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June 24, 2011

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 10
th 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.