About 130 members from the Benevolent Patriotic Order, or BPO, Does organizations from three states are expected to be in Tucumcari from Thursday through Saturday.

Tucumcari Drove #210  is hosting the BPO Does annual state meeting this week.

The meeting will be held at the Tucumcari Elks Lodge #1172.

Does organizations from Clovis, Roswell, Artesia, Farmington, Carlsbad, Ruidoso, Grants-Milan, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, La Junta, Colo., and Douglas, Ariz., and elsewhere are expected to attend, said local Does secretary Jessica Braziel.

Membership in Drove #210 is about 50 and nearly half of the members, including president Kathy Aragon, are expected to assist in hosting the event.
State Does leaders who are expected to attend are the past supreme presidents Sally Richmond of Texas, Roberta Reichert of Arizona, Karen Bennett of  Wisconsin, Jo Newton and Ellen Tomberlin of New Mexico, as well as supreme president elect Belinda Puckett of Ruidoso, who will be president  in 2009.

The current president Dianne Labor of Rapid City, S.D., will conduct the school of instruction on Saturday.  For her year as president, Labor choose as her song, “What the World Needs Now is Love;” her colors,  pink and green; and her theme, a Star, illustrating Spirit, Teamwork, Achievement and Respect. 
Labor was raised with ties to the Elks Lodge. Her father, Nash, is a life member of Rapid City Elks Lodge # 1187 and her mother, Bernice, has been a member of Rapid City Drove #33 for more than 50 years.

Labor was initiated into Rapid City Drove #33 in1962, she was Installed as president of that Drove in 1971. She also served as co-chair for the Grand Lodge Convention held in Rapid City in 2003 and was elected to the position of Supreme Outer Guard at that convention.

Labor has a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education and has taught for 35 years. She also served five years as president of the Girl Scout Council of the Black Hills and 10 years as director of Camp Friendship, a  camp for developmentally disabled young people and adults.

She and her husband, Bob, who is a life member of Rapid City Elks Lodge #1187, have three adult children and seven grandchildren.