Please click on the link for the full story from WSIL-TV
http://www.wsiltv.com/story/36891086/investigators-searching-for-cause-in-johnston-city-fire
Seasonal weather over the next week with no precipitation in the forecast
November 21, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Seven Day Forecast
Today
Partly sunny, with a high near 55. South southwest wind 8 to 10 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 27. North wind 6 to 9 mph.
Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 42. North wind 3 to 7 mph.
Wednesday Night
Increasing clouds, with a low around 25. Calm wind.
Thanksgiving Day
Sunny, with a high near 49. Calm wind becoming south southwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning.
Thursday Night
Clear, with a low around 32. South southwest wind 3 to 5 mph.
Friday
Sunny, with a high near 55. Light south southwest wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. South southwest wind 8 to 10 mph becoming west after midnight.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 55. Northwest wind 8 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 31. Northwest wind 6 to 8 mph.
Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 44. North northwest wind 6 to 8 mph.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 28. North northwest wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable.
Monday
Sunny, with a high near 46. East wind 5 to 7 mph becoming south southwest in the afternoon.
Franklin County Farm Bureau News
November 20, 2017 By Leave a Comment
From Gay Bowlin -Franklin County Farm Bureau Manager
Gay Bowlin -Franklin County Farm Bureau Manager
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! According to AFBF, the price of an average Thanksgiving dinner for 10 dropped this year to $49.12, a 75-cent decrease compared with last year and the lowest since 2013. While the price of the meal has steadily increased since 1986 when AFBF first conducted its survey, the average cost has been trending downward for the last two years. Be sure and thank a farmer for your Thanksgiving Dinner.
BIG CROPS HIGHLIGHT NEED FOR STRONG AG MARKETS – Thinking back to August, IFB President Richard Guebert, Jr. wasn’t too worried about who would buy this year’s crops. He wasn’t sure there’d be much of a crop to buy in the first place. But Guebert’s yield monitor showed surprisingly high numbers this fall, and his thoughts have returned to where his crops are going to go. “We really need good export and trade agreements to move this product out into the world market,” he said. (FarmWeekNow.com)
IL SHORT OF TEACHERS – A recent report finds Illinois schools needed 2,000 teachers at the start of this year, and 16 percent of schools had to cancel something last year because they didn’t have the teachers to conduct the classes or activities. Experts say teachers’ starting salaries, cost of a four-year degree and certification requirements are contributing to the lack of teachers in the state. (Illinois News Network)
Illinois Dicamba Training will roll out this winter, with sessions beginning Nov. 27 and continuing until April 1, just prior to spring planting.
Illinois is following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) parameters as it relates to dicamba use in 2018.
“We are now moving forward with one of the new requirements on this label for 2018, which is that this is a restricted-use pesticide,” Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association (IFCA) President Jean Payne recently told the RFD Radio Network®. “So you already have to be a certified applicator to apply it.”
Those applicators must also prove that they have been to dicamba-specific training in order to apply the product, she added.
“And you have to keep proof of training as part of every record of application,” Payne said. “You don’t have to have proof of training to buy dicamba products; you just have to be a certified applicator and provide the pesticide dealer your license.”(Jim Taylor for FarmWeek.now)
FRUIT ORDERS MUST BE IN BY MONDAY.
Oranges – a 40 lb box is $35.00 and 20 lb box is $25.00
Grapefruit – 40 lb box is $30.00 and 20 lb box is $20.00
(we will not have Tangelos this year at all – sorry for the inconvenience.)
Orders must be received by November 27 for fruit and it will be in before Christmas.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE PECANS IN THE OFFICE – so you can call or stop by and pick them up. Supplies are limited so don’t wait.
Pecans are $10.00 for a jumbo 1 lb bag of ½ shelled and $7.00 for a 12 oz bag of choc covered pecans.
Remember we are farmers working together. If we can help let us know.
Ag in the Classroom: What’s Growing On
November 19, 2017 By Leave a Comment
The 38th Annual Mt. Vernon Teacher Conference was held on October 27, 2017, at the Mt. Vernon Twp. High School campus with a “reach~teach~inspire” theme. Ag in the Classroom Coordinators from Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Jefferson, and Saline Counties provided an exhibit table with free resources. Those resources included posters, Ag Mags, Illinois Reading Council information, IL AITC calendars and much more. The coordinators owe a big Thank You to Jacob Kueker, Mt. Vernon FFA Chapter, and Derek Sample, Sesser-Valier FFA Chapter, for watching over the exhibit booth while the coordinators presented at 4 sessions throughout the day.
