PROSPERTIMES Friday September 1, 2017 | Prosper, Texas
VOL. 1 | NO. 18
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Prosper Prosper Gets New Fire Chief as Tucker retires Profiles Joyce Godwin Joyce@CedarbrookMedia.Com
Meet Gina Kern
Joyce Godwin
Joyce@CedarbrookMedia.Com
Gina Kern has lived in Prosper more than four years and has done a great job getting plugged into the community. Often her volunteer work is a family affair with husband Chris and three children. Most recently the family was seen at the Cornerstone back-to-school event helping youngsters get the right shoes and more for the new school year. When asked about her volunteer work she says, “Cornerstone is one of our big ones.” They also volunteer as a family to help during Cornerstone Christmas. Though volunteer work is important to Gina, she says she’s learned over the years to be judicious with her time. It’s easy to get overloaded and when you’re trying to do too much, no one is happy. But, she says volunteer work is really important to her and she feels giving back to the community is something everyone should do if they can. Gina has a job she loves with Coram Deo Academy, a Classical Christian School, where she handles the curriculum on the district level. She said she’s happy to be able to serve the Prosper Historical Society as treasurer and to volunteer at their church at Trinity Presbyterian where they have attended for 16 years. “Our family really enjoys putting out the flags for Rotary. Our kids really love doing that,” she said. Before living in Prosper, the Kerns lived in Frisco for about 12 years. Gina said they always loved Prosper and spent several years driving around Prosper on weekends just looking at areas they thought they’d like. But things finally lined up for the Kerns to move to Prosper in 2013. “This is the area we’ve wanted to live in since moving to Texas,” she said. They lived in Atlanta, Georgia before moving to Texas. Atlanta is where Chris grew up, but Gina grew up in Richmond, Virginia. She graduated from high school at St. Gertrudes in Richmond, an all-girls Catholic school. “So, I grew up Catholic but changed to Presbyterian later,” Gina said. She attended college at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. The Kern’s three children are Elizabeth, 16, Ethan, 13, and Caroline, 10. “We have two, old, geriatric poodles and then we have a Schnauzer, kind of the baby, and Caroline, for her birthday, got a hedgehog,” Gina said. The hedgehog is really cute and just a baby. “She makes this weird noise when she is scared and then she goes into a ball.” When asked about hobbies, Gina said she didn’t have time for such because they do so much with their children. But after having some time to think about that question, she clarified her answer a bit. “I spend my time (and love it) See KERN, page4
It’s all smiles around the fire house now after hearing the news of a new fire chief for Prosper. The smiles come after a sadness following longtime Fire Chief Ronnie Tucker’s announcement of his impending retirement (August 31). Applications were sought and people had to be interviewed to be sure the very best possible person was taking over the top chief spot at the Prosper Fire Department. The wait was hard on department members and others as Blasingame received notes and calls of encouragement. Last Friday, the decision was made and announced that Prosper’s own Assistant Fire Chief Stuart Blasingame would take over the top spot effective September 1. Tucker’s leaving has been a source of sadness for department members and the towns’ people alike since he announced his coming retirement earlier in the year. The anticipation of who would take over the top spot has been a source of anxiety for many. But all of that was cleared up on Friday when Town Manager Harlan Jefferson called Blasingame to his office to give him the longawaited news. “The continuity of leadership that Chief Blasingame brings to the department is invaluable,” Jefferson said in a press release. “I expect the department to continue to operate at the same high level that Chief Tucker established. I’m certain that the department will continue to maintain those standards under
Joyce Godwin/PROSPER TIMES
New Fire Chief Stuart Blasingame has a casual moment Monday next to the fire truck in the fire department bay.
Chief Blasingame.” Chief Tucker was the department’s first compensated Fire Chief after having served among the various volunteer chiefs in the department’s history. He closes out a 42-year career in the fire service, 25 of which were spent with the Prosper Fire Department. Blasingame said after he got the news, he wanted his wife Michelle to be the first person he talked to about it. “I’m sure glad she picked up right away because I’m not sure how long I might have been able to hold onto that news,” he said.
