Kathy Borgman honored by Friends of Arrow Rock

Kathy Borgman thanks the Friends of Arrow Rock Board of Directors, all of whom pitched in to buy her a print of a watercolor painting she had admired during the May art festival in Arrow Rock. Borgman was honored Sunday, Aug. 2, for 25 years of service to the organization and the community of Arrow Rock. (Eric Crump/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

"And let us not be weary in well doing."

"If there's anybody who's not weary in well doing, it's Kathy," Hall said during a reception honoring Borgman for her 25 years as executive director of the organization. "She makes my job as president easy. One of the smartest women I know, Day Kerr, was the president in 1984 and one of the smartest things Day did was to hire Kathy as executive director."

Hall noted the fact that Borgman's tenure covers half the organization's existence. Members marked the organization's 50th anniversary with a celebration in June.

"Kathy is the public face of the friends of Arrow Rock," Hall said. "When people come to town and want to know about Arrow Rock, Kathy is often the first person they see. She's know all over the state."

He also listed other community service efforts she participates in, including past service on the town board, volunteer ushering for Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, participating in Habitat for Humanity, Saline County hospice, the board of Fitzgibbon Hospital and as local representative to the Historic Byways project.

While past President Day Kerr looks on, Friends of Arrow Rock President Tom Hall holds up a copy of "Arrow Rock: Where The Past Is The Future," a recently published book produced by the University of Missouri Photojournalism department that includes a chapter about Kathy Borgman. Borgman was honored by the organization Sunday, Aug. 2, for her 25-year tenure as its executive director. (Eric Crump/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

As a token of the board's gratitude, members presented Borgman with a framed print of a "Pastoral," a painting by Kathryn Mahoney, a Missouri artist who showed the work at the Arrow Rock art festival in May.

The frame includes an inscription: "With gratitude and admiration, to Kathy Borgman from the Board Of Trustees Of The Friends Of Arrow Rock for 25 years of selfless, inspiring and dedicated service and leadership as executive director of the friends."

Kerr described how the organization landed Borgman as its executive director back in 1984.

She said the organization's office was in the building that now hosts a shop, Lot 2. At the time, the building was in disrepair, with a wall in danger of collapsing and no plumbing.

"I was living in Kansas City and just realized we needed to have an executive director," she said.

Borgman said she grew up in Saline County -- she attended Orearville and Slater schools -- but had spent 10 years in California as a deaconess in the Lutheran Church and a Christian education and youth minister.

After her father died, she returned home to help her mother start a bed and breakfast in Arrow Rock. She worked as a teacher in Blackwater, but during the summer gave tours in Arrow Rock.

"I was just the new kid in town," she said.

"She left her teaching job on great faith that we would be able to pay her salary," Kerr said. "We were just lucky she was willing to give her a try."

The organization held a fundraising campaign and generated $100,000, enough to fix up the building and hire Borgman.

"She was actually the only person we even thought of," Kerr said. "All I can say is, we hit the jackpot. She's a great ambassador for Arrow Rock."

Borgman credits Kerr, Hall and other board members over the years for supplying great vision and energy for the organization. She portrays herself as the "detail person" who helps make those visions become reality.

"The job always seems bigger than me," she said.

The organization's visionaries don't plan to let Borgman rest on her laurels. Hall took the opportunity at the reception to remind those gathered that the organization has recently entered into the public phase of a capital campaign with a goal of $1 million to finance four objectives: to maintain the organization's 14 historic buildings, continue to develop educational programs, pay for operational costs of the organization and develop an endowment fund to keep the organization financially sound in the future.

The goal of the educational program fundraising is to increase accessibility.

"Even with a reasonable fee of $4 per child, in the current economy it's tough and some of the school districts are not able to afford to bring the kids in for a field day," Hall said. "Wouldn't it be great if the Friends of Arrow Rock could have an endowment to bring every fourth grade school child in Saline County and surrounding counties for no charge?"

Contact Eric Crump at marshalleditor@socket.net

On the Net:
www.friendsar.org/