UCT in Action

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UCT convention highlights 2020

Posted on Jun 29, 2020 by: Anita Neal

It was a UCT convention unlike any other. More than 125 UCT members enjoyed the safety and comfort of their homes while taking part in the 2020 convention conference call on June 27 to discuss the business necessary to keep our organization running seamlessly for another year. An earlier edict issued by the Board of Governors cancelled our face-to-face annual convention in Lexington, Kentucky, and moved it to a conferencing call-in session. While there were some bumps along the way, UCT President Mary Applegate did an awesome job of keeping the meeting on track. The following are some highlights of the year that came out of the convention call.

With the passage of Resolution #1, The UCT Board of Governors maintained their positions for the ensuing year, allowing for a fair future election for the three candidates that were running for the 3rd Director position. Board members are:

UCT President – Mary Applegate, Southeastern
UCT Vice President – Dianna Wolfe, Wisconsin
UCT Chairman of the Board – Chris Phelan, ACT-UCT
UCT Secretary-Treasurer – Steve Desselles, Mississippi-Louisiana
UCT Director – Kenneth Milliser, Ohio
UCT Director – Stanna Funk, Colorado-Wyoming
UCT Director – David Van Order, Ohio
UCT Board of Governors – Glenn Suever, Michigan
UCT Board of Governors – David Syrota, ACT-UCT
UCT Chaplain – Bernie Regenbogen, Atlantic

It was reported that several local and regional councils experienced fraternal membership gains this year – and for that we are grateful! Here’s a breakdown of the top three councils with gains in each division:

Division I (200 members or more)
1st Jack Kidd Council 755, Saint John, New Brunswick

Division II (100 to 199 members)
1st Cape Girardeau, Missouri Council 6

Division III (100 members or fewer)
1st Natchez, Mississippi Council 175
2nd Buckeye Council 2000, Columbus, Ohio
3rd Mile High Council 15, Denver, Colorado

Fraternal Membership Gains for Regional Councils
1st Colorado-Wyoming Region
2nd Oregon-Washington-British Columbia Region
3rd Ohio Region

The Medal of Honor Program is an incentive designed to motivate local council activity. Twenty-three local councils earned Medals of Honor this year. Congrats to the councils receiving awards:

Platinum Medal of Honor
Red Deer, Alberta Council 1021
St. Albert, Alberta Council 1024
Gem City Council 3, Dayton, Ohio
Mile High Council 15, Denver, Colorado
M.J. Terapak Council 144, Columbus, Ohio
Lincoln, Nebraska Council 104
Alliance, Ohio Council 261
Regina, Saskatchewan Council 266
Fraternal Council 380, Jackson, Ohio
Jack Kidd Council 755, Saint John, New Brunswick
Minnedosa, Manitoba Council 926

Gold Medal of Honor
Buckeye Council 2000, Columbus, Ohio

Bronze Medal of Honor
Sudbury, Ontario Council 1051
Sherwood Park, Alberta Council 1022
Columbus, Ohio Council 1
Capitol Council 95, Springfield, Illinois
Bucyrus, Ohio Council 334
James B. Chrisp Council 448, Brandon, Manitoba
Salem, Ohio Council 590
Harmony Council 694, Toledo, Ohio
Neepawa, Manitoba Council 924
Boissevain, Manitoba 940
Glenboro, Manitoba Council 943

Many UCT regional and local councils publish newsletters for members throughout the year and some of them won newsletter contest awards this year. First, second and third place were awarded at both the regional and local council levels. The local council newsletters were judged in two divisions: 199 members or fewer and 200 members or more. Winners were:

Regional council newsletter contest winners:
1st place – Manitoba-Saskatchewan Regional Council
2nd place – Atlantic Regional Council
3rd place – ACT-UCT Dominion Regional Council

Local council newsletter contest winners:
199 members or fewer
1st place – Calgary North Council 1015, Calgary, Alberta
2nd place – Sudbury, Ontario Council 1051
3rd place – Thunder Bay, Ontario Council 1039

200 members or more
1st place – Jack Kidd Council 755, Saint John, New Brunswick
2nd place – Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Council 335
3rd place – Lincoln, Nebraska Council 104

Thanks to the generosity of a bequest from the estate of Mary Wagner coupled with investment monies and funds-on-hand, The May E. Tisdale Scholarship Fund Committee was able to award 46 scholarships in the amount of $2,500 each. Sadly, the committee announced that this will be the last year scholarships will be awarded through the fund, as the auxiliary past presidents have made a decision to “close the books” on it. Our thanks goes out to the scholarship committee for the many children and grandchildren of UCT members they have helped through this program over the decades.

It was announced during the conference call that if it is safe to travel and gather, the 2021 UCT convention will take place June 17-21 at the Hyatt Regency Lexington in Lexington, Kentucky. Fingers crossed we get to see everyone next year!

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