18 July 2016 Meeting

Constructing, Sailing & Sinking of the RMS Titanic

& the Birth of the Titanic II

National Best Club Bulletin

Editor - Tom Williams, Sr.

1980-1981, 1981-1982, 1986-1987

1987-1988, 1998-1999, 2012-2013

11 July 2016

Champaign Exchanger

Volume 91, No. 2

2255 JJuullyy 22001166

CCeelleebbrraattee tthhee 9900tthh AAnnnniivveerrssaarryy

ooff tthhee CChhaarrtteerriinngg ooff tthhee

EExxcchhaannggee CClluubb ooff CChhaammppaaiiggnn

On Tuesday, July 27, 1926, the

Champaign Exchange Club was

chartered with 26 members. A glorious

Charter Banquet was held with many

distinguished citizens of Champaign in

attendance. It was held at the elegant

Inman Hotel at the SE corner of

University and Walnut. And, as an

aside, just a couple months later the new

Champaign Exchange Club would in

turn build and Charter the new

Exchange Club of Urbana. The

Champaign and Urbana Clubs are now

the oldest Exchange Clubs in Illinois

(the Lincolnland District)..

Our Charter President was attorney Earl C. Harrington (1895-1991) and our

Charter Secretary was George Seely Johnston (1903-2001). Earl Harrington was a

prominent Cham-paign Co. attorney and founder of a successful law firm bearing his

name that's still going strong with his descendents. Earl helped give the fledgling club

instant credibility and visibility, and when other well-known doctors and businessmen

joined, the Champaign Exchange Club was guaranteed to be successful.

Charter Secretary Seely Johnston, the late husband of Exchangite Anne Johnston,

served as our club's secretary from 1926-34, as our 20th president in 1939,chaired the

Champaign High School Winter Sports Banquet for 63 years, and was an active

member for 74-1/2 years. At the time Seely joined our club he was a recent graduate of

the University of Illinois and had just opened a sporting goods store on the second

floor of 118 East Main Street in downtown Champaign.

By now you probably have

surmised that we might have a

birthday cake at this luncheon and

you would be right. Our club's

MVP Secretary-Treasurer

Nancy Williams has been

arranging and paying for two

birthday cakes each year for the

past seven years so we could

celebrate the founding of the

National Exchange Club on

March 27, 1911 and the

Champaign Club on July 27, 1926. The beautiful cake pictured above was from a

couple year ago (my favorite chocolate cake with chocolate icing). Nancy doesn't get

enough credit for the things she does for our club.

Coming Events

1111 JJuullyy 22001166 MMeeeettiinngg

Invocation - Richard Adkins

Pledge of Allegiance - Wally Lehman

. Attendance - 7 Exchangites & 2 Guests

Attendance Drawing - $15.00 Nancy Williams (Donated to

the Operating Fund)

Today's Program

It was a beautiful day today with blue skies, fluffy white clouds,

and the temperature reaching 90 degrees outside. It was a great

way to start off our new Exchange year!

Today our speaker was Stephanie Record the Executive

Director of the Crisis Nursery who brought us up to date on the

wonderful addition to the Nursery. It allows them to raise the

number of children they can handle each day by 50%.

Each year when I get ready to order the supplies we're going to

donate to the Crisis Nursery I get on their webpage and see

what's on their Wish List. They have both an Immediate Needs

and Wish List section. I try to purchase a cross section of items

from both lists and stay away from items that I'm not

comfortable buying. The list of items I purchase each year

varies from year to year. Below is this year's list.

Today's Donated Items

8 - 11.5 oz. Lemon Hand Soap, 10 - 8 oz. Purell

Hand Sanitizer, 10 - Crayola Glue Sticks, 40 -

Tubs of Play Doh, 60 - 7 oz. Sippy Cups, 64 -

Washable Glitter Glue Tubes, 144 - Huggies Pull-

Ups (2 Sizes), 450 - Clorox Wipes, 648 - Pampers

Baby Wipes, 832 - Pampers Diapers (4 Sizes),

3,360 - Stickers (7 Types, 21 Pks)

Since we started this program back in 2010, we have now

donated 4,748 Pampers diapers, 436 Huggies Pull-Ups, 3,788

Johnson Baby Wipes, 300 Clorox Wipes, 9 Bottles of Baby

Wash, 140 Crayola Wonder Markers, 96 Crayola Sidewalk

Chalk, 8,968 Stickers, 80 Wonder Markers, 50 Mini Wonder

Markers, 56 Play Doh Tubs, 112 Washable Glitter Glue Tubes,

1,040 Q Tips, 8 Little Squirt Bottles, 60 7 oz. Sippy Cups, 8

Liquid Hand Soap Bottles, and 10 Purell Hand Sanitizer Bottles.

The first two years we spent between $200 and $300. The last

two years we've spent $700 and $800..

My Printer's Working Again!

I'm happy to report that my printer is finally back to normal.

Hurray! For a while there I thought that having a 3/8" yellow

stripe down the outside of each page would have to become my

trademark. Actually, I was starting to like it on there.

INCOME: $1,399,851 (JULY 1, 2014 – JUNE 30, 2015)

EXPENSES: $1,302,098 (JULY 1, 2014 – JUNE 30, 2015) PROFILE OF CRISIS NURSERY

Numbers below show total numbers served in

Safe Children & Strong Families Programming.

