|
Big day for the CRC
by David Namanny
Press-News Editor
The end of one milestone and the beginning of another for Osage's $13.5 million Cedar River Complex will be observed this weekend.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the largest phase of the $13.5 million Cedar River Complex, the Recreation and Fine Arts Center, will take place Saturday, June 28 at 10 a.m. north of the high school in Osage City Park.
The event will be followed with a ribbon cutting for the new Regional Events Center at the Mitchell County Fairgrounds at 11 a.m. Refreshments will be served. Tours and other special events will take place as well.
These special events will coincide with the Osage Education Foundation's annual Distinguished Alumni event, which will take place this year in the new Events Center beginning at 6 p.m. on June 28. Executive Officer at Winnebago, Robert Olson will be the keynote speaker.
The event will be a casual picnic style format with the Mitchell County Cattlemen's Association grilling ribeye steaks. Social hour begins at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m. and the program starting at 8 p.m.
Among the distinguished guests and speakers for the CRC groundbreaking at 10 a.m. will be Maurene Brooker, a representative from the Kern family (the 1943 Osage graduate who pledged $5 million to the cause).
Also speaking will be State Senator and State Representatives Amanda Ragan and Mark Kuhn. Mitchell County Economic Development Director Brenda Dryer, Osage Mayor Steve Cooper and CRC Director Angie Huffman are also on tap to address the attendees.
During the ceremony special recognition of former Osage School teacher, the late Maurine Hudson will also take place. Over a decade ago Hudson placed $200,000 on a trust to build a new school auditorium in Osage. Some say she was among the main catalysts for the massive project now underway in Osage.
For the Regional Events Center ribbon cutting at 11 a.m., a welcome will be given by Scott Niess of the Mitchell County Ag Society. Remarks will also be provided by CRC Director Huffman and Mayor Cooper. Special music will be performed by Osage's Mark Campbell.
Following these gala events, beginning at 1 p.m. the Mitchell County Historical Society will host an adult spelling bee in the old log cabin schoolhouse located at the fairgrounds.
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
Finally, the Osage Education Foundation will honor five Distinguished Alumni at the Distinguished Alumni Dinner Saturday at the newly completed Events Center on the Mitchell County Fairgrounds.
The Distinguished Alumni awards will be presented to
Thomas Kelly '48, Hugh D.Young, '48, James A. Hennesey, '66, Bob Olson, '69 and Terry McCarthy, '72.
The guest speaker for the event is Bob Olson, class of 1969 and Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of Winnebago Industries.
A bit about each member being inducted follows:
Thomas Kelly - Class of 1948
Dr. Thomas Kelly, Osage class of 1948, graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1955. Dr. Kelly interned at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. In 1956, Kelly was drafted into the US Army Medical Corps. While in the service, Dr. Kelly took post-graduate training in pediatrics at Raymond Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines. He also completed a pediatric neurology fellowship at Harvard University's Children's Hospital in Boston and adult neurology training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
Kelly's Board Certification Pediatrics and Neurology and he received the 59th certificate in Pediatric Neurology. His honors also included Army Commendation Medals and Teacher of the Year Awards.
Kelly's military assignments included teaching and clinical practice in Fort Richardson, Alaska, Walter Reed Army Hospital, Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Tripler Army Hospital in Hawaii and William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas.
After 20 years in the military, Dr. Kelly practiced Pediatric Neurology in Austin, Texas and then spent 19 years teaching and practicing at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines. His biggest pleasure has been to watch the development of young physicians and the great changes in medical practice over the years. Kelly is the son of Clark and Marion Walker Kelly.
Hugh D. Young - Class of 1948
Hugh Young, Osage class of 1948, started life is southwest Iowa in 1930. When he was eight, his family moved from Mondamin to Osage where his father, Hugh S. Young, operated a hardware store. Young's longtime interest in music, especially the piano and organ, was learned from his mother Nellie. He studied piano seriously throughout his school days. During high school, Young worked as a delivery boy for the Des Moines Register and as the "printer's devil" and photographer for the Mitchell County Press. During his senior year in high school, Young served as organist for the Methodist Church in Osage.
