Randolph Society holds honoree reception

<span style="font-weight: 400;">A seven-month journey finally came to an end for the Randolph Society last Tuesday, as the five honorees of the inaugural 2017 class had their plaques placed upon the county courthouse wall.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The Society hosted a reception for the event, with several family members of the honorees in attendance.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"We want to bring forth their deeds and notoriety that make Randolph County a special place," said Society Chairman Marc Kiehna.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The Society was started last August, with its board - which meets quarterly - applying for and receiving a District 65 grant worth $2,000, and several area rotaries also kicking in $333.33 apiece for a total of $3,000.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The Society's mission statement is "by recognizing those who have made extraordinary contributions in the past, we hope to educate and inspire today's citizens."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The Society's seven-member board selected five initial honorees from a pool of 30.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">This year's honorees were African-American speaker, writer and public servant John Willis Menard; aviation pioneers the Hunter brothers (Albert, John, Kenneth, and Walter); actress Nora Lane; mining and land reclamation pioneer William E. Mullins, Jr. and World War II chaplain the Rev. Henry F. Gerecke.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I had no clue these people lived or originated in my county," Kiehna said.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Biographies of all five have been printed in recent editions of the Herald Tribune and Steeleville Ledger. Extended biographies of the honorees can be found at www.randolphsociety.org.</span>

See more coverage of the reception in the March 10 print edition of the Herald Tribune.