T his year marks the 25th anniversary of
Lake Communicators. Original member
Bob Barbian said it started with the desire
to share ideas.
“Each of us was a specialist in our field,” Bob recently
recalled. “Our first meeting was held over lunch at the
Deluxe Motel and lasted an hour and a half. We agreed
we couldn’t continue to do this so we decided to meet for
breakfast instead.”
The other original members of the Lake County
Professional Communicators were Gary Kneisley,
WPVL, Greg Markell, Mentor Savings & Loan, Neal
Brown, Neal Brown & Associates and Marguerite
Krueger, Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce.
Bob remembers one of the first rules was that you had
to bring a guest to the meeting and you paid for their
meal. The second rule was once the clock hit 9 a.m., if
you had to leave, you could do so without repercussion.
Bob has a lot of interesting stories to tell and he’ll get the
chance at our 25th Anniversary Bash May 25 from 5:30
to 7:30 p.m. at Mentor Harbor Yachting Club.
LCPC has held its meetings at many different places.
There was the Terrace Room and Country Inn. Then
there was the Centre Court Restaurant and the Terrace
Room again. Then we moved to The Brown Derby
before relocating to Mentor Harbor Yachting Club.
Finally in 2002, the group found a home at Comfort Inn.
Until 2001, the meetings were held at 7:45 a.m. until
members voted for lunch meetings. Morning meetings
are still reserved for the “A” months – April and August.
The first board included four original members: Greg
was president, Gary, vice president, Neal, secretary/treasurer and Bob, trustee in charge of special events.
Others were Abby Oberst, membership (Lakeland)
and Elaine Newman, publicity (Towmotor Corp.).
Special events have included golf outings from1988-1993 and Career Shadowing Day from 1992-94 that
helped the Scholarship Fund. There were the CLIOs in
1989-90 at Wildwood Cultural Center and the Theater
Party in the Lake Erie College lobby in the early 1990s. There were also Lolly the Trolley and Cleveland
Playhouse trips in 1992 and a Bumper Rally in 1993 Ask
April Majni about it since she was president that year.
And so, 25 years and three names later we’re still
operating under the same edict – to meet for a meal,
share ideas and make new friends. Would this group
have formed without the efforts of Bob, Greg, Gary, Neal
and Marguerite?
We owe these visionaries a heap of thanks for making
Lake Communicators possible – and then pat yourself
on the back for contributing to the group’s success and
keep on working to make sure the organization and its
members continue to make a difference. We’ll see you
May 25 and don’t forget to bring a guest!
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