Woodhouse nominated for Iowan of the Day

Alan Woodhouse nominated for Iowan of the Day, also receiving a quilt for his Coast Guard service

By Mike Timmerman

At the September 11th meeting, the Lions Club guest was Mr. Michael Abildtrup, former Viinton resident and businessman currently living in West Des Moines. He told us that member Dr. Alan Woodhouse has been nominated as an Iowan of the Day at the Iowa State Fair.

Every year since 1997 the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation and Cookies Food Products have come together in the search for outstanding Iowans to recognize at each year's Iowa State Fair. They look for individuals across the state who personify the greatness of Iowa with a strong work ethic, loyalty to helping others, and an exceptional sense of Iowa pride.

Every year, 10 nominees are named Iowan of the Day, receiving a special day of recognition at the Fair. Winners receive the following:

Four Iowa State Fair admission tickets

An introduction on the Anne and Bill Riley Stage

Four Grandstand show tickets for their day

Privilege to use the Iowan of the Day golf cart for the day

VIP parking

Accommodations at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown

$200 cash

Dr. Woodhouse has spent many years in service to Vinton in capacities too numerous to list, not only as a member of the Lion's Club, but also through his church, community government etc. He has worked tirelessly for the betterment of Vinton. His nomination for this award stays open for two years and he will hopefully be selected at one of the next two Iowa State Fairs as an Iowan of the Day. It's an honor he richly deserves and a great honor to even be nominated.

By Valerie Close, Editor

Now I could have let it go at the above news release and said, "Well that's cool" but evidently the reporting bug has bitten. I had to ask more.

So I called Mr. Abildtrup.

As I talked on the phone with Abildtrup it was clear to me, that he had a lot of respect for Dr. Woodhouse.

He said as he sat at the fair and heard the nominees being listed, and what they had accomplished, that he always thought of Woodhouse, "I know someone that's done more than that!"

At the Iowa State Fair the nominations are held for 2 years because of the number of applicants. This year Dr. Woodhouse was competing against all of the applicants from 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Abildtrup said that he's gone to football games with the Woodhouses for the last 30-35 years and he believes that there is no one that loves Vinton more than Dr. Woodhouse.

Abildtrup compiled a binder with all of the newspaper clippings from the last several decades to submit on behalf of Dr. Woodhouse.

He is seeking more letters of support from the community to include in the nomination information for next year's application process. If you would like to include a letter in telling why you think Dr. Woodhouse should be recognized, feel free to send it to: abildtrupm@yahoo.com

When talking to Janet, Dr. Woodhouse's wide, I asked her what were some of her memories of the activities that Dr. Woodhouse has been involved in.

One of the things that stood out to Janet in all of his years and in all of the things he's been involved in was the issue of the Comfort Station.

Back in the '80's the decision was made to close the Comfort Station, public restrooms downtown Vinton. But the amount of outcry from the community over that decision was remarkable There were several phone calls, and letters to the editor in opposition to that decision.

One of the other things that she remembers fondly was that while he served as the Chamber President, along with several others he was part of an effort to revive the Benton County Fair. At the time, Janet recalls, there was little support and attendance had begun to dwindle.

Figuring that there had to be more to his story, I asked Abildtrup, who put all of this into motion if he'd send me some of the articles that he had gathered for his nomination of Woodhouse, as well as a copy of the letter that he sent.

Below is just a snippet of Woodhouse's life.

� He served on the Board of Directors, and a term as president, of the Vinton Chamber of Commerce in the 1970�s. Vinton Unlimited is the successor to the Chamber of Commerce. In addition to his membership since its formation, Alan was a board member from 1985-1987 and Chairman of Community Affairs in 1987 and the Popcorn City Days food tent chair from 1988-1989.

� He has been a lifetime member of the American Legion and served a term as its President in the 1970�s. Alan also proudly wears the colors of the Legion-affiliated 40 & 8 and has served as the Chef de Gare (president) in 1980, and 2019-2020.

