Richard (Dick) Borys moved to the Vollintine Evergreen community in 1975 and served on various committees in the early years of the organization. Despite dying young at the age of 44, Dick’s life was a great example of public service. Dick came to Memphis as a VISTA volunteer. He helped design and start the Memphis City and Shelby County Pre-Trial Release Program. In 1976 he was awarded the outstanding service award from the Memphis and Shelby County Bar Association for his contributions to the Criminal Justice System. At the time of his death Dick was a vice president at the Regional Medical Center (“The Med”).

Dick was active with his children in soccer, coaching up to three teams at a time. He was a member of St. Therese Little Flower Church, and served the community in his work, in the neighborhood, at church, and through his children, Mary Claire, Alex, and Pete. Dick’s wife Julie M. Borys still resides in Vollintine Evergreen and has served as VECA president, on the VECA CDC Board of Directors, and as an active volunteer over the years.

The Richard S. Borys Award was created to recognize public officials who through their work contribute to the Vollintine Evergreen community. The awardee need not be a Vollintine Evergreen resident or a VECA member.

Borys Award Recipients

1991 Steve Shular
1992 Vernua Hanrahan
1995 Janis Foster
1996 William Stemmler
1997 Charles Cook
1998 Barbara Swearengen Holt
1999 Carol Chumney
2000 Wayne Risher
2001 Charles Granderson
2002 Don Campbell
2003 Rickey Peete
2004 Will Keeler
2004 Rob Keeler
2005 Twarla Guest
2007 Richard Beckwith
2009 Joe Brown
2009 Jim Strickland
2010 Lieutenant Steven Ware
2012 Janet Boscarino
2014 Emily Trenholm
2015 Ritchie Smith
2016 Bobby Allen
2017 Eldra White and Cyndy Grivich Tucker
2018 Kemp Conrad
2018 Andy Kitsinger
2019 Steve Shular
2020 Connie Shepherd
2022 Roderick Nelson
2023 Michalyn Easter-Thomas
2024 Yolanda Cooper-Sutton
2025 Mary Claire Borys
2025 Dr. Jeff Warren

Mary Wilder grew up in Michigan and moved to Memphis in 1974 as a VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). Mary graduated from Western Michigan with a major in education and a minor in social work and history. At VECA, Mary has been involved in an array of projects and committees. She has served as editor of the VE News and she acted as volunteer manager on the project to survey neighborhood homes for historic status leading to VECA receiving the National Register of Historic Preservation designation. Mary has served as president of VECA and in 1993 she received the Ditchtel Award. She also received the Center for Neighborhoods Neighborhood Leader of the Year in 1996. Mary led the project to have VECA rezoned as a primarily residential neighborhood; she helped develop the Pew Charitable Trusts proposal and was founder of the Greenline Gardens following the purchase of the L&N railroad track, now the V&E Greenline. She has worked on the Cypress Creek cleanups and is currently working with the Lick Creek flood plain project. In addition to Mary’s work with VECA, she also served as an interim State Representative for District 89.

The Mary Wilder Award, established in 2009, was created to recognize institutional excellence who through their work contributes to the Vollintine Evergreen community.

2009 Rhodes College, accepted by Dr. Russell T. Wigginton,

2010 McLean Baptist Church, accepted by Pastor Glenn Hales, Jr.

2013 Mercy Hill Church, accepted by Pastor Brad Dunlap

2015 Hyde Family Foundations, accepted by Lauren Taylor

2016 St. John Orthodox Church, accepted by Pamela Mashburn

2018 The Parkway House Condominiums, accepted by April Grant

2018 Gethsemane Garden Church COGIC, accepted by Mary Alyce Clay

2020 Serve 901, accepted by Jeff Riddle

2022 Volunteer Odyssey, accepted by Dannon Eubanks

2024 Vollentine Elementary School, accepted by Dr. Crystal S. Watts, Principal

2025 MidtownMemphis.org, accepted by Emily Bishop & Karen Lebovitz

Martha Heinemann grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas and graduated from Southwestern at Memphis in 1960 (now Rhodes) with a degree in biology. She earned her Master’s degree from University of Arkansas in biochemistry. She was a research chemist at the University of Tennessee and the Veterans Administration hospital. Besides her volunteer work with VECA, Martha was associated with Rhodes Alumni, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Brooks Museum of Art, and the Tennessee Ornithological Society.

The Martha Heinemann Award honors a Board member who has rendered exceptional service to the VECA Board.

