William Penn Life, 2008 (43. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2008-10-01 / 10. szám
Branch News Branch 705 donated $500 to support the construction of a memorial honoring those who died in an October 2007 shooting in Crandon, Wise. Pictured above are (l-r) Lee Smith, mother of victim Aaron Smith; Branch 705 Coordinator Tim Lippert; and Sue Hill, Crandon Memorial chairwoman. police officer entered a home where he shot seven young people who had come together for a night of pizza and movies. Only one young man survived. Later that day, the shooter took his own life. A group of local residents, including the families of the slain children, joined together to raise funds to establish a memorial to honor those lives which were ended so abruptly. Just this past summer, they raised enough money to purchase the home where the shootings took place, and then to help with the healing process, they quickly had it tom down. The vacant land is now ready and waiting for a planned, six-sided gazebo-one side to honor each child who was killed. Unfortunately, this incident has divided the small community. Some feel very strongly about putting the incident behind them, while others feel just as strongly it is important to build a memorial to mourn this tragedy and honor those who are gone. This is the best way to truly move forward. As a show of fraternalism, and in conjunction with the WPA's support of Join Hands Day, a gift of $500 was recently donated by Branch 705 Mayville, Wise., to help defray the costs involved in building this memorial, and, in turn, helping this community to mend. In December 2006, William Penn Association suffered a double loss. They lost a dedicated salesman and the coordinator for Branch 705, my father, Jack Lippert. Dad was always proud of his accomplishments and was very grateful to have been a part of the fraternal family of the WPA. I became a member of the WPA when I was a teenager, some 32 years ago, and I still consider the William Penn Association to be "one of the best kept secrets" in our industry. Since 1979,1 have represented Branch 705 as a delegate to the General Convention. During the 2007 convention, I was elected an alternate director. After the death of my father, the WPA Board of Directors appointed me branch coordinator for Branch 705. Subsequently, I was elected president of the branch. My focus in this position is to ensure our branch's continued growth and to offer the best possible service to our existing members. I, in turn, ask only one thing of each of you-tell your family, friends and co-workers what fraternalism is all about. This Association is strong, but we need the help of everyone to continue our growth. I'm now a second generation member, and I hope to continue the good work my father did for this branch and this Association. Should your insurance needs change, or if you have any questions about your policy, please feel free to call me at 847-736-6386, or you can e-mail me at wpabranch705@earthlink.net. Szívélyes üdvözlettel. (With warm regards.) Among those enjoying the Branch 8114 Steak Fry are (l-r) Bernard Gatesman, Donald Schmader, Gordon Rice, Kevin Slike, Bob Donahue and Regis Huefner. 18 William Penn Life, October 2008
