Council #799
Dallas
Dallas, TX US
(www.kc799.org)
COUNCIL RECOGNITION
KNIGHTS OF THE MONTH
July 2021
www.KC799.org
October 2013
David Pratt
David Pratt is the Knight of the Month for October 2013. David took the initiative to inspire the Council on the Pro Life front. David spearheaded the effort to screen the movie “Blood Money” after the September general meeting. David is very active volunteering around 799 and is instrumental at his home parish Christ the King as well. Thanks David for being such an asset to everyone!
September 2013
Joe Weich
Our Knight of the Month for KC 799 is the very worthy Joe Weich from St. Bernard's. Joe was instrumental in selling raffle tickets for the Town East Ford KayCee July 4th Celebration. Joe helped St. Bernard's lead the effort in parish selling for the raffle. Joe keeps his head down and keeps working both at 799 and at his home parish. Way to go Joe!
August 2013
Brothers Hooper and Nixon
We have a pair of Knights of the Month for August 2013. They are Sean Hooper and Greg Nixon. Both men were instrumental in another successful KayCee July 4th Celebration. Greg led the event as the chairman and spearheaded the truck raffle, while Sean led the Live Auction and worked all day on the 4th with the Silent Auction too. Together, Sean and Greg make up half of the leadership group for the next St. Patrick’s Men’s ACTS retreat. Thanks, guys.
May 2013
Jim Bong
Our Knight of the Month for May 2013 is one of the true unsung heroes of The Great 799, Mr. Jim Bong. Jim shares his love of music by serving as the DJ for our Kids’ events at KC 799. Whether it’s our Easter Egg Hunt, Trunk or Treat at Halloween or the Christmas Party, Jim is there spinning themed music and making it extra special and fun for all the families in attendance. Thanks Jim for being a mainstay at these events.
March 2013
Frank Gray
KOTM: Our Knights of the Month for March are a pair of 799 stalwarts. They don't come much better than Frank Macaluso and Frank Gray. Brother Macaluso recently celebrated his 50th year as a knight. In addition to all his years of service and brotherhood, he is responsible each month for helping to set up the meeting room for the Council 799 Monthly General Meeting. What is usually a thankless job deserves a big "Thank You".
Another KOTM and 799 workhorse is Frank Gray. Brother Gray keeps care of the 799 prayer list and lets us know which Brother Knights are sick or deceased. He is also the gentleman you see bussing tables and hawking raffle tickets during the Fish Fry. It's best to just say yes to Frank Gray and buy your raffle tickets now. You may be the winner of a 2013 Ford F-150 Pickup Truck or your choice of a 2013 Ford Mustang. Thanks Franks!
March 2013
Frank Makaluso
KOTM: Our Knights of the Month for March are a pair of 799 stalwarts. They don't come much better than Frank Macaluso and Frank Gray. Brother Macaluso recently celebrated his 50th year as a knight. In addition to all his years of service and brotherhood, he is responsible each month for helping to set up the meeting room for the Council 799 Monthly General Meeting. What is usually a thankless job deserves a big "Thank You".
Another KOTM and 799 workhorse is Frank Gray. Brother Gray keeps care of the 799 prayer list and lets us know which Brother Knights are sick or deceased. He is also the gentleman you see bussing tables and hawking raffle tickets during the Fish Fry. It's best to just say yes to Frank Gray and buy your raffle tickets now. You may be the winner of a 2013 Ford F-150 Pickup Truck or your choice of a 2013 Ford Mustang. Thanks Franks!
February 2013
Tim Brennan
The KC 799 Knight of the Month for February is none other than Tim Brennan. Tim did the behind-the-scenes dirty work at our recently completed Nun's Appreciation Dinner. Tim spent at least five hours in the back of the kitchen doing dishes at the event. Every fork, knife and spoon, plate, bowl and pan crossed Tim's path. He made sure the kitchen was cleaned and the trash emptied too! What's normally a thankless job deserves a big THANK YOU to Tim!
