Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder Press Releases
August 2, 2012
Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder presents Veterans Service Award to Robert Arnold of Joplin
JOPLIN – Missouri Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder on Thursday (Aug. 2) presented Robert Arnold of Joplin with the Lieutenant Governor's Veterans Service Award in recognition of his tireless volunteerism in Joplin.
Lt. Governor Kinder made the presentation at the Joplin Public Library, where Arnold has been a volunteer for more than 10 years.
Arnold is a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Korean War. He was nominated for the award by Phyllis Seesengood from the Joplin Public Library.
“As a young man, Robert Arnold served his nation in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and like many of Missouri’s veterans he service didn’t end when his hitch in the Army was over,” Kinder said. “Instead, Robert has continued to serve Missouri and the Joplin area, giving back to his community through his many years of work with the Joplin Public Library.”
For more than 10 years, Arnold has volunteered almost daily at the library, processing and mending books, shelving movies and helping each year with the library’s Summer Reading Program for youths. He also is an artist and donated his painting of the old Joplin Carnegie Library to the library where it’s now displayed.
In her nomination, Seesengood said all library patrons benefit from Arnold’s hard work.
“He has worked hard over the years to keep the library’s collection looking good and in good order,” she said. “Even though most of his work for the library has been behind the scenes, his volunteerism has been vital to the library and to the community.”
Kinder received 140 nominations for the award, which recognizes Missouri veterans who provide exemplary volunteer service to their communities. Arnold received an official declaration from the lieutenant governor’s office recognizing his service.
“The same strong sense of duty and patriotism you showed in your service to your nation, you now show in your commitment to Joplin,” Kinder said. “(This award) is just one small way our state can say ‘Thank you’ to our veterans and honor the sacrifices they continue to make for their communities and their state.”