September 11 2020
Blowing Rock Homeowners,
At the Annual Meeting of the Blowing Rock Civic Association, we announced the first recipient of The Paul H. Broyhill Community Service Award at its annual meeting September 10th—their first annual meeting on Zoom due to concerns over in-person gatherings with the Covid-19 virus.
In the meeting, BRCA member David T. Goodson was honored with the award for his help in correcting issues he saw with the just completed Valley Boulevard project, US 321 passing through Blowing Rock.
David Goodson owns Goodson and Associates, a Wake Forest NC business dealing with horticulture for a wide range of clients.
Goodson, just at the end of the 2019 annual meeting of the BRCA, took Town Manager Shane Fox aside to tell of his concerns over the foliage along the roadway, noting trees and shrubbery that seemed to be in distress, according to BRCA Chairman, George Wilcox. Fox told the gathering, “David and I took several half-day field trips, examining, categorizing trees and shrubs along Valley Boulevard.” He said, “After a full review by Mr. Goodson, we looked at what had been proposed and agreed upon, leading to several meetings with the contractors and in-house staff. We looked at several hundred trees and several thousand shrubs, and this led to the replacement of hundreds of trees and more shrubs than I can imagine during that process.”
“The result,” he said, “is what you see today. We have a beautiful US 321 coming into Blowing Rock, and it’s a wonderful asset to the town as some 8000 cars per day pass through on 321.” Fox concluded saying, “From the Town of Blowing Rock, we’re very appreciative of David and what he’s done for the town.”
Chairman George Wilcox said that the award was recently established to recognize outstanding work by a citizen to enhance the life in the community of Blowing Rock, N.C., and will be a feature of the Annual Membership Meeting of the Blowing Rock Civic Association.
Wilcox said the award is named for “One of the greatest supporters of Blowing Rock and the High Country, Paul H. Broyhill.” He said, “Paul Broyhill is recognized as a legendary furniture industry executive and national business leader, named to the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame in 2004. The Broyhill family has a long history supporting the northwest corner of North Carolina, their generosity to Blowing Rock exemplified in many ways, including the beautiful Broyhill Park in downtown Blowing Rock. “
Wilcox recounted that “The Broyhill family’s exceptional philanthropy has extended to the Blowing Rock Park, the Blowing Rock Charity Horseshow—property the family sold for community use for $1.” Other gifts include the Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, Appalachian State University, the Blowing Rock First Baptist Church, and gifts to many other organizations and individuals in the High Country.
Wilcox concluded, “This selfless dedication to the benefit of our great community and its fine people is a priceless quality that is recognized in presentation of the Paul H. Broyhill Community Service Award.”
You can watch the award ceremony for David Goodson at Town Hall with George Wilcox and Town Manager, Shane Fox. See YouTube link below.