September 2012
Gib Davis
Our Knight of the Month honored at our September meeting is Mr. Gib Davis. Gib came up with an absolutely brilliant fund-raising idea to supplement the Hike for Life. Gib created sponsorship signs to adorn the path along the route of the Hike. Knight's are able to purchase a sign for $25 and put their family's name on it, their business' name on it, their church, their favorite priest, etc. You get the idea. Hats off to the Gib for a great idea! Be sure to purchase a sign at the upcoming October meeting if you haven't already done so. Way to go Gib!
August 2012
Tony Rodriguez
Our Knight of the Month for August was a shared award. Individually, we recognized Tony Rodriguez. Tony stepped up the plate and answered the call when we were looking for worthy candidates on our Kaycee Club board. Always willing to help, Tony also leads one of our grill teams. He participates in numerous other events around 799, including being a key player on our softball team. Thanks Tony for all you do.
On a larger scale, we honored all brother knights as KOTM at the August meeting for helping with July 4th. As many of you said, we have not experienced such a large turnout of volunteers for one event in quite a while. It's a tribute to the years of service that 799 has exemplified. Thanks brothers.
June 2012
Gary Hernandez
Also recognized for their efforts in the Stand Up for Life event, the Council honored David Holder and Gary Hernandez as Knights of the Month. Both of these gentlemen worked to help decorate, sell tickets, and generally help with behind the scenes support for the event.
June 2012
David Holder
Also recognized for their efforts in the Stand Up for Life event, the Council honored David Holder and Gary Hernandez as Knights of the Month. Both of these gentlemen worked to help decorate, sell tickets, and generally help with behind the scenes support for the event.
February 2012
Jason Gobert, Jason Gordon, Sergio Zarate
Three different Brother Knights were recognized as Knights of the Month. Honors went to Jason Gobert and Jason Gordon, each of whom contributed their considerable culinary talents and training to the Dinner. We also recognized Sergio Zarate, who organized and managed the Knight wives and teenagers who volunteered to serve the Sisters. The result was that the Sisters had an opportunity to enjoy a five-star meal with five-star service.
January 2012
Pro Life Volunteers
At our February 7 meeting, the Great 799 did something a little different when it came to recognizing a Knight of the Month. The officers had wanted to honor one or more of the Brothers who led our Council’s effort at the Roe v. Wade Memorial Mass and March on January 21. The problem was that there were too many Brothers of our Council to single out any one of them for recognition. Under the leadership of David Holder, our members played a large and vital role in organizing and directing the events of the day, including serving as the marshals for the march from the Cathedral to the federal courthouse. At least two dozen Brothers from 799 participated.
The answer was to recognize them all (or at least all of them that attended the meeting) by presenting each of them with a State Charity pin. The list (which is almost certainly incomplete) included Gib Davis, Victor Estrello, Russ Gout, Gary Hernandez, Mike Hill, David Holder, Beau Hughey, Andrew Nevitt, Phil Piccola, Mike Savage, Brendan Smith, and Bill Wolek (if we’ve left you out, we apologize). It was a great showing by the Great 799.
December 2011
David Salazar
At our Council’s January meeting, we honored David Salazar as our Knight of the Month. Once again, David organized our Angel Tree efforts this year to provide Christmas gifts to families served through the Brady Center. David coordinated with the Brady Center to obtain the Angel Tree ornaments identifying the gifts needed, got the tree set up, and then gathered up all the gifts that were donated and delivered them to the Brady Center so they could be distributed to the families. A special nod also goes to one of our bartenders, Liz Lore, who again this year served as a “substitute shopper” for Knights who wanted to participate but weren’t able to do the Christmas shopping themselves.
October 2011
Gary Hernandez
One KOTM award went to Brother Gary Hernandez. Gary has been a Knight a little over a year, but has already advanced to become a 4th Degree member of the Order. Gary worked tirelessly to make this year’s Hike for Life at White Rock Lake a success, and somehow managed to find the time to make the ACTS Retreat with St. Patrick’s Parish and the 4th Degree Exemplification.
October 2011
Victor Estrello
Another KOTM award went to Brother Victor Estrello. Victor has been a Knight for about 7 years and also carried a heavy load in making this year’s Hike for Life a success. Victor also found the time to attend the 4th Degree Exemplification and to participate in the Knights’ retreat at Montserrat.
