OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS:

President:
President:
Dennis Logue

2nd Vice President:
Janice B. Hill,R.N.,MPH

Recording Secretary:
Karen Donovan

Corresponding Secretary:
Lee Hooper

Treasurer:
Kathleen McNeil

Immediate Past President:
T. J. Schmitz

Directors:

Ruby Brooks
Faye Wyatt
Charlie Harper
Carla Monroe
Jean Halvorsen





(Note: e-mail links are highlighted)

Hospitality Committee:
Evelyn Bartoszek, Chairman

Government Committee:


Mac Norcross Memorial Service Award:
Ruby P. Brooks, Chairman

Membership Committee:
Dennis Logue, Chairman

Newsletter Committee:
Toni Wolff, Marie McIsaac

Nominating Committee:
Barbara Norcross Peckham, Chairman

Parliamentarian:

Programs Committee:

Publicity Committee:
Evelyn Leonhardt, Chairman

Special Ways & Means Committee:
Toni Wolff, Chairman

Troops TLC Committee:
Evelyn Bartoszek, Chairman

Website Committee:
Toni Wolff,
Rita and Marty Fredenrich, Webmasters

Ruby Brooks’ zip code is “33771”.

Doyce Hayth: Ms. Doyce Hayth

Addition: Dan and Sandy Curran

Addition:Sharon Harper

If you have a correction to be made in the Directory, please call T. J. Schmitz at 501-0033 or Toni Wolff at 385-5359. Thanks

INTRODUCING DR. DENNIS LOGUE
President & Program Chairman

Dr. Dennis Logue was looking for Republican camaraderie when he joined our Club four years ago. He has brought great enthusiasm to the board along with some wonderful ideas, which the Board is working on to build membership in the coming year.

Dennis was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia in 1947. He graduated from the West Virginia University School of Dentistry in 1975 and was practicing dentistry in the Pittsburgh area when he and his lovely wife, Kathy, decided to move to Florida in 1994. He is a member of a small group practice in Pinellas Park.

Dennis and Kathy have one son, Ryan, who works for the financial group, Franklin Templeton, in Tampa and is currently studying for his MBA at the University of Tampa.

MEET JANICE B. HILL, R.N., MPH
2nd Vice President & Program Chairman

JANICE HILL HAS BEEN A STAUNCH SUPPORTER OF THIS CLUB AND THE PINELLAS COUNTY REPUBLICAN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE THROUGH THE YEARS, IN ADDITION, SHE HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS AT THE LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL LEVELS.

RCOGL IS HER HOME CLUB AND SHE HAS SERVED MANY POSITIONS ON THE BOARD, FROM CLUB PRESIDENT TO HER CURRENT POSITION AS A DIRECTOR. SHE HAS GIVEN OF HERSELF COUNTLESS TIMES AND SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT TO HELP BUILD AND SUPPORT THE CLUB THROUGH THE YEARS.

SHE ALSO SERVES AS A PRECINCT CHAIRMAN FOR THE PINELLAS COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. SHE HAS WORKED ON NUMEROUS CAMPAIGNS AT THE NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS, AS WELL AS VOLUNTEERED HER GUIDANCE, SUPPORT AND LEADERSHIP TO THE SUCCESS OF VARIOUS PROJECTS SPONSORED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

JANICE MOVED TO OUR AREA IN 1978 TO BEGIN HER CAREER WITH THE PINELLAS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE AS A NURSE ASSIGNED TO DEVELOP THE INTAKE SCREENING PROCESS AT THE COUNTY JAIL. SHE IS A GRADUATE OF ST. PETERSBURG COLLEGE WITH A DEGREE IN NURSING AND HAS A MASTERS DEGREE IN PUBLIC HEALTH FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA.

