Dinner of Champions

HISTORY IN ROANOKE

The Roanoke Dinner of Champions was established in 1991 and continues today as recognition for distinguished local community leaders, corporations and their employees. Friends and colleagues of the honored guests come together for an evening to share experiences and stories of the honorees and raise funds for the National MS Society. To date, the Roanoke Dinner of Champions has raised more than $2.1 million to support local programs and fund MS research.

HONOREES' BIO

The Virginia - West Virginia chapter will host the 25TH annual Dinner of Champions on Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at the Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, VA. Founded in 1972 by Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford, the Dinner of Champions is the premier gala of the National MS Society. The event recognizes individuals and corporations for their commitment to the community and civic responsibility.

Our distinguished honorees for 2016 are Abney S. Boxley, III and Lucy Russell Ellett.

Mr. Abney S. Boxley, III, also known as Ab, has been the President of Boxley Materials Company since 1988 and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. He joined his family's company as a laborer in 1975, and worked as a Management Trainee at the Trego Stone quarry before returning to business school in 1981. After completing his education he served as Superintendant of the Lawyers Road quarry near Lynchburg. His approach to business values long term relationships and employee engagement across the organization. Boxley's Leadership Team is responsible for the growth and development of the organization while the Support Center provides financial and administrative support to the four lines of business. After nearly 124 years in business, Boxley sold to Summit Materials, based in Denver, CO in March of this year. The basic business practices and leadership of Boxley remain in place in the Summit model of federated businesses. Mr. Boxley served as the Chairman and Director of Valley Bank, a subsidiary of Valley Financial Corp. and currently is a director of BNC Bank. He has been a Director of RGC Resources, Inc. since 1994 and Carilion Clinic since 1996 when the Clinic model was adopted. Mr. Boxley finished his B.A. in Economics from Washington & Lee and received an MBA from the University of Virginia in 1983.

Lucy Russell Ellett, a native of the Roanoke Valley, graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman's College, where she majored in biology and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She taught biology in Charlottesville before moving back to Roanoke with her husband Frank. She has taken a leadership role in many community organizations, and has served as President of the Junior League of Roanoke Valley, the Science Museum of Western Virginia, the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge, and Valley Beautiful. She is an active member of Second Presbyterian Church, and has participated as a Board member of Center In The Square, North Cross School, United Way of Roanoke Valley, Foundation for Roanoke Valley, the Garden Club of Virginia, Richfield Retirement Community, and BB&T. Her particular interest has been in conservation, and she was a founder of the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy and the Greenway project in the Roanoke Valley. She has received several awards in the area of conservation including the A. Victor Thomas Environmental Stewardship Award, the deLacy Gray Medal for Conservation from the Garden Club of Virginia, and the Zone VII Conservation Award from the Garden Club of America. In 1986 she was selected Mother of the Year for Arts and Sciences. Lucy is married to Frank T. Ellett, and they have two children and five grandchildren.

Since its inception, the MS Dinner of Champions has raised over $2.1 million in the fight against MS. This event celebrates the courageous spirit of the thousands of men, women and children who battle MS each day, caregivers who strive to improve the quality of life for individuals living with this devastating disease, and volunteers and donors who generously support the chapter’s efforts to find a cure for multiple sclerosis.

If your company is interested in purchasing a table, tickets or sponsoring the event,

please contact Angie Miller.

*Logo and artwork needed by August 15th

Contact information

Angie Miller

angela.miller@nmss.org

434-465-6036