Chester County Emergency Communica-tions District Director Patricia Ledford was honored with the Clara Hitson award on Friday, Sept. 12, at the 911 office. She was recognized at the state level at the TENA 2025 Educational Conference and Industry Partner Show in Murfreesboro on Tuesday.
The Clara Hitson Award is given to those who have gone above and beyond in both their everyday work as a director and in their effort to further the goals of the Tennessee Emergency Number Association (TENA). The recipient must be a TENA member in good standing and have strong leadership skills in their commitment to work ethics. They must have gone beyond the norm to protect the citizens and property of Tennessee, obtained substantial and sustained results for public safety communications and be someone who contributes to the goals and missions of the TENA organization. Finally, the nominator must document the evidence of the nominee’s actions and accomplishments that fulfill the requirements.
Chole Gage, Assistant Director of Chester County 911, had this to say about Ledford: “She made a promise that dispatch would have a new building and state-of-the-art tech to help better serve the entire county. She kept that promise through her hard work and going above and beyond as a 911 professional. She has made a difference not only for dispatch but for all of Chester County.”
