By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times

Charitable giving comes in many forms. Some people simply write a check. Others enjoy attending fundraising events where they can bid on silent and live auction items. Still others donate auction items that get the attention of potential bidders. 

Bill and Karen Fitzgerald are in that third category. The gourmet dinners they offer at charity auctions have raised significant funds for many causes. A good example is the $15,100 raised for five dinners sold over the last four years at Friends of Lake Panorama Beach Balls.

“The first time I offered a gourmet meal was about 12 years ago in Marshalltown for an event called Night of the Stars that raised money for hospice and the cancer society,” Bill Fitzgerald says. “It was a very fun black-tie event. Marshalltown is well known for doing lots of fun fundraising, and this was one of the biggest events. That first dinner sold for $600.”

For the next three years, Fitzgerald donated a handful of gourmet dinners each year to fundraising auctions in Marshalltown. Bidders came prepared to go higher, knowing there would be competition. It wasn’t long before the dinners were selling for $1,500.

Fitzgerald met his wife, Karen, about eight years ago. They have been married for nearly six years and live southwest of Adel. They also own a lot at Lake Panorama.

Karen grew up with her family owning a boat, and her grandparents had a cabin at Okoboji. Bill has always liked the water but never owned a boat until the couple bought a Lake Panorama lot six years ago. 

“We have several friends who have homes there,” Bill says. “We have had a pontoon on the lake since we bought the lot, and our whole family gets to enjoy that. We love to swim, tube and ski. We like the sense of community and the blending of the small town feel with a lot of people who live on the lake part-time.” 

Soon after Karen and Bill met, she started helping with his gourmet dinners, which have been increasing in number and offerings and winning bids ever since. 

“Once I relocated to Adel, we decided to do some of the same dinners for the central Iowa area, starting with a fundraiser for the Des Moines Area Community College Iowa Culinary Institute,” Bill says. “We continued to do some dinners in Marshalltown but have gradually shifted away from donating dinners there because of the drive.”

Maura Nelson is the French professor at DMACC and helped create the French Chef Exchange in 1986, which is a program offered through the Iowa Culinary Institute (ICI). 

“The ICI started doing an auction to raise money to bring French Chefs to Des Moines from the Saint Étienne region and to send our top graduates to France,” Nelson says. “Our first auction, in the late 1990s, raised $6,000. We are preparing for a big 40^th anniversary celebration in January, when we will bring at least 20 chefs and their wives from France. Thanks to the generosity of our donors — such as the Fitzgeralds — the dinner this past April raised $300,000.” 

Fitzgerald asked Nelson in 2022 if she would like to include one of his dinners for the auction. 

“I was delighted, and we were able to auction it off for $2,750,” Nelson says. “In 2023, the dinner sold for $4,500, and it went for that same price again this year.” 

Paul and Karen Waltz purchased that first dinner and hosted friends at their home in Waukee. 

“I could not have imagined having more fun that evening,” Paul says. “The Fitzgeralds provided everything from the wine and food, right down to bringing his own grill for just the right smoke on the meat. They left our home that evening as new friends.” 

Cyril and John Mandelbaum were the high bidders in 2023. 

“We purchased the Fitzgerald dinner to help the ICI students,” Cyril says. “It’s a marvelous way to entertain. I was overwhelmed by the dinner. The food was excellent and the wine pairings lovely. It was a delight to taste wines from other countries.”

Nelson was one of the guests at the dinner served at the Mandelbaum house. 

“I was blown away by what the Fitzgeralds did,” she says. “The meal was incredible with four different main courses. They had some really interesting wines, some of which were purchased on their travels to France and other countries.” 

Chris and Denise Vernon live in Urbandale and purchased the Fitzgerald dinner offered at the 2024 ICI fundraiser. They met with Bill and Karen two days prior to the dinner held in their home July 27, where they hosted two other couples. 

“We discussed the menu and reviewed the wines to pair with each dish. My duty was to set the table and prepare for the various courses. Karen was excellent at looking at my place settings and matching the proper size to the dish being served,” Denise says. “She did the same for the cocktails and wine glasses.”

The evening began with cocktails and appetizers. 

“Bill was gracious to make an amazing egg appetizer we could top with the caviar Chris and I bought in Norway,” Denise says. “We enjoyed that first cocktail and appetizer on our deck, then another appetizer with wine, before moving to the dining room.” 

