About 250 optometrists attended the 2003 Kansas Optometric Assn. Fall Eyecare Conference in Wichita. Those who attended from Lawrence were Curtis Anderson, Brent Crandon, Kent Dobbins, Steven Flory, Charles Pohl and Arthur Queen. They received 14 hours of continuing education toward the 24 hours required for relicensure.

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Tom Harper, of Stephens Real Estate, has received the Accredited Buyer Representation designation by the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council. The designation represents the agent has taken steps to continue his or her education in the field of buyer representation and has proven experience and training to deliver ethical and professional service to real estate buyers.

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Dr. Larry Marston and Gerald Whiteside, audiologists, of Marston Hearing Center in Lawrence, recently joined hearing care professionals from across the country at a symposium sponsored by Oticon Inc., a hearing aid manufacturer. The three-day symposium focused on the important role hearing care professionals play in counseling patients on choosing the best hearing aid for their individual needs.

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Brad Johnson is the new community bank president at Lawrence’s UMB Bank. He is responsible for market development, the commercial portfolio and loan management in Lawrence. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Kansas University and a master’s degree from Washburn University.

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Starfire Titan, a product of Lawrence-based Starfire Engineering and Technologies Inc., has been recognized by IBM as a critical component of the computer company’s ongoing process to help enterprise clients planning to migrate server platforms. The product is featured in the latest IBM Redbook, titled “OS/2 Server Transition,”

Richard Spurlock, Starfire vice president, was invited to be a contributing author of Redbook.

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Vincent Garcia, Lawrence, has been named the branch manager of Douglas County Bank, Sixth Street and Folks Road, which will open in December.

His responsibilities include personal, real estate and small business loans as well as overall facility management.

A Lawrence native and 1991 graduate of Kansas University, Garcia came to Douglas County Bank from a branch management position at Capitol Federal Savings. Garcia previously worked at Hallmark Cards in Lawrence and Security Benefits Group in Topeka.

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Real estate agents David Tacha, Lawrence, and Tammy Ellis, Ottawa, were among the first graduates of a leadership program called “The Right Track.” They were recognized during the Kansas Association of Realtors convention Oct. 13-15 in Wichita. Members of the program learn leadership skills that can be used in the real estate industry.

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Students pursuing careers in agriculture are encouraged to apply for scholarships sponsored by Agriliance and Croplan Genetics. High school seniors who will enroll in a two- or four-year agronomy or related crop production curriculum in the fall of 2004 are eligible to apply. Twenty $1,000 scholarships will be given.

Applications are available from participating local cooperatives or in the careers section of the Agriliance Web site at www.agriliance.com. All applications must be postmarked by March 1. Winners will be notified in May. For more information or to request an application, call (800) 232-3639, ext. 4584.

Coming events

Kansas International will meet at 7:30 a.m. Friday at Alvamar Country Club, 1800 Crossgate Drive.

Lawrence business owner Donna Johnson will be the keynote speaker. Johnson, president of Pinnacle Technology, will talk about agreements her company has with other firms in South Africa and Ukraine.

Cost for the meeting, which includes breakfast, is $15. Reservations can be made by calling 865-4426.

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Washburn University is sponsoring “Professional and Ethical Issues in Victim Services.”

This two-day program, Nov. 13-14, will focus on the ethical and moral dilemmas inherent in all human service related fields. Victim service professionals are faced with the challenge of developing codes of conduct and ethical standards to guide members of the profession. The program will be lead by Dan Petersen, associate dean of the school of applied studies.

Cost of the program is $205. To register or for more information on the program, contact Thomas Underwood at (785) 231-1010, ext. 1399.

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The Pipeline Group’s annual “Public Education — Contractor Awareness Program” will be at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 11 in Celebration Hall at Franklin County Fairgrounds, 1737 S. Elm, in Ottawa. The program will be sponsored by a group of companies with a goal of preventing accidents and damages to underground pipelines and utilities.

A free dinner will be provided for employees involved in excavation related activities in Douglas, Franklin, Miami, and Osage counties. After dinner, a brief safety program will be presented which stresses the importance of accident prevention by identifying pipeline and utility rights of way, use of one-call systems, and the importance of working with pipeline and utility companies to safely excavate in the vicinity of underground facilities.

For more information call (800) 982-8752 or click on www.pipelinegroup.com.

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Neil Harl, professor of economics at Iowa State University, will give a lecture at 2 p.m. Nov. 18 in the Kansas State University alumni center. His topic will be “The Relevance of the Land Grant Mission in the 21st Century.”

Donn Teske, Kansas Farmers Union president, said Harl has been active in the fight against concentration in agriculture and country-of-origin labeling.

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Microsoft is sponsoring free seminars in Lawrence for small and medium businesses.

Microsoft’s TouchPoint Series seminar will be from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Lawrence Holidome, 200 McDonald Drive. It will provide companies with information on how to enhance employee productivity, better service customers and manage their operations through the use of technology.

Microsoft’s Technical Sales for Technical Specialists seminar will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Lawrence Holidome. It is designed to supply technology providers with the technical product and resource information to equip them with the tools they need to better meet and anticipate the needs of their customers.

For more information, call (877) 673-8368 or click on www.connect-ms.com.

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The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce announces the following ribbon cutting ceremonies:

• Free State Furniture, 11:30 a.m., Nov. 6, 608 N. Second St.
• Lada Salon & Spa, 11:30 a.m. Nov. 7, 4931 W. Sixth St., Suite 116.
• Googols of Fun, 11:30 a.m., Nov. 11, 4931 W. Sixth St., Suite 118.
• North American Savings Bank, 4:30 p.m., Nov. 19, 1201 Wakarusa Drive, Suite A-2.