IN 1982 JANICE WAS PROMOTED TO HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATOR. DURING HER MANY YEARS IN THAT ROLE SHE HAD A LEAD ROLE IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND PLANNING OF A NEW JAIL AND IS NOW ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING OF A 400-BED HEALTH CARE FACILITY SCHEDULED TO OPEN NEXT YEAR.

in addition to her responsibilities with the sheriff’S OFFICE she has a very interesting background as an educator:

Developed and instructed the Florida Model Jail Standards Medical Inspectors Course. Presented the National Commission on Correctional Health Care Juvenile Standards at various conferences throughout the country. (1993 – present)
Serves on THE faculty FOR the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Tuberculosis and Refugee Health.
Instructor on Bloodborne Pathogens and other communicable diseases for the Southeastern Public Safety Institute (SEPSI)
Presenter/Instructor for the National Commission on Correctional Health Care Juvenile Health Standards at 2000-2005 NCCHC Conferences.

Accreditation Surveyor: Site Surveyor National Commission on Correctional Health Care
National Commission on Correctional Health Care Lead Surveyor (1993—present)

Most recent survey:

Jefferson Parish Correctional Center,

Gretna, LA, May 11 – 13, 2005

Presented A Program covering Nursing Contact Hours at various Conferences for the following associations/organizations SINCE 1991:
National Commission for Correctional Health Care

American Correctional Health Services Association

American Correctional Association (“ACA”)

Ms. Hill’s ACA Committee activities include:

Member of the Correctional Health Care Committee
Served on the Health Care Certification Task Force
Chair, Subcommittee ACA Website (Health Care)
Longtime member
Executive Gold since 2004

Accredited Facility 1994
Her membership in Professional Organizations include:

Florida Nurses Association

Florida Nurses Association CORRECTIONS COUNCIL – (Chair 1989 – 1993)

American Correctional Health Services Association

American Correctional Association

American Jail Association

Her Professional Appointments (non-correctional) include:

Florida State Ombudsman (2000 – present)

Pinellas County Mental Health Coalition

Janice has been past Chair and currently serves on the Board of the Resource Center for Women (RCW), a non-profit organization that provides guidance and support to women entering the workplace and was instrumental in bringing the (RCW) program to the Pinellas County Jail. In addition to her other accomplishments, She is a graduate of Leadership Pinellas.

Our Immediate Past President

It is an honor to introduce ou rImmediate Past President, Mr. T J Schmitz. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and has his MBA from Florida Atlantic University.

TJ has long been involved in the Republican Party serving for over fifteen years as Chairman of the Greater Indianapolis Republican Finance Committee, as a Precinct Committeeman, as President of a GOP Club, and as a member of the Indiana Republican Finance Committee, besides working on many campaigns. He was voted Outstanding Young Republican in Marion County (Indianapolis) and the Indiana General Assembly adopted a resolution on February 14, 1994, recognizing him for his business and political leadership. He had the great pleasure of serving on the host committee for a Bush-Cheney ’04 reception in Washington, D. C. last summer.

For 20 years TJ served as Chief Executive Officer of Tau Kappa Epsilon International Fraternity (“TKE”) with over 300 chapters on college and university campuses throughout the United States and Canada with a membership of over 150,000 alumni. One of his fondest memories is his visit to the Oval Office when President Ronald Reagan presented an award to an outstanding TKE undergraduate.

TJ has received many recognitions including Indiana’s highest, the Sagamore of the Wabash, Indiana Association Executive of the Year, American Society of Association Executive’s Key Award, the Gold Medal of the North-American Interfraternity Conference, 33rd degree Mason, and Beta Gamma Sigma Scholastic Honor Society.

His family includes two daughters, Julia (Florida) and Cathy (Wisconsin), four sisters and two brothers (Wisconsin). A number of us had the good fortune of meeting his family who came down for our second annual mystery dinner theater. What a nice family!

Introducing Toni Wolff

Past President and Newsletter Editor

Toni Wolff grew up in Chester, Illinois, the home of Popeye the Sailor created by Mr. Elzie Seagar, a schoolmate of her maternal grandfather. She attended schools in Chester, graduating Chester High School in 1965. She took business courses at Southern Illinois University following graduation and has taken various business and professional courses during the interim. Her immediate family includes her Mother, Gloria Sprague, and brothers Nick, Mark and Christopher Wolff and stepbrother, Richard Sprague, and their extended families. They all live in the Midwest scattered between Littleton, Colorado, and Gatlinburg, TN.