Unduplicated Children Served 886

Unduplicated Caregivers Served 852

These caregivers and children create the

following:

Unduplicated Families Served 549

SAFE CHILDREN PROGRAM

Admissions 4,196

Crisis Care Hours 28,982

Profile of Children Served

Other 1%

Asian 2%

Bi-Racial 11%

Hispanic 15%

Caucasian 28%

African American 43%

Reasons for Admissions

Mental Health 1%

Domestic Violence 1%

Court Related 2%

Public/Support Services 2%

Home Crisis 6%

Medical Related 16%

Job/School Related 29%

Parental Stress 43%

STRONG FAMILIES PROGRAM

Nurturing Parenting Education Classes 22

Parent Support Groups 79

Parent-Child Interaction Groups 65

Home Visits 985

Community & Agency Referrals 939

Follow-up Activities 4,066

Basic Need Items Given to Families $43,625

CRISIS NURSERY’S PROGRAM OUTCOMES

Outcomes are measured by staff who conduct the

surveys with clients before and after services are

provided. Out of 310 families surveyed in FY 2015:

75% reported a decreased level in their stress

95% reported a reduced risk of maltreatment

96% reported an improvement in parenting skills

Above we see Anne Johnston in her

Campus Florist Shop on East

Green St. in Campustown. At the

right our club gardeners Bill

Dieker planting flowers provided

by Anne at the Crisis Nursery on

East Park Street in the mid-1990s.

Planting flowers & landscaping

was one of our club's programs of

service for several years.

The Champaign Exchange Club

and a couple of its members were

involved with the Crisis Nursery

from the very start. Past Club

President Jim Dieker was on the

original board of directors and he

did all the legal work pro bono to

set up the Nursery as a non-profit .

Our club CPA & Past President Neil

Richardson set up the books and

accounting procedures for them.

But, that's not all we did in the early

days. We held a large "garage sale"

in the parking lot of the Round Barn

Center for the first three years to

raise money to help run the fledgling

enterprise. The first two were major

successes as we raised several

thousand dollars. Our third effort

was not nearly as successful because

we encountered a bad rainstorm with

high winds and our merchandise was

blown all over the block-long parking

lot and then some. Needless to say,

the proceeds were cut in half

Champaign Exchange Club

President Tom Williams

presents a certificate of

appreciation to Stephanie

Record the Executive

Director of the Crisis

Nursery of Champaign County

After our meeting today with Stephanie Record,

the executive director of the Crisis Nursery, Nancy

Williams, Norma Dieker and I delivered all the

goodies we're donating to the Nursery. Some of the

cartons of supplies are not visible in the photo but

the complete list is on a previous page. I'm sorry

that I didn't get the name of the young lady who

was representing the Crisis Nursery but like

Stephanie, she was very gracious. This is our 7th

consecutive year to donate much need supplies

chosen from their "want list."

Before I drove off I put the top down on my little

car, drove around to the front of the building and

snapped the photos below of the Crisis Nursery.

The right half photo is the "old" section of the

Nursery and the left half is the new 5,000 square

foot addition they have just moved into. The "old"

section is currently undergoing a renovation too.

Stephanie says they were laying sod in the play-

ground area and all construction and landscaping

should be completed before the fall.

$$$$$$ GGrreeeenn BBooxx NNeewwss NNootteess $$$$$$

Richard Adkins – I'm putting a $2.00 I.O.U. in the Green Box

in honor of Crisis Nursery Director Stephanie Record.

Norma Dieker – Because I had a wonderful visit last Saturday

with my daughter Julie.

Wally Lehman – $3.00 for Exchanger expenses and $1.00 for

a successful trip to the West Coast.

Dottie Mikucki – For our oldest grandson marching in the

Carmel, Indiana High School band on the Fourth of July.

(Editor's Note - Dottie and Walt say their grandson was the

one playing the clarinet on tune and he was in perfect step too.)

Walt Mikucki – For the Fourth of July weekend celebration

in Indiana and a 3-day stay with our younger grandson.

(Editor's Note - The grandchildren are a lot of fun but it's sure

great when they go home so we can get a little rest.)

Nancy Williams – Because GiveAKidAFlagToWave went

almost perfect. Anne Johnston is doing okay and she's

entertaining Seely's daughter today.

Tom Williams – In honor of Stephanie Record and the great

work done by the Crisis Nursery 24-7 and for a wonderful

GiveAKidAFlagToWave program last Monday. It was the first

time I've been able to walk the parade route and hand out flags in

four years. We lucked out on the weather and I really had fun

Thomas Williams – Because the Cardinals finished on a

positive at the All Star Game break and I'm hoping for a better

second half of the season.

Donations

$2.00

$1.00

$4.00

$1.00

$5.00

$2.00

$5.00

$1.00

July Board Meeting

Today Treasurer Nancy Williams made her end of the year financial report. She

reported we had June Income of $231.00 and Expenses of $68.23 leaving the

Balance of $1,799.83 in the Operating Fund. We have $6,594.87 in the Nursing

Scholarship Fund and $3,330.98 in the Flag Fund. The Nursing Scholarship Fund

continues to shrink by almost $800 a year because we're hardly earning enough

money in yearly interest to buy a nice dinner. The Flag account is down a little

because we didn't send out fundraising letters this year. The Operating Fund took

the largest hit because club revenue from dues, fundraising and the Green Box

were all down. With that said, we do remain in a solid financial position.

The final budget for the new 2016-17 Administrative Year was presented and approved. From now on dues will

be $140.00 annually and can be paid quarterly. The new member joining fee was reduced from $25.00 to $10.00.

Also, the annual club picnic at the Mikuckis will be held on either September 12th or 26th and the board wants

to continue with our annual club tour. I will submit some ideas to the club and we will decide by August 8.

The main item discussed today was whether or not we should keep meeting on Mondays or move our meetings to

Tuesday. For our first 75+ years we met on Tuesdays. We keep hearing from prospective members that they are

too busy on Mondays. The board decided to make a final decision at next month's meeting giving our members a

few weeks to consider the implications of the possible change. We'll take a final vote at the August 8th meeting.

Part 3 - Champaign Exchange Club History

This week I'm starting out with the history of the Champaign Exchangettes Club followed by oue Police Officer

of the Year Award and Firefighter of the Year Award then more member bios.

