west virginia elks state president john howard penn, … · 6/30/2017 · jackie barlow, psp roger...

WEST VIRGINIA ELK…SPRING/SUMMER 2017

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE

WEST VIRGINIA ELKS ASSOCIATION

West Virginia Elks State President 2017-2018

John Howard PENN, State President...…...pg. 1

West Virginia State Officers………..……....pg. 2

Our State Sponsor’s Message……..……....pg. 2

Parting Words PSP Roger Kirkpatrick……..pg. 3

Vice President South: Walter Ice..………....pg. 3

Vice President Central, Dennis Hayes…….pg. 4

Vice President North, Bill Verelst…………..pg. 4

State President John Penn (continued)…...pg. 4

Grand Exalted Ruler Michael Zellen……….pg. 5

Pick a Community Project and do it……….pg. 5

Pictures from Jphn Penn’s Instalation…...pg. 6

State President John Penn’s Biography…..pg. 7

Web Master and Internet Committee……...pg. 7

Susan Kirkpatrick’s comments……………..pg. 8

Martinsburg #778 Fire & Safety Day……….pg. 9

West Virginia ENF Donations……………….pg. 9

Drug Awareness Meeting in Reno, NV…….pg. 9

Wellsburg #1553 celebrate 75th anniversary of

Batann Death March……..………………...pg. 10

150 Veterans treated to Pirates ballgame..pg. 11

ENF Grants go to Lewisburg & Wheeling..pg. 12

Martinsburg #778 hosts Trout Derby……..pg. 12

WV State Hoop Shoot Results 2016-17….pg. 13

Harrison County helps a Veteran…………pg. 13

Parkersburg Auction Items needed……...pg. 14

State Awards handed at Glade Springs….pg. 14

Taffy’s getting married at South Camp…..pg. 14

State President John PENN’s reception….pg. 15

Harrison County Vets & PSP Roger……...pg. 16

WEST VIRGINIA ELKS STATE PRESIDENT

JOHN HOWARD PENN, 2017-2018

THANK YOU VERY MUCH: This is my first column/message as the WV Elks Association State President. I have nothing but “Thank You” to offer. Thank you for having the confidence in me to vote for me to become your leader. Thank you for your willingness to help me out in this next year. AND Thank you very much for your com-passion and generosity. As I am sure that you all know by now, my wife of 34 years (i.e., Gloria Gozdzik) passed away two weeks short of my installation into office as the President. Many of you made the trip to Morgantown to help me through my tears and to honor her life’s work and contributions. Many more of you donated very generously to have one of her pins, with the im-portant motif in the pin as “Keep fighting”. Due to your generosity, $500.00 was raised for WV Car-ing, the Hospice organization that cared for her in her end of life battle. Confirmation of this donation will be sent to State Secretary Howard Boyd.

MY MISSION FOR 2017-2018: In this past year’s American politics, one candi-date rose to the top, based in large part upon the idea that he could “Make America Great Again”. Even though I am diametrically opposed to that candidate for a variety of reasons, the message is worth thinking about. Hmm. Let’s make the WV Elks “Great Again”. How might we do that? Together! “Yes, we can” “make the WV Elks great again!” is the combination of the last two US President’s slogans. I will have two main themes this year in my goal to make the WV Elks great again. The themes will be membership and charity. Why? Our overall membership numbers have been steadily falling for a number of years. Between Lodges that are losing members, and Lodges that are going defunct, we need to change something. As the WV Elks State President, I can only be a catalyst. I cannot make things happen. I can only help to make them happen. With this in mind, my two major goals for the next year will be 1) to increase our membership by encouraging lodges to have a PLUS in member-ship for the year and to help Lodges that are in trouble to stay afloat; and 2) to give Lodges a reason to exist by emphasizing our charitable mission. My aim is not to do, but to facilitate. To accomplish this mission, I will do my part by do-ing the following: I will redouble my efforts as the State President by visiting each Lodge TWO times (once for a Lodge meeting and once for a special event) and by promoting my message of “Let’s Make the WV Elks Great Again” on both visits. How will we do it? That’s up to you! Each Lodge will be different. I encourage each of you to join me in my effort by providing suggestions and problem-solving to find solutions that will help “Let’s Make the WV Elks Great

Again!”. Please join me in that mission. (Continued page 4)

SPONSOR’S MESSAGE

Do you have a HERO in your life? All kids have heroes. I suspect most of us adults do too. Is it Michael Jordan? Willie

Nelson? Eleanor Roosevelt?

Quick now? Who’s your HERO? I’ll tell you mine! It is TAFFY HOWER! Taffy who, you say? And why oh why you ask, is she

my hero?

Taffy is young enough to be my granddaughter. But for a quar-ter of a century she has given up the biggest part of her sum-mers to make life a little better for more than 100 West Virginians

who have disabilities, many in wheelchairs.

She takes them swimming and arranges for them to sit on a fire truck. She helps Santa Claus hand out presents to each of them at Christmas in July. She arranges line dancing sessions

for them. Have you ever seen a kid line dancing in a wheelchair?

She has a dedicated bunch of volunteer counselors at the camps she operates for us near Glenville and in the Princeton area. The official name is the West Virginia Elks Major Projects

Camps for Individuals with Disabilities. Taffy is Camp Director.

Our Camps are the first visit each year for the newly crowned Miss West Virginia. Other visitors who look forward to bonding with the campers are members of the Princeton Rays Baseball Team, the West Virginia Championship Wrestlers and the Knight

Riders Motorcycle Group, to name just a few.

