Chuck Borders is named 2007 Citizen of the Year
BY MARY HENKEL JUDSON SOUTH JETTY EDITOR

Citizen of the Year CHUCK BORDERS

Anyone who has been involved in Boy Scouting in Port Aransas knows Chuck Borders.

Anyone who has been involved in Little League in Port Aransas knows Chuck Borders.

Anyone who has been involved in soccer in Port Aransas knows Chuck Borders.

Let's keep it simple. Repeat the above sentences and fill in the blank with just about anything that affects Port Aransas for the area of involvement. The sentence still will end with "knows Chuck Borders".

That is why Chuck Borders has been chosen the 2007 Citizen of the Year.

Borders will be honored during the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce "Party in Port A" that was previously known as the "chamber banquet".

In the past, the identity of the Citizen of the Year has been kept a secret. This year, the chamber board decided to announce the recipient in advance. So, Borders is learning that he has been selected as the 2007 Citizen of the Year along with the rest of the readers of the South Jetty.

The award recognizes individuals for past and current service in several aspects of the community. The public is asked to submit nominees who have a record of giving back to the community in volunteer time without expectation of personal or professional gain. The number of nominations a single individual receives has no bearing on his or her selection as Citizen of the Year.

Borders' involvement in the community is almost without boundaries, "all thankless jobs that Chuck has performed with no expectation of personal reward," according to the nomination.

In addition to other areas of public service, Borders has been Scoutmaster for Troop 29 for the past six or seven years.

"Port Aransas already had a very active Scouting program when he took over, and Chuck has taken the program to new heights," the nomination letter read.

"The troop has taken more high adventure trips, such as sailing in the Florida Keys, camping in Colorado and canoeing in Arkansas, not to mention Scout camps in the Davis Mountains," the nomination letter continued.

Another area of service has been the Rotary Club where Borders has held every office in the club, and has twice served as club president, "which is far and above the call of duty".

One of the nomination letters read, "Chuck loves this community and has worked tirelessly to improve it by providing the much-needed leadership that all communities need to move forward. We all would agree that Port Aransas has been moving forward, and Chuck Borders is one of the main reasons why it has. I am sure I have left out many other areas of service where Chuck has stepped up to the plate, probably because he is always there to do what needs to be done, and we take it for granted."

Borders' community service began when he was a Little League manager and commissioner. He was a league manager for two four-year terms. He was instrumental in the organization of the Port Aransas Youth Soccer League and served as a coach and commissioner.

He has been an assistant den master for Boy Scouts, as well as Scoutmaster on six high adventure trips and led nine Eagle Scouts to attain their rank. He was Whooping Crane District chairman and the recipient of the coveted Silver Beaver Award.

A two-time president of the Port Aransas Rotary Club, he was named Rotarian of the Year and is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Borders also served on the Port Aransas School District Board of Trustees and was vice president for 2006-07.

He was elected to the Port Aransas city council from 1987 to 1994 and served as mayor pro-tem from 1990 to 1994. He was again elected to the city council from 1998 to 2000 and was mayor pro-tem from 1999-2000.

Borders was a member and chairman of the planning and zoning commission from 1994 to 1998, and was chairman from 2001 to 2003.

He served as a member and chairman of the city's parks board from 1994 to 1998, and a member from 2000 to 2003.

Borders was appointed to the city's charter review commission in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006. He was a member of the Port Aransas Action Force that, among other improvements, brought Roberts Point Park to reality with a matching funds grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

From 1990 to 1992 when Port Aransas sought to annex land the city had given up to the City of Corpus Christi, Borders successfully led the team effort to return a portion of that land to the city limits of Port Aransas.

As a Rotarian, Borders was the Port Aransas High School Interact Club representative.

He also worked with Project Graduation for two years, was a band trip sponsor and an advisor to the Port Aransas High School Island Robotics team.

Borders joins a distinguished list of past recipients of the Citizen of the Year, including Dale Bietendorf, the late Lillian Graham, Mark Creighton, Una Farley, the late J.C. and Wanda Barr, Georgia Neblett, Mike Hall, the late Barbara Sheppard, John Thompson, the city's first responders in 2001, George Horner, Pam Greene, Betty Crawford, Charlie and Linda Zahn and Richard Safford.

His nomination was among 13 received this year.

To honor Borders, the chamber will host an "island casual" party amid decorations that will recall Port Aransas of yesteryear and contrast it with Port Aransas now, welcoming long-time residents to mingle with the city's newer inhabitants.

Tickets will sell for $25 a person, down from $50 last year, and tables of eight will sell for $250, down from $500 last year.Contact the chamber at 749-5919 to reserve tickets.

After a dinner of hamburgers, hot dogs and boiled shrimp, Borders will be honored. Then, the party begins. Music will be by Flashback, a dance band that plays music from the 1950s to today.