The Harlan County Chamber of Commerce has announced the 2006 recipients to be honored at its annual awards banquet on Nov. 9.

Numerous nominees were submitted by individuals in the community for awards in the various categories.

James T. Morgan, of Harlan, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Morgan serves as president of WHLN Radio and has worked at the station for 60 years. The station had only been up and running for five years before Morgan began working there. At 81, Morgan is currently the oldest active broadcaster in Kentucky.

Under Morgan's leadership, the station won the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award in 1977 for news coverage of the devastating flood that swept through Harlan County. The Associated Press has honored the station repeatedly over the years for its coverage of numerous disasters, both manmade and natural. In particular, the coverage of the devastating floods in 1963 and 1977 drew national attention.

Another devastating event, which drew national attention to WHLN, was the Brookside sludge pond break. The failure of the sludge pond sent the deadly sludge upon the unsuspecting, sleeping community of Ages.

Jeff Philips, who nominated Morgan, said, “I'll always remember arriving there to help on the Red Cross truck with my dad and seeing Mr. Morgan already there with his recorder conducting interviews standing in the sludge just before daybreak.”

For that coverage, the station received the first Associated Press Bluegrass Citation in Cooperative News on Feb. 8, 1982.

Morgan has been nominated for various awards, including the prestigious Marconi Award, for radio excellence. The Marconi Awards are presented annually by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to the top commercial radio stations and on-air personalities in the United States. The awards are named in honor of Guglielmo Marconi, the man generally credited as the “Father of Radio.”

In addition, Morgan was honored by the Region IV office of the Environmental and Protection Agency for early work to establish solid waste programs in eastern Kentucky. Morgan and WHLN received the East Kentucky Leadership Award in 2000. Morgan also received the 2003 Kentucky Broadcasters Kentucky MIKE Award for outstanding personal contribution to the broadcast industry and the community he served.

Morgan is married to Dorothy Owens Morgan. They have two children: Lynne Morgan Milam and James O. Morgan, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Among Morgan's personal accomplishments (past and present): active elder at Harlan Christian Church; first full-term president of the Harlan County Jaycees; past president of the Harlan Kiwanis Club; 32nd degree Mason; charter member, past president and former chairman of the board of directors of the Laurels Inc.; served on the board of directors of Harlan Community Television for the past four decades and currently serves as president; and was a past vice-president of the Harlan County Chamber of Commerce.

n The chamber will also honor this year's recipient of the Harlan Countian of the Year Award. This year, the honor is bestowed upon Raymond Cox, of Wallins.

Cox is currently serving Harlan County as the 4-H youth development agent for the county extension service, pursuing this avenue after serving 27 years as an educator and basketball coach.

In his current capacity with the extension office, Cox has taken his love for students throughout the county, including schools in both the independent and county districts.

Cox is commended for his tireless efforts to teach students and encourage them to compete in local, area and state competitions.

A native of London, Cox met and married a Harlan County girl in college and moved to Wallins, her hometown, following graduation.

Cox has served the community in other positions including: chairman for the Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital Advisory Committee, as well as a position on the committee; Harlan County Retired Teachers Association; secretary of the Black Mountain Utilities Water Board; KHSAA lifetime member; Vision 2000 member; Harlan Chamber of Commerce board of directors; Operation UNITE Board of Directors/Harlan County; chairman of the Harlan County Education Committee; former fitness instructor for Healthy Harlan Project; member of Harlan Countians for a Healthy Community; president of Harlan Lions Club; chairman of Harlan County adult education and family; graduate of state police citizens academy; cast member of Higher Ground; and a trustee of the Wallins Baptist Church.

Cox resides in Wallins with his wife, Donna, of 37 years. They have three children: Todd, Travis and Tonya; and eight grandchildren.

All awards to be presented at the annual banquet have been announced with the exception of the President's Award. That individual award is being withheld until the banquet.

Award recipients are as follows:

Business of the Year - Don's Super Saver; Health Care Provider - Fazal Ahmad, M.D.; Public Service Provider - Harlan County Committee on Aging; Educator Award - Vickie Ball (Harlan High School).

Special awards to be given to the following:

Project Leadership Award - Adele Cornett (chairman of Harlan County Pageant); Area Development Award - Olympic Homes for their Catrons Creek project; Special Achievement Award - Gladys Hoskins (executive secretary for the Chamber of Commerce for project involvement, including the Poke Sallet Festival and Christmas parade); Special Services Award - Harlan Honor Guard; Student Artistic Development Award - Marilyn Schraeder and David Davies (Harlan Boys Choir and Harlan Musettes); Special Arts & Culture Award - Higher Ground (Robert Gipe); Harlan County Adventure Tourism Award - Ridge Runners (Preston McLain) and Mountain Crawlers (Ken Crider); a second award will be given to the Ridge Runners for their Guinness world record of most ATVs in a parade; Community Quality of Life Award - Celebrate Recovery (both the Harlan and Cumberland locations); Education/ Economy Award - Dr. Bruce Ayers, SKCTC for his outstanding service to the field of education in addition to his tireless efforts for Portal 31; Community Service Award - the Harlan Daily Enterprise; 20th anniversary business award - WYMT for 20 years of broadcasting; Traditional Mountain Music & Cultural Award - Rotary Club.

The awards banquet will be held in the Harlan Center. Social hour will be from 6 to 7 p.m. with entertainment provided by the “Above Average Garage Band.”

The special guest speaker for the evening will be C.M. Newton.

Tickets may be obtained by calling 573-1681 or 573-4510.