Garland Tiner, president of Odessa Downtown Lions Club, insisted I be at the awards banquet and officer installation last Thursday night. It was a great night for the club, and for me. Several of my heroes in Lions Club were honored, two by Lions Club International. And the club honored two long time members for distinguished service and then me. Joe Parish was given the highest award in Lionism with the International Ambassador of Goodwill. International President Jimmy Ross was represented by International Director Mike Butler in presenting the award. Mike Butler also presented Argene Hodge with an International Distinguished Service Award. It was a really special presentation. Argene served the club as secretary for some 25 years. He has been really ill and they didn't know if he would be there but he was, and he was touched by the honor. He was also honored by the club with an award named after him. The Lion of the Year Award is now named the Argene Hodge Distinguished Service Award. Charley Reeves was honored on his retirement as Stadium Project Manager and was presented with a new set of golf clubs. The project grossed just under 300,000 this year. Chub Johnson received the Melvin Jones Fellowship. You see why being honored on the same night was so special to me. All these guys are my Lions Club mentors and encouragers. I really thought I was coming to get a plaque, and that would have been good, but you see in the pictures below that it was a little more than that. The guitar is a Alvarez Classical Guitar with the case made for the guitar. The case is as nice as the guitar. I have tried to take pictures of the plaque that is on it. It is a nice guitar. The Lion and Lamb statue was my award for serving as chaplain, but as you see it's not the typical award plaque. Garland said he found this two years ago and bought it to give to me when he was president. I also got a Leatherman Micra pocket tool for serving on the board for half a year. I didn't put a picture of it here. Anyway, I was shocked by all the special attention. It was really good to be with the club there though. I really do miss them. I wanted you to see the stuff, and knew ya'll would recognize the names because they all have special places in their hearts for the Cash family in Africa. They told me the tail twister had to come up with another way to raise funds since I wasn't there to brag on my grand kids and pay fines. Oh yeah, you'll notice the strap around my neck when I'm playing the guitar. The first thing Bryson noticed was that it had buttons so I could use the strap he had picked out for my birthday last year. Bryson was happy.:-)