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The Andalusia Rotary Club recently presented its Spirit of Andalusia award to Brenda House Gouge.

Gouge was recognized for her work promoting patriotism in Andalusia.

She and her husband, Stan, moved to Andalusia in 2012. She quickly became involved in the Old Three Notch Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and became Chapter Regent.

With Gouge at the helm, the DAR led the effort for Andalusia to up its patriotic game. The group first purchased red, white, and blue banners to be displayed on lampposts downtown between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. They convinced the City of Andalusia to allow its fire hydrants to be painted in patriotic colors and then got to work getting them sponsored and painted. Gouge founded and organizes the annual Fourth of July parade, which has grown significantly each year and is now one of the city’s most patriotic events.

She is also a member of the Covington Veterans Foundation Board and lent her considerable organizational skills to the coordination of volunteers for the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall last year.

“She is the consummate behind-the-scenes person and the kind of person this award is designed to recognize,” said Judge Ben Bowden, who serves on the Rotary Foundation Board which makes the award selection. “She works hard and gets things done.”

Gouge traces her ancestry to the pilgrims on the Mayflower in both her maternal and paternal lines and may be the most patriotic American in Andalusia. Her red, white, and blue decorations are eternal, and her wedding anniversary is July 4. Her next goal is to get the city’s crosswalks painted red, white, and blue.

A native of Missouri, Gouge has lived all over the world, including some growing-up years in New Zealand. She graduated from Amarillo College with a degree in court reporting and was the court reporter for the 191st District Court in the state of Texas for 30 years. After retiring from the state, she signed on as a lead captioner for VITAC, the leading captioning company in the United States. Her captioning is seen on national television as well as in professional NFL, NBA, and NHL stadiums, and in meetings for large corporations.

The Gouges have a son, Mark, and a daughter, Lesan.

The Spirit of Andalusia Award was established in 2005 as a means to honor people outside of the Rotary Club who make a difference in the community. The Andalusia Rotary Club also honors recipients of this award with a Paul Harris Fellow designation from Rotary International.

For more information visit the Andalusia Rotary Club’s Facebook page.