C.J. Faulk of Honoraville has been named as the Crenshaw County Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year for 2008.

Faulk was surrounded by several members of his family Thursday evening at the Luverne Country Club while he was being honored.

Presenting the award to Faulk was Gary Owens, who has worked for Faulk in his construction company for the past 19 years; Owens talked about a man who is “always helping to make our community better.”

“All the time I’ve spent working with him, we’re not talking about the ball game or going fishing,” Owens said. “C.J. is talking about work and how to do it better.”

“When I first started working for him, he said, ‘Don’t call me ‘Mr.,’” Owens said. “He told me, ‘We may be working at a dangerous site, and if you have to warn me about something, you won’t have time to yell ‘Mr.’”

Owens spoke of a man who used all his resources available to help Highland Home School and its community, but who did not want any recognition for it.

“When I think of C.J., Matthew 6, verses 3-4 come to mind,” Owens said. “He wants his giving to be in secret—that’s just the way he operates.”

C.J. Faulk was presented the Chamber’s Citizen of the Year Award by Chamber President Martha Dickey.

“I feel very honored to receive this,” Faulk said, “but behind every successful man stands a woman, and I want to include my wife Betty.”

Faulk said that Crenshaw County was home for him and always would be.

He also gave an update on the F-16 that had been placed in the lower deck of the school’s parking lot last November.

“We’re going to put a bronze marker at the plane at Highland Home School to honor all the veterans because that’s who it’s for,” he said.

The guest speaker for the evening was Alva Lambert of “Good Morning, Montgomery.” Lambert entertained the group with his lively impressions of political figures of the past.

Also, Chamber President Martha Dickey recognized past Citizens of the Year who were present. Among those were Henry Guy Edwards (1989), James Hollis, Jr. (1997), Mike Jones (2005), Probate Judge Jim Perdue (2007), and Edward L. Turner III, who was representing his father, the late E. L. Turner, Jr. (1988).