Starting in sixth grade, Young also developed a serious and life-long interest in science. When he graduated from Osage High School in May 1948, he was awarded a Westinghouse Scholarship to Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh. Young received his B.S. in Physics in 1952, his M.S. in 1953 and his Ph.D. in 1959.
A year later he married his wife of 48 years, Alice, and the couple have two daughters, Gretchen and Rebecca.
Upon completion of his Ph.D., Young was invited to join the Carnegie Tech faculty. He was promoted to Professor of Physics in 1977. He retired in June 2004 with the rank of Professor Emeritus.
Throughout his career, Young's primary interest has been education. He served several years as the Head of the Department of Natural Sciences and its Teacher Education program. He also served for two years as a Visiting Professor of Physics at the University of California at Berkeley. Young has won several awards for outstanding undergraduate teaching and has written 14 introductory college level physics textbooks. In 1968, Young went back to school to earn a B.A. degree in organ performance, graduating in 1972.
"Osage was a wonderful place to grow up," said Young. "Whatever success I have achieved in life resulted in large measure to the help and support I received from parents, teachers and others during my years in Osage.
James Hennessey - Class of 1966
James Hennessey, Osage class of 1966, graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Sociology. He served three years in the U.S. Army, working in Substance Abuse Treatment and Education Program in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Jim and his wife Pat returned to Iowa in 1974 and worked at Quakerdale in New Providence as house parents for 14 adolescent boys. Jim continued his work at Quakerdale as a social worker, then as Director of the Quakerdale Residential Treatment program in Waterloo.
In 1979, Hennessey joined the Iowa Department of Human Services. He was a regional protective services supervisor, manager of the state's children protective services program, social work administrator and the department's legislative liaison. Hennessey also served its chief of the Bureau of Collections.
In 1999, Hennessey was selected as a vice-president of the Denver-based Policy Studies Inc. which provides consulting services to state governments in health, human services and justice. Hennessey managed the company's Washington, D.C. office and worked with federal, state and county leaders to strengthen the child support and other human services programs throughout the country.
In 2005, Hennessey began a new role as deputy director in the Michigan Department of Human Services and chief administrator for its Administration on Children's Services. He directed statewide policy and administration of services for children and families in foster care, child protective services, adoption and community support services programs.
Since January 2008, Jim has worked as an independent consultant, developing a new Child Welfare Resource Center at Michigan State University in partnership with the Michigan Department of Human Service and Casey Family Programs, a Seattle-based foundation.
Married for 38 years, Jim and Pat reside in Lansing, Michigan. They have two children, Carrie and Chris and two grandchildren, Avery and Regan. Hennessey is the son of Bertha Hennessey.
Bob Olson - Class of 1969
Bob Olson, Osage graduate of 1969, is the son of Bob and Doris Olson and the oldest of three siblings. He grew up in Osage and after graduation, he began his career at Winnebago Industries, Inc. as an hourly production worker. Through educational training and hard work, Olson has been fortunate enough to hold several managerial positions throughout the course of his 38-year career. In 1996, he was elected to the position of Vice-President of Manufacturing, followed in 2006 as Senior Vice President of Operations. In 2007, Olson assumed the role of President and in May 2008, he was elected to the position of Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of Winnebago, one of the largest motor home manufacturers in the world.
In 1970, Olson married his wife Kathy and they have two children, Angela and her husband Chad Chadwick who live in Omaha with their two children Tyler and Morgan. Their son Shawn lives in Forest City with his wife Kari and their two children Andy and Brooke.
Terry McCarthy - Class of 1972
Terry McCarthy, Osage graduate of 1972, was born in 1953, the son of Jim and Betty McCarthy. He grew up in New Haven, attending St.. Mary's Catholic School through sixth grade. In 1966, he began attending Osage Community Schools, graduating in 1972. While in high school he met his wife Cindy and they were married in 1978.
