Henry Toy named Person of the Year

Henry Toy has been honored as the Person of the Year by the Mountain Home Black History Committee.

Retired Chief Master Sergeant Henry Toy will be honored as the Person of the Year at this Friday's annual Black History Banquet in Mountain Home.

The event, and the award, are sponsored by the Mountain Home Black History Committee. The formal-attire banquet is one of the top social events of the year.

The banquet will be held this Friday, Feb. 18, at the Elk's Lodge in Mountain Home. Social hour is 6:30-7:45 p.m., with dinner following. Tickets are $20 each and may be purchased from Mildred McNeal, 587-3227, or from any Black History Committee member.

Although the event celebrates Black history, organizers point out, it is also American history. This year's program will follow the theme of "Living Together Is An Art."

The occasion also traditionally features the announcement of the winners of the Martin Luther King Award and the Thurgood Marshall Award, which are not announced in advance.

The outgoing and always smiling Toy will receive the prestigious honor as the group's Person of the Year in recognition of his civic and community contributions over the years.

Among other things, Toy is a member of the Board of Trustees of the First Congregational Church and a member of the Board of Directors, Elmore Medical Center Foundation. He also is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the powerful Military Affairs Committee.

He is active in the local Masonic organizations as a member of Sabre Lodge No. 7 (PHA), of the Grand Lodge of Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, Inc.

He has served as an executive committee member of the Treasure Valley NAACP Branch, where he is a life member, and has been the chairman of that group's Armed Services and Veteran Affairs Health Political Affairs committee, as well as holding a number of other committee positions for the organization. He also serves as a member of the advisory board of the Idaho Black History Museum in Boise.

Toy's military career was focused in aircraft maintenance and support. Among his duties during his long career in the Air Force he was a member of the Major Air Command Maintenance Standar- dization Evaluation Team and an Aircraft Maintenance Material Control Branch Chief.

The featured speaker at the banquet will be Col. Michael Hoyes, now chief of scheduling for special events, out of Langley AFB, Va. He was a young lieutenant when he was stationed at Mountain Home AFB flying F-111s.

As the Chief of the ACC Scheduling and Aerial Events Division, Col. Hoyes' is division is responsible for the development of the Combat Air Forces Consolidated Planning Order (CPO) using the Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF) construct. His division is also the OPR for the Thunderbirds, ACC demonstration teams, Orientation Flights and other events.

He is a master navigator with over 3,000 flying hours in a variety of aircraft, including the T-37, T-43A, B-1, F4 series, F-15B/D, F-16B/D, F-I I IA/F, and the F-15E. He was the Operations Officer of the F-15E Division at the USAF Weapons School, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. After that assignment Colonel Hoyes was selected for two command positions at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado; Commander, 50th Training Squadron, then Commander, Cadet Group 1; followed by assignments as Deputy Commander 34th Training Group, Deputy Commander 34th Support Group, and Acting Vice Commandant of Cadets. Following assignments at the Academy, Colonel Hoyes became Deputy Commander, 3rd Operations Group, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Aliaska.