Kiwanian of the Year
James McKinney (left) was presented with the Kiwanian of the Year Award during the annual Awards and Installation Luncheon of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Jonesboro Sept. 27. Making the presentation was Sid Banks.
Club officers for 2023-24
Officers of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Jonesboro for the coming year were installed Wednesday during the club’s annual Awards and Installation Luncheon. They are: (from left) Shirley Park, treasurer; Dr. Warren Skaug, president-elect; Gregg McElhanon, president; Jimmy Franklin, vice president; and Diann Jenkins, secretary.
Kiwanians celebrate
another good year
Longtime member James McKinney was honored as Kiwanian of the Year during the club’s annual Awards and Installation Luncheon Sept. 27 at the Jonesboro Country Club.
James has twice served as club president — in 1993 and then again in 2016. He just completed another 2-year term on the Board of Directors and has been a member of the club’s Scholarship Committee for many years.
James’ brother Doyle was also a member of the club until his death on Sept. 18. Funeral services, attended by several club members, were held two days before the Awards and Installation Luncheon.
Roy Ockert, in his final official function as Missouri-Arkansas District governor, installed officers for the coming year.
McElhanon was installed for a second year as president because Ron Sitton, for personal reasons, was unable to move up. The other officers installed are:
• President-elect — Warren Skaug
• Vice president — Jimmy Franklin
• Secretary — Diann Jenkins
• Treasurer — Shirley Park
• Directors (2-year term) — Brandon Brewer, Neale Bartee and Jerry Lewis. Elected to fill Franklin’s second year as director was Matt Silas.
Holdover directors, with one year remaining on their terms, are Billy Woodruff and Traci Perrin. Retiring from the board were Dan Spencer and James McKinney.
Ockert remains on the board as the most immediate past president.
The club also inducted two new honorary members — former Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin and outgoing District First Lady Pat Ockert.
Harold served three terms as mayor after many years as a City Council member and made many appearances at Kiwanis meetings and other events over the years.
During her year as First Lady, Pat collected somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 books and distributed them to five different children’s hospitals in Arkansas and Missouri.
New honorary members
Pat Ockert (left) and former Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin were named honorary members of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Jonesboro Wednesday during the club’s annual Awards and Installation Luncheon. Pat was honored for her achievements as first lady of the Missouri-Arkansas District, which included collecting more than 1,500 books for children’s hospitals in the two states. Harold was honored for his service to the city as a longtime member of the City Council and 3-term mayor.