PERSONNEL

Benjamin F. Lewis has joined a Cape Girardeau law firm.

Raymond H. Vogel, John A. Layton and Lewis have announced the formation of Vogel, Layton & Lewis, L.L.C., for the general practice of law.

The firm, formerly Vogel & Layton, has an office at 220 N. Lorimier St.

Lewis is a native of Cape Girardeau, and a graduate of University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School.

He has served as Division III associate circuit judge in Cape Girardeau County.

James W. Wente, administrator at Southeast Missouri Hospital, has been named secretary of the Missouri Hospital Association Board of Trustees,]

Wente will also serve on the state group's executive committee. He was elected to the state board in 1993.

In addition to the state board work, Wente has served as president of District VII, an area representing 19 hospitals in the southeastern portion of the state. He is also vice chairman of the Council on Finance for the state group and a past member of the board of directors of Management Services Corp., the group's subsidiary service corporation.

The group's new chairman of the Board of Trustees is Don L. Sites, chief executive officer of Pershing Memorial Hospital in Brookfield.

MHA is a not-for-profit membership organization, headquartered in Jefferson City. It represents more than 140 Missouri hospitals.

Steve Smith, a registered pharmacist at St. Francis Medical Center, has been named "Employee of the Year" at the medical center.

Smith, an employee at the medical center since 1978, was selected from 12 employees of the month for 1994.

Smith, a native of Cape Girardeau, is a graduate of Cape Central High School, and attended Southeast Missouri State University before completing his pharmacy training at the university of Missouri's School of Pharmacy in Kansas City.

He was a pharmacist two years at Medical Arts Pharmacy in Cape Girardeau before joining St. Francis.

Reid J. Ketcher, general manager of River City Cedar Designs Ltd., recently attended a 10-day training program sponsored by Lindal Cedar Homes in Seattle.

The program focused on product design, pricing, marketing, management, customer relations and sales.

River City Cedar Designs, 2850 County Road 206, is a distributor of Lindal's custom homes and sunrooms.

The City of Cape Girardeau has announced its departmental "Employees of the Year" for 1994. They are:

-- Ken Eftink, development service coordinator for planning services. He is a Certified Missouri Mapper and has been employed by the city five years.

-- Patrolman Rodney Barker, who joined the Cape Girardeau Police Department in 1986. Barker also serves his platoon as evidence technician.

-- Penny Blandford, recreation coordinator for the Parks and Recreation Department, has been employed with the city three years. She organizes classes, leagues and special events in the city's recreation program.

-- Jerry Pledger, equipment operator for the Public Works Department, has 17 years experience with the city's street department.

-- Lt. Paul Breitenstein joined the city's fire department nine years ago. He has been instrumental in the development and coordination of the department's educational programs.

Nine teachers at Tender Care Playhouse at Jackson recently completed training for infant child CPR.

Completing the course were Kim Haertling, Brenda Pfefferkorn, Crystal Krisher, Teresa Fluegge, Marla Stoker, Michelle Roth, Deanne Meyer, Prim Schriepp and Stephanie Peters.

The course was conducted by Kathy Casteel, a registered nurse, at the St. Francis Information Center in Jackson.

Harry I. Crisp II, president and chief executive officer of Marion Pepsi-Cola Co., has accepted two national awards for the company's achievement of excellence in quality and sales for 1994.

Crisp received one award from True Knowles, president and chief operation officer of Dr. Pepper. The award, "Dr. Pepper Per Capita Award," was presented to the Marion company for being one of the top franchises in Dr. Pepper sales in the nation. Knowles recognized the Marion Pepsi Franchise for having per capita Dr. Pepper sales double that of any other franchise.

The second award was presented by John Mayorio, manager for Pepsi Cola Co. The the award cited the Marion company for product quality and preparations procedures.

Jason Preusser of Altenburg won a stocking filled with games, stuffed animals and toys during a special Christmas promotion held at Furniture Fair, 1 N. Main in Cape Girardeau.

Children 12 and younger were eligible to register for the "World's Largest Christmas Stocking."

Bill Yeargain Sr. of Marble Hill recently received a safety award for 25 years of accident-free driving.

Yeargain was one of 23 drivers for Genesis Transportation Co. Inc. who received safe-driving awards presented by the American Trucking Association and Great West Casualty Co. for a combined total of more than 3 million miles of accident-free driving.

Genesis, headquartered at Cape Girardeau, held its 11th annual safety and awards banquet at the Holiday Inn in Cape Girardeau.

Drivers and their awards:

20 years: Connie Dillon of Wappapello.

17 years: Harold Lindsay of Dexter.

16 years: Vernon Davis of Anna, Ill.

11 years: Cliff Flath of Glen Allen.

10 years: Otis Johnson of Jackson; Charlie Smith of Poplar Bluff; Tom VanDeVen of Marble Hill.

Nine years: Bill Keller and Henry Winters of Cape Girardeau.

Seven years: John Crockett of Cape Girardeau.

Six years: Bob Mathis of McClure, Ill; Dale Tierney of Chaffee.

Five years: Virgil Null of Cape Girardeau.

Four years: Roger Bennett of McClure; Randy Blankenship of Wappapello; Jerry Grooms of Jackson; Robert Tilson of Parma.

Two years: Edward Fellows of Jackson; Kenny Foltz of Burfordville; Jim Pate of Scott City; Jerry Thomason of Chaffee.

One year: Richard Berentson of Mankato, Minn.

Shop personnel receiving safe worker awards were George Green of Advance, Tom Wright and Martin Van Gennip, both of Cape Girardeau.

Lynn Graves of Anna, Ill., recently joined the Tip of Illinois Health Services Inc., staff at the Anna Branch.

Graves has more than 14 years secretarial experience.

Tip of Illinois, in operation since 1976, provides health services in the home in the lower 23 Southern Illinois counties.

Charles Eggleton has been appointed to the position of president and chief operating officer of TNT Dugan, a subsidiary of TNT Freightways Corp., headquartered at Wichita, Kan.

TNT Dugan has a number of truck terminals in the United States, including Cape Girardeau.

Eggleton has 25 years experience in the transportation industry.