Arland Stemme named 2012 Citizen of the Year
Citizens of the Year are recognized for their benefit to the City of Chesterfield through volunteerism, working on community projects, and overall civic contributions to the community. A Citizens Selection Committee comprised of citizen committee and community volunteers presented their unanimous recommendation to the City Council following their review of several nominations.
A Chesterfield resident since 1957 -- long before there was a Chesterfield--Arland has served as an active volunteer who has contributed a significant amount of time toward successfully preserving our community's heritage. She has been a member of the Chesterfield Historical Commission from 1990 - 2011, the Landmarks Preservation Commission from 2002-2006 and serves on the newly formed Chesterfield Historic Landmarks & Preservation Commission since 2011. As a member of these groups, she helped initiate and support their various efforts and programs that have taken place through the years. She was a researcher and co-author of the book about our City's history: Chesterfield, Missouri: From Untamed Wilderness to Thriving Municipality. She also works on the historical calendars that are sold each year, providing research and tracking down photos of Chesterfield's past history of people and places that shaped our community.
Arland also volunteers with her church, St. John's United Church of Christ, where her family served as founding members over 120 years ago. She has also spent time working with the Red Cross, providing assistance to children whose families suffered a catastrophic or traumatic event.
According to her friend Judy Dierberg who nominated her, "Arland's tireless and selfless work, including helping educate our present and future generations about our wonderful community's past, has had a positive impact on so many families and businesses in the area and should be an inspiration to us all. She epitomizes the role model of a community volunteer and Citizen of the Year."