Ashland Optimist Bulletin July 29, 2023
Breakfast: Aug. 5- Carole Iles, Jennifer Lawson, Dorise Slinker
Program- Trent Tracy, Southern Boone Activities Director
Bingo- Aug. 4 ($1,199 night) We will need all of our regulars helping (Let Barrett or me know if you are NOT available, please)
Ashland Christian Church will host their free Back to School Festival next Saturday from 9:00-12:00. They will be giving away school supplies, home goods, and lunch , plus vision screenings, all at no cost. The Mobile Health van will also be there. For more information, there is more information on the Ashland Christian Church Facebook page.
Cattleman Day's Rodeo- Aug. 25 & 26 Amanda Crocker, head of concessions, hopes to have a sign-up sheet up by next week. We will need plenty of Optimist help.
Ashland Fall Festival- Sep. 9 Jan Palmer has secured a site and a shelter, thanks to Bernie Bartel's son, but will need people to help with setting up and to work our booth, starting at 9:00. Contact Jan if you are interested in helping.
Bonita lenger and Janice Wobbe provided a delightful breakfast this morning of breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, and fresh fruit. Barrett Glascock shared that our club was awarded over $52,000 in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds. This money will be used to replace our heating/cooling system. Barrett also shared that Mel Bartel, Bernie Bartel's husband, passed away yesterday. In addition to the pain that his family is dealing with, our community feels this loss, as he was also an important part of our community for many years.
Jan Palmer will be receiving a Governor's Choice Award at the Eastern District Missouri 4th Quarter Convention on Aug. 18-20 in St. Louis. Let Barrett know if you are interested in attending the Convention.
Our speaker this morning was Roy Williams, who was born in Swampeast, MO, but has lived in our area for almost 50 years. In 1968 when he was 17, after being thrown out of school, he decided to join the volunteer draft for two years. He was hoping this would keep him from being sent to Vietnam, which our country was currently battling. It worked for awhile, but after doing $1,700 in damage at a German discotheque, he was given the option to reenlist for three years and leave Germany, which landed him in Vietnam. While there, he had plenty of time to realize that the only thing that could change his life was him. Roy stated that even though being in Vietnam was hard, he still believes that the Army is the best decision he ever made.
He went to the education center and, after fourteen hours of retaking tests that he had rushed through previously, he entered their Vet Tech program, which he did well enough at that he was assigned to the veterinary program at Fort Myers, VA. There he helped care for the animals that were assigned to the Old Guard. He and the other vet techs were allowed to perform general surgeries under the supervision of the Army vets. One of the animals he worked with was Black Jack, Gen. Pershing's calvary horse. This was also the "riderless horse" in President Kennedy's funeral procession.
After Roy got out of the Army in 1975, he moved to Columbia with a sports car and a cat. He said that he was very fortunate to have friends that helped him out until he got on his feet. He eventually got a Bachelor's degree in Animal Sciences with an emphasis on genetics and reproduction from Mizzou, but worked at unrelated jobs until his daughter M.J. was born. After that, he was a stay at home dad for years. Because of his health, he is currently on disability, living in a small house on Main St. here in Ashland. A vintage picture in last week's Boone County Journal shows a younger Roy Williams helping out in Hartsburg after the flood of 1993.
After Roy had finished sharing his story, he drew for the Attendance drawing. Chris Palmer, Amy Knight (again!), and Dayton Grover had their chance at riches, but with their absence, the pot will continue to grow.
Since this was the last Saturday of the month, Barrett figured the poker pot. There were several pairs, but Jan Palmer beat them all with three fours. Unfortunately for her, I had three fives, and after saying, "It pays to attend!", I took my winnings and chauffeured Rev. Elmer Schaefer home.
Letitia DenHartog
ashlandoptimist.org
