Harriet Beard
Most her age have been retired for a decade or more, but Harriet Beard not only serves as president of her family’s business, she also maintains a busy schedule of civic and social activism, a combined workload that would exhaust a citizen half her age. Along with her four children and son-in-law, Harriet runs Beard’s Decorating Center, which has entered its 92nd year of operation in Kirksville, Missouri. If there is a unifying theme in Harriet’s service work, it is the preservation of natural beauty and improvement of basic infrastructure. She has been involved in the Total Transportation Commission, the Air Conservation Commission, and the building committee of the YMCA in Kirksville. Currently, she is a member of the Missouri Wells Installation Board, the Highway 63 Transportation Coalition, and Missouri Parks Association Board of Directors. “Certainly the Missouri parks are something I have supported because I am so proud of our state park in Kirksville,” she explains. “We have the state park, three state forests in the area, and two or three lakes that are man-made.” For all her service to Missouri, Harriet hails from Marshalltown, Iowa and is a proud graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in textiles and clothing. She met her husband, a Kirksville native, on a blind date. After his service in World War II, they settled in Kirksville and became involved in his grandfather’s paint and wallpaper store. After her husband passed away, Harriet assumed the role of company president. Harriet’s community work began as a Rotarian, with “so many smaller efforts,” like raising money for a local swimming pool, for example. Reflecting on her many years of community service, Harriet says, “A long time ago, I was complaining about something that wasn’t being done. My husband said, ‘What have you done to help?’ Ever since then, I have done what I felt was important.”
Bert Berkley
Bert Berkley does more than just promote his own philanthropies; he advocates the very practice of philanthropy itself. From 1962 until 1988, Bert served as president and CEO of his family business, Tension Envelope Corporation. He then became its chairman and successfully passed the day-to-day leadership to his son Bill. Since then Bert has served as chairman of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and president of the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City. He is also the founder of LINC (the Local Investment Commission), which, in his words, “has nothing to do with stocks and bonds but everything to do with investing in children and families.” Beginning in the early 1990s, the organization has been promoting self-sufficiency among families and attracts more than 2,000 volunteers annually. After establishing LINC, Bert focused on opening a channel between Kansas City’s non-profits and those throughout the nation. To this end, he is a board member of the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL), a “hands-on think tank” that partnered with the School of Education at UMKC to create the Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP), a leadership and policy-making program for individuals employed in education and related fields. Bert also serves on the board of Centerpoint for Leaders, a leadership learning community geared towards the not-for-profit sector. “This is the only not-for-profit training program in the world that allows, on the internet, the determination of behavioral change in the participants,” he comments. Bert’s greatest cause, however, may be the promotion of the general practice of charitable giving. In a new book he has co-authored, Giving Back: Connecting You, Business, and Community, he hopes to motivate people around the country to get more involved by coupling inspirational stories with a practical how-to. “I would like to inspire business people to recognize that they have a responsibility to their community,” says Bert. “That is my objective, to get more people giving back.”
Pat Gaunce
On the evening of November 17, 2007, Pat Gaunce lit the Christmas tree at the Legends at Village West before a crowd of hundreds. Many in the crowd knew her well. The self-described “Dot” (native of Wyandotte County) is a civic leader, volunteer and a champion of the library system, not to mention the mother of three. Pat became involved in volunteer work as a Cub Scout leader and room mother. From that unassuming start, she eventually joined more than 50 local, community and professional organizations, culminating in her presidency of the Kansas City Kansas Area Chamber of Commerce in 2003. All the while, Pat worked in the public library system. “Education is very important in my life,” she says. “I was determined to become a teacher in one way or another.” Her library career spanned 46 years, during which she would complete a program through the School of Library and Information Management at Emporia State University, where she was then invited back to teach. She retired as the manager of West Wyandotte County Library and the F.L Schlagle Library, as well as the community service coordinator for the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library. Five months before the Christmas tree lighting, many in the crowd had filled an auditorium to bid Pat farewell at her retirement celebration. The memory would be bitter-sweet. Shortly after her retirement, Pat was diagnosed with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Never one to slow down, Pat has focused her efforts on health care and contributed to the University of Kansas Hospital Authority and the Wyandotte Health Foundation. “I want to be a role model for people who are afflicted with this disease.” Pat says even her mailman expressed his concern after noticing the number of letters and cards in her mail. “In Wyandotte County we support each other. When someone hurts, we are there to help.”
Don Horine
As a businessman, citizen, and engineer, Don Horine is excited about the changes taking place in Lenexa, Kansas, the community he has watched flourish for nearly 30 years as a resident. “Lenexa has grown substantially in population. Along with new residents comes new development,” he explains. This new development includes early plans for a Lenexa City Center development as well as an upcoming project called “Vision 2030” that will unite community residents with the governing body to foster further growth. For Don, an effective city government stays in touch with its citizens. “Our city government is not an ivory tower,” he explains. “It’s a bunch of people you see on the street or in the store.” Don is vice president and principal at George Butler Associates, where he began his career shortly after graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in aerospace engineering in 1971. When he moved to Lenexa in 1978, the company headquarters followed just a few years later. Today Don is active in numerous regional organizations, including the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce, the Lenexa Planning Commission, and the Lenexa Economic Development Council. He is also involved in a variety of not-for-profit causes around town, from the architecture committee of his homes association to the board of directors of Lakeview Village, a community for older citizens. Although Lenexa has expanded during his stay, the down home qualities of the city still appeal to him. “Lenexa still exhibits a lot of traits of a smaller town. It’s nice to be able to know and greet as many people as I do.” Don adds that he derives personal fulfillment from his service to the city, and service in general. “When you do something for somebody else, you always get more out than you put in.”
Next>