Who are the campers? Wealthy or poor,. Young or old, all are welcome. The only common denominator is some form of disa-bility. They say things like. “Can we stay another week?” “Can we live here?” and “But all my friends are here.” Many don’t have

anything to look forward to except the Camp.

It is a thankless job for Taffy. Some of us complain about an eight-hour work day. For Taffy it is 24/7. How is she rewarded? Some campers bring her cards. One brought her a teddy bear.

Her real rewards, of course, are intangible.

We are indeed blessed to have Taffy as our Camp Director. She has made me proud of my Elks membership card for each

of the past 25 years. Each of us can be proud of her as well.

Taffy is blessed to have a supportive and dedicated Board consisting of Rick Romino, Jamie Webster, Dennis Hayes, John Penn, Walter Ice, Bill Verelst, Drew Phillips and Elizabeth Per-

nell.

The lesson Taffy has taught us all is that no man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child. I submit that means more than the combined accomplishments of Michael Jordan, Willie

Nelson, etc. All great people, but Taffy gets my vote.

WEST VIRGINIA ELKS ASSOCIATION OFFICERS FOR 2017-2018 PRESIDENT: John Howard PENN VICE PRESIDENT SOUTH: Walter ICE VICE PRESIDENT NORTH: Willian Verelst VICE PRESIDENT CENTRAL: Dennis HAYES SECRETARY: Howard Boyd, PSP TREASURER: Katie French, PER SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Herbert Haines, PSP CHAPLAIN: Elizabeth Pernell, PER INNER GUARD: Glen Wyland TILER: Douglas Trail ORGANIST: David McClure, PDD PARLIAMENTARIAN: Donald Stokes, PSP PROTOCAL: Richard Romino, PSP HOUSING CHAIRMAN: Howard Boyd, PSP TRUSTEES: Carl Mooney, PSP James McIntyre, PSP Darry Harris, PSP Jackie Barlow, PSP Roger Kirkpatrick, PSP LIAISON OFFICERS: Northern District: Donald Stokes, PSP Central District: William Lambert, PSP Southern District: Robert Stevens, PSP DISTRICT DEPUTIES Northern District: Jeffrey Cionni Central District: Phillip Isner Southern District: Stephen Janney DISTRICT DEPUTY ESQUIRES: Northern District: James Perkins, Jr. Central District: Bernice Brackens Southern District: Louise Hayes GRAND LODGE: State CLEMS Coordinators: Ashley Martin & William Rosen National Housing Chair: Howard Boyd, Sr. Grand Lodge Judiciary Committee: Jeffrey Miller National Hospitality Chair: Jerry French

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WEST VIRGINIA ELK

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER

OF THE WEST VIRGINIA ELKS ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1, I SSUE 1

PARTING WORDS FROM WEST VIRGINIA ELKS PAST STATE PRESIDENT

ROGER “HAMBONE” KIRKPATRICK, 2016-2017

Thank you all of the members of the West Virginia Elks Association for letting Susan and I represent you this past year as your

West Virginias Elks State President. We had a pleasure of meeting some friends that we will keep in our hearts for a lifetime.

I want to Thank all my Officers and Chairman for the 2016-2017 year. You all did a wonderful job and I am very proud of all of you. You should be proud of the job you did. Thanks to Ted Hess, Paul Duffy and Vince Gurrerra for helping me out during my year as President. Thanks to all the Lodges for being such great hosts to Susan and me. We will never forget all you did for us. Thanks to Heidi Hubbard, Wayne Martin and Jerry & Katie French for their help with the State and National Hospitality rooms. Thanks to Virgin-ia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky for being gracious hosts and hostesses to us. And a special Thank You to my home Lodge, Weirton #1801, for be-ing behind me all the way. Good Luck to John Penn on his journey

ahead, may it be as wonderful as ours was.

Last but not least, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to my awesome wife Susan. I would not have made it through this without you. I love you so

much babe.

Roger “Hambone” Kirkpatrick///Past State President///West Virginia Elks

Association 2016-2017

WALTER ICE, VICE PRESIDENT SOUTHERN DISTRICT

Greetings from the Southern Lodges of West Virginia. I want to extend my utmost “Thanks” to last years Exalted Rulers for do-ing an outstanding job in the running of your Lodges. To the incoming Exalted Rulers – Congratulations!! Keep the motivation

and momentum going in your Lodge to achieve the best year ever.

It is always unfortunate and sad to have an Elks Lodge close. I want to sincerely thank Bill Rosen and Ernie New for their years of dedicated service to Williamson Elks Lodge #1408. I also want to thank the prior officers, trustees and members of Lodge #1408 for all their hard work and devotion to Elkdom. I sincerely hope that members of the Williamson Lodge will transfer their

memberships to a nearby Lodge to keep their Elks spirit intact.

The Southern Lodges look forward to hosting our WV Elks State and Senior Golf Tournaments. Even if you don’t play golf,

please attend to see what real southern hospitality is all about.

Congratulations to our new WV Elks State President John Penn who was sworn in at our Annual Convention in Glade Springs. Make plans now to attend our Fall Convention in August at the Lakeview Golf Course and Resort in Morgantown, WV. We look forward to working with John in a truly successful year. To our outgoing State President and First Lady, Roger and Susan Kirkpatrick, it was a pleasure serving under your administration and a true delight in helping in any manner I

could.

