Editorial

The heartbeat of SPUCC still going strong

Friday, December 16, 2005

It was like old times Tuesday when members of the South Platte United Chambers of Commerce gathered in McCook for their December meeting.

The nostalgic familiarity started with the surroundings, the former McCook Elks building, which has been the site of dozens of South Platte meetings through the years.

Now known as the Republican River Valley Events Center, the spacious facility is ideal for functions such as the regional get-togethers of the South Platte.

But it was not just the place ... it was also the people. Sprinkled throughout the crowd were long-time, loyal supporters of SPUCC, including such stalwarts as Rex Amack, director of the Nebraska Game & Parks Department; Marv and Dixie Lorentz, faithful South Platte advocates from McCook; Don Reynolds, former Hastings Chamber director and 1994 president of the South Platte; Wayne Ziebarth of Wilcox, a former state senator and 1977 president of the organization; and Roy Landis of North Platte, faithful attendee at meetings and the SPUCC's 1989 president.

The December meeting -- which was the first hosted by McCook in more than two years -- also brought together a group of South Platte presidents with ties to McCook. Those attending were Ken Foster, president in 1971; Van Korell, 1984, when he was a resident of Hayes Center; Leon Kuhlen, 1995; and Angus Garey, who took office Tuesday night as the 2006 SPUCC president. McCook's South Platte presidential heritage also includes the late Roy Lenwell, president in 1956-57; Jack Hendrix, 1965, when he was a resident of Trenton; the late Dave Coolidge, 1983; and Carol Schlegel, 1999.

These people are the core ... the heartbeat ... of the South Platte organization. Their commitment and participation have kept alive the worthy purpose of the regional organization: to work together on issues of areawide concern. It is as needed now as it was in 1934 -- during the midst of the Great Depression -- when the South Platte was formed. Since this region is lightly populated, we must band together to support projects of common benefit.

At Tuesday's meeting, emcee Cal Siegfried looked back 71 years to the South Platte's organization, reporting that the two big issues back then were water and roads. Sound familiar? It should, because those are two of the major concerns facing the organization today.

Tuesday's meeting was a reminder. Communities of southwest and south-central Nebraska need to renew their support of the South Platte United Chambers of Commerce. By uniting our efforts, we will have a stronger voice to advocate for the South Platte area.

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