Three Gainesville residents were honored last week by the Boy Scouts of America Northeast Georgia council at their annual American Values Dinner.
The event, held at the Chattahoochee Country Club, honored Rob Fowler, CEO and partner of Turner, Wood and Smith Insurance; Bonita Jacobs, president of the University of North Georgia and Scott McGarity, a sales consultant with McGarity Business Products.
Former Gov. Nathan Deal delivered the keynote address, commenting head-on the recent decision by the Boy Scouts of America to declare bankruptcy in light of hundreds of lawsuits from men who say they were sexually abused as Scouts.
“No matter how noble your cause and regardless of the dignity of your creeds and the inspirations of your ceremonies, evil can still lurk in the hearts of some men,” Deal said.
The American Values Dinner is held each year to honor community leaders for their exceptional service.
Fowler, who joined Turner, Wood & Smith in 1996, has been active in many community organizations including the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, the North Georgia Community Foundation and Eagle Ranks. He currently serves as a trustee for Brenau University.
In 2006, he won the W.G Mealor Award, the highest honor given by the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce.
Jacobs, who has been UNG’s president since 2011, has been named to Georgia Trend’s list of the “100 Most Influential Georgians” and to the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s list of “Top Education Leaders in Atlanta.” She has won numerous awards for leadership in higher education and student success, and she is a frequent speaker of student success issues.
Under her leadership, UNG has grown to five campuses serving more than 20,000 students.
McGarity owned McGarity Business Products from 1995 to 2019, when he transitioned to the position of sales consultant. He has won numerous awards for his community service, including the Gainesville Kiwanis Club Youth Service Award, the chamber of commerce’s Family Business of the Year and the Pat Burd Community Award. He has served in leadership roles in a number of organizations, many of which served the needs of children.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2020/3/883888/boy-scouts-honor-local-resident-at-annual-dinner