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!"
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 WHE
RE 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!!
MANY OF US ARE FORTUNATE TO LIVE IN MINDEN, LOUISIANA ….. THE FRIENDLIEST CITY IN THE SOUTH … A PLACE WHE
RE 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.
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.
