CLUBS

Newspaper January 22, 2006 | Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA)

Page: 13 | Section: SLIDELL PICAYUNE

194 Words

REPUBLICAN WOMEN

The Slidell Republican Women's Club's annual Christmas luncheon and auction generated $1,000 which was donated to the St. Tammany Association for Retarded Citizens.

Assisting in the benefit were auctioneers Mel Leonard and Slidell Police Chief Freddy Drennan who served as "elves" for the occasion.

The featured speaker of the day was Dianne Baham, executive director of STARC.

Baham described the destruction STARC facilities sustained at Katrina's hands and described the work that is under way to restore the organization.

Vitter feted in Tammany by GOP -

Newspaper March 11, 2006 | Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA)

Author: Charlie Chapple, Richard Boyd and Christine Harvey St. Tammany bureau | Page: 01 | Section: METRO | Column: TAMMANYPOLITICS

Readability: Lexile: 1310, grade level(s): >12

A host of elected officials were on hand March 4 in Mandeville as local GOP organizations belatedly recognized Sen. David Vitter, R-La., as the "Republican of the Year" for 2005.

The crowd that packed the banquet hall at Benedict's restaurant included state legislators, St. Tammany Parish officials and elected officials from municipalities throughout the parish.

State legislators at the event included Sens. Tom Schedler, R-Mandeville, and Julie Quinn, R-Metairie, and Reps. Pete Schneider, R-Slidell; Mike Strain, R-Abita Springs; and Tim Burns, R-Mandeville. Also at the event were state Sen. Jay Dardenne, R-Baton Rouge, and state Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson.

Vitter, during his acceptance speech, called on Republicans to be more vigilant in demanding ethics, leadership and responsibility not only from government in general, but the GOP leadership as well.

The banquet was originally scheduled for last Aug. 27, in Slidell, but was postponed by the approach of Hurricane Katrina.

Mike Stevens of the Northshore Republican Men's Club, which hosted the event along with local Republican women's organizations, said plans call for making the banquet an annual affair.

Republican women honor local leaders

NewspaperJune 1, 2006 | Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA)

Author: Carol Wolfram | Page: 01 | Section: SLIDELL PICAYUNE | Column: Tammany Talk

705 Words | Readability: Lexile: 1470, grade level(s): >12

Slidell Mayor Ben Morris, Slidell Police Chief Freddy Drennan and Parish President Kevin Davis were in the spotlight Friday when each was presented a SlidellRepublican Women's Club Superior Leadership award, the club's most prestigious honor.

The awards were presented as part of the club's annual installation banquet which saw the re-installation by Slidell Judge Jim Lamz of President Elizabeth Schneider, the wife of state Rep. Pete Schneider, and practically every other member of the club's executive board -- Vice President Beth Royer, Secretary Marlene Maylon, Treasurer Karen Fandal, Campaign Chairwoman Donna Guidry, Membership Chairwoman Mona Mathius, Newsletter Chairwoman Mary O'Neil, and Program Chairwoman Deborah Thompson.

That made sense, of course, considering Schneider "took the oath of office Aug. 27 and on Aug. 29 everything came to a screeching halt in St. Tammany Parish," she said.

But by October, the club was meeting again, holding a membership coffee at Pinewood Country Club, which was battered badly by Katrina. Then there was a successful Chinese auction benefiting STARC, also devastated by Katrina. Most recently, the club's popular Elegant Junque Sale raised nearly $700, $200 of which was donated to the Laura Bush Library Fund to support Gulf Coast libraries (including several in St. Tammany) KO'ed by Katrina.

This "go get 'em" attitude was certainly in the mix when the club determined who the recipient(s) of their coveted Superior Leadership awards would be.

Presented by Slidell Council members Pearl Williams and Ray Canada, each award came with a $100 donation to the charitable organization of the recipient's choice and a plaque inscribed with, among other gracious comments, "We all need someone or something to inspire us to do our best."

Doing our best

These three men were up to the challenge during the past year, Williams said.

"They all have had the weight the world on their shoulders," she said. "To cope with has happened over the last nine months, these men had to find strength they probably didn't even know they have."

What has continued to impress me in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is the generosity -- in manpower, materials and dollars, to be sure, but just as importantly in the generosity of spirit.

I witnessed it again Friday as Morris, Drennan and Davis were called to center stage to accept awards for their leadership during one of the most horrific periods in the history of St. Tammany Parish.

It would have been easy for each to have grabbed their awards, grinned, and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Instead each accepted his award on behalf of you, the Slidell city employees; you, the police officers of Slidell; you, the faith-based organizations who were here with the supplies we needed before we had even emerged from our state of shock to know what we needed; and you, the people of Slidell and the north shore who were determined to do their best to fight their way back to "normalcy" one extraordinarily abnormal day at a time.

Passing the praise along

"If you surround yourself with people who are smarter than you are and are willing to work as hard as you are, it makes the going much easier," Morris said.

Drennan talks about the police officers who work under his charge with the warmth you'd associate with a parent praising his children. "The men and women of the Slidell Police Department make me proud to be the police chief. They're really the recipients of this," he said.

Davis, too, deflected praise on the state of the north shore, giving credit to the people who have rallied to its rescue. "You can judge a community by its citizens," he said.

"I just pray this hurricane season (which begins today) we won't have any storms and we can continue our healing and our recovery," Davis added.

Amen to that.

. . . . . . .

Membership dues for the Slidell Republican Women's Club are $25 per person. The club meets on the fourth Friday of each month at 11 a.m. For membership information, contact Mona Mathius at 641-5085.

Caption:

STAFF PHOTO BY CAROL WOLFRAM

Slidell Republican Women's Club officers installed Friday were, front from left, Elizabeth Schneider, Karen Fandal and Marlene Maylon; second row, Beth Royer, Mona Mathius and Donna Guidry; and, back row, Mary O'Neil and Deborah Thompson.

Funeral Notice - BOWERS

NewspaperSeptember 5, 2006 | Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA)

Page: 05 | Section: METRO

194 Words

Lynn Kohler Bowers, age 67 years, of Slidell, LA on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2006, at her residence. Wife of the late John William Bowers. Mother of John Scott Bowers and Susan Lynn Bowers.Sister of Claude Lazard Kohler. Also survived by two grandchildren, John Bradley and David Scott Bowers.

She was active in the Slidell Women's Rebulican Club and was the Vice-President from 1990-1992 and President from 1992-1994. She also served as the Campaign Chairman and the Hospitality Chairman, the Republican Representative for the State Central Committee for several years, and Rebublican Representative for the Parish Executive Committee. She ran the East St. Tammany Campaign Headquarters for two of Judge Patricia Hedge's campaigns, for Tom Schedler, Ben Morris, both of George Bush's campaigns and for Bobby Jindal.

Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the Memorial Services at HONAKER FUNERAL HOME,1751 GAUSE Blvd. WEST (IN FOREST LAWN CEMETERY), Slidell, LA on Wednesday, September 6, 2006 at 1:00 P.M.Visitation on Wednesday after 11:00 A.M. until funeral time. Donations to the American Cancer Society, preferred, in lieu of flowers.

Arrangements by Honaker Funeral Home, Inc., Slidell, LA.