Founding board members to be recognized on Route 66 Society's 20th anniversary

The 11 founding board members of the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society will be recognized when the organization celebrates its 20th anniversary at its annual membership meeting Jan. 28.

The Route 66 Society’s articles of incorporation were filed Jan. 9, 2003, with Missouri’s then-Secretary of State Matt Blunt.

The current board voted unanimously Tuesday to recognize the organization’s first board of directors as listed in the incorporation papers:

Bill Wheeler, Gary Sosniecki, Ramona Lehman, Mike Edwards, Dan True, Rod Reid, David Troutman, David Wheeler, Gail Bryant, Kenny Capps and Kirk Pearce.

Each living founding board member will receive a plaque. Plaques will be presented to families of deceased board members Bill Wheeler and David Troutman.

Sosniecki and Lehman also serve on the board today.

The Route 66 Society grew out of the Lebanon Route 66 Festival Committee, which held the first two festivals in 2001 and 2002.

The Jan. 28 meeting will be on a new day, Saturday, and a new location, the Cowan Civic Center. A social hour, starting at noon, will include a chili lunch and music by Mitch Shields.

The program starts at 1 p.m. Besides recognizing the founding board members, the program will feature the induction of three new members into the Laclede County Route 66 Wall of Fame: The Direct Route Delegates of 1922, William and Ethel Lenz, and The Bacon-Speaker Family.

Read more about the inductees at http://www.lebanonroute66.com/today_66/three-named-to-laclede-county-route-66-wall-of-fame/article_25674e82-701b-11ed-ba6d-4b8f5f027406.html.