September 2011
Alfredo Rodriquez
Alfredo Rodriguez
At our Council’s October meeting, we honored Brother Alfredo Rodriguez as our Knight of the Month. Alfredo is an extremely new Brother Knight, having joined our Order and Council at the First Degree ceremonial held in August 2011. He jumped right in to the Council’s activities and was a willing and active volunteer at our Knights’ Appreciation Party held on September 18. He gave all of us a great example of what it means to get involved.
August 2011
Jerry Sanchez
At our Council’s September meeting, we honored Brother Jerry Sanchez as our Knight of the Month. Jerry serves on both our Pool Committee and on the Long-Range Planning committee we’ve formed to help us plan for our future. Jerry also managed to put in time on three different grilling crews over the course of the past summer, and logged 8 or 9 different shifts on the grills. In his “spare” time, Jerry is a Dallas Police Department officer.
July 2011
Tony Casazza
At our Council’s August meeting, we honored everyone’s favorite New York native (if there is such a thing in Dallas) as our Knight of the Month. Congrats, Tony Casazza!
Tony volunteers for just about everything that happens at Council 799 – among other things, he’s chairing our Oktoberfest, he’s our lead salesman for Football Frenzy tickets (see him if you haven’t bought one yet), he’s one of our Guards, he donates a variety of items to our July 4th silent auction, and he is active in our recruiting efforts.
In addition to all of that, Tony pulled off a rare Council 799 “cooking doubleheader” during our July 4th fundraiser. He arrived at the hall early in the morning to help the Bill Lambeth-led Kitchen Crew as it prepared to fry up a couple of hundred chickens. Later that afternoon, he joined his grill crew (“Team Tony”, for Rodriguez and Casazza) and manned the outdoor grills for a full afternoon shift.
For that effort, he was our Knight of the Month. Be sure to congratulate and thank him when you see him (and it wouldn’t hurt to buy a Football Frenzy ticket or two).
June 2011
Gerry Renaud
Our Knight of the Month was Gerry Renaud. Gerry was instrumental in helping Council 799 host its (more or less) annual Altar Servers picnic on May 22. In years past, that event has been spearheaded by Brian Bessner; this year, Brian did some of the early legwork but was not going to be available to make things happen on the day of the event. Gerry stepped in with only a few days notice and the event went off without a hitch. Through Gerry’s efforts (and those of volunteers Rick Alvizo, Greg Kimber, Rob Danz, Russ Gout, David Holder, Joe Mehan and Bill Wolek), we were able to host and thank approximately 100 altar servers and their families.
May 2011
Greg Nixon
At our June meeting, Council 799 honored two of our Brothers for their contributions to the 2d Annual Council 799 Golf Tournament. The first Brother so honored was Greg Nixon (now serving as our Worthy Recorder) for his efforts to provide “back office” support for the tournament. Greg tracked entries, collections, purchases, receipts, etc., while our tournament chair Hector Leija was busy promoting the tournament. The second Brother so honored was Ed Vargas. For those who participated in the tournament, you’ll recall that we distributed a seemingly endless supply of gift certificates and gift cards at the post-tournament party. Ed was responsible for soliciting and collecting virtually all of those gift certificates and cards. Without the contributions of both Greg and Ed, the tournament could not have been the success it was.
May 2011
Ed Vargas
At our June meeting, Council 799 honored two of our Brothers for their contributions to the 2d Annual Council 799 Golf Tournament. The first Brother so honored was Greg Nixon (now serving as our Worthy Recorder) for his efforts to provide “back office” support for the tournament. Greg tracked entries, collections, purchases, receipts, etc., while our tournament chair Hector Leija was busy promoting the tournament. The second Brother so honored was Ed Vargas. For those who participated in the tournament, you’ll recall that we distributed a seemingly endless supply of gift certificates and gift cards at the post-tournament party. Ed was responsible for soliciting and collecting virtually all of those gift certificates and cards. Without the contributions of both Greg and Ed, the tournament could not have been the success it was.