We have so many things in our Southern Lodges to be thankful for. The most important asset we have are our members. Let’s work together for the true principals upon which the Elks were created. Exalted Rulers and other Com-mittee Chairpersons always ask for help; which many times falls on deaf ears. Please remember the reason you became an Elk and get back involved. Don’t wait to be asked – step up and volunteer or better yet, take the lead. You truly

won’t regret it!

Have a safe and enjoyable Summer!!

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DENNIS HAYES, VICE PRESIDENT CENTRAL DISTRICT

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Elkdom,

I hope all is well with each of you after the wonderful time I believe we all had at Glade Springs Resort in April. On behalf of my wife Louise and myself, we would like to thank each of you for your confidence and support in becoming the new Vice President Central District. We would also like to thank all the members of our home Lodge Mannington #388 for your support and making it possible to offer the rest of the state our warm hospitality on Friday at our Lodge’s hospitality room. None of which would have

been possible without all of you.

I look forward to serving the WV State Elks association as your newest Central District Vice President. I am thankful for the many mentors I have had over the years leading to this position. Some of which I will still turn to on this journey and others that taught me things and encouraged me but sadly have passed on. I am forever grateful for their wisdom and knowledge in which I will

always carry with me.

Congratulations to John Penn as our newest State President. I look forward to working with you and serving under you. Best wishes during your term as State President. I

know you will represent the WV Elks Association well.

Also, I’d like to remind all of our Lodges, if there is any assistance I can give you in re-gards to Lodge Safety and Insurance information, please don’t hesitate to contact me with

any questions you may have, I am happy to assist you any way I can.

In closing, once again, thank you all for your confidence and support!

Yours in Elkdom,

State President John Howard PENN’S Comments continued from pg 1!

How to Contact Me: To join me in that mission, you

will need to get in touch with me. As I am sure that all

of you are aware, I tend to live in an electronic world.

Therefore, the easiest way to get in touch with me is

through my cell phone. Text me at 304-685-1755 (or

call me) and you will get right to me. If I am in a boring

meeting, I can usually respond immediately, and almost

all messages get a return response within 24 hours.

The second best method to reach me is through my

email (which also goes to my phone) is

[email protected]. “Let’s get ‘r done”

and “Make the WV Elks Great Again!”

BILL VELERST, VICE PRESIDENT NORTHERN DISTRICT

Two requests were sent to VP Bill Verelst for his Northern District Comments. No response was re-ceived!

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OF THE WEST VIRGINIA ELKS ASSOCIATION

VOLUME 1, I SSUE 1

YOUTH WEEK, MOTHER’S DAY AMONG ACTIVITIES FOR MAY Message from Grand Exalted Ruler Michael ZELLEN

While you wait for summer’s official arrival, there are still plenty of things heating up in May. Don’t miss May’s must-do’s like observing National Youth Week, honoring our mothers and remembers our Veterans and Armed Forces. National Youth Week is May 1-7. It is a week dedicated to the celebration of youth and their active participation in their community. Whether it is recreation, drama, sport, scouting, civic engagement, art volunteerism or leadership, everyday young people are involved in meaningful activities during their free time. National Youth Week is a time for our Lodges to honor their involvement. Also in May, we honor our Mothers. While the Mother’s Day observance (which was started in Grafton, WV) and ritual are no longer a mandatory ceremony, it is a way to invite your membership and their families to a breakfast or lunch to honor the matriarch of your members’ families, as well as to celebrate motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. May also brings two other important holidays to honor our military and Veterans. On May 20th we celebrate Armed Forces Day to pay special tribute to the men and women who serve their country worldwide. Armed Forces Day won’t be a matter of parades and receptions for a good many of them. They will all be in the line of duty, and some of them may give their lives in fulfilling that duty. And on May 29th, our Order and the nation observe Memorial Day. In the words of the late President Ronald Reagan, “Today is the day we put aside to remember fallen heroes and to pray that no heroes will ever have to die for us again. It’s a day of thanks for the valor of others, a day to remember the splendor of America and those of her children who rest in this cemetery and others. It’s a day to be with family and remember.” On this Memorial Day, we as Elks will honor the sacrifices of prior generations. We will honor the sacrifices of the men and women who have served or continue to serve our nation. We pledge never to forget the true meaning of Memorial Day. May God bless you, our Mothers, our Veterans and the men and women who serve in the armed forces worldwide, and may God bless America. Thank you for Caring and Sharing and for continuing to demonstrate that “Elks are Leading the Way.” Follow our travels at http://travelsofgermikezellen.wordpress.com/

Pick a Community Project and do it!

By David Lake, Grand Lodge Committee Member

What is your Lodge doing in your community? Does your Lodge have an ANNUAL COMMUNITY PROJECT that your Lodge is known for throughout your community? If not, now is the time to plan one. The Exalted Ruler should appoint a Community Project Committee to explore the needs and opportunities in your local community and then plan an event. To help fund your Community Project, your Lodge can apply for a $2,000 Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant. If your Lodge meets the GER’s per-member goal for giving to the Elks National Foundation, then you can also apply for a $2,000 ENF Gratitude Grant. That will give you $4,000 for your Community Project. Think of the impact your Lodge can have in your community with the help of ENF Grants. Start planning your Lodge’s Community Project today.

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VOLUME 1, I SSUE 1

JOHN PENN, WEST VIRGINIA STATE PRESIDENT, 2017-2018

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VOLUME 1, I SSUE 1

BIOGRAPHY FOR JOHN HOWARD PENN//// WV ELKS ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT2017-2018

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the U.S.A.

