Shon Gress speaks about the Guersey County Senior Center

When a Community Joins in Unity, It Can Make a Difference. That is the message that Shon Gress, Executive Director of the Guernsey County Senior Citizens Center, brought when he addressed Cambridge Lions Club. He thanked the Lions Club for their close partnership with the Senior Citizens Center and had praise for all of the citizens of Guernsey County for their support over the years. The Senior Citizen Center has been in operation serving the elderly for 36 years. Shon discussed a few of the numerous outstanding programs they offer to seniors here in Guernsey County. One of the most notable is the Home Delivered Meals program. Last year alone there were 131,000 hot, nutritious, well-balanced meals either home delivered or served at the Senior Citizens Center. The Transportation Services program escorts senior citizens to medical appointments, shopping, picking up prescriptions and business related appointments. The Homemaking program offer home health care providers to visit qualified seniors to provide routine homemaking services and give personal care to improve self-image and increase self esteem.
Shon summarized by saying, “While you never think about growing old, all of us will someday be senior citizens. We will all retire from work …but not from life. Some of the stories we encounter will tug at your heartstrings. People who thought they had enough saved for retirement, and then something happens to deplete their savings. One thing that is worse than dying is outliving your money. I want to again thank the Lions and all the people of Guernsey County who support and help our senior citizens.”

For more information about these programs contact the Senior Center at 740 439-6681 or visit their web site, www.guernseysenior.org

“What we sell is entertainment,” said Amy Burbidge, director of player development at Wheeling Island. “It really costs no more for entertainment at Wheeling Island that at other places people go to be entertained.” Burbidge was the guest speaker at the Cambridge Lions Club.

“We have added table games in the last six months so we are now like other casinos,” Burbidge said. “We now have poker, blackjack, roulette, and crap games. We will be starting tournaments and will participate in the World Series of Poker,” Burbidge said.

“We have great restaurants and a hotel so it’s a great place to stay and eat. We have comedy acts and other entertainment. It’s really great to see the excitement when someone wins a big jackpot.”

Wheeling Island, long known for its greyhound dog races, continues to offer a place to wager on dog races. Patrons can relax and place bets on other dog races, thoroughbred races and harness races from around the country in the simulcast parlor. “We also send our signal from the dog races to other tracks and casinos,” Burbidge said.

“We have a program to adopt the retired greyhounds that no longer race,” Burbidge said. “They make great pets and children love them. They do need a lot of space because they like to run. Information about the program is available on our website at http://www.wheelingisland.com/.

“You have to be at least twenty one to place bets at the game tables,” said Burbidge. “You can bet on the greyhounds when you are eighteen. The games are continually monitored by West Virginia lottery officials.”

“We try to build relationships with the players so that they will have a good time. We want them to return. We have players’ club cards that offer special incentives.”

“We have been upgrading our facilities and plan to build a tower hotel in the near future,” Burbidge said.

The Wheeling Island web site includes a phone number and a link to a website for those who have a problem with gambling.

Frank Stroud recalls his WWII Service in the Navy

“The ship would jump three feet in the water when we fired the guns,” said Frank Stroud, Jr., a Navy veteran of World War Two. “We never fires two guns side by side. You could see the fourteen inch shells in the air as they were headed towards the target.” Stroud was the guest speaker at the Cambridge Lions Club.
Pictured left, Lion Mike Upton and Frank Stroud.

Stroud told of the history of the battleship U. S. S. Mississippi. The Mississippi was commissioned on December 18, 1917. During gunnery practice on June 12, 1924, forty eight men were killed by an explosion of a gun turret. The ship was sent to patrol the Atlantic protecting shipping. Two days after the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor the ship was sent to the Pacific.

Stroud told about his experiences aboard the ship. “One day we were going through a fog bank near Iceland. When we got out of the fog bank there was a German sub right in front of us. The men were sunning themselves on the deck of the sub. You never heard so many bells and whistles! We sailed in one direction and they went the opposite way.”

“I was watching a movie on the quarter deck when we heard about Pearl Harbor,” Stroud said. “I was watching a movie on the quarter deck when we heard about the end of the war. It might have been the same movie since they were passed back and forth from ship to ship.”

“We participated in the Battle of Suriago Strait on October 25, 1944. We would fire the shells. They had a range of fifteen miles. This battle destroyed a large part of the Japanese navy.” This battle was a serious blow to the Japanese and their navy was ineffective for the rest of the war.

