J. DOUGLAS WEBB RECEIVES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

J. Douglas Webb has been selected as the 2005 recipient of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns Lifetime Achievement Award. The Award was presented at the Annual Banquet of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns Town Fair last Wednesday, September 14th at the Killington Grand Hotel.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was initiated in 1976 and usually recognizes a member of the Vermont General Assembly who, through his or her service, has best shown an awareness of the problems facing local government and has sought to help solve those problems in the Legislature on a statewide basis. Only once before have they broken tradition and presented the award to a member of Congressional delegation.

The Town Fair Program Guide listing Mr. Webb’s Lifetime Achievement Award read as follows:

“Fairfax resident J. Douglas Webb is recipient of the VLCT Lifetime Achievement Award for 2005. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to honor a municipal official or employee who has dedicated his or her career to serving Vermont local government or the League of Cities and Towns. Clearly, Mr. Webb has done that by giving countless hours of service to the Town of Fairfax. His efforts have been tireless and continuous.

Volunteerism is the backbone of local government in Vermont. Without it, cities and towns would barely function. Mr. Webb is one of those people who has reliably served his town for decades, and for whom public service is a family matter (his wife served as a town clerk). He served on the select board for 38 years. Additionally he served as Town Service Officer and Health Officer for 22 years and as Justice of the Peace for five years. Mr. Webb joins us today and VLCT welcomes him!

Mr. Webb met his wife, the late Nellie Webb, in 1946 when she was Town Clerk in Fairfield and he came in to record a partial deed on the family farm. His parents came to this country from England and chose Fairfax, Vermont as their home. Mr. Webb was raised on their 800-acre dairy farm. Together, he and his wife took over and ran the farm, which included a considerable sugaring operation. They raised three children, and donated time not only to town government, but also to organizations such as the Vermont Maple Festival, where Mr. Webb still serves as a trustee, and the Franklin County Field Days. He continues to run the farm today with his children. Please join us in congratulating Mr. Webb for an impressive lifetime of achievement.”