Rural Missouri - August 2024 - 14

* 102 DELEGATES
* 7 DAYS
* 16 MONUMENTS
* 7 MUSEUMS
* LIFETIME OF
MEMORIES
by Paul Newton | pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop
photos by Ricki Spargo | rspargo@ruralmissouri.coop
T
he rows and rows of names seemed to go on endlessly
for the Warrensburg teenager. The scorching
summer heat pulsated off the black slabs of granite
as he took in the 58,276 names listed on the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
" It made me emotional to see all the names listed up
there of people who died helping our country, " says Saul
Logan. " It makes you understand what makes the United
States of America what it is. It resonated with me knowing
all of these veterans had families, feelings and lives back
home they left behind. "
Higginsville-based West Central Electric Cooperative
sponsored Saul as one of their delegates on the Missouri
Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. For six decades, Missouri
electric cooperatives have sent the Show-Me State's
outstanding soon-to-be-seniors to our nation's capital for a
" trip of a lifetime. " This past June, Missouri's 102 delegates
traveled to Washington, D.C., for a week that was full
of monuments, museums and memories.
Youth Tour is an opportunity for Missouri's electric
cooperatives to invest in young leaders from their service
areas. " All of the Youth Tour delegates possess leadership
skills that caught the attention of their co-op, " says Chris
Massman, Missouri Youth Tour coordinator. " They might
be leaders in their church youth group, FFA, student
council or sports team. After a week of sharing and learning
new skills with other like-minded, well-rounded leaders
from across the state, they're well positioned to be the
future leaders back in their rural Missouri hometowns. "
The group gathered as strangers on Friday, June 14, in
Columbia for a banquet and orientation before heading to
the St. Louis airport the following morning. They started
touring nearly as soon as they landed and kept a jampacked
schedule throughout the week with stops including
the Marine Corps, Air Force, World War I and II, Vietnam
Veterans, Korean War Veterans, Jefferson, Lincoln and
Martin Luther King, Jr. memorials.
Delegates took photos in front of the White House and
toured the U.S. Capitol. Other historic sites included the
museums of the Smithsonian Institution, Mount Vernon,
Ford's Theatre as well as the International Spy Museum.
They got the best view of the district from the Arlington
House at Arlington National Cemetery where they also
observed the solemn tradition of the changing of the guard
at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
" Youth Tour is an opportunity for our delegates to not
just see the monuments, but understand why they're
important, " says Chris. " It means so much more seeing it
Above: McKenna Clabborn and Saige Miller view the
Washington Monument from the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.
Left: Macy McLain, Adelle Uhlmeyer, Kynleigh Stull and Addisyn
Warren pose for a picture inside the National Statuary Hall
during a tour of the U.S. Capitol.
14 RURAL MISSOURI | AUGUST 2024
Rural Missouri - August 2024

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