Rotarians give gifts of joyful learning

Article Last Updated; Wednesday, December 31, 2008 7:45AM

Photo by Courtesy of Mark Hill

Students in the third grade classroom of Kristin Gumser, center background, at Sunnyside Elementary School tear open the dictionaries the Rotary Clubs of Durango gave them on Dec. 5.

In a recent Jeopardy! episode, the answer was "While there are 900,000 of them, most Americans use only 14,000, and Shakespeare used 24,000." The question - "What are words."

In December, the Rotary Club of Durango, High Noon Rotary Club and Durango Daybreak Rotary Club gave the gift of words to area third-graders. In what has become a tradition, they wrapped and delivered dictionaries to students at St. Columba School and Needham, Park, Riverview, Sunnyside, Florida Mesa, Florida Mesa and Animas Valley elementary schools.

Mark Hill, who delivered to the Sunnyside classroom of Kristin Gumser, said the kids just love the hardback books that are really more like a dictionary/encyclopedia combination, with lots of illustrations to go with the words. He delivered the books with Randy Smith and Dr. Tom Grams. Other Rotarians who delivered to various schools include, but are not limited to: Mark Bowman, Andrea Mull, Mark Prouty, Dick Sullivan and Clyde and Paulette Church.

For many children, this may be the only book they own, and it's sturdy enough for a lifetime of perusing words and definitions. The tradition is a tremendous gift of caring from these committed Rotarians.

(I'm an unabashed dictionary lover. My colleagues in the newsroom give a sigh when they see me reaching for the Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition, which is one of our two main references at The Durango Herald. I want to know all of the derivations and uses, not to mention having a bit of compulsion to check the words before and after the one I'm seeking.)Our area service clubs often labor in obscurity, but they make this a better place to live almost every day of the year. Per capita, we probably have more clubs than most of the rest of the planet, and we need to thank the members for their energy, money and talents.

Thawing out for their birthdays are Roy Rosten, Kathryn Paul, Mark Ugai, Tami Bradshaw, Wyatt Moore, Garrett Moore, Paige Moore and Chelsea TerMaat.

Kudos go out to the class of 1959, whose organizers are on top of organizing the 50th reunion. The venues are booked for the weekend of Oct. 16-18, and a first mailing of information is planned for the end of January.

Out of a graduating class of 197 students, they have been able to get either contact or memorial information for all but these classmates (they're in alphabetical order): Ernie Abbott, Lois Arnold, Charles Ballard, Bruce Barnes, Donna Binger Flora, Elvis Chance, Grant Duncan, Devon Evans, Tom Foster, Adeline Gladden Dodson, Beverly Ann Goss, Lynn Hazen, Tony Hotter, Abbas Khaligh, Calvin Knight, Millie Krebs, Carol Lear, Ken Magerfleisch, Dwayne Martin, Sandra Merritt Olbert, Betty Morris Cole, Edna Pennington and Paul Pruitt.

If you are one of these people, or know how to contact one or more of them, call Teddy Wilson Snow at (208) 733-4541 or e-mail her at tsnow857@gmail.com.

I'm looking forward to hearing some stories about coming of age in 1950s Durango.

Earlier in this column, I wrote about the contributions service clubs make to this area. Now I want to acknowledge the men and women of the La Plata County Sheriff's Office who put our safety and well-being first every day of the year.

On Dec. 18, Sheriff's Office employees were recognized for everything from saving lives to doing an exceptional job for the office.

The Distinguished Service Medal, the second highest award offered by the LPCSO, went to three deputies who saved lives under what Sheriff Duke Girard called "arduous circumstances."

Deputy Mitch Higgins located a woman who was pinned for 12 hours under a car that was down an embankment and not visible to passers- by. Deputies Joe Gabbard and Jason Sutter talked a man who was bleeding to death and holding them off with a knife into dropping the knife. They then saved his life with first aid until an ambulance arrived.

A number of deputies and other law-enforcement officials with the Southwest Drug Task Force received the Badge of Merit for their efforts to reduce illegal drug activity as well as the crimes that surround drug use. They also helped dismantle a drug operation that operated in several states and two countries. They were: Mike Brown, Pat Downs, Ryan Engle and Jim Hendricks, all of the LPCSO; Matt Buffington of the Ignacio Police Department; Jeff Brown from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation; and John Preeg and John DiFelice with the DEA.

Sgt. Bill Holmes earned the Badge of Merit for his work over the last three years as the liaison in the construction of the 120-bed expansion to the jail, which was recently completed. (He probably should have gotten a giant bottle of ibuprofen for that task.)Six members of the Criminal Investigations Unit were honored for their teamwork in solving a series of dozens of burglaries in the region, thefts from at least 30 vehicles, a homicide and other major cases in 2008. They are: Shelley Williams, James Locke, Frank Sandoval, Larry Foukas, Tim Cowling and Dan Patterson.

And nine employees earned Outstanding Service Pins for their contributions to the operations of their respective divisions. They are: Megan McCulloch, Tracey Shelly, Gary Boudreau, Leise Krauser, Marty Brenner, Angel Hanna, Ken McLaughlin, Holley Ezzell and Wesley Rivera.

I'm missing three names from the list and will pick them up in my Saturday column.

My colleague Shane Benjamin handles the majority of the "cops and courts" cases for the Herald, but every time I have worked on a story, I have found the deputies and investigators to be thoughtful and thorough. Congratulations go out to all of you, and I hope the next time my readers see any of these folks, you'll thank them for serving and protecting.

Warming up for their anniversaries are Rick and Ellen Roberts, Bryan and Joyce Hondru, Bryan and Marcia Welker, Earl and Karlain Caudill and Cameron and Linda Clarkson.

For information about upcoming events and fund-raisers, check Local Briefs.

Here's how to reach me: neighbors@durangoherald.com; phone 375-4584; fax 259-5011; mail items to the Herald; or drop them off at the front desk. Please include contact names and phone numbers for all items. If you are submitting an item for preview, please send it with briefs in the subject line and e-mail it to herald@durangoherald.com.