This year's Springfield Southeast Rotary Club "John Simpson Shrimp Feed and Fireside Chat" was July 10. Many thanks go out to Rex Johnson and Gary Leonard's cook crews; Cindy Howell's toast and salad crew; and all the Southeast "newbies" who set up, served and cleaned up. A special thank-you also goes to Patrick and Kim Harrington for once again graciously offering their home for our decades-old tradition.
[Photos and text by Dan Emrie]
Club honors 4 with Lend-a-Hand Awards
Four people received Springfield Southeast Rotary Club's Lend-a-Hand Award on June 19. Joe Piatchek, co-chair of the Hands-on Service Committee, presented the awards to Patrick Harrington, Cindy Howell, Rex Johnson and Gary Leonard for their longtime leadership of the preparation and organization of the John Simpson Shrimp Feed, our club's annual assembly.
Here is what their nominators wrote: Each has made significant contributions in making our marquee club event, our annual meeting, the Shrimp Feed, one that our members look forward to attending every year.
Gary Leonard has led the “newbie” volunteer effort for more than 20 years, helping new members make connections with each other through food preparation, setup, serving and cleanup. (Gary was not at the meeting on June 19.)
Cindy Howell (right) has led a small team of members, days in advance of event, in getting the shrimp, toast, and salad ready to go. She has served in this role at least 20 years as well.
Rex Johnson (left) coordinates the purchase of the shrimp with Gary, coordinates its cooking at an offsite location, and the storage of the shrimp in coolers, purchasing supplies, and arranging chicken meals for non-shrimp eaters, and wine for non-beer drinkers.
Patrick Harrington (second from left) has offered his home as the Shrimp Feed location for the past several years. This includes providing the tables and chairs, adequate parking, and his son’s shuttle service assisting our members from their cars to the reception area.
The Shrimp Feed is a unique event that sets our club apart from others. Without the setting of the shrimp feed, bringing a majority of our members together, I doubt we would ever have the participation we currently have in the breakout sessions to discuss important issues the club faces during the year. If the shrimp feed was replaced by a regular club meeting, it would be the least attended club meeting of the year.
While we have several other great volunteers every year for the Shrimp Feed, the contributions of these four would be tough to replace.
[Photo by Dan Emrie]
Welcome new member Molly Higdon
Jim Towery introduced Molly on June 19. Her cosponsor is Cliff Davis.
Molly has been the director of Private Wealth Markets for Simmons Bank Private Wealth in south Springfield since late 2024. She and her team manage $1.5 billion in trusts and investments. She’s worked in banking for 37 years after starting as a correspondent banker for Boatman’s Bank in southeast Kansas in the late 1980s. She most recently worked for a regional bank in private wealth leadership positions in Oklahoma City and Kansas City. She moved to Springfield from Leawood, Kan.
Molly is the youngest of three siblings. She grew up in Edmonton, Okla., where she was on the Pom-Pom squad in high school. She earned a BBA in finance at the University of Oklahoma, and an MBA in finance at University of Missouri Kansas City.
Molly is a past Rotary Club member in Oklahoma City. She is on the board of Lost and Found grief center in Springfield; the current president of the UMKC Alumni Association and UMKC Foundation; past board chair for Happy Bottoms KC diaper bank; she supported Kansas City ballet, and was in Business Council KC and the Kansas City Chartered Financial Analyst Society.
Molly is married to Hal Higdon, chancellor of the Ozarks Technical Community College system in southwest Missouri. She has two grown children: Campbell, a Marine captain at Fort Pendleton, and Annie, a dispatcher for Sacramento, Calif. For leisure, Molly spends time with her dog, Daisy the Puggle, red wine, and Sooners football.
Welcome new member Tom Willadsen
Bill McNeill introduced Tom on June 19. His cosponsor is David Compere.
Tom has been the transitional pastor for Trinity Presbyterian Church in Springfield since December 2024. He began serving churches as a transitional pastor just before the pandemic, serving churches in Omaha, Neb., and Reno, Nev. Tom began his ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Mankato, Minn. He moved to Baltimore for three years before returning to the Midwest to take a position at First Presbyterian Church in Oshkosh, Wisc., where he served for 19 years.
