July 19, 2009 ~
I am a relatively new member of the Lions community. My wife, Bonnie, and I moved from the Denver area to the Glenwood Springs area in 1999. As we were approaching retirement, both of us wanted to return to a small town setting and become active in the community. I was raised on a dairy farm in northeastern Wisconsin and Bonnie grew up in western Pennsylvania. Shortly after arriving, Jack Coates, an active Lion in our club and my sponsor, convinced me to join our club. Since then, I have held the positions of vice president, president, secretary, and (most recently) membership chairman. In addition, my club honored me with the Melvin Jones award in 2006. I have also held the position of zone chair and have attended four district conventions. Although my club activities have helped me understand our local activities and projects, I have had lesser involvement in the District affairs. Serving as zone chair and participation in the district conventions has helped, but I still have much to learn. I am committed to becoming a responsible and productive member of the District leadership team and to serve you to the best of my abilities. I ask for your patience and help in this regard.
Throughout this year, I am committed to visiting each of the District’s 36 clubs in order to meet each club and to get to know each of you. I look forward to those club visits.
In April the Glenwood Springs, Basalt, and New Castle Lions Clubs, in conjunction with District leaders, worked diligently in planning and hosting the annual convention for District 6-W. We were especially pleased with the large turnout and thank all of you who came. I took particular pride in being part of that process and activity. But above all, I was honored by your action in electing me as your upcoming 1st District Governor. Let me take this opportunity to introduce myself to Lions across District 6-W.