Donnabelle Jones and George Moyers
2008 First Citizens
Presentation speeches delivered by Nancy Kreger:
Our first honoree is involved in so many different
projects and organizations that it is going to be impossible not to
leave some out. Whenever and wherever people are getting together to do
something for others and help is needed, you can count on seeing her
there.
At any community club event, like Halloween or Christmas parties, the talent show, or just a meeting, she helps set up, clean up, make cookies, or whatever else needs doing. How many of us would be willing to clean this entire building every single week, for two years, without pay, when the club was short of funds? She did that. She’s also faithfully worked the Bingo nights for several years, which has raised thousands of dollars for improvements to this building, such as the new floor we’re enjoying this evening.
Every Christmas she wraps gifts for the Boy Scouts food and gift baskets. Last year she and two other people wrapped presents for 190 children and seniors. They went through dozens and dozens and dozens of rolls of wrapping paper and tape. And you thought Christmas Eve at your house was tough!
Among her talents are special skills at cooking, quilting, and ceramics, and she turns these around to give her talents back to the community. She bakes pies for the wildflower show, cookies for the community club Christmas party, cakes for the Halloween cakewalk. She donates quilts for the fire department’s and rally club’s raffles and as Christmas gifts for families in need. It’s only April and already she is making ceramic prizes for the kids at the Halloween party, as she has for several years.
She was the heart and soul of the VFW auxiliary from the time it formed in 1968 until it disbanded a few years ago. She baked cookies and sewed lap quilts for hospitalized veterans, and prepared meals for families after a death. Usually she’s the quiet, behind-the-scenes worker, but for the auxiliary she held offices from treasurer to president. She helped get our veteran’s memorial built, and still serves refreshments at the fly-over every Memorial Day.
This wonderful woman has lived in the Glide area all her life, first at Steamboat, then in Idleyld Park. It is impossible to know, remember or tell all the things she has done for us. For decades this community has been blessed with her generosity, her love for this community, and her willingness to work hard to make it a better place. That is what she has been quietly doing for many, many years. Very often, quiet, humble people like her aren’t given the recognition they deserve. Tonight, we have the chance to thank her for all that she does. Please join me in honoring Donnabelle Jones as Glide’s First Citizen 2009!
Like most people who give of themselves to their community, our second honoree contributes in many ways. He cuts firewood for the elderly and for fundraisers. He volunteers with ODFW. He plays Santa Claus for fire department Christmas parties. But most of all, for anyone who knows him, this man IS everything and anything to do with kids’ sports.
He has called the Glide area home since 1976. Almost immediately after moving here, he got involved with Glide’s Summer Rec program. He’s been involved ever since, coaching, running tournaments, serving on the board.
Sometime in the mid-80s, he got involved with Babe Ruth baseball. There too, he has coached, organized all-star tournaments, served on the board of directors. In fact, he’s currently president of Umpqua Valley Babe Ruth.
Not surprisingly, the school coaches noticed and recruited him. Next thing you know, he’s coaching both boys’ and girls’ junior varsity baseball, JV softball, and girls basketball. He became a roving instructor for junior high softball and baseball, linesman for volleyball games, helper at track meets.
What do you suppose someone like him does when the kids don’t have a good ball field? You got it, he helps build a new one. Preps the ground, puts in sprinklers, plants grass, builds dugouts. He worked first on the baseball field and, in the last few years, the new softball field. He has spent countless hours handpicking rocks out of infields.
You might assume his kids were on the teams, so his efforts were for his family. No, his son says his dad never coached him, and only coached his sister’s team for a short while. No, he does it for every one of our kids.
You might also get the idea that this man is all about sports. Wrong again! He’s all about kids. His son said, "He is a person who really cares about watching kids excel and grow through sports. Not many people are so interested in the youth of Glide and, indeed, all of Douglas County."
Go anywhere in this county and people know him because of what he has done for kids’ baseball. We are fortunate that he has been a member of our community and has given so much to our children -- past, present and future.
Please join me in honoring George Moyers as Glide First Citizen 2009!
Two other nominees were also honored:
Debbie Anderson for her work with the Glide Fire Department as firefighter, EMT, and public information and education officer; for spearheading efforts to reopen the Glide Clinic and her continuing work as board member and president of the Umpqua Community Health Clinic; and her volunteer environmental education activities with the US Forest Service.
Don Good for his work with the Glide Senior Center, Senior Advisory board, county sheriff's department, researching local history, and sharing information from all these activities with the greater community.
