Kennon 2019 Ole Award Winner
Marlene Kennon is the 2019 Stanton Ole Award Winner. Marlene was born and raised in the Stanton area and graduated from Stanton High School in 1957. She graduated from University of West Florida in 1969 with Master’s degrees in Administration and Education. Kennon also has Associate Degrees, with one being in Special Education. Marlene worked in the education field for 44 years and was the director of Special Education in Villisca for many years.
She married Richard Kennon in 1957 and has 3 children (Terri, Kevin, and Michael), and now 7 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. Kennon has served on a variety of committees and boards including Mamrelund Church Board, Stanton Historical Society Board, Pork Producers of Iowa member, Community Theatre volunteer, Santa Lucia Festival of Lights committee, Stanton Homecoming Celebration committee, Sunday School Teacher at Mamrelund Lutheran Church, and many more!
“The Ole Award is an award given out by the Stanton Chamber of Commerce each year to a Stanton resident who has helped make Stanton great,” said Zeb McFarland, Stanton Chamber of Commerce President.
The Ole Award tradition began in 1984. “Don Peterson wanted to give Bob Johnson an award. The Stanton Chamber of Commerce decided to do it and asked for nominations,” said Paul Olson, on the original Ole Award Chamber Committee. “The next year, we wanted to give the award back to Don Peterson, so we had to get together when ‘Pete’ wasn’t around, and his son Stuart played along with it. Pete was really surprised!” said Olson.
Previous OLE award winners include (beginning in 1984): Bob Johnson, Don Peterson, Dennis Usher, Paul Olson, Norma Johnson, Danny Anderson, Steve Bruning, Bob Schenck, Donald Hallquist, Knute Hallquist, Janet Nimrod, Royce Duncan, Mickey Anderson, Lyle “Shorty” Wistrom, Howard Hanson, Alice Cavner, Tim Johnson, Myrna Johnson, John Olson, John Schultz, Rev. Dr. Eric Kutzli, Elsie Johnson, Kevin Cabbage, Chuck Eklof, Darwin Rossander, Garnet Requist, Mary Ann Vanderholm, Don Hicks, Jerry Gilliland, Robert Anderson, Kevin Hallquist, Dean Burke, Louise Hart, Pat Gilliland, and Dick Lovitt.
The Stanton Chamber of Commerce hosted Varfest in the Mamrelund Lutheran Church basement with a meal catered by Cast Iron Café in Stanton. The program featured Stanton Community School students in which music teacher Kelsi Schmidt accompanied Devin Isaacson for a solo, teacher John Mainquist played the all-state radio news broadcast and Devin Isaacson performed her story-telling entry.
