The Selma-Dallas County YMCA is preparing to honor a local young man who exhibits outstanding characteristics.

The Selma-Dallas County YMCA will hold the Paul M. Grist Boy of the Year Award Banquet Thursday, May 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Carl C. Morgan Convention Center.

Bill Porter, CEO of the Selma-Dallas County YMCA, said the award is usually given to a high school senior in Dallas County who displays a number of outstanding characteristics.

“The Paul M. Grist Boy of the Year Award started in 1949 to honor Selma and Dallas County’s most outstanding boy,” Porter said. “The award is based on strength of character, integrity, honesty, academic achievement, discipline and leadership.”

The award was named in honor of Dr. Paul M. Grist, who was born in Marietta, Ga. in 1898 and came to the Selma YMCA in 1919, serving as its physical director until 1934 when he was then named general secretary (CEO or director) until 1964 when he retired.

Grist was integral in further developing the YMCA in Selma, including Camp Grist, and received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from the University of Alabama, and was elected to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1975.

“Dr. Grist was a model of the highest caliber,” Porter said. “His challenge of excellence of service to others was exemplified by his life, and this award was named in his honor and was conceived to recognize those outstanding young men who had already shown by example the characteristics Dr. Grist stood for.”

The keynote speaker for this year’s banquet will be Selma native Mark Peterson.

Peterson is a graduate of Selma High School and became the first African-American winner of the boy of the year award in 1987.

Peterson is also a graduate of Dartmouth College, where he also received his masters from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration.

Peterson also served as a consultant for a number of businesses including General Mills, and has owned and operated a number of businesses, as well as authored his book GUERRILLAPRENEUR: Small Business Strategy For Davids Wanting To Defeat Goliaths.

Porter said Peterson is a good example for this year’s nominees.

“I like to bring in past winners who can talk to the young men of today, especially ones who have accomplished as much as he (Peterson) has in such a short period of time,” Porter said. “He was outstanding as a youth, and he’s outstanding as an adult with many accomplishments. He’s a good example to these young men as he talks to them about life after high school and going forward.”

This year’s nominees for the award include Ladarius Towns and Gregory Page of Selma High School, Rodney Hardy, Jr. and Devante’ Richardson of Southside High School, Tressler D. Givhan and Denzel Jerrod Smiley of Ellwood Christian Academy, Adam King and Oscar Cobb Bostick, Jr. of Morgan Academy, Adam Clayton Pettway of Keith High School, Aimal Jibrail Hayes and Justin Moreland of Dallas County High School, and Cullen Wayne Nickles and Taylor Andrew McNeil of Meadowview Christian School.

Tickets are $20 each and are on sale at the Welcome Desk at the YMCA.

For more information, call 874-9622.