Oroville Mercury Register
February 24, 1968
Annual Teenage Breakfast Held by Toastmasters Club
The annual Tom Van Campen teenage memorial breakfast sponsored by
Feather River Toastmasters Club was held Tuesday morning.
Ellen Marr was chosen best girl speaker and Cliff Mickelson best
boy speaker. Both teenagers are student at Las Plumas High
School. Because of interest shown in Toastmasters by youngsters
attending the session and because more than 20 LP students said
they would like to belong to such a club, an organizational meeting
of a Gavel Club (junior toast masters) will be held sometime next
week. The annual teenage breakfast is held in memory of Tom
Van Campen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Van Campen, who was killed
in action in Vietnam June 24, 1965. Opening ceremonies included
a minute of silence in tribute to James Roy and Steven Illman, other
local young men who were killed in Vietnam.
More than 90 attended the event
A spokesman said this was the largest group in the club’s
history to a breakfast. Club members presented a modified
Toastmasters meeting program featuring welcoming remarks by Van
Campen and a prepared speech, entitled “Bravery,” by Mrs. George
Chames, representing Featherio Toastmistress Club. Table topics
were presented by Darrell Stevens and 28 of the visiting teenagers
from Oroville, Las Plumas and Biggs high schools responded.
George Chames, founder of the club here, was toastmaster, and Jim
Cayton, president, conducted the meeting. Distinguished guests
from the schools introduced were Dr. R. V. Jones, Louis Martinelli,
Kenneth Lucas and Eugene Peery. Others included Lindsay Van
Tongeran, secretary of Oroville Area Chamber of Commerce; Mrs. James
Cayton, retired speech teacher and drama coach from Oroville High,
and Don Long area governor, Toastmasters International. “Word-of-the
–week,” which is used by every table topics speaker, was “boss”,
which means in, the most and the very best in teenage jargon.
Those attending termed the meeting a “boss affair,” Cayton said.
Toastmasters meet again next Tuesday at 6:30 a.m. in Toppers Steak
House.
Oroville Mercury Register
August 24, 1960
Activities Of Local People In Armed Services
Four Boys Join The Air Force
Four Oroville boys have enlisted in the U.S. Air
Force for a period of four years. They are Clair E. Nelson
Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Clair E. Nelson of Argonaut, William R.
Mathis, son of Mr. and Mrs. Hanley N. Mathis, Merrimac Star Route,
John D. Dunn, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clayton N. Dunn of Farley St.,
and Jerry L. Kirk, son of Mr. and Mrs. Loyd J. Kirk of Mitchell
Ave. Announcement of the enlistments were made by T-Sgt. Bob
Costner, air force recruiter from Marysville. He said they
will receive five weeks basic training at Lackland Air Force Base,
Texas Airman Harry L. Barr, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. O’Neill
of Oroville, who has completed his first course of Air Force basic
military training at Lackland AFB, Tex., has been assigned to a
unit of the Strategic Air Command at Little Rock AFB, Ark., for
training and duty as a communications center specialist. Airman
Barr is a 1960 graduate of Oroville Union High School. Pvt.
Edward E. Giles, with Company D 229, Eng. Bn., now is stationed
in Germany. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Giles of Jordan
Hill Road, Yankee Hill. After receiving his basic training
at Fort Ord, Giles was sent to Fort Hood, Texas, to train with the
heavy equipment division of engineers. He left for Germany
June 17. Airman Mary K. Hartley, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Charles S. Teel of Colusa Ave., Oroville has completed
her initial course of Air Force basic military training at Lackland
AFB, Tex. She has been selected to attend the technical training
course for medical technicians. She is a graduate of Chico
Evening High School.
Stu’s Notes: For many years Toppers had a 99 cent steak diner, it
was quite good. I haven’t heard of the Toastmasters club for years.
Sadly these days most service clubs, I think that is the right term
as most clubs around Oroville do so much for others. Young
people of today seem to busy and many clubs are having a hard time
with getting new members. When we go to clubs for donations
we must remember most clubs have their own charities to donate to
first. Some help the children, some donate to fight cancer
and other illnesses, some do all of the above. Where would
our country be without what they do? The Toast Master Club
would have been good for me because when I was young I had a hard
time speaking to a group. Now I can speak to 1 or 500, it
doesn’t matter. Although I speak like I write and Lynn can’t
help me when I’m speaking, but at my age I don’t really care if
I pronounce something a little funny, none of us are perfect. Now
that’s really “Boss.” So a big thank you to the service clubs of
America and to all the dedicated men and women who work so hard
to keep them alive.
We celebrated the 10th anniversary
of the founding of the Oroville Veterans Memorial Park Committee
for all of Butte County on Monday, June 20, 2011 at our
regular meeting. I would like to thank Bill Fox and Gold Country
Casino for the delicious and beautiful Cake that was enjoyed by
all.