The Coordinators presenting included: Leslie Kueker, Jefferson/Hamilton Co., Maridy Tso, Saline/Gallatin Co, and Melissa Lamczyk, Franklin Co. The session titles were “What’s Growing On?” These sessions focused on specialty crops growing in Illinois and how to use new learning standards to incorporate hands on activities with some locally grown produce as well as produce from around the state. The new Specialty Ag Mag has several items highlighted from around the state with interviews from growers on the back page and information on the front page and inside. The newer Ag Mags have the standards listed on the back page and the web page for finding more lessons and activities, as well as many more links and FREE resource materials.
Mrs. Lamczyk shared an informative video from the Horseradish Festival in Collinsville , IL and presented a horseradish root, how it’s grown, special equipment needed during the planting, harvesting and storage of the produce. Mrs. Lamczyk shared her experience of touring Heepke Farms in May of 2017, where they grow horseradish and many other commodities, and learned that Collinsville, IL is the horseradish capitol of the world.
Mrs. Tso presented an activity on broom corn. Mrs. Tso had some broom corn on hand to share with the teachers and told them she relates to the product from childhood memories with her grandparents. She demonstrated the difference in use of broom corn and todays brooms. She also did a fun hands on activity of moon sand using watermelon kool-aid. She told teachers that students could make the sand with different flavors of kool-aid while learning about different produce.
Mrs. Kueker demonstrated how to pull the dna cells from a strawberry, while also providing some for snacks for those teachers attending class though the lunch hour. Mrs. Kueker demonstrated that different equipment used during the extraction process and products used could make a difernce in the outcome and the time needed to do the experiment. She talked about the different orchards available within the county for finding different produce and their products.
Teachers left with handouts, Ag Mags, and some with a variety of door prizes, such as highlighted ag related books. More than 1000 teachers and administrators and several counties participate and attend the Mt. Vernon Conference. A huge Thank You to the Regional Office of Education and all those who assisted with the planning, preparation and carrying out of the conference.
Legal Notice Legal Notice
November 19, 2017 By Leave a Comment
STATE OF WISCONSIN, CIRCUIT COURT, ADAMS COUNTY
IN RE: THE MARRIAGE OF PEGGY HARGETT (PETITIONER) AND CHARLES SCOTT HARGETT (RESPONDENT)
Click link below to continue reading legal notice.
Bost Applauds House Passage of Tax Reform Legislation
November 19, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Washington, DC – U.S. Representative Mike Bost (IL-12) today released the following statement after the House passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:
“Southern Illinois’ hardworking middle-class families deserve a break. We need more jobs, higher take-home pay, and greater opportunity to get ahead. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is focused on empowering middle-class working families by delivering more jobs, fairer taxes, and bigger take-home pay. For the 78% of tax filers in Illinois’ 12th Congressional District who currently take the standard deduction, you will see an average $1700 more in your pocket after taxes. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act gives you the breathing room you need to save for college, help raise a family, or prepare for a rainy day. When given the chance, I have no doubt you’ll keep a closer eye on your hard-earned dollars than any Washington bureaucrat ever will.”
For individuals and families, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:
- Lowers individual tax rates for low- and middle-income Americans to zero, 12 percent, 25 percent, and 35 percent so people can keep more of the money they earn throughout their lives, and continues to maintain 39.6 percent for high-income Americans.
- Significantly increases the standard deduction to protect roughly double the amount of what you earn each year from taxes – from $6,350 to $12,000 for individuals and $12,700 to $24,000 for married couples.
Recipe For Healthy Holiday Foods
November 19, 2017 By Leave a Comment
SPRINGFIELD – Starting with Thanksgiving and going through New Year’s Day, it’s the time of year for family dinners, parties, and other gatherings where food is served. But the merriment can turn to misery if the food makes you sick. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 48 million people a year get sick from a foodborne illness, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die.