Thank you to all of our honorees for everything they do to make our community a better place to live!
Nancy Kreger and
Barbara Sulffridge
2008 First Citizens
Presentation speeches delivered by Frank Moore:
We’ve probably all heard the story of the five blind men and the elephant. They each touched a different part of the animal, and they each had a different idea of what it was like. Understanding our First Citizens is rather like that. They each do so much, in so many different places, that it’s hard for the rest of us to get a complete view of just how much they give to our community.
If you spend time in the Senior Center, you would see our first honoree there, helping prepare and serve meals, training new volunteers, delivering Meals on Wheels, and taking blood pressure readings.
At her church, you’d see her teaching Sunday School and Bible classes. At the talent show and spaghetti feed next weekend, she’ll be helping out.
In the home of someone moving, you’d find her spending two days packing them up. Where a family is grieving, you’ll see her helping with funeral arrangements and bringing food.
If you are with the Volunteer Fire Department, you would see her helping save lives as an EMT. Anywhere around the county, you might have seen her teaching classes in First Aid and CPR through the Red Cross or Driver Safety through AARP.
At the Fire Department’s Bar-B-Q and Craft Fair, you’ll see her running the pie shop. If you’d been in her kitchen the week before, you’d have seen her table covered with pies she baked. In her living room, you’d see the quilts she made to donate to a raffle or to give to a new baby or a senior citizen.
Even her poor husband can’t keep up with everything she does. He said, "If she sees a need, she fills it. If she thinks somebody needs help, she’s going to be there." Here is what her nomination said: "In her quiet and unassuming manner, she lives to help whoever is in need. She has touched many lives and has been a friend to the people of Glide and surrounding areas."
We are blessed and grateful to have this kind-hearted, giving person among us. Please join me in honoring Barbara Sulffridge, Glide First Citizen 2008!
Angie introduced the Selection Committee a few minutes ago, and you’d never guess from looking at them what an unconventional bunch they are. This committee decided not to be restricted by recent tradition and gender rules. And so, just as in 1968, 1989, and 1995, tonight we have two women as our First Citizens.
Our second honoree also devotes amazing amounts of time to helping others -- so much that it is practically a full-time job. As food coordinator at the Helping Hands food pantry, she acquires the food and supplies. She also individually helps recipients select their groceries -- a consistent, caring face for the patrons of Helping Hands every Wednesday. Altogether, she spends about 60 hours a month at Helping Hands. She also volunteers with UCAN, picking up food from Roseburg stores that will go to all area food pantries, including Glide’s. Add another 25 or 30 hours a month.
For four years, she’s been a state-certified nursing home ombudsman. This means she is a friend, advocate, and problem-solver for the 150 residents of her assigned home, some of whom are Glide citizens, plus residents in 3 foster homes, one in the Glide area. Last fall the state recognized her dedication and skill with two awards. She’s required to spend 10 hours per month, but she actually puts in 20 to 30. So now we’re up to about a 30-hour volunteer work week.
She apparently still thinks she has time on her hands, because every year starting in October, she becomes one of Santa’s elves. She is a key team member of the holiday food and gift basket program. She’s the one who makes sure every household needing help gets signed up. She talks to every parent to find out what kinds of gifts the children would like -- and there are 160 to 200 children every year. The gift tree has a tag she has made for every child, and if some tags aren’t taken, she goes shopping herself. She retrieves donated food and gifts daily from under the tree, and sorts and organizes them. For weeks her living room looks like Santa’s workshop! She calls every single household -- there were 145 last year -- reminding them to be home for the food deliveries. Those who see her on food-sorting and delivery days may not realize that she has already put in over 100 hours on the project.
Whether she’s making sure children have Christmas presents, guaranteeing that families have food on their tables, or improving the quality of life for those in nursing care, this woman literally changes the lives of hundreds of people in our community.
One of her great gifts is the ability to make people feel comfortable when circumstances require them to seek help. Her totally non-judgemental, caring attitude is contagious for those who work beside her. Her attitude makes it clear that she believes she is privileged to have the opportunity to serve.
Well, we are privileged to have her as a member of our community, helping and inspiring us. Please join me in honoring Nancy Kreger as Glide First Citizen 2008!
Stu Carlson &Carol Henry
Glide First Citizens 2007
FIRST CITIZEN PRESENTATION SPEECHES -- 2007
Our first honoree this evening has lived in our community for over 25 years. Like many community-minded people, the list of her volunteer activities is impressive to say the least. She volunteers at the hospital and elementary school; does blood pressure checks for senior services; volunteers at the juvenile corrections department in Roseburg; and teaches first aid and CPR in many different settings around the area. Her husband says, "If she has a free moment, she volunteers it somewhere."
