By: James Pruitt
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
One of Delta’s most active couples have been named as Citizens of the Year, by the Delta Area Chamber of Commerce.
The honor was based on the pair’s track record of service over the years, Sharon Moore of the Chamber said. “They have been a huge part of the Delta community.”
“We’re very excited about and pleased that they picked us,” Marcy LeFevre said about the honor she and husband Jay received.
“Maybe its longevity, we’ve both been active in the community for well over 30 years,” Jay said. “We have always tried doing things that will better the community and serve people.”
Marcy served as president of the chamber for 10 years, and participated in it since the 1970s. She was on the village council for 16 years as well
“We are pretty involved in the community,” Jay said.
For Jay, it mostly involved teaching. He came to Delta in 1979 for a teaching job and stayed ever since. He was superintendent of the school district for three years. He is now interim superintendent at Woodmore Schools.
During his tenure, Pike-Delta York Local Schools received its first ever ODE “Excellence with Distinction” award as well as “Schools of Promise” recognition for the high school.
He played a major role in the district’s shift to integrative technology by securing an ODE “Straight A Innovation Grant,” working with a consortium of area districts, which provided $224,000 in revenue to Pike-Delta-York, to establish an online academy and provide state-of-the-art technology for all students, according to a press release from Woodmore.
At Delta, he was a baseball coach mainly, but he also coached varsity cross country, junior high football and high school golf,
“A wide range of things over the years,” Jay said.
Jay and another person started a program called Supercamp back in the mid-70s. The program involved many sports and activities for youth.
“Whatever we could do to serve,” Jay said.
Jay and Marcy were married in 1984, and Jay has been living in town since 1980. Marcy is a lifelong resident with most of her family living in town.
The couple’s children and grandchildren are scattered, so Delta serves as a base for the family.
But what keeps them living here for all these years?
“It’s a safe, friendly community,” Jay said. “Nice parks and good schools. You can to ‘the city’ pretty quickly, so it has worked out OK.
“We have loved living here.”
James Pruitt may be reached at
publisher@thevillagereporter.com