EFWBA Events
EFWBA's 2011
"Outstanding" Awards
EAST FORT WORTH BUSINESS ASSOCIATION recognizes incoming officers and outstanding Citizens, Organizations, and Business in November every year. The 2011 Italian themed party was held at St. Rita’s gymnasium. Smokey’s Barbeque served spaghetti and meatballs, plus other good stuff to eat to an estimated crowd of 120 members and guests.
Finis Smith entertained us with his great keyboard music, and Gary Cumbie emceed and helped us hand out the awards. Councilman Danny Scarth introduced Gary with a few exaggerations about his friend. Judge Ralph Swearingin swore the new officers in, so you can see it was a home grown, East Fort Worth affair.
Arvil Lewis was given the Man Of The Year award. Arvil is a true east Fort Worth treasure. For as many years as most of us can remember, Arvil has been a part of our lives. Owning a service station at the corner of Oakland and Meadowbrook gave him an opportunity to help those of us who were raising children in West Meadowbrook teach those kids the value of a smile and service as he fixed their bicycles and encouraged them to always do the right thing. Most of us remember Arvil as a community advocate, he was the local face and voice of Woodhaven National Bank. In his nineties now, this good man is still selling East Fort Worth everywhere he goes. He also keeps his perfect attendance record at Eastside Rotary. Arvil is a charter member of this service club which has been meeting at Meadowbrook United Methodist Church for more than 50 years.
Dr. Paula Vastine-Norman was chosen as Woman Of The Year. Many of you will recognize Paula as former Councilwoman Becky Haskin’s mother. Believe me her resume of education, career, and service to the community is so extensive that I can’t begin to do it justice. This tiny dynamo has pursued an education taking her all the way to a Doctorate. She is a nurse practitioner, teacher, mentor, amateur paleontologist, community volunteer, mom and grandmother, and great grandmother. When most of us would say “I give up”, Paula still does as much or more than she’s always done. Paula is also an active member of Eastside Rotary.
Our Business Of The Year went to Gallant Marble and Granite. Bob Gallant is the Chief Operating Officer of this family business that has been pretty close to its present location in the shelter area of East Lancaster for more than 50 years. A business started by Bob’s father and his brother, it has managed to stay alive and grow in spite of the shelters surrounding it because Gallant Marble and Granite has a good product and superior service. Bob tells us that some of the most prestigious homes in Fort Worth have surfaces installed by his company. There are many clients out of the Fort Worth/Tarrant County area as well. Gallant Marble and Granite is a fine example of the service and business practices that make a small business successful.
Lee Brown, Administrator of Handley Baptist Christian Academy, nominated two students from that school for the Outstanding Youth Award. They were both so involved and scholastically superior that they were both given awards. David Offner and Kyler Parker are both honor students and community volunteers. Their list of accomplishments is too long to recount here, but suffice it to say, both were well deserving of the recognition. They are both leaders and activists. We expect great things of these two youngsters.
Outstanding Eastside Officer of the year went to Lt. Jay Weenig. Lieutenant Weenig is a favorite of all of us. He has come back to East Fort Worth over and over again in the years he has been a Fort Worth police officer. He has made the community his home away from home. East Fort Worth and our citizens have a special place in his heart. He and his beautiful wife, Linda, don’t live in East Fort Worth, but Linda is a graduate of Eastern Hills High School and it’s not beyond the realm of possibility when they get their last child out of public school that a move to East Fort Worth could happen. Lt. Weenig is as dedicated to his career of peace keeping as he is to his daughters. We’re used to seeing him with his sweet girls at our functions. The easy way he has with the girls tells us how much love there is in the family. Jay, with his camera in hand, is so much a part of our community, that it would be hard to imagine East Fort Worth without him. The “Outstanding” designation is a really good fit for this member of Fort Worth’s Finest.
The Outstanding Organization of the Year was chosen because of 20+ years of dedicated service to the community. The Meals On Wheels Volunteers from Eastside Rotary have been driving their Eastside route for the past 20 or more years. The membership of the group has changed over the years as some aged or moved or, in some cases, have passed on. The charge they have of delivering meals to shut-ins has not changed. We calculated, over the past years, more than 12,000 meals have been delivered in more than 20,000 hours of service. They use their own vehicles and we couldn’t calculate how many miles have been covered. Bob Whitt is the person coordinating the effort at this time, and he accepted the award for the group.
Keep your eyes open this year for all the unsung heroes around us. Be ready to nominate them as our “outstanding” next year.
East Fort Worth is full of great people, businesses, and groups who are doing wonderful things. Let’s applaud them!
"Outstanding" Awards
EAST FORT WORTH BUSINESS ASSOCIATION recognizes incoming officers and outstanding Citizens, Organizations, and Business in November every year. The 2011 Italian themed party was held at St. Rita’s gymnasium. Smokey’s Barbeque served spaghetti and meatballs, plus other good stuff to eat to an estimated crowd of 120 members and guests.