Tom was born and grew up in Peoria, Ill. After graduating from Peoria High School, Tom got his undergraduate degree at Northwestern University in 1986. As a member of the Northwestern marching band in 1982, Tom watched as the Wildcats broke a 34-game losing streak, the longest in NCAA football history.
After graduation, Tom took a job with the Department of City Planning in New York City before returning to Chicago to attend seminary at University of Chicago, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1990.
Tom has been a Rotarian for 20 years. He served as club president in Oshkosh in 2006-2007 and attended the International Rotary Convention in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2006. He also was a member of a club in Sparks, Nev. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.
Also while in Oshkosh, Paul earned his Doctor of Ministry from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and published his first Book “OMG! LOL! Faith and Laughter.” His past community service includes the Nevada Interfaith Association and Oshkosh Public Library Board.
Tom lives in south Springfield and has two sons: Peter is in graduate school at University of Kansas and David is in the Army, stationed in Monterey, Calif.
Welcome new member Tim Bell
Adam Toth, Tim’s son-in-law, introduced Tim on May 22. His cosponsor is Joe Piatchek.
Tim is an industrial engineer manager consultant for Boeing Military Aircraft Company in Wichita. He retired from full time work and moved to Springfield in 2022 after working for Boeing for 35 years.
Tim earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at University of Cincinnati in 1976.
Tim and his wife, Tally, live in south Springfield. In his spare time, he volunteers with the Southwest Missouri Museum Associates, an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving the history of southwest Missouri through the operation of several museums in the area. These museums include the Springfield Art Museum, the History Museum on the Square, and the Discovery Center.
Kimberlee Nevins introduced Cassie on May 15. Her cosponsor is Lori Johnson Murawski.
Cassie started Achieving Your Best in 2007 and moved it into its current building on East Republic Road in 2017. She employs a team of dietitians, personal trainers, wellness coaches, managers, and administrative professionals. The company helps people “achieve their best life through personalized, realistic fitness, nutrition, and wellness services,” which include individual and group sessions.
Cassie earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and nutrition at Texas A&M and a master’s degree in Nutrition at Texas Women’s University’s Medical Center in Houston. She completed her dietetic internship in 2001 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Houston and has worked in wellness and fitness since then. She is an expert in nutrition for sport performance, wellness, and disease prevention and management.
Cassie is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Springfield Executive Breakfast Club, and is a Springfield Lululemon running ambassador.
Cassie’s community service includes quarterly community workouts that raise money for Isabel’s House, Crosslines, and Haveaheart Rescue; weekly free community runs; and volunteering at Dream Center, Ozarks Food Harvest, Crosslines, and Messiah Lutheran Church.
Cassie and her husband, Josh, have two children and live in the Rivercut area in south Springfield.
Welcome new member Sal Agosta
Bill McNeill introduced Sal on May 8. His cosponsor is Greg Beck.
Sal is a retired senior finance executive with more than 30 years of experience at IBM Corporation in Armonk, New York. His titles before his retirement in 2019 included vice president and chief financial officer; chief financial officer for Information Management Software; director of Global Technology Services Pricing – Growth Markets; controller – Global Technology Services Asia Pacific; and business development principal – IBM Global Services. He has an extensive background in finance and planning, accounting, pricing, business controls, business development, and mergers and acquisition. He was chief financial officer for IBM Italia S.p.A.; and president and chairman of the board of directors for IBM Italia Servizi Finanziari S.p.A.
Sal earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Taxation at Pace University in New York in 1989. He is fluent in Italian and speaks conversational Spanish.
Sal and his wife, Christy (also a retired IBMer), lived and worked in Japan for six years and Milan, Italy, for three years. They lived in Connecticut before moving to the east side of Springfield in 2023 with their dog, Sawyer. Christy grew up in Springfield and graduated from Greenwood Laboratory School before going on to college. One of Christy’s childhood friends was the daughter of Sam Hamra, the founding president of our club.
In retirement, Sal volunteers at a food bank, a homeless shelter, and TBICO (The Bridge to Independence and Career Opportunities), which helps people get control of their finances and personal budgets after disruptive life events. He enjoys gardening, long hikes with Sawyer, biking, fishing, and cross-country skiing. He is a diehard and lifelong New York Mets baseball fan!
