The Falls Church City Republican Committee honored five local citizens yesterday at a reception at the Italian Cafe on Lee Highway. The honorees were Margarette Shovlin, Lindy Hockenberry, Nikki and Ed Henderson and Betty Coll.

Shovlin was honored for serving as chairman and secretary of the City’s Electoral Board, co-founding the day care center at St. James Catholic Church and for her work as treasurer and leadership committee member of the local Republican Committee. She has recently taken on new volunteer work with The Little City C.A.T.C.H. Foundation.

Hockenberry was recognized for her long and innovative service to Falls Church. Currently, she is a member of the Planning Commission. Previously, she was a City Council member, served in several volunteer positions and was a longtime and beloved George Mason High School teacher. She championed the creation of the Youth Reps Program, which is administered by Citizens for a Better City and has placed 19 Mason students on various commissions, boards and civic groups.

The Hendersons of the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation and the Tinner Hills Blues Festival were recognized for their efforts to document the many contributions of African-Americans to Falls Church’s early years as a settlement and now a City and for their work in building the monument commemorating the founding in Falls Church of the first rural branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, for their service on boards and commissions (Nikki is a member of the The Little City C.A.T.C.H. Humanities Council board and Ed is a member of the Community Issues Forum steering committee.)

“Mostly, however, they were recognized for the countless little things they do that we only occasionally learn about,” said the Falls Church City Republican Commitee in a press release about the award recipients.

Betty Coll is past-chairman of the Falls Church City Democratic Committee. She guided the Committee through a difficult period and reached out to other civil and service groups. She was vital to the formation of the Community Issues Forum, which conducts non-partisan information meetings involving citizens, public officials and candidates.