The Lewis Central Community School District Board of Education will lose one of its longtime members this month.
Bob Hendrix, who has served on the board for about 15 ½ years, has purchased a home outside the district, President Dorene Scheffel said during Monday’s board meeting.
“I want to publicly thank him for serving on the Lewis Central Board,” she said. “Sorry to see him go.”
The district posted the opening on Sunday, Dec. 4 and will accept applications for a total of 14 days, Scheffel said. The board will have 30 days to appoint a replacement and will do so during its Dec. 19 meeting after brief conversations with potential board members. The person selected will serve until the school election next year, when a candidate will be elected to serve for a two-year term.
Hendrix was appointed to the Board in February 2007 to fill out the term of District 4 representative Don Christensen, who resigned at the end of January 2007 to move to California.
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“I’ve always attempted to put something into the communities I’ve lived in,” said Hendrix, who served on the Bettendorf City Council while living there. “I had students in high school and wanted to be involved in the community and help in any way I could. I put my name in as someone who was interested and was interviewed and then appointed.”
That fall, he was elected to his first full term — which, at that time, was three years. However, that term was shortened when the State of Iowa decided to allow school elections only in odd-numbered years and make terms four years long. So, he ran again in 2009 and was re-elected as the District 4 representative.
Hendrix was an executive for Hy-Vee Food Stores and traveled throughout western Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota opening stores and training staff, he said.
In July 2013, the Lewis Central Board decided to change from four district representatives and three at-large members to seven at-large positions because of the challenge of attracting candidates residing in each district. Hendrix was re-elected as an at-large member in fall 2013, 2017 and 2021. He was vice president for two years.
“It’s been a great experience,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to help the community grow and help the community get better.”
He also served on the board for the Iowa Association of School Boards for several years and was presented an Individual Achievement Award on Nov. 17 during the association’s annual convention in Des Moines.
Hendrix plans to continue to follow Lewis Central and the board’s activities.
“I have three grandkids who attend school in the district, and my daughter teaches in the district; so I have a high interest in wanting the district to do well,” he said.
The board also held its organizational meeting Monday. Scheffel was re-elected president and Amie Adkins was elected vice president. Business manager Andrea Raes was re-elected secretary-treasurer.
