Celebrating Our First Citizens!
This spring saw two different civic organizations recognize some very important people around Towne as their first citizens.
Dwight Schaubach (second from left) was named 2023 Portsmouth First Citizen. Bob Aston (far right), another past honoree and the event emcee, was honored as the Norfolk First Citizen at a different event in April. Dwight Schaubach is Portsmouth’s First Citizen
Across the Elizabeth River, the Portsmouth Service League awarded its 2023 Portsmouth First Citizen award to TowneBank director Dwight C. Schaubach, where Bob Aston served as emcee for the evening. A successful businessman whose ventures have spanned from restaurants to disposal services to golf courses, Dwight has seen and done just about everything in business, and he approaches his success with humility. He has been known to say, “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. The only difference between me and the other guy was that I knew it. I saw what looked like an opportunity and went for it with everything I had.”
He also has valued the importance of paying it forward to make the community a better place. Dwight has been actively involved in more than 50 civic organizations throughout his life, including the Salvation Army, EDMARC, Children’s Museum of Virginia, Portsmouth Museums Foundation, Portsmouth Catholic Regional School, Elizabeth River Project, and The Boys & Girls Clubs, among others. As he told a reporter from The Virginian-Pilot in 2018, “To me, it’s important to remember where you came from,” he says. “If in some small way, I can use my success to help someone else along, then I can walk away feeling like I’ve paid my proper respects.”
Bob Aston is Norfolk’s First Citizen
In April, the Cosmopolitan Club of Norfolk recognized Bob Aston as Norfolk’s First Citizen in Civic Affairs for 2022. At the event, Mayor Kenneth C. Alexander presented Bob with the Distinguished Service Medal to honor his efforts that have made Norfolk a better city. Bob’s daughter Kim Aston provided the invocation and remarks that emphasized the importance of building relationships – something she has seen her dad do throughout her life. She spoke about her dad’s leadership at the bank, as a coach on the basketball court and the baseball field, and in guiding his family. “For me,” Kim said, “the biggest investment my dad has made is in me, my family, and all of you. The dividends from my dad are endless.”
Congratulations to Bob and Dwight on these well-deserved awards!