Et cetera : We just had to ask.. V-S School Board member Pat Lyons

In our series of interviews with Vinton-Shellsburg School Board members n honor of School Board Appreciation Week, we now ask Pat Lyons for his insights.

Our questions and Pat's answers are here:

Q. Is there anything that your family (spouse, children or parents) asks you not to cook, ever again?

A. Goulash - but I don't listen.

Q. Is there anything your family wishes you would cook more often?

A.Bacon.

Q. What happens to the missing socks in the laundry?

A. Darn cats.

Q. Tell us about your favorite chair?

A. My dad's recliner when all three of us kids could fit in his lap.

Q. Funniest memory as a parent:

A. Son Wes: Bribing him to eat all of his green beans with a candy bar. He puked. I gave him the candy bar anyway. Daughter Bailey: Playing with ants. She'd roll them into little balls because they kept walking away. This slowed their progress significantly.

Q. Is there any saying your mom or dad said so often you can still remember it now?

A."You rotten kids!"

Q. How would your own children answer the previous question?

A. "It’s goulash night!"

Q. Best fast food sandwich ever?

A. Blimpies Best with dill spread.

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Q. What was your first job?

A. I grew up on a farm. I'm sure it involved cleaning up something an animal left behind.

Q. If you were to get a traffic citation it would most likely be for….

A. Speeding - but I'd have a really good excuse.

Q. One place in the world you really, really wish you could visit?

A. European countryside.

Q. First pet you remember?

A. Charlie. A very patient basset hound

Q. Who was your favorite teacher, and why?

A. The safest answer is my mom. In school I had the benefit of learning from numerous wonderful teachers, professors, and administrators. Top of mind: Mrs. Winans, my fourth grade teacher. She was young, pretty, kind, and gave us lemon drops (and she'll read this).

Q. Strangest thing you did at work that was not part of your official job description?

A. A Tae Kwon Do demonstration.

Q. What book or author you have not read, but should?

A.Either works by history's greatest philosophers or the Twilight series.

And our serious question:

Q. With the building project and the budget (for now) behind you, what other issues are most important for the VS School Board?

A.To continue to identify opportunities to promote our communities and our school district to potential residents and students. We are a district with superior facilities, staff, and community support. We need to encourage innovation and creativity in our classrooms and our communities in order to retain and attract families who value the educational experience that our district offers.

Q. Is there anything you wish we would have asked you?

A. Answers to the previous questions should be sufficient to lose reader interest.