McCarthy attended Rochester Community College and graduated from the Civil Engineering Technology program in 1979. That year he began his employment with Yaggy Colby Associates. Based in Rochester, Minnesota, the firm opened its first branch office in Mason City, giving McCarthy the opportunity to return to North Iowa. Yaggy Colby Associates has provided engineering services to the City of Osage since 1970. This has allowed McCarthy the chance to be involved in nearly every municipal improvement project the city of Osage has undertaken since 1979. He has had the opportunity to serve many other Iowa communities including Orchard, Riceville, Elma, Fertile, Stacyville, St. Ansgar, Manly, Floyd, Charles City and Mason City,
In 2002, McCarthy was named a principle in the firm and assumed the role of Vice President in 2006. He has been active in his community, serving as a President of both the Newman Catholic Schools Board of Education and Booster Club President. He is also a member of Rotary International, Exchange Club and serves on the Mason City Human Rights Commission.
McCarthy and his wife Cindy have three daughters, Jennifer, Jill and Kelly. Terry and Cindy reside in Mason City.
See more info in next week's Press-News concerning parking issues for this major event.
ABOUT THE EVENTS CENTER
When finished and officially opened for the 2008 fair month, the Regional Events Center at the fairgrounds will be approximately 14,000 square feet in size and will house an 11,000 square foot multi-purpose room, a kitchen, storage and office space.
The building will hold groups up to 740 people, and designed to accommodate a variety of uses from trade shows to wedding receptions to family reunions. It will be attached to the existing restroom and shower building on the fairgrounds site.
The budget established for the new facility is approximately $1.3 million, just a small part of the future $13.5 million Cedar River Complex, which will also include a 600-seat auditorium, recreation center and museum.
"This is an exciting time for Mitchell County," said Angie Huffman, Ceder River Complex Director, "The event center is the first piece of the pie for the people of Mitchell County and there is much more to come."
According to Huffman, the 2008 Mitchell County Fair, slated for July 9 through 13, will be the first event to be held in the new facility besides the Alumni Banquet this Saturday.
In addition to fair-related activities, the new Event Center will soon become home to events such as wedding receptions and home and farm shows," said Huffman.
The center is currently taking requests for events slated for August 2008 or later. Currently, there are approximately 20 events penciled from the opening of the center through December of 2009.
According to Huffman, rental rates for the CRC Event Center begin at $200 for Monday through Thursday events. Weekend events begin at $300. In addition to the base rate, a set up or admission fee will be charged. The fee begins at $30 and is determined by the number of people attending the event. The fee also varies depending upon whether the user sets up and cleans up their event or if CRC team completes the tasks.
"The CRC will offer the public a one-stop service for those who don't want to handle the details of their event. They can make one call and CRC team will do the legwork arranging catering services, music and decorating," Huffman said. An additional fee would apply for the event planning service.
ABOUT THE CRC
Overall, the impact of the Mitchell County Cedar River Complex, currently under various stages of construction in Osage, is expected to ratchet up the county's attractiveness for both new business and new residents.
The $13.5 million project, when totally completed by winter of 2010, will include a massive recreation center, indoor pool, 600-plus seat auditorium, museum and fine arts center, as well as a new separate events center. Also included in the project are a weight room for the high school, a new bus barn, two new parking lots and a large space for the Mitchell County Historical Society museum,
The undertaking is more than ambitious. Most small Iowa towns - Osage's population is about 3,450 - would be happy to build just one leg of this massive project.
City and economic development officials agree its impact will have short- and long-term effects that will fuel Mitchell County's economic profile.
"Many business and industry leaders have stated that the things that offer quality of life for their employees are very important," said Mayor Steve Cooper, a vocal proponent of the complex.
"It not only will give us a state-of-the-art recreation center, event center, museum and auditorium to use but should be attractive to new business and industry."
Story created Jun 24, 2008 - 10:29:27 CDT.
|