April 2011
Frank Gray
Our first Knight of the Month was Frank Gray. If you attend our monthly meetings, you’ll recognize Frank as the fellow who regularly reports on Brother Knights and their family members who are ill or otherwise in need of prayers. What you may not know is that Frank is one of the great sellers of raffle tickets to ever walk the Earth. Because he is annually the top seller of our July 4th raffle tickets, our Grand Knight asked him to take charge of ticket sales for the flat screen TV we raffled off during Fish Fries. Frank did a great job and sold well over $1,000.00 worth of tickets.
February 2011
Mike McGaughran
Mike McGaughran
Our Knight of the Month was Mike McGaughran. Since returning to Dallas and the Great 799, Mike has volunteered to serve as 799’s SAFE Environment Coordinator. This may be one of the more thankless jobs one can undertake at our Council, but Mike has given (and continues to give) a great effort amid a landscape of confusing and oft-changing rules. Of course, his long tenure with the Social Security Administration has served him well and prepared him for just that sort of task.
January 2011
Kirk Jockel
The second Knight of the Month was Kirk Jockel. Kirk has served as the chairman of our Pool Committee since we moved our operations to our current location, and devotes untold hours to that effort (untold because many of those hours are spent when no one else is around). This year, Kirk also agreed to serve (at the request of our Grand Knight) as the chair of two important committees. The first is our Operations Committee, which oversees the general operations of our facility. The second is a long-term planning committee for the pool, which was charged with developing a five-year plan for pool improvements and development. Kirk’s done a fabulous job with all three undertakings.
December 2010
David Salazar
At the January meeting, Council 799 recognized David Salazar as the Knight of the Month. David is a parishioner at St. Thomas Aquinas. Most of us know David as one of the folks who man the bar in the KC Lounge, and as a key organizer of Boys Knights Out and similar events. Each December for the past several years, David has taken on a far more important role for a number of families served by the Brady Center – he organizes the Magi Tree project through which Council 799 members provide Christmas gifts to Brady Center families. This year, David secured 75 “angels” from the Brady Center, each one bearing the name of a child served by the Center and two wishes – one for a toy or other item, one for a clothing item. By mid-December, the Lounge was overflowing with bags containing the requested items, all of which David delivered to the Brady Center. Through his efforts, 75 children received Christmas gifts.
November 2010
Ryan Collier
Brother Ryan Collier was named KOTM. Ryan joined the Council in June of this year and quickly began working on a new service program for the Council. That effort came to some fruition in Nov. as Ryan and approximately a dozen other Knights helped the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth with some landscaping and maintenance projects. With Ryan’s leadership, we hope to stage a number of similar service projects throughout the year. Ryan’s already on to his next project – a coat drive for St. Bernard’s parish – and he completed his major degrees in Dec. Congratulations to both of you!
October 2010
Bill DeMoss
Council 799 honored Brother Bill DeMoss as its Knight of the Month. Bill has been a member of the Knights of Columbus for over forty years. He was selected as our Knight of the Month for his help in staging a number of last minute Boys’ Knights Out as the Rangers made their run to the World Series. Bill manned the kitchen to provide an assortment of goodies to the Ranger fans in attendance. Bill is also a stalwart member of the Friday morning Fourth Degree cooking crew and the Friday evening grilling crews during the summer.
FAMILIES OF THE MONTH
July 2021
www.KC799.org
October 2013
Jockel Family
799’s Family of the Month is none other than the Kirk Jockel family. Kirk, as many of you know, is President of the KayCee Club. He has made the swimming pool a summer event unto itself. He led the slide effort last summer and keeps the business humming year-round. He and his family have given so much of their time and effort to the pool in particular and to 799 and KayCee Club as a whole. Great work Jockels!
September 2013
Elbow Family
Getting hit with an Elbow is usually not a good thing. Two is even worse. Not at the Great 799. Johnny Elbow and his wife Sherry were once again the hit of the recent Stand Up for Life fundraiser. Taking the stage one after the other, the two comedians had the entire room in stitches. What a perfect evening - a lot of laughs and a lot of fun all while raising over $6,000 for the Pro Life movement. That's our Family of the Month. Thanks Elbows!
