Getting to Know Your Fellow A-W Rotarian Kathy Poston
December 6, 2006 Program
Attica-Williamsport Rotarian Kathy Poston presented a program on her background and current activities for the club on December 6, 2006. This is an ongoing program for newer A-W Rotarians to introduce themselves and let fellow members learn a little about each other.
Kathy began by telling the club she was born and raised in Royal Oak, Michigan, an urban-suburban town of 60,000 people. While attending Royal Oak Dondero High School, she was very involved in: band (flute), marching band, the school newspaper and art classes. Kathy lightheartedly pointed out that her graduating class was roughly the same student body size of our local Attica High School. When college time came around, Kathy attended and graduated from the Criminal Justice program at Suomi College, a small Finish liberal arts college, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A few years ago, Suomi College had changed its name to Findlandia University and much chuckling was made regarding the shortened initials that make up the universities name.
After college graduation, Kathy explored the career of becoming a police officer and faced the choice of going to the Police Academy or pursuing another area of Criminal Justice. Kathy chose Security and worked for the Ford Motor Company in Detroit, in the Ford Trucks Division. While this utilized Kathy’s educational background, she felt security was not her lifelong career choice. Kathy then switched industries and worked as an Operations Manager for a computer company called the CMI Corporation. While at CMI, Kathy was responsible for outfitting large corporations with their computer departments (IBM, Chase Manhattan, HI Case, etc).
On a personal level, Kathy was a young lady who worked long hours and did not have many opportunities to date. On a dare from her Aunt, Kathy put a personal ad in the Detroit Free Press. After receiving 150 letters, a good number from prison inmates, Kathy met five of the responders. Her current husband Steve Poston was the fifth and last letter writer she met.
After her marriage to Steve, Kathy returned to college to pursue a degree in Elementary Education. Wright State University (OH), Grand Valley State College (MI) and Worcester State College (MA) were three attempts to finish her student teaching requirement. Kathy points out that the cards weren’t stacked for this to happen because in the 18 years of marriage, she has moved 13 times and at each college attempt, she has either moved or had a child.
Kathy and Steve moved to Attica, Indiana in the summer of 2002 with their three daughters. Before moving here Kathy had her husband promise they would not move again. Move number 13 has been the lucky one for Kathy and her family. Kathy stressed she has a deep commitment to God, her family and her community. As a result, she has been very happy living in Attica (population 3,500) and becoming greatly involved in the community. After watching and experiencing the Rotary organization these past five years, Kathy felt called to join the Rotary organization and embrace its motto: Service Above Self. Kathy joined the A-W Rotary club in the spring of 2006.
Currently, Kathy and her husband Steve have been extremely involved with their faith and upcoming mission trip (March 2007) to the country of Ghana, located in western Africa. Kathy is greatly excited about the future service possibilities not only related to her faith, but with Rotary. Kathy envisions a continued working relationship between Attica and Ghana for many years to come. Kathy declined in speaking about the particulars of this mission, as coming in February of 2007; she and her husband will be presenting a program on this mission vision and Rotary’s involvement.