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Great conductor contest underway

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Gazette News Report

XENIA — The Xenia Kiwanis Club is prepping for its annual Picnic in the Park.

Taking place Sunday, June 26, the picnic features free food and fun, and a performance by the Greene County Adult Concert Band, which will feature a guest conductor chosen by the public.

“The Great Conductor” contest is an annual Kiwanis fund-raiser where residents can vote for their favorite contestant by contributing $1 per vote to the contestant of any Kiwanis member.

Proceeds will be used for scholarships and other benefits for Xenia youth.

The contestants are Wendell Cultice, a retired educator, Greene County Auditor David Graham, and Dr. Gerald Troy, a local optometrist.

Cultice, 94, is also a historian and author. He is also a life member of Kiwanis International. He has been an active member of Kiwanis since he joined the Fairbanks, Alaska Kiwanis Club in 1966. He has served in numerous capacities and been named Kiwanian of the year a six times. As a member of the Ridgefield, Conn., Kiwanis Club, he served as guest conductor of the West Point Military Academy Band. One of his fondest memories is of collecting and delivering more than 5,000 children’s books which were donated to the Barbara Bush Hospital library in Portland, Maine. Returning to his native Xenia in 2006, he joined the Kiwanis Club of Xenia.

Cultice currently chairs the Young Children: Priority One Committee. One of the activities associated with this committee involves reading to Xenia Pre-School students each week. During the past year, his committee was responsible for collecting and donating more than 300 children’s books to the pre-school teachers who in turn utilize them in their classrooms or give them to children who do not have books in their homes.

Graham is a lifelong resident of Xenia. He graduated from Xenia High School in 1987 and obtained a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Wright State University. Upon graduation he went to work for the Ohio State Auditor where he performed and managed audits for local governments within the region. In 2000, he became the Greene County Chief Deputy Auditor where he worked for his mentor Luwanna Delaney. He is currently working in his second term as county auditor.

Troy is a 48-year resident of Xenia, graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy and The Ohio State University College of Optometry. He practiced optometry in Xenia for 37 years and at the VA for 12 years before he retired in 2012. As an optometrist he earned many awards while serving on the State Board of Optometry and lecturing at optometry. meetings across the country. Troy presently serves on the X*ACT Board of Directors, is a member of Temple Beth Or in Dayton, and a 20-year member of Kiwanis.

Submitted photo Gerald Troy, David Graham and Wendell Cultice are the contestants in Kiwanis annual great conductor contest.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2016/06/web1_Gerald-Troy-David-Graham-Wendell-Cultice.jpgSubmitted photo Gerald Troy, David Graham and Wendell Cultice are the contestants in Kiwanis annual great conductor contest.

Gazette news report compiled by Scott Halasz.