Roper Honored with the 2007 Freedom Award

Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos, Edith Roper, U. S. Army Colonel and Hoover Assistant Police Chief A. C. Roper, Jr., #Hoover Chamber President Richard Rayborn
Hoover Assistant Police Chief A.C. Roper, Jr. was honored at the July Chamber Luncheon with the 2007 Freedom Award, sponsored by First American Bank, as an outstanding American who was recognized for his great service to his country and his community.

Born in Birmingham, he has over 22 years of law enforcement experience. He began his career with the Montgomery Police Department in 1985 and served as a Patrol Officer, Academy Instructor and Recruiter. He was promoted to Corporal prior to his departure in 1988 to work for the City of Hoover. In Hoover, he's been promoted through the ranks, serving and commanding in many different assignments before his promotion to Assistant Police Chief in April 2005.

Chief Roper has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Troy State University and a Masters of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Alabama. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Southeastern Law Enforcement Executive Development Course.

Chief Roper has over 25 years experience in the Army Reserves. He is a recently promoted Colonel where he serves as the G3/7, Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Training at the 87th Division here in Hoover. He deployed during Operation Desert Shield/Storm and again during Operation Enduring Freedom where he served as the military spokesperson for all U.S. Army forces in Afghanistan. He has completed every military course attended with honors. He is the recipient of numerous military awards and decorations including the Bronze Star, and the General Douglas McArthur Leadership Award, which is given annually to the top U.S. Army Officers in the nation.

Chief Roper is also a licensed and ordained minister serving at Faith Chapel Christian Center in Birmingham. He and his wife teach a weekly bible study at the Bluff Park Community School in Hoover. He is a member of the FBI National Academy Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Metropolitan Criminal Justice Executive Association and the Law Enforcement Executive Development Association.

He serves on the Board of Directors of the Literacy Council of Central Alabama and the Shelby County Children's Advocacy Center. He and his beautiful wife, Edith have been married for 22 years and are the proud parents of two lovely daughters, Krystle, age fifteen and Amber, age ten.

Chief Roper joins other outstanding Hoover citizens in earning this prestigious award that has been presented in recent years, including Art Headley, Bob Mosca, William H. (Bill) Natter, Sr., and John O'Malley.

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2007 Freedom Award To Be Presented at July 18 Luncheon

The fifth annual Freedom Award will be presented July 19 at the Chamber luncheon. Sponsored again this year by First American Bank (formerly National Bank of Commerce), this award is being presented at the July luncheon to tie in with the spirit of Independence Day (July 4), and with our luncheon speaker, Randy Hillman, of the Alabama District Attorneyës Association Office.

Applications are being accepted at the Chamber until 3:00 p.m. on July 13, with the Freedom Award Committee making the decisions by July 13.

Applicants for this award should be:
A ìrole modelî image - of good character and reputation in the community
Must have shown support for local, state, and federal government
Must have promoted ideals of freedom through this support
Must have given long-term service to these ideals, not just a one-time effort
Must have supported the U.S. military through either support to or service in the military
Must be a Hoover resident, an employee of the City of Hoover, or employee of a Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce member.

Three finalists, along with their spouse or significant other, will be invited to attend the luncheon as guests of the Chamber and First American Bank. All three will be recognized at the luncheon, with the final winner being the recipient of the 2007 Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce Freedom Award. The application is available on the Chamberís web site at www.hooverchamber.org, or can be emailed to anyone interested in nominating someone for this important award. Copies can be picked up at the Chamber office or sent by mail. Contact the Hoover Chamber at 988-5672 for more information.

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2005 Freedom Award To Be Presented July 20
2005 Freedom Award Nominees were (l-r) Ron Bradstreet, luncheon speaker Rear Admiral Jack Natter, Buddy Janovsky, 2005 Chamber President Greg Meineke, and (seated) 2005 Freedom Award Winner Bill Natter, Sr.

The only Patriotic Award of the Hoover Chamber, the Freedom Award, will be presented July 19 at the Chamber luncheon. Conceived and begun in 2003, this award is being presented at the July luncheon, tying in with the patriotic spirit of Independence Day. This luncheon and the award are sponsored by First American Bank.

Applications are being accepted at the Chamber until July 12, with the Freedom Award Committee making the decisions by July 13.