“While most healthy people who become sick with a foodborne illness, typically called food poisoning, will get better without seeing a doctor, others can experience severe illnesses,” said Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. “By taking a few simple precautions, you can help protect yourself and those around you from an unhappy holiday.”
Typical symptoms of foodborne illness include vomiting, diarrhea, and flu-like symptoms, which can start anywhere from hours to days after consuming contaminated food or drinks. Symptoms can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Those at risk of more severe and even life-threatening foodborne illness include older adults, infants, young children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems.
Fortunately, there is a simple recipe that can help you stay healthy.
Healthy Holiday Recipe
- CleanKeep everything in the kitchen clean, including your hands
- SeparateSeparate raw meats from other foods
- CookCook and keep food at the right temperature
- ChillRefrigerate food promptly
A good rule of thumb is, make sure hot foods are hot (above 140°F) and cold foods are cold (below 40°F). Don’t eat food that has been sitting out for more than two hours if the food is not being kept hot or cold. More information on Food Safety During The Holidays can be found on the IDPH website.
Rend Lake College Board Meeting Minutes
November 18, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Transfer agreement with U of I Chicago gets green light
The board approved a transfer admission guarantee (TAG) agreement between the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, specifically U of I Chicago, and Rend Lake College. This agreement allows RLC students guaranteed admission to the University of Illinois at Chicago provided they meet the requirements of the agreement.
Three new certificates receive approval, other curriculum matters
The board approved the creation of three new occupational certificates – Entrepreneurship, Early Childhood Education and Graphic Technician – and authorized their submission to the Illinois Community College Board for action.
The Entrepreneurship certificate program prepares students with the knowledge and skills needed to pursue a career in business as an entrepreneur and to prepare them for further educational opportunities in a variety of business areas. This certificate will lay the foundation in preparing students to be enterprising individuals who contribute to the economic development of our community.
The one-year Early Childhood Education certificate provides students with a background in ECE courses. Courses in this two-semester certificate align with the associate degree program to promote a seamless transition into the Associate in Applied Science Degree in ECE.
Falling under the umbrella of the Graphic Design program, the Graphic Technician certificate program prepares students for employment requiring design responsibilities in a variety of organizational settings. The curriculum partners the necessary knowledge of design techniques with skills needed to be successful in business settings through enhanced communication skills and a working knowledge of office systems software.
Two new courses, Diversity in Education and Graphic Design’s Portfolio Review, also were approved Tuesday, and approval also was granted to develop an online Portfolio Review class in the Graphic Design program. Among other changes approved were title changes to four courses, inactivation of the Mining Technology and Surveying Technology Associate in Applied Science Degree programs, semester course sequence changes to eight degree programs and six certificate programs, and withdrawal of 25 courses.
Farner to take reins of Applied Science & Tech
Gabriele Farner was appointed Dean of Applied Science and Technology effective Nov. 27. She will replace the retiring Chris Nielsen. Farner holds both Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University and is pursuing a doctorate degree in Educational Teaching and Leadership through Walden University. She currently is the Dean of Academic Affairs and Student Learning for Shawnee Community College.
CCRR seeks License Exempt Monitor
Permission was granted to create the position, approve the job description and advertise for a License Exempt Monitor for the Child Care Resource and Referral program (Project CHILD). This new position is required by the Illinois Department of Human Services.
PHS projects receive approval
The board granted permission to bid to replace the gymnasium and Aquatics Center roof, flashing and part of the guttering and downspouts using Protection, Health and Safety Levy funds for Fiscal Year 2019. The current roof is 24 years old and has exceeded its life expectancy.
Accreditation update
The board heard a report on the college’s reaffirmation of accreditation activities. The college is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is due for an evaluation by the HLC in September 2018. The Steering Committee and various other working groups and committees will be meeting later this week to work on writing specific sections of the Assurance Argument and to provide an update on progress.
Advisement’s Hicks moving on
The board accepted with regret the resignation of Jordan Hicks, Academic Advisor, effective Nov. 10. He had been with RLC full-time since July 2014. “I have witnessed first-hand how an excellent higher education institution operates,” Hicks wrote in his resignation letter. I hope I have had a positive impact on my co-workers and most importantly our students.”
In other business, the board …
• Heard a report from Dr. Elizabeth Bailey-Smith of the Academic Council covering the curriculum matters taken up by the board Tuesday and reporting on additional meetings and activities.
