July and August 2016

Doug Harke

Doug Harke is our Geneseo Parish Outreach Center's lay person volunteer of the month for July and August, having shared his important services as the primary grant writer for our outreach program. He retired from SUNY Geneseo in 2006, having initially been hired by beloved professor Duke Sells, to be a member of the Physics Department, and then became Dean of Graduate Studies and Research.     Grants have served as the major source of funding for our GPOC, and Doug has devoted about 40 hours annually doing the application process, and then about ten hours during each quarter to explain and justify how these grant proposals and funds have been used. Additionally, with his expertise in grant proposal writing, he's been a valuable resource as a consultant for our mission. Many of these grants begin with the Federal Government, then are sent on to individual states, and finally to our county. We have been very fortunate that our program uses only volunteer staff members, so that all of the grant money goes to fund our program, as a worthy justification for our request for aid.     Doug grew up in Western Canada, received his undergraduate degree in Physics from the University of Alberta, Canada, and did his Master's program at Washington University, in St. Louis, Missouri, where he met his future wife, Diana. His doctoral degree is from Purdue University. Then Geneseo University College came calling! Doug's free time includes his farm toy collecting hobby, which began with two brands of tractors - one for Doug, Jr. and one for Russ. His third farm equipment brand came about when older brothers Doug and Russ, gave 3-year old brother, Andrew, his first toy tractor as a birthday present. Doug continues this long-time involvement and enjoyment with toy tractor collecting to this day, although his first real hobby was with model railroad trains, when he got "side-tracked," so he says! For 30 years, Doug has been the "head honcho" for Geneseo BSA Troop #4070's annual Farm Toy Tractor Show and Auction, held the first weekend in December every year. All of the profits from the Friday night auction and show on Saturday have become the troop's primary fund-raiser for all of these years, with #31 already in the planning stages for this coming December.     Doug and Diana have four grandchildren, and for certain, new baby Oliver Harke will have his own toy tractor collection someday too!     Appreciative thanks are extended to Doug for his ongoing commitment to grant writing for the Geneseo Parish Outreach Center, which depends on those dollars, in addition to donations and other fund-raising opportunities.