KIWANIS CLUB OF ALLEN, TEXAS

Lee Howard

Club President 2002-2003

I retired from Texas Instruments in 1997 where I was manager of worldwide facilities. Later that year I was asked to chair the AISD Project Kids facilities committee. Rick Aubry was on the committee and invited me to come to a Kiwanis meeting. I came to the meeting, met President Barbara McEwen and many other members, and knew right away that this was the kind of service organization I would like to join.

Later in 1997, Mike McChesney was president and advised the club that the Allen Chamber of Commerce was forming a new Leadership Allen class. He strongly recommended we consider participating. After talking with Mike and then with Sharon Mayer at the Chamber the next day, I signed up for Leadership Allen class of 1998-99. I thoroughly enjoyed the nine month orientation of city and county services and it set me off on a very active period of volunteerism in our community.

When I was elected president of Allen Kiwanis in 2002, I was heavily involved in other organizations as well. Earlier that year, I took on a second career as Executive Director of BEST Robotics, Inc., a high school robotics competition program involving over 600 schools in 15 states. At the time, I was also chairman of Collin County United Way, president of ACO, chair of another Project Kids committee and president of Willow Creek Estates Homeowners Association. It was a full plate, but I enjoyed every bit of it.

During my term as club president, we had a very exciting year. John Payton, as Vice President, lined up an outstanding array of speakers for programs. Sheri Sides, chair of the Young Children: Priority One committee, initiated support to Early Childhood Intervention and Allen Headstart by providing over 500 new books and photos with Santa at their Christmas parties. Terri Eck, as Little Angels chair, organized our support for two softball teams with record participation. Mike McChesney coordinated the effort for the KidMania Project at Celebration Park. David Olson coordinated the founding of a new Kiwanis club in Farmersville. Cindy Wilson put out an excellent newsletter every month.

We held the Installation of Officers banquet at the Allen Heritage Center, a replica of the original Allen depot. The Heritage Center happened to be the product of my Leadership Allen class. We had a great time that evening with a catered dinner and entertainment by a fabulous piano player, Alfred Lee. We all joined in on singing a great rendition of "America the Beautiful." After an excellent installation ceremony led by our Lieutenant Governor, Bob Moorman, I handed over the gavel to the new president, Joey Herald.