Affiliates > Willis Award of Merit
The Willis Award of Merit was created in 1954 by the Willis Family of Virginia Beach, Virginia, as a memorial to John Willis, Jr. and his son, Benjamin J. Willis, Sr.
The intent of this distinguished award is to encourage and promote cooperation, understanding, and the exchange of ideas, and to lend dignity and purpose to the Southern Home Furnishings Association. It honors the outstanding home furnishings retailer in the SHFA area, who, in the opinion of the Willis Award Committee contributes most unselfishly to the community, industry, and the Lord.
The Willis Award Committee, whose members are past recipients, play an active role in the future of the retail home furnishings industry. The Committee has established a scholarship fund at High Point University. The scholarships are awarded annually to students studying in the field of Home Furnishings Marketing or Home Furnishings Management.
The 2006 Willis Award of Merit was presented at SHFA’s June 2007 convention. Donald E. Hinton, Brown Furniture Company, Gaffney, South Carolina, was the recipient of this prestigious honor.
James T. Allison* L.O. Barksdale* J.H. Bridges* Warren Channel Kerry Clippard Melvin L. Crockin* J. Wilson Cunningham* Ned T. Dobson, Sr. Alan Dossenbach Herbert M. Early* Preston Griffin* John Gross S. Dan Hamm, III D.H. Hamm, Jr. Arthur B. Hammond R. Wesley Hammond J.C. Hipp Paul B. Horsey, Sr. J. Hudson Huffard* James E. Jones* Phil Kennett William D. Kimbrell David E. Kirshtein Solomon Kirshtein Ervin Lampert* Thomas H. Leath |
Albert Levine* Kenneth Lord* Al Maynard* Rex Maynard Hyman Meyers A.G. Pless* W.L. Ragland* Dianne W. Ray K. Fred Retchin Edwin E. Riley* W.W. Saunders* Bertram R. Schewel* Marc A. Schewel Sherrill W. Shaw H.M. Short* William R. Smith, III John H. Sniffin Rick Stork Bobby D. Suddreth William W. Sutton George E. Tate George A. Thornton* Hubert C. Watson R.L. Weathers* H.T. Williams* |
*Deceased
Back up top