Dallas County High School senior Preston Parker McGee was named the 2019 Paul M. Grist Boy of the Year at a banquet on Tuesday at Wallace Community College-Selma.

McGee joins many other winners that have been named annually since 1949.

“I’m very honored to receive this award,” said McGee. “Paul M. Grist was a very great man and I know his legacy in this community will be everlasting. I appreciate everything that the board of directors of the YMCA does especially for this community of Dallas County and Selma. I can only hope that I live up to part of the greatness that Paul Grist was.”

Selma Housing Authority Executive Director Kennard Randolph was the keynote speaker at the event.

He encouraged all the nominees to know that the sky is the limit.

“This is a major moment in your life,” he said. “The question is what have you learned? What have you seen? What will you do next? What will be your legacy? How will you make the next chapter of your life count? These are important questions. At your age, I wasn’t thinking about these questions.

“If I could look back at your age, I would look at my legacy and what my future entailed,” Kennard said. “Believe in your dream and in yourself even if no one else does. Sometimes people are not going to understand your dream. What the world may deem as crazy today may become the world’s greatest discovery or invention tomorrow. If you don’t believe in you, you won’t be able to make it through challenges that will definitely come your way.”

William W. Young, Esq. also spoke to the nominees.

“Your charge is very clear,” Young said. “Put God first. Always remember to keep the faith and to help others and remember to watch your thoughts because your thoughts become your words. Watch your words because your words become your actions. Watch your actions because your actions become your habits. Watch your habits because your habits become your character and watch your character because your character determines your destiny.”

Along with McGee, the nominees were Hayden Cole from Dallas County High School; Jason Jahmal Holmes Jr. and Gary Lamar Crum Jr. from Ellwood Christian Academy; Levi Thomas Jr from Keith High School; Park Thetford Chittom III and Belal Hammad of Morgan Academy; Maximus Jones and Javon Strong of Selma High School and Marquise Smiley of Southside High School.