the Environment, Regulated Industries and Utilities and Rules committees and as ex-officio for the Finance Committee.
In an introduction, Ellis Wood said Hill served for 33 years in the Georgia Air National Guard as a unit commander and as State Inspector General. He retired in 2004 from the United States Air Force Reserve, assigned to the Selective Service System. His military service totaled 37 years.
Born July 15, 1944, in Reidsville, Hill graduated from Reidsville High School and Georgia Southern University (then College) and is a retired grocer. He and his wife, Ruth Ann, a retired elementary school principal, are the parents of three children and seven grandchildren and are members of Reidsville Baptist Church.
During his speech, Hill praised Bulloch County for its rich history of fundraising, giving and helping those in need.
“Hardly a week goes by without some sort of fundraiser,” he said, listing several groups that benefit from efforts of Statesboro and Bulloch County volunteers.
These residents do what they do “without fanfare,” he said. “That is the definition of ‘volunteer.’”
Of those who were recognized during the night’s event, Hill said: “We know your heart is in your service, and your reward is within. As (former Georgia Gov.) Zell Miller used to say, ‘If you see a turtle in a fence post, you know he didn’t get there by himself.’”
Herald reporter Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.
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