Greenville City Councilman Jeddo Bell was honored with the John D. Murphy Citizen of the Year Award presented by the Greenville Jaycees at the Main Street Supper Thursday night.

Main Street President Nancy Idland announced the winner of the award and commented that the recipient is "a man very deserving of the award."

Bell is a retired teacher from the Butler County School System who now serves on the Greenville City Council. He received one of the first WSFA Class Act Award in 1996 and has been named Butler County Teacher of the Year ten times.

Bell said he is very surprised he was recognized with the honor.

"I cannot believe it," he said. "It was a pleasure to just be nominated for the award, let alone win it!"

Bell moved to Greenville years ago from Andalusia and said he commented once in a meeting "I have always believed that Andalusia is the center of the universe

that is until I realized that Greenville is the sun."

Susan Murphy, widow of the late John D. Murphy, said she was very happy with the announcement that Bell had been chosen to receive the award.

"I was very, very pleased with Jeddo winning," she said. "I was very pleased. I think the Jaycees have done a wonderful job with choosing the nominees, not just for last night, but for every year it has been awarded. Jeddo is very deserving. I don't think they could have picked a better person."

Bell commented he loves Greenville and the people of Greenville.

In addition to the award presentations, Idland said it is the people who make Greenville great. She said that while preparing for the event and making decisions about the program, she asked some of her friends and citizens of Greenville to speak at the event about their favorite things about Greenville. Although most declined to speak, they gave their opinions on the best things about Greenville.

"The one thing that many of the individuals came back to was people," she said. "It is the people who make this city great. It is you."

Next, the Volunteer of the Year Award went to Jill Stallworth, horticulturist for the City of Greenville, and the Sasanqua Garden Club received the Great Greenville Main Street Award.

Last year's winners included Allen Stephenson, recipient of the John D. Murphy Citizen of the Year Award; Tom Braxton, Volunteer of the Year and Roberta Gamble, who was awarded the Great Greenville Main Street Award.

This year's event was the third annual Main Street Supper held by Greenville Main Street. It is held each year at The Martin House, located on Commerce Street. The supper is an opportunity for Greenville citizens to come together, meet one another and get to know others in the community.