Vernon Sullivan

The Wizard of Arnold Fundraisers

There’s a good reason why some people in Arnold say that the V in Vernon Sullivan’s name stands for “Volunteer Fundraiser.” Sullivan, the long-time Arnold Ward 3 Councilman who announced his retirement before the election this year, is considered by many to be the greatest public fundraiser the city has ever had.

Over the years he has raised more than a million dollars for kids, students, schools, libraries, the Arnold Recreation Center, the Arnold Food Pantry and a lot more, always without asking for recognition. “He is mild-mannered, and a true gentleman,” says one of his many friends. Indeed, some people say that Vernon Sullivan started out in life as an “All-American Boy.”

Born February 23, 1945 in rural Piedmont, Missouri, he grew up in Greenville, 120 miles south of Arnold. Sullivan played basketball, football, and ran track as a Greenville High School student. In 1964, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. Trained as a Specialist C-5 above the rank of private first class, he landed in Stuttgart, Bavaria, with the U.S. Seventh Army as part the U.S. Army Europe-North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces.

Today, Sullivan quietly admits that in Stuttgart he was granted Top Secret clearance. “It was the highest clearance for NATO, but it wasn’t that glamorous. I spent most of my time gathering information, reading and writing intelligence reports for my commander, Captain Harold Gallagher. He sent the reports upstairs to Commanding General Lyman Lemnitzer, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe-NATO.”

How did Sullivan find time to do so much for so many? He replies “If a person is passionate about important issues and wants to truly help people and organizations, they will find time to work for the greater good.”

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As a Specialist C-5, Sullivan landed in Stuttgart, Bavaria, in 1962 with the U.S. Seventh Army Europe-North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces. His military uniform bore the U.S. Seventh Army’s blue, yellow and red insignia with its credo “Seven Steps to Hell.”

1964 was the height of the Cold War. Sullivan’s military uniform bore the Seventh Army’s blue, yellow and red insignia with its credo “Seven Steps to Hell.” Sullivan traveled all over Europe for his job. As headquarters for government complexes in central Europe, Stuttgart was a crossroads for spies. Did Sullivan ever meet James Bond? “No, I didn’t meet James Bond, but I might have seen him,” he says with a smile and a wink.

Coming Home

Upon honorable discharge from the Army in 1968, Sullivan worked a few years for Midwest Supply Company then later was hired by the Fox C-6 School District in Arnold where he became Director of Facilities. The job required someone capable, honest and trustworthy. “It was a whole new world being responsible for 20 buildings,” Sullivan says. In 1984 he married his wife, Glenda, a fourth grade teacher at Meramec Heights Elementary School.

It soon became evident that Sullivan had a natural talent for making friends, getting things done and getting along with civic, charitable and nonprofit organizations. Today, he claims to not remember when his volunteer fund raising started or what it was, yet he says, “I knew I wanted to do things to help kids and our community.” So, he did.

Here are commitments and responsibilities that Sullivan handled as an elected official or as a volunteer:

• Member Fox C-6 School Board (16 years);
• Arnold City Councilman Ward C (14 years);
• Board member and Secretary, Arnold Food Pantry (14 years);
• Director, Fox C-6 Scholarship Golf Tourney (10 years);
• Chairman, Arnold Police Board (10 years);
• President, University of Missouri Extension Board;
• President, City of Arnold Public Facilities Corp.;
• Member, City of Arnold Aging & Disabilities Commission
• Chairman, Friends of Fox;
• Member, Arnold Rotary;

• Chairman, Arnold Committee on the Creative Arts;
• Member, City of Arnold Economic Commission;
• Member, East-West Gateway Coordinating Council;
• Member, Jefferson County Boy Scouts Foundation;
• Member, Missouri Plant Managers Association;
• Volunteer, Jefferson County Library (Fox-Windsor sub-districts);
• Volunteer, Strawberry Creek Nature Park Reserve;
• Member, Arnold Tourism Commission;
• Trustee, Webb Terrace Subdivision;
• Member, New Hope Methodist Church

Major Projects

How did Sullivan find time to do so much for so many? He replies, “If a person is passionate about important issues and wants to truly help people and organizations, they will find time to work for the greater good.”

It’s obvious that Sullivan’s public interests since he moved to Arnold in 1968 have been to improve lifestyle quality for as many people as possible, especially young people.

