April 4, 2015

Finest Hour 133, Winter 2006-07

Page 5

Those of us who feel we carry the burdens of The Churchill Centre on our shoulders understand clearly that we don’t do it alone. Our spouses share those burdens (and our joys) as well. Each spouse is an integral part of a team and collectively these teams are the organizational backbone of the Centre. Unfortunately, however, our spouses are rarely mentioned in our communications and publications and even more rarely are their contributions acknowledged. Yet our husbands and wives have played a vital role in whatever progress The Centre may have made and in whatever successes it may have achieved.

A few specific examples come to mind. While I am sure many more exist, I regret that I have not had the privilege of observing them. Yet, I hereby gratefully acknowledge the spouses of other Governors, past and present, and their significant contributions to The Churchill Centre.

Whose registration at the Centre’s annual international conferences has not been graciously and efficiently handled by Ruth Plumpton or Molly Frost or Linda Platt or Barbara Langworth or Lorraine Horn or Dorothy Hebb or Susan Larson or Virginia Ives and others? Their warmly welcoming demeanor and accommodating attitude has greeted many registrants over the years.

Governor and trustee Marcus Frost, deeply involved in a very successful construction business, relies heavily on Molly for support in his increasingly active Churchill Centre involvement. The best evidence of this is Marcus’ email address, [email protected]. To talk to Marcus about Churchill, contact Molly.

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It is unusual to find the chairman of the Centre’s academic advisers, Jim Muller, at meetings without Judith at his side rendering assistance to one and all, along with daughter, Helen, who, while not yet a spouse, promises to favor a Churchillian when that inevitable selection is made.

Barbara Langworth’s years of contributions to the Centre are many and varied. She is not executive editor of Finest Hour for nothing. A Blenheim Award recipient, Barbara has been at the center of planning and conducting Churchill Centre tours and three international conferences. She transcribes much of what appears in our biennial compilation of papers and speeches, Churchill Proceedings; and on top of all this, she does the many things necessary to keep Richard on his toes.

The late Chuck Platt quietly paid tribute to Linda and her organizational skills when they recently founded the Centre’s new chapter in Denver. Chuck said he made a couple of telephone calls, turned the rest over to Linda and quickly got out of the way, thus insuring (he said) that the “Rocky Mountain Churchillians” would get off to a promising start. And it did.

Jerry Kambestad has been a staunch supporter of the Centre, and Judy’s intense involvement in it, from the very beginning. He was a founder of and headed our Southern California Chapter, provided timely and useful suggestions to the Centre’s staff, attended and supported many functions, spotted the omission of a commemorative plaque on the villa Churchill occupied at Potsdam (since rectified through his generosity), contributed to Centre publications and provided your president with insightful advice on more than one delicate issue.

Solveig Barber graciously sang appropriate national anthems at many of the Centre’s recent conferences. Her beautiful renditions have been enthusiastically received and deservedly so. And at the Centre’s 2005 conference, she read, in full World War II uniform, on-the-spot observations of the first Quebec Conference in 1943.

Susan Larson has worked hand in glove with Phil in reorganizing and reenergizing the Centre’s Chicago Chapter. Together they have toured the Chicago area giving popular programs on Churchill. Further, they organized and energetically served as cochairmen of the wonderful international conference in Chicago, and made presentations to the attendees.

Dorothy Hebb, while relatively new to the Centre, has been of great assistance to Christopher in his duties as a Centre governor and treasurer, and as chairman of the Centre’s 2007 International Churchill Conference in Vancouver. As President of the Rt. Hon. Sir Winston S. Churchill Society of Vancouver, Christopher relies heavily on Dorothy’s organizational skills, and will do so for the 2007 Conference.

Virginia Ives: for me, indispensable.

Additionally, I am certain that the valuable and quietly consistent support of their governor and trustee spouses by Dan Sigman, Angela Knocker, Sara Courtenay, Lucille Thomas, Ruth Geller, Jane Banta and Barbara Garrison has helped immeasurably to keep their spouses in balance and on course. Although difficult to quantify, their contributions are many, are significant, and are sincerely appreciated.