As each course was ready, the guests were invited into the kitchen, where Bill described the food and how it was prepared. He also made suggestions on which of the many decanted wines would pair well with each course. 

“The food was absolutely delicious and unlike anything you would find in a local restaurant,” Vernon says. “Truly one of a kind. It was as if we had a Michelin star chef in our kitchen for the night. On top of all this, Bill and Karen are extremely nice and fun to work with. They have incredible energy and are so joyful. We became fast friends.”

Bill Fitzgerald grew up in the town of Laurens in northwest Iowa. 

“It was a big Irish Catholic family with eight brothers and sisters. Mom was a great cook and knew how to stretch a dollar,” he says. “There was lots of Hamburger Helper and chicken gumbo soup mixed into hamburger to make it go further.” 

He attended Iowa State University, where he earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. 

“I had a great 40-year career with Fisher Controls in Marshalltown, where I travelled the world. I have been to 72 countries and counting and spent four years in France. My French is still pretty good.”

After the Fitzgeralds attended a Friends of Lake Panorama Beach Ball fundraiser, they decided to add the nonprofit charity to their donation list. 

Their first Beach Ball dinner was purchased in 2021 by Kevin and Jackie Wellik and a group of their friends for $2,000. The next year, the same group bought the dinner again, only this time spirited bidding helped push the price to $4,000. Because of the strong demand, the Fitzgeralds decided to offer a second dinner that night, which sold for $3,500. 

“The first time we purchased the dinner, it just sounded fun,” says Jackie Wellik. “Like it would be a great time to get together with friends and enjoy a really unique meal. Several of us decided to bid on the dinner, and we split the cost. We had so much fun the first time around, when the opportunity came up to bid again, we jumped at it.” 

The Welliks hosted both dinners in their home. 

“The food was excellent and in abundance,” Jackie says. “Bill shared about his time in France, where he learned to cook and really love food and wine. With each bottle of wine and each dish he served, he shared something unique and personal about the area the wine and food came from and what it meant to him.” 

The second dinner sold at the 2022 Beach Ball also was purchased by a group of friends, which included Evan and Annette Varley, Jerry and Nancy Foster, Bob and Joan Kidney and Lyle and Monica Stutzman. 

The dinner was held at the Foster home on a night Karen Fitzgerald wasn’t able to participate. 

“We had a very good time,” Annette Varley says. “We all pitched in and helped with the meal because Karen was unable to be there. We especially enjoyed learning about the wines.” 

Nancy Foster says Bill Fitzgerald did a “fabulous job. His time in France was really impressionable for him. He shared a lot of history with us. It was a very conversational, fun night as we learned about the food and wine. He was very generous with his time and easy to talk with. We loved his spirit.” 

Sue and Dave Thompson, who live at Lake Panorama, purchased the Fitzgerald dinner at the 2023 Beach Ball. They didn’t cash it in until the spring of 2024. By then, the Fitzgeralds had decided to allow those who purchase their dinners the choice of hosting in their own homes or coming to the Fitzgerald home near Adel. 

“Serving the meals at our home is a lot less work, and we don’t have to worry about forgetting to bring something,” Bill says. “When we travel for a meal, we fill up our SUV with everything we need, and it is chock full of food and pans and utensils. It’s still fun to see somebody else’s home when they host, and we’re open to whatever the winning bidder wants to do.”

The Thompsons chose to go to the Fitzgeralds and took their son and his wife and their daughter and her husband as their guests. 

“We began the journey with champagne on their beautiful outdoor deck overlooking the woods,” Sue says. “The champagne was served in these remarkable flutes that were tall and beautiful; I’ve never seen anything like them. This set the tone for the relaxed evening of dining and wine tasting with course after course being served and the glass never empty.” 

Thompson says the formal table was set in the Fitzgerald dining room. 

“Each course was described as to where they found the recipe, how the wine pairs with the ingredients, and always another travel story from Bill. This is truly a wonderful experience. The generosity of Bill and Karen is overwhelming and inspiring,” she says. 

Jim and Julie Tibbles purchased the Fitzgerald dinner at the 2024 Beach Ball, because they had already experienced a similar dinner earlier in the year. They purchased that dinner at the Tori’s Angels Gala in late 2023. 