“Some major projects I’ve helped was to serve on the steering committee to help get the approval and help raise money to build the Fox-Windsor Library. It’s now part of the Jefferson County Library System used by many students and people of all ages,” Sullivan says.

“Being on the steering committee to pass legislation and raise money to build the Arnold Recreation Center also was a major project – the Rec Center is a huge community asset. Serving on the steering committee to raise money and get legislation passed to install tornado sirens was very important – those sirens are a benefit for many Arnold residents.

“One of the most satisfying projects was helping for ten years in a row to organize golf tournaments that raised college scholarship money for graduating high school seniors at Fox and Seckman High School,” Sullivan continues.

“It was called the Fox School Golf tournament,” he says. “Every year we solicited financial support from companies that did business with the City of Arnold or the Fox School District. We raised more than $30,000 every year. Over ten years that money came to about $340,000. Every year we asked school guidance counselors to identify graduating seniors who’d earned a B+ grade point average. I knew that Straight A students usually got scholarships easily, but B+ students didn’t always get one. So, our program focused on B+ students. In addition to studying, many of them worked during their senior year and deserved assistance.

“I didn’t do that golf tournament for ten years because I like to play golf, in fact I am the world’s worst golfer,” Sullivan says. “What was important to me was to help the kids.”

Sullivan’s leadership as Chairman of the Arnold Committee on the Creative Arts raised about $340,000 for various causes by organizing concerts and selling tickets. He promoted Christmas concerts every year such as ‘The Nutcracker’ featuring the Belleville Ballet Company. Other concerts that Vernon promoted also were popular – The Liverpool Legends Beatles show from Branson, and old time rock-n-roll by Butch Wax and The Hollywoods.” Each concert at Rickman Auditorium typically raised about $10,000 for charity projects. In addition Sullivan organized classical music concerts at churches.

Food Pantry

The Arnold Food Pantry that Sullivan serves as volunteer board member and secretary assists more than 600 families per month. Many are less fortunate residents of the C-6 Fox school district, including parts of Imperial and Fenton. Three grocery store chains and three retail chains, plus many restaurants, contribute foodstuffs when the Pantry’s vans stop by each location for pickups. The program has slowed down somewhat due to Covid-19 yet is still operating safely in the pandemic. Sullivan says, “Pantry volunteers stock the shelves because hunger never takes a day off. The Arnold Food Pantry is the largest non-denominational food distribution center in the St. Louis area that doesn’t receive any government funding.” Its non-profit annual budget is $275,000. See website https://wefeedthehungry.org.

About eight years ago the 10,000 square foot Food Pantry building at 2024 Key West Drive in Arnold needed severe repairs and renovations. Thanks to outreach by its Board of Directors, including Sullivan, many skilled members of local construction unions volunteered to renovate the building at no cost, saving the Food Pantry about $400,000.

In 2017, the Missouri House of Representatives, in its 99^th General Assembly, joined together to present Vernon Sullivan with a special proclamation of congratulations and thanks for his many years of exceptional service and dedication to the Arnold community.

The Missouri House of Representatives’ special proclamation of congratulations and thanks for his many years of exceptional volunteer service to the Arnold community was a surprise to Sullivan and his wife Glenda, shown here at the presentation ceremony in 1987.

The House prepared an official inscribed copy and framed the proclamation signed by Representative John C. McCaherty, Representative Dan Shaul and Todd Richardson, Speaker of the House of Representatives. The presentation ceremony for Sullivan, accompanied by his wife Glenda, was a complete surprise to the family, including the Sullivan’s three sons, Steve (a minister), Dave and Brad (both of teachers).

This past spring Vernon Sullivan decided to not run again for the Arnold City Council. He says, “When I turned 75 in February I decided it was time for me to move on from the council and not run again.”

Asked to summarize his role as a City Council member for 14 years, he thinks about the question for a moment. Then he says, “I tried very, very hard to make sure that Arnold tax money was preserved enough to do what we needed to do for the city. I tried to stand up for what I believed was right. I tried to treat people fairly, and I tried to give back to the community for the benefit of everyone.”

Arnold Mayor Ron Counts says, “Few people have made such an important impact on the well-being of our community as Vernon Sullivan has done in a lifetime of dedicated public service. Vernon has served our city as a Councilman and our region as a tireless fundraiser and volunteer. The City of Arnold owes Vernon Sullivan a debt of enormous gratitude. The legacy of Vernon Sullivan should never be forgotten.”

Article by Jeff Dunlap for the City of Arnold