John H Penn was born in Washington, PA and graduated from Bentworth High School (Ellsworth, PA). John obtained his B.S. degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College (Buckhannon, WV) and earned his Ph.D. Degree in organic chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT), he was appointed to the faculty of West Virginia University in 1983. Before retiring in December 2016, John served a distinguished career as an organic chemistry professor, having authored and published 55 papers, having given approximately 100 presentations in national and international forums (approximately 30 of them having been invited), and having taught thousands of students about the idiosyncrasies of organic chemistry. John won the WVU Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence (the University’s highest award for teaching) in 1997. John was initiated into the Morgantown, WV Lodge No. 411 in August 1999. He served as the Treasurer from 2000-2003. In 2003, John was elected to be the Exalted Ruler and served for three years until 2006. In 2007, John served as the Leading Knight and became the Lodge Secretary in 2008 where he has served to the present time. In addi-tion to his service as the Lodge Secretary, John has several years of service on the House Committee and even served as the club manager for a couple of years. Additional service as the chair of the ENF Committee, Scholarships Chair, and a member of the Hoop Shoot Committee and Veterans Committee earned John the Award of Elk of the Year on two occasions. John remains very active at his Morgantown Lodge. At the State Level John served for 6 years as the Secretary/Treasurer of the PER Association and for 4 years as the Chair of the Adopt-a-Veteran Committee. In addition to serving as a regular committee member of several other committees, he was elected to be a Vice President of the WV Elks Association in 2014. John was installed as the President of the WV Elks Association on April 22, 2017. At the Grand Lodge level he served as District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler of the West Virginia Central District in 2010 - 2011. John and his wife Gloria (Gozdzik) have

been together for 35 years and have three children (Rhonda Johnson of North Tonawanda, NY, Kenneth Botham of Vienna, WV, and Monica Foell of Ocean City MD), 5 grandchildren (Samantha Novack Marcos, Nicholas Novack, Alexander Novack, Lauren Johnson, and Brendon Botham), and one great grandson (Dexter Marcos) . Following his retirement, John has been active in a variety of volunteer activities, directed towards charitable contributions to the community. Examples include his service with the Elks, driving a handicapped accessible bus on Sun-days for a local church, board member of In Touch and Concerned, and volunteer

service to a local hospital. ELKS CARE/ELKS SHARE!

John Penn is the new webmaster and head of the Internet Committee.

Please join me in thanking Dr. Ashley Martin III for his 17 years of service on this committee. He has been awarded the 5 star rating for many of those 17 years of service. As PGER Hess has said recently, "for those years when a 5 star award was not given, we WV Elks believe that he should have received a 5 star award". For me, Ashley's shoes will be tough shoes to

fill. It is taking a little bit of time to make the transition and to get up to speed. Please bear with me in the transition period.

What do you need to know today?

***A new email list, incorporating all known email addresses of those who participate in WV Elks functions has been devel-oped. If you are not getting emails from me, please email to [email protected] and ask to be put on the WV Elks

email list.

***The wvelks.org website will change slightly as we move forward. Envisioned redesign goals include better integration with mobile devices and minor changes to the overall organization of the site. Anyone having ideas in how they would like to see the site organized should contact me. Or maybe even more importantly, anyone having ideas about how the website should remain the same

should let me know.

***Anyone who would like something distributed via email to the WV Elks needs to write the email, as you want it to go out. I will be happy to forward anything that anyone contrib-utes. BUT I will not be willing to take the time to rewrite things to make them sound

good. So, please write it exactly as you want it to appear to the members.

My goal for the year will be to get a 4 star rating (if I'm lucky, maybe a 5 star rat-

ing). Please bear with me while I get immersed in the techno-jumble.

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A MESSAGE FROM OUR FORMER FIRST LADY, SUSAN KIRKPATRICK

What an incredible year!!! If you recall, when I left off in the last newsletter, I was recovering from pneumonia.

What a better place to get your groove back than in Virginia Beach, VA!!!

Roger and I had the most wonderful time visiting Virginia Beach in October. I had a couple beautiful days that I got to spend on the beach enjoying the sights and sounds!!! We were treated wonderfully and got to enjoy much quality time with Bobby and April Fender, Ron and Nancy Hicks, Geoff and Susan Cox and the wonderful members of the VA Elks Association.

In November, we went to the State Soccer Shoot in Parkersburg. We had a great time watching the kids compete. Jim and Kim McIntyre did a fine job!!! That same weekend we headed to Buckhannon for their Fall Bash. We enjoyed delicious food and great company. Scott Wilson was an awe-some host! Roger even sang Karaoke!!!

Also in November we went to Fairmont’s Charity Ball. It was a wonderful event! It was nice to dress-up and we had a lovely time. Thank you to Rick Romano and Judith Plivelich for taking care of us!

We had a busy month of December…………. First we went to Martinsburg for their Wine and Beer Tasting. It was an excellent event! We also stayed to watch some WVU football at the Lodge. Thank you Nanci Hovermale and the members of Martinsburg Lodge for having us. Next we went to Mor-gantown for their Christmas Dance. Roger and I had a good time getting to know the great members in Morgantown. We also got to participate in the ugly Christmas Sweater Contest – but we didn’t win!

