John Charlton Givens
John Charlton Givens graduated in 1968 from Andrew Lewis High School. John was active in the Monogram Club, Key Club, Beta Club, and the Senior Mirror, and he was a SGA and B’nai Brith representative. He lettered two years in football, three years in basketball, and all four years in track and field, serving as co-captain of the football team and winning the State Basketball Championship his senior year.
After graduating from Andrew Lewis, John pursued a B.S. degree in Business and Marketing at Virginia Tech. At Tech, he joined the Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity and was Head Equipment Manager and Freshman Coach of the football team.
After working initially as a sales representative for Boise Cascade Building Products in North Carolina, John has been the owner of Givens Lumber Company since 1976 and of Givens Professional Home Inspection since 2002. He has been named in the Who’s Who of Small Business Owners. John has served on the Salem City Council since 1995 and as Vice Mayor of Salem since 2006. In 2003, he became a member of the Roanoke College and City of Salem Task Force. He has been active in the First United Methodist Church for many years, once serving on the BD of ADM
John and his wife, Patricia, live in Salem. They have two children, Ashley G. Cross and Chandler G. Kwarta, and two grandchildren, Spencer and Wesley Cross.
In recognition of his outstanding career achievements, John C. Givens is inducted into the 2008 Salem Alumni Hall of Fame established by the Salem Educational Foundation and Alumni Association.
