New VVA Region 8 director

GREETINGS: I would like to introduce myself to you. I am Tom Owen your new VVA region 8 director. There are such large distances in our region much of our contact will be electronic.

I enlisted in the Army in 1966. I guess that is why the word greetings in large letters doesn’t bother me as much as some. After training at Ft. Gordon and Ft. Benning I was sent to Korea where I served for 6 months with the 2nd Inf. from 1/68 till 6/68. From there to Viet Nam from 7/68 to 7/69 where I served with a commo co. attached to the 1st Cav. at camp evans then at Tam My. I was trained in communications and inf. but I actually spent little time in either as my CO discovered I had quite a natural talent in procurement. I returned in July 69, 4 days before man walked on the moon.
From discharge till early 74 I pretty much refer to as a major bump in the road. I left the S. Cal. rat race, where the rats were winning, and moved to Orygun. I didn’t know alot about the use of chain saws, axes, wedges,or heavy equipment but I had a fair knowledge of explosives so I went to work in the woods. After a few years the opportunity came to partner with 2 others and we started our own logging company that logged with cats, skidders and specialized in logging with draft horses. We also had a tree planting crew and 2 professional foresters that did management planning. In 1981 I married Nadine and we used the horses to log the material and build our log home on 30 wooded acres.
In 1990 on one of my seldom trips to town I was struck by a speeding auto which pretty much ended my forest career. Not being able to do a lot of manual tasks I got a real estate brokers licence. { procurement talent don’t fail me now} My wife and I as a team, have now won several national awards in the real estate industry. Culture shock. From living in a tent in logging camps 6 months a year to dealing with people every day. I should have gone fishin but instead organized an annual concert series, free to the public, and chaired the committee for 14 years. When a position came open on the local planning commission instead of following my basic instinct to go fishing, put in an app. was chosen and served for nearly 12 years. 44months of that time was spent as a tech. advisor on a committee that re-wrote all the city planning and development codes.
I have been a chapter vp, pres. state council vp and pres. with the VVA. As the new director I would like to hear from you as to how we may accomplish the mission of VVA. Sharing ideas on how to raise $ is always a key issue as is being sure that we get everyone into the health care system. I would like to hear what your chapters are doing for exitement and how recruiting is going in your area.
I look foward to meeting with you all.

Tom Owen Region 8 director