After that, Blasingame posted the announcement on Facebook to which there have been more than 1,000 responses and reactions from well-wishers. Perry Waller, former president of the Prosper Chamber of Commerce wrote “One great man replaced by another great man.” When asked about the new position, Blasingame smiles and says he’s ready. He complimented Tucker’s management style and pointed out that Blasingame has been a part of the decision-making process for several years. He’s ready
now to lead the department because of Tucker’s leadership practices. Chief Blasingame has been a member of the Prosper Fire Department for 15 years, having served as Assistant Fire Chief for the last five years. Prior to his appointment as second in command, he served as Battalion Chief for a year, and Captain for six years. He joined the department in September of 2002 as a firefighter/paramedic after serving in Frisco as battalion chief. He said he took a pay cut to start all over in the Prosper ranks. See BLASINGAME, page 3
Prosper Responds to Needs in South Texas
Joyce Godwin Joyce@ CedarbrookMedia.com Hurricane Harvey’s news making endeavors are getting the attentions of most who pay attention to the news and weather. But a special class of professionals are also paying attention and responding.
Prosper Fire and Rescue deployed Engine 11 and three members of the Prosper Fire Department on Monday morning as part of the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System Strike Team responding to devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Lieutenant Scott Himes, Driver Engineer Zachary Stringer and Firefighter Paramedic Micky Blain, along with Plano,
Greenville, Lucas, and Princeton Fire Departments met at Station No. 12 in Plano before heading out to assist with disaster and flooding in South Texas. The PFD is asking that people keep these three first responders from Prosper as well as the multitude of other first responders headed to South Texas in the forefront of thoughts and prayers while they are gone. On a Facebook post it was reported that the Town of Prosper has received numerous inquiries about how to help with the damages and victims from Hurricane Harvey. The Fire Department on its Facebook page states that the fastest and easiest way to help right now is through a financial donation to a charity of choice, such as the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, North Texas Food Bank,
Trusted World, Samaritan’s Purse, as well as others. On August 30th, they also posted this message, “Our firefighters and other members of the strike teams on the TIFMAS [Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System] deployment down south are busy clearing residential structures in the Rockport-Fulton area. Our continued thoughts and prayers go out to all affected and everyone helping the southern portion of Texas.” The caution, for now at least, is to not take items to shelters as they don’t have the staffing or storage in place to support such donations. Anyone interested in volunteering to help should contact the Town of Prosper Emergency Management Coordinator, Kent Bauer, at kent. bauer@prosperfire.com or 469-2074731.
Prosper Rotary Hears from its District Governor Rick Amsberry Joyce Godwin Joyce@CedarbrookMedia.Com The district governor for Rotary was the guest speaker last week for Prosper Rotary and told the group, “Keep doing what you are doing.” He said the club is small but doing all the right things. Rick Amsberry is District 5810 Governor for the 2017-2018 Rotary Year. He is a CPA and a Certified Global Management Accountant who has operated his own client practice since April 1994. He spoke in Prosper about his own experiences with joining and serving in Rotary and said his biggest attraction was the opportunities he found in community service. “We touch peoples’ lives in little ways that we may never know about,” he said of the service projects in Rotary. Amsberry said he joined the Rotary Club of Park Cities (Dallas) in February 1998 and has served as treasurer, director, and president of the club, and as Trustee for the club’s charitable foundation. At the District level, he has served as district treasurer under four governors and as assistant governor for three years. He is a Paul Harris Society Member, and a Bequest Society Member. “Rotarians are the kind of people you want to have around all the time,” he said of his experiences with the organization. “Our
common interest is a basic desire to give back to the community. I don’t expect anything in return; I want to do it out of gratitude for my own circumstances. We have so many blessings, and if I can help another and give to someone less fortunate, I am happy.” Amsberry quoted Arthur Sheldon from something he said in 1911: “He profits most who serves best.” Amsberry says that is the attitude of Rotary. During the business part of the meeting, club members discussed the flag lease program, scholarships and the Christmas parade which is scheduled for December 3. All money that comes in from any of these programs goes to the scholarship funds and local charities. Some of the local charities supported by the Prosper Rotary Club are: PLA light lunch program; Angel Tree; Bethlehem Place; Boys and Girls Clubs of Collin County; Main Gate; Cornerstone; and Shelter Box International. Rotary’s flag lease program involves leasing flags to residents and businesses in Prosper for $50 per year and these funds go to the Prosper Rotary Foundation which is a legitimate write-off for the resident and helps Rotary raise the funds for its charitable efforts. The flags are distributed on five Patriotic Holidays. For more information, or to
Joyce Godwin/PROSPER TIMES
Rotary’s District Governer Rick Amsberry speaking to the Prosper Rotary Club last week on Thursday August 24.
register for this flag service, visit the website at prosperrotary.org/flags. Anyone is welcome to attend a Rotary meeting which is held each
Thursday at noon at the Prosper ISD Administration Building. Look for the Rotary sign outside the door of the west entrance.
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