The "Manhattan Optimist Club Bulletin": Vol. 2024 #30: 4-24-24
VOLUME 2024 April 24, 2024 NUMBER 30
President Bill Wisdom welcomed the membership and guests, and Greg McCune gave the following reflection of some quotes from Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) in honor of Earth Day.
‘I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately; to front only the essential facts of life. To see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
Taste the fruit and resign yourself to the influence of the earth”
“I make myself rich by making my wants few.”
“It’s the beauty within us that makes it possible for us to recognize the beauty around us. The question is not what you look at but what you see.”
And from another source:
“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.”
The flag salute followed.
Ronie Grice thanked the Optimist for having him and noted he knew many of the Optimist members. He asked the members if they had ever thought about the amount of preparation that goes into planning for a home football game. He noted that they are already planning how to get fans into the stadium with all of the nearby road construction projects. Behind the scenes there is so much preparation that goes on. He has been in law enforcement for 44 years, with 30 years at KSU, thus law enforcement has been his career. Fans have no idea how much planning goes into preparing for game day when 50,000 come to attend the game. On game day, Manhattan is the seventh largest city in Kansas. Planning for next season starts right now. In August, the entire athletic department, the Kansas Highway Patrol, Riley County Police, KSU Police, Emergency Medical Service, and the Fire Department meet for initial planning to ensure the safety and security for fans. All of those services are needed on game day. After that, there is a planning meeting every week.
A command post is established at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on game day for representatives of Manhattan Fire, Riley County Emergency Management, Kansas Highway Patrol, KSU Police, KSU Emergency Management and two dispatchers, one for KSU and one from the State so all the agencies can work hand in hand. The KSU police force is small, so they employ up to 50 officers from other police forces, thus a fan may see police officers with many different uniforms. All of these folks have a long day. On a day with an 11:00 AM kickoff, the KSU police start at 4:00 AM with a briefing and go to their assignments. The Kansas Highway Patrol sweeps the entire stadium prior to the gates opening two hours before kickoff. Officers are assigned to specific areas based on the history of the area’s problems.
They started traveling with the football team in 1995 because two people who were not part of the charter tried to get on the charter aircraft. When the team boards the charter, Ronnie is the last person on the plane and first person off the plane. Ronnie is responsible for coordinating with hotel security, and local highway patrol for team escorts on all football road games. Sometimes people, or even coaches are unhappy with KSU coaches and want to give them unsolicited comments in a very unpleasant manner. He is there to protect the coaches and players. He does not escort coaches at home games, because he is too busy with 50,000 fans and monitoring 50 employees who are maintaining security; a Kansas Highway Patrol Officer escort coaches at home games. A lot of work goes into preparing for security for all the fans, because their safety is the number one concern on game day.
They make the team, students, and fans’ safety their number one priority, not only on game day, but every day at KSU. They want your kids to be safe. Nobody is going to send their kids to a school where they don’t feel their student is safe. KSU is improving its camera system to improve campus security.
Ronnie thanked the Optimist for having him present.
Greg McCune presented our member spotlight today on Marlo Klassen. He and his wife Jean, who was our spotlight two weeks ago, joined at the beginning of the year. I asked Marlo about his unusual first name; he said his parents told him they may have seen it in a book. Marlo said he joined Optimist because his wife made him do it. He went on to say he liked the focus on supporting youth.
Marlo grew up on a dairy farm in south-central Minnesota. He assumed he would stay there the rest of his life, but after 20 years of dairy farming, his father embarked on a second career as a hospital and nursing home administrator and his parents moved the six kids to Goessel, Kansas. His mother began practicing as a registered nurse. Marlo said he was not thrilled with Kansas for quite a while.
Marlo thought he wanted to be a veterinarian and he went to K-State, but one of his coaches influenced him to switch to education so he could coach sports. He got degrees in Physical Education and Science and a Masters in Educational Administration. Marlo taught and coached for 17 years and was an Assistant Principal/Athletic Director and later Principal for 20 years in Colorado and Kansas.
Marlo has three children, a daughter in Overland Park, a son in Great Bend and a son in Heston. He has six grandchildren. His wife Jean has a son and granddaughter. Marlo moved to Manhattan when he retired because it is centrally located for his kids and grandkids, and he loves K-State. In his spare time, Marlo enjoys yard work, family and friends and traveling with Jean. Last, but not least, Marlo has been an Optimist before, in Ellenwood, Kansas. He said he always bought his Christmas tree from Optimists.
President Wisdom introduced today’s speaker, Ronnie Grice, Head of Security-KSU, and his wife Cheryl. Jean Klassen introduced her neighbor, Carol Johnston, who is in the KSU School of Applied Science in the Department of Children and Families.
Jim Franke announced information about the Optimist Park Volunteer Program to organize assistance with the maintenance of the park. A sign-up sheet was on the table. The first event is May 4th at 10:00 am. Teams will be formed to do ongoing maintenance throughout the summer that will take 2-3 hours per week.
Bill Wisdom announced the New Member Dinner will be held May 9; if you have someone who is interested in becoming a member and would like to learn more, please contact Bill Wisdom.
Signup sheets were on the back of the agenda for volunteers for the Bill Snyder Half Marathon May 25th. We need at least 10 volunteers to help keep the runners safe and on the course.
The Optimist District meeting was held last Saturday in Junction City. The fourth quarter District meeting and annual convention will be held August 14th to 16th in Wichita.
We are still in need of a candidate for governor and governor elect for District leadership.
The Childhood Annual Golf Tournament is coming up August 5th at Prairie Highlands in Olathe. They are signing up teams now and if we want to form a team we need to get it in early, as they fill up quickly.
Also on June 7th is the Kansas Optimist Chamber Junior golf tournament and they are still looking for players.
President Wisdom presented awards to Steve Havenstein, Jerry Banaka, and Dan O’Neill for their Dime a Day donations.
Save these dates: May 8, IPS Celebration; May 9, New Member Dinner; May 25, Bill Snyder Half Marathon; October 19, Aggieville Chili Crawl.
Adjourned with the Optimist Creed
MAY 1: MORNING MEETING: Lyriannette Santana, Spanish Speaking Liaison at MHS “Serving Spanish Speakers at MHS”
MAY 8: NOON MEETING: Interpersonal Skills Essay Presentations & Awards
MAY 15: MORNING MEETING: Gary Fike, Riley County Extension Director: “Agriculture in Brazil.”
MAY 22: NOON MEETING: Steve Havenstein: “Respect for the Law” recognition.
MAY 29: MORNING MEETING: “Business Meeting”