Longtime Habersham business, civic, religious leader dies

CORNELIA - A retired longtime business, civic and religious leader in Habersham County has died at the age of 94 following an extended period of declining health.

Henry "Calvin" Stovall, Jr. of Cornelia died Sunday.

Stovall was the retired President and Chief Executive Officer of Stovall Motor Company and Stovall Tractor Company, both companies that had been founded by his father. He began his automotive career in 1946 after his release from active duty in the U.S. Army.

Stovall served as President of the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association in 1975 and 1976. He was the State of Georgia’s Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award winner in 1974 and was honored by Ford Motor Company on many occasions earning 13 Ford Distinguished Achievement Awards. He represented dealers of the Southeastern Region on the Ford National Dealer Council in 1970.

He served as President of both the Habersham County Chamber of Commerce and the Cornelia Kiwanis Club, and served on the Board of the Cornelia Housing Authority for 40 years. Appointed by Governor Carl Sanders to the State of Georgia Commission on Aging in 1966, he served in that capacity for a six-year term. Governor Jimmy Carter appointed Calvin to the Council on Aging for the Department of Human Resources from 1972-1975. From its inception in the early 1950s, Calvin served on the Executive Committee and as a officer of Wesley Homes, Inc., a United Methodist organization of the North Georgia Conference to care for the aging.

In 1974, Calvin was named by the Supreme Court of Georgia to serve on the State Disciplinary Board of the State Bar of Georgia for a two-year term. He was one of the first three lay members who were appointed to serve on this board.

A longtime supporter of his alma mater, the University of Georgia, Calvin contributed his financial support to the "Memorial Garden" project honoring service men and women who served our country during World Wars. He was a strong advocate and dedicated supporter of Piedmont College as well.

Calvin also served his church in virtually every capacity a layman can. Most recently, he served on the Long-Range Planning Committee of the Cornelia United Methodist Church, and, for the last few years, served on the Administrative Board as the church’s representative to the Habersham Christian Learning Center’s Board of Trustees. In 2008, he was elected an honorary lifetime member of the Administrative Board.

He also served as both the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Community Bankshares, Inc. In April 2007 he was named Chairman Emeritus of the bank holding company. He also served on the board of Community Bank & Trust since 1967 and the board of Financial Supermarkets, Inc. from its inception in 1984.

A memorial service will be held at the Cornelia United Methodist Church at 11:00 Tuesday.

(A full obituary can be found on the Obituaries page of this Web site.)