Greetings fellow Elks! I am honored and humbled to have been elected your Exalted Ruler for 2015-2016. Rest assured, this is a role I take seriously and something for which I have been preparing since I first became an officer in March 2010.
Helping me with that preparation has been our good friend and outgoing E.R. Terry Lincoln. A big thanks goes out to Terry for his leadership. His years of experience as the Zoo Director prepared him well for the varied and ongoing challenges of E.R. (Not to mention shepherding another set of animals called “Officers”!) I would also like to thank Di Lincoln for her own hard work and dedication to the Elks. Together, the Lincolns represented Lodge #1199 with undeniable grace and dignity.
According to the Elks manual, the Exalted Ruler “is the President and Executive Officer of the Lodge. The E.R. is responsible for all operations, programs, social quarter activities of the Lodge and presides at each Lodge session”. This is quite a daunting task, for sure! But I am confident the job will be made a lot easier with a great set of Officers and Trustees!
I would like to congratulate the following people and thank them in advance for dedicating their time and talents in the upcoming year: Rich Skjonsby – Esteemed Leading Knight; Jeff Carlson – Esteemed Loyal Knight; Chad Gasser – Esteemed Lecturing Knight; Brian Peterson – Esquire; Mark Webster – Inner Guard; Mike LaLonde – Tiler; Arlan Scholl – Lodge Secretary; Daryl Aberle – Treasurer; Bob Dolajak – Organist, and Trustees Keith Ulmer, Buzz Benson, Scott Volkert, Rod Bakken, and Dennis Hensel. Thanks also to outgoing Trustee Rick Parkes. And finally, thanks to all of you, Lodge #1199 members, for your dedication and support of the Elks. [Read more…]