52 Ways to Use Your VRPS Membership: Week 33, Longevity

Happy Birthday.
by Nancy Turnage, VRPS Central Office

I got excited on Friday when I saw a post informing that it was Smokey the Bear's 69th birthday.  69!  I can still recall sending in my "application" and receiving my Smokey the Bear Club kit when I was a child ("Only YOU can prevent forest fires.").

Smokey's been around since before my time and hopefully long after.  He's iconic.  Forest fire prevention?  Think Smokey.

Now take a look at this list:

^{1953-54 Marshall Rotella}

^{1954-55 W.A. (Buck) Richardson}

^{1956-57 Marion Moody Hormachea}

^{1957-58 Floyd McKenna}

^{1958-59 W.H. Luther}

^{1959-61 Richard Ford}

^{1961-63 Howard Mast}

^{1963-65 Cecil Gilkerson}

^{1965-67 Harry Knight}

^{1967-69 Fred Williams}

^{1969-70 Constance Rollison McAdam}

^{1970-71 Walter Hanbury}

^{1971-72 Joseph Hensley}

^{1972-73 James Greiner}

^{1973-74 Darrell Shell}

^{1974-75 Donald Thorne}

^{1975-76 Leonidas Curtis}

^{1976-77 James A. Colley}

^{1977-78 Linda Odum}

^{1978-79 John Gilstrap}

^{1979-80 Dr. Michael Wise, CPRP}

^{1980-81 Shurl Montgomery}

^{1981-82 Tish Lindey}

^{1982-83 Susan Walston}

^{1983-84 Thomas Blekicki}

^{1984-85 Phil Hester}

^{1986 Ned Cheely, III, CPRP}

^{1987 J. Suzy Cooksey}

^{1988 L. Eldon James}

^{1989 Larry Zehnder}

^{1990 Stuart Connock}

^{1991 Mick Stewart}

^{1992 Pete Stith}

^{1993 John Gilstrap}

^{1994 Gary Huff}

^{1995 Dr. Doug Kennedy, CPRP}

^{1996 Dr. Bob Antozzi, CPRP}

^{1997 Michael Cadwallader}

^{1998 Charles Hester, CPRP}

^{1999 Cindy Curtis, CPRP}

^{2000 Carol Steele, CPRP}

^{2001 Greg Sager}

^{2002 Diane Ryburn, CPRP}

^{2003 Darrell Crittendon}

^{2004 Nancy Ellis, CPRP}

^{2005 Beth Wood-Whitley, CTRS}

^{2006 Sean Gleason}

^{2007 Cindy Messinger, CPRP}

^{2008 Kirk W. Kincannon, CPRP}

^{2009 Mike Morris}

^{2010 Lakita Frazier, CPRP
2011 Darrell Crittendon}

^{2012 Cindy Roeder}

^{2013 Katey Legg, CPRP}

^{2014 Art Thatcher, CPRP, AFO MPA}

That's 62 years of VRPS presidents.  Several of the names are on the list more than once.  Even more are on current boards and committees and play a part of the VRPS Foundation, changing roles to fill needs and vacancies.  Smokey may be a bit older, but VRPS has some contenders, even without the national recognition or the cool hat.

Only YOU can lead VRPS into the future.