Joe Woodcock receives Community Service Award
Members of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce recognized several people with special awards during the group’s annual banquet on January 26.
Joe Woodcock, a local attorney, received the Community Service Award, the Chamber’s top award, while officials bestowed the Lloyd R. Ellis Award on Nancy Asay.
Receiving Top Dawg honors were Janie Derby, Charles and Barbara Jones, Kay Kahre and employees at Empire District Electric Company.
Community Service Award
The Community Service Award, according to Chamber officials, is for a person who unselfishly has given of his/her time and energies to the community for a minimum of 10 years:
Woodcock and his wife, Cathy, had made previous plans to spend Saturday with their grandchildren to celebrate their second birthdays. Chamber officials arranged a small luncheon event on January 18 to present his award.
“Cathy and I are celebrating the second birthdays of our grandchildren, Miles and Eva, in Arlington, Virginia. I wish I could be there to accept this award,” he said in an email message on Friday. “I was very surprised and humbled when I learned about the award last week.”
“However, my wife is at least as deserving. She has always unselfishly given of herself to make other people's lives better. She has made me a better person.”
“I would like to thank Walt Pettit and Larry Meyer for taking a chance on me and giving me my first job in 1972,” said Woodcock.
“Aurora is a good place to live and raise your children. My sons, Jeff and Scott, attended the Aurora schools, which have always been outstanding. They have grown into hard working, responsible adults, and I am very proud of them. I would want to be their friend even if they were not my sons,” said Woodcock.
“The Aurora Chamber of Commerce has always been an integral part of our city and surrounding community. It is much more active and positive than it was 25 years ago when I was president. Keep up the good work!” he added.
“We are blessed with abundant recreational and educational opportunities in the area. Our friends are here and we will retire here,” Woodcock continued.
“I have always believed in hard work, honesty, integrity and service to one's community. We are all in this together. We should always strive to make our world a better place for those who follow us and always treat others with love and respect,” said Woodcock.
Woodcock graduated from high school in Indianola, Iowa, and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in finance at Oklahoma State University in 1968. In 1972, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a doctor of jurisprudence degree.
Later that year, he moved to Aurora with his wife and two young sons. to work with attorneys Walt Pettit and Larry Meyer. In 1977, he opened his own law office.
Woodcock’s community service activities and memberships include: past president of the Chamber; the Aurora Rotary Club, where he served as president and received the Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International; judge of the Aurora Municipal Court for 15 years; the Aurora School Board, where he served for 13 years, some as president; member of the Little League Board for seven years; the United Methodist Church, where he has served on various committee assignments; St. John’s Hospital--Aurora Board, where he is currently serving; Athletic Booster Club, where he served as president; the Missouri Bar Association; a past president of the 39th Judicial Circuit Bar Association; the Missouri Army National Guard from 1972 to 1975; and organizer of a recycling association in the 1970s.
In addition to participating in his son’s activities, he has participated in tennis, racquetball, jogging, church league basketball and softball and is in the golf league.
Asay is recipient of Loyd R. Ellis Award
Nancy Asay is the 2008 recipient of the Loyd R. Ellis Award from the Aurora Chamber of Commerce.
Chamber officials made the presentation during the organization’s annual banquet on January 26 at Aurora High School.
The Aurora Chamber of Commerce presents the Loyd R. Ellis Award each year to an individual who has been supportive of the organization and the community for a minimum of three to five years
Asay has been involved in the Aurora community for many years. She has served on the Aurora Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and served as president of the Aurora PTA. She has been a supporter of the Aurora Band Boosters and Project Graduation. She helped with the re-decoration of the Aurora City Hall and currently serves as a board member on the Aurora Community Foundation. She is a member of the United Methodist Church and Chapter DD of the P.E.O. Sisterhood.
She is the owner of Nancy Asay Interiors and serves on the faculty in the fashion and design department at Missouri State University in Springfield.
She is the wife of Dr. Ray Asay; the mother of Julie, Jill Beth and Parker, and the proud grandmother of Walker, Wyatt, Grace, Paige and Cooper.
Missouri State Representative Don Ruzicka presented Asay with a resolution from the Missouri House of Representatives to denote the honor from the Chamber.
Chamber presents four Top Dawg Awards
Officials with the Aurora Chamber of Commerce present Top Dawg Awards annually to individuals or groups who have shown unselfish community service during the past year. The recipients are selected from nominations from community members.
Those receiving Top Dawg Awards at the Aurora Chamber of Commerce Banquet on January 26 include Janie Derby, Charles and Barbara Jones, Kay Kahre and the employees at Empire District Electric Company.
The community service demonstrated by the recipients is as follows:
• Derby has organized the Angel Food Ministry at First Presbyterian Church each month since 2005. Angel Food is a co-op that allows people to purchase $85 worth of food for $25.
For the last several years, Derby worked hard to get donations of boxes of food at Christmas for families who need assistance. Last year marked the second calendar year of distribution; during 2007, 6,492 boxes were distributed, with 119 going to area families at Christmas. Derby works with the school, the City of Aurora, the Pregnancy Care Center, the Christian Service Center and First Presbyterian Church to find families in need. She has two children, John and Mary.
• Charles and Barbara Jones are the type of people who work behind the scenes. They are members of the Lions Club, American Legion Post 126 and the Aurora Methodist Church. They have spent countless hours working the Lions Club food stand at LionFest and Ye Olde Mining days. In 2007, they spent time helping with donations and the planting of the trees in the old Aurora Cemetery. They have three children.
• Kahre has volunteered her time to the Chamber of Commerce for many years by helping on the Special Events Committee, which includes the banquet, fashion show and the pageants, and the Car Show Committee. She is a 20-year member of Upsilon Zeta Sorority.
