The Bolton Newland Lunceford/Louise Newland Capen Lifetime Achievement Award

The Bolton Newland Lunceford/Louise Newland Capen Lifetime Achievement Award, GCTE's greatest honor, is bestowed upon individuals who are recognized for a lifetime of distinguished service in the teaching of English and the language arts.

To qualify as a recipient one must be currently teaching or be retired, taught English or language arts for at least 20 years, and have contributed to the growth of their students' intellectual, emotional, and spiritual lives.

The award is named for two special people who were sisters. Originally named after Louise Capen, it was jointly named for her sister, Bolton Lunceford, in 2009.

Sarah Louise Newland Capen (1913-2001) was born in Korea and was a missionary, editor, author, teacher, and public speaker. She worked in China, Thailand, Penang, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and during her career she suffered great hardships and faced many dangers. Mrs. Capon edited mission newspapers, taught English classes, designed and published a Thai-English cookbook with the cooperation of the royal household, designed and supervised the construction of high-rise housing in Singapore for Chinese girls working in factories, and was one of a group setting up the Samaritans of Singapore, a help-line.

Bolton Newland Lunceford (1921-2009) was born in Korea to missionary parents. She was GCTE's beloved treasurer for over 18 years and a former GCTE President. She was an English teacher who established the first adult education program in Taliaferro County, created the first English as a Second Language program for adults in Wilkes County, taught at Truett-McConnell College, was a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Kappa Delta Pi, president of the Washington Little Theater Company, Community Theater Division Chairman, president of the Georgia Theater Conference and recipient of its Distinguished Service Award, the Georgia representative on the Executive Board of the Southeastern Theatre Conference, three times a Star Teacher, the 1979 runner-up for Georgia Teacher of the Year, runner-up for the 1983 Georgia English Teacher of the Year. She taught in Colorado, Oklahoma, Saudi Arabia, Atlanta, Crawfordville, and Washington, Georgia. Wilkes County Little Theater Playhouse in Washington, Georgia was renamed in her honor. She was the first recipient of the Bolton Newland Lunceford/Louise Newland Capen Lifetime Achievement Award.

Previous Winners

2002: Bolton Newland Lunceford
2003: Jean Copland
2004: Tom Liner
2005: Bob Probst
2006: Jim Brewbaker
2007: Alan Perry
2008: Gerald Boyd
2009: Merrill Davis
2010: Patti McWhorter
2011: Jim Hill
2012: Jim Cope
2013: Michael Moore
2014: Cassandra Smith
2015: Kathleen McKenzie
2017: Carolyn Waters
2021: Brenda Logan