“We were contacted earlier in the year at the Beach Ball by someone with Tori’s Angels and really enjoyed supporting that cause,” Bill says. “Our dinner with the Tibbles and their friends was one of the most fun ones we’ve ever done.”

Joining the Tibbles for that dinner were Scott and Sherri Miller and Karla and Ron Bristle. 

“There were six courses, and the food was excellent,” Julie says. “They cook with humor and love to share their stories about the wine and menu.”

The Tibbles invited the Fitzgeralds to sit at their sponsored table for the 2024 Beach Ball.

“We wanted them to be our guests to show our appreciation of their talent and hospitality,” Julie says. “And because we had so much fun with the first dinner we purchased at Tori’s Angels, we kept bidding until we won this one at the Beach Ball.”

Bill Fitzgerald says, as winning bids continue to rise, he feels the need to do even more.  

“We ramped up our game to account for the higher bids, adding some very hard-to-get wine and new courses like duck confit,” he says. “We’ve started to regularly feature wine from The Republic of Georgia and Serbia that is very good and pretty much impossible to find here.”

Fitzgerald estimates the current values of the dinners he and Karen donate at $1,500. But he doesn’t think about the costs as much as he does the benefits.

“It’s absolutely a blast,” he says. “We meet the nicest people, and it always turns into a big party with the wine and food we share. I’ve always been big into supporting the local community and good causes, so this fits that bill very nicely.”

After retiring from his lengthy engineering career, Fitzgerald went back to school to earn a master’s degree in mental health counseling. 

“I now practice part-time with that,” he says. “I just don’t like slowing down, and I’ve always been curious. When I was a kid, I was famous for reading all the way through Compton’s encyclopedia.”

Karen King-Fitzgerald was born and raised in Atlantic. She worked 25 years as an IT manager at two different health insurance companies. Now she’s employed at World Link as a regional program manager.

“We primarily place foreign exchange students for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, working with almost 60 different countries,” she says. “Because of the work I’ve done over the past 14 years with students from World Link, we can always find one of my former students when we travel. We stayed with former students over the past two years in Serbia and Morocco, which was a lot of fun.”

While Bill Fitzgerald started his gourmet dinner donations on his own 12 years ago, he’s grateful to have Karen as his partner the past eight years. 

“I could not do these elaborate dinners without her,” he says. 

And there’s another woman Fitzgerald says played a role in these endeavors. 

“I have to give credit to my amazing mom, who always encouraged me to engage my curiosity when it came to other cultures,” he says. “It didn’t hurt that she was also a great cook.”

That big Irish Catholic family in which Fitzgerald grew up also reaps the benefits of Bill’s curiosity. 

“I’ve started doing dinners for my siblings for big birthdays that end in zeroes or fives,” he says.

Nineteen walks are scheduled in Iowa this fall with Panora being the smallest town to host one.

 

By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times

The fourth Raccoon River Valley Walk to End Alzheimer’s was held in Panora Sept. 21 with 62 participants. The walk began at the Michael Mills Memorial Park. The 2-mile route had walkers heading east from the park, north to the Raccoon River Valley Trail, and south on the trail before looping back to the park.  

These Alzheimer’s Association fundraising walks are held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide and constitute the world’s largest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. There are 19 walks scheduled in Iowa this fall with Panora being the smallest town to host one.

Alzheimer’s kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. More than seven million Americans are living with the disease. In 2024, Alzheimer’s and other dementias will cost the United States $360 billion, a number that is projected to rise to more than $1 trillion in 2050. 

Edward Jones is a national presenting sponsor of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, having helped raise more than $50 million since 2016. Dave Grove, an Edward Jones financial advisor based in Panora, was instrumental in getting the local walk started. 

During the opening ceremony, Grove gave tribute to his grandmother, Kay Grove. 

“We lost her in 2019 to Alzheimer’s. She was a wonderful woman and fought a brave and lengthy battle with the disease,” he said. “We got this walk started in 2021 to honor her. It’s a way to support the Alzheimer’s Association financially, while also supporting each other.” 

Also speaking at the opening ceremony was Erica Eikren, who is a program manager in the Alzheimer’s Association Des Moines office. She talked about her personal connections to the Alzheimer’s Association, which began in 2013 when she became a secondary caregiver for her father, who was battling both Parkinson’s and dementia. 

“My mother was his primary caregiver, and I could see how important it was for her to have me as a backup when possible,” she said. “I found the Alzheimer’s Association incredibly helpful. I called the help line when I needed someone to talk with, and I found lots of important information on the website that helped us learn more about care options.” 