Toni has been employed with Diane Nelson, the Pinellas County Tax Collector, since 2001 and holds the position of Training Coordinator. Her responsibilities include coordinating and scheduling in-house training activities for five trainers and 290 employees, as well as the four dealer classes, which Diane offers to the motor vehicle, mobile home and vessel dealers and towing and storage companies in Pinellas and surrounding counties. These classes are free and cover the paperwork processed in the Tax Collector’s offices. She also assists with scheduling and coordinating DL and DMV Coalition meetings and special classes conducted by the Florida Division of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle held in Diane’s Training Center in Largo.

During the time frame February 1998 to March 2001, Toni worked as the Project Manager and Administrative Assistant to the Vice- President of the Office Furniture Division for BT Office Products’ new Florida Division with headquarters in Tampa (BT merged with Corporate Express in 2000). Her responsibilities in this position included assisting with the upstart of the new office furniture division, setting up the furniture catalog library, learning accounting procedures and training and creating forms for fellow staff members. She also managed over $4 million in office furniture sales (purchasing, delivery and set-up) for a number of national customers.

Prior to February 1998, Toni worked as a legal secretary in several law firms in Illinois, Missouri and Florida, which included six years in the Legal Department of Shriners International Headquarters in Tampa, FL (1991 – 1998).

Toni’s stint in politics started in 1990 when she was elected President of the Republican Women of Tarpon Springs, Federated. During the interim she has been a member of several Republican Clubs in Pinellas County and served as a member of the:

Florida Federation of Republican Women, Federated (Board of Directors under Alis Freeland and Carol Jean Jordan and a number of Committee Chairs);

The Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee including serving as Chairman of two PCREC Lincoln Day Dinners and a lead volunteer for different campaigns between 1990 and 2004);

Served in different positions on the Board of Directors of the Republican Club of Greater Largo; and

Currently gearing up to help elect FL House Representative Gus Bilirakis to the U. S. Congress this year. GO GUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

INTRODUCING MRS. RUBY BROOKS
Member, RCOGL Board of Directors
(By Janice B. Hill)

Ruby Brooks has been a resident of the City of Largo for 50 years. She has lived in the same house for 41 years! Many wonderful memories, successes, and some sadness, have passed through the front door of her house. But, Ruby wouldn’t live anywhere else.

Ruby was born in rural Alabama. Her birth certificate lists her place of birth as “born in a log cabin”. A graduate of Seminole County High School in Alabama, Ruby was awarded a scholarship to attend Troy State University in Troy, Alabama.

Ruby met and married Martin Padgett. He worked for the Department of Agriculture. He and Ruby established their home in 1957 in Largo. Her first teaching position was at Mirror Lake Junior High School in St. Petersburg. She was not crazy about the long drive but took the advice of her good friend, Nick, and stuck to it until the Largo Middle School opened. She transferred and later went on to teach at Largo High School. Ruby retired from teaching in 1985. She spent 13 years teaching English, Social Studies, Geography, World History, American History, and Comparative Political Systems. Her favorite was World History.

After Martin died and she retired, she spent her time traveling, reading and participating in church activities. She visited the places in Europe she taught about all those years. But Ruby never really left the city of Largo. She stayed busy serving on City Boards and, of course, serving the GOP.

Ruby met Bob Brooks and married him in 1995. Bob was the sweetest person. He died in 2005 and we all miss him. Bob was a Detroit licensed Funeral Director and businessman. He held a management position with Kelsey Haig, an automotive parts supplier for many years. Bob and Ruby often traveled to visit his three children and grandchildren. Ruby is happy to have had all of them in her life.

Ruby received the Mac Norcross Memorial Service Award, has been the Past President of the Republican Club of Largo and the Belleair Women’s Republican Club, and was a member of the Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee. I asked Ruby, of all the civic activities she has participated in, what was she most proud of? She did not hesitate to answer – this is what she said: “My role in the Capital Campaign Fund to build the Largo Library.”