Community member
signs on to Gazette edit board
Posted: Saturday,
January 12, 2002 11:00 pm
The
Gazette Editorial Board welcomes a new community
board member this week. Lucinda Cindy Stearns Butler
of Billings has generously agreed to serve on our
board for the next six months. She will join the
other board members – Publisher Michael Gulledge,
Editor Steve Prosinski, Circulation Director Nathan
Bekke, Managing Editor Dan Carter and myself – in
discussing issues and in formulating editorials that
encourage community betterment.
My friends
tell me I have an opinion on almost everything. I
have been described as being honest to a fault.
Cindy says. I am very interested in
environmental/wildlife habitat issues, education
issues, gardening, history, travel and encouraging
our children to be the best human beings possible.
Cindy is the busy mother of seven children, ages 7
to 20. With her husband, Steven Butler, she is
raising three stepchildren and four children from a
previous marriage. She volunteers regularly at
Arrowhead Elementary School and has been a longtime
Girl Scout volunteer. She has also been involved
with local opera as a volunteer and student.
Cindy grew up in Wisconsin, went to college in
Nebraska and lived all over the country before
moving to Billings about six years ago. A registered
nurse, she worked in critical care for 10 years and
also worked in school nursing. More recently, shes
been a full-time mom.
Her interest in history
and travel includes studying about the Lewis and
Clark Expedition and making a trip to Monticello.
She says the upcoming Lewis and Clark bicentennial
will be important to the Billings region.
Cindy will add her viewpoint to our board that
consists of a mix of longtime and newer Montana
residents. I grew up in Missouri, but moved to
Billings 19 years ago. Another Midwest native,
Publisher Mike Gulledge, joined The Gazette in
October 2000, coming here from Decatur, Ill., where
he worked with community editorial board members.
Editor Steve Prosinski, originally a Wyomingite,
moved back to Billings nearly two years ago.
Circulation Director Nathan Bekke grew up in
Billings and has been with The Gazette for 11 years.
Managing Editor Dan Carter, a Belgrade native, has
been on the Gazette staff for 10 years.
We
are fortunate (and amazed) that Cindy is fitting the
editorial board into her active schedule. We look
forward to the ideas and insight she will share. Dr.
Joe Floyd, Montana State University-Billings
professor of sociology, was our first-ever community
board member last year and contributed greatly to
our work.
We are grateful for Joes time and
contributions. We also thank all of the Gazette
readers who offered to join the board. We received
many great letters of application. We expect to be
calling on our readers again to find another
volunteer later this year when Cindys term is
completed.
Pat Bellinghausen can be reached
at 657-1309 or pbelling@billingsgazette.com
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