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The first organizational meeting of Chapter 25 was held on September 15, 1958, at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Marvin J. Evans, from Indiana Chapter 10, was present to assist in the formation of what is now known as the “Bluegrass Chapter”.
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At this inaugural meeting, temporary officers were elected and committees were established. Various Charter members were appointed to those committees.
An application was submitted to the National Headquarters of the American Right of Way Association on November 15, 1958. Shortly thereafter, the Bluegrass Chapter was duly recognized, and Charter No. 25 was issued to Kentucky on January 9, 1959. There were a total of 61 members at this time.
Mr. Leslie D. “Sonny” Gray was elected the first Chapter President, and has been recognized as being the key figure in the organization of Chapter 25. Sonny was employed by Louisville Gas and Electric at the time, and went on to become a National Liaison and Utilities committee chair.
Another member that was instrumental in the early growth of Chapter 25 was Mr. Carl Bradley. Carl played a vital role in introducing the association to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Right of Way and Utilities. The Chapter experienced a large influx of new members in the early 1960’s due to Carl’s efforts.
In the year 1965, William P. “Bill” Snyder, SR/WA, became the Chapter President. Mr. Snyder, a Louisville Realtor, started a long leadership career in the Association when he began serving on the Chapter Executive Board. After his term as Chapter President, Mr. Snyder served as the Region 5 Vice-Chair (1969) the Region 5 Chair (1970), and would later serve the Association as the International President in 1975. To date, Mr. Snyder has the distinct honor of being the only member of Chapter 25 to have served as the International President.
Mr. Snyder recalls busy times during his tenure as International President. “The Association was 11,000 members strong that year”, said Snyder, “and we (Mr. and Mrs. Snyder) traveled about 50,000 miles in 1975.” Mr. Snyder also worked to organize 9 new Chapters in just one week’s time.
Many of Chapter 25’s early members achieved the SR/WA designation based solely upon their years of experience in the Right of Way field. Mr. Don Brent, SR/WA, stated that he thought the requirement for the senior designation was that “You had to have so many years of experience, and be at least thirty years old.” Oh how times have changed! A testing procedure for the SR/WA was implemented in the mid 1970’s, which required members to pass an exam before they could obtain their designation. The first member of Chapter 25 to receive the SR/WA designation after going through the exam process was Mr. Earl Johnson, SR/WA, who received designation number 2386 on November 11, 1976.
On April 16, 1984, the Chapter celebrated its’ 25th Anniversary. The location of the event was the site of the Chapters’ inception – The Pendennis Club. Bill Snyder, SR/WA, was the Master of Ceremony, and special guests included current International President W. A. Thomasson, SR/WA, International President Elect Dick Ricketts, SR/WA, International Assistant Secretary Ron Williams, SR/WA, Region 5 Chairman John Smitherman, SR/WA and Region 5 Vice-Chair Reva Reed. Also in attendance were nineteen past Chapter 25 Presidents.
Mrs. Joann Tandy, wife of Charter member Ed Tandy, played piano at the anniversary event. This is a bit of unique information, as Mrs. Tandy also played piano for the Chapter at the Charter presentation 25 years earlier!
Another unique piece of historical information worth mentioning is that Mr. Paul McDonogh, MAI, SRA, PE, is the only active member of Chapter 25 who is the son of a Charter Member. Paul’s father, J. Edward McDonogh, was involved in the Louisville real estate market as early as the 1920’s.
In 1995, the International Seminar took place in Louisville, Kentucky. The Seminar was a huge success, and is heralded as one of the most enjoyable seminars ever – just ask anyone who attended. The Louisville Seminar has also been recognized as being one of, if not the most, profitable Seminar ever. This achievement is credited to the organization of the Seminar, which was led by co-chairs Jack Lemley and Tim O’Dea, SR/WA. The key to the success of the Louisville Seminar was that all of the members of Chapter 25 contributed to the event, and were committed to making it happen.
In 1997, Debra Vaughn, of the Louisville Water Company, was installed as the Chapters’ first female President. Debra had previously served as the Chapter Secretary, Treasurer and Vice President, and became the Chapter President after being duly installed at the Chapters’ annual installation banquet. Ms. Vaughn then went on to serve as a Chapter International Director.
Chapter 25 is probably best known for its continuing education program. The Chapter has an outstanding reputation for being dependable, and for offering timely classes that are always well attended. Due to the fact that Chapter 25 has never canceled an offered course, IRWA members from around the country routinely register for and attend courses in Kentucky.
The Chapter recently launched it’s website, which lists information such as meeting notices, meeting reports and educational course offerings. The website also includes a photo archive, links page and a “help desk” which provides a forum for members to submit questions and answers related to the right of way field. The website, managed by Chapter President William “Bix” Cox, SR/WA, is updated regularly with news and photos and can be located at www.irwa25.org
Today, the membership of Chapter 25 totals 125. This includes 20 SR/WA members and 2 members with certification in relocation assistance.
Chapter 25 is generating a large marketing push to attract new members. A Public Relations Committee has been formed to explore new ideas and territory for recruitment. The Chapter is also working on partnerships with the Kentucky Real Estate Commission and the Kentucky Real Estate Appraisers Board in order to draw attention to the International Right of Way Association, and hopefully, recruit new members and/or push our educational offerings and attendance to a higher level.
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