Local community icons Tom "Big Doc" Williamson, left, and Bert McGriff were honored by the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce during the 74th annual meeting and gala.

World War II was reaching its most trying time when a group of local residents, looking to the future, initiated the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce.

The year was 1943 and Raymond Yost served as the first chairman of the newly formed organization. The mission in the chamber’s first year struck a familiar theme: new businesses, tourism, quality of life.

“The role is amazingly the same today, but the challenges are different with technology and we’re competing in a global market,” said Chamber of Commerce CEO Leah Bolin.

A look back and the way forward are themes that will resonate Thursday as the Chamber of Commerce celebrates 75 years at its Annual Meeting & Gala at Stone Bridge Farms.

For attendees, the evening will include a decade-by-decade display highlighting the chamber’s past 75 years, a commemorative video recognizing those years, and a time capsule.

“When you look back, from the beginning, until now you see a group of people who have been committed to making our community a better place to live,” Bolin said. “The chamber has served as a gathering place for ideas and plans to move us forward. You also see generational leadership, people from businesses that have been here a long time who continue to stay involved.”

Today, the chamber continues to examine the community’s strengths and needs through committees, programs and plans that bring leaders together from businesses, institutions and government with the goal of building and sustaining growth.

“Our goal is to take Cullman County as a whole to see what our community needs, to work with all the entities that are doing the things that bring us new businesses, quality of life, and increasing numbers of visitors,” Bolin said.

During Thursday’s event, past leaders of the chamber will be honored for their service.

The Chamber’s annual Gala is Thursday at Stone Bridge Farms. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the program starts at 6 p.m.

Name Term Served Business

Raymond Yost 1943-44 Yost 5 and 10

W.T. Newton 1944-45 Newton Lumber

William R. Griffin 1945-46 Mayor of Cullman

Elbert Ponder 1946-47 Ponder Department Store

Dr. Charles Bishop 1947-48 Super Druges

Rev. Robert Sapp 1948-49 Bob Sapp Store

Robert A. Young 1949-50 C. Arnold & Son

Andrew Hodge 1950 February – April Brown Service Insurance Company

George Stiefelmeyer 1950-51 Stiefelmeyer Department Store

Rev. Julian McPhillips 1951-52 King Pharr

Russell S. Smith 1952-53 Smith & Grey Insurance

Roy Drinkard 1953-54 Drinkard Chevrolet

Dr. Lowell Clemmons 1954-55 Physician

Hugh Brindley 1955-56 Brindley Grocery

J.W. Arnold 1956-57 C. Arnold & Son

Dr. Frank Stitt 1957-58 Physician

G.W. Ponder, Jr. 1958-59 Ponder Warehouse

Dr. Lowell Clemmons 1959 February – July Physician

Leonard Lumsden 1959-60 Lumsden Oil Company

Claud Wood 1960-61 Cullman Electric Cooperative

G. F. Anderson 1961-62 Anderson Motel Larkwood

Elbert Ponder 1962-63 Subdivision/ Lanson Industries

O.M. Willoughby 1963-64 Willoughby Construction

Bert R. Morgan 1964-65 Morgan Oil Company

Charles Cook 1965-66 Cullman Savings & Loan

Charles Cook 1966-67 Cullman Savings & Loan

Dr. J.L. Below 1967-68 Chiropractor

Austin Dean 1968-69 Dean Oil Company

Bob Bryan 1969-70 The Cullman Times

Ed Oswald 1970-71 Americold

Bob Fields 1971-72 Central Bank

Ray Buchmann 1972-73 Buchmann Tire

Wallace Krout 1973-74 Central Bank

Ed Harbison 1974-75 Valiant Insurance

Johnny Fricke, Jr. 1975-76 Ware, Howell & Fricke

Carl Stiefelmeyer, Sr. 1976-77 Stiefelmeyer Department Store

Ray Buchmann 1977-78 Buchmann Tire

John J. Millins 1978-79 Central Bank

Elliot Free 1979-80 Knight-Free Insurance

Dr. James Bailey 1980-81 Wallace State Community College

Hubert Richter 1981-82 O.F. Richter & Sons

Hayden R. Battles 1982-83 Attorney-at-Law

Don Morgan 1982-84 Morgan Oil Company

Peggy Smith 1984-85 Cullman City Economic Development

Ed Harbison 1985-86 Valiant Insurance

Wallace Krout 1986-87 Krout Insurance

Barry McGriff 1987-88 McGriff Industries

Robin Cummings 1988-89 Peoples Bank of Alabama

Tommy Howard 1989-90 Howard Oil Company

Don David 1990-91 South Trust Bank

Chester Freeman 1991-92 Individual

Clark Branch, Jr. 1992-93 McGriff Industries

Dr. Jerry D. Galin 1993-94 Wallace State Community College

Larry Holt 1994-95 First Alabama Bank

Dr. Thomas Hancock, Jr. 1995-96 Cullman Area Vocational Center

June Holland 1996-97 Buettner Brothers Lumber Company

Steve Glasscock 1997-98 Merchants Bank of Alabama

Dr. Phil Freeman 1998-99 Cullman Internal Medicine

Mike Duke 1999-00 EvaBank

George Pennington 2000-01 Cullman Products

Steve Singleton 2001-02 Bryan Business Solutions

Sonya Hembree 2002-03 Sonya Hembree Agency

Susan Copeland 2003-04 Cullman Regional Medical Center

Paul Bussman, DMD 2004-05 Bussman Family Dentistry

Cheryl Conover 2005-06 The Final Touch

Ed Darling 2006-07 The Cullman Times

Laurie Ewing 2007-08 Wachovia Bank

Steve Murphree, DVM 2008-09 Cullman Veterinary Hospital

Dr. Vicki Hawsey 2009-10 Wallace State Community College

Mickey Parrish 2010-11 State Farm and Financial Services

Rickey Kreps 2011-12 Office Equipment Company, Inc.

Charlie NeSmith 2012-13 Merchants Bank of Alabama

Melissa Cartee 2013-14 Cullman Electric Cooperative

Jim Weidner 2014 March – May Cullman Regional Medical Center

Jason Grimmett 2014-16 Drinkard Development

Sammie Danford 2016-17 United Way of Cullman County

Jason Spann 2017-2018 American Proteins