Pam Cash was honored as one of the 2010 James R. Stevens award winners Aug. 21. She was instrumental in the formation of "Friends of Historic Garner," whose mission was to preserve Historic Garner. She provided a vision of our community that still is unfolding.

She helped organize the annual Pig Cook-off to bring people to downtown and devoted hours to helping renovate the town’s old train depot, a vital link to our past.

Part of her legacy lives on as the Garner Revitalization Association.

Jill Cottengim also received the James R. Stevens award. She is the heart of Garner’s Relay for Life, an annual fund-raising event for the American Cancer Society. She has been chair or co-chair or the event since it started 13 years ago. The weekend has moved from being an annual event to becoming a part of our culture.

Cottengim was a cheerleader for the Garner Trojans in 1987. She still cheers for her students at Garner High today, where she motivates, enables, instructs and inspires her students in the classroom and with the Asheboro Leadership program.

The Service to Garner Award is named in honor of James R. Stevens, a life-long resident of Garner, who served his hometown in innumerable ways during a lifetime of service to the community.

He may be best known for having served on the Garner Town Board from 1964 through 1988, but that service was only a fraction of what he did for his town.