The Tifton Gazette offers a round of applause to the following individuals, groups and organizations in our community.

Chamber of Commerce award winners

The annual Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce banquet honored business and community leaders.

Bill Richardson, who recently retired as president and CEO of Tift Regional Health System, was named to the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce Wall of Fame.

Former State Court Judge and State Senator John Crosby received the Stafford Award.

Melinda Moore who was named the Prince Business Woman of the Year.

Danny Griffin received the John Hunt Entrepreneur of the Year.

Jody Benson was the winner of the J. Lamar Branch Award.

Austin McAlpin received the Rotary Club of Tifton Ethics in Business Award.

Allison Powell was named the Ambassador of the Year.

Our thanks to all of them for what they do for our community.

Eunice Mixon

Tifton’s own Eunice Mixon was honored Thursday at the state Capitol as this year’s Distinguished Older Georgian.

A life-long resident of Tift County, Miss Eunice was born to Robert and Carrie Lastinger and later married Albert Mixon. Together the couple started a farm where Miss Eunice was the top hand, cultivating the soil and feeding the farm workers.

Mixon’s first official foray into state politics came in 1974 when she became Tift County campaign chair for soon-to-be-Governor George Busbee.

Speaking at the event, Mixon said her parents taught her one important lesson that has guided her life in politics – that intelligent, well-meaning, loving people can disagree. A person is not “evil” just because they view things differently.

We congratulate Mixon on her well-deserved honor.

Swim Devils

After years of coming close, the Swim Devils made it past the preliminaries and into the finals at the recent state swim meet at Georgia Tech.

It was the first time Tift had done so during head coach Ivey Vickers’ tenure.

In total, 11 Tift County swimmer made it to finals.

Vickers is looking for bigger and better things in 2019. Of those 11, only two are seniors.

Which sets them up to swim even further next year.

Tift County basketball teams

The Tift County Blue Devils took their sixth Region 1 championship in a row Friday night.

Tift topped Colquitt County, 58-44.

And after entering this week’s tournament as the underdog fourth seed, the Lady Devils team defeated Camden and Colquitt counties.

Friday night, they were stopped by Lowndes, but that doesn’t mitigate their accomplishment.

We congratulate them and look forward to their next year.

Blue Devils signing players

At Tift County High Wednesday afternoon, National Signing Day was a major affair with eight Blue Devils getting on stage at the Performing Arts Center to make their commitments.

Omar Fulton, Rashod Bateman, Ches Jackson, Cam Cobb, Otis Jackson, Fernando Ramirez, Griffin Collier and Andrew Johnson were the Blue Devils of honor, choosing six college programs between them.

Collier and Fulton signed with the University of West Georgia, with Ramirez and Otis Jackson picking Lincoln University of Missouri. Cobb announced he was going to Lake Erie College (Ohio).

Three Tift players are going to major Division I programs.

Bateman, who inked during December’s early signing program, is going to the University of Minnesota. Johnson honored his longtime verbal commitment to Oregon. Ches Jackson, who had been attached to Appalachian State (N.C.) heading into his senior season, announced he would be playing for Colorado State.

We congratulate them all, as well as their families, coaches and teachers.