Finis Smith entertained us with his great keyboard music, and Gary Cumbie emceed and helped us hand out the awards. Councilman Danny Scarth introduced Gary with a few exaggerations about his friend. Judge Ralph Swearingin swore the new officers in, so you can see it was a home grown, East Fort Worth affair.
Arvil Lewis was given the Man Of The Year award. Arvil is a true east Fort Worth treasure. For as many years as most of us can remember, Arvil has been a part of our lives. Owning a service station at the corner of Oakland and Meadowbrook gave him an opportunity to help those of us who were raising children in West Meadowbrook teach those kids the value of a smile and service as he fixed their bicycles and encouraged them to always do the right thing. Most of us remember Arvil as a community advocate, he was the local face and voice of Woodhaven National Bank. In his nineties now, this good man is still selling East Fort Worth everywhere he goes. He also keeps his perfect attendance record at Eastside Rotary. Arvil is a charter member of this service club which has been meeting at Meadowbrook United Methodist Church for more than 50 years.
Dr. Paula Vastine-Norman was chosen as Woman Of The Year. Many of you will recognize Paula as former Councilwoman Becky Haskin’s mother. Believe me her resume of education, career, and service to the community is so extensive that I can’t begin to do it justice. This tiny dynamo has pursued an education taking her all the way to a Doctorate. She is a nurse practitioner, teacher, mentor, amateur paleontologist, community volunteer, mom and grandmother, and great grandmother. When most of us would say “I give up”, Paula still does as much or more than she’s always done. Paula is also an active member of Eastside Rotary.
Our Business Of The Year went to Gallant Marble and Granite. Bob Gallant is the Chief Operating Officer of this family business that has been pretty close to its present location in the shelter area of East Lancaster for more than 50 years. A business started by Bob’s father and his brother, it has managed to stay alive and grow in spite of the shelters surrounding it because Gallant Marble and Granite has a good product and superior service. Bob tells us that some of the most prestigious homes in Fort Worth have surfaces installed by his company. There are many clients out of the Fort Worth/Tarrant County area as well. Gallant Marble and Granite is a fine example of the service and business practices that make a small business successful.
Lee Brown, Administrator of Handley Baptist Christian Academy, nominated two students from that school for the Outstanding Youth Award. They were both so involved and scholastically superior that they were both given awards. David Offner and Kyler Parker are both honor students and community volunteers. Their list of accomplishments is too long to recount here, but suffice it to say, both were well deserving of the recognition. They are both leaders and activists. We expect great things of these two youngsters.
Outstanding Eastside Officer of the year went to Lt. Jay Weenig. Lieutenant Weenig is a favorite of all of us. He has come back to East Fort Worth over and over again in the years he has been a Fort Worth police officer. He has made the community his home away from home. East Fort Worth and our citizens have a special place in his heart. He and his beautiful wife, Linda, don’t live in East Fort Worth, but Linda is a graduate of Eastern Hills High School and it’s not beyond the realm of possibility when they get their last child out of public school that a move to East Fort Worth could happen. Lt. Weenig is as dedicated to his career of peace keeping as he is to his daughters. We’re used to seeing him with his sweet girls at our functions. The easy way he has with the girls tells us how much love there is in the family. Jay, with his camera in hand, is so much a part of our community, that it would be hard to imagine East Fort Worth without him. The “Outstanding” designation is a really good fit for this member of Fort Worth’s Finest.
The Outstanding Organization of the Year was chosen because of 20+ years of dedicated service to the community. The Meals On Wheels Volunteers from Eastside Rotary have been driving their Eastside route for the past 20 or more years. The membership of the group has changed over the years as some aged or moved or, in some cases, have passed on. The charge they have of delivering meals to shut-ins has not changed. We calculated, over the past years, more than 12,000 meals have been delivered in more than 20,000 hours of service. They use their own vehicles and we couldn’t calculate how many miles have been covered. Bob Whitt is the person coordinating the effort at this time, and he accepted the award for the group.
Keep your eyes open this year for all the unsung heroes around us. Be ready to nominate them as our “outstanding” next year.
East Fort Worth is full of great people, businesses, and groups who are doing wonderful things. Let’s applaud them!
Wanda Conlin
Man of the Year – Arvil Lewis
Awards presented by Gary Cumbie
Woman of the Year – Dr. Paula Vastine-Norman
Business of the Year – Gallant Marble & Granite
Outstanding Male Youth – David Offner
Outstanding Female Youth – Kyler Parker
Outstanding Eastside Officer – Lt. Jay Weenig
Outstanding Organization of the Year
Eastside Rotary Meals on Wheels Volunteers
Bob Whitt, coordinator
The 2011 Outstanding Award Winners
(l-r) Bob Whitt, David Offner, Kyler Parker, Lt. Jay Weenig,
Dr. Paula Vastine-Norman, Arvil Lewis, Bob Gallant
Contact us at 817-496-9477
PO Box 8861
Fort Worth, TX 76124-0861
PO Box 8861
Fort Worth, TX 76124-0861