August 2013
Faulkner and Trevino
Not to be outdone are our two Families of the Month for August. Together, the Bruce Faulkner family and the Rene Trevino family tackled the Herculean task of the Silent Auction at July 4th. The real workers were Angie Faulkner and Amanda Trevino, the wives who led the effort, while Bruce and Rene ably (and smartly) took orders and executed them. That’s knowing your role on the team, and what a great team it is!
February 2013
Steve Fox family
Our Family of the Month for February is the Steve Fox Family. Steve and his wife Colleen are 799 "veterans." In February, they double-teamed the Nun's Dinner. Colleen served as a waitress for the Nuns, while Steve roamed the hall snapping pictures of these great ladies. Steve also helped with bingo at the event. One of the best places to find Steve and Colleen to thank them is at the Sunday brunch. Way to go Foxes!
August 2012
John & Amy Stuart
At our August meeting, we honored John and Amy Stuart as our Family of the Month. This is not the first time John and Amy have been honored, although this one was well-deserved for all their hard work in leading The KayCee July 4th Celebration effort. John spearheaded the sales of raffle tickets for the Ford F-150 that we gave away, while Amy was the brains behind the silent and live auctions. Many months of planning go into making our largest fundraiser of the year a success. This one was the best yet. Kudos to both of them for their hard work on a record-breaking effort.
June 2012
Johnny Elbow
At our July meeting, the Great 799 honored two Knights as our Knights of the Month, as well as a Family of the Month. These Brothers and their families were recognized for their contribution to the very successful Stand Up for Life event held in June.
The Family of the Month went to the family of Brother Johnny Elbow. Not only did Johnny perform as the headline act, he coordinated the entire show and did a tremendous job with fundraising. Johnny’s wife, Sherry Belle, also played an instrumental role helping with the planning of the event, and also as one of the comedians for the show. Together, they deserve our thanks for bringing a new, creative, and financially successful event to the Council.
March 2012
Hubbuch Family
At our April 3 meeting, the Great 799 honored a very special Family of the Month – Ed and Jay Nell Hubbuch. As most every Brother Knight knows, Ed has long served as our Council’s Financial Secretary. In that role, he’s the guy who collects the dues and issues the membership cards. He also fills out about a thousand different forms over any given year – the Knights of Columbus are big on forms.
Ed and Jay Nell have been married for 45 years. Ed regularly works at our Fish Fries, collecting admission fees and doling out plates, and Jay Nell is always at his side. This year, she also took on a new role – head cheerleader for our Council’s canned food drive. To say that the drive was off to a slow start would be kind. Once Jay Nell started to encourage our Fish Fry crowds to donate, it developed some great momentum and turned into quite a success.
For all that they do for our Council, Ed and Jay Nell are our Family of the Month!
February 2012
Brennan Family and Behan Family
Two families were recognized for their contributions. The first was the Tim Brennan family. Brother Tim came to the hall Sunday morning to assist with setting up the hall and the bingo equipment. His wife Leslie and daughter Mary Kate then worked as servers throughout the dinner. Tim returned to run the dishwasher until every plate and utensil had been given a thorough scrubbing (or two). The second was the John Behan family. John responded to the Grand Knight’s request for a handicapped van that was needed to transport an elderly sister from the Mount St. Michael’s Convent in Oak Cliff. He borrowed his brother’s handicap van (in Euless), handled the transportation of Sister Margaret Haley for the afternoon, and got the van back to Euless in time to pick up his sister-in-law at the hospital. It was a great overall effort by the Behan clan to assist our Sisters..
December 2011
Sean Hooper and Family
We honored the Hooper Family (Sean, Patricia and the kids) as our Family of the Month. Sean volunteered to chair this year’s Kids Christmas Party and the whole family pitched in to make it a great success. It’s impossible to host the number and variety of events that our Council puts on each year without folks volunteering to take charge; kudos to Sean Hooper and his family for doing so on the Christmas party and for putting on a fabulous event.
October 2011
John and Michelle Guerra
We also honored John and Michelle Guerra as our Family of the Month. As many of you know, John has assumed the lead in getting our monthly newsletter compiled, produced and distributed. Most of the time, he’s able to enlist a group of Brother Knights to help on the production side. That didn’t quite work out for the November newsletter, due to a variety of issues. John and Michelle managed to handle the production and distribution chores on their own and the newsletter arrived, as usual, on time.