“We took two kamikaze hits. Twenty six men were killed. They were buried at sea. That was a sad occasion,” Stroud said.

“The battle in the Pacific had stalled at Shuri Castle on Okinawa,” Stroud said. “Out of sixty shells we made fifty nine direct hits on the castle.”

“I was a trainer. The trainer is the one who moves the guns from left to right. The pointer is the one who moves the guns up and down.”

“After the war I helped mothball ships,” Stroud said. The Mississippi received eight battle stars for its service in World War Two. It was refitted with guided missiles in the 1950’s and used as a training ship.”
Stroud displayed a pair of candle holders he had made from three different sizes of shell casings to keep as a memento of his service. He also showed his cap showing the dates he served on the Mississippi. “I would recommend (joining the Navy) to anyone. I really enjoyed it.”

Lions introduced to new School Board Student Representative

Rusty Roberts, a member of the Cambridge City Schools Board of Education, Jenna Griffith and Jeff Carroll, student representative and alternate on the board spoke to the Cambridge Lions Club members on Monday. High school principal Scott Eldredge accompanied the students. Roberts has coordinated the student representative program since its inception three years ago.

“We wanted to create a situation where the students would see what goes into making decisions and encourage them to actively participate in the discussions,” Roberts said. “They have no voting privileges and cannot participate in executive sessions because of privacy issues, but we want them to give their input.”

“Many organizations could use this idea to get students more involved in learning about what it takes to get things accomplished,” Roberts said. “I have been invited to a number of school districts to give a presentation of how this program works. We have been nominated for the American School Board Journal Magna Award for best school board practices.”

“Communication between the school board and the student body is essential,” Griffith said. “Without input we will not get a good representation of what needs to be done. Working as the student representative will give me a better understanding of how the school board functions. I can take that back to the student body.”

“As I have grown up my family has been very important. We have always talked about family values and religious convictions,” said Griffith. “My parents and my grandparents are very religious people. They have helped keep me on track through high school. They’ve helped me to see how to choose between right and wrong.”

“My goal has always been to help others,” Griffith said. “I’ve learned that to help others you also have to ask a lot of questions to be informed.”

Students applying for the student representative position were asked to write about one issue that they would bring to the school board. “I have done a lot of research on the starting the school day later for high school students” Griffith said. “The research shows that teens naturally stay up later wake up later and this can lead to sleep deprivation and poorer performance in school.”

Carroll spoke about leadership. “I want to help make our school system better. I have learned that you must listen in order to lead. You also have to know the difference between when to lead and when to follow.”

“Some people say that leadership skills are something you are born with,” Carroll said. “I believe that you can develop better interpersonal relationships and that you can work to become a better leader. I try to lead by example.”

Carroll quoted Thomas Edison saying, “Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

“The issue that I would present to the board of education is to open up programs that develop leadership skills to all students,” Carroll said. “We have some programs that are open only to the academically talented students. Many students who are in the middle and some who struggle academically would benefit from participating in these programs.”

Pictured are: Rusty Roberts, Cambridge City Schools Board member, Lion Tom Cahoon, Jenna Griffith, Student representative for school board, Jeff Carroll, alternate student rep, Scott Eldredge, Cambridge High School Principal

Blue Star Mothers Visit Cambrige Lions

Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. Southeast Ohio Chapter #12 was the topic for our meeting. Laura Edwards-Conrad, President of the Southeast Chapter and LTC. Cherry Nelson, vice-president and a member of the naval reserves were the guest speakers. We are mothers who now have, or have had, children honorably serving in the military. Blue Star Mothers are a non-profit (501[c]3) service organization supporting each other and our children while promoting patriotism. We’re there when military men and women head overseas. We're there to shower them with love when they come home again. Their thoughts are with us every day, no matter where they are. Blue Star Mothers of America hang blue stars in their windows whenever their children join the armed forces. If one of their children is killed in action, the Blue Star Mothers replace the blue star and present the family with a gold star. Army Capt. George H. Maines conceived the idea for the Blue Star Mothers in 1942. He ran a newspaper article in Flint, Mich., on Jan 22, 1942, requesting information about children serving in the armed forces. More than 1,000 mothers responded. By March 8, 1942, more than 600 mothers organized the Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. Pictured are: Bryant Ficken Cambridge Lions , LTC Sherry Nelson, vice president, Laura Edwards-Conrad, president, Blue Star Mothers