Champaign Exchangettes History October 14, 1974 - August 1990

The ladies version of the Exchange Club, the Exchangettes Club of Champaign, Illinois, was organized at the

home of Lois & Merle Dunn on October 14, 1974 with 15 ladies present. Under the leadership of then

Champaign Exchange Club President Don Kruse, the club became their sponsor. A lady had to be a spouse or

a significant other of an Exchangite to join. The charter officers were Lois DUNN, Carolyn CZEKANSKI,

Norma DIEKER, Marie FRANCIS, and Dee SHELBY.

The club met the second Monday evening of each month for dinner and had a program with a speaker. The

purpose of the Exchangettes Club was to support the Champaign Exchange Club. Over their 16-year existence

they raised thousands of dollars for the Nursing Scholarship Fund as well as donating hundreds to the National

Exchange Prevention of Child Abuse Program, Retired Senior Citizens, Family Services Volunteer Program,

Crisis Nursery, and many Christmas Food Baskets for Needy Families.

One of the most fun activities sponsored by the Exchangettes Club was their Annual Bake Sale Auction held

each year at the Round Barn Banquet Center. The ladies cooked, baked, and prepared a variety of scrumptious

desserts and snacks that were auctioned off to the men of the Champaign Exchange Club. This inevitably caused

some of the most vigorous battles between Exchangites for the most prized items. By the time the evening was

over everyone went home with either cookies, brownies, pie, cake, peanut brittle, etc. (some men with several food

items) and they were a lot lighter in the wallet. But best of all, everyone had a great time at the auction and many

hundreds of dollars were raised each year for the various Champaign Exchangette Programs and the Prevention

of Child Abuse.

Upon the change in the National Exchange Club Constitution allowing women to become Exchange Club

members, the Exchangette Club was disbanded. Although the admittance of women into the National Exchange

Club was the best thing to happen to Exchange in decades (Exchange was the first major service club to admit

women), it signaled the end of the Exchangettes Clubs. Later on both Anne Johnston and Nancy Williams

would serve as president of the Champaign Exchange Club several times each.

CHARTER OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

President - Lois DUNN

Vice President - Dee SHELBY Corresponding Secretary - Norma DIEKER

Recording Secretary - Marie FRANCIS Treasurer - Carolyn CZEKANSKI

Director - Jane BRETZLAFF Director - Edith SUMMERVILLE

Director - Lillian SWEET Director - Lois ZINK

CHARTER MEMBERS

Mrs. Jane (Harry) BRETZLAFF Mrs. Ruth (Verne) SCOTT

Mrs. Gertrude (Herb) BUSCH Mrs. Dee (Robert) SHELBY

Mrs. Carolyn (Dan) CZEKANSKI Mrs. Edith (Slim) SUMMERVILLE

Mrs. Norma (Bill) DIEKER Mrs. Lillian (Lynn) SWEET

Mrs. Kathryn (Claude) DUNN Mrs. Leone (Oscar) WILSON

Mrs. Marie (Bob) FRANCIS Mrs. Juanita (Gale) WRIGHT

Ms. Marty (Don KRUSE) LANMAN .

Champaign Exchangettes Club Members

Iona APPERSON

Myra BARBRE

Marcia BERBAUM

Phyllis BLUE

Jane BRETZLAFF

Grace BRUDER

Gertrude BUSCH

Carolyn CZEKANSKI

Norma DIEKER

Kathryn DUNN

Lois DUNN

Joan ELLIS

Marie FRANCIS

Anne FULKERSON

Rose FUQUA

Sharon GREGORY

Anne JOHNSTON

Doris KARLSTROM

Iva KELSEY

Marty LANMAN

Betty LUSTIG

Ethel MINER

Karen NORHEIM

Gloria PRIGMORE

Peggy ROTRAMEL

Miriam SCANTLEBURY

Eleanor SCHOOLEY

Fay SCHOLEM

Cathryn SCHRADER

Ruth SCOTT

Maria SHARP

Dee SHELBY

Nancy SHORES

Gertrude SHUE

Vernna STERMER

Ruth STEVENS

Edith SUMMERVILLE

Lillian SWEET

Lorranie TROUTMAN

Marge WIDMAN

Lois WILLIAMS

Nancy WILLIAMS

Juanita WRIGHT

Leone WILSON

Lois ZINK

Eva WRIGHT

Club Officers

Year President Vice President Treasurer Secretary

1974-75 Lois Dunn D. Shelby C. Czekanski Norma Dieker & M. Francis

1975-76 Lois Dunn K. Norheim L. Sweet Norma Dieker & J. Bretzlaff

1976-77 M. Widman L. Sweet M. Berbaum M. Landman & D. Shelby

1977-78 M. Lanman L. Sweet M. Berbaum J. Bretzlaff & B. Lustig

1978-79 P. Rotramel B. Lustig L. Wilson R. Stevens & A. Fulkerson

1979-80 P. Rotramel L. Troutman L. Wilson R. Stevens & A. Fulkerson

1980-81 A. Fulkerson R. Stevens Lois Williams J. Wright

1981-82 A. Fulkerson Norma Dieker Lois Williams R. Stevens

1982-83 Norma Dieker Nancy Williams Lois Williams R. Stevens

1983-84 Nancy Williams Anne Johnston Lois Williams N. Shores

1984-85 Anne Johnston J. Bretzlaff Lois Williams Norma Dieker

1985-86 Anne Johnson J. Bretzlaff Lois Williams Nancy Williams

1986-87 J. Bretzlaff M. Scantlebury Lois Williams C. Schrader

1987-88 Lois Dunn K.Dunn J. Wright C. Schrader

1988-89 Nancy Williams K. Dunn J. Wright C. Schrader

1989-90 Anne Johnston Open Nancy Williams C. Schrader

"EXCHANGITE of the WEEK"

Don Kruse Our “Exchangite

of the Week” is

Donald Kruse.

Don first joined

the Exchange

Club of Cham-

paign in 1971. A

native of Champaign, Don's the son of

Hobart & Lydia Kruse. His father was

the popular chief of the Champaign Fire

Dept; hence Don’s interest in Fire

Prevention Programs and other safety

issues. He’s also the proud father of a son,

Ron Kruse, a retired Champaign teacher.