September 2011
Gobert Family
The Gobert Family
We also honored Jason and Meadow Gobert as our Family of the Month. When he’s not plying his trade as an accountant (with Deloitte), or sharpening his culinary skills (he was a chef prior to his accounting career), Jason is a regular volunteer at our Council events. Among other things, he serves on our grilling teams and is a key member of the kitchen crew for the Sisters’ Appreciation Dinner held each February.
August 2011
Paul and Toni Murr
Paul and Toni Murr
We also honored Paul and Toni Murr as our Family of the Month. Paul and Toni put their faith into action and exemplify the first principle of our Order – Charity. Over the years, Paul and Toni have repeatedly opened their home to foster children in need. At present, they are caring for four such children. In all, they have opened their home to more than two hundred! Their example is truly inspiring.
June 2011
Bill Wolek Family
At our July meeting, we honored the family of Bill Wolek as our Family of the Month. Bill is a St. Thomas parishioner who regularly volunteers his time to assist in Council functions, almost always with no fanfare. During the past six weeks or so, Bill’s made time to visit our Brother Beau Hughey while he recovers from surgery; he volunteered to assist with the Altar Server’s Picnic; he came out to donate blood at our June blood drive; he brought his son Steve into the Order, and both he and Steve volunteered to assist with our July 4th festivities. We’re proud to recognize the consistent contributions of the Wolek family.
May 2011
The Schnurr Family
Our Family of the Month award went to Jimmy and Cari Schnurr. Jimmy is a relatively new Knight (he joined the order a little over a year ago) and Cari is an even newer Catholic (she completed RCIA this Easter). They volunteered in a major way – donating treats and stuffing Easter Eggs, to name just two – to help make our annual Kid’s Easter Egg Hunt a big success for all the attendees.
April 2011
Salvatore Alfi
Our second Knight of the Month was Salvatore Alfi. Sal is a master painter who recently reactivated his Knights of Columbus membership. In fairly short order, he realized that the furniture we use during our monthly meetings was in need of some serious restoration, so he set about to make that happen. The desks, chairs and other furniture we use in the meetings now look about 1,000% better, all thanks to Sal’s hard work.
February 2011
Amy & John Stuart
Amy & John Stuart
We honored Amy and John Stuart as our Family of the Month. John donated dozens of gifts for our Sister’s Appreciation Dinner, while Amy assisted with that event in a variety of capacities (floral arranger, bartender, errand runner, waitress, and a few others). We cannot continue the great tradition that is the Sister’s Appreciation Dinner without the participation of both our Brother Knights and their spouses – Amy and John exemplified the sort of service that makes this event such a special one.
Amy and John Stuart also are responsible for our Knight’s outings to the Frisco Rough Riders baseball game, and this year Amy has gotten involved with the 4th of July Auction.
January 2011
John Bane
The first Knight of the Month was our own Past Grand Knight and Membership Director, John Bane. Over the past 30 months, the Great 799 has brought more than 250 men into our Order, and we could not have done so without John’s tireless efforts. The orientation sessions that he runs for candidates are a model for the entire diocese, and the personal attention he gives each candidate cannot be duplicated.
November 2010
Sergio Reyes & Family
For our FOTM, Council 799 honored Sergio Reyes and his family. Sergio joined the Order in April 2010 and completed his major degrees in May. He serves as one of our Guards and volunteered to organize our annual Memorial Mass, held on Nov. 7, 2010. Sergio, his wife and his daughters collaborated to handle the task of contacting the families of our deceased Brother Knights, produced the program for the service, and turned up in force on Saturday evening to help get the downstairs hall prepared for the event.
October 2010
Mike & Susan Hill
For our Family of the Month, Council 799 honored Mike and Susan Hill. Mike currently serves as our Council’s Chancellor and Susan is an active member of both the Catholic Daughters and the Council of Catholic Women. Mike and Susan spearhead our annual (and seemingly endless) garage sale efforts. We honored Mike and Susan as our Family of the Month for their efforts to organize the children’s Halloween party that was held in conjunction with our Council’s Oktoberfest on October 23.