Rufus Duncan Jr. and Ellen Temple received awards for their commitment and service to Angelina County at the 96th Annual Chamber Banquet Thursday, Jan. 29th at the Pitser Garrison Convention Center.
Duncan was awarded the Golden Anvil Award for his impactful work in Lufkin. His actions were instrumental in the success of manufacturing and services company LufTex Gears. Duncan worked with LufTex Gear’s founder, Albert Stokley, to construct a new 32,000-square-foot-building to house the new gear manufacturing company.
“I am a part of a lot of teams, but what really motivates me is I love Angelina County,” Duncan said on Thursday. “I love the physical beauty, the history, and the people in this county. The people are kind, generous, and hardworking. This town has seen some hard knocks, but we have picked ourselves up. I am proud as a peacock to be a part of this team.”
The 2015 Angelina Award was presented to Ellen and the late Buddy Temple for their work to strengthen the community and protect the natural resources of East Texas, such as Boggy Slough, Neches River, Paddling Trails, and the Temple Urban Forest.
Buddy Temple was elected as state representative in 1970 and was the only person in Angelina County to be elected to a statewide position as the Texas Railroad Commissioner.
Ellen Temple worked with previous governor of Texas Ann Richards on the Texas Foundation for Women’s Research, and has a published book on the women’s suffrage movement in Texas.
The couple created the Temple Urban Forest project which planted native East Texas plants and trees along U.S. 59. They worked to preserve the Neches River Hardwood bottomlands and received the Leopold Conservation Award in 2011 and the R.E. Jackson Conservation Award in 2014.
The Diplomat of the Year Award was given to Ray Ann Baker of Texas State Bank during the banquet, and incoming chairman of The Chamber, Gene Lee, spoke on the need to focus on small businesses as well as the youth of Angelina County.
