Local DAV chapter to host state meeting with Boyda, Palmer expected to attend

For the first time in its history, the Bourbon County Chapter of the Disabled American Veterans organization will host the DAV spring state meeting and conference that takes place this weekend, chapter officials said Monday.

Nearly 100 local DAV members, officers and their spouses are expected to participate in a number of planned activities in Fort Scott that begin Friday and conclude on Sunday. A banquet and reception to honor state commanders in the organization is scheduled to take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Fort Scott Inn, 101 State St., according to Richard Dodge, the adjutant treasurer for the Bourbon County DAV chapter.

Dodge and other local DAV officers said the event, which U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., and State Rep. Shirley Palmer, D-Fort Scott, also plan to attend, said this will be the first time a state executive committee meeting and conference, one of four state meetings held each year, has been conducted in Fort Scott.

"It's usually held in Topeka, Kansas City, Dodge City, places like that," Dodge said. "This is a real honor for our chapter. Having our state reps there will shine a little light on it also."

Rufus Cobb, the commander of the Bourbon County chapter, agreed with Dodge, adding that the local chapter is currently in the process of trying to locate and recruit more eligible veterans.

"It's the first time we've ever hosted (the event) here as far as anybody can remember," Cobb said. "We want to get more people who can be members to join, because the more we have, the more pull we have with the V.A. (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) in Washington, D.C."

Registration for the meeting and conference will take place from 1 to 6 p.m. Friday at the Fort Scott Inn. DAV members will participate in a variety of meetings and other activities all day Saturday, including a tour of historical locations in Fort Scott such as the Fort Scott National Historic Site and U.S. National Cemetery No. 1.

Other organizational meetings, which are open to any DAV member, will take place most of Saturday and Sunday morning in various rooms at the Fort Scott Inn. A DAV and Auxiliary business meeting is scheduled to occur following the banquet from 9 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

Veterans who are members of the local chapter meet at 7 p.m. on the second Friday of each month at Buck Run Community Center, 735 Scott Ave. The national DAV organization, founded in 1920, is dedicated to helping disabled veterans across the nation and their families to build better lives.

"That's the reason I got involved is to help veterans, that's the whole thing," Cobb said.

The national organization, which has more than a million members, is completely funded by membership dues and other contributions and receives no federal funding, according to the organization's Web site.

For more information about the organization, visit www.dav.org.