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GIRARD —
Girard High School will host the 49th annual Veterans Day Program on Monday, Nov. 12, at 10 a.m. in Ted R. Taylor Gymnasium.
Area veterans and citizens are invited to attend and hear Gene Leigh give the keynote address.
Mr. Leigh graduated from Girard High School in 1953 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy the day after his graduation. He served as a radioman petty officer in Beach-Jumper Unit 1 until his discharge in 1958 and spent four years in inactive reserve after the Korean War.
Through the GI Bill, Mr. Leigh earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education in 1961 from Kansas State Teacher’s College, now Pittsburg State University, and a master’s degree in education in 1965, also from PSU.
Mr. Leigh taught junior high and high school mathematics for one year in Cherokee, three years in Erie under the late Jack Shireman, and nine years in Scott City. Along with teaching, he coached football, basketball and track.
In 1974, with the help of his father-in-law Bill Schulte, Mr. Leigh started working for State Farm and remained an agent until his retirement on Aug. 31, 2009.
During his 35 years as an agent, he was selected as a lifetime member of the President’s Club, one of 50 out of 18,000 agents to be named to this group, and was also an underwriter in Silver Scroll, the fire and casualty division of State Farm.
Since his retirement, Mr. Leigh has volunteered for the Lions Club, Girard Medical Center Auxiliary and Girard Medical Center Foundation.
He was president of the GMC Foundation for two years and a member for seven.
Mr. Leigh was also president of the PSU Girard Alumni Chapter for two years, the second of which the chapter was named National Chapter of the Year.
Along with volunteering at several local organizations, Mr. Leigh has served as a mentor in Mrs. Mein’s fourth-grade classroom the past four years.
He and his wife of 54 years, Patsy Schulte-Leigh, live in Girard and have three children, Jeff, Janet and Jay.
Prior to the Veterans Day Program, a 9 a.m. breakfast will be served in the GHS cafeteria for all veterans who wish to attend, with the ceremony directly following at 10 a.m.
The GHS Student Council, sponsored by Mark McFarland, will host the event.
Student Council president Hadyn Herlocker will serve as the mistress of ceremonies while vice president Madison Smith will provide a brief history of Armistice Day.
Girard High School will host the 49th annual Veterans Day Program on Monday, Nov. 12, at 10 a.m. in Ted R. Taylor Gymnasium.
Area veterans and citizens are invited to attend and hear Gene Leigh give the keynote address.
Mr. Leigh graduated from Girard High School in 1953 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy the day after his graduation. He served as a radioman petty officer in Beach-Jumper Unit 1 until his discharge in 1958 and spent four years in inactive reserve after the Korean War.
Through the GI Bill, Mr. Leigh earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education in 1961 from Kansas State Teacher’s College, now Pittsburg State University, and a master’s degree in education in 1965, also from PSU.
Mr. Leigh taught junior high and high school mathematics for one year in Cherokee, three years in Erie under the late Jack Shireman, and nine years in Scott City. Along with teaching, he coached football, basketball and track.
In 1974, with the help of his father-in-law Bill Schulte, Mr. Leigh started working for State Farm and remained an agent until his retirement on Aug. 31, 2009.
During his 35 years as an agent, he was selected as a lifetime member of the President’s Club, one of 50 out of 18,000 agents to be named to this group, and was also an underwriter in Silver Scroll, the fire and casualty division of State Farm.
Since his retirement, Mr. Leigh has volunteered for the Lions Club, Girard Medical Center Auxiliary and Girard Medical Center Foundation.
He was president of the GMC Foundation for two years and a member for seven.
Mr. Leigh was also president of the PSU Girard Alumni Chapter for two years, the second of which the chapter was named National Chapter of the Year.
Along with volunteering at several local organizations, Mr. Leigh has served as a mentor in Mrs. Mein’s fourth-grade classroom the past four years.
He and his wife of 54 years, Patsy Schulte-Leigh, live in Girard and have three children, Jeff, Janet and Jay.
Prior to the Veterans Day Program, a 9 a.m. breakfast will be served in the GHS cafeteria for all veterans who wish to attend, with the ceremony directly following at 10 a.m.
The GHS Student Council, sponsored by Mark McFarland, will host the event.
Student Council president Hadyn Herlocker will serve as the mistress of ceremonies while vice president Madison Smith will provide a brief history of Armistice Day.
Amanda Longpine and Heather Armstrong, members of Dr. Terry Wunder’s drama program, will read commemorative poems during the ceremony.
Under the direction of Willey Abati, the GHS Band will play “America” and “Marches of the Armed Forces” and GHS Choir members Chanel Jackson and Tabitha Harris will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Derrick Amend and Chanel Jackson will play “Taps” to honor fallen veterans.
Prior to this, the GHS Multimedia class and instructor Kelly Burnick will present a slideshow recognizing and honoring approximately 300 local veterans.
Anyone who has a veteran to include in next year’s video may contact Mrs. Burnick by phone at 724-4326 or by email at kburnick@girard248.org .
