The first recipients of The Tribune-News Lifetime Achievement Award have been selected, with the awards to be presented to Marlin Gillespie, Joni Gillespie and, as a posthumous honoree, Lloyd Henning. These individuals have exemplified community service, dedication to others, positive demeanor and a strong commitment to improvement that have helped to shape the City of Holbrook.
This award is presented by The Tribune-News as the oldest continuous newspaper in Navajo County, keeping record of the events of central Navajo County for more than 100 years. It is with gratitude and respect that these individuals have been chosen as exemplary citizens who best magnify those qualities that create growth and foster communities.
The public presentation of these awards will take place at the gazebo on the Historic Courthouse lawn at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, July 11.
Marlin Gillespie
Marlin Gillespie was born in Lakeside, and first moved to Holbrook in 1938 at the age of 4 with his parents and 11 siblings.
Gillespie left home for four years to serve on a Navy net tender that protected military personnel from torpedoes and bombs during the Korean War.
He returned home and began his law enforcement career in 1957 as a deputy with the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office before marrying the love of his life, Joni Essig, in February 1959.
In 1973 Gillespie was appointed as the Navajo County Sheriff and served in that capacity for 12 years before retiring in 1985.
Gillespie has held several elected and appointed offices, including a term on the Holbrook City Council, 11 years as a Navajo County Supervisor, and service as a representative on the Arizona Court of Appeals Commission, the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission and the Little Colorado Medical Center Board of Directors.
He is a founder of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Navajo County and the Holbrook Emergency Food Bank, an organization he continues to operate and organize as he has for the past 35 years.
Gillespie has also volunteered his time to many other organizations in order to improve the city. Those organizations include the American Legion, Holbrook Senior Center Board of Directors, Navajo County Juvenile Detention Chaplaincy Program, the Navajo County Historical Society, Navajo County Jail Committee and the Salvation Army of Holbrook. He is a charter member of Holbrook Elks Lodge No. 2450 and the Painted Desert Kiwanis Club, as well as a lifetime member of the Navajo County Sheriff’s Hashknife Posse.
When asked about his efforts in the community, Gillespie talked of his love for Holbrook, “This is a great community with great people. I couldn’t have done anything without the help of the many volunteers in the community.”
Joni Gillespie
Joni Essig Gillespie moved from Kansas to Winslow with her family when she was a young girl. She lived there until she graduated from high school and moved to Holbrook in 1958.
She took a job working as a telephone operator at Navajo-Apache Telephone System in Holbrook, later called Western States, and remained for 24 years.
It was while working for the phone company that she first met and fell in love with Marlin Gillespie. They married in 1958.
Gillespie has contributed in many ways to Holbrook, a community she loves dearly and has devoted her life to. As she raised her four children she also became a founder of the First Step Foundation Board, where she has served as secretary for more than 35 years. She is also a charter member of the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority, participating in that organization since 1962.
She has served as a co-sponsor of the Holbrook High School Key Club and as a member of the Navajo County Fair Board. She devoted many years as a volunteer for Holbrook’s annual Halloween Spooktacular, the Festival of Trees committee and the Park School Dr. Seuss reading program. She has also served as a volunteer with the Bread of Life Mission and assisted with the efforts of the Painted Desert Kiwanis Club.
In addition to her many volunteer endeavors, she is a devoted member of her church congregation and volunteers for events for other churches. She was recognized for her many contributions as the 2007 Holbrook Woman of the Year.
Gillespie also spoke of how much the people of the city mean to her. “We love Holbrook and never once thought of living anywhere else. There are so many wonderful people here and we’ve always felt blessed to rub shoulders with them. This is my way of paying the community back for what we’ve been given,” she said.
Lloyd Henning
Lloyd Henning was born in Plano, Ill., in 1885 before his family moved to Holbrook and he was enrolled in Holbrook schools in 1892.
In 1901 he became a printer for numerous papers throughout Arizona and New Mexico, and in 1904 was recognized as the nation’s youngest newspaper editor at the age of 19. He became the editor of The Winslow Mail in 1904, then the Holbrook Argus in 1909.
Henning ventured into the banking business in 1909 and by 1916, he had opened Henning Insurance Agency. In 1922, he added director of the First National Bank to his list of accomplishments, becoming president in 1931. He owned the Western States Telephone Company from 1931 until 1957.
Henning served as the mayor of Holbrook from 1923-25, and in 1923 was the first president of the Holbrook Rotary Club. He served as District Governor of the Rotary from 1927-28 and as the Grand Master of Arizona Elks Lodge in 1928.
He also served on the Navajo County Board of Supervisors from 1933-36. After that he went on to serve four terms as a state senator from 1941-49, the first resident of Holbrook to hold that office. He also was elected Clerk of the Superior Court, a position he held for 16 years.
In addition, Henning was recognized as a 32nd Degree Mason and a Grand Master of the Holbrook Elks Lodge.
Friday’s edition of the newspaper will feature a story on the achievements and contributions of each of these individuals.