One of our highlights in December was being able to participate in Wheeling’s tradition for the past 57 years of packing and delivering of food boxes to dozens of local families in need. After 57 years they definitely have this down to a science. It was great knowing that you are helping people that are having a difficult time. I want to thank David Robinson for his hospitality and Rosalie Kimball for being in charge of such an important committee!

In January we had another highlight with the Harrison County Lodge by taking Veterans from the Veterans Hospital and Home to a WVU Women’s Basketball game. The Veterans enjoyed dinner. We all toured the women’s practice facility, including the coaches office and locker rooms. We had awesome seats! The veterans were visited by the Mountaineer, the Mountaineer Cheerleaders, the Assistant basketball coach, the Assistant Athletic Director and Former Players. They were also recognized during the game. Hats off to Donna and Flavious Haynes and the Harrison County Lodge for a job well done!

In February we made our visit to Wellsburg Lodge for their Valentine’s Dance. It was a wonderful evening spent with people that are like family to us. Thank you to Betty Cionni for always being there for us. We sure do miss Papa Joe and wish he had been with us this past year. Also Thank you to Burt Jennings and sweet Nadine Whitlatch for their wonderful hospitality.

In March we headed to Frederick, MD on snowy I-68 to attend the Mid-Atlantic Soccer Shoot. It was a great time! We were very proud of our youth from WV! Great work that Jim and Kim McIntyre do for the Soccer Shoot! The very next weekend we again headed to Frederick, MD on snowy I-68 to attend the Regional Hoop Shoot. It was also a great time! We had three winners from WV that advanced on to the National Hoop Shoot!!! PM and Chris Carper do a great job for our State Hoop Shoot Program! I got to go shopping with Chris in Frederick!!!

In April we went to Sistersville for the Annual Awards Banquet. We had a wonderful time. The food and the company were awesome! Thank you Don and Norma Stokes for your friendship and guidance. Thank you Heidi Hubbard for your hospitality while we were in Sistersville and for everything you did to help me with the ladies entertainment. You made everything so easy for me – Thank you and Love You!

That brings us to Glade Springs in Daniel, WV. I’m not sure about everyone else, but I thought this was a great convention site. I thought the women’s event went well! I was a little more prepared this time! It was also a little more relaxed! Just so you know – from the first ladies event in August 2016 – we sent a check to St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Pinch, WV for $535 to help with flood relief during the holiday season. From the ladies entertainment in April, I am sending a check to the WV Caring Hospice in Arthurdale, WV for $400 in memory of Gloria Gozdzik. Thank you all so much for attending and for your donations! It really was a lot of fun!!! I hope that you really did enjoy yourself!

I can’t believe that an entire year has gone by! It really is bittersweet. I want to thank everyone for all of their help along the way. Everyone has been so sweet and kind to me and I truly do appreciate it! I do want to thank a few special people that mean so much. I want to thank Paul and Jeannie Duffy and Vince and Madeline Gurrera. They have been there for Roger and I and they mean so much to both of us. We love you. We’ve missed you at the conventions this past year, but you were always in our thoughts. I want to thank Chris Pearson for everything you’ve done to help me out this past year. I’d also like to thank Walter and Jennifer Ice and Bill and Sharon Wolf for always being there for us ever since the guys were DD’s in 2011. We love you!!! Thank you to all the Past First Ladies for all of your help and advice. It really meant a lot to me!!! I love all of you! I will also treasure the time that I got to know Becky Hess! What a truly wonderful, lovely marshmallow lady (inside joke)!

Finally, it has been an honor and a privilege to have been your First Lady of the WV Elks for this past year. I will remember it always! - Love, Susan.

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VOLUME 1, I SSUE 1

Martinsburg Elks Lodge #778 Law & Safety Day 2017

For the past twenty five years, Martinsburg B. P. O. Elks Lodge 778 has recognized deserving officers from local law enforcement and emer-gency services agencies throughout Berkeley, Morgan and Jefferson Counties. This year, speaking to a completely packed lodge floor, Exalted Ruler Nanci Hovervale, paid tribute to all in attendance for their honorable service and commit-

ment to excellence.

According to Law & Safety Day chairman, Deputy Chief George Swartwood, MPD, this year’s honorees included officers from the Martinsburg City Police, WV State Police, EWV Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, FBI, U.S. Marshals Ser-vice, Sheriff’s Departments in the tri-county area, 167th Airlift Wing, WVANG, WV Division of Probation & Parole, Veteran’s Security Service and the Martinsburg Fire Department. In all, sixteen officers were presented a beautiful plaque and saluted by their commanding officers following a delicious buffet meal provided by

members and volunteers of Elks Lodge 778.

Keynote comments were provided on this high profile occasion by Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney, Catie Wilkes Delligatti, and a special tribute was delivered by WV State Police Superintendent Jan Cahill. Each speaker not only saluted local winners, but also offered a special note of thanks to the patience and support offered by each officer’s family that allows them to excel at their daily as-

signments.

Picture (top right, l to r) Elks PER Patrick Niederer; Elks Law & Safety Chair, Depu-ty Chief George Swartwood; Lt. Scott Doyle, Martinsburg City Police; and MPD

Chief Maury Richards.

