A Word Of Thanks Page 4
Get Grilling Page 7
Raytown Sports Page 8
Free complimentary copy May 22, 2015 • Volume 2, No. 31
By Brian Lee
www.raytowneagle.com • 75¢
92 Year-Old War-Vet Graduates From RHS
Robert “Bob” Riley gathers everyday with fellow “old timers” and regular patrons of the Hy-Vee eatery where they enjoy their morning coffee and company together. It was here that Raytown School District Superintendent Dr. Allan Markley, in a chance but fortuitous discussion with Mr. Riley, learned that he had never graduated from high school. The reason he didn’t finish high school wasn’t because he was a flunky who dropped out or because he quit to pursue other ventures. No, it was because the greatest war the world had ever seen was raging, and Bob was called to duty. Mr. Riley became a Sergeant in the 4th Armored Division, 35th Tank Battalion, Company B in the US Army under the command of the legendary General George Smith Patton. During his tour of duty, Mr. Riley fought in the famous Battle of the Bulge, assisted in liberating prisoners from concentration camps, received two Purple Hearts for duties performed during
Photo by Adam Parrie Robert Riley receives his diploma from Dr. Allan Markley combat as well as a Bronze Star for rescuing five wounded men under enemy fire, placing the men one by one into his tank. He had two tanks destroyed under enemy fire, ironically one on Christmas Eve and one on Easter Sunday. After returning from war, he
went to work for the KC Venetian Blinds Company and Fruehauf Trailer Company. In the early 50’s he began a successful career as a contractor, building homes and duplexes in Raytown and surrounding cities, many of which are still standing and being used today.
“When I learned his story about why he never got to graduate, I said ‘I’m going to do something about that,’” Dr. Markley relates. And so he did. Dr. Markley followed the Department of Secondary and Elementary Education and Veteran Affairs Department protocol and procedures to warrant awarding Bob Riley his Honorary High School Diploma on behalf of leaving school to go to war. Robert Riley is married to Margaret Riley, Wife of 68 years. He has two daughters Linda (Riley) Riggs, who graduated from RHS in 1969, Beverly (Riley) Mettlen, who graduated from RHS in 1970, and three grandchildren: Justin Mettlen, RHS Graduate 1998, Lisa Mettlen, RHS Graduate 2000, and Sara Riggs. Tuesday May 19th, at this year’s 2015 Raytown High School Graduation Ceremony Robert Riley, along with all of the other RHS graduates receiving diplomas, was presented a Class of 1942 Honorary Diploma from Raytown High School by Dr. Markley.
Super Splash Water Park Opens Saturday May 23!
It’s that time of year again. School is almost out and Super Splash USA waterpark will help you celebrate Memorial Day weekend, May 23-24, for a fun and exciting opening weekend. The park is located at 5330 Raytown Road and opens at 11:00 a.m. This year, Raytown teachers and students will be among the amazing staff working at the park. For reasonably priced outdoor fun, the whole family will have whale of a time with more than 600,000 gallons of water, six wa-
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Raytown Schools Acquire Use of Old YMCA For Care Clinic And Community Center
By Brian Lee On Monday, May 11, 2015, the Raytown Schools Board of Education approved the district’s request to lease the former YMCA building on 350 Highway. The building will be the future site of the Raytown Schools Quality Care Clinic which will provide healthcare services to benefit enrolled district employees, their dependents, and pre-Medicare school district retirees which is set
to be open the first week of August. The 10,000 square foot clinic will have a staffed physician that can dispense meds if needed, and will be run by CareHere, a Nashville based business that specializes in providing on-site healthcare through employers. Though the clinic is available to employees only, the district has plans to open up the main part of the facility as a community center, but an opening date for it is pend-
ing renovations by the landlord, Monopoly Acquisition. The leasing cost is yet to be finalized until renovations are completed. There are roof repairs, painting, and a host of other things that need to be squared away. The community center will have fitness equipment where the basketball court was, host school district swim team practices, manage wellness plans for school employees, as well as offer a number of Raytown
Community Education classes at the location. Citizens residing in the Raytown School District will be able to join although the school district is not looking to make money on the venture, only to break even to cover costs. The primary goal of the clinic and community center is to get employees in better shape and reduce health insurance premiums for the school district which has seen a 1.9 million dollar increase in just
one year alone, putting the annual premium costs well over 6 million dollars a year. RSD hired a brokerage firm, CBIZ, to do a feasibility study to determine whether or not the venture would actually be costeffective. The results of the study showed that opening up the clinic to help employees stay healthy would reduce premium costs for the school by 2.6 million dollars over the next five years. Truly a win-win situation for everybody!
Raytown Recognized As A Communities For All Ages On May 15, 2015, the City of Raytown received a Bronze Award and was officially named a “Community for all Ages” by the Mid America Regional Council at the First Suburbs Coalition meeting that took place at the Roeland Park Community Center in Kansas. It joins the Cities of Gladstone, Grandview, and Mission that also received the designation under a new recognition program. The Communities For All Ages program, developed by the First Suburbs Coalition and the KC Communities for all Ages Advisory Committee, encourages communi-
ties to respond positively to changing demographics and adopt policy and program approaches that make the community a great place to live and age well. Over the past three years, the City’s Task Force led by John Benson, Director of Development and Public Affairs, consisted of former Aldermen Charlotte Melson, Alderman Steve Mock, PIO Brenda Gustafson and community members Ken Blum, Rae Letterman, Clarice Titus, and Mary Jane VanBuskirk. The team reviewed demographics, current policy and current city amenities within the Raytown community
and developed a checklist to help our community respond to the rapid increase in the older adult population and make our community more welcoming for all age groups, earning them a Bronze level. Three levels of achievement are recognized that reflect increasing degrees of commitment to becoming a community for all ages. The silver level adds the completion of an assessment process and requires the appointment of a citizen-based committee to assess city activities and investments. The highest level, Gold, recognizes communities that formally adopt a Communities for All Ages
plan based on the assessment completed at the silver level. The bronze level recognizes heightened awareness of the issues and requires a resolution or commitment by the city’s elected body, along with community presentations and public engagement. “We keep finding new ways to use what we’ve learned through this process that affects our daily work. We are looking for ways and ideas that are making a difference for our residents’ lives,” said John Benson. Raytown will continue its work and reach for higher recognition levels.
John Benson and Former Alderman Charlotte Melson receiving the Bronze Award