Civic League closes club year
Starkville Civic League ended its 20212022 club year on May 24 with a salad luncheon at the home of Lynda Forbus, in Sherwood Forest. Ann Chiles and Lynn Infanger assisted with hosting. T'mara Bigger was the guest of her mother, Mary Alice Smith.
In a brief business meeting, secretary Ginny Holtcamp's April minutes and treasurer Robbie Black's financial report were approved. Program chair Mary Alice Smith asked for program ideas for next year, yearbook chair Susan Brown urged members to sign up as monthly hostesses and sunshine chair Charlotte Smith asked for alerts over the summer about any members' illnesses.
To close the year, Civic League presented the Starkville Police Department with a check for $2,400 to purchase four cameras to expand SPD'S new Fusus system within the community.
Civic League awarded its $1,500 Camp-gaston Scholarship to recent Starkville Academy graduate Cooper Mcneel. In a dual-degree program, he will major in industrial engineering and business administration at Mississippi State University.
Officers elected to lead the club for 2022-2023 arewanda Thorne, president; Mary Alice Smith, first vice president; Susan Brown, second vice president; Ginny Holtcamp, secretary; Robbie Black, treasurer; and Chris Emplaincourt, parliamentarian.
During the difficult Covid year of 2020-2021, Civic League did not hold monthly meetings, but in an effort to keep the club together, members paid dues, received a yearbook and got frequent email communications from President Thorne. The group met only once, with a reunion–a luncheon at Harvey's– to end the club year.
In an abundance of caution, during 2021-2022, members practiced social distancing, did not serve refreshments and wore masks at meetings. The club did not meet in January 2021, when the Omicron variant was surging locally.
At this year's May luncheon, the club honored Wanda Thorne with the 2022 Club Woman of the Year award and presented her with a gift. Thorne joined Civic League in 2016. She served as first vice president, 2018-2020, then president, 2020-2022. She served as co-chair of the 2019 Christmas Tour of Homes. As president, Thorne shepherded the club through
Starkville Civic League members enjoy a variety of salads at its May luncheon. (Submitted photo)
Thorne the pandemic, a period of declining membership.
In this club year, Thorne presented a program, did publicity, produced a member profile booklet and worked on the club scrapbook. She chaired the community-funding disbursement committee and served on the scholarship committee under Chris Emplaincourt's chairmanship. She participated monthly in the Fill the Pantry project; after each meeting, chair Robbie Black distributed the collected nonperishable food items to Starkville Strong's little food pantries around town.
Thorne, a Louisiana native and Starkville resident since 1970, belonged to several community organizations before, during, and after her employment at MSU. She served as president and held other offices in most of the groups. In 1981 she began working at the College of Veterinary Medicine in Media Services. In 1988, Media Services moved to the Bost Extension building as part of an Ag Division merger that created Information Services; Thorne became the department's resource coordinator. After a later reorganization, the department's name changed to the Office of Agricultural Communications, and she became a publications editor.
After retiring in 2003, she began volunteering at the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum and was the leader in organizing the Friends of the Museum. She is a member of M'lady Garden Club,
MSU Women's Club and Trinity Presbyterian Church.
Near the end of the luncheon, attendees enthusiastically discussed tentative plans for a new fund-raiser to be held in May 2023.