Picture (bottom right, Group Picture) Shown are winners and speakers for the

2017 Law & Safety Day ceremony at Martinsburg B. P. O. Elks Lodge #778.

ENF DONATIONS

Ever wonder what happens to your donations to the Elks

National Foundation? West Virginia Elks donated nearly

$54,000 last year. Here is what we in West Virginia got

back:

Grants to the WV Elks Assn.: $99,700

Scholarships for WV Students: $36,000

Funds for hospitalized

veterans in WV:………. $10,860

Grants to 14 WV Lodges: $84,500

Total: $231,060

That’s a ratio of $4.28 for every dollar the Foundation re-

ceived from West Virginia last year. Invest $54,000 and get

back nearly a quarter of a million dollars. Try getting

that rate of return from your local bank.

Sincerely and fraternally,

Lester C. Hess, PGER West Virginia Sponsor

The National Drug Awareness Program will be having a special session in Reno The National Drug Awareness Program will be having a special session again this year at Grand Lodge. The session will be on Tuesday, July 18 from 1:30-3:30 in room C! at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. Please plan to attend this open session and here about all the new things going on in the Elks Drug Awareness Program. We have many great speakers lined up for this event. Sincerely: Kent Gade, Director - Elks National Drug Awareness Program

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WELLSBURG ELKS LODGE #1553 CELEBRATE 75TH

ANNIVERSARY OF BATANN DEATH MARCH

The Wellsburg Elks Lodge #1553 was a critical part of this activity celebration. Several Elks members spent time in the kitchen to prepare food for approximately 120 veterans, members of the community, and Elks as the 75th anniversary of the Bataan Death March was commemorated. Sponsored in part by a grant from the Adopt-a-Veteran program of the WV Elks, a program, incorporating the Elks, the Brooke County Public Library, and the American Defenders of the Bataan and Corregidor Museum, funding for a 4,000 sq ft addition was announced. The May 5 commemoration of the anniversary of the Death March is an annual

event hosted by these above-named organizations.

Leaders of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Muse-um and Education Center announce a donation of $500,000 that will allow the Wellsburg museum to be expanded. On hand for the an-nouncement, (PICTURED AT RIGHT) from front left, are Ed and Henrietta Jackfert, who launched the museum; and back row, Jim Meriwether; Jon and Jeanette Meriwether, who contributed part of the donation; Jim Brockman, museum director; Richard Lizza, president of the museum board; and David and Nancy Hubbard, who provided

the remainder of the funds. Photo by Warren Scott

Although not a participant in the Bataan Death March, Jackfert was among thousands of Allied troops captured by the Japanese while attempting to defend the Philippines against Japanese invaders who

sought to control the South Pacific.

Jackfert told those attending Friday’s program at the Wellsburg Elks

Lodge that the Allied troops’ military leaders had left them ill-prepared for battle and when reinforcements came, it was too little, too late.

Lizza, a former history professor, said the troops should be remembered for their bravery, having fought for five months without hope of rein-

forcement or more supplies. He noted many were starving or sick when they were forced to surrender.

Their Japanese captors were unprepared for the large number of captives but also worsened their conditions.

About 70,000 captured Americans and Filipinos were forced to walk 65 miles in grueling heat to a railroad station from which they were trans-ported to a prison camp. At least 600 died from disease, starvation or dehydration or were killed when they attempted to get water or fell be-

hind.

For the museum’s first display, Jackfert and his wife compiled maps, photos and written accounts from POWs.

Since then the museum has received hundreds of contributions of photos, letters and other artifacts through the efforts of Jackfert, former Brooke County Public Library Director Mary Kay Wallace and her husband, George Wallace, who served as publisher of the ADBC’s newslet-

ter.

Libby Reasbeck, a representative of U.S. Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., presented a copy of a resolution entered by McKinley into the Con-gressional Record noting the sacrifices made by the defenders of Bataan and Corregidor. It notes that among them are Jackfert; the late Joe Vater Sr., who solicited contributions for the museum; the late Lester Tenney, a former ADBC commander who wrote of his experiences as a POW; and the late Abie Abraham, a contributor to the museum who wrote of his efforts as a serviceman to reclaim the bodies of those who

died on the march.

Chris Abraham of Butler, Pa., Abraham’s wife, said of the planned addition, “I think it’s wonderful. Hopefully they will have a lot of visitors so it

will boost tourism in Wellsburg and preserve the memory of the men who served.”

In recent years the museum has been visited by Japanese students, television film crews and officials from Mitsubishi Materials, among com-panies that employed the POWs in the war effort. The company offered an apology and donated $50,000 to expand the museum’s online pres-

ence.

Lizza noted those not able to visit the museum personally may learn about it through its website at philippine-defenders.lib.wv.us.

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The WV Elks Adopt-a-Veteran North Special Project.

150 Veterans from WV North District and WV Central District. #LetsGoBucs #WelcomeHomeWV

In a joint mission coordinated by several groups, nearly one hundred fifty (150) veterans and family members were treated to a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA on Tuesday, May 16, 2017 to say “Thank you for your service”. Three buses, each fully loaded with Veterans and their families, were chartered to take these veterans to the game, with one bus originating in Clarksburg, WV (from the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Cen-ter), one bus originating in Morgantown, WV, and one bus originating in Wheel-ing, WV with an intermediate stop in Weirton, WV. The Veterans ranged in age and experience from a Korean War Veteran all the way through our current combat experience in the Middle East. The popularity of the event was characterized by the fact that the event was never officially announced, but all of the tickets were spoken for within 24 hours of the official decision to make the trip. Quotes from veterans include: • “it was great to share the experience with other veterans from different eras of service and form bonds that will last.” • “The weather was great and the best of any of our trips to see the Pirates. But it would be nice if they won once

in a while.”