In 2013, Eikren participated in an Alzheimer’s Association walk. Her father passed away in 2014.

“I continued to use the Alzheimer’s Association website for information, reading up on the importance of early detection and risk factors for me and my siblings,” Eikren said. “I wanted my mother to be able to attend a support group, but there weren’t any close enough for her. Then I found she could participate in a virtual support group.” 

In 2015, Eikren volunteered to help with a local Alzheimer’s Association walk in her area, something she continued to do annually. In 2021, she became the primary caregiver for her mother, who by then was suffering from dementia. Her mother moved in with her and passed away in 2023. 

“In January 2024, I joined the Alzheimer’s Association staff,” Eikren said. “Now I get to share what I’ve learned over the years and can continue to advocate for those who suffer with Alzheimer’s and other dementias and their families and caregivers. I’m so thankful for this opportunity.”  

Spinning flowers in four colors were available for walk participants to place in a Promise Garden. Grove asked participants to show each colored flower and explained its meaning. Blue – someone living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. Purple – someone who has lost someone to the disease. Yellow – a person currently supporting or caring for someone living with Alzheimer’s. Orange – a person who supports the cause and the Alzheimer’s Association’s vision of a world without the disease.

Norah Grove, whose parents are Dave and Sara Grove, displayed a white flower, which will represent the first survivor of Alzheimer’s, once a cure is found. 

Sue Bump of Reshape Fitness Studio led participants in warmup exercises before the 2-mile walk.

While there was no fee to register for the walk, all were encouraged to raise funds that allow the Alzheimer’s Association to provide 24/7 care and support and advance research toward methods of prevention, treatment and a cure. The Alzheimer’s Association is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. All donations are tax-deductible. 

On the day of this year’s Raccoon River Valley Walk, it was announced more than $12,000 had been raised to date. Donations can continue to be made online to the 2024 Raccoon River Valley Walk through Dec. 31 at act.alz.org/rrvwalk. 

In addition to Edward Jones, sponsors of the local walk included Iowa Trust and Savings Bank, Lakeside Village, New Homestead, Guthrie County State Bank, Lake Lumber, Panora Fiber, Nutriom and Local Liquor. At registration, Crafty’s Coffee provided coffee, and Hy-Vee provided bananas and bottled water. Fareway Stores in Dallas County helped with a roundup campaign at their stores over the weekend, which will add to the fundraising total.

Committee members were Dave Grove, Mel Borgeson, Mary Jane Carothers, Brandy Clark and Bob Grove. Other volunteers were present to help the day of the event, including students from Panorama High School and the Jacobsen family.

 

 

PICTURED AT TOP: Tom and Kari Harmsen and their two young sons participated in the Raccoon River Valley Walk. Kari works for Edward Jones in the Waukee office and leads the company’s Alzheimer’s Walk presence in the region. Tom works for Dallas County Hospital and is active in the Panora Chamber. Much of the 2-mile walk took place on the Raccoon River Valley Trail. 

By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times

In the early morning hours of Sept. 18, 160 people boarded a plane at the Fort Dodge Regional Airport that took them to Dulles Airport in Washington, D. C. This was the 26^th Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight taking World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans to the nation’s capital. 

The flight included 109 veterans with 11 of those from Guthrie County. Others on the flight were volunteers and Brushy Creek board members. The volunteers included a doctor, three nurses, airport personnel and several others to provide direct assistance to veterans. 

About 100 people were on hand at the Fort Dodge airport to honor the departing veterans. A large American flag hung overhead from the extended ladder of a fire truck. 

Honor Flight Network is a national nonprofit organization comprised of independent hubs working together to celebrate America’s veterans. While initially focused on America’s World War II veterans, Honor Flight Network expanded to include those who served during the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

More than 128 hubs across the country form the Honor Flight Network, and Brushy Creek is one of those. Other Iowa hubs are in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Davenport and Waterloo.

Patrick Moylan, who lives at Lake Panorama, has been involved with these Brushy Creek flights since 2019. That’s when the American Legion Post 372 in Panora added a Sons of The American Legion chapter, which Moylan joined.

Moylan’s father served in World War II, and his brother had a 20-year Navy career. 

