BOY SCOUTS HONOR TWO DISTINGUISHED CITIZENS

Two long-time area civic leaders will be honored March 25 at the Southeast Missouri Boy Scout Council's 1993 Distinguished Missouri Citizens Dinner, sponsored by the Council's endowment fund trustees.

The event will honor J.P. "Pat" Tlapek of Cape Girardeau, who recently retired as president of Auto Tire and Parts Co., and Bob Keathley of Bernie, who is president of IXL Manufacturing Co. headquartered in Bernie.

Both men have distinguished themselves in their professions, in civic organizations, and in Boy Scouting.

Mark Wappel, scout executive for the SEMO Council, explained the dinner was being planned "to help build the trust fund for the future of the council.

"We want to recognize these individuals for their long tenure and service, dedication to Scouting, and for being outstanding individuals."

The dinner is planned for 6:30 p.m. at the Sikeston Country Club on March 25. Tickets are $50 per person and tables of six are available for $300. Reservations can be made by contacting the Boy Scout Service Center in Cape Girardeau at 335-3346.

Tlapek has served on the council executive board for 26 years, including 13 years as treasurer, two years as the national council representative, and as a member and chairman of the board of trustees. In 1983 he was presented the Silver Beaver Award, the highest honor a Boy Scout council can present to a volunteer.

He is a member of the St. Vincents parish, the Knights of Columbus, and past president of the Cape Girardeau Downtown Rotary Club. He has served on the board of directors of the Rotary Club, St. Francis Medical Center Foundation, Cape Chamber of Commerce, Midwest Automotive Wholesaler Association, and the Automotive Service Industry Association.

From 1985-91 he served on the board of regents of Southeast Missouri State University, including two years as president. During his tenure he was involved in the hiring of current president Kala Stroup, planning the Bootheel Education Center, the Crisp Hall of Nursing, the Show Me Center and Student Rec Center.

Keathley has served on the council executive board for 22 years, and during that time has served as vice president for finance and council president. As council president, he helped organize the highly successful annual Council popcorn sale, which has provided some financial stability to Scouting in the area.

In 1973, Keathley was awarded the Silver Beaver.

As a youth, he was a Scout in Troop 71 in Dexter, and earned the rank of Eagle in 1952. Throughout his Scouting career Keathley has been a strong supporter of Camp Lewallen.

He served as assistant leader of the council's contingent to Philmont Scout Ranch several times, was assistant scoutmaster for two years, and for 13 years was scoutmaster of Troop 78 in Bernie.

At the community level, Keathley has served as a choir member of the United Methodist Church in Bernie, was a member of the Bernie Jaycees, is in his 28th year as a member of the Bernie Lions Club, and served a term on the Bernie School Board.

Each year the Southeast Missouri Council serves 9,000 youth members, through the leadership and support of more than 2,000 volunteers.

The SEMO Council has an annual operating budget of $463,000. About 12 percent of this comes from United Ways and the rest from contributions by families and supporters of Scouting, foundation grants, and special events. In recent years, the council has been developing its endowment fund, with a goal of eventually raising 25 percent of its operating income from the fund income.

Wappel explained the mission of the SEMO Council is to provide for youth an effective program designed to build desirable qualities of character, to train them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and to develop in them personal fitness, with the ultimate goal of helping develop better American citizens.