Welcome to the
Georgia NARFE Federation
Georgia Federation Member of the Year Award
The Georgia NARFE Federation began the recognition of one outstanding Georgia Chapter member and one Federation Executive member through the Member of the Year Awards presentations a number of years ago. The first awards were presented at the 1999 Annual Federation Convention in Athens, GA. These awards were made in recognition of two members (one at the Chapter level and one at the Federation level) that exemplified leadership, dedication, and support of NARFE and served as exemplary service-minded individuals.
In January 2016, the Federation Executive Board voted to name these two awards after deceased Federation members who had made significant contributions to the Federation during their years of service. For many years, these two individuals were the “faces” of NARFE in the Georgia Federation. The Chapter Member of the Year Award was designated as the M.C. Stowe Chapter Member of the Year Award and the Executive Member of the Year Award was designated as the Kenneth C. Martin Executive Member of the Year Award
-
M.C. Stowe was a dedicated member of Toccoa/Northeast Georgia Chapter 1818 for 30 years. He joined NARFE after he retired from a 35 year career as a rural letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service. M.C. served as President of Chapter 1818 for one year and as their Legislative Chair for 23 years. He also served as a District Vice President, Federation Vice President, and Federation President before serving as the Federation Legislative Officer for 12 years. M.C. was a mentor, a coach, and the biggest supporter of NARFE’s grassroots advocacy. He understood the value of NARFE membership and was one of NARFE’s biggest supporters and laid the foundation for the GA Federation’s Legislative Program.
-
Kenneth Martin was a former Region III Vice President. In 1950, he began a 34-year military and civil service career. He spent 20 years in personnel management and administration. Ken joined NARFE in 1989; and during his time as a NARFE member he held a host of appointed and elected positions, including two years as GA Federation President and six years as Region III Vice President. Ken was ahead of his time in thinking because some of the ideas he presented to the National Executive Board (NEB) during his tenure as RVP are issues that NARFE is now getting around to addressing. He believed in strong leadership at all levels. He truly understood that members were NARFE’s most important asset and without members NARFE would cease to exist. He was a visionary, a mentor to others, and a great problem solver.
All Federation members may nominate a member or self-nominate themselves for consideration by the Member of the Year Committee for these awards. The committee will rank the nominees in the four categories (NARFE Positions Held; Activities and Contributions Made to the Chapter, the GA Federation, and/or NARFE; Activities and Contributions Made to the Community; and Additional Information Regarding Activities, Other Awards Specific to the Nomination).
In order to be considered for either the M.C. Stowe Chapter Member of the Year Award or the Kenneth C. Martin Executive Member of the Year Award, the nominee must not have received the specific award for which they are being nominated in the past six years.
The selectees will be announced at the Biennial Federation Conference/Annual Meeting and will receive a plaque/statue and a certificate. All members nominated for the awards will receive a certificate.