Community-leader couple inducted into Eglin ambassador program

  • Published
  • By Jasmine DeNamur
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  For the first time ever, the Air Armament Center's James E. Plew Outstanding Community Ambassador recognition went to a married couple, who met through their volunteer work supporting the military.

Mike and Elizabeth "Betsy" Roy were recognized amongst their peers and Team Eglin leadership for their unwavering community support of Team Eglin's missions and service members at a Sept. 16 ceremony at the Eglin Golf Club.

"It [the recognition] is very humbling. Seeing the recipients before us makes us realize just how special this is," said Mike.

The award, named after James E. Plew, was established in 2005 to recognize community members who have demonstrated long-term support for Eglin. Plew was a local businessman who leased 137 acres in the early 1930s toward the construction of a joint-use airport, now Eglin's runways, and also donated 1,460 acres for use toward a bombing and gunnery range. The range was later activated in 1935, marking the initial military presence in the area.

Like Plew, the Roys' support of the military spans many years and stems long before their nuptials.

Betsy, a Chattanooga, Tenn., native, came to the local area through her career in the retail business, lending for her current job as the retail manager for Cracker Barrel in Crestview, Fla. Betsy made her biggest mark on Eglin through the Crestview Military Affairs Committee.

During her tenure as chairman of the MAC, she was instrumental in the execution of Eglin's 75th Anniversary events, to include tremendous financial contributions for the installation's 2010 air show. As a member, she has and continues to support the families of deployed troops alongside her husband by providing them complementary group dinners at restaurants in Crestview as part of Eglin's Hearts Apart program.

"I am honored to be recognized. I can't think of a 'most memorable' moment with the military as all events have been memorable," she said.

Mike shared the same sentiment.

"Both of us are very proud to be given the honor. We hope to spread the word in the community about the Team Eglin story. The key is to participate and learn about the heroes we have living in our community," he said.

After a four-year Navy commitment, including three tours in Vietnam, Mike returned to civilian life and joined the Crestview Bryan Pest Control team in 1999, where he has worked since.

Like Betsy, Mike is associated with many civic organizations, to include the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter, Kiwanis Club of Crestview and Crestview Chamber of Commerce, to name a few. He is well known throughout the military community for his support of Eglin's Airmen through his affiliation with the Crestview MAC, where he supports Team Eglin's awards programs and official functions.

His biggest endeavor, as he mentioned when receiving ambassadorship, was meeting Betsy through their volunteer commitments.

"As MAC members we attended many functions at the same time. As time went on, it was evident we liked the same things and started attending together," he said. "One day Col. Dean Clemons (retired 96th Air Base Wing commander) said he would like to perform our marriage ceremony as a joke. That planted the seed, and last October we were married."