VOTE for Citizen of the Year ! Use this link to vote: https://form.jotform.com/251667763016057
Remember, you may only vote once. You must also have a 868 prefix, be in the MS school district, or have a MS address.
Previous Citizens of the Year
(1975) Dorthea Moore, (1976) Marjorie McClure, (1977) Bill McElhinney, (1978) Cleora McClukin & LeRoy Pierce, (1979) Charles Beck, (1980) Don & Esther Callahan, (1981) Harold & Francis Thomas, (1982) Verne & Nellie Wilson, (1983) Eva May Corey, (1984) George & Mary Ellen Griffith, (1985) John & Millie Caldwell, Jack & Jan Hamilton, (1986) Raymond & Jacine Edwards, (1987) Robert K. Nichols, Sr., (1988) Harold & Nancy McElhinney, (1989) Marguerite Edwards, (1990) Dean & Sue Anderson, (1991) Ernest & Harriet McElhinney, (1992) Dick & Barb Sands, (1993) Joan Delzell, (1994) Verla Blair, (1995) Irene Krieger, (1996) E.K. (Jeep) Hamilton, (1997) Kyle Wilson, (1998) Robert Evans, (1999) Marjorie Carr, (2000) Archie Wolfe, (2001) Doris Harris, (2002) Virginia Wymore, (2003) Howard Hobbs, (2004) Flossie Hamilton, (2005) Lillian Sellers, (2006) Doug & Ann Lee, (2007) Alan Giese, (2008) Geneva Samuels, (2009) Kent & Kirk Delzell, (2010) Dr. Raymond Dill, (2011) Philip Delzell, (2012) Beverly Karagin, (2013) Connie Malone, (2014) Tammy Nelson, (2015) Tom & Sue Bryant, (2016) Fran & Dick McElhinney, (2017) Beth Shenpolk, (2018) Virginia Johnson, (2019) MSFD, (2020) No celebration due to Covid, (2021) Keith & Deb McElhinney, (2022) Bob Buckman, (2023) Gerri Wolfe, (2024) Dana Royer
Jim
Harbison
Bill (Scrappy)
Rice
Kelse
Truitt
I would like to nominate Jim Harbison for 2025 Citizen of the Year. Jim has been very active in the youth sports programs in Morning Sun throughout his adult life He has acted as a coach and an organizer. He has been especially
active in the Morning Sun Tiger Wrestling Tournament and the Morning Sun Beginners Tournament keeping the wrestling legacy of Morning Sun alive.
During the Fourth of July celebration, Jim volunteers his time to organize the toilet bowl races, and also to announce various activities uptown Jim is definitely a very dedicated community volunteer.
Please consider voting for Jim as Morning Sun’s 2025 Citizen of the Year;
Beth Shenpolk
This year, I would like to nominate Bill (Scrappy) Rice. People that get nominated are people who love our community and help in any way they can to make our town a better place to love and grow our families.
Bill moved to Morning Sun in the early 70s where he raised 3 children and 2 step children. Bill retired from J.I. Case after 30 years but upon retiring he was very active in Morning Sun’s Youth League for 10 years. He had some of the best baseball teams in the area and many of those teams won league titles. Some of those young people from his leagues went on to play at college levels. He taught the kids the fundamentals of the game and also encouraged them to work hard and go the extra mile to achieve success. He was always a fair coach and was always there to help any child who might have been struggling to have confidence in themselves. One thing that stands out to me is that he made sure every team had uniforms to wear proudly and always made sure each child had the equipment they needed.
While coaching, he was the man that made sure the dirt fields were in great shape, every day to make sure our playing fields were the best around, that’s how much pride he gave to the game of baseball and the confidence in his
teams.
He also helped on many slow pitch tournaments over the years that helped raise money to help different organizations.
Bill also served a term on the city council with pride and a good mindset for our community.
When folks in our town mention Bill’s name it’s associated with the mowing of our city hall lawn, the adjacent church lawn, and the fire station lawn. He’s the guy that used to keep our school yard and Elmwood Cemetery looking very immaculate.
He spent countless hours weed eating, mowing, and getting everything in its place for Memorial Day and especially for the 4th of July which is one of our
community's biggest events.
As the years have gone by Bill has had to slow down some, but he still keeps uptown mowed and beautiful. This man cares about our town and is always making sure it continues to stay that way.
I sincerely hope the rest of our community sees the importance that one man can make by just caring for the place we proudly call home.
Bill always has a smile and it’s not beyond him to stop to see if anyone needs help in any way.
This is what a citizen of the year means to me and my family. I hope you feel this way also. He’s very deserving of this honor. So when you vote this year, take a long look around how things here are neat and tidy and give thanks to the man who does this.
This is how LEGENDS are made. Having the heart of caring.
Happy 4th of July Morning Sun!
Pam Kerr and Family
I feel Kelse Truitt is a wonderful example of Morning Sun’s 2025 Citizen of the Year. When Hometown Pride took over a lot of the responsibilities that the Lion/Lioness’ Club had done, Kelse stepped up! She is a mainstay in the kitchen preparing meals for BINGO, the Holiday Stroll, and concession stands. She has written numerous grants that have helped with funding of activities in Morning Sun for instance, the sidewalks along Division Street and improvements at Locust Grove Park, and has spearheading the drive for the splash pad.
During the summer months, you will also find her at the community garden, helping with the planting, watering, or harvesting the fruits of the garden, so that other people can stop and enjoy the many vegetables and fruits on the stand.
A person who definitely deserves the title of Morning Sun’s 2025 Citizen of the Year is Kelse Truitt.
Sue Anderson