David Beaver to receive lt. governor veteran service award

In this May 24 file photo, David Beaver returns to his car to retrieve a handful of the thousands of flags he and other volunteers placed on veterans' graves throughout the county in honor of Memorial Day. Beaver will be honored today as the first recipient of Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder's Veterans Service Award for his volunteerism in the community.
In this May 24 file photo, David Beaver returns to his car to retrieve a handful of the thousands of flags he and other volunteers placed on veterans' graves throughout the county in honor of Memorial Day. Beaver will be honored today as the first recipient of Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder's Veterans Service Award for his volunteerism in the community.

David Beaver, a Vietnam veteran and commander of the American Legion Post 210, has been selected as the first recipient of Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder's Veterans Service Award, given to Missouri veterans who served or serve in any branch of the military and volunteer at least 25 hours per year.

He will receive the award at 3 this afternoon at the Churchill Memorial. Beaver has been an active volunteer in Callaway County, helping with a variety of youth sports programs in Callaway County, placing flags on veterans' graves for Memorial Day and playing an integral role in making Fulton's first 4th of July parade a reality.

Beaver was nominated by longtime friend and VFW District 9 quartermaster Tom Maupin.

"He did most of the work (on the parade)," said Maupin. "The American Legion has a baseball program that he ran here in Fulton for years and years at Hensley Field. He helps put out flags in all of the city cemeteries for all of the veterans, and that's well over 1,000 graves, and he's also been instrumental in helping rural cemeteries know flags are available. He's just done an awful lot for the community and I thought he needed to be recognized."

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.