2010 Woman of The Year!

I am still in shock I am Minden's 2010 Woman of the Year! This is the speach that Pattie Odom read to announce it. I didn't know it was me until she got to the I see Dead People part!
When she said that I turned to Danny and said "Its ME!"

I got flowers from Mama & Daddy, My Girls; Pam, Debbie, Gay and Lisa and then my friend Ann Harlan brought me the most beautiful roses! Good friends and family make life worth living!

MANY OF US ARE FORTUNATE TO LIVE IN MINDEN, LOUISIANA ….. THE FRIENDLIEST CITY IN THE SOUTH … A PLACE WHERE MEN AND WOMEN BELIEVE THAT VOLUNTEER SERVICE PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN WHO AND WHAT WE ARE ….. WHERE THE CHARACTER OF THIS COMMUNITY IS SHAPED BY OUR CHURCHES, OUR FAMILIES AND A REVERANCE FOR OUR PAST … AND A PLACE WHERE WE CAN LOOK TO THE FUTURE KNOWING THAT THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY WILL BE PASSED ON …

THIS YEAR’S WOMAN OF THE YEAR COMES FROM A LOVING FAMILY WHERE
LITERATURE AND MUSIC WERE AN IMPORTANT PART OF HER LIFE …
SHE LOVES TO WRITE …. AND HAS PUBLISHED SEVERAL WORKS.
AS A CHILD SHE LOVED TO ‘DRESS UP’ AND PRETEND … AND STILL DOES.
SHE REMEMBERS PLAYING SAFELY IN THE STREETS OF MINDEN WITH COUSINS & FRIENDS …. THAT MAKES HER OLD???? OR MAYBE CRAZY ????

BECAUSE
I HAVE HEARD HER SAY, “I SEE DEAD PEOPLE.”

THIS YEAR’S WOMAN OF THE YEAR IS …. A VOLUNTEER
SHE HAS SPENT COUNTLESS HOURS PLANNING PROJECTS, ORGANIZING CRUSADES, AND PRODUCING SHOWS … WHICH MEANT TOTING BOXES, MAKING BLOGS, SENDING CARDS, BEGGING FOR OTHERS TO VOLUNTEER & SETTING UP TABLES, CHAIRS, AND TENTS …

WE ARE ALSO SURE THAT SHE HAS SPENT MANY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS …

THIS YEAR’S WOMAN OF THE YEAR LIVES A LITTLE ON THE WILD SIDE ….
SHE HAS CRUISED MAIN A FEW TIMES IN MINDEN … AND I’VE HEARD SHE IS KNOWN FOR ‘CRUISIN’ IN OTHER COMMUNITIES … SHE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT ALL HER ENDEAVORS ….
SHE LOVES HISTORY … IN FACT, SHE SAYS THAT,
IF IS IT OLD, RUSTED, OR BURIED ….
IF IT HAS PEELING PAINT OR WILL NOT CRANK …. SHE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT IT!

SHE IS ESPECIALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT AND LOVES OLD THINGS … BUT SHE’S NOT REALLY OLD ….

• SHE HAS BEEN ACTIVE AND SERVED AS PRESIDENT OF THE HISTORICAL RESIDENTIAL ASSOCIATION
• FOR MANY YEARS HAS CHAIRED AND/OR WORKED ON THE HISTORIC RESIDENTAL TOUR OF HOMES;
• FOUNDED AND STILL PRODUCES THE MINDEN CEMETERY GHOST WALK WHICH RAISES AWARENESS OF AND FUNDS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE MINDEN CEMETERY
• ORGANIZES THE MINDEN CRUISIN FOR A CURE CAR SHOW … RAISING OVER $74,000 FOR ST JUDE SINCE 2004
• HAS SERVED AS PRESIDENT OF THE ARK LA TEX ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC CAR ASSOCIATION AND SERVES AS JUNIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF THE MID AMERICA OLD TIME AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION & SHE RIDES A MOTOR CYCLE
• SHE IS FINALLY GETTING PAID TO DO SOMETHING THAT SHE LOVES … AND IS CURRENTLY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DORCHEAT HISTORICAL MUSEUM ….
I’M SURE YOU’VE GOT IT BY NOW …
NOW, GO AHEAD AND TELL YOUR MAMMA AND ‘EM THAT SCHELLY BROWN IS THE WOMAN OF THE YEAR!!

