Jack White Leadership Fort Smith Award
Philip Merry 2011 Recipient
Past Award Recipients
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The Leadership Fort Smith Alumni Association presented the first “Alumni Association Outstanding Leadership Award” in 1990 to recognize an outstanding individual from the region whose leadership had made a significant difference in the community.
The award was renamed “The Jack White Leadership Fort Smith Award” in 1997, after the untimely death of community leader, Jack White. Jack White came to Fort Smith in 1987 as the Arkansas Manager for OG&E, and quickly became involved in the region, serving on a number of boards and volunteering with several organizations. A graduate of the Leadership Fort Smith Class of 1990, Jack White was an exceptional leader and is sorely missed by our community.
Merry has held his current position as Arkansas area president for Gallagher Merry, a division of Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management, since June 2010. He has been active in the insurance industry since 1976 and was named the 1989 Agent of the Year by the Arkansas Professional Insurance Agents Association.
Merry, who was elected this year to serve on the Fort Smith City Board of Directors, is also a member of the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, where he chairs the Education and Quality of Place division. In that capacity, he has created the Christmas Honors initiative whereby 12,000 Christmas wreaths, including red bows, were placed at every grave site at the Fort Smith U.S. National Cemetery in December 2009 and 2010.
Many of Merry’s past community efforts involve fund raising for numerous area non-profit groups and programs for children, including Humane Society Building Fund Drive, Little Theatre, the Art Center, United Way, Fort Smith Community Foundation, Second Street Live, Children’s Emergency Shelter, Fort Smith First Tee and the Mercy Classic. Merry is a 1998 graduate of the first Leadership Fort Smith class and served as the charter alumni group chairman.
To download the Jack White nomination form [Click Here - pdf].
Community Leadership Awards
Leadership Fort Smith also recognizes community leaders who are making a difference in their profession or area of involvement with the Community Leadership Awards.
2011 Recipients
 Bill Hanna, Business and Industry
Cathy Williams, Education
Col. Tom Anderson, Government
John Hoffman, Healthcare
Jennifer Goodson, Non-profit
Jeff Crawford, Religion
To download the Community award nomination for [Click Here - pdf].