As a life-long resident of Champaign his

heart and mind belong to our community.

Graduating from Champaign High in

1940, now Champaign Central, Don

attended the University of Illinois. Soon

he found himself in Uncle Sam’s service

during WWII. Following his discharge

from military he returned to the Univ. of

Illinois earning a BS in 1947.

While some people can’t hold a job, and

others retire to pursue golf or sunsets, Don

is one of those who could “never hold a

job.” That is, if you consider 45 and 40

years with the same companies not

holding a job! More than 15 years ago

Don retired from Collegiate Cap &

Gown after a 45-year career as

Advertising & Promotions Director.

During his tenure he helped a small local

company become the largest supplier of

academic apparel in the United States. I

can testify personally to his dedication to

the company as he volunteered many

hours of his time to help each spring in the

Hood Dept. nights and weekends. This

was something he didn’t have to do, but as

the supervisor of the Hood Dept. at that

time I can testify that his help was greatly

appreciated by me. His “other” career

continues to this day. Don's been a

stockholder and member of the Board of

CMI (Chemical Maintenance, Inc.) a

leading supplier of janitorial & main-

tenance supplies in the Champaign Co.

area. Like I said, Don “can't hold a job.”

In addition to spending 85 years in the

employ of two local companies, Don has

found the time to become involved in

many local community service programs.

One can’t spend much time around Don

without realizing you are in the presence

of a strong supporter of the United States

of America, the proper treatment of the

American Flag, the Champaign

Community, Champaign Central H.S.,

and the University of Illinois Animal

Sciences Dept. I have tremendous respect

for his courage, consistent beliefs and

support of his community and nation. His

belief that the American Flag should be

treated with respect and dignity manifests

itself at our club meetings as well as the

many decades he spent as a member of the

American Legion Color Guard. Dozens

of times each year he used to be seen as a

member of the color guard at funerals,

sporting events, parades and holiday

celebrations. Frank Scantlebury & Bill

Dieker can attest to Don’s desire to have

the American Flag displayed properly.

Don has been a member of the American

Marketing Society, Champaign-Urbana

Ad/Sales Club, McKinley YMCA board

member, past president of the Y Men’s

Club, Little League Coach and Boy Scout

Leader. The American Legion Post #24

holds a special place in his heart. Not only

has he been an active member for six

decades, he’s a past Post Commander.

He even served several years as the

60,000-member American Legion State

Chaplin, something he considers his

proudest achievement. Don has also been

a very active member and supporter of the

Air Force Association having served as

their local president. He’s a charter

member and former member of the board

of the Air Force Museum at Chanute

Field in Rantoul. He has received the

“Achievement Award” & “Merit Award”

from the state Air Force Association.

He has had many hobbies, but his interest

in music has probably been at the top of

the list. For many years he played trumpet

in a number of campus “big bands.”

There was a “big band” era wasn’t there?

I believe one of the groups he played with

was called the “Teeny Weeny Brass.” Not

really a hobby, but in recent years Don's

devoted many hours to assisting his

significant other, Dr. Jan Bahr, a great

friend of our club and recipient of our

Book of Golden Deeds Award as well as

the Lincolnland District Contributing

Service Award. Dr. Bahr's deeply

involved in animal reproduction research

at the U of I and Don's really enjoyed help

feed the animals and doing anything he

could to help Janice when needed. They

are a great pair & complement each other.

Don Kruse has had a long and productive

career as an Exchangite. First joining the

Champaign Club in 1971, he went on to

serve as our President in 1974-75. He also

served on many, if not most, of our club’s

committees including American Citizen-

ship, Fire Prevention, Crime Prevention,

Freedom Shrine, Program and House. I’d

say his favorite has been the Firefighter of

the Year Award program which he’s

chaired for nearly 20 years.

Through I'm prejudiced, Don’s most

valuable contribution to Exchange took

place in July 1973 when he sponsored

Tom Williams, Sr. (that’s me) as a

member of our club. Of course that’s

subject to debate. I had the honor of

returning the favor when, after Don had

given up his membership for a few years, I

sponsored him as a member again in

March 1995. Turnabout is fair play. Don

would probably cite the founding and

building of the Champaign Exchangettes

Club, the former ladies auxiliary, which

played an important part in supporting the

men’s club and the endowing of the

Nursing Scholarship Program as his

most important contribution. The ladies

raised thousands of dollars with bake

sale/auctions. The Exchangettes also

allowed our 5-time club president, Nancy

Williams, to cut her “leadership teeth” as

she served two terms as President of the

Exchangettes.

In August of 1983, when I wanted to build

the Sunrise Exchange Club of Cham-

paign-Urbana for men who could not

attend noon meetings, the first person I

turned to was Don Kruse. He agreed to

join thus becoming the first member of the

new club. With Don’s name at the top of

our list, an experienced Exchangite and

past club president, sponsoring commit-

teemen Dave Boyer and Merle Dunn

joined Tom Williams in recruiting new

members. Together we built a 32-member

club in less than four weeks.

Donald F. Kruse, a talented musician,

dedicated community volunteer, outstand-

ing Exchangite, loyal American Veteran,

fun-loving gentleman, Exchange mentor

and very dear friend of mine

"EXCHANGITE of the WEEK"

Who better to honor this week as the "Exchangite of the

Week" than Hal Zink. I find it hard to think of a member who

has contributed more to our club in recent years than Hal Zink.

Hal was born 86 years ago at the turn of the century in Kansas,

IL. Upon graduation from Kansas High School he entered the

University of Illinois. In 1923 he graduated with a Bachelors

degree in Electrical Engineering. For the next 42 years, until his

retirement on January 2, 1966, he worked in Chicago for the

Commonwealth Edison Company. Through all those years

Hal has remained a loyal Illini sports fan.