But the bulk of her commitment can be seen in the hours she freely gives to Glide Fire Department. She joined in 1980, despite having four children from first to eighth grades. Aside from 3 years out of state, she has been an important part of the fire department ever since. In that time, she has achieved multiple certifications: as both structural and wildland firefighter, as an EMT, and as a first aid and CPR instructor.
But to give you a more accurate idea of what her commitment to our community really means, I need to share with you some statistics. Last year, our fire department responded to more than 340 calls. That’s almost one per day. The majority of those calls are medical emergencies or vehicle accidents—and our female "first citizen of the year" responded to over 70% of those calls. That means that in 2006 she dropped whatever she was doing nearly 240 times to help some member of our community who was in need of medical help, in a car wreck, or whose house was burning. 240 times in a year is what I call "commitment" – a commitment that has been consistently demonstrated for 25 years!
And, folks, that’s just the "calls" she responds to. Now that she’s "retired", this woman also spends 15-20 hours every week at the station doing numerous other jobs that pertain to fire department business. This is the person who makes sure that when our ambulance reaches you, all critical life-saving equipment and medication is already on-board. She makes sure things are cleaned up after each call, inventories the ambulance, checks that everything is there and in the right place, and orders supplies when they’re low. In fact, she’s the one who developed our procedure for taking inventory.
She makes sure that every one of the fire department’s members is trained annually in order to be recertified in the latest CPR requirements. She trains us in the appropriate use of AEDs (automatic electronic defibrillators). And she provides other medical training for us as well, including her specialty, blood-borne pathogens, to ensure the safety of EMTs and the community. So not only does she serve the community directly whenever called, but also serves us through training, organizing, and enabling others to serve, thus magnifying her own contributions.
As if that’s not enough, in 2000, the fire department was looking for a way for high school students to experience what firefighting and emergency service work entails. So our female "first citizen" was tapped to organize an Explorer Post, which she has led ever since. She prepares for and conducts the Explorers’ drills and supervises them whenever they participate in department activities. Five students are currently in the program, and upwards of 18 others have passed through it. In addition to learning skills for future careers, these young people experience leadership, service, and character development. So this woman is shaping the future by passing on to the next generation her knowledge, skills and commitment to service.
It’s a little odd that when we were gathering information about this woman so devoted to saving people’s lives, that those we called said, "She’ll kill me for telling you this, but…!" Well, we hope there won’t be any medical calls tonight as a result of our celebration.
So to this remarkable woman, may I say that the Glide community is grateful for your years of devoted service, for the knowledge and skills you have given us, and for your investments in our future. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in thanking and honoring Carol Henry, Glide First Citizen 2007.
Tonight’s second honoree moved to the Glide area in 1998 and immediately began making a difference. Here at the community building, it’s hard to look around without seeing a contribution that he has quietly made, whether it’s the new outside stairs, fresh paint on the building trim, Christmas trees every year, dead trees removed out back, or the First Citizen plaque hanging on the wall behind you. This is a creative man, marked and motivated by initiative—and here’s an example of it: He took it upon himself to hand-craft a beautiful table, set up a raffle for it at the Forest Service, and raised $700 to buy paint for this building.
We heard earlier about the strong connection between Eagle Scouts and citizenship. Our male "first citizen of the year" achieved Eagle Scout in 1970, and has been active in Scouting ever since. When he came to Glide, he first became Assistant Scoutmaster and since 2000 he has been Scoutmaster for Troop 112. In addition, he occupies leadership roles at district and national levels, such as chairing the district’s upcoming Spring Camporee, serving on the district committee for Order of the Arrow, and leading activities at the national Boy Scout Jamboree. The Scouts recognized his influence by awarding him District Scoutmaster of the Year in 2003.
Of course, the most important result of his Scouting work is the many boys who have been influenced by his mentoring. His guidance, example, discipline, and teaching are positively shaping these young men of the future. During the hours of Scout meetings and weekends of camping, his values become theirs. The mother of one who recently made Eagle Scout has said her son would not be the person he is without this Scoutmaster.
For many of us, the most visible Scouting activity of the year is the troop’s Christmas food drive and gift program. Under his leadership for 6 years, the program has grown tremendously: 50% more households are being served; twice as many individuals and organizations are involved in helping; four times as much food is being collected; and eight times more money is being donated. He applies for grants, solicits donations, negotiates reduced prices at grocery stores, collects boxes, hauls food, recruits volunteers, and directs the entire operation.