Several organizations were responsible for securing the funding for the event. The Pittsburgh Pirates (through Pi-rates Charities and the MLB Commis-sioner’s Community Initiative) donat-ed the tickets for the game. The Louis A Johnson VA Medical Center used their bus for transport of veteran pa-tients, while the WV Elks Association donated the buses from Morgantown, WV and Wheeling, WV. Most im-portantly, organizational time and effort was contributed by Operation Welcome Home, a Veterans Job Place-ment and Service Facility in Morgan-

town, WV.

Another great outing for the Veter-ans! Special thanks again to Brett Simpson and Joseph Douglas for their special assistance in organizing.

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ENF GRANTS AWARDED TO LEWISBURG #1758 AND WHEELING #28

The Elks National Foundation has awarded Impact Grants to two West Virginia Lodges for 2017. Lewisburg Lodge No. 1758 and Wheeling Lodge No. 28 will each receive $7,500.00 from the Foundation. Lewisburg Lodge’s Grant is to be used to support the Rainelle Community Gathering. Wheeling Lodge’s Grant is to be

used to support the Just For Kids Program at the Wheeling Area Soup Kitchen.

Nationally, the Elks National Foundation received 172 Impact Grant Applications and selected 74 Lodges to receive Grants. See West Virginia Grants Coordinator David Webster for advice on how you can apply for an

Impact Grant next year.

The Martinsburg Elks #778 Garry M. VanMetre Memorial Trout Derby 2017

The Martinsburg Elks Lodge 778 held it’s sixteenth annual, and first Garry M. VanMetre Memorial Trout Der-by on May 13, 2017 at the Poor House Farm. The Berkeley County Parks and Recreation donated the use of the pond and about 250 trout. Around seventy children and their parents, grandparents braved the weather to catch about 150 fish. Every child received a prize and a gift package of hooks, sinkers, floats along with meal cards from Sheetz, McDonalds, & Chick-Fil-A. Everyone that attended were also served hot dogs and soft drinks donated by the Trout Derby coordinators Donna and Earle Lightner. Other donations were from Eagle Claw, Dicks Sporting goods, Mr. Pennington, Weis Market, Food Lion, Shop’n Save, and many more. The winners for this year’s derby were, Girls 4-8 first place was Leah Eiker, 2nd Cabby Peach who also caught a gold trout along with her sister Katie Peach who was 3rd place, and 4th place was Natalie Eiker. For the girls 9-12, First place Kylie Eiker, 2nd Mady Eiker, 3rd Isabella Deaver and 4th was Hunter Rosier. For the boys 4-8, First was Trenton Mil-burn, 2nd Ashton Butler, 3rd Philip McCoy who also won the $25.00 gift card from sheetz for the first Gold Trout caught, and 4th Xander Ken-dall. For the boys 9-12, First Brayden Ar-mott, 2nd Josh Lasure, 3rd Krystian Noris, and 4th was Logan Bowers. All the winners received fishing rods or tack-le boxes. We would also like to thank all the volunteers that made this derby a

success.

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WEST VIRGINIA 2016-2017 STATE HOOP SHOOT RESULTS: 3 advance to Nationals

8/9 - Ty Nething, St. Marys Lodge #1701, 19/25 for 4th

Haylen Cook, Wheeling #28, 21/25 for 3rd.

10/11 - Kaden Humphreys, Fairmont #294, won with 24/30 (including one round shoot-off)

Casey Ticich, Wheeling #28, 13/25 for 3rd.

12/13 - Grant Barnhart, St. Marys #1701, 25/25 to win again.

Lindsey Garrison, Wheeling #28, won with 22/25.

First time I can remember three WV winners going to the Nationals.

Lindsey Garrison from Wheeling Lodge No. 28 and her parents First Place (at left)…..Grant Barnhart from St. Mary's Lodge No. 1701 and his parentsHarrison County Elks adopt a veteran!

Harrison County Elks Lodge #2875 Adopt a Veteran!

We are proud to announce that we hosted a veteran, John Coppola, his service dog, Kiley, and Pastor Jim Murphy this evening for dinner at the lodge. Jeff Barnhart, Loyal Knight with the lodge was introduced to the traveling duo by his pastor Jim Murphy at West Milford UMC this past Sunday. Jeff learned that John and Kiley left Oregon hitchhiking to be with his daughter in Tennessee. I was able to spend time with John, Kiley and Pastor Jim Murphy after church on Sunday and learn more about John's journey. John suffered a traumatic brain injury from an IED while serving in Somalia in 1993. The brain injury caused John to have seizures. Approximately 1 1/2 years ago John acquired

Kiley who was trained as his service dog.

Here's the story: John left his wife and 2 nephews behind in Oregon and started hitchhiking to Tennessee with his service dog Kiley. John and Kiley meant several strangers along the way, sleeping many night in a sleeping bag battling the elements of nature. On this past Saturday, Jeff's Pastor Jim Murphy passed John and Kiley along side the road. Pastor Jim noticed the service dog and turned his vehicle around to see if he could assist in some manner. Long story short, Pastor Jim transported the traveling duo to a local hotel for a place to rest. John and Kiley attended church service on Sunday. While attending the spaghetti dinner held at church Jeff learned that John and Kiley were traveling by foot to John's daughter who resides in Tennessee. John's daugh-ter had given birth to a newborn baby and suffered complications from the pregnancy. His daughter's husband is currently serving with the Air Force stationed in Afghanistan. As mentioned before John and Kiley were hitchhiking to be with his daughter. Jeff explained that the Elks may be able to assist with his journey. It was then that Jeff contacted Exalted Ruler Joe Corglioniti to see what assistance may be available thru the Elks to assist a worthy veteran. It was decided that the Harrison County Elks Lodge purchase a bus ticket for John and Kiley to safely complete the journey to his daughter. Jeff also contacted the Clarksburg VFW who also provided monetary relief to John and Kiley. We are thankful to Pastor Jim Murphy for assisting in this situation. John’s wife works in Oregon and was not able to leave her employment. She also cares for John’s 2 nephews, ages 9 & 7. John’s brother, who

is the father of the children, was killed 2 years ago in Afghanistan and are caring for the boys.