Hal's late wife Lois was a good member of the Champaign

Exchangettes Club. Hal and Lois have two daughters, Janet

Archibald of Tuscon, AZ and Judy Christofferson of

Milwaukee, WI. He also has two grandchildren.

The motto "Unity For Service" is Hal's creed. for many years

every Wednesday and Friday he drove the van for the Red

Cross. He also picked up senior citizens for Telecare and took

them on shopping trips.

In our club Hal has been a member of the board of directors

almost continually and when not a member he still attends all

the meetings. He is the first member you meet each week when you arrive for lunch. He's always sitting at

the table near the entrance to collect the money from each member to pay for their meal and he hands them a

Green Box News Note form. He works on almost every committee and project, especially fund raising and

probably does more than the chairmen. His name seems to pop up every time someone is needed to do a job

in Exchange. Hal's usually the first to volunteer.

When it comes to conventions Hal has attended nearly a dozen district and 8 or 9 national conventions. He

has been a delegate from our club to many of those conventions. Dieker, Dunn, Boyer, Schooley and

Williams are all known around the district because of their district involvement, but Hal Zink is almost as

well known as a dedicated, loyal, active Champaign Exchangite.

In 1976 our club celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a big banquet at the Round Barn Banquet Centre.

At that party then National President Jack Pirrie presented Hal with the "Andrew Award" for his service

to Exchange and his community. In June of 1981, at the District Convention at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin,

then National President John Hood presented Hal with the "Volunteer Award" for his continuing service

to Exchange and his community. Few Exchangites, if any, have received both awards. In 1984, Hal was

honored as our club's "Exchangite of the Year", just the third member of our club to have received the

award after Bill Dieker and Tom Williams.

Our Exchange Covenant of Service best sums up what Hal Zink stands for when it concludes with, "To

serve in Unity with those seeking better conditions, better understandings, and greater opportunities

for all." Hal, thank you for your unselfish efforts in and out of Exchange. It's an honor to call you my

good friend!

Champaign Police Officer of the Year Award In The Beginning . . .

In the summer of 1975 then Fire Prevention Committee Chair Tom Williams came up with the idea of having a

Firefighter and Police Officer of the Year Award. After receiving support of the club's board he approached

Champaign Fire Chief Willard Ashby and gained his support. Next he asked fellow Exchangite Lynn Sweet, a

City Council Member, to get the support of the City Manager & City Council which he was able to accomplish.

Then, during Fire Prevention Week in October 1975, our club presented the first Firefighter of the Year Award.

After the success of the Firefighter Award program our Crime Prevention Committee Chair began planning for

the Police Officer Award. The first award was presented in the Spring of 1976. It too was a big success. We have

now honored 58 deserving Firefighters and 40 Police Officers since the inception of the programs 41 years ago.

1975-76 1976-77 1977-78 1978-79 1979-80 1980-81 John O. Jones Paul Oneal Maurice Wileaver Robert Soucie John Gnagey Zane Ziegler

1981-82 1982-83 1983-84 1984-85 1986-87 1987-88 Jerry Schweighart John Schweighart, Sr. Jerry Gamble Steven Rousey Jerry Schweighart Doug Atkins

March 1977 News-Gazette Photo - Today

the Champaign Exchange Club presented

its second Police Officer of the Year Award to

Lt. Paul Oneal. He was nominated by

his peers and chosen by a committee of

Exchange members. Lt. Oneal was presented

a plaque from the Exchange Club at a

Luncheon at the Round Barn Banquet

Center. Pictured here from the left are:

Champaign County State's Attorney Tom

Difanis, Champaign Exchange Club

President Tom Williams, and Lt. Paul Oneal.

(Editor's Note - I do not have a photo of our

club's first presentation.)

Champaign Police Officers of the Year

1988-89 1989-90 1990-91 1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 Zane Ziegler Larry Kearns John Schweighart, Sr. John Schweighart II Brad Yohnka Robert Moreland

1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 Donald Shepard Tom Walton Scott Swan Mark Huckstep David Griffet James Rein

2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Christopher Ballard Robert O. Morris Mark Strzesak Dennis Thomas Thomas Petrilli Dennis Baltzell

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Bruce Ramseyer Matt Henson Eric Bloom Kevin Olmstead Justus Clinton Mark Vogelsang

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-167 Daniel Ward Ed Wachala Jerad Gale Fatrick Funkhouser

"EXCHANGITE of the WEEK"

Our "Exchangite of the Week" this week is our President Rodney D. Reid. Born in 1953 in Omaha,

Nebraska, Rod and wife Jane reside at 2315 Carlisle Drive in Champaign with their three children.

Daughter Lindsey is is six, followed by Ryan at four and little Eric who will be one in a couple of months.

After graduation from high school, Rod first

attended Iowa State University at Ames, Iowa.

He then transferred to North Dakota State in

Fargo, ND. that's the same school rumored to have

a pretty fair football program. Graduating from

North Dakota State in 1975 with a Bachelor of

Arts in Architectural Studies he followed it with

a Bachelor of Architecture in 1976. I guess they

have to do it twice in North Dakota to get it right.

For the past six years Rod's worked for Severns,

Rishling & Associates as an architectural ;planner.

Recently he became an associate with the firm.

Rod's very active in his church and his community.

He is an ordained Elder of the Presbyterian Church,

lay Liturgist, director of Youth Recreation,

member of the Evangelism Committee in 1985 and

Missions Committee in 1985-87.

Additionally, Rod has served as a judge for local

and state high school drafting competition 1982-86,

advisor for Architectural Drafting Department of

Lakeland College in 1982-84. He's a member of

the American Institute of Architects (A.I.A.), the

National Council of Architectural Registration

Boards (N.C.A.R.B.), member of Sigma Chi

Fraternity 1971-75 (first in his pledge class),

Scholarship Chairman, Vice President 1973,

President 1974, member of Tau Beta Phi

Architectural & Engineering Honorary Society and

member of the North Dakota State Dean's List. In

1985, he was listed as one of the "Outstanding

Young Men of America."