Applicants for this award:

- Must be a ìrole modelî - of good character and reputation in the community
- Must have shown support for local, state, and federal government
- Must have promoted ideals of freedom through this support
- Must have given long-term service to these ideals, not just a one-time effort
- Must have supported the U.S. military through either support to, or service in the military
- Must be a Hoover resident, an employee of the City of Hoover, or employee of a Hoover - Chamber of Commerce member.

Please click here for the Nomination Form in .pdf Format

Freedom Award Winners from the past include Art Headley in 2003, Bob Mosca in 2004, Bill Natter, Sr., in 2005, and John O'Malley in 2006. Applications for this important award are available in the Chamber office, or on the Chamber website at http://www.hooverchamber.org. Three finalists, along with their spouse or significant other, will be invited to attend the luncheon as guests of the Chamber and the July luncheon sponsor, First American Bank, formerly known in this area as National Bank of Commerce. All finalists will be recognized at the luncheon, with the final winner being the recipient of the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce 2007 Freedom Award. For an application, contact the Hoover Chamber at 988-5672.

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O'Malley Wins 2006 Freedom Award

From Left, John and Frances Carter and John O’Malley, 2006 Freedom Award Nominees, are shown with Chamber Executive Director Bill Powell at the July 2006 Freedom Award Luncheon.

John O'Malley, A resident of Hoover and an active member of the Hoover Chamber, through his own consulting company, Strategic Visions, was recognized at the July 20 Chamber Luncheon as the winner of the 2006 Freedom Award. He served in the U.S. Marines from 1961 to 1965, in Viet Nam having left the Marine Corps as a sergeant.
John has demonstrated a passion for speaking out about patriotism and helping our veterans, and more importantly; telling their stories. He is the author of the soon to be published "Men of Men: Stories of Courage" - a book about Congressional Medal of Honor recipients with ties to Alabama. The net revenue from book sales is donated to the Veterans Medical Center in Birmingham to help veterans in need.
He makes presentations about Alabama's Medal of Honor recipients to many organizations, schools, clubs and other associations to promote patriotism and to share the stories. He has been involved with the Alabama Veterans Memorial Foundation since 2001, having served on its board in 2004 and 2005, and was instrumental in creating a searchable database of the names listed on the memorial walls to expedite locating names on the walls
He conceived and coined the term "Alabama Veterans Memorial Trail" and has created the initial map of all major Alabama veteran/military memorials, museums, highways, and bridges named in honor of veterans and wars, and is working toward developing an official state map of this information.
In addition, John is the founder and Executive Director of the Alabama War Dogs Memorial Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, charged with erecting a memorial monument in tribute to the seven Alabama war dog handlers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War.

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Also nominated this year for the Chamber's Freedom Award were a couple, John & Frances Carter of Hoover, both retired professors from Samford University. John was a combat Army paratrooper during WWII from 1942-1945, earning the rank of sergeant while serving, as well as five battle stars and the bronze arrowhead.
Frances did not serve in the military, but actually worked as "Rosie the Riveter" on B-29 airplanes at what is now Pemco Aeroplex at the Birmingham Airport. In 1998, she founded the American Rosie the Riveter Association, comprised of women who worked to support the war effort during WWII and their female descendants. They now have some 2,300 members in 49 states, with chapters in several major cities - 67 members in the Birmingham chapter.
She has served as assistant state director for the American Association of Retired Persons, and in 1977 she was selected as Birmingham Woman of the Year; in 1980 she was Birmingham Volunteer of the Year; in 2001 she was named to the Alabama Seniors Hall of Fame in Montgomery; and in 2004 she received the Lillian K. Keil Award for her service during WWII and for founding Rosie the Riveter Association.

In 1973, John won the Civil Air Patrol's Frank G. Brewer Award as the outstanding aerospace educator in America. In 1982 he was inducted into the Crown Circle of the National Congress on Aerospace Education, sponsored by NASA, Civil Air Patrol, the National Air and Space Museum, and the Federal Aviation Administration; and in 1969, as an Alabama resident, was elected to the New York Academy of Sciences.
Working Together, they served in the following capacities: Long-time members and leaders of Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge; Each as served over 20 years in the Civil Air Patrol, Auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force; John served as pilot on search and rescue missions; Frances as airborne searcher; John served as director of Aerospace Education for Alabama Wing and Southeast Region (six states); Fran served as Public Affairs Officer and Director of Information and as Director of Aerospace Education for Alabama Wing; Each attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
They speak frequently to school groups, aged kindergarten through college; civic organizations, veterans groups, etc., on topics related to WWII. They have taught for 15 years in the English classes for internationals at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, and served as directors of that program. They also have conducted many workshops in areas of the state to train teachers of English-as-a-second-language.
They established the International Book Project of Samford University in 1987, and have operated it ever since - sending more than 2,000 books just this year to school libraries on the Gulf Coast that were destroyed or damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Hoover is truly blessed to have such outstanding people as residents!