This year, even though she battled health problems, Kahre spent many hours at the Chamber office answering the phone, helping with the newsletter, greeting people, making and folding programs, etc.
Kahre also is active at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, where she is a member. She has used her talents of singing and playing the piano for many Chamber events, community events, funerals and weddings. She is married to Steve Kahre, who serves as the circuit clerk for Lawrence County and the mayor of Aurora.
• Employees at Empire District Electric spent many hours during the ice storm in January of 2007 working to restore electrical service to area residents and businesses. In aiding the community, they spent many hours away from their families, many of whom were facing the same power outages and problems at home.
Some statistics from the storm include: 85,000 customers lost service (52 percent of the company’s customers), 97,000 customer calls, 1,040 poles installed, 1,100 crossarms and fixtures replaced, 118 miles of conductor, 302 distribution transformers, 172,000 man-hours worked and $30 million restoration costs.
Student, teachers receive awards at banquet
One student and five teachers received awards during the annual Aurora Chamber of Commerce Banquet on January 26.
Jacob McCully, a senior at Aurora High School, earned Top Dawg Student honors, while Susan Blades, Greg Hopkins, Ben Abramovitz, Karla Shively and Sherri Lewis received Golden Houn’ Dawg awards.
The Empire District Electric Company sponsors the awards for the Chamber each year. The awards for the teachers includes a $100 cash award for each.
Top Dawg Student
McCully, the son of Kim McCully-Mobley, Al Mobley and David McCully of Aurora, is involved in FFA, Yearbook Staff, National Honor Society and FBLA. He is active in athletics; despite an injury in football this year, he is already back on the basketball court.
He serves as president of Science Club and ranks in the number two position academically in his class.
McCully is a member of Boy Scout Troop 48. He is currently working on his Eagle Scout Project, which involves renovation of benches in the downtown area. He has amassed 150 hours in the project already.
In addition, he manages his own lawn-mowing/landscaping business, is a photographer/designer for Ozarkian Spirit and does maintenance for KSWM and Dave's Woodworking.
He has attended Rotary Youth Leadership Assembly (as a student and a counselor) and the Missouri Leadership Seminar in Warrensburg.
He is a member of Fellowship Baptist Church in Aurora and is the Elk Horn Prairie Chapter of the DAR Good Citizen Award winner.
Golden Houn Dawgs
The Golden Houn’ Dawg Award is designed to recognize teachers/administrators for outstanding contributions to the welfare of the students of the community.
In addition, it is an opportunity for the Chamber to recognize the importance of education to Aurora students and the tremendous resource the community has in its teaching professionals, according to Chamber officials.
Through a nomination process, one teacher is selected from each of the district’s five educational levels. This year’s winners include:
• Susan Blades, a first grade teacher at Pate Early Childhood Center. She has earned a bachelor of science degree (with honors) in elementary education along with a master’s degree from Drury University in Springfield. She has taught at the elementary level for four years.
• Greg Hopkins, a fourth grade teacher at Robinson Elementary School. He holds a bachelor of science degree in education from Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield and a master’s from William Woods University at Fulton. He has taught at Robinson School for five years.
• Ben Abramovitz, the principal at Robinson Intermediate School. This marks the first time an administrator has earned the award, according to Dr. Dale Slagle, superintendent of schools. Abramovitz has earned a bachelor of science degree in agriculture from MSU and a master’s degree from William Woods University. He has chalked up seven years in education. He was formerly principal at Southwest Middle School at Washburn and is in his first year in the Aurora district.
• Karla Shively, who teaches science at the Aurora Junior High School. She has a bachelor of science degree (with high honors) in education and a master’s degree in secondary education and biology from MSU. She has spent nine years in the educational field, with four of them in Aurora. Since 1998, one of local students' strongest areas on state tests has consistently been seventh grade science, according to Dr. Slagle.
• Sherri Lewis, who teach math at Aurora High School. She holds a bachelor of science degree in education and secondary math from Lincoln University in Jefferson City. Three of her six years in education have been in Aurora.
Chamber welcomes 2008 members, officers
One of the social events of the season in Aurora is the Chamber of Commerce Banquet.
The event took place on January 16 at the Aurora High School. A total of 288 guests took part in the dinner catered by Maggie Mae’s of Miller. Approximately 30 members of the Aurora FFA Chapter took the job of serving the meal.
Shannon Walker, executive director of the Chamber, reported this year’s attendance was up from 226 last year. However, the ice storm of January 2007 necessitated rescheduling that event.
Scott Pettit served as the master of ceremonies for the evening and recognized several guests representing state, county, city and school officials.
Likewise, he recognized the people who served on the Chamber’s board of directors in 2007, including: Dawn Oplinger, president; Gregg Bailey, vice president; Judy Willard, treasurer; and members Roger Brumley, Seth Dawson, Bob Journagan, Norma Julian, Richard Koogler, Bill Lewis, Darlene Moore, Ranea Venable, Doyle Ferguson, Dr. Ashley Friggle, Jason Whitesell and Rodger Wheeler.
New officers for 2008 include:
• Doyle Ferguson, president
• Richard Koogler, vice president
• board members Dr. Levi Shirley, Julie Ruscha, Jennifer Vanderhoof, Dr. Mike Bloss and Hal VanDaGriff
“A lot of attention is give to new members, sometimes overshadowing existing members,” said Ferguson. “We are going to have a shift in focus and concentrate on existing members and ways to grow and expand.”
Some of the new focus involves free web links on the Chamber’s website, business referrals and seminars (workman’s compensation, investing, etc.), he said.