Rod joined the Champaign Exchange Club in 1982 and was first elected to the board of directors in 1983.

He served as president-elect (1985-86) and became president last September. In 1985-86 he served as

Program Chairman and Freedom Shrine Committee member. He was also very active his first year in

Exchange as he served as Youth Committee Chairman for the 1982 Illinois-Southern Wisconsin

District Convention in Champaign the year your editor was installed as District President. There were 76

children in attendance on the Convention Youth Program. Finally, Rod was Editor of the Champaign

EXCHANGER and winner of the 1985 District Best Bulletin Award.

Rodney D. Reid . . . . husband and father, architect, church leader, involved citizen, Exchange Club leader,

and outstanding young man.

"EXCHANGITE of the WEEK"

Today we recognize as our "Exchangite of the Week" a 12-year member of

our club, John W. "Johnny" Pendleton. Joining our club on 24 April

1987, Johnny quickly became an active member. The next year he joined

the club board of directors and was elected club secretary. After several

terms on the board he was elected president-elect in 1993 and president in

1994-95. He's served on several committees, supported the Sweet Corn

Festival, GiveAKidAFlatToWave Program, served as membership

chairman and sponsored several new members, at least one of which went

on to serve as club president - Kam Wong.

Johnny was born on New Year's Day of 1922 on what he describes as a

"small general farm (2 mules)" near Hillsboro, TN. Hillsboro's nestled in

Coffee Country 75 miles SE of Nashville. Hillsboro's so small you almost

can't find it on a map, any map. The nearest "real town" is Manchester.

After high school (They did have a high school near Hillsboro didn't they?)

Johnny enrolled at the Univ. of Tennessee in Knoxville becoming a "Vol".

Why do I seem to recall having heard of the Vols lately? Could it be they were recently involved in some sporting event?

I think a new Orange & White UT baseball cap may have been spotted at an Exchange Club meeting recently.

Johnny wasn't in college too long before our country was embroiled in something known as WWII and Uncle Sam was

calling. In 1942 he joined the Naval Aviation Cadet Program and became a United States Navy Pilot. Lt.

Pendleton's 4-year naval career covered 1943-45 as a pilot on a "lighter than air" airship and 1945-46 as a Navigator on

a crew in the Southwest Pacific. In fact, just last year Johnny gave a very interesting talk one Tuesday noon to our club

about some of his flying experiences looking for German submarines in the shipping lanes off the coast of the

Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. As someone who wasn't old enough to know what was going on at that time, it's still

hard for me to fathom the fact our enemies were actually that close to our mainland and sinking our ships. After talking

with some of our WWII Veteran members, John Alexander, Don Kruse, Bill Oschwald and Johnny Pendleton, I now

have a much better appreciation for what war is all about and the sacrifices made by our veterans. How lucky I have been

not ot have had to serve during wartime, and neither have my three sons!

After the war Johnny returned to the University of Tennessee to complete what he'd started in 1940. To quote him,

"1948 was a Big Year." First, he graduated from UT with a BS in Agriculture. Second, he moved to Champaign-

Urbana and entered the University of Illinois as an agronomy graduate student. Johnny received a MS in 1951 and a

Doctors Degree in 1955, both from the U of I. From 1948-1971 he worked under a local professor doing production

research on corn and soybeans and served as director of outlying Agronomy Research Fields.

In 1971 his career changed directions as he moved his family to Madison, WI where he became the Chairman of the

Agronomy Dept. at the University of Wisconsin. Topping it off, in 1978 he served as President of the American

Society of Agronomy (ASA). In 1979, Johnny left UW and joined the USDA in Washington D.C. From 1980-82 he left

the United States to head up the farming system program at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos,

Philippines. Next in 1984-87 he served as Director of Research at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

(IITA) in Ibadan, Nigeria. In 1987, after a distinguished 40-year career in agronlomy, Johnny retired and he and

Eleanor returned to the Champaign community. In the years since his retirement he has frequently lent his expertise in

agriculture as a consultant with the USAID, FAO, IFAD, and USAID-CRSP programs.

During his long careet he authored 100 publications, served as Vice President & President of the American Society of

Agronomy, Fellow of the ASA, CSSA, and AAAS, and board member of CAST and AAAS. Last, but not least, Johnny

has sponsored 33 grad students who, by his own words, "have done very well." With great pride he states he's lived and

worked on six continents and 22 countries but 'the United States is by far the GREATEST."

The soft-spoken son of a modest farming family in the southern hills of Tennessee, Johnny Pendleton has come a long

way to where he is today. From the Universities of Tennessee, Illinois & Wisconsin, to accomplished Navy Pilot,

respected Agronomist and Administrator, and proud father of five and grandfather of 13. Johnny has certainly left his

mark on his community and world. He's a true gentleman and scholar who I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to

get to know and become friends through Exchange.

"EXCHANGITE of the WEEK"

Today we are honoring one of the finest gentlemen you will ever meet, Verne E. Scott. Since he joined

our club Verne has been an active member that can always be counted on to help when needed.

Verne was born in 1903 in rural Coles County, Illinois. There he attended Eversole School. His wife of 60

years, Ruth, is a native of Champaign. Together they are the proud parents of three fine children, Lois,

Dale and Donald. They are especially proud of son Dale, a Methodist minister in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.

For many years Verne has beea a successful

businessman. Until four years ago he was the

highly respected founder and owner of Verne

Scott Drainage in Champaign. He's now

retired.

