Special To The Enterprise

The Harlan County Chamber of Commerce will be honoring the contributions of various individuals, businesses and organizations during an awards banquet on Nov. 18.

The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Harlan County Coal Operator Duane Bennett. Cawood Ledford Boys and Girls Club director Tony Saragas will be honored as Harlan Countian of the Year, while Dr. Yung Poe Lee will be recognized as the Health Care Provider of the Year.

Harlan County Schools Superintendent Timothy W. Saylor has been selected as the Educator of the Year. The Harlan County Soil Conservation Service is the Public Service Provider of the Year.

Various businesses will be honored as well, including the 2004 and 2005 business of the year, It Figures for Her and Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital, respectively.

Bennett has been chosen to receive the Chamber's Lifetime Achievement Award. A longtime coal company owner and operator, Bennett has has provided jobs for thousands of Harlan Countians through the years..

He is credited with greatly boosting tourism efforts in the county with the generous lease of land for the Black Mountain Recreational ATV Park. He also donated the facility housing the Clover Fork Museum at Highsplint.

Bill Caylor, president of the Kentucky Coal Association, said, "Duane Bennett was one of the bedrock members of the Harlan County Coal Association, the oldest coal association in America. When this association closed its doors, Duane Bennett brought his company into the Kentucky Coal Association. For the last 10 years, Bennett served on the KCA board of directors and currently serves on its executive committee, our governing body."

Caylor said Bennett is "an example of those coal operators who value tradition and are truly independent. There are very few independent coal operators remaining in Kentucky's coal industry. His mining style, shrewd economic insight, loyalty and compassion for Harlan make Duane a rare example of what coal operators should be. The Kentucky Coal Association is proud to have an opportunity to congratulate Mr. Bennett for this Lifetime Achievement Ward. He certainly is a most deserving recipient."

Saragas was chosen as the Harlan Countian of the Year. His dedication to Harlan County started several years ago. Among his many accomplishments was organizing and directing the Cawood Ledford Boys and Girls Club. Since its inception in 2001, the club has served many Harlan County youth.

He recently received a national honor as the 2004 Cal Ripken Youth Coach of the Year.

He is involved in many more activities too numerous to list.

Dr. Yung Poe Lee is the Health Professional of the Year. He has spent the last 29 years serving his patients in Harlan and surrounding counties. In addition to many awards of recognition, Lee is chairman of the physicians credentialing committee, a member of the medical executive committee and chief of the OB/GYN Department at the Daniel Boone Clinic.

In 2002, Lee was recognized as one of "America's Top Obstetricians and Gynecologists" by the Consumers' Research Council of America, an independent research company based in Washington, D.C., that evaluates professional services throughout the country. Lee has been a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) since June 1979. He is one of the few in the region to maintain his status as a member in good standing through successful completion of the college's continuing medical education program. He has received the "Physicians Recognition Award" from the American Medical Association and the ACOG.

Timothy W. Saylor is the Educator of the Year. He is superintendent of Harlan County schools. In addition to his many responsibilities as superintendent, he sees the community and school district as a vital partnership in providing a better future for Harlan County's youth.

Under Saylor's leadership, the district has implemented numerous award-winning initiatives, such as the PRIDE Program, World War II veterans graduation ceremony, parent involvement workshops and events at each school.

Under his leadership, the district has improved in test scores, facilities and other areas. His goal, as an educator, is for all students to receive a quality education in a safe, clean environment. He believes in high expectations for our students. He is dedicated to the challenges educators face when students and parents fail to understand or value the importance of education. He knows that low graduation rates, high dropout rates and poor attendance all combine to reflect negatively in economic development recruitment efforts. Under his leadership, the Harlan County Public Schools are making great strides in improvement in these areas.

The Harlan County Soil Conservation District is the Public Service Provider of the Year. The Soil Conservation District has been serving Harlan County since 1952. Some of the accomplishments and grant requests include funding environmental education field trips for area students to the Pine Mountain Settlement School and Kentucky Coal Mining Museum in Benham, grants to rid Harlan County of pollution in our streams, sewage treatment plants, working with the PRIDE Program, seeding and planting throughout the county, including the Boy Scout Camp, walking trails and Cub Scout packs.

The conservation district is also involved in several scholarship programs. The organization's dedication to the environment of Harlan County is continually expanding.

Businesses of the Year to be honored are It Figures for Her for 2004 and Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital for 2005.

It Figures for Her was established in October 2003, giving the women of Harlan County a private place to work on their health and wellness. In a short 30-minute workout routine, you have the opportunity to tone muscles as well as lose weight from day one.

The business grew to over 200 members quickly. The business is owned and operated by Patricia Nadim.

Harlan ARH Hospital is the 2005 Business of the Year. The hospital is the primary provider of acute medical services for the residents of Harlan County. Licensed for 150 beds and boasting a staff of over 40 physicians, Harlan ARH has grown in size and services in recent years thanks to a $14 million renovation that nearly doubled the size of the facilities first floor and improved patient services for surgery and emergency care, as well as in the medical imaging and laboratory departments. Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Inc., the hospital's parent company, is the largest private employer in the county, with a full-time hospital staff of over 450. Add to that nearly 200 more employees in related operations like the ARH Daniel Boone Clinic, Tri-City Medical Center at Cumberland, the Home Services Agency and Home Care Store, ARH is second only to the county school system in total local employment.

Among a host of businesses to be honored are Bell South and Johnson Funeral Home, both with more than 75 years of service to Harlan County.

There will be 43 businesses honored for 50 years of service and 79 businesses honored for 25 years of service.

Tickets for the banquet are on sale now for $25 and should be purchased by Nov. 10. For more information on reserving tickets, call Pat Lay at 573-4510 or Kathy Jones at 573-1681.

A social hour and silent auction will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dinner will be at 7 p.m., followed by the awards presentation and featured speaker Rodger Bingham, better known as "Kentucky Joe" from the TV show "Survivor."