Christian D. Larson Awards and Holiday Party 2024

Erin Dickerson’s Prayer

We are gathered this evening in celebration of the holiday season. Whether we are preparing for Christmas and the birth of the baby Jesus, for Hanukkah – the celebration in remembrance of the miracle in which a lantern, with only enough oil for one night, blazed for eight, or any of the other holidays observed during this time of year, we all chose to take time during this busy season to spend with our Optimist family and friends.

Lord, help us to take time this season to give the gifts that truly matter:

  • the gift of gratitude for the people in our lives and the blessings they provide us.
  • the gift of our attention, to be present in the moment free of distraction.
  • the gifts of grace, forgiveness, and non-judgment for we are all human and make mistakes.
  • the gift of a compliment for we never know how much a kind word can mean to someone.
  • the gift of time to be with and serve those with needs both big and small; and
  • the gift of love, a true and unconditional love, for people as You created them, not as we wish for them to be.

Amen.

Thank Yous

Paul Boeckman gave special thanks to Beth Duncan and Sue Jessee for their amazing efforts putting this holiday event together at Sycamore Creek Country Club.

Happy Birthday Patrick Arehart

Today marked the 59th trip around the Sun for Patrick Arehart! True to tradition, we serenaded him with our own special version of “Happy Birthday”—because let’s face it, no one does it quite like we do. Here’s to another fantastic year, Patrick!

Welcome Optimist International Great Ohio District Governors

Paul Boeckman introduced the current Ohio District Governor, Terry Schalnat. In addition, he introduced several past Ohio District Governors—Myron Rheaume, Greg Griffin, and Bill Stone—all of whom are members of the Centerville Noon Optimist Club.

CNO 2024 Holiday Party

Tonight, we celebrated the holiday season.

We had an hour of socialization with appetizers, followed by a buffet dinner with more socializing, getting us all into the holiday spirit.

After a rousing game of Family Feud (see details at the bottom of this article), three Christian D. Larson awards were given to deserving members.

Christian D. Larson Awards

As is the CNO custom, the previous year’s recipients introduce this year’s recipients of the Christian D. Larson award. Last year’s recipients were Gary Hansen, Jean Pummill, and Roland Rapp.

Near the bottom of this article, you will find details about the Christian D. Larson award.

Greg Griffin, Christian D. Larson Award Recipient 2024

Jean Pummill, a 2023 recipient said, “This person reminds me of the wizard behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz, oh, but wait a minute, that could be many of you in this room. This person will help anyone that asks for assistance from them, well, that could be most of you too! This person became a member, put one foot on the ground and never quit. They became Club President, District Lieutenant Governor, Ohio District Governor and have served as assistant to the present and past District Governors.

Past Governor Greg Griffin, please come to the podium and accept your Christian D. Larson Award.”

Greg Griffin said, “Thank you. I have three things I’d like to share. First, it is such a joy to serve in this club, which is the largest of its kind and has been honored as a three-time Club of the Year winner. To all the new members here tonight: welcome! This club is truly unbelievable. The work we do is incredible—right now, for example, we’re selling Christmas trees, and it’s a pleasure to contribute in so many different roles.

Second, the best piece of advice I ever received was to marry up, which I did when I married my wife, Evelyn, who is also a member of this club. She has supported me through everything I’ve done, and I couldn’t have achieved any of it without her help.

Finally, I am simply overwhelmed with gratitude for all that we’ve accomplished together. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, and I’m thankful beyond words. Thank you all very, very much.”

Greg Griffin joined CNO on 4/3/2014.

Mike Brubaker, Christian D. Larson Award Recipient 2024

Roland Rapp, a 2023 recipient said, “This Optimist has been a member for over a decade. They have been involved in a lot of projects, but they seem to gravitate to one of CNO’s Flagship programs. This person, despite their age, thrives on technology.

They are also one who thrives behind the scenes. You may not know them, but you know of them and if you needed a Map of the Stars, this person would be the one to help you out. I think he helped invent Map Quest. They are dedicated to donating their time to CNO causes and they are always seen dropping off their spouse for a lunch meeting and picking them up!

Fellow Optimists, let me introduce a newly minted Christian D. Larson award winner, Mike Brubaker!”

Mike Brubaker said, “Thank you so much. I appreciate this. It’s a big surprise and I really thank you!”

Mike Brubaker joined CNO on 10/28/2008.

