Speaker set for R.K. Thompson dinner

Van Wert independent/contributor content

The Thompson family and Van Wert Service Club are pleased to announce Bob Ulm will be the speaker for this year’s awards banquet.

Bob Ulm currently serves as news director and advertising account executive for Maverick Media Radio stations, including Lite Rock 107.1 WDOH, 92.1 The Frog, Sports Radio 93.1 The Fan, 104.9 The Eagle and AM 940 WCIT, and has been on the air continuously since 1974.

Ulm lost his sight at 11 months old as the result of a rare form of cancer called Retinal Blastoma. He and his wife, Kathy, have two children: Eric is employed by State Farm Insurance in Newark, while Gina is a doctor of physical therapy and currently works in Columbus.

Ulm is also currently serving his third term as president of Delphos City Council. He is an active member of Delphos St. John Parish and is involved in a host of community efforts in Delphos.

Ulm is a frequent speaker for youth and adult groups and stresses the importance of the need to use one’s talents to their full potential and the need for society to recognize the gifts and skills the handicapped or disabled can bring to their communities and the work place.

This year’s awards banquet will be held Tuesday, April 19, at Vantage Career Center in Van Wert. The R.K. Thompson Self-Reliance Award Program was initiated 41 years ago and encourages young people to set high, but attainable goals and then apply themselves to obtain those goals.

The program provides cash awards for high school seniors in Van Wert County that best exhibit that character trait.  The Self-Reliance Award is designed to seek out and honor a senior who “does the best with what he or she has,” whether he or she is a scholar, an athlete, a student leader or someone who must seek employment to help their family meet expenses.

The R.K. Thompson Self-Reliance Award is sponsored by the Thompson Family Trust, through the Van Wert County Foundation, and administered by the Van Wert Service Club.