The Nansemond-Parkway Civic League will honor two people who have exemplified commitment in serving the community. This year Ethel E. Godwin will be honored as being a pioneer of civic involvement and Vicki C. Wiggins-Pittman, president of the league, will be honored for her commitment and service of

the position of president.

This recognition will take place during the league’s annual fall banquet at 7 p.m. Friday in the C&C Restaurant Banquet Hall, and the Rev. Wendell M. Waller will be the guest speaker. The restaurant is located at 1226 White Marsh Rd., Suite 208.

The theme for the occasion is &uot;Building a Gateway to Community Progress&uot; with a focus on Romans 8:23, which states that all things work together for the good of them who love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.&uot;

Godwin was born in Southampton County to the late John and Annie Bell Everett. She later moved to Nansemond County. She was educated in Nansemond County and is a member of the first graduating class of

the former East Suffolk High School where she was also the first Miss East Suffolk.

She is the widow of Landon Godwin.

She is a former member of Canaan Baptist Church, but is now affiliated with Union Baptist Missionary Church. She is a member of the Senior Choir; a Sunday School superintendent; president of the Rose of Sharon Club; originator of the No. 2 Usher Board; Widows’ Fellowship; and the first Family and Friends Day; the former vice president of the Pastor’s Aide; president of the Beautification Club; vice president of the Federated Flower Club; president of the District Garden Club; a member of the Order of Eastern Star, Diamond Star No. 230; and is a lifetime member of the Nansemond Parkway Civic League.

She had retired from Planters Peanuts as a quality control technician.

Pittman was born in Suffolk to the parents of Vivian E. Wiggins and the late Wilbert Wiggins Sr., and is the youngest of four siblings.

She is also the wife of Stanley D. Pittman. She is a 1981 graduate of the former John Yeates High School and a 1985 graduate of Norfolk State University with a bachelor of arts degree in political science with a concentration in public administration.

She is employed at the City of Suffolk Department of Social Services as a self-sufficiency worker with the Benefits Organization Program. She is a member of Canaan Baptist Church and is the secretary of its Trustee Board.

She is also a member of the J.E. Arrington Mass Choir and Youth Advisory Council. She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Order of Eastern Star, PHA, Diamond Star No. 230-Worthy Matron and president of the Suffolk Chapter of The Links Inc.

The Rev. Wendell M. Waller is a 1980 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University where he majored in political science and is a 1983 graduate of the New England School of Law in Boston, Mass., where he received his Juris Doctorate Degree.

In addition to his legal studies, Waller has also studied at the Andover Newton Theological School, Andover Newton Centre, Mass. He was licensed to preach the gospel in 1978 by Westwood Baptist Church. He was ordained in 1985 by the Baptist General Convention of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. He has been serving as pastor of Christian Home Baptist Church, Windsor, since 1988.

In addition, Waller is chief legal counsel for the Suffolk City School Board, a position that he has held since 1997.

He has served as an instructor at the Baptist Training Union Congress; as president of the Suffolk Bar Assoc.; and as chairman of the Virginia Counsel of School Attorneys.

He is married to Michelle Robinson and they have two children, a son, Juhann, who is a student at North Carolina A&T University, and a daughter, Brittany, who is a sophomore at Nansemond River High School.

In the early ’50s when local blacks were deprived of their voting rights and the right to sit at lunch counters where they spent their hard-earned money, local pioneers sprang to the forefront for justice and equality and rose to the occasion to protect civil rights, marched in rallies and publicly spoke against the injustice of the voting process.

At that time the late Moses Riddick organized a group of concerned citizens that fought for the cause and what we have today – the right to register and vote locally. Riddick also founded the Independent Voters League, which was renamed the Driver Civic League, and is now known as the Nansemond Parkway Civic League.

Tickets for the banquet cost $20 for adults and $15 for children 12 years old and younger. Please obtain 10 tickets from your congregation in supporting this event. Additional tickets can be obtained through the Rev. James Williams, vice president,

at 539-3775 or Beatrice Thomas, banquet coordinator, at 538-3912.

Since Nov. 5th is Election Day, information will be available on site.