David & Deborah Blees
2007 Chapter A COY
David and Deborah Blees are our 2007 Couple of the Year (COY). Chapter Director’s Bobby and Barbara Summerville say it wasn’t a hard choice to make. They are always there any time help is needed and they love our GWRRA organization.
David and Deborah are both native Arkansans, he was born in Little Rock and she in Hot Springs. They now call Bryant, AR their home. They have been married for almost 25 years. David and Deb have three daughters, Tina, Stacey and Kristen, two granddaughters, Callie and Madison and 2 grandsons, Ryan and Matthew. Although David didn’t come into their lives until the girls were 15, 12 and 8 years old, he has been a very good father to Deborah’s daughters and ultimately a great “Pepaw” to their grandchildren.
David goes to work to support their newest life venture, “riding a Gold Wing and having fun with their GWRRA friends”! He works for the US Postal Service as a maintenance clerk. They say their goal in life is to retire and see the USA on the back of a Gold Wing. (What’s up with this, everyone wants to retire to ride a Gold Wing!!!)
David spent nine years in the US Army as a Military Policeman. Three of those years were spent in the Republic of Panama in Central America and one year in Johnston Atoll, which is two miles long and ¾ of a mile wide, and located 750 nautical miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. They were also stationed in Fort Rucker, Alabama and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. David was a staff sergeant when he left military service.
On to the motorcycle side of life, Deborah says she became interested in motorcycles when her ex-husband bought a barrel from the US Government and found parts for a 1937 Harley Davidson bike and sidecar in the barrel! We’ll have to find out what became of that Harley?? (Just found out what happened to the Harley, after it was reassembled, it was sold for $10,000)
David was attending college in Little Rock and decided gas would be cheaper with a motorcycle. They have been riding on and off for about 20 years. They have owned various trail bikes, a Honda Sabre and a Yamaha 650. Now their prized possession is their Gold Wing.
They do have other interests aside from their GWRRA activities. David likes hunting, fishing and working on his Gold Wing. Deborah likes cross stitch, sewing and cross-word puzzles.
David and Deborah joined GWRRA in May of 2006. They started looking for a Gold Wing chapter that would be close to home and made a call to the Summerville’s. They were having a Chapter ride that Saturday, so they joined them and the rest is history. They were asked if they would help out with the Chapter and a “yes” answer became the Chapter Treasurer position. They have been instrumental to the growth and activity of Chapter A. Their willing spirit of excitement keeps them very busy helping with anything that is asked of them.
They have attended Horizons Class and the District Couple of the Year Seminar. Ever since joining Chapter A, they have been on the go, to as many Chapter rallies and Gold Wing events as they could squeeze in. Deborah says when you get to know them, she is the nutty one and David is the quiet one, he is known here in the chapter as “Grumpy”. They are only BIG TEDDY BEARS in reality!!
According to a very reliable source, they only missed being selected as the Arkansas District COY by “This Much”. I was told that it was a very difficult decision and the judging was very close. Well in our hearts, they will always be winners. The District’s loss is our gain. We now have them all to ourselves.
So, what's the Couple of the Year program all about?
The COY program, which is managed by the Member Enhancement Division, was started in 1988 as a way to recognize Members by selecting a couple that represents the best qualities and ideals of GWRRA and its Members. The program starts at the Chapter level with "Chapter COY," and then through a friendly "competition" process, COYs at the District, Region and National levels are selected and recognized. These COYs normally serve for one year. At the National level, the term "International COY" is used because the competition at that level includes Region COYs from both the U.S. and Canada.
There seem to be some misconceptions about the Couple of the Year program. The Couple of the Year award is primarily intended to give recognition, at the chapter level, to a particular couple, and is usually decided by a committee comprised of members from that chapter.
While the Couple of the Year award is initially awarded at the chapter level, it is possible for a Chapter COY to compete at District, Region and International levels. However, it is not mandatory. Some of the larger districts in the United States compete for a District Couple of the Year, but this is not the case for districts in Region K. For Region K, a competition for Couple of the Year is held annually at the Region K rally known as Rendezvous, which is normally held in August. Winners of the Region competition are expected to compete at the GWRRA International Rally, Wing Ding, held in early July the following year.
At the District, Regional, and International levels of competition, there are specific guidelines that Couples of the Year should follow. For additional information, please refer to the International Membership Enhancement Division website and the GWRRA Officer Guidebook.
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