&8220;A man does what he must &045;&045; in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures &045;&045; and that is the basis of all human morality.&8221;

-John F. Kennedy

In the forward he wrote for his brother, President John F. Kennedy&8217;s book Profiles in Courage, Robert F. Kennedy wrote, &8220;Courage is the virtue that President Kennedy most admired. He sought out those people who had demonstrated in some way, whether it was on a battlefield or a baseball diamond, in a speech or fighting for a cause, that they had courage that they would stand up, that they could be counted on.&8221;

Kennedy&8217;s inspiring words still ring true today in a society where courageous acts are far too uncommon. Fortunately, we live in a community, Shelby County, where friends, neighbors, strangers and leaders have and continue to exhibit courage in how they go about living their lives and serving our county.

To be sure, the &8220;Profile&8221; of Shelby County and its people is pleasing to the eye and the spirit.

The newspaper you are holding in your hands today is our largest single edition of the year; one that gives us the opportunity to produce some of our best work: from writing, to advertising design, to printing, to distribution. It is the culminating event of months of work.

Entitled Profile, our hope is that this special publication helps to tell our community&8217;s story in words and photos.

The edition includes several unique stories that, we hope, help us all to gain a better understanding of where it is we call home and the people who make it special.

Considered the highlight of the edition to many is the announcement of Shelby County&8217;s Person of the Year.

While never an easy selection, we expect you will find this year&8217;s recipient most worthy of the honor; many of you very likely have been directly impacted by this individual&8217;s life and the courage with which it has been lived. The full story can be found on page five of the Profile edition inside today&8217;s newspaper.

It has been an exciting challenge to bring this special edition to you; one that I expect you will find was worth the effort. It certainly was our pleasure to bring it to you.