Boy Scouts Announce Distinguished Citizen & Distinguished Corporate Citizen Honorees

The Jayhawk Area Council, Boy Scouts of America has announced they will honor Governor Laura Kelly as 2020 Distinguished Citizens and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company as the 2020 Distinguished Corporate Citizen. 

The Distinguished Citizen Award honors individuals, families and/or companies for their efforts in making a distinct difference in the fabric of our community. The honoree’s community involvement touches lives and improves the quality of life for all. 

“This year’s honorees epitomize the attributes of a Distinguished Citizen and Corporation in our community. Both Goodyear and Governor Kelly’s long-standing service to our community are models of how civic engagement can move a community forward. It is an honor to recognize the Governor of Kansas with this award. We thrilled to recognize Goodyear's 75th Anniversary with this honor. The Jayhawk Area Council is fortunate to have a longstanding relationship with Goodyear that has benefited the youth of our community.” said Nick Xidis, President of the Jayhawk Area Council Board. “It is a privilege to honor them with this distinction.” 

“It's truly an honor to receive the 2020 Distinguished Citizen Award from the Jayhawk Area Council of Boy Scouts of America. I firmly support the role of Scouting in helping young people develop as leaders and good citizens, while learning other important life skills. I've always tried to incorporate these important values while in public service as a way to be an effective leader, make a positive difference and contribute to the greater good. That includes my time as Governor as I strive to build a better future for our children and families." – Governor Laura Kelly. 

“We are honored to be recognized by such a great organization as the Jayhawk Area Council, Boy Scouts of America,” said Dusty Douglas, Goodyear-Topeka manufacturing director. “We’re proud of the productive partnership we’ve built with the Boy Scouts over the years, and look forward to continuing to work together in the future.”

The honorees will be recognized at an evening banquet on Monday, April 20th, at the Capital Plaza Hotel’s Emerald Ballroom. 

About Governor Laura Kelly

On January 14, 2019, Laura Kelly became the 48th Governor of the State of Kansas.

Governor Kelly grew up in a military family and learned the importance of service, integrity and accountability at a young age. She lived all over the world, but wanted to put down roots in a place with a strong public-school system and vibrant communities. Kansas was an obvious choice.  

Kelly began her lifelong career in public service working to improve the lives of children at a state children’s psychiatric center and at a minimum-security prison for boys, where she learned firsthand the importance of accessible mental health care and evidence-based treatment. Additionally, she was a longtime executive director of the Recreation and Park Association in Kansas. Through her work as director, she traveled to every corner of Kansas, gained extensive knowledge of the state and developed a passion for improving Kansas communities and their quality of life.

As a state senator for 14 years, Kelly was a leading voice in promoting healthy families in Kansas and the importance of top-notch public schools in communities of all sizes. She built a reputation as a no-nonsense leader who worked with Democrats and Republicans alike to get things done.

As a ranking member on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Kelly advocated for fiscally responsible, balanced budgets that reflected Kansans’ shared priorities. Her years of experience working on the state’s budget motivated her to take on the serious challenge of fixing far-reaching problems in Kansas.

As governor, Kelly has continued to work tirelessly to rebuild state government.

Since taking office, she fulfilled her promise to fully fund public schools in her first year, ending years of litigation. She balanced the state budget two years in a row, as promised.

Kelly built a bipartisan, ambitious Cabinet to lead the state agencies. She’s started to repair the broken foster-care system and is working toward improving Kansas’ infrastructure by building a visionary plan for the future.

She also established the Office of Rural Prosperity, reinvested in the arts and humanities, and reinstated LGBTQ protections to state employees. She continues to pursue policies good for Kansas families, and is working tirelessly to expand affordable health care to approximately 150,000 Kansans.

Kelly has always sought to strengthen early childhood education programs. From her time in the Senate where she helped create the Early Childhood Block Grant, which funded evidence-based programs across the state, to now as Governor, she plans to implement a robust, comprehensive early childhood system that benefits all Kansans. Her legacy will reflect the importance of childhood education and putting our kids on the right path forward.

Kelly and her husband Ted Daughety — a doctor of pulmonary and sleep disorders and proud Eagle Scout — were married in 1983. They have two grown daughters, Kathleen Daughety and Molly Daughety, M.D.

Governor Laura Kelly has made it her life’s work to fight for children and families in her community, on the job, as a four-term state senator and now as Governor.

About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Goodyear-Topeka associates believe in giving back to the community and show this by volunteering their time, donating funds and sponsoring organizations throughout Northeast Kansas that are involved in creating positive outcomes in three areas: promoting safe mobility; inspiring students to reach their full potential; and reducing our environmental impact. For example, Goodyear-Topeka is among the top three contributors to the Greater Topeka United Way, with nearly $3 million donated over the last 10 years. Goodyear’s Topeka plant makes large, off-road, military and commercial tires and is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. 

The Governor Laura Kelly and Goodyear join a distinguished group of honorees from Northeast Kansas to receive this award.  Past recipients include Anderson Chandler, Louis B. Falley, John Hambleton Abrahams, Georgia Neese Gray, Joseph A. Thompson, Dean Hodges, Marjorie C. Schnacke, James W. Porter, Howard T. Paul, Frank C. Sabatini, John E. Hayes, Jr., Howard R. Fricke, Robert C. Wheeler, Steven J. Douglass, Governor Bill Graves, John C. Dicus, John B. Dicus, Dean Ferrell, Duane Fager, Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Maynard Oliverius,  Nancy Perry, Dr. Jerry Farley, Dale Cushinberry, Jim Parrish, Dr. Walt Menninger, William B. Moore, John Stauffer, Dr. Kent Palmberg, Ed Hughes, Governor Sam Brownback, The Founders of Advisors Excel Cody Foster, David Callanan and Derek Thompson, Butch Eaton and Jim Klausman, along with Larry and Anita Wolgast. In 2019, Dr. Stan and Jody Teeter were honored as Distinguished Citizens and Westar Energy an Evergy Company was honored as the Distinguished Corporate Citizen. 

To sponsor or attend the event, interested parties may visit www.jayhawkcouncil.org/DCD for more information.