A member of the Champaign Exchange Club

since 1963, Verne has always been an active

member and a regular at the "old men's" table at

meetings. He has served two separate 2-year

terms on our board of directors. A member of

many club committees over the years, he

recently served as Chairman of the Memorial

Nursing Scholarship Committee in 1977-78

and the Freedom Shrine Committee in 1980-

81. For many years, each Wednesday evening,

Verne can be found bowling at Arrowhead

Lanes with the Exchange Club team. He also

likes to chase that little white ball around the

golf course each summer with some of his many

Exchange Club friends. And, he can usually e

found in attendance at the District Golf and

Bowling Tournaments and several District

Conventions.

Quite possibly his biggest thrill in Exchange came in 1972 when his bride Ruth was totally surprised when

the Champaign Exchange Club awarded Ruth its highest honor by presenting her with the Book of

Golden Deeds for her many years of unselfish good deeds. Both Ruth & Verne had no idea she was going

to receive the award at the banquet until Golden Deeds Committee Chairman Roy Williams presented

her with the award.

Vern's many other activities have included five years as a member of the Champaign Recreation Board

(appointed by Mayor Emerson Dexter), a 36-year member of the Masonic Lodge and a member of the

Ansar Shrine of Springfield. Additionally, he has been a devoted member of the First United Methodist

Church in Champaign and for 18 years he was the Sunday School teacher for third grade boys. (Your

editor did not have him in Sunday School.) Recently he has volunteered his services to the R.S.V.P. -

Meals on Wheels.

I'm always frustrated by space limitations, but you can clearly see the picture of a well rounded man.

Verne E. Scott . . . . loving husband and father, successful businessman, loyal Exchangite, good friend and

fine gentleman.

First Firefighter of the Year Recipients

Tom Williams John Corley Bill Rotramel Richard Valentine

During Fire Prevention Week in October 1975, the Champaign Exchange Club presented its first

Firefighter of the Year Awards. The two honorees each saved the life of a stranger in separate

incidents. The honorees were nominated by their peers and chosen by a committee of firefighters

and Champaign Exchange Club Fire Prevention Committee members. The honorees were

presented with a plaque at a luncheon held at the Round Barn Restaurant in Champaign.

Pictured in this October 7th News-Gazette photo from left to right are: Champaign Exchange

Club Fire Prevention Committee Chairman Tom Williams, Exchange Club President John

Corley, and the Firefighters of the Year William Rotramel and Richard Valentine.

1975-76 Champaign Firefighters of the Year 2015 -2016

1975-76 1975-76 1976-77 1977-78 1978-79 1979-80 William Rotramel Richard Valentine Carl Punkay Lon Pitcher Jim Cross Dan Brown

1980-81 1980-81 1981-82 1982-83 1983-84 1985-86 Herman Bishop Gene Irick Eddie Bain David Lemon Bruce McWethy Alexy George

1986-87 1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 1990-91 1991-92

Gregory Fisher Donald Schalk Russell Gannaway Steven Griffith Charles Weber Paul Tangora

1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1995-96 1996-97 Donald Ebeling Pat Menner Glen Daniels Steve Burden Lloyd Galey Brad Bone

1996-97 1996-97 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00

Wayne Huckstedt Shawn Marmion Jon Sanford Terry Swift Alan Jones Eric Mitchell

Champaign Firefighters of the Year

2000-01 2001-02 2001-02 2002-03 2002-03 2002-03 David Tomlinson Kent Cobb Mike King David Boberg Pat Devaney Jason Billingham

2002-03 2003-04 2003-04 2003-04 2003-04 2004-05 Brad Peck Bill Albin Roger Cruise Greg Down Todd Walters Kevin McAndrew

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2008-09 2008-09

Steven Hopkins William Bleich Jack Carter Daniel Brown Jason Dillingham Jon Sanford

2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2013-14 2013-14 Robert Decker Darrell Carlson Chris Hanson Todd Anderson Matthew Plutz Jesse Rivers

2014-15 2015-16 2015-16 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 Joshua Jessup Matthew Boulos Courtney Moravek William Painter

"EXCHANGITE of the WEEK"

This week's 'Exchangite of the Week" is Russell G. Stewart. Russ was born in 1904 at Weston, Illinois. In

1926, he graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science degree. His interest in the

U of I didn't end with his graduation. He's one of the staunchest supporters of the athletic programs. In

addition to his financial support for U of I Athletics, he gives his moral support too. He attends all football

and basketball games no matter where the teams may be playing. it's not unusual to find him following them

to Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico or parts unknown. He's been a member of the Alumni Association since 1926, a

member of the Varsity i Association since 1927 as well as the Quarterback Club and Rebounders Club.

Russ and his late wife

Gladys have one son Deane

and three grandchildren,

Jon, Kathy and Russell.

Deane is the President of

the Stewart Oil Company.

In 1947, Russ founded the

Stewart Oil Co. which

owns a chain of gas stations

in the area. He's still active

as Chairman of the Board.

His affiliation with the oil

industry began over 60 years

ago in 1926. He's been a

member of the American

Petroleum Marketers

Association since 1926 and

he served on their board for

11 years including serving

as president in 1965-66. In

1967, Russ was elected

legislative Chairman of the

National Oil Jobbers

Council and he worked with

the late legendary Senator

Everett Dirkson of Illinois.

Russ joined the Exchange Club of Champaign in 1936. During his 52 years he has chaired or served on

almost every club committee. in 1952, he was first elected to the board and in 1954 he became our club

president. In 1955, Russ became Governor from District #3 of the Illinois Exchange Clubs.

For more than 20 years he was a regular on the Exchange Club bowling team including when they won the

Exchange Club State Championship in 1960. Most recently he was the Nursing Scholarship Committee

Chairman in 1981 (see photo above) donating two of the scholarships. (Note - In 1984 Russ was the

recipient of our club's Book of Golden Deeds Award.)

Included in the list or organizations Russ has belonged to for 50 years are the Masonic Lodge (32nd Degree

Mason), the Methodist Church and the Urbana Country Club.

Again space limits me, but the facts are evident . . . . Russ Stewart . . . . loyal Illini, proud grandfather,

successful businessman, dedicated Exchangite, and fine gentleman!