“My mother worked in a factory when she was just out of high school making parts for planes. She had six brothers who served in the military,” he says. “Although I wasn’t in the military, I have always felt a connection to those who were.” 

Moylan learned about the Brushy Creek Honor Flights when he heard there were three veterans trying to raise money so they could apply for a flight. 

“I didn’t think it was right they should have to raise their own funds. Our American Legion post held a pancake breakfast at The Port to support those first three,” he says. 

The cost is $600 for each veteran on one of the Honor Flights. Word spread through Guthrie County that funds were needed to make this opportunity available to other veterans. 

“We got other businesses in the community to help, and an $18,700 donation from Ten Squared Men of Guthrie County,” Moylan says.

Members of both the Cripe-Iseminger VFW Post 5510 in Panora and the Omar B. Shearer American Legion Auxiliary Unit 124 in Guthrie Center got involved in fundraising efforts. American Legion posts in Stuart and Menlo joined in. 

A 2023 golf tournament at the Panorama West course raised $24,000. A second tournament this June raised nearly $33,000.

“Now that our fundraising efforts are established, we have money to support more veterans,” Moylan says. “Our organization will pay for any Iowa veteran who was active duty and served anywhere between 1941 and 1975. Besides the Guthrie County veterans on this latest flight, we supported an additional eight veterans from Polk, Dallas, Adair and Adams counties.”

Moylan has been involved in many aspects of these flights, which take place twice each year. He encourages veterans to fill out applications, helps with fundraising, and manages many of the local details. Sept. 18 was his first time to participate in person.

“They talked me into this one,” he says. “I’ve always been happy to help with the support structure these flights require and didn’t want to take a seat from someone. Now I’m grateful I got to go.”

One reason Moylan was swayed to join the flight was because his granddaughter, Kennedy Andersen Rolfes, a Panorama graduate, was a volunteer nurse. 

“I loved the experience of accompanying veterans to D.C. I was able to hear their stories and listen to how each memorial made them remember their service,” Rolfes says. “Seeing how proud each veteran was of their service to our country was a humbling feeling.” 

Rolfes says comments made by veterans touched her heart. 

“One said, ‘How are places like these not supposed to make grown men cry.’ Another veteran, when we were at the World War II memorial, said, ‘I can’t believe in a place as busy as this how calm these memorials feel as you walk around each one of them.’ I couldn’t agree more,” she says.

These Honor Flights make for long days. Each begins with a 5:30 a.m. check-in at the Fort Dodge airport, departure around 6:30 a.m., and arrival at Dulles Airport more than two hours later. Three buses, each with a tour guide, transport participants to the various memorials. Snacks, water and box lunches are provided on the buses. The day ends in Fort Dodge at 10:30 p.m. 

The first stop on the Sept. 18 trip was the Air Force Memorial. Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was next with the group present for the changing of the guard. A wreath from the Brushy Creek Honor Flight was placed at the tomb. 

Next were visits to the Lincoln, Korean War and Vietnam War memorials, then to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, commonly known as the Iwo Jima Memorial. The World War II memorial was the final stop before returning to Dulles Airport for the flight home.

Barry Monaghan was one of the Guthrie County veterans on the flight. He was drafted into the Army after his number, 26, was pulled during the 1970 lottery. 

“I thought the honor flight was great. I hesitated to do this because I’ve been to D.C. several times. But everything was extremely well done,” Monaghan says. “The visit to Arlington National Cemetery can’t be topped; it’s an experience you can’t replicate anywhere else.” 

Monaghan says the way the veterans were greeted at both airports was wonderful. 

“It was a lot different than any airport reception I experienced in 1971 and 1972. I was 100% against going on this trip, and now I’m 100% glad I did,” he says. 

Dick Groom, who, with his wife, Joyce, has had a home at Lake Panorama since 1985, also was on the flight. Groom grew up in the state of New York and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1959. He served four years of active duty with the last two in Arlington, Virginia. He and Joyce were married in May 1963 in a chapel on the Marine base there, and he was discharged two months later. 

Groom says what stood out the most to him were the people who came out to support the veterans at the two airports. 

“There was a long line of individuals at Dulles to greet us,” he says. “There were young people and adults, clapping, shaking hands, giving fist bumps. Everyone was very supportive.” 

An even larger crowd was on hand when the group’s plane landed in Fort Dodge. 