• Accepted the audit report for Fiscal Year 2017 as presented.
• Approved revisions to board policy concerning background checks for potential and current employees (second reading) and return to work certification (second reading) and tabled a board policy regarding holidays (first reading).
• Approved revisions to board policy and procedure concerning enrollment of international students (second reading).
• Approved creation of board policy and procedure concerning media relations (second reading) and student employment (second reading).
• Amended the retirement resignation for the administrative assistant of the Math and Sciences Division.
• Ratified the acceptance of the resignation of a Certified Nurse Assistant associate professor.
• Approved the Student Worker Handbook.
• Approved the 2018-2019 academic calendar.
• Ratified payment of college expenses including travel reimbursements.
Mark your calendars …
• Documentary Film Showing: Paper Clips, noon Wednesday, Nov. 15, RLC Theatre.
• RLC Foundation Annual Dinner Meeting, 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, Holiday Inn / DoubleTree Inn, Mt. Vernon.
• RLC Faculty / Staff Holiday Luncheon, Friday, Dec. 8, Waugh Gymnasium.
Wind advisory remains in effect until 6:00 p.m.
November 18, 2017 By Leave a Comment
…WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM CST
THIS EVENING…
* TIMING…Gusty southerly winds will increase from mid to late
morning as a cold front arrives. In the wake of the front, even
stronger wind gusts from the northwest can be expected through
the afternoon.
* WINDS…Peak wind gusts will be 40 to 45 mph, especially in the
afternoon.
* IMPACTS…Minor damage is possible along with more difficult
driving conditions.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A wind advisory is issued when sustained winds are expected to
reach 30 mph or greater for longer than one hour…or wind gusts
are expected to reach 40 mph for any duration.
Kelley adds another chapter with Alumnus of the Year honors
November 17, 2017 By Leave a Comment
INA, IL– Prolific doctors, prominent business owners, a pair of NASA employees, a famous stage actress, judges, state legislators and even a true-blue American hero, the list of Rend Lake College Foundation Alumnus of the Year award winners is impressive company.
So, in the midst of the RLC’s 50th anniversary, what stellar former Warrior did the Foundation select to represent all the best that Rend Lake College represents?
“I’m typical. I’m average. I’m common … I just had a very fulfilling career and Rend Lake helped me find that career and facilitate a life I have totally enjoyed. Obviously, I could not be more honored,” said the ever humble former RLC Communications Director and 2017 Alumnus of the Year Bob Kelley.
Kelley might not view himself as remarkable, but his legacy and impact are still being felt on campus more than a decade after his retirement, a true testimony to the dedication and devotion that he poured into a community he loved for almost his entire professional life.
Bob Kelley as a Rend Lake College Freshman
His connections go much deeper than employee, however. Kelley’s story is also perfect for this 50th anniversary because of his time with the institution. He was a member of the first-ever RLC freshman class, growing up alongside the fledging institution.
“My ties to Rend Lake are pretty deep. My mother was the executive secretary to Dr. [Howard] Rawlinson [RLC’s first dean] for the first 10 years of the college. So, I had 10 years of connection through her. Then, I had the two years as a student, and then 27 years as an employee. Plus, in the 11 years since my retirement I’ve stayed connected to Rend Lake in various ways, whether it’s the RLC History Book or the Hall of Fame. The college has been around for 50 years, and I feel like I’ve got pretty close ties to most of those years,” Kelley expressed.
“Because of all that connection, there’s nothing outside of family that means more to me than the college. To think that I’m being recognized by Rend Lake, to my amazement, just humbles me. I am very appreciative,” said an emotional Kelley.
While the bulk of Kelley’s life has been involved with the college, it wasn’t his only stop. A fresh-faced RLC graduate, Kelley transferred to Southern Illinois University Carbondale for two years where he majored in journalism. He was even the recipient of a transfer scholarship because of his time at RLC.
For the first two-and-a-half years of his professional life, Kelley worked for the Illinois State Journal Register (SJR) in Springfield as a sports writer, his childhood aspiration. That particular paper offered Kelley a unique look at the industry as the SJR, at the time, printed both a morning and afternoon paper.
