President Stacie called the membership to order and asked Dr Dave Hartman to offer the invocation. Then Treston Teague stepped in as the “guest” leader of the pledge and song. Following our promise of allegiance to the stars and stripes, Treston chose, “You Are My Sunshine” as the day’s musical number. This was followed by our usual meeting and greeting of fellow members and guests.
We had two guests with us today. Andy Kocher introduced Tammy Hughes from Union Square Mortgage Department and Dave Hartman introduced his guest, Ms. Sue Harrington. Richard Boyd had a birthday this past week, but he’ll be recognized at next week’s meeting.
For the Sunshine Report President Stacie informed us that her sister, Sheila Owen, will be undergoing surgery this week and asked that we lift her sister up in our thoughts and prayers during this time.
Then it was “Brag Bucket” time with Carol Murray. Before starting the brags, the “mystery” of the missing brag bucket was solved after it was revealed that the bucket was undergoing a face lift; i.e, being redecorated. But bucket or no bucket, Carol managed to encourage several brags this week. If I missed your brag, my apologies – here’s the ones I captured; Dave Kelley started off the brags, then Treston had a brag for each of his four kids, Stacie bragged on her son starting his first day of work and Colton bragged on Austin Green for competing in and finishing the Ironman Texas challenge. The Ironman consisted of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike race, and a 26.2 mile run – very impressive Austin!
Our program for today was the presentation of our club’s first “Service Above Self” Award. Stacie had co-chairman of the Service Excellence Committee, Jeremy Woodward, come forward and explain the award. Jeremy indicated this award highlights a single first responder in our community who embodies the idea of “service before self”. Community law enforcement agencies, fire departments and ambulance services were invited to submit candidates for the award.
Before turning the podium over to Dave Hartman for a biographical sketch of the winner, Jeremy announced that this year’s recipient of the Service Excellence award was Officer James Lindeman of the Wichita Falls City Police Department. After a standing ovation for Officer Lindemann, Dave Hartman highlighted our honoree and his guests, Ms Kaylee Choate and his mother, Ms Rebecca Lindeman. Officer Lindeman hails from Windthorst, Texas and grew up with his parents instilling in him a strong work ethic at an early age.
After high school he joined the U.S. Army where his service took him to Central America where his mission was to assist those who had been devastatingly affected by natural disasters. One of his most impactful jobs was turning salt water into drinking water for people in that area. As he was nearing the end of his service commitment he was promoted to Sergeant and his superiors tried to convince him to stay in the Army. However, James aspired to become a law enforcement officer, although he did continue his service by joining the Army National Guard as a recruiter for the North Central Texas region. Like his other pursuits, James excelled as a recruiter and in 2020 was named the National Guard Recruiter of the Year for the region.
When the opportunity to attend the Police Academy happened, he jumped at the chance and was accepted as a cadet. Upon becoming a police officer he found himself serving those who were afflicted with addiction and those affiliated with gang activity. Drawing on his faith and his belief in humanity, James displayed a real talent in helping those in desperate situations and helping them turn their lives around and acting as a “big brother”. He cites the fable of the wolf and the sheepdog that guards the helpless sheep. The wolf is dangerous and cunning, but the sheepdog is vigilant in its duty to serve and protect its flock. The sheepdog is outnumbered by the pack of wolves, but he stands in the way -- ever watchful of the danger.
After receiving the award, Officer Lindeman, thanked his family for setting the example of having good ethics and morals. Several members of the Wichita Falls Police Department were also in attendance to support Officer Lindeman. His sergeant appreciated the club for recognizing James and said this type of recognition early in his career will benefit him as he continues his police service.
Alan Donaldson took just a moment following the program to highlight the programs for the next three weeks as being good opportunities to showcase the club to guests who might be interested in becoming members.
Then Stacie led us in the Four-Way Test followed by the adjournment.