The Book of Golden Deeds was amended Friday night to include thename of Catherine Pace Dickey, who won the Brookhaven ExchangeClub’s highest honor for her decades of volunteerism and love forher neighbors.

Dickey’s award was the culmination of the 63rd annual GoldenDeeds Banquet, and like all the other honored servants before her,her first reaction to being given the award was to declare herselfundeserving.

“I do these things because I want to do for people, because somany people have done for me,” she said.

Dickey is well known and appreciated for many reasons, not theleast of which is her tireless service to, and involvement in, theFirst Baptist Church of Brookhaven. She serves on the church’swelcoming committee, greeting and welcoming members and guestsalike at the front doors every Sunday, and reports back everyMonday morning to count the week’s offering on the countingcommittee.

The Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce also enjoysDickey’s services as an ambassador, and she serves as acommissioner on the Mississippi Regional Housing Authority inMcComb.

Every Friday, the kindly Dickey volunteers at King’s DaughtersMedical Center and visits often with friends and neighbors, whetherthey need help in times of need or just want a friend to sitwith.

After all these years, Dickey still gets calls from around theneighborhood when the electricity goes out because of her 35-yearservice to Mississippi Power and Light, now Entergy. Apparently,she can still pull a string or two at the power company.

Dickey has the heart of service, shaped by the Bible and hermother, Martha Pace, who died in 1965.

“That’s what God expects for us Christian people to do,” shesaid. “I want to continue to serve until the Lord calls mehome.”

Harold Gary, chairman of the Brookhaven Exchange Club’s GoldenDeeds Committee, said Dickey shares the same trait all previousGolden Deeds winners have shared – a desire to assist others whileexpecting nothing in return. The winner is chosen in part byletters of recommendations sent to the club from the community, andhe said Dickey received a record number of those letters in2009.

“She’s willing to go the second mile to help someone,” Garysaid.

Dickey is the wife of the late Hugh V. Dickey, an Exchange Clubmember who passed away in 1991. She has one son, Danny Dickey, anorthodontist who practices in Tupelo. Danny and his wife, Betty,have provided her with her greatest joy – three grandchildren andthree great-grandchildren.

The winner of the John L. Leary Service Award for 2009 was BillSmith, who was unable to attend the banquet due to healthreasons.

Charles “Ploochie” Ratliff and Frank Burns were honored forperfect attendance over the course of 63 and 61 years,respectively.