There are 195 countries in the world today.
Warren and Laberta Stout, SRGMC members, have visited 38. Amazing, huh?
Club members traditionally present the SRGMC November program. The Stout’s will present “Touring the World: Finding Rocks” at the Spring River Gem & Mineral Club meeting on November 1, 10 AM, Thunderbird Center, 62 N. Lakeshore Rd., Cherokee Village.
What inspired Warren and Laberta Stout to embark on these adventures? “In the mid-80s, we were told our son, Marcus, had problems with his eyes and would probably go blind in a few years. We needed to show him, to let him see many places, quickly. We began in the USA. We made yearly trips to Yellowstone, hiked the Grand Canyon, and floated the Colorado River. Once we started hiking, we did not stop.”
Thankfully, their son did not eventually go blind. But curiosity about other countries led them to expand their horizons and visit overseas.
In 2006 they made their first trip to Egypt. From there they began visiting a different country every year. “Israel is our favorite country. We’re also fond of several African countries. Our last trip was to Greece and Turkey. It was our 3rd trip to Turkey. It’s such a big country you need to visit it in different sections.” During “Touring the World: Finding Rocks”, the Stout’s will show rocks from several countries.
Warren and Laberta live in Evening Shade. Before retirement, Warren was a TV Engineer at ASU and Laberta was an RN.
Visitors are invited to attend the meeting. For members only, each meeting has a silent auction for mineral and fossil specimens. In lieu of a December meeting, SRGMC will host a Christmas party. For further info call or text 870.847.3109
