John (Mithredath) Vining retires

June 8, 2010

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SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—John Vining, controller and assistant treasurer for the GARBC, retires this week after 18 years of service. He was honored at a Wednesday morning employee tribute where he was assigned a few new names.

John Greening, national representative of the GARBC, compared Vining to Mithredath, a Persian accountant who is mentioned in the book of Ezra. “His name is mentioned and then he fades into obscurity,” Greening says. “When a lot of us read this passage, we think, ‘Okay, I’m tuning out on this. But someone had to be aware of all these details.”

Like modern Mithredath, Vining’s role was vital to the GARBC, Greening says. “You worked with excellence, integrity, and a commitment to detail,” he said to Vining during the retirement tribute.

“When you are running an organization, you can’t skip over the details. Without it, the organization cannot run,” Greening says.

Gladys Dillon, who worked with Vining for many years, says Vining “has most of the general ledger numbers memorized, and can spot an error a mile away. He has an excellent memory and retains a lot of the history of the office in his head.”

In her tribute to Vining, Dawn Kalinowski admitted the customer service staff had been calling him “JV” for years, behind his back. “After he announced his retirement, we started calling him this to his face,” Dawn says with a laugh. “We also call him ‘one of the girls’ and invite him to our lunches. You have to be really secure in your manhood to allow this!”

Vining was working for a local manufacturing company and attending Grace Baptist Church, Lombard, Ill., when he was recruited by Vernon Miller to join the GARBC staff in 1992. Vining is a certified public accountant; a graduate of Manchester College, North Manchester, Ind.; and formerly served with the U.S. Army Air Guard. He and his wife, Alice, now attend Faith Baptist Church, Winfield, Ill.

“When Dr. Miller approached me to come and work here, it was the best decision I ever made,” Vining says. “Eighteen years went by pretty fast.”

Michal Nolan presented Vining with 24 golf balls, a new golf bag, and a new putter with a bright red handle. Noting that red is Vining’s favorite color, Nolan said, “Red? Not a good color for an accountant!”