Ridgewook Care Facility

Joe Caldwell, Administrator of the Ridgewood Care Facility, provided the program this noon for our Kiwanis Club. Ridgewood is the oldest of the Care Facilities in Seward and is undergoing considerable renovation and new construction. When completed this fall, what is now "Ridgewood West" will be the parking lot for the combined new and renovated facility. It will be divided into 3 "family units" with one of them being for residents needing memory support. The new addition will include a chapel and other facilities not now available. Ridgewood is owned by the Jack and Eldora Vetter  corporation with headquarters in Omaha. They are native Nebraskans with over 30 facilities, most of which are in eastern Nebraska but some in neighboring states. Joe speaks highly of the Vetter's and of their personal interest in the welfare and care of residents. Joe is a busy fellow with a staff that includes 11 nurses and CNA's to care for 60 residents in addition to support and administrative personnel. He is also President of the Seward Chamber of Commerce.

The square section on the left of the layout is all new construction as well as the connection of the two wings at the top of the right side. We spent a lot of time at Ridgewood during the several years that my Aunt Ethel was there and Elaine and I took care of her business. My Uncle Joe was also there during part of that time. As we deliver Home Delivered Meals to some of the folks that live alone, it seems that being in a care facility provides a higher quality of life. Medicare has been a great help in maintaining the dignity of the ageing. 

Friendship Force

We took "time out" from watching basketball this afternoon and attended Sue Imig's presentation at the Library of the Lincoln Friendship Force trip to England, Scotland and Wales last fall. Sue is pictured in the front row with their group. Having been a school teacher, Sue made an excellent presentation to a large crowd. Members of the Friendship Force spend one day of their tours as Guest of members of the Club in the area they are visiting. Sue has hosted members from Canada who were here in the summer and wanted to visit the area where the Sandhills Cranes "stop over". Though the Cranes had moved on, they were most pleased with the presentations made by the Audubon staff. Sue said her day with the host in England was one of the highlights of the trip. She showed many pictures, told interesting stories that were reminiscent of our trips to Great Britain. We had the added benefit of Elaine's 2n'd cousin and his wife on one of our trips that showed us around "Flowerday" country near Norwich including the house where Elaine's Grandfather was born. It was ahead of a 10 country European trip where Carolyn and Julie accompanied us.

                                          

Dr. Dale Flowerday and his little Sister

Here is a picture of Elaine and her brother Dale that was taken about the time we started going together. Dale was unable to attend the Hall of Agricultural Achievement Banquet last evening but he was the subject of some discussion. He served for many years as an Agronomy Prof. who worked with under grads as well as serving as Advisor for many PhD candidates. He was Honored by the Hall in 2009 along with Dr. Stephen Baenziger. Last night Elaine mentioned to Mark, who was sitting next to her at the Banquet, that Dr. Flowerday was her brother. We are always amused because the usual response is a "chuckle".  He then went on to tell of how Dale could relate to the students and always made his classes interesting to the point that no one ever missed a class. He was well known for his humor and jokes but he also had his serious side. He received recognition on several occasions as the students' favorite Professor. Last night Mark even went on to tell Elaine how pleased he was to be able to set next to her since she was Dale's sister. I even related to all the people at our table that it was Dale that was responsible for introducing Elaine to me. I'm not sure but strongly suspect that he was the one that nominated me when I was accepted into the Hall many years ago. Membership is gained by nomination by an existing member and acceptance by the 200+ membership. Ten to twelve new members are brought in each year which is the number necessary to maintain the membership. The process has worked well for 98 years and I am pleased to be a part of it.

Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement

We attended the 98th Annual Nebraska Hall of Agriculture Achievement Banquet this evening at the East Campus Union on the UN-L Campus in Lincoln. Former UN-L President Martin Massengale is pictured here as he paid Tribute to Alan Moeller, one of the Honorees. Moeller was recognized for his many contributions to the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources during his 36 year career there. Also  recognized was Dr. Stephen Taylor for his impact of food and the food industry. Dr. Taylor has dedicated much of his career to food safety and toxicology and has become one of the world's foremost authorities in the area of sulfite sensitivity and food allergens. Twelve new members were inducted into the Hall this year including some old friends. We sat at a table with Loren Schmit, Dayle Williamson's and Mark Knoble's. It is an opportunity to see many of the people I worked with some years ago. I was inducted into the Hall about 25 years ago and haven't missed many Annual Banquets. Shown at the podium is Alan Moeller, next is MC Roger Wehrbein and his wife, then Dr. Stephen Taylor and his wife. A good time was had by all.

ATTITUDE by Charles Swindoll

I referred to Charles Swindoll recently in my blog on Dana Snyder who used this "Attitude" message of Swindoll's as a theme for his talk. My sister Janice who lives in California, commented that she uses this as part of the orientation for HS students who work as volunteers at their Merced Hospital. She says it is posted on their Bulletin Board for all to see. She also sent me a copy of Swindoll's message on "Commitment". I must admit that when Dana asked at Kiwanis how many of us were familiar with Swindoll, I didn't raise my hand, though many of our Club did. After a minimal amount of research on the web, I find that he is an evangelical Christian Pastor, author, educator, and radio preacher. He is the Senior Pastor at the Stonebrier Community Church in Frisco, TX. It is interesting that Wikepedia information  indicates that he "overcome a severe stuttering problem" while in HS. I assume Dana was aware of that but didn't mention it. Swindoll does have an ability to "break down" some very important "life shaping" messages into simple, understandable language. And, after all, isn't much of our "character" shaped by a few simple principles or "truths". 

Transition

We attended the funeral service for long-time friend, Dave Langemeier in Lincoln this morning.  Dave was an Economist with USDA ERS and transferred to SCS soon after we came back to Nebraska and I was working with the Natural Resources Commission. We worked together on several projects as well as with the Lincoln Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society. This even included golf in various locations. Dave was stricken with Pancreatic Cancer and died the day before his 72nd birthday. The number of people participating in his Memorial Service at the Good Sheperd Lutheran Church was testimony to Dave's life. On our way home we drove through the old Nebraska State Fair grounds. This picture still shows the race track and grandstand but that isn't even there anymore. A new building has gone up immediately north of the old 4-H building which is still standing. Only the outer walls are left of the Mercantile Arts Building. The only other landmark still in existence is the "Ice Box" which was the "Show Arena" at one time. We have even seen the Circus in that building. Devany Arena still remains and will continue to be used by the University for Volleyball, etc. It's interesting to see the transition taking place that we call progress, but there are many happy memories that can never be replicated. I won't attempt to relate the loss of a landmark to the loss of a dear friend but the Innovative Campus can take us to a more brighter future, while Pastor Poppe assured us that  Dave was celebrating his birthday in a more glorious place.

Kiwanis Ag Recognition Banquet

Chuck Schroeder was the speaker last night at the 46th annual Kiwanis Ag Recognition Banquet. He has recently accepted the position as the first Executive Director of the University of Nebraska's Rural Futures Institute.  Schroeder came back to Nebraska after serving as Executive Director of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. He was also with the National Cattleman's Beef Association , the University of Nebraska Foundation and was the Director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. Chuck was with his family's company, the Schroeder Cattle Co., near Palisade for about 30 years, the last 10 as owner and president. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he studied animal science and business and production options. He gave a very stimulating message to the 400 people in attendance as he spoke about Ag Week and the future of the new Institute he is heading. I got to know him quite well some years ago while I was with the NE Natural Resources Commission and he was next door as the State Director of Agriculture. We had a good visit as the party broke up. He will do a great job in this new position that fits  his abilities perfectly.