“Those two editions were totally separate staffs except for sports and the society sections. It was just a great experience for a young journalist. If I went out and covered a ball game, I’d hurry back to the office to meet the deadline with my game story that night and then immediately turn around to write a feature story with quotes and all that that would appear in the afternoon paper.”
Following his time at the SJR, Kelley spent six years at the Sunday Courier and Press in Evansville, Ind., as a sports writer on their staff.
He made one last brief stop at the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer as the sports editor. But, shortly after he took the position, an opportunity arose at RLC that Kelley couldn’t pass up.
“We had a three-year-old. It was just a chance to come back and be near grandparents and be in a similar environment and situation I grew up in. I grew up in Mt. Vernon with both sets of grandparents. That was just so meaningful. So, when an opportunity like that came up for us, we knew it was something we should pursue,” Kelley expressed.
Perhaps to get a better judge of his character, it still bothers Kelley today that he went into the Messenger-Inquirer office to put in his notice so soon after taking the position. His sense of loyalty and duty cause him to still feel like it was his “sleaziest moment.”
Yet, Kelley said, ultimately it was a good move. After years in the newspaper business, it was time for him to move on, and while the details surrounding the move aren’t to his liking, the transition itself was.
“I came back home for the interview and stayed at my parents’ house. I wanted to watch a ballgame. That was the night Larry Bird and Magic Johnson played for the National Championship, that famous game. That was the day I interviewed,” he recalled.
Kelley came on board as an employee during the summer of 1979 as communications director. Just a few months later, discussion began about getting the Foundation up and running. Dr. Curtis Parker had the initial realization that RLC needed to have a Foundation created when the college was established. But, the institution didn’t start to fully form the organization until 1979. So, prominent community members decided to have an informational meeting to officially start the Foundation.
It fell on the newly hired Kelley to get the word out about the meeting. In addition to issuing the standard press release, the new communications director also recommended placing a notice in the schedules the college sent out each fall and spring. He called this one of his biggest professional flubs.
The rub? These mailing schedules went out to every household in the district, all 40,000 of them.
“Here’s how smart I was, it was too late to get it printed in the schedule. They were already being printed. So, I said I could do up a flier announcing the meeting and we could just insert it in every schedule. Don’t ever volunteer to do something that involves stuffing 40,000 papers. That’s a number you have a hard time visualizing until you had them all in front of you. I was bringing these things home to have my four-year-old help me stuff. We finally got it done, but that’s how the announcement of the first foundation meeting went out,” Kelley said with a chuckle.
“So, that’s how it all got started. I’ve seen the Foundation grow from less than 100 at that first meeting to so much more. It’s remarkable what they’ve done over the years. I don’t have anything to prove it, but I feel like it has to be one of the top five Foundations at a community college nation-wide. What they have done over the years, and what the college has now because of the Foundation’s work is truly remarkable.”
He said that while other institutions suffered during the lengthy, and still ongoing, state budget issues, RLC is able to find itself on firmer footing thanks, in part, to the Foundation and the generous people who support it.
The thought of Kelley stuffing 40,000 papers by hand to get the word out isn’t a concept that would surprise anyone who knows him. His passion for keeping others informed and promoting the institution are legendary.
Retired Director of Marketing Bob Kelley served as the keynote speaker during Rend Lake College’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. In addition to being an retiree, Kelley was also a member of the first freshman class to attend RLC. He shared his memories and highlighted a number of individuals from that inaugural class that went on to do amazing things. (Reece Rutland-RLC Public Information
Kelley was well known for saving everything that had to do with the news and history of RLC. Even today, it’s likely that the former communications director can hunt down a specific press release, baseball score, obscure fact or vital detail though this extensive documentation and cataloging.
“A lot of people probably remember my office looking like a big junk pile from the outside. But, there were many times that people would come to me and ask about this or that because they knew I would have the information they needed,” he joked.
The internet and electronic files have helped cut down most of the clutter. So now, Kelley is just up to his digital eyeballs in historical information about the institution.
In fact, even in retirement, Kelley has continued working away, creating a tome of the complete history of Rend Lake College. He has produced more than a thousand pages of content, documenting everything from the roster of every given athletic team to ever take the field for the Warriors to even the most tumultuous details of the college’s history.
His work has been vital in the institution’s celebration of its 50th anniversary.
