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Daryl Riffle, left, president of the Darke County Visitors Bureau and
Deanna York, right, executive director of the Darke County Visitors
Bureau awarded Greenville’s Penny Perry, middle, the inaugural
2011 Darke County Tourism Citizen of the Year Award.
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Perry Honored as
First Tourism Citizen of the Year
GREENVILLE – Ms. Penny Perry was honored as the first Tourism Citizen
of the Year by the Darke County Visitors Bureau at the Chamber’s annual
meeting, Thursday at Romer's Catering in Greenville.
Daryl Riffle, President of the visitors bureau’s board of trustees
presented this award which exemplifies the best of tourism in our
community. This award recognizes people who look first at what they can
do for tourism within Darke County. They work in a business or
volunteer in a group that brings people into our community from 30+
miles away to enjoy events, attractions, shops, accommodations and
other aspects of the tourism industry. The award recognizes those who
have demonstrated extensive and diverse participation, leadership and
support in public and/or private tourism endeavors over a period of
years. And finally, this honor is bestowed upon a leader capable of
getting others involved in tourism within the community.
Ms. Perry, this year’s award recipient is a native of Darke County. She
graduated with the class of 1960 from Greenville High School, and went
on to graduate from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor of
Science Degree in Education, with a major in History and Political
Science and a minor in English. In 1971, she graduated from Arizona
State University with a Master of Arts Degree in History.
Ms. Perry taught to teach English at Greenville Junior High and Social
Studies at Franklin Monroe High School for almost 30 years. She
retired from the Teaching profession in 1996, and then dabbled in local
politics and spent a term on Greenville City Council. During this time
she began volunteering at Garst Museum, which she says she thoroughly
enjoyed because of her history background and interaction with the
staff and visitors. The museum board made a change in direction, and
she agreed to fill in as Director for “three or four months” while a
search for a new Director was underway.
The three months turned into six years, and those six years, Ms. Perry
was quoted as saying, “Were some of the most rewarding of my
life.”
Under her direction, the museum established field trips for fourth
graders in Darke County at no expense to them or the school
system. Group tours were strengthened. Exhibits were re-created
with exciting new displays and the Garst House was restored inside and
out to its former beauty.
Ms. Perry stated, “Garst has always been a wonderful local museum, but
now it has become a museum that attracts tourists from all over the
country. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have Annie Oakley as a
star.” Yearly attendance increased from 3,000 to 12,000 visitors
a year.
She is humble and is quick to point out that she certainly could not
have accomplished this alone. The museum is blessed with a
wonderful staff, volunteers, and Board. Board President John
Marchal worked tirelessly to bring these changes about.
Ms. Perry decided that it was once again time for her to re-retire
which she did at the end of 2010. She continues to
volunteer at the Garst Museum especially with the field trips, but now
spends much of her time pursuing other interests – reading, traveling,
and of course, playing bridge.
Ms. Perry also received commendations from State Representatives Jim
Buchy and Richard Adams, State Senators Keith Faber and Bill Beagle,
Speaker of the House John Boehner and Lt. Governor Mary Taylor.
For more information on Garst Museum, please visit their website at www.GarstMuseum.org.
For information on all aspects of tourism in Darke County, visit www.VisitDarkeCounty.org.
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