2025 Citizen of the Year

A Few Good Men Inc. is proud to announce Virginia Smith Massey as its 2025 Citizen of the Year, honoring a lifetime of service, leadership, and dedication to the Monroe and Union County community. 

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Born on August 10 in Roxboro, North Carolina, Mrs. Massey has been a resident of Monroe for 64 years. She devoted her professional career to education as a Media Specialist with Union County Public Schools, serving at Winchester Avenue School, Monroe Middle School, and Monroe High School. Her work included establishing and expanding media centers at each school, significantly enhancing student access to educational resources. 

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Mrs. Massey has remained actively involved in community, civic, and faith-based service. She is a longtime member of Langford Chapel CME Church, where she has served on numerous boards and as Chairperson of the Black History Committee. Her broader community involvement includes Friends of the Union County Public Library, the North Carolina Association of Educators, the Retired Teachers Association of Union County, AARP, Monroe Environmental and Water Resources, and the Democratic Women of Union County. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bennett College, a Master of Library Science degree from North Carolina Central University, and completed postgraduate studies at UNC Greensboro. 

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Mrs. Massey joins a distinguished list of past honorees: J.W. McDow (2003); Annie Jordan Allen (2004); Rosa Bell (2005); Oscar White (2006); Ralph Bolden (2007); Herman Cunningham (2008); Louisiana Robinson (2009); Jeanette Sherrod (2010); James Mungo (2011); Johnny Sowell and Rev. Larry Leak (2012); Franklin Deese and Minnie Crowder (2013); Diane Burns (2014); Rev. Waymon S. Jordan Sr. (2015); Ernest Collins (2016); Hattie Gail Coffey (2017); Nathan Hailey (2018); Joan Laverne White (2019); Franco McGee (2022); Robert Heath (2023); and Attorney Tiffany Wilson (2024). The award was not presented in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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The Citizen of the Year Banquet honoring Mrs. Massey will be held on March 14, 2026, at 6:00 pm., at Rolling Hills Country Club in Monroe, North Carolina. Tickets will be available for purchase at www.afewgoodmennc.org. 

A Few Good Men Inc. is honored to recognize Virginia Smith Massey as the 2025 Citizen of the Year for her lasting contributions and exemplary service to the community.