“I don’t know what anyone does when they just retire. I think productive senior citizens stay active and interested in things. So, in addition to a half-dozen other things that keep me busy and feeling productive, the book gave me something to work on every night after I got off grandson duty. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed putting it together.”
Kelley also maintains his ties with his other professional passion, athletics, by being an active participant in the Rend Lake College Hall of Fame Committee. To this day, he still produces all the publication and promotion for the annual induction ceremony and still maintains meticulous records of Warrior Athletics.
“I first got to know and respect Bob Kelley when I was a student at Rend Lake College from 1982-84. Bob was an assistant basketball coach and statistician for our team in those days. He showed every day that he truly cared about each and every one of the players on the team. When I returned to work at RLC in 1992, Bob immediately became one of my closest friends,” said RLC Athletic Director Tim Wills.
“He was always willing to help out with anything that we needed in the Athletic Department or anything that I need help with personally. He has continued to that type of person in his retirement. Bob Kelley is one of the most caring, dedicated and reliable people I have ever had the pleasure to know. I hope he knows how much he has meant to me over the time that we have known each other. There has never been a more deserving recipient of the RLC Alumnus of the Year than Bob Kelley. I am extremely happy that he is finally getting recognized for his contributions to this great institution.”
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame Class of 2012 for his years of work as the school’s de facto sports information director and even in-a-pinch assistant coach.
“There’s no question there, I have to be the least athletic person on that wall,” Kelley joked in his usual manner.
Ever humble, always self-deprecating, Kelley filled a much larger role than “the guy who wrote press releases.” He is the intuition’s historian, and the unsung hero of information preservation that will ensure the story of RLC, and everything that surrounds it, is retained far into the future. From a student in RLC’s first freshman class to now Alumnus of the Year, Kelley has seen the institution through thick and thin.
“The college has grown by leaps and bounds, but it’s never changed its true mission of helping students of all types and abilities to make something of themselves. There was that stigma for many years that community college students couldn’t make anything of themselves. But, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Just look at all the alumna of the year, all the people who have gone on to do such great things. That’s why I say I’m ‘Mr. Ordinary.’ You look at that list and what those people have accomplished, and you can’t help but be impressed. I’m probably the least accomplished person on there,” he said.
“I had a job I enjoyed doing, and that’s what Rend Lake is all about, preparing people for careers and the future. They do that very well. It’s amazing when you really stop and look. I think if people didn’t already know, they would be shocked at some of the people to come out of this community college.”
“Rend Lake has helped feed my family when I was growing up because of my mother. It helped feed my family when I worked there. There was never a day I wasn’t happy I was going to work. That, to me, is what success is. Rend Lake let me do that. Rend Lake means everything to me from the standpoint of what it has done for me in various capacities, and continues to, including this honor. I’m very touched,” said an emotional Kelley.
“Bob is how I measure dedication to this day,” said Chad Copple, RLC’s Dean of Communications and Marketing. He worked alongside Kelley in the Marketing and Public Information Department from 2003 until Kelley retired in 2006. “There was never anything he wasn’t willing to do for the betterment of this college or to help out a colleague, and he’s still doing it even in retirement. I hope that even just some of his dedication has rubbed off on me.
“Those same stacks on his desk he used to laugh about … now my desk looks just like that,” Copple joked. “The Marketing and Public Information Department has grown exponentially from the foundation he put down, and I hope we have done him proud.”
For his numerous contributions, and overall positive impact, Kelley will be honored at this year’s Rend Lake College Foundation Annual Dinner, set for Thursday, Dec. 7, at the Mt. Vernon Hotel & Event Center (formerly Holiday Inn) on Potomac Boulevard in Mt. Vernon.
In addition to honoring the 2017 Alumnus of the Year, the dinner will also highlight several generous members of the community and celebrate RLC’s 50th Anniversary. It’s an excellent opportunity for people in our communities to come together and support the work of the RLC Foundation.
The Dinner is open to the public. Tickets are $40 per person or $400 for a table of 10. Cocktails will begin at 6 p.m. with the dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to the dinner must be purchased in advance. Interested individuals are asked to RSVP by Nov. 27 by contacting the Foundation at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1324, or by sending an e-mail to foundation@rlc.edu.
