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Tinker spouse vying for command award

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. O'Brien
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  She sat behind the desk at the Tinker Food Pantry and waved her hands. She smiled nervously and insisted the attention was unnecessary. Despite her personal uneasiness, Kim Marks has made Tinker proud. She won Tinker's 2011 Joan Orr Air Force Spouse of the Year award and is up for the Air Force Materiel Command-level award.

Mrs. Marks, wife of 72nd Medical Group Commander Col. Robert Marks, is an active member of the community. She is a volunteer coordinator for the food pantry and president of the Protestant Women of the Chapel program.

"Mrs. Marks' tireless dedication as the volunteer coordinator for the Tinker Food Pantry and her work as president of the Protestant Women of the Chapel, clearly prove that, without a doubt, she is deserving of this award," wrote Maj. Gen. David Gillett, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center commander, in a memorandum regarding her nomination. "Accordingly, she has earned my strongest recommendation for this award."

Named for Joan Orr, the late wife of former of Secretary of the Air Force Verne Orr, the award acknowledges a spouse who has made substantial contributions to the Air Force. Though spouses cannot be in the military, their partners must be active duty, Guard or Reserve.

Mrs. Marks has been an active member of the Tinker community since arriving on base two years ago. In the past year, she's logged more than 800 walk-in appointments and trained and managed a volunteer staff of 17 personnel. She's also reorganized the food stock to highlight readily-available health food, diet and gluten-free choices, and improved the food pantry's storage by 50 percent.

"I am very excited for Kim," said Colonel Marks. "She puts in a lot of time and energy to the food pantry and PWOC as a way to support the community. She does not like the attention she is getting from her hard work but I think she is very deserving and I am very proud of her."

Though she appreciates the recognition, Mrs. Marks said the attention should be put on the opportunity to volunteer.

"Get out and volunteer," she said. "There are so many things to do. There are a lot of opportunities. If you have a few hours a week, there are things to get done."