Minden Press Story:

Thompson, Brown are Man, Woman of the Year
Written by Bonnie Culverhouse
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Keeping with the tradition of choosing outstanding citizens to carry the torch of Man and Woman of the Year, Col. Carl Thompson and Schelley Brown were awarded those honors during the Minden South-Webster Chamber of Commerce banquet Tuesday.

Man of the Year, an award that is named by the Minden Lions Club, was presented to Thompson by the Rev. Bill Ichter, who talked of Thompson’s achievements as an employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture until his retirement in April 1994 to his service in the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve and the Louisiana Army National Guard.

Thompson retired from the Guard as a Lieutenant Colonel and presently serves as Forestry Program Manager and Special Projects Officer at Camp Minden.

“Carl is a devoted husband, father and grandfather,” Ichter said. “ He is devoted to God and to his country.”

Thompson is married and has two daughters from a previous marriage, whom he and his wife, Diane reared until each girl left the nest. The girls are married and have gifted the Thompsons with three grandsons.

“He may be Man of the Year to you, but he is Father of All Time to me,” said daughter Kim Nugent. “He has lived in a way that has shown me what a good parent and, most of all, what a good Christian should be.”

Daughter Stacy Crawford agreed.

“While I am extremely proud of my father for his numerous accomplishments, what means most to me is that he has always been and still is, the most wonderful father God could have given me,” she said.

Thompson’s military commendations include three Army Commendation Medals from the Department of the Army and a Louisiana Commendation Medal from the Louisiana National Guard.

Thompson said he is honored and humbled by the award of Man of the Year.

“I am humbled to join the ranks of the others who have won in the past,” Thompson said. “They are community giants – bed rocks and cornerstones who have left legacies of service. They are my heroes.”

Thompson said he and his family chose Minden as home in 1999.

“We chose it because it is a Christian community and a patriotic community,” he said.

Woman of the Year

Minden Main Street Director Pattie Odom knows Schelley Brown quite well, and was given the honor of introducing Brown by Sara Chreene with the Young Women’s Service Club.

Odom described Brown as living “a little on the wild side,” describing her passion for the Dorcheat Museum where she works, as well as her love of all things “old.”

“She loves history,” Odom said of Brown. “If it is old, rusted or buried … if it has peeling paint or will not crank … she is passionate about it.”

Odom described Brown as a “volunteer.”

Brown has been active with the Historical Residential Association and the Historic Residential Tour of Homes. She founded and produces the Minden Cemetery Ghost Walk, which raises awareness and funds for the preservation of the Minden Cemetery.

Odom said Brown organizes the Minden “Cruisin’ for a Cure” car show, raising more than $74,000 for St. Jude since 2004.

“She is finally getting paid to do something she loves,” Odom said. “She is currently the executive director of the Dorcheat Historical Museum.”

Brown described the honor of Woman of the Year as unreal.

“There are a lot of people who helped me get here,” she said. “If I didn’t have all the support I get, it wouldn’t happen.”
Other Awards

The Minden South-Webster Chamber of Commerce handed out several awards in addition to Man and Woman of the Year.
Those awards included Chamber Business of the Year: Minden Medical Center, Small Business of the Year: Kerry Easely and Easely Fine Art Gallery and Custom Frame Shop and Community Partner of the Year: Chris Broussard and Cultural Crossroads.

Cardiologist Phillip Rozeman was named Businessperson of the Year and Nedra Kelly received the Lifetime Service award.

