Charlie DeGrandpre, who came to Freeport in 1968 to run an organic beef operation at Wolfe’s Neck Farm, was among the civic leaders recognized on Jan. 28 at the Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce annual meeting.

DeGrandpre won the 2014 Edward M. Bonney Community Contribution Award, given to a Freeport resident who “has a history of investment in Freeport and beyond and who has made a serious commitment to public service throughout their time in Freeport.”

Wilson “Woody” Woodbury, owner of Freeport True Value Hardware, won the Volunteer of the Year Award, and George Denney, one of the founding fathers of modern-day Freeport, took the L.L. Bean Community Involvement Award.

The Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce filled the Hilton Garden Inn ballroom with guests, who dined on barbecue and dressed in country-western garb.

David Herring, executive director of Wolfe’s Neck Farm, presented the Bonney Award, established two years ago, to DeGrandpre. Bonney himself won the award last year.

“It was October of 1968 when Mr. and Mrs. L.M.C. Smith invited Charlie DeGrandpre to come to Maine to join them in developing their visionary organic beef farm, with a focus toward educating and demonstrating organic principles, and providing quality organic beef to a national audience,” Herring said. “Charlie brought with him his wife Claire, and four young sons, Rich, Dave, Jim and Chuck. Since the beginning, Charlie appreciated the value of the independent, skilled, and hardworking neighbors in Freeport.

“For Charlie, community service meant hiring, spending, educating, and enhancing our Freeport community at the farm. It was common to see a dozen local teenagers working at the farm and campground each summer. Winters would bring talented neighborhood craftsmen to the farm, who otherwise were lobstermen and carpenters in the summer season.”

Herring noted that in 1986, DeGrandpre was the first recipient of the Beef Producer of the Year Award from the Maine Beef Producers Association.

“Charlie and Claire also inspired their four boys to contribute to the community,” Herring continued.

DeGrandpre, 87, remains an active member of the Freeport American Legion, Wolfe’s Neck Club and St. Jude’s Catholic Church.

Woodbury is an active chamber board member, always welcoming and looking out for new members, and spreading the word on upcoming events. Michelle Barker, also a board member, presented Woodbury with the Volunteer of the Year Award.

Board member Caleb Stephens presented Denney with the L.L. Bean Community Involvement Award, named for a business that has had a “major impact on the fabric of the Freeport business and residential communities.”

Denney brought Cole Haan to Freeport.

“He turned a dormant line of shoes into an international status symbol,” Stephens said.

Denney also started the Freeport Community Improvement Association. The volunteer organization strives to beautify the village, by maintenance of green spaces and pathways, adding visual aesthetics and amenities and preserving the natural character of Freeport as a historic coastal village. He owns the downtown Denney Block, which he is selling to Berenson Associates, developers of Freeport Village Square, a retail complex stores that, along with L.L. Bean, serves as a magnet to shoppers.

The chamber board named Chris Barstow as a new director.

It was also announced that the Tri-Town Weekly is the newest Cornerstone member of the Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce.

Sande Updegraph, executive director of the chamber, said that Cornerstone members make annual donations of $1,000 or more. They also help the chamber plan events, and welcome new members, she said.

“They substantiate what we’re trying to do in the business community,” Updegraph said. “They lend their names to be used alongside the community, and that raises our stature in the community.”

Lee Hews, Tri-Town Weekly publisher, said later that she is pleased with that relationship.

“We are very proud to be a Cornerstone member of the Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce because of the great work that they do with the local business community,” Hews said.

Rich DeGrandpre, left, and George Denney enjoy each other’s company at the Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce annual meeting, held Jan. 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn. Denney won the L.L. Bean Community Involvement Award. DeGrandpre, whose father, Charlie, won the Edward M. Bonney Community Contribution Award, was a longtime member of the Town Council. For more photos, see page 10. Staff photo by Larry Grard