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2006 Freedom Award To Be
Presented July 20

The fourth annual Freedom Award will be presented July 20 at the Chamber luncheon. Sponsored again this year by First American Bank (formerly National Bank of Commerce), this award is being presented at the July luncheon to tie in with the spirit of Independence Day (July 4), and with our patriotic luncheon speaker, Major General Dick Burleson (Ret).
Applications are being accepted at the Chamber until 3:00 p.m. on July 13, with the Freedom Award Committee making the decisions by July 14.
Applicants for this award should be:
A ìrole modelî image - of good character and reputation in the community
Must have shown support for local, state, and federal government
Must have promoted ideals of freedom through this support
Must have given long-term service to these ideals, not just a one-time effort
Must have supported the U.S. military through either support to or service in the military
Must be a Hoover resident, an employee of the City of Hoover, or employee of a Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce member.

Three finalists, along with their spouse or significant other, will be invited to attend the luncheon as guests of the Chamber and First American Bank. All three will be recognized at the luncheon, with the final winner being the recipient of the 2006 Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce Freedom Award. The application is available on the Chamber's web site at www.hooverchamber.org, or can be emailed to anyone interested in nominating someone for this important award. Copies can be picked up at the Chamber office or sent by mail. Contact the Hoover Chamber at 988-5672 for more information.

Freedom Award Winners from the past include Art Headley in 2003, Bob Mosca in 2004, and Bill Natter, Sr., in 2005. Applications for this important award are available in the Chamber office, or on the Chamber website at http://www.hooverchamber.org. Three finalists, along with their spouse or significant other, will be invited to attend the luncheon as guests of the Chamber and the July luncheon sponsor, First American Bank, formerly known in this area as National Bank of Commerce. All finalists will be recognized at the luncheon, with the final winner being the recipient of the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce 2006 Freedom Award. For an application, contact the Hoover Chamber at 988-5672, or go to the above listed website.

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2004 Freedom Award Winner
Bob Mosca, 2nd from left, was presented the award by Inaugural Freedom Award Winner Art Headley at the July Luncheon last year. Shown l-r are nominees Army Reserve Lt. Colonel Lynn Thomas (ret); Bob Mosca, Executive Director and Founder of the Alabama Veterans Memorial Foundation; Naval Reserve Captain Art Headley (ret), 2003 Freedom Award Winner; Army Reserve Major General Dick Burleson (ret); and (active) Army Reserve Captain Dale Holsombeck, who also is currently a Hoover Police Officer.

2004 Freedom Award To Be Presented July 21
Art Headley, left, was recognized as the inaugural recipient of the Freedom Award in 2003. Shown presenting the award to Headley is Hoover Assistant Police Chief (then Captain) and Army Reserve Major A. C. Roper.)

The only Patriotic Award of the Hoover Chamber, the Freedom Award, will be presented July 21 at the Chamber luncheon. Conceived and begun in 2003, this award is being presented at the July luncheon, tying in with the patriotic spirit of Independence Day. This luncheon and the award are sponsored by First American Bank.

Applications are being accepted at the Chamber until July 13, with the Freedom Award Committee making the decisions by July 18.
Applicants for this award:
Must be a "role model" - of good character and reputation in the community
Must have shown support for local, state, and federal government
Must have promoted ideals of freedom through this support
Must have given long-term service to these ideals, not just a one-time effort
Must have supported the U.S. military through either support to or service in the military
Must be a Hoover resident, an employee of the City of Hoover, or employee of a Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce member.
Applications for this important award are available in the Chamber office, or click here for PDF file. Three finalists, along with their spouse or significant other, will be invited to attend the luncheon as guests of the Chamber and the July luncheon sponsor, First American Bank, formerly known in this area as National Bank of Commerce. All finalists will be recognized at the luncheon, with the final winner being the recipient of the Hoover Chamber of Commerce 2005 Freedom Award. For an application, contact the Hoover Chamber at 988-5672.