“There was a tremendous reception when we got back. There was a band playing, flags flying,” Groom says. “We were introduced one at a time as we stepped off the plane and came down the steps. It was very emotional.” 

Groom encourages other veterans to apply for future Honor Flights. 

“Spending time with other veterans brought back a lot of memories. It was great to talk with others who had the same memories and experiences,” he says. 

Four volunteers on the flight each carried a folded flag and photo of a fallen veteran. The flags and photos were carried to each of the stops and photos taken. When the flight arrived at the Fort Dodge airport, these volunteers were the first to exit. They met family members of the four veterans who never had a chance to be on an Honor Flight. The folded flags were handed to the family, and photos of memorials visited sent soon after the trip. 

Jolene Schmidt of Waukee is Dick Groom’s sister-in-law and one of the volunteers who carried a folded flag. She is a veteran, having served in the U.S. Army 1975-1978. 

“This was the first time they’ve had the volunteers who carry flags meet with the family afterwards,” Schmidt says. “The veteran whose flag and photo I carried was scheduled to be on this flight but passed away last April. It was an honor to give the flag to his son and share photos with him and his family.” 

Paul Wendl of Panora was drafted into the Army in 1968. He spent the second year of his two-year stint in Vietnam, where he was one of six cooks at a base camp for 200 soldiers. When he was discharged, he says the airports he traveled through were “very quiet.” 

“The reception our group got when we landed at Dulles was great,” Wendl says. “There were lots of people waving flags, school kids, welcome signs, thank you signs. As we toured the various monuments, people came up to us to thank us for our service. As we left Dulles, there were even more people for our send off, with posters and words of thanks.”

Wendl says the arrival back in Fort Dodge was more of the same. 

“There were so many people, lots of flags, handshakes and cheers,” he says. “We each got a goodie bag full of treats and gifts. There were letters school kids had written. After all these years, it felt like people appreciated us. It makes you feel great to be a U.S. citizen.” 

Tom Clayton of Guthrie Center was in the Army from 1968 to 1971. He had been to Arlington National Cemetery in 1968. 

“I was in training in Maryland, and a bunch of us went there one time,” he says. “It was great to visit again after all these years and see all the memorials. It was good to be there with other veterans — some I already knew and some I met for the first time. It was a great trip.” 

Brothers Steve and TJ Powell of Menlo also were on the Sept. 18 flight. TJ was drafted into the Army Oct. 23, 1966, and discharged July 28, 1968. He was in Vietnam 13 months and 18 days. After his discharge, he flew home through San Diego, where public Vietnam War protests were underway. 

“This was completely different. There were lots of people in Fort Dodge when we left there and more at the airport in D.C. when we arrived, all thanking us and cheering,” TJ Powell says. “When we got back to Fort Dodge, there was a big crowd. They announced each one of us as we went down the stairs, which was a surprise to us. It was very touching.”

Powell called the trip amazing. 

“I think most of us guys never would have been able to do this without Brushy Creek and the fundraisers and coordination in Guthrie County,” he says. “I’m so thankful to everyone involved in helping make this possible for veterans.” 

Other Guthrie County veterans on the flight were Duane Wasson and Patrick Lutz, Panora; Lawrence Kunce, Jamaica; and Dwight Hawley and Thomas Moore, Stuart. To date, 50 Guthrie County veterans have been on one of the Brushy Creek Area Honor Flights.  

Moylan says he is glad to have experienced this flight and encourages those who served in any branch of the military from World War II through the Vietnam War to apply for a future flight. 

“It was great to see the expressions of the veterans on this flight as they talked with others who served and as they were thanked for their service,” he says. 

The next Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight is May 7, 2025. Anyone in Guthrie County and surrounding areas interested in completing an application or learning more can contact Patrick Moylan at 641-757-0382.

The Honor Flight Network transports approximately 22,500 veterans annually. More than 300,000 veterans have taken these one-day flights to Washington, D.C., since the first flight 19 years ago.

 

 

PICTURED AT TOP: A group photo of those representing Guthrie County on the Sept. 18 Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight was taken in front of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, commonly known as the Iwo Jima Memorial. Shown left to right, front row, Tom Clayton, Lawrence Kunce, Patrick Moylan, Duane Wasson and Richard Groom. Back row, Thomas Moore, Steve Powell, TJ Powell, Barry Monaghan, Dwight Hawley, Paul Wendl, Pat Lutz and Kennedy Rolfes.