Altus Rotary Weekly Recap 10/15 (Oct. 15, 2024)

Mark Your Calendars

10/22 Rotarian of the Day will be Gary Brickley with a program from Katherine Funaki, CASA SW Oklahoma

Junior Rotarian for the month of October is Jack Henry Darby. Read Jack Henry's response to what the 4-way Test means to him.

READ HERE

10/24 Altus Worklahoma Job Fair - Altus Community Center 12-4PM

10/31 4PM Spooky Town Trick-or-Treat - Altus Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 120

10/31 5PM Trick-or-Treat with the Pioneers - Western Oklahoma State College

Candy Donations Needed

Let's all bring a bag to Rotary on October 29th!

Monday Inspiration

Announcements

Last week our ROTD was Preston Gunkel and his guest was Nicole Valance and Lt. Col. Heinlein, Altus AFB Airshow 2025.

Last week, Chief Tim Murphy introduced us to his guest, our new Deputy Chief of Police, Tommy Uptergrove. We enjoyed having Tommy join us for lunch.

District funding was received and we are proceeding with the material purchase for our grant project at Operation C.A.R.E. Keep the Saturday of January 11, 2025 clear and let's get to work!

October 24th has been designated as World Polio Day by the World Health Organization. Currently there are 54 confirmed cases in the Afghan and Pakistan regions. It only takes one of those infected persons to travel into the United States and they are a very real risk to spread polio to any child under the age of 2 months. Your donations are tax deductible and will save lives.

Consider inviting a friend to Rotary. If you are interested in sponsoring a new member CLICK HERE

Center for Disease Control

No Birthdays This Week

Time To Celebrate

Birthdays

and

Rotary Anniversaries

Scot Davis

7 yrs on 10/17

Last Week's Program

"Off we go into the wild blue yonder, Climbing high into the sun;..."

In 2025, Altus Air Force Base will bring us the ALTUS AIRPOWER STAMPEDE OPEN HOUSE & AIR SHOW!

At our program last week, we were introduced to Nikole Valance, Altus AFB Chief of Community Engagement, and Lt. Col. (LtCol) Scott Heinlein, Altus AFB 2025 Air Show Director.

LtCol Heinlein gave us a briefing on what we can expect next April during the Air Show. LtCol Heinlein said that the Air Force is required to have an air show/open house every two years. This brings public awareness to the base, creates positive community relations, allows the military to showcase its talent, and helps with recruiting and retention.

LtCol Heinlein tells us that the 2025 show will have the same great airplane flybys, to include many of the historical model aircrafts right on down to the Air Force's newest operational aircraft, the KC-46 Pegasus, housed here in Altus.

There will be an exciting demonstration from the US Army Golden Knights Jump Team, Wings of Blue, Air Force Academy Jump Team, and TORA! TORA! TORA!, a mock WWII air combat demonstration.

Along with the air demonstrations, visitors will be able to get up close and personal with many of the planes, ask experienced pilots questions, and have the opportunity to walk inside of some aircraft.

LtCol Heinlein said that the 2025 show will be bigger and better than the past shows, with an exciting addition to the open house part of the event. They will be offering a more hands-on experience, allowing the public to handle some air force issued pro gear. They have also invited Ft. Sill to bring in Army equipment to showcase, as well as looking into having some agriculture representation as part of the event. It is, after all, an Airpower Stampede!

LtCol Heinlein says that the air show will be beneficial to the base and to the city of Altus. They are expecting 10,000 visitors per day, and these crowds will be eating, shopping, and lodging right here in town.

Next year's show, unlike previous years, will be a two-day event. The base will be open to all visitors with only a short security check at the gate. This event is free to the public, and water will be provided.

If you are an individual or business who would like to be involved or sponsor the show in any way, please contact Jennifer Hartman, Community Sponsorship Coordinator, at (580) 481-1310 or jennifer.hartman.2@us.af.mil

Altus Airpower Stampede

Last Week's Rotarian of the Day

Preston Gunkel is a native to Altus, Oklahoma. Preston graduated from Altus High School and received his degree in business administration from the University of Oklahoma. He received his law degree from the Oklahoma City University School of Law. Upon graduation, Preston returned to Altus to join his mother, Reneé, at Gunkel Law Group. Today, Preston is a partner at the firm, where he specializes in business and estate planning, family law, real estate, and probate.

Preston has served in numerous leadership positions both during his time at school and here at home. He currently serves as president for the Main Street Altus Board of Directors. Preston says that, with his office being on the square, he feels a camaraderie with Main Street and has enjoyed immersing himself in the community activities. There is rarely an event downtown Altus where you won't find him hard at work, helping to ensure its success.

Preston serves on the board of directors for many different organizations, including Altus/Southwest Area Economic Development, Southwest Technology Center and Stephen E. Booker Child Advocacy Center, and he was the previous Chairman of the Board for the Altus Chamber of Commerce. Preston is also a lifetime member of Leadership Oklahoma and has served as an honorary commander at Altus AFB.

One would think that between work and local and state-level commitments, Preston would have nothing left to give, but for the past five years, Preston has been a faithful member of the Altus Rotary. Dedication and investing himself fully are what you can expect from Preston; these are the qualities of a great Rotarian.

Gunkel Law Group

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Altus Rotary Club Newsletter