Very positive reports were received about the February 9 Luncheon at the Little Nashville Restaurant. It was a cold and clear day, but 20 members attended. The food was good and the conversation long. Those in attendance: Doerrs, Pittmans, Howells, Margaret Stout and daughter, Humbles, Lockins, Daniels, Koens, Hangsleben, Jenkins, and Keim.

Thank you to Elmer Koen for sending the picture of the group.

Photo Caption: Left to Right, Jerry Humble and Margaret Stout in foreground. Sarah Doerr. Unknown, Louise Humble, and Roland Keim in background.

Sympathy to Meryl Kerley for the death of Roy January  28 while they were in Florida.

Sympathy to the family of Loubelle Kermit, WBCCI Life Member, on her death on February 13.

The Meiers are in Texas this month.  They attended the Texas Coastal Unit Rally, spent two weeks with us at Fun n Sun, and will visit her cousin and see the Fredericksburg, TX area before returning to Illinois.

I have been reminded just how much the Southern Illinois Unit is a family by the outpouring of concern and sympathy expressed for the deaths of Roy Kerley and Loubelle Kermit.  The fellowship and fun, frustration and anxiety that we experience together during our WBCCI activities help each member feel a part of the “WBCCI family.”  I hope that the activities of our unit will continue to foster these feelings.

I am finally working on preparation of the Unit Directory and Pocket Directory as some of you know by my phone call or email inquiry.  Tim Schwartz and I have them ready to hand out during the April Rally.  Those not attending will get them by mail later in April.  Yours truly has been tardy in getting this task accomplished sooner.  I know some of you wonder what happened to the directory, and, for that, I apologize to each of you.

Finally, I received word from Bill Schrader this morning that I have been elected to the WBCCI Long-Range Planning committee.   There was an article about this committee in the October, 2007, Blue Beret.  I will be receiving information from Bill about the committee’s work and things I need to do to get up to speed with the committee inasmuch as they held a series of meetings during the mid-winter IBT.  I look forward to talking about ideas and issues with you at the April and May rallies in order to help me formulate my input to the committee.

Gordon White