� The Vinton Lions Club has been the volunteerism anchor in his life since 1972. He has been the �Tail Twister�, the President in 1992-1993 and 2013-2014 and its Treasurer since 2015. Most noteworthy is a fund-raising initiative he kicked off many years ago. A trailer was procured to house all of the kitchen equipment required to make funnel cakes. This service can be found at all of the Vinton-Shellsburg High School football games and around Benton County at a variety of community activities. Proceeds are all designated for charitable causes. After most of these events you can see the kitchen equipment cluttering up the Woodhouse kitchen while being washed and assembled for the next event. Alan became a Melvin Jones Fellow, a supreme recognition by the Lions Foundation for dedicated humanitarian services.

� A Vinton Country Club member since 1971, Alan has also served on its board of directors.

� Since the City is his real passion it should come as no surprise that he served on the Vinton City Council from 1985 to 1992 and was Mayor Pro Tem for five of the seven years he served on the Council. He was also the Chairman of Policy and Administration during his time on the Council. However, what made Alan shine as a council member and community servant is that he first looked at himself as a citizen. Therefore, before any major initiative was put to a vote, it was not uncommon for Alan to stop someone on the street or call them on the phone to ask his or her opinion on the subject in question. He genuinely cared about the action of the Council and its effect on the citizens the Council served. He cared then, and still does!!! He routinely engages in spirited conversation with the elected officials about community issues. Agree or disagree, they walk away friends with all opinions firmly placed on the table. A rather unusual position for a politician to assume in today�s environment!

� Additional city-related volunteerism includes service on the Ambulance Board from 1984 to 1992.

� Dr. Woodhouse�s passion for the City knows no end. Since 1992 he has been a stalwart on the Vinton Electric Utilities Board. The City of Vinton produces its own electricity and the generating facility has faced challenges in recent years due to flooding from the Cedar River and experienced serious outages in a recent severe wind storm. While he was always in the middle of solving problems in the midst of confusion, it was during the clean-up phase of one of these events that Alan had to be out of town. He was not comfortable to be away in the aftermath of such a tragedy and was overheard saying, �I should not be here, my city needs me�. If for no other reason than moral support, Alan always wants to be there during any event that affects the citizenry.

� Alan was an instrumental participant in resurrecting the Palace Theater. And is a regular volunteer at the concession stand and a member of the Board of Trustees. He has also been known to operate the projection equipment from time to time. (A bit of Trivia: he was one of the two guys responsible for the seat saver idea at the theater)

� In previous years Alan has been a Cub Scout and Boy Scout Leader, but also distinguished himself as a youth by earning the rank of Eagle Scout.

� Alan has been knee-deep in fund drives for the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and the Jail and Bail Diabetes Foundation. Also, the American Legion Avenue of Flags.

� In respect to his profession, Alan has been a member of the American and Iowa Dental Associations and the University of Iowa Dental Society. He has served as the Benton County Dental Health chairman for over 30 years and is a Life Member of the Iowa Dental Association. Working alongside his father for many years.

� The Woodhouse�s are members of St Mary�s Catholic Church in Vinton. Alan has served as Lay Communion Distributor, Lector and Choir member. He has been a principal member of the Knights of Columbus since 1987 and served as Grand Knight in 1991 and Recorder from 2018-2019. He received the Star Council Award and is a 3rd Degree Knight.

I have to admit, generally, I see Woodhouse most often behind the desk at the VMEU meetings. But I have to grin every time as I watch him defend his choice to be a Coast Guardsman to a room full of guys razzing him, his fellow Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine veteran buddies. Even when drawing his name, the only name in the Coast Guard container at the Legion's 100th Birthday party, they gave him a hard time, first calling a different name, while everyone in the room knew that it HAD to be Woodhouse that would win that prize. (Story about that event is here)

Of all his accomplishments the greatest would be, his marriage to Janet, his wife of 52 years, and their family which includes, 3 children, Anne, Matthew and Shea as well as their 6 grandsons.

News : Woodhouse nominated for Iowan of the Day

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