Laughter, discussion and disagreements all part of the job

PALMER -- After 50 years living all over Alaska, Dee Hilbert's fire for exploration and learning still burns strong in her newest hometown of Palmer. Hilbert moved to Palmer five years ago but in the past, Hilbert owned a couple businesses throughout the state and volunteered countless hours to the communities where she found herself, including founding the Polar Bear Club in Seward several years ago, where people jump into the water in the middle of the winter to benefit the American Cancer Society.

"If you live on this planet, you don't just breath the air," Hilbert said with a smile and gleam in her eye, "you have to give back to the community. So I started thinking of things I could do."

Today, Hilbert totes around a raggedy spiral-bound notebook filled with names, phone numbers and scribbled imaginative ideas as she lines up interesting and sometimes controversial speakers for the Palmer Lion's Club's Tuesday lunch lectures at the Moose Lodge.

"I found my niche at the Lion's Club," Hilbert said, and she tackles her job with enthusiasm, always looking out for the next interesting topic. Hilbert said she gets her ideas from many different sources including the books she reads, newspapers, magazines and television.

Bruce Case, current president of the Lion's Club, is grateful to have Hilbert on his team.

"Dee's job is so important because week to week to have good programming means more people participate," Case said. "If you bring in really interesting speakers, it's a lot easier to get people involved."

Case said the meetings are usually full of laughter and good conversation.

"The meetings are not boring, they're fun. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred you're going to leave the meeting having a good laugh and a good time," Case said.

Hilbert's mission is to bring in speakers that will get people thinking, talking and asking questions afterwards.

"I'm not afraid to ask anyone to speak," Hilbert said. Her list of past speakers include a nationally renowned speaker opposing the death penalty, a lecture about the 501st Airborne Task Force in Iraq, talks about the Iditarod and Joe Redington, along with presentations by Alaskan writer Mike Doogan and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Hilbert is careful to try and balance the speakers so multiple sides of each issue are addressed. Later this month Hilbert has scheduled a speaker from Victims for Justice who is not against the death penalty.

"We're going to get pros and cons, and we did the same thing with Evergreen." Hilbert said. "We did the

pros and cons because it makes people think."

When Hilbert was first asked to line up speakers she said she was very scared and nervous. After two years, however, she's on a roll, and Case doesn't want her to quit, despite the fact that Hilbert thought maybe someone else should have a chance to line up speakers because they might have different ideas than her. Case said one of his first acts as president was to veto Hilbert's idea.

"I told her last week, 'I don't know how you're going to do a better job this coming year than you did last year.' She set the bar so high on herself," Case said. "The speakers were just phenomenal."

The presentations are held the last two Tuesdays of each month, year round, starting at noon. They usually last about 25 minutes, so there is plenty of time for questions and answers before the lunch hour is over. Hilbert said its pretty typical for 30 to 40 people to attend a meeting, and afterwards there's usually plenty of lively discussion.

Unlike some service organizations, the Palmer Lion's Club has more youth and diversity within their ranks. Hilbert said police officers, Chamber of Commerce members, military officials, investment brokers and people from many other walks of life attend the Tuesday meetings. According to Case, the Lion's Club is 88 members strong and growing.

Hilbert said she enjoys working with Case and others at the Lion's club. "There's no clique-y-ness here," Hilbert said. Case, who is 34 years old, agreed.

"Most service clubs don't have many young people," he said. "But there is just an energy here."

Case, who is also a Methodist minister, said he was blown away by how much fun the Lion's Club has been. Hilbert said she enjoys working with Case.

"Bruce is a lot of fun for a minister," Hilbert said, laughing. "I'm a little shocked. He does the limbo and everything else at the parties."

For now Hilbert will continue scribbling down notes, names and ideas in her tattered notebook as she attempts to bring life and engaging ideas to the Lion's Club meetings throughout the summer and into the fall.

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.