Last Christmas the program received more than 11,000 pounds of food and more than $11,000 in contributions. Glide’s Troop 112 brought in one third of all the food collected by the entire Douglas County Boy Scout district. In fact, the program is so successful that it has become more than just a holiday dinner. Get this folks: because the troop is partnering with the Helping Hands Food Pantry, families in our community are still receiving food collected last Christmas. No wonder one nomination said, "He IS Glide Christmas."
Now, I realize that our male "first citizen" would be the first to say that he doesn’t do this by himself, that it’s a team effort, that lots of people from the Scout troop and the community join together to make the Christmas food and gift program possible. And he’s right. But his leadership and commitment give a lot of people in Glide a truly joyous Christmas meal and provide Scouts an opportunity to practice community citizenship. Also, by leading this effort he gives the entire community an opportunity to do something really spectacular for others that we could never do acting individually.
So to this dedicated man, may I say that the people of the Glide area are grateful for what you do for our youth and our entire community. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in thanking and honoring Stu Carlson, Glide First Citizen 2007.
Frank and
Jeanne Moore
Glide First
Citizens 2006
photo by Meier Photography
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FIRST CITIZEN PRESENTATION SPEECHES -- 2006
Our newest Glide First Citizens for 2006 share several things in common. They each discovered a passion into which they have poured tremendous energy for many decades. They both became widely respected experts, and in turn, generously shared their knowledge with others. For each of them, educating people and raising awareness about their subjects became a labor of love.
We who live in the Glide area are very fortunate that their dedication has enriched the lives of so many people in and beyond our community. Their dedication has also honored and protected our beautiful North Umpqua River region, which is so special to all of us.
Our first honoree moved to the Glide area as a young woman, and was a businesswoman, wife and mother. She was very involved in church and music groups, as well as introducing the area to visitors. From almost the very beginning of the Wildflower Show, she was there to help. After she sold her business, she wanted to contribute more, so she took classes to study her passion --- wildflowers. She has never stopped learning and teaching.
She knows where every wildflower in Southwest Oregon can be found – and she knows all their common and scientific names. She organizes, trains and directs collectors each year. Last weekend, one of the OSU botanists credited her with "keeping the botanists organized and honest." She is a continual presence throughout the show week, and probably no one knows everything this woman does behind the scenes..
In addition to the Wildflower Show, she has helped document and protect rare and threatened plants in our area. One shining and enduring example is helping the establishment of the Limpy Rock Research Natural Area. She and her team identified rare species, collected enough data for a doctoral dissertation, worked with university botanists, and educated and lobbied legislators. As a result, this unique botanical area, right in our own backyard, has been identified and preserved for us and for generations to come.
This generous woman has shared her lifelong, consuming passion for wildflowers with all of us. We here tonight and our entire community are forever richer for it. Please join me in honoring Jeanne Moore – Glide First Citizen of 2006!
Similarly, our second honoree tonight has contributed to the Glide area in many ways! For example, he served on the school board, including a stint as chairman; and, even threw himself in harm’s way as a wrestling referee. But he also has turned a passion into service,… and for that he is best known.
He came to the North Umpqua as a young man and fell in love with this river. As soon as he could, he moved his young family here and began making a living from his passion for fishing. He has introduced hundreds of lucky people to the river. But as photographer Dan Callaghan said, "It isn’t just fishing when you are on the river with him. It’s conservation also."
He has worked for decades to protect the river, the fish, and the forests that surround and support them. Whether serving with the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, travelling the country as an ambassador for the river, or standing in the waters of the North Umpqua with a fellow fisherman; he has continually raised awareness and helped form public policies about our wildlife and forest heritage and, in particular, our own local rivers and streams.
Deservedly, he has received many awards and accolades nationwide and has been called a "Living Legend" and "Dean of the North Umpqua River." We in Glide are proud to call him our friend and one of our own, and we honor Frank Moore as – Glide First Citizen of 2006!
I said at the beginning that our newest First Citizens share several things in common. For example, they also share a last name, a home, and an extended family! Together they ran the Steamboat Inn for many years, and the warmth of their personalities enhanced our area’s reputation and drew people here, often to stay. This couple has assisted each other in everything they have done, and the service and accomplishments of one reflect the support of the other. It’s hard to imagine honoring one without the other, and so we honor you both, Frank and Jeanne, as Glide First Citizens of 2006!