Pictured at right are: (L-R) Jeff Barnhart, Loyal Knight and John with Kiley. John and Kiley were also

awarded with a Adopt-a-veteran certificate from the Harrison County Elks Lodge.

ELKS CARE…..ELKS SHARE

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AWARDS HANDED OUT AT STATE

CONVENTION AT GLADE SPRINGS

George Swartwood, Martinsburg Lodge #778, as West Virginia Elks Citizen of the Year. Nick Conti, Wheeling Lodge #28, as the Male Veterans Volunteer of the year. Ma. Carol Bostic, Lewisburg Lodge # 1758, as Female Veterans Volunteer of the year. Mike Thomaselli, Wellsburg Lodge #1556, as West Virginia State Of-ficer of the Year.

PARKERSBURG ELKS #198…..AUCTION ITEMS NEEDED

We have been working with the American Legion Post 15 for about a year raising monies for the Parkersburg City Park War Memorial Restoration. The work is underway with the hope of rededicating the War Memorial on Memorial Day. We are having one last major fundraiser on Saturday, May 13th. It is a benefit bike run visiting the Elk Lodges and American Legion Posts in our area. At the completion of bike run there will be an auction at American Legion Post 15 at 6 pm with 100% of the auction money going toward the War Memorial Restoration. Its spring cleaning time and what a better way to support this auction then to donate all those items that are primarily dust collectors. Contact the Elks, 304.422.6546 and arrange a time they can be picked up. We will also auction new items. We need your help. Again, the day of the bike run and auction is May 13th. Many volunteers are needed for this worthwhile event. Contact the Elks if you wish to help. Thanks to all the members that have helped over the last 12 months. Our veterans and their families

deeply appreciate your efforts

Elks National Veterans Service Commission May Newsletter

News from the Front. Last month, we emailed a year-end survey to Lodge Veterans Chairs. Our goal was to get a bet-ter sense of what Elks accomplished at the local level, and to hear how volunteers struggled and how they succeeded.

Well, the results are in! And, they’re enlightening.

With some things, the results were universal. Nearly 87% of people thought the Elks programs were relevant and serving the needs of to-

day’s veterans. (The other 13% answered “somewhat.”)

On the other hand, the responses about what Lodges needed to suc-ceed varied wildly. Some Lodges reported an abundance of volunteers and donations. More reported a lack of funding, and a few reported feel-ing overwhelmed by veterans’ requests for support. The average num-ber of veterans events run by a Lodge last year was 15, but individual

responses ranged from 0 to 90, with 11 Lodges reporting 50 or more.

Click here to learn more. Thanks to all the Lodge Veterans Chairs who

participated!

Attention:

Camp Counselors, Campers, Friends, and Family. Josh and I are getting married at South

Camp Thursday July 27.

I am so excited to make you all a part of our big day!!!! Joshua Robert-

son —feeling excited.

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State President Roger Kirkpatrick and wife Susan at WVU Wom-en's Basketball game with Harrison County Elks taking Veterans from the Clarksburg VA Medical Center and VA Home to the game. Thanks to the Veterans

for all they do.

STATE PRESIDENT JOHN PENN’S RECEPTION @ Glade Springs Resort

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DEADLINE FOR NEXT NEWLETTER WILL BE OCT 30, 2017

Newsletter editor: Jack M. Bennett, Weirton Lodge #1801. Please submit information or comments to: [email protected] or [email protected] or Jack M. Bennett @ 3842 Marion Ave., Weirton, WV 26062 or call me @ 304-482-0597. If at all possible please send information by Microsoft word format. That allows me to copy and paste information easily into the newslet-

ter.

Advisor: Lester C. Hess, Jr., PGER, Wheeling Lodge #28

Assistant Chairman: Ashley Martin III, PSP, Grafton #308

UPCOMING EVENTS

Reno, NV, July 16-19, 2017………...San Antonio, TX, June 30-July 3, 2018

West Virginia Elks Mid-Year Convention: Lakeview Resort & Golf Course, Morgantown, WV Aug. 10-13, 2017

District Deputy Clinics:

Northern District! Jeff Cionni, St. Marys #1701, August 5, 2017. 9:30am

Central District! Phil Isner, Fairmont #294, September 16, 2017, 10:00am

Southern District! Stephen Janney, Princeton #1459, October 14, 2017, 10:00am

North/Central Camp: Gilmer County Parks & Recreation Center, Glenville, WV, July 2-8, 2017

South Camp: July 23-29, 2017, Camp Glenwood, Princeton, WV

Weirton Elks Lodge #1801 P.O. Box 269 3429 Main Street Weirton, WV 26062 304-748-0565

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west virginia elks state president john howard penn, … · 6/30/2017 · jackie barlow, psp roger...

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