Heinemann Award Recipients

2003 Janis Cannon
2004 Helen Johnson
2005 Tom McGowan
2007 Renate Rosenthal
2007 Andrée Glenn
2009 Chuck Fox
2010 Nedra Bailey
2010 Mike Kirby
2011 Chris Floyd
2011 Lilly Gilkey
2012 Cathy Marcinko
2012 Garnette Stephens
2013 Paul Herron
2013 Natasha Strong
2014 Jeannie Tomlinson Saltmarsh
2015 Marci Hendrix
2019 Stacy Pennington
2020 Bob Rigus
2022 Karen Edwards
2023 Stephanie Walker
2024 Natasha Strong
2025 Karen Edwards
2025 Katherine Larsha
2025 Tony Steinberg

Margaret Dichtel was one of the founding members of VECA and its first president. She strongly believed that neighbors working in a community organization could accomplish together what they as individuals or government could not. Her faith in the value of grassroots community action remains the VECA philosophy. The Margaret Dichtel Award is presented to a Vollintine Evergreen resident and VECA member who embodies the principles of community action. The awardee will be an individual who strengthens relationships between community members, tackles problems that threaten the integrity of the community, makes the neighborhood a better place to live, improves VECA’s image city-wide, and demonstrates a commitment to the neighborhood.

Dichtel Award Recipients

1988 Martha Heinemann
1990 Julie Borys
1991 Mike Kirby
1993 Mary Wilder
1995 Willette Gray
1995 Gloria Singleton
1996 Rhodes College
1996 Terry Circle Block Club
1997 Linda Nichols
1998 Steve Gadbois
1999 Charlotte and Pete Swailes
2000 Sherry Henson
2000 Belinda Kerusch
2001 Bill Rehberg
2002 Tom Fagan
2003 Fredha Feaster
2004 Craig Jordan
2004 Len Cobb
2005 Bettye Johnson
2007 Marci Hendrix
2007 Jan Kirby
2009 Vollintine Hills Neighbors
2010 Brad Heinz
2011 Barbara Gavalas
2011 Ann George
2011 Wayne Stanfill
2012 Andrée Glenn
2013 Alex Smythe
2013 Tony Steinberg
2014 Matt Washburn
2014 Jill Williams
2015 Paul Goldstein
2016 Andree Hayes
2016 Thomas and Ellen Lacey
2017 Jo Ann Street
2017 Raymond Wells
2018 Angela Walker
2019 Rick Maxwell
2020 Jim Martin
2021 Marcus Tate
2022 Mary Haynes
2023 Julius Brown & Judy Pierce
2024 Louise Jones & Lenora Pipkin
2025 Jack Daniels
2025 William “Bill” Shultz

Michael Kirby grew up in Wisconsin and moved to Memphis in 1970 to teach urban studies at Rhodes College.

Over the years, Mike has led efforts to get Rhodes students involved at VECA and the neighborhood. He has served as president of VECA and has served on the VECA board for many terms. He has kept VECA connected with city and county government by attending meetings and association meetings. He has written grants to benefit the neighborhood – including the US. Dept of Housing and Urban Development grant which helped to open a community resource center in the north section of Vollintine Evergreen. For years he held open meetings at the community center on Hollywood for residents and government officials to come together to tackle problems

He is one of the founders of the V&E Greenline and is passionate about making the Greenline the best it can be for neighbors and for Memphis. He has worked tirelessly on the V&E Greenline, working with the committee, with AmeriCorps, getting the new walkway at the Stationhouse completed, and working with the City of Memphis to create proper entrances to the trail.

Mike chaired the VECA Managing Committee for years and worked tirelessly on that committee to keep VECA financially solvent through good stewardship

When he was retiring from Rhodes in 2010, he said: “I’m going to sort through the things I really want to do, that are most important to me and the community,” …… “I just plan to use my skills to help push things along.”

The Michael Kirby award, established in 2015, honors a VECA volunteer who has rendered exceptional service to the Vollintine Evergreen Community Association.

Kirby Award Recipients

2015 Angela Lamb
2016 A D Nelson
2016 Chris Tague
2017 Natasha Strong
2017 Cathy Marcinko
2018 Chuck Fox
2018 Chris Floyd
2018 Scott McDermott
2019 Katherine Laviera
2019 Robbie McDermott
2020 Paul Goldstein
2020 Brad Dunlap
2021 VECA Historic Committee for all their work on the VEHD Landmarks Project
2022 Student Group, Roots at Rhodes
2023 Adam Krug
2024 Mable Johnson, Gwendolyn Johnson, & Jennifer Sanders
2025 Attorney Darrell J. O’Neal
2025 Anthony Cogbill, Xavier Harris, & Ethan Miller