Think of almost any organization in Petal, and Ione Bond has probably had a hand in founding it or building its success, including the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Southeast Mississippi, the Petal Education Foundation and several others.
So it’s no surprise as to why officials from the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce honored Bond with the Bobby Runnels Leadership Award the chamber’s annual banquet, held last week at Petal Civic Center. The award, which has been given out annually for the past 25 years, honors an individual who best personifies the qualities of the Friendly City.
“All I can say is I’m glad God led us to Petal, Mississippi, over 40 years ago,” said Bond, whose son flew in from out of state for the banquet to surprise her. “When we came here, (my husband) Abe was working in Laurel, but we couldn’t find a house in Laurel.
“And I know why – because we ended up in Petal, and it has just been the best place for our family ever. This is a great honor, and I appreciate it so much.”
Bond served on the board of directors of the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce and on the Funds and Distribution Committee for United Way SEMS. She also held a stint as president of the Petal Education Foundation and was on the steering committee for Petal Excel By 5, a program designed for families of Pre-K children that identifies gaps in community resources and addresses children’s needs in education, safetyand health care.
Bond was a board member Homes of Hope for Children, a Lamar County organization that serves children in crisis throughout Mississippi by providing homes to those children on its campus.
Bond spent 31 years in the Petal School District as teacher, assistant principal, principal and assistant superintendent, and was named as Administrator of the Year during her time there. She served as grand marshal of the Petal High School homecoming parade and was listed in the Manchester Who’s Who registry of top executives and professionals.
Bond still remains active in the Petal School District’s athletics, music and fine arts departments, and as a member of her church.
“(Ione) is really on top of the cloud,” said Deborah Reynolds, last year’s Bobby Runnels award winner, who presented bond with the award. “She is a fantastic individual who has worked in more ways in the Petal community than you would probably ever know.
“She’s not originally from Petal, but her and her husband chose to make Petal their home. We’re really glad that they did, because of all the things she’s helped do and helped start. She has worked so tirelessly for us in Petal.”
The Bobby Runnels Leadership Award is given to someone who serves the community through church, family, school, civic clubs or the chamber, and the name of the recipient is kept a secret until each year’s banquet. The award is named for Bobby Runnels, who served on Petal’s first elected board of aldermen and as mayor pro tem while then-mayor Jack Gay served in Desert Storm.
In addition to that award, officials honored DeReginald Keon Williamson as Police Officer of the Year and Chris Shows as Firefighter of the year during the banquet.
Williamson started his law enforcement career with the Ellisville Police Department, where he was also awarded with an Officer of the Year award, before joining the Petal Police Department last year. He currently serves as a patrolman and a member of the department’s SWAT team.
“I feel pleased and honored to receive this award, especially with this being my first year to work for the Petal Police Department,” Williamson said. “It was a surprise, and I’d like to thank the mayor, Chief (Matthew) Hiatt and the department for nominating me for this award.”
Shows is a 27-year-old native of Petal who has been married to his wife, Heather, for five years. He joined Petal Fire Department last year and graduated at the top of his class at the Mississippi State Fire Academy with a background in mechanics.
“I love it – it’s a big honor,” Shows said. “It was a surprise – I had just got out of the fire academy.”