"EXCHANGITE of the WEEK"

This week our featured "Exchangite of the Week" is David A. Boyer. Dave has been and continues to be

one of the most active members of our club.

A Hoosier by birth, Dave was born in 1935 in South Bend, Indiana. He now considers himself a loyal

Fighting Illini fan. He has even gone so far as to haul his sailboat over to the parking lot of Memorial

Stadium and decorate it for the football game Tailgate.

Dave and his bride of 25 years, Judy, are proud parents of three children, James 15, Robert 20, and Beverly

23. They're especially proud that daughter Beverly has recently made them grandparents.

After graduation from high school, Dave attended Valparaiso Technical Institute in Indiana from 1953-55.

He also served in the United States Army in 1957 and 1961-62. For the past 28 years he has worked for our

local NBC affiliate WICD-TV Channel 15. Currently he is the chief engineer at the TV station and when

they go off the air you can bet Dave's hightailing it out to the transmitter out in the country to find and solve

the problem.

Dave has also been very active in his community and his

church. He has worked with the Boy Scouts, Club Scouts,

Urbana Zoning Board of Appeals, served on the Advisory

Board of Parkland College for the Physics Department, and

once ran for Urbana City Council. He is a former Sunday

School Teacher and Deacon of the First Christian church in

Champaign and is currently a member of the University Place

Christian church in Urbana.

In 1976, Dave joined the Exchange Club of Champaign and

started 10 active years of Exchange participation and leadership.

He has served on many club committees and he has chaired the

Youth of the Month Committee in 1978-80, Police Officer and

Fire Fighter of the Year Committee in 1985, and served two

years as Editor of the Champaign Exchanger 1982-84. winning

the district's Best Club Bulletin Award for 1983-84.

Dave was first elected to the club's board in 1979 and, due to

the president-elect's inability to move up to president, Dave was

elected our president for 1980-81. Following his year as

;president, he served as a member of the Illinois-Southern

Wisconsin District Board from 1981-83. as district director.

He was a capable member of the board & those of us from our

club who were active in the district at that time wish he would have continued his involvement. During the

last 30 days of Tom Williams' term as District President, Dave was a sponsoring committeeman from our

club and was instrumental in helping Tom Williams build the Sunrise Exchange Club of Champaign-

Urbana in 1983. He became a Charter Member, member of the board, the first chairman of the club's

GiveAKidAFlagToWave Project, one of the first in Exchange, and he replaced Tom Williams as the editor

of the Sunrise Club's newsletter. He was a pillar of strength in the Sunrise Exchange Club.

In 1985, as a result of his dedication and involvement in Exchange through our club, Dave was honored as the

Champaign Exchange Club "Exchangite of the Year." It was a fitting honor for one of our club's best

Exchangites!

July 16, 1999 - National Exchange Club President

Bill Deason presents Tom Williams, Sr. the plaque

for winning the National Best Club Bulletin Award

at the National Convention at the spectacular

Le Conquistador Resort in Las Croabas, Puerto

Rico. This was Tom's fifth of the six National Best

Club Bulletin Awards he's won as Editor of The

Champaign EXCHANGER - 1980-81. 1981-82,

1986-87, 1987-88, 1998-99, and 2012-13.

June 2008 - Anne Johnston receives the Lincolnland

District's Distinguished Service Award from District

President Dave Wentz of Naperville at the District

Convention in Springfield. Anne was recognized by

her piers for all the contributions she has made to the

Champaign Exchange Club and her decades of

volunteer service to the people of Champaign-Urbana

and the University of Illinois community. This is the

district's highest honor.

July 2013 - Scot Warren of Naperville presents the

2012-13 National Best Club Bulletin Award plaque to

Tom Williams, Sr. the Editor of The Champaign

EXCHANGER. Scot attended our luncheon to present

the award because Tom had recently undergone spine

surgery and unable to attend the National Convention

to accept the award. Scot accepted the award on

Tom's behalf at the convention. He then drove down

from Naperville to present the plaque in person.

October 1977 - Lon Pitcher, left, a 7-year veteran of the

Champaign Fire Dept. was hoored by the Champaign

Exchange as the Fireman of the Year. The award is

presented annually for overall excellence in the

performance of duties as well as for character. The

Clubs Fire Prevention Committee Chairman Don Kruse,

center, makes the presentation as Champaign Fire Dept.

Chief Jim Lustig looks on. This was the third year the

Champaign Exchange Club presented the award.

Chartered 27 July 1926

Champaign Exchange Club

1812 Coventry Drive

Champaign, IL 61822

Phone: (217) 356-1057

Meeting Every Monday at 12:00 Noon Except Holidays

O’Charley’s Restaurant 730 W. Town Center Blvd.

President: Tom Williams, Sr.

Immediate Past President

Thomas Williams, Jr.

Secretary/Treasurer:

Nancy Williams

Directors: Richard Adkins Norma Dieker Anne Johnston Wally Lehman Dottie Mikucki

Frank Scantlebury

E-Mail: tw1812@aol.com

Firefighter of the Year

Police Officer of the Year

Nursing Scholarships

A.C.E. Award

Prevention of Child Abuse

Time Out Teddy

Crisis Nursery

Eastern Illinois Food Bank

Seniors Vial of Life

National Day of Service

Believe in the Blue

Campaign For Kids

GiveAKidAFlagToWave

One Nation Under God

Freedom Shrines

Proudly We Hail Awards

Book of Golden Deeds

Student of the Month/Year

Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club Snacks For Kids

Salvation Army Bell Ringing

Americanism - Child Abuse Preven ion - Community Service - Service to Youth

Champaign Exchange Club

1812 Coventry Drive

Champaign, IL 61822

Exchange, America's Premier Service Club, working to make our communities better places to live.

Exchange, America's Premier Service Club, working to make our communities better places to live.

Website: www.champaignexchangeclub.com See us on Facebook - Champaign Exchange Club