Paul Stull, Christian D. Larson Award Recipient 2024

Debe Dockins, speaking on behalf of 2023 recipient Gary Hansen, said, “I am honored to step in for Gary Hansen this evening to honor our final Christian D. Larson awardee. There’s a descriptive name for the type of person our honoree is: Renaissance Man. They have an innate curiosity about the world. In Library speak, we call them life-long learners. This member fits that bill. They have served on a variety of governing boards, have been a guide and mentor to young people throughout their very long life, have tried new activities, and are a businessperson, a community activist, and one who is involved in their church. They have a welcoming smile, a kind word, they’re a good listener, and a really good talker. All the attributes of a Christian D. Larson honoree.

 To be more specific, this person founded a long-time business in Centerville, they have been a professor at the University of Dayton where their students list their class as their favorite. They have helped hundreds if not thousands of boy scouts successfully out of the woods, was a Library trustee for more than 20 years, a deacon at his church, a Centerville-Washington Foundation Founder honoree, and is a current Board member for the Centerville Noon Optimists. Our final honoree is none other than our longest-serving member and my friend, Dr. Paul Stull.”

Paul Stull said, “I absolutely had no idea that I was going to be receiving this prestigious award tonight. In fact, I wasn’t even planning on attending the Holiday Party. But I kept getting calls from people asking if I was coming, and they made it sound like they really needed me here tonight. So, I turned to my wife and said, ‘Well, I guess I need to go, because for some reason, they really need me.’ And here I am—thank you so much for this incredible honor.”

Paul Stull joined CNO on 1/1/1970.

About the Christian D. Larson Award

The Christian D. Larson award is Optimist International’s most prestigious award. This award is a lifetime achievement recognition given to a person who has exemplified outstanding service to both our community as a whole and The Centerville Noon Optimist Club in particular.

The award was named in honor of Mr. Larson because he was the author of the well-known Optimist Creed, which was written in 1912 and is what we Optimists live by every day. In the one hundred years of Optimist International, with hundreds of thousands of members, less than 800 individuals worldwide have been accorded this honor

Each year, our club donates half the proceeds of the tickets purchased for the 50/50 drawing along with all the money raised through the Sergeant at Arms fines and Happy Bucks during our Noon meetings. This money goes to the Optimist International Foundation for the purpose of supporting its charitable, literary, and educational activities. In return, for each one thousand dollars donated, the Optimist International Foundation grants our club the privilege of presenting a Christian D. Larson Award.

In 2007 our Board of Directors voted to present the Christian D. Larson award to our club members in order to recognize their positive contributions over a long period of time. Our Optimist Board had selected all the recipients from 2007 – 2012. In 2013, they decided that going forward it would best be decided by our growing group of past Larson Award recipients. 

Each new honoree must have a minimum of ten years in the club, have held leadership positions, contributed greatly to both the community and our club, exhibited a positive optimistic attitude, and volunteered consistently over many years actively enhancing the club’s formula for success.

All CNO Members Who have Received the Christian D. Larson Award

  • Steve Fisher
  • Margaret Barclay
  • Phil Robinson
  • Joe Madden
  • Jerry Stahley
  • Chuck Dickerson
  • Jim Hawley
  • Bill Stone
  • Gary Aiken
  • Judy DeMarco
  • Dan Beck
  • Gary Smiga
  • Kelly Stone
  • Mike Bevis
  • Tom Novak
  • Gary Anderson
  • Will Cale
  • Don Kelley
  • Charlie Tapp
  • Bob Burkman
  • Nancy Lehren
  • Pat Behn
  • Mary Madden
  • Myron Rheaume
  • Tom Frazier
  • Stan Fronzaglia
  • Karl Frydryk
  • Joan Cordonnier
  • Gail Aiken
  • Roy Barclay
  • Barbara Santo
  • Vida McDowell
  • Larry Lynde
  • Craig Dring
  • Chris McAlpine
  • Don Wildenhaus
  • Debe Dockins
  • Bob Glavin
  • Greg Wasmund
  • Gary Hansen
  • Jean Pummill
  • Roland Rapp
  • Mike Brubaker
  • Greg Griffin
  • Paul Stull

Family Feud

Tonight, two teams of seven competed in a lively round of Family Feud. The game was run by Beth Duncan, while Sue Jessee kept score. It was entertaining to watch both “families” guess the most popular responses to each survey question. Beth thanked Patrick Arehart for handling all the technical details for the game.

“Welcome to the OPTIMIST FAMILY FEUD,” said Beth Duncan. “We had a lot of people interested in being contestants, and I appreciate everyone who signed up. Since not everyone can play, we’ll be doing a random draw.”

Team A members were Melanie Asbell, Sue Brubaker, Christy Clemmer, Renee Glenn, Joanne Rau, Steve Rau, and Sarah Umbreit.

Team B members were Rachel Goetz, Gail Aiken, Tim Clemmer, Debe Dockins, Karl Frydryk, Lacy Owens, and Jeff Umbreit. When all was said and done, Team B emerged as the winner.

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