Long-time Fayette County community members, Jack and Carolyn DeWeese, were chosen as two of the inductees for the 2019 Central Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame.
The 2019 inductees will be honored and recognized at the 44th-annual Central Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame Recognition Ceremony. It will be a public event held tomorrow, May 15, at the Martin Janis Center, 600 E. 11th Ave. in Columbus.
At 12:10 p.m. there will be a performance by The Soriano Duo. At 1 p.m., Colleen Marshall of NBC 4 will be the host of the induction ceremony. Following will be a catered reception.
According to the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging, “The Hall of Fame honors Central Ohio older adults who share their dedication, talent and vitality in ways that significantly improve their communities and the lives of others. The Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging hosts the event each May during Older Americans Month, which celebrates the contributions of senior citizens.”
The DeWeeses have lived their entire lives in Fayette County, and graduated from Jeffersonville High School. Jack graduated in 1959 while Carolyn graduated in 1960. Both are part of their high school Hall of Fame.
Jack served as a Union Township trustee for 19.5 years and as a Fayette County Commissioner for 18 years. He also serves on the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission and most recently as chairman of the commission.
Jack has been a part of the Fayette County Travel and Tourism Board, the county Health Department Advisory Committee, vice chairman of the South Central Ohio Juvenile Detention Center Board, chairman of the Solid Waste Committee, member of the Community Action Commission and Community Improvement Corporation Boards and a 15-year member of District 15 Ohio Public Works Commission.
He is retired from the Ohio Department of Transportation. He is a 50-plus year member of the Fayette #107 Masonic Lodge and a member of the Good Hope Lions Club.
Carolyn is a retired teacher who worked 31 years in the Miami Trace Local School District. During her teaching career, Carolyn was named to the State of Ohio Phonics Task Force and was named to the Ohio Teacher Leader Network.
In 2003, Carolyn was chosen as Ohio’s Favorite Teacher by the Ohio Federation of Republican Women and was a runner-up in the national competition.
Carolyn served 12 years as board member and vice president of Ohio’s Hospice of Fayette County, served several terms on the board of the Fayette County Historical Society and was a member of the Washington Court House branch of the American Association of University Women.
She is a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and Fayette County Retired Teachers.
The couple begins each morning at 6 a.m. with breakfast and a trip to the local YMCA for a 40-minute workout of weightlifting and/or walking. Most days they are busy with charitable or volunteer work involving their community organizations and church, including supporting the local food pantry with donations or Jack helping to unload their deliveries.
They have delivered food for the local Commission on Aging Meals-On-Wheels program during snow emergencies. They prepare food for those in need and send cards for get well wishes, sympathy or special occasions. Jack sometimes mows lawns for those in need.
The couple has served as co-grand marshals in the Washington Court House Christmas Parade—with Carolyn in 2003 and Jack in 2018. Both are active members of Sugar Creek Baptist Church. Carolyn has attended this church for 77 years and now serves as a deacon.
Jack and Carolyn maintain their small farm as a nature preserve with wetlands and prairie grasses providing a habitat for birds and wild animals.
They provide nest boxes for a bluebird trail and wood ducks. They enjoy feeding birds and watching migrant ducks and waterfowl. They also participate annually in the Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count in Fayette County.
