SIDNEY — It was a meeting that Shelby County Sheriff John Lenhart has never forgotten.
The year was 1990 and Lenhart was attending the annual National Sheriffs’ Association conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Lenhart was the chairman for the Constitutional Bylaw Committee and was a member of the National Sheriff’s Executive Board.
“President George H.W. Bush came up and sat beside me on the stage,” said Lenhart. “I’ve never been more nervous in my life.”
The association was getting ready to vote on bylaw changes and Lenhart had to present the changes to the group.
“I kept running Robert’s Rules of Order through my mind,” said Lenhart. “I didn’t want to get it wrong with the president sitting there.”
After Lenhart’s presentation, the president said, “You handled that good, sheriff.”
Bush was the guest speaker at the conference, said Lenhart. He also meet with the executive board after the meeting.
“He was really a law enforcement person,” said Lenhart. “He was a gentleman and a good leader. He was a World War II pilot who was shot down in the South Pacific. He was a very special man.”
During the conference, Bush declared the week of June 24 to 30 as National Sheriffs Week. It was the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Sheriffs’ Association.
