Cheneys attend SCRYE conference

By BIANCA CHENEY

JP and I recently attended the winter South Central Rotary Youth Exchange conference in Tulsa.

The SCRYE is our multi-district organization for the youth exchange program.

Some 100 people attended the conference from 34 districts. The Board meeting was on Friday afternoon and many wonderful breakout sessions were held on Saturday, covering all topics relating to the program.

JP was prepared to make one breakout presentation and, after we arrived found out another presenter was not able to attend, JP happily agreed to lead a second presentation. He does a great job and always receives good feedback from attendees.

I am on the Management Committee and a member of the Training Committee, responsible for selecting topics for each conference, as well as confirming speakers.

SCRYE conferences are held twice a year — winter in Tulsa and the summer conference at various locations throughout the SCRYE member districts. The July conference will be in Albuquerque. You are welcome to join us to learn more about this fabulous program.

District 5520 had seven representatives at the SCRYE Conference in Tulsa.

Attending conference are (from left) Richard Haas, Las Cruces; Melissa Metcalf, Los Alamos; Rob Metcalf, Los Alamos; Laura Gonzales, Los Alamos; Cassidy Gardner, past exchange student to the Netherlands from Los Alamos; Bianca Cheney, Roswell; and  JP Cheney, Roswell.

Historian Dale Ek to speak at Rotary

Historian Dale Ek will speak on “If they could only talk — some can!” at this week’s Rotary Club meeting at the Roswell Civic Center.

He said his presentation “will feature selected items from my collection that enlighten the beholder of its place in history.”

Ek, who was raised in Orchard Park, graduated from Dexter High School. He is a Marine Corps veteran and is a graduate of Texas Christian University and the University of Texas School of Law in Austin.

History — specifically military and New Mexico history — has been Ek’s lifelong interest and for more than 45 years he has collected historical items. He is a member of the Historical Society of New Mexico, the Albuquerque Historical Society, and the Historical Society for Southeast New Mexico.

Rotarian Steve Henderson (left) and Dale Ek attend earlier dedication of historic sign marking the World War II “Roswell Prisoner of War Camp” at Orchard Park near Roswell.