Shirley Nanney- The 2020 Carroll Contain of the Year award is being presented to Shirley Nanney, editor of the Carroll County News-Leader by Hurley.
He said that she is well-known across Carroll County. She has been inn the news writing business for 60 years come June of 2022.. She was hired by Dennis Richardson, owner of the Carroll News-Leader in 1983, and has been working for the Richardson family ever since.
“During that time, Shirley and the team at the News-Leader have won numerous Tennessee Press Awards,” said Chamber President Brad Hurley. “Shirley has also won recognition and first-place awards for her investigative reporting.”
He added that Shirley Nanney’s footprint is all over the county. She has definitely been a fixture of Carroll County history.
Shirley graduated from Henry High School as salutatorian of the Class of 1962. She is a member of Union Primitive Baptist Church outside of McKenzie. Shirley resides in McKenzie with her husband Ray, to whom she has been married since 1964, and their son, Terry.
In 2015 Shirley received the Pinnacle of Excellence Award from the Town of Huntingdon, the highest recognition given by the town. In 2016, she was chosen for the Sterling Award by the Jackson Chapter of Business and Professional Women. The Sterling Award is presented each year to recognize the ten most influential women in West Tennessee. Shirley is also a past board member of the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse and in past years was president of the McKenzie Jaycettes and McKenzie Business and Professional Woman’s Club.
When asked about career mentors, Shirley said that she has always been interested in the news and looked up to the people who were part of the daily news scene. She explained that she would watch and study the works of other successful people and pay attention to how they managed their lives.
Shirley had a very definite and heartfelt response when asked about the news story that most impacted her personally. It was a story about a woman on Highway 70 who was living alone and whose behavior had become erratic. Her son had died, so she had no one left to watch out for her, and she was living in dire conditions. Shirley took a personal interest in the plight of this woman, even to the point of searching for public assistance on her behalf. Following Shirley’s newspaper articles about the situation, the lady received help and was taken in by a family in Atwood. To date, she is doing well.
Mike Cary- An outstanding individual was recognized as the 2021 Carroll Countian of the Year by Joe Smothers who made the presentation. This honoree joins an impressive list of previous winners of this award.
Mike Cary is one of the twin sons born to Billy and Sylvia (Carter) Cary of Huntingdon. Mike was reared in this community and chose to return home to raise his family.
Married to the former Susan Hodges, the couple are the parents to three children. Carter, who is a freshman at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, majoring in Wildlife and Fisheries Science; Campbell and Claire who are both students at Huntingdon High School; respectively, one a senior, the other a freshman. Susan is a pharmacist, currently serving the community at City Drug Co.
Mike currently serves as President and CEO of Carroll Bank & Trust. He is the Branch Manager of Raymond James Financial Services, located at Carroll Bank & Trust. Mike received his bachelor’s degree in Economics/Finance from UT Martin and his MBA from The University of Memphis. He is also a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. Mike holds both the Chartered Financial Analyst® and Certified Financial Planner® Professional Designations.
An active supporter of the local community, Mike has also represented and advocated for Huntingdon and Carroll County through opportunities he has been granted on a larger scale. He is a member of the Baptist Memorial Hospital Corporate Board, serving most recently as Financial Chair, and is slated to serve as the Chairman of the Board beginning in January 2022. Mike is a former Director of the Memphis Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Mike was honored to serve Bethel University for nine years as member of their Board of Trustees. Locally, Mike is a proud member of the Huntingdon Lions’ Club, serves on the Huntingdon Industrial Board, and is a member (along with his family) of First Baptist Church-Huntingdon, where he serves as Chairman of the Deacon Body.
Mike and Susan share a passion for improving their community. They enjoy bringing locals and those from away together in their most recent endeavor, The 1822 Coffee Co., located in downtown Huntingdon.
Mike was the recipient of the Carroll County Businessperson of the Year in 2015. He was recognized as Huntingdon’s Outstanding Citizen in 2019. He has also been honored to receive the community’s Pinnacle of Excellence Award.
