Vern Sullivan thought he was showing up at the Arnold Food Pantry last week to help celebrate some of its volunteers, so he got quite the surprise when he arrived and learned he was the one being celebrated.
Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe was there on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, to present Sullivan with a Senior Service Award, one of 10 he gave out to people across the state.
State Rep. Dan Shaul (R-Imperial), who nominated Sullivan for the award, also was on hand, as were members of Sullivan’s family and about 35 Food Pantry volunteers.
“I couldn’t believe that the lieutenant governor and state representative were here, and my family. It was unbelievable,” said Sullivan, 76, of Arnold. “I never dreamed I would win a statewide award. It is really not why I do the job.”
Kehoe said his office received about 100 nominations this year for the award, which was created three years ago to promote and highlight the positive accomplishments Missouri’s senior citizens provide their local communities.
“(Sullivan’s) nomination that Rep. Shaul put forward stood out because of all of the things he has done for the community and how long he has done it,” Kehoe said. “It is inspiring to meet people like Vernon. He is a great asset to this community.”
Sullivan, a Vietnam War veteran who served in the Army, worked for the Fox district as its director of facilities before retiring.
He is the Food Pantry’s Board of Directors secretary, and he has served on the Fox C-6 Board of Education and the Arnold City Council. He also has been a member of numerous community organizations, like the Arnold Police Board, Jefferson County Boy Scouts Foundation and East-West Gateway Coordinating Council. He chaired Friends of Fox and served on committees that worked for the creation of the Fox-Windsor library subdistricts, the Strawberry Creek Nature Area, the Arnold Recreational Center and tornado sirens for the city.
“Vern is just a damn good human being,” Shaul said. “He gives of himself and doesn’t take any credit for himself. It is all about others. That is what the Senior Service Award is about, continuing to give. From the time he was in the Army to now, he is still giving. Those are the types of people who need to be thanked and applauded for their service.”
Among those who attended the award presentation were two of Sullivan’s sons, Steve Sullivan and Brad Duncan; his daughter-in-law, Cassie Duncan; two of his granddaughters, Taylor and Katie Duncan; and two of his grandsons, Zac and EJ Sullivan.
Sullivan received a declaration from the lieutenant governor’s office and a resolution from the Missouri House of Representatives recognizing him as a Senior Service Award recipient, and Kehoe gave Sullivan a US Military Challenge Coin.
“We are very grateful for what he does,” Brad Duncan said of his father. “He doesn’t do it for publicity. He does it because it is the right thing. He never looks out for himself. He always looks out into the community. Hopefully, now people will see he has his hands in nearly everything, and he puts it all on the line for Arnold.”
Phil Amato, president of the Arnold Food Pantry Board of Directors, said he has known Sullivan since 1975 and was happy his friend received recognition for the work he does for the city.
“There has been nobody in the history of this community who has raised more funds for charitable causes than Vernon Sullivan,” Amato said. “I think people from around here don’t realize the kinds of things this man has been able to do. It has been a yeoman’s job at times, and I have been shocked by some of the things he has been able to accomplish in raising funds for charity.
“He is one of the greatest community leaders this community has ever seen.”
Kehoe also made a stop in Festus on Veterans Day to tour Four Brothers Mead and welcome the mead-making business into the Buy Missouri program, which promotes products “grown, manufactured, processed and/or made in Missouri.”