Local 8 Illinois

	Jacksonville Chapter
President Dan McCall, left, and IU North Central Regional Director Henry Kramer, right, present retiring Field Representative Allen Wente, center, with a plaque in recognition of his service to Local 8 IL.	From left, Gold Card members Delmar Hoors and John Gain.
Springfield Chapter	Murphysboro Chapter
From left, 25-year member Cliff Foley, President Dan McCall, and 40-year member Robert Flannery.	From left, President Dan McCall and Gold Card member John Hayes.
Belleville Chapter
From left, Gold Card members Pete Hess and Norman Hoffman.	From left, 40-year members Clifford Hattan and Robert White.

Local 1 Washington

On December 1st, Local 1 Washington celebrated the service of 80-year member Les Henson. Born on April 20, 1909, Henson began his masonry career at the young age of 17, during the height of the Depression. He and his father founded Henson Masonry in 1935, predominantly constructing fireplaces and steps. The business gradually grew, with Henson’s son Bill taking over. Today, it is the successful thriving business known as the Henson Company, which is now in the hands of Henson’s grandson Trey. With four generations of Union craftworkers at the helm, it is quite a legacy. At 98, Henson is still full of life and known to all who love him as a ‘character.’ He has been married to his wife Ann for 55 years and they reside on Magnolia Hill in Seattle with a gorgeous view of the city he helped build. Henson enjoys telling stories of his past, spending time with his dog Cindy, and cutting firewood for his home – although his grandson Trey jokingly claims to be missing an abnormal amount of scaffold planking.

BAC Sports

In August, the International Union hosted the 7th Annual Building Trades Softball Slam at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland. The one-day tournament benefits the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) in alliance with the Dollars Against Diabetes (DAD) Campaign. BAC took first place with ULLICO coming in second. “It was especially great to win the first place championship this year. We took second place two years in a row, so first place was a great accomplishment and a step-up for the BAC Team. The softball tournament is fun and competitive, but most importantly it provides financial support to help the fight against diabetes,” said IU Executive Vice President Gerald O’Malley. Through this tournament and other events such as DAD’s Day collections, BAC has raised more than $170,000 for diabetes research.