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Before a packed house Thursday night at the Lampo Center, Lewis Cole was inducted as the 2009 recipient of the Exchange Club’s Book of Golden Deeds during a banquet held in his honor.
Mark and Jeryn Preston, who attend Neosho’s United Methodist Church with Cole, dedicated two gospel songs to the long-time volunteer and said his deep faith and compassion led him to help people in need.
“Lewis and his wife, Mary Lea, have a very deep faith that makes them very compassionate,” Mark Preston said. “Lewis will be the first to tell you that his faith and compassion makes him want to go out and help others.”
Billy Meyer, former human resources manager at Neosho’s La-Z-Boy Midwest plant who now works for the company’s corporate offices in Michigan, remembered how Cole mentored him when Meyer was a young supervisor at the plant. At the time, Cole was the personnel manager for the plant.
“I only remembered being called on the carpet by Lewis once, and I don’t really want to be called on the carpet again,” he recalled with a laugh.
Meyer said that incident happened when, as a young supervisor, he neglected to turn in an employee’s job request form by deadline.
“The next day, I saw the bid on my desk and I said ‘Oooooh!’ “ Meyer recalled. “I went to Lewis’ office and said ‘Lewis, I have this bid slip and didn’t get it turned in for one of my employees.’ He asked how I planned to explain to this employee that he didn’t get the job because I didn’t care enough to turn in his bid slip on time. Then he said ‘It won’t happen again, will it?’ and I said ‘No, sir.’ “
Meyer said Cole didn’t offer advice to young supervisors on how to solve problems. Instead, he would ask them questions and the answers led managers to solutions.
“That’s a true mentor,” he said.
Dick Day, a past Golden Deeds recipient, remembered working with United Methodist Men projects with Cole.
“I can tell you if anything needs to be done at the church, whether it’s painting parking blocks or tearing out carpet or moving tables or patching walls, Lewis is there to help every time,” he said.
Day recalled how Cole helps with the breakfast for the group, held the second Sunday of the month, as well as the annual potato soup luncheon, pancake feeds for the church’s Boy Scout troop, and the church’s fireworks tent, as he volunteers to stay overnight and guard the fireworks.
Day also said Cole volunteers for an often thankless job: keeping the grounds at the church’s Christian Life Center mowed and looking nice.
Before a packed house Thursday night at the Lampo Center, Lewis Cole was inducted as the 2009 recipient of the Exchange Club’s Book of Golden Deeds during a banquet held in his honor.
Mark and Jeryn Preston, who attend Neosho’s United Methodist Church with Cole, dedicated two gospel songs to the long-time volunteer and said his deep faith and compassion led him to help people in need.
“Lewis and his wife, Mary Lea, have a very deep faith that makes them very compassionate,” Mark Preston said. “Lewis will be the first to tell you that his faith and compassion makes him want to go out and help others.”
Billy Meyer, former human resources manager at Neosho’s La-Z-Boy Midwest plant who now works for the company’s corporate offices in Michigan, remembered how Cole mentored him when Meyer was a young supervisor at the plant. At the time, Cole was the personnel manager for the plant.
“I only remembered being called on the carpet by Lewis once, and I don’t really want to be called on the carpet again,” he recalled with a laugh.
Meyer said that incident happened when, as a young supervisor, he neglected to turn in an employee’s job request form by deadline.
“The next day, I saw the bid on my desk and I said ‘Oooooh!’ “ Meyer recalled. “I went to Lewis’ office and said ‘Lewis, I have this bid slip and didn’t get it turned in for one of my employees.’ He asked how I planned to explain to this employee that he didn’t get the job because I didn’t care enough to turn in his bid slip on time. Then he said ‘It won’t happen again, will it?’ and I said ‘No, sir.’ “
Meyer said Cole didn’t offer advice to young supervisors on how to solve problems. Instead, he would ask them questions and the answers led managers to solutions.
“That’s a true mentor,” he said.
Dick Day, a past Golden Deeds recipient, remembered working with United Methodist Men projects with Cole.
“I can tell you if anything needs to be done at the church, whether it’s painting parking blocks or tearing out carpet or moving tables or patching walls, Lewis is there to help every time,” he said.
Day recalled how Cole helps with the breakfast for the group, held the second Sunday of the month, as well as the annual potato soup luncheon, pancake feeds for the church’s Boy Scout troop, and the church’s fireworks tent, as he volunteers to stay overnight and guard the fireworks.
Day also said Cole volunteers for an often thankless job: keeping the grounds at the church’s Christian Life Center mowed and looking nice.
“Lewis took it on himself to see that the property gets mowed and stays looking nice,” Day said. “Using his own tractor and his own mower, he gets down there once a week. It takes about eight or 10 hours a month, depending on how much weedeating he does.”
Day said at about 9 a.m. Thursday morning, he tried to call Cole to get help with a project, but couldn’t reach him.
“I found out later if you call after 9 in the morning, Lewis is out helping somebody else with a project,” he said.
Day also recounted Cole’s work with Meals on Wheels, the Angel Food Ministry, and the Newton County Food Basket Brigade.
Robert Allen, who served with Cole for many years on the Food Basket Brigade, read a poem written by his wife detailing Cole’s service with that organization.
Brian Lowry, Cole’s son-in-law, told about Cole’s dedication to family.
Meanwhile, state Rep. Kevin Wilson presented a resolution to Cole, adding how Cole mentored him when he was first employed at La-Z-Boy as well. Wilson replaced Cole as human resources director when Cole retired in 1993.
