Life-long Polk County resident Alan Leonard was the guest speaker at the August 9 meeting of the Rotary Club of Tryon. After his retirement as the areas District Attorney, Leonard renewed his interest in the history of Polk County.  Alan is the author of 14 articles published in the Tryon Daily Bulletin focusing Polk County residents’ involvement in World War I. His presentation for Rotary focused around the Doughboy statue in Columbus and the story of the seven men whose names are carved in the monument. Club members learned the fate of each of the seven men and about other Polk County residents who served in the war but were not memorialized on the monument. At the end of his presentation, Alan told the club about the history of the Doughboy statue and some of the inaccuracies in it’s carving.  The club was glad to hear that the County Commissioners have taken steps to help preserve the Italian marble monument from environmental decay. Pictured are Alan Leonard and Fred Hartley. (Submitted by Dave Scherping)