President John Mayfield rang the bell to start the meeting at 12:03 PM. He then invited Dave Hartman to lead the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the song Edelweiss, led by Cara Sauceda.
We had several guests attending the meeting for the wonderful program: Randy Cooper and Joyce Hill were guests of Cara Sauceda, Matt Deason was a guest of John Deason, and Kyle Phillips was a guest of Sheldon Wang.
John Mayfield informed the club that Carla Dowlen was absent due to an illness in her family, and Judy Koetter was also absent due to her own illness. During the announcements, President Mayfield updated the club that both the End Polio and Rotary Foundation have exceeded their fundraising goals for the year. However, he reminded everyone that this does not mean we should stop giving. John Deason also announced the soft opening of the swing at Rotary Park at 4:00 PM. The news report is available on the Texoma Homepage website so be sure to check it out if you missed the event. The board of directors for 2025-2026 was also announced.
Stacie Cook had the pleasure of presenting Treston Teague with his Blue Badge. If you have not yet received your Blue Badge, continue working on completing the necessary tasks.
We also honored Macie Stouard, the January 2025 City Wide Youth of the Month. Macie is an 8th grader at McNeil Middle School. She is very active in school, at the club, and at home. She is a member of the 4H Club and holds the title of Rodeo Queen. Macie plans to attend college and become a mental health counselor.
Today, the Brag Bucket was especially lucrative. Andy Kocher bragged on his grandchildren, who were showing rabbits. Monica announced the birth of her new grandson and also praised the care she receives from Larry Filer at OSTC. Stacie bragged on her son Andrew, who scored the first soccer goal in the history of Memorial High School, and shared that he has a soccer tournament this weekend. Cara bragged on her 15-year-old daughter, who is on a traveling volleyball team and enrolled in driver's ed, as well as her 14-year-old son, who is part of a homeschool basketball league. Will bragged on his daughter for hitting the game-winning shot for Legacy against Abilene.
Chip Filer then took the podium for the program, where he announced the 2024 Outstanding Citizen of the Year. Chip began by acknowledging the committee and the work they put into the selection process. The committee was chaired by Carol Murray and consisted of Chip Filer, Dave Hartman, Roland Ramsey, Sheldon Wang, and Braden Wood. Chip explained the application and selection process to the club before introducing Diann Taylor as the 2024-2025 Outstanding Citizen of the Year.
Diann is a retired educator and community leader who devoted over 40 years to positively impacting the lives of students, colleagues, and the Wichita Falls community. Her career in the WFISD included key leadership positions that influenced student success, curriculum advancements, and school improvements. Beyond her career in education, Diann was actively involved in numerous community organizations, working to make a difference in Wichita Falls. She remains a respected figure in our community, and there is not enough space in these notes to capture all that Diann Taylor has meant to Wichita Falls. If you missed the meeting, I encourage you to obtain the program to learn more about why Diann Taylor is more than deserving of being named the 2024-2025 Outstanding Citizen of the Year.
The meeting came to an end with John Mayfield leading the club in the Four-Way Test