For more than a month, members of the Plant City Kiwanis Club and other local civic clubs had kept the 2015 Citizen of the Year’s identity a secret, but they revealed at a Wednesday, Feb. 11 ceremony that they had voted to honor W.D. “Dub” McGinnes.
“The Lord has blessed me in so many ways,” McGinnes said. “He’s blessed me with an incredible family, and I just want to thank all of them for the support.”
McGinnes was born and raised in Plant City. He graduated from Plant City High School in 1965 and earned a degree in business administration from the University of Florida in 1970. Both of his daughters also graduated from PCHS and UF.
McGinnes graduated from UF with honors as a second lieutenant, and served in active duty. He then returned to Plant City to take up the family business.
McGinnes’ father, D.W. McGinnes Sr., founded Sunshine Bank. McGinnes is now the director of Sunshine Bank and Sunshine Bancorp Inc.
Also following his father’s legacy, McGinnes is current chairman of the South Florida Baptist Hospital Board of Trustees, and a member of the South Florida Baptist Foundation Board. McGinnes Sr., with a group of other community members, was involved in starting the hospital.
“That’s where their interest and where their hearts were, as well as the church,” McGinnes’ sister, Mary Jane Hoffman, said. “He did follow granddaddy’s footsteps in a lot of ways.”
In fact, McGinnes Sr. was honored as the fifth Citizen of the Year, in 1964.
McGinnes’ dedication to the community is also evident in the number of organizations in which he had served.
It was appropriate that the award ceremony was held at the Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds, because McGinnes is a Strawberry Festival Redcoat. He is a deacon and Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church. In the past, McGinnes has served as an officer in the Plant City Lions Club, president of the Plant City High School Athletic Booster Club, a director for the United Way and a leader for numerous other organizations and boards.
“Here are a few words that have been used to describe our recipient,” Michael Cameron, last year’s winner, said. “Patient, discerning, a good listener, wise, slow to anger … humble, eloquent, a loving husband and a wonderful father.”
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.