Dorcheat Historical Museum Making Great Progress In Just 19 Months

The Dorcheat Historical Association Museum is the culmination of a dream that began in the fall of 1974, when, under the leadership of Mrs. Beth Drew White, the organization was formed to preserve the history of Webster Parish. Through the ensuing years the organization suffered many setbacks and trials, but the museum now represents a triumph over these difficulties. Today these dreams have turned into reality, with the purchase of a building from the DePingre family the museum is here to stay. This mortgage-free building now houses and preserves our history for our future.
The official museum of Webster parish opened its doors located at 116 Pearl Street in Minden, La. on June 10th, 2008. At that time, only a very small portion of the front room was complete. After a year of renovations and a year of raising awareness of our local parish history the Dorcheat Historical Museum Board of Directors decided that is was time to open the doors to show people what had been accomplished and what the plans were for the future.
Since 2007 local artist Larry Milford has made great progress in his overall vision of what each exhibit depicts and how it explains our local history. Museum director Schelley Brown has made additions to the museum with sound effects and video presentations on many of the exhibits. Brown stated, “This past summer I was able to go to the Smithsonian Museums, Mt. Vernon, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Gettysburg and many other historic sites, to see if what we were doing on a small scale measured up to these grand exhibits. I was pleased to see that some of what we have incorporated in our exhibits is in line with the large scale exhibits in these well known places. Museums are not quiet places to look at artifacts these days. They are filled with interactive, sights and sounds.”
“We have spent well over $300,000 in the past few years. From 2007-2010 the museum has received several substantial grants from Webster Parish Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, Webster Parish Police Jury, the City of Minden, Coca-Cola Bottlers Association Foundation, Cultural Crossroads, Louisiana Main Street Program, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and the Jr. Service League. All of these grants help greatly with research, exhibit construction and building repair cost. While those grants are extremely important private funding from individuals’ plays a very important part in the great progress we have achieved. These individual type donations are the ones that keep us operating on a day to day basis. We have had some very generous people that are committed to this project and a few generous volunteers and others that have donated their services and time.” commented Brown.
Brown stated, “The fundraising and membership drives never stop with a museum. Dorcheat Museum is constantly working to increase members, donations, and events to raise money. My goal is to have everyone in Webster Parish become at least a $20 a year member, buying one of our products, coming to one of our many events or visiting the museum. We still have work in the front to be completed, back theater room to finish and our military exhibit just to name a few. We estimate spending at least another $100,000 this year on exhibits to get where we want to be. A museum is never complete!”
More progress has been made by the recent hiring of Ms. Eddie Hammontree, retired director of Webster Parish Library. Ms. Hammontree is now cataloging the museum collection into the Past-Perfect IV museum software program. This program will be helpful to anyone doing research in the future. Eventually the museum hopes to have the museum collection online. The Bossier Parish museum uses this same software for their online collection.
The third season of speakers will begin in February. For two years the popular “Nights for the Museum” were free to the public. With the increase of postage and printing the museum board felt the need to charge a small fee of $5 per event for the 2010 season, while nearby areas charge much more. Brown stated, “Our first year and into our 2nd year Ty Pendergrass and Argent Financial funded the food for the events. Museum board member, Charlotte Martin was put in charge of refreshments. As the crowds grew by leaps and bounds, we felt it was time to make a change and everyone that attends the events agreed. The events now are potluck, giving the feeling of the close-knit community that we are. Everyone loves coming with something they have prepared special for the evening.”
Many are familiar with the popular cookbooks, Cora Lou Robinson prints, DVD speaker series and books that the museum offers as fundraisers. Another way that they also raise money is with the car show that Schelley Brown created in 2004. Brown stated, “I started the show in 2004 to give back to my community in the best way I knew how. I had always given money to St. Jude Minden Auction and so this was a way to for me to add extra to that. Many times after that first year because of the amount of work involved in putting on the show, I considered to cease doing it. By the third year it had gotten too big to stop. It takes almost a year to plan this show and involves a great deal of work. Anyone that is involved with me knows the amount of time that is spent in putting on the May show. I had been asked by several organizations in the past to put on shows and events for them including the Dorcheat Historical Association. I turned many of them down because of the time involved. When the Dorcheat Museum Board hired me they asked if I would continue doing the show. I really wanted to stop at this point but since I was hired to raise money for the museum I instead decided to change the name and type of this show and redirect where some of the net proceeds went. The show this year gives money to St. Jude in fact we have given $73,000 since 2004! St. Jude is a wonderful cause that I feel strongly about. In the future I have thought about giving half of the money to the Susan Komen foundation for Breast Cancer research. Giving to any cancer research is something that I feel strongly about. I think it is only fair that the Dorcheat Museum benefit for the amount of hours that are spent on this show by me. (The show has given $13,000 to the museum so far) After all they are paying my salary while I work on it. The name of the show now is “Cruisin’ for a Cure Wheels Through Time Show and Shine”. I left the words “For A Cure” in the title because I will always give half of the money to something dealing with some type of illness or disease. It is no longer just a car show it is now a car, motorcycle, tractor and anything that rolls show & shine. Show and shine means it is no longer a judged show.’ For more information go to www.mindencruisinforacure.com or www.mindencruisinforacure.blogspot.com
The museum board is currently made up of President; Thad Andress, Treasurer; Richard Campbell, Secretary; Ann Harlan, Charlotte Martin, Janet LaBruyere, Marcus Wren, Cristola Walton, Pat Stephens, Louise Snook, Webster Parish historian: John Agan, Cora Lou Robinson, Ben Hunter, Dr. Roy Phillips, James H. Smith, Carleton Prothro, Lonnie Simpson, Ronnie Broughton, and Richard Noles. “As of our January meeting we are currently looking for a few new recruits to join our board as working volunteers”, stated Brown. Anyone with an interest in history and preservation is asked to drop by the museum or call 318-377-3002. For more information on the museum visit 116 Pearl Street from Tuesday – Saturday or visit www.musueminminden.blogspot.com

