Mill Race Center is inviting individuals and organizations in the community to submit nominees for the Joan Pearcy Senior Citizen of the Year Award.   The purposes of the award, given annually since 1957, are:

• To recognize an outstanding senior citizen for his or her service to the community;
• To encourage continued achievement and service from the senior community; and
• To reinforce with the public the contributions that senior citizens make to community life.

The following qualifications will be considered for the selection process:

• The nominee is a living person, 65 years of age or older
• A resident of Bartholomew County for at least the past twelve months
• Actively contributed as a volunteer and has a history of volunteerism
• Innovative and devoted to making a difference in our community
• Does not need to be widely recognized in the community
• The nominee may be a person or a couple

The Senior Citizen of the Year Award was named after Joan Pearcy in 2011, an individual who never looked for or needed public recognition, and frequently worked behind the scenes.  Joan’s involvement in the development and support for many programs of Mill Race Center demonstrates the commitment of those who may become recipients of this award.

Past recipients include:

John Prout, Carrie Ong,  Elsie Sweeney, Mary Arbuckle, Luther Lockwood, Laura Long, J. Ray Ross, Ernest Drebert, Aneta Vogler, Fred Suhre, Mildred Murray, William Ross, Georgia Williams, Dorothy Poulton, Scott Doup, Lenore McDougal,  W. Carr Lentz, Marshall Vogler, A.V. Keesling, Waldo Harrison, Donald Arthur, Evelyn Seward, Dr. Dorothy Teal, Lucy Shireman, Sarah B. Hunt, Olive Murphy, Orphie Bridges, Effie Miller, Martha Graham, Blanche Hutton, Ben Sproat, Sister Evangela Brenner, Maynard Noll, Tom Harrison, Margaret Whittington, Bernice Groves, Charles Hite, Richard and Clara Clancy, Marion Bignall, “Jiggs” Thompson, Adrian Minnick, Dorothy Tiemeyer, Charlie Harris, Mary Evelyn Guinn, Don Harden, Rovene Quigley, Norma Jean Burns, Tom Pickett, Eileen Yost, Lynn Bigley, Carolyn Lickerman, Chuck VanNatta, Kay Shanks, Bob Calderone,  Ted Unrue, Wilna Braun, Peggy Wampler, Donna Browne, Donna Richardson, and Carl Gasner.

Nomination forms may be picked up at Mill Race Center, 900 Lindsey Street or downloaded here. Nomination can be mailed to Mill Race Center at:

Senior Citizen of the Year Award Review Panel
Mill Race Center
900 Lindsey Street
Columbus, IN 47201

Deadline to submit your nomination is no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, September 29, 2023.

The selection is recommended by a subcommittee appointed by the Board of Directors.  The Senior Citizen of the Year Award recipient will be asked to provide a photographic portrait for publicity purposes.  Selected nominations are kept for consideration for future awards.