The Spotlight is on...
Kathy Preddy!
Rotary is Family, but before Rotary I accompanied my Dad and Mom to the Lions International Convention in Las Vegas Nevada, 1971. This gives you a little idea where the influence to service came from. I was born in Houston and moved to Harlingen in 1966 with my Mom, Dad and Sister, Gena. After graduating HHS, I went to Texas A & I for one year, then to University of Houston for 2 more years. I was very active in my Sorority, Chi Omega, a little Sister for Sigma Chi, SPARK Spirit for the Football team, and briefly a Houston Honey for the Basketball team. Mike and I moved to Harlingen after we married in 1976 and all of us worked for my Mom & Dad’s Oil and Gas Distributorship at the Port of Brownsville. Harlingen is a great place to raise a family and we could not have been prouder than to be the parents of Tiffany Preddy. Tiffany Preddy Albury is now a Rotarian, and leads the HHS Interact Club. Her husband Joseph Albury is also a member, they have blessed us with 2 fabulous granddaughters, Gwendolyn and Kathryn. Professionally I started a Catering Company in Harlingen putting my culinary skills to work. Life always had twists and turns and we found ourselves in Austin as Mike was now working for a National Oil company. We were in Austin 3 years, my sister joined us there and we started “Two Sisters Catering Company.” After 3 years in Austin, we returned home to Harlingen. I continued to cater until RioFest, Harlingen’s Arts & Entertainment Festival lost their Executive Director. I was a board member and had the time to take it on and soon became the Executive Director for 15 years. My community service includes, Junior League of Harlingen, Boys in Girls Club Board of Directors, Youth Leadership Harlingen, Leadership Harlingen, RGV Museum Board, Lower Valley Cotillion Club, United Way Board, Texas Festivals & Events President, TTIA Board, International Festivals & Events President’s Advisory Council, HCISD Committee - Transformative Learning for Global Achievement Strategic Plan and Habitat for Humanity. In 1988 I was asked to join the Rotary Club of Harlingen. To be proposed at that time, I would be in the first class of Women Members and this was truly an honor. Two of us (women) joined and soon after others followed. Being part of a global network of 1.2 million members to take action on our world’s most persistent issues is humbling. Whether we are working on a Global issue of Polio Eradication or a local House Build, we are fulfilling our motto of Service Above Self.