Mail Fraud and Money Order Fraud

Another helpful web site for anyone suspecting mail fraud and money order fraud.
Embezzlements and Financial Crimes http://www.uspsoig.gov/inv_embezz.htm
USPS OIG Investigations

Employee embezzlements may involve postal employees who steal money from cash drawers, sophisticated schemes involving the manipulation of postal money orders or money order funds, or the falsification of financial records. Financial investigations also cover activity such as theft, misconduct, falsification of records, and conversion and misuse of Postal Service property.

When post offices experience unusual or significant shortages, our investigators employ various investigative techniques to uncover embezzlements. Improper or lax procedures are reported to management for corrective action. However, when employees are found to be responsible for missing postal funds, they are reported to management for appropriate administrative action. Employee conduct that does not meet the criteria for criminal action can still be grounds for removal from the Postal Service. In cases that warrant criminal prosecution, offenders not only face the loss of their jobs, but also may face jail time and court-ordered restitution. Case examples include:




Convicted Former Postal Worker Ordered to Repay $410,000 to the Postal Service


A California federal court sentenced a former a Sales and Service Associate to 2 years in prison for embezzling $426,065.09 in postal money orders. The court also ordered the former employee to repay more than $410,000 of the money he stole from October 2003 to July 2005. The Sales and Service Associate admitted he engaged in a scheme to issue himself postal money orders by falsely noting that customers had purchased the money orders. He used the money for personal expenses and gambling. When The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG) special agents arrested the former postal employee, they recovered more than $13,000 in cash and more than $15,000 in blank money orders issued to the former postal employee.

New Orleans Saints Win Super Bowl 44!!! Who Dat!!!

A CAJUN WHO DIED AND WENT TO HELL!! The devil assigned him the usual punishment...put him in the mass pit where the heat was melting others. The devil came back sometime later surprised to find the Cajun just sitting around, not even misting, much less sweating. "How come u'r not so much as sweating heere where every1.....

