VERSAILLES — The Versailles Poultry Days Committee has named Larry and Joan (Bulcher) Roll as parade marshals for the 2017 Poultry Days Parade, to take place June 9 to 11.
Versailles Poultry Days has always been a part of their lives. Both were born and raised in the Versailles area and are graduates of Versailles High School.
Larry grew up on the turkey farm started by his parents, Wayne and Lois Roll, in 1945. He returned to Versailles following graduation from Miami University in 1969 to join his parents and his brother Jim as co-owner and manager at Roll Turkey Farm. After graduation he also served in the US Army Reserves. Larry was on the board of directors of the Ohio Poultry Association and represented Ohio to the National Turkey Federation for several years.
Joan graduated from Miami with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education in 1970 and later earned a Masters in Education degree from Wright State University. She taught English at Covington High School for one year and then began substitute teaching while starting a family. In 1984, she took a position as library media specialist with Ansonia Schools until 1994 when she took a similar position at Versailles Schools. While at Versailles, Joan was instrumental in automating the libraries in three school buildings, and then in 2010 helping to consolidate all books from four buildings into the library at the new Versailles School before retiring in 2011. While working, she was a member of the Ohio Educational Library Media Association.
Through the years, Larry has dedicated time to many boards and committees in the Versailles community. Those organizations include director and president of the Versailles Swimming Pool, Versailles Development Association board of directors, Little League baseball coach and Versailles Athletic Boosters. Additionally, Larry was a member of the Versailles Poultry Days committee for many years serving as chairman in 1988 and then as president of Heritage Park board.
Following retirement from Roll Turkey Farm in 2004, Larry was as an EMT on the Versailles Life Squad and spent nine years as a substitute teacher in Darke County Schools. He served on the Wayne Health Care board of directors and was chairman of that board in 2015. He is a member of Lions, Eagles, Knights of Columbus, and American Legion. In recent years he has made four mission trips to Haiti. Currently, he is a director on the board of the Wyandot Mutual Insurance Company. Larry now enjoys time with family, golfing, gardening, refinishing furniture, traveling, and exercising at the YMCA.
Joan was a founding member of the Versailles Handicrafters Club and also a founding member of Friends of Worch Memorial Public Library. She currently participates in the monthly meetings of the Lunch Bunch and Bookends book clubs at Worch Library where she also volunteers and attends monthly knitting sessions. Spare time is spent with family, reading, knitting, walking, going to the YMCA, and traveling.
The Rolls are members of St. Denis Catholic Church where Larry is an usher. He has been on the Worship Committee and Joan served on the For the Harvest Cluster planning committee. Their children and grandchildren are their pride and joy. Jennifer and Jared Walters and children, Mara and Nicholas, live near West Milton, Ohio. Andrea and Nathan Subler and children, Samantha and Jacob, live in West Chester, Ohio, and Shawn lives in Glendale, California.
Larry and Joan encourage everyone to support the Versailles community by attending the Poultry Days festivities June 9 to 11. The 66th annual festival theme is “Poultry Days Eggstravaganza.”
Poultry Days Inc., is a volunteer based, non-profit organization based in Versailles, Ohio which has conducted an annual festival celebrating the area’s history in the Poultry industry since 1952. The festival is held at 459 S. Center Street in Versailles the second full weekend in June since 1952. The group supports community projects and activities that improve the quality of life.
For more information on the festival go to www.versaillespoultrydays.com or email [email protected]. Mailing address is P.O. Box 108, Versailles, OH 45380-0108.
