Carmi Kiwanis Introduce Newest Legion of Honor Class Thursday
Nine new inductees received regard and esteem as Carmi Kiwanis Club Legion of Honor members Thursday afternoon. Members must accumulate at least 25 years as a member in good standing to receive the recognition. Current Kiwanis president Katelyne Wolff did the pinning while the club’s first ever woman president, Kim Gwaltney waxed poetic and challenged club members with trivia from the year the inductees first were inducted into club ranks.
With 25 years, Dr. Lars Gentry and Dave Healy enter the guild. With 30 years, Kiwanis honored Roger Winter and Al Fritschle. After joining Kiwanis in 1983, Jeff Bohleber and Keith Botsch were celebrated for 35 years. Skip ahead 10 years and the honorable Tom Sutton has been aligned with Kiwanis for 45 years. Two current members entered the mid century mark and have been a part of Kiwanis for more than half the club’s history. They are Lawrence Martin and Jim Davis.
The club should have it’s first woman to join the Legion within the next few years when Andrea Hays will join the elite society. Kiwanians didn’t allow female membership until the summer of 1987. Hays has been a Carmi Kiwanis member (and the second ever female member) since around 1996. Gwaltney served as the club’s first female president in 2005 and this current 2018/2019 year marks the first instance the club has transferred leadership from female president to female president. In his remarks, Davis mentioned introducing women to the club was maybe the greatest and most important move Kiwanis has made in its history.
In club business, the 2019 Pancake Day has been given a date. The club’s first calendar year fundraiser will be held at Washington Attendance Center on February 23rd.