The Cajun laughted & said "Man, I was raised in the bayous of Sout Looziana. Dis ain't nothin' but May in Lafayette to me."

The devil decided to really put the Cajun thur it. He put him in a sealed off cave in the pit with open blazes 7 4 extra furnaces blasting. When he came back, days later, the Cajun wasx sitting pretty, had bareley begun to bead up with sweat. The devil was outraged "How is this possible!? U should be melted to......... See More

The Cajun laughted even harder than be4. "Hey,man! I done tole u.I was raised in Sout Looziana. U tink dis is heat?! Dis ain't nothin' but August in Jennings

So the Devil thought', alright' a little reverse ought to do the trick' He put the Cajun into a corner of hell where no heat ever reached. It was freezing & to add to the Cajun's misery, he added massive icebergs & blasting frozen air. When he returned the Cajun was shivering, ice hung from every part of him but he....

Exasperated, the devil asked "How!? How is it possible?! Ur impervious to heat & here u sit in conditions u can't be used to.. cold & yet u'r happier than if u were in heaven WHY? The Cajun kept grinning & said Dis mus mean de Saints don won da Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!"

Date Set For 2010 Ghost Walk

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday November 13th, 2010
The Minden Cemetery Ghost Walk “Living History Lesson”
Website: www.mindencemetery.blogspot.com
Price: $10 adults / $4 children under 12
Location: Old Minden Cemetery off Pine St. on Bayou Avenue in Minden, La.
Contact #: Schelley Brown (318) 423-0192 Cell
Time: Noon – last tour starts at 3 p.m.
Email: iluvoldcars@yahoo.com

The 7th Annual 2010 Minden Cemetery Ghost Walk

Don’t miss the 7th annual Living History Lesson “Ghost Walk”

This year promises to be the biggest and best to date. The tour will begin at Noon on Saturday November 13th, 2010 with the last tour starting at 3:00 p.m. and lasting a little over an hour. (Event Held Rain Or Shine) The annual tour in its seventh year is expected to double the number of visitors that attended in 2009 from a vast area. Schelley Brown, tour organizer, said, “Last year at noon, people began to line up in anticipation of being the first to see these living history tours. The 2009 tour brought people to Minden from North Carolina, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Arkansas and Nebraska to see their ancestors portrayed. Last year the tour had one family bringing in over 30 family members from as far away as California.” Brown estimated that the crowds have increased from year to year as well as the amount of money raised for the Cemetery Association, a non profit organization that was formed many years ago to help maintain the perpetual care of one of Minden’s oldest burial places.
This year the tour will have many new Ghosts and all new history lessons from many new actors and actresses in period costume portraying Minden’s past leading citizens. You will definitely get a lot of entertainment and a lot of histories in this year’s tour as you watch some of our new character come to life.
Ghost Walk is as if you are stepping back in time as you listened to the stories being told. It’s an amazing sight to behold as your tour guide escorts you to each historical scene. Many of the tour sites this year will include historical props to go along with the history being told. A few of our actors are actual decedents of the people they are portraying. In a little over an hour, you can see Confederate soldiers along with early business leaders, teachers, doctors and politicians. This is a rare opportunity to learn about our past community leaders, citizens and history of our town. Ghost Walk teaches you how Minden’s women and men endured through great hardships and strived to overcome great obstacles to make our town what it is today.
“We hope to have some extra treats for our visitors this year,” Brown stated. “With many new stops this year, it will be hard to pick your favorite.” Brown also stated that she could not do any of this without all the talented people and guides who volunteer their time and efforts to make this annual tour a huge success. The members of the Minden Cemetery board also want to thank the Webster Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau, The Dorcheat Historical Association Museum and the Minden Historic Residential Association for their support of this event. If you missed the tour last year, you don’t want to miss it this year. For more information on the Minden Cemetery located on Bayou Avenue and the annual tour, visit http://www.mindencemetery.blogspot.com or you can contact Schelley Brown at 318-423-0192 or iluvoldcars@yahoo.com