Contact Information:
Humboldt Chamber of Commerce
Amanda Love
731-784-1842
amanda@humboldtchamber.com
New Honorees Will Be Inducted During 83rd Annual West TN Strawberry Festival
The Humboldt Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the 2021 Inductees into the Humboldt Hall of Fame. This year’s class includes Dr. Kit Mays, Coach Thomas Boykin and Commander Justin Allen who will be honored at a ceremony inside the First United Methodist Church of Humboldt at 5PM on Thursday, May 6th as part of the 83rd West Tennessee Strawberry Festival.
Dr. Kit Sanford Mays is a graduate of Humboldt High School and a 1972 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. Dr. Mays is an Interventional Pain Management Specialist and Anesthesiologist in Memphis with affiliations with many hospitals including Baptist Memorial and Methodist Healthcare Hospitals. In the early 1980s, he left his position as director of U.T.’s Pain Clinic to form his own private practice. He was joined a few years later by his friend and colleague Dr. Moacir Schnapp to eventually form the Mays & Schnapp Pain Clinic and Rehabilitation Center. It became one of the first pain management clinics in North American to be accredited by CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) and remains the only one within a 500-mile radius of Memphis. Dr. Mays is the recipient of many honors and recognitions in his 47 years of medical practice.
Coach Thomas Ray Boykin was a 1969 graduate from Stigall High School in Humboldt. After graduating from Lane College in 1973, he began his long career in the Humboldt City School System. After teaching General Science for ten years, he accepted the Head Coach position for the Jr. High Boys Basketball team while simultaneously becoming the Jr. High’s Assistant Principal for fourteen years. In 1997, he accelerated to Humboldt High’s Boys Basketball Coach and Assistant Principal. In 2013, he reached the pinnacle of his career when his HHS Vikings team won the TSSAA State Boys Championship. His leadership and standing as a father figure for players and others both on and off the court made him a role model for many until his retirement in 2014. In 2018, the Humboldt Jr/Sr High School Gym was dedicated to the Coach and renamed the Thomas Ray Boykin Gymnasium.
Commander Justin Allen graduated from Humboldt High School in 1996 and the U.S. Naval Academy in 2000. After achieving his “wings” as a Naval Aviator in 2003 and receiving additional training, his first operational deployment was onboard the USS Harry Truman in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The next stop was at the US Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) then onto a stint as Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor. He was later assigned to the USS George Bush in support of the multiple efforts in the 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility. His leadership skills led him to various responsibilities throughout his career such as Safety Officer, Administrative Officer, Operations Officer and later Fire Support Officer at Naval Special Warfare Command where he directly supported Naval Special Warfare Joint Terminal Attack Control training. His decorations include two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, Air Medals (two Strike/Flight awards), Joint Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two awards), Navy and Marine Corp Achievement Medal (two awards) and various other unit campaign awards. Commander Allen now resides in Medina with his wife Tracey and two sons Gage and Porter.
The Humboldt Chamber invites all to attend the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony during this year’s West Tennessee Strawberry Festival. As this is an indoor event, social distancing is encouraged.
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Due to the cancellation of the 2020 West Tennessee Strawberry Festival, the Hall of Fame induction ceremony was postponed until this year. All honorees were then rolled-over to 2021. To qualify for consideration by the Humboldt Chamber of Commerce’s Hall of Fame Committee, all nominees must have been born and/or raised in Humboldt, have made an outstanding contribution to the state of Tennessee or the nation and have brought positive recognition to themselves and the city of Humboldt. The Humboldt Chamber is proud to continue this important tradition at the 83rd West Tennessee Strawberry Festival.
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