By Dr. Ferrell Miller
Lonnie Clark, 65th District Representative in the Kansas Legislature, was the guest speaker at the June 8 “Celebration of Optimism” at the Hampton Inn in Junction City. Lone shared that he was the first child born in the current Geary Community Hospital in 1944. He is a graduate of Junction City High School and served in the Marine Corps for five years. Lonnie’s Bachelors and Masters degrees are from Emporia State University.
Lonnie served as this area’s Representative in Topeka for eight years and is not seeking re-election. “I was conscious of bills that would positively affect Geary County and the District when I voted. There were 146 bills voted on this session and I feel like we accomplished a lot”, he told the Optimist Club members.
A couple of bills he cited were in which there were steps taken to make it easier for military spouses to get licensed in Kansas after having come to another state and establishing a free toll on the Kansas Turnpike for military veterans above the age of 65. Lonnie also said that he “worked on getting a veteran’s home in Geary County for retired military. That bill was tabled after push-back from Leavenworth and Manhattan. You can only satisfy half of the people half of the time.”
Lonnie shared that it is “challenging to work with the divisions in the House when it came to the differences in thinking between urban and rural communities.” Their needs and wants are different. “The goal is to work with people and not be so concerned about personalities.” However, he also said he “enjoyed the positive relationship with Governor Kelly, his fellow Marine veterans, and others from across the state.”
When asked what he will do with more time now? Lonnie responded that he and his wife Beth “have a small farm on which they will not farm but enjoy fishing in the pond, relaxing and spending more time together.”
In other business, Ryan Norton, the new Geary County Schools Athletic Director, has become a member and the club has been nominated for the One Degree More Award at the Optimist International Convention in Las Vegas. This award is for clubs who have gone above the expectations of Optimist International and for reflecting The Optimist Creed in the work they do as a Friend of Youth and for Making A Difference For Youth