Fall Bocce Picnic at Fran Massucci's - 9/21/04

Bocce Ballers Redux! - Levesque/Klein/Kennedy/Potrepka claim consecutive titles

The vaunted BocceBallers survived scares from Slumlord Properties, LLC and the Bocce Lords, but managed to win their 2nd consecutive Douglas H. McLeod Trophy last Wednesday evening at the beautifully manicured Fran Massucci Bocce Complex.
Event Chair Elaine Maloney presented a magnificent 'steak n fixins' feast, with the wonderful Tops' Market steaks grilled to adequacy by chef Rodney Q. Greaves. The feast was completed with Kevin Mezzanotte's legendary apple betty. More...

2004 William S. Thomson Golf Scramble

Tourney Website...

The 2004 Southington Rotary William S. Thomson was held Wednesday, July 14, 2004 at Southington Country Club. We raised over $26,000 for Southington Rotary projects including the $3,000 William S. Thomson Scholarship. Our first recipient, Jillian Oparowski, was honored at the evening awards dinner.

We would like to give special thanks to our major sponsors:

Banknorth

Connecticare

Thomson Financial

Farmington Savings

Annual Officer Installation Dinner at the Manor Inn Restaurant - 6/4/04

Officers for the year 2004-2005:

Richard Corcoran, President

Rodney Greaves, Vice President

Robin Morrell, Secretary

Rosemary DeFeo, Treasurer

Excerpts from incoming Southington Rotary President Richard Corcoran's Inaugural Address presented to a packed house at the Manor Inn, Milldale, CT on Friday evening, June 4, 2004 - President Corcoran approaches the podium....

Learning altruism abroad on Rotary dime

By JC REINDL, New Britain Herald staff writer

PLAINVILLE --One of the town’s chief welcomers will leave for Australia next summer.
Chamber of Commerce employee Sara Chorzempa was awarded a scholarship by the Southington Rotary Club last Saturday to study abroad. Because her desk is located directly inside the front door of the Chamber of Commerce, Chorzempa is often the first person visitors meet when stopping in town for advice or directions. She is responsible for supporting community functions, handling phone calls, and answering questions from whomever wanders into the office.

"Where can I find waterfalls?" and "how do I get to Norton Park?" are typical questions Chorzempa said she has answered since arriving in July. A Southington resident, Chorzempa admitted she never spent much time in Plainville before this year. "I didn’t know much about Plainville before I worked here," Chorzempa said, "but the people are just terrific." Chorzempa said she will use her $25,000 Ambassadorial Scholarship to study international relations and public policy for a year at the University of Queensland, located on the Eastern edge of the Gold Coast in Brisbane, Australia.

A 1998 graduate of Southington High School and a 2002 graduate of Fordham University in New York, Chorzempa said she will use the opportunity to help further career aspirations in conflict negotiation and peace management. Chorzempa said she was a dual American- and African-American studies major in college, and hopes to someday find employment in a field where she can be idealistic but practical. "I’m looking for something I can help people with, but also something I can work in," Chorzempa said.

Rotary Clubs allow scholarship recipients to submit six universities throughout the world where they would like to study. Southington Rotary chose University of Queensland from her list of schools in Africa, Australia and New Zealand, she said. This will be her second trip to Australia; she spent six months at the University of South Wales in Sydney during her senior year in college. It was then that Chorzempa developed an interest in helping to improve the social and economic conditions for Australian native aboriginal tribes, she said. If her schedule grants sufficient flexibility, Chorzempa said she will try to become involved in aboriginal community service projects during her stay.

Chorzempa said she first heard about the scholarship nine months ago, while speaking to the Southington Rotary about a previous trip they had sponsored for her. While on winter break her sophomore year of college, Chorzempa said she traveled to Kingston, Jamaica with a group of 11 Fordham students to take part in a global outreach program at the Missionary of Charity Shelter. The shelter was founded by Mother Theresa, and serves the needs of the neediest individuals in Kingston, where the citizen already lives in extreme poverty, she said. "Those people didn’t have anything," Chorzempa said. "It was shocking coming from Southington, Connecticut and seeing this really intense stuff."

Once she returned home, Chorzempa said she learned that the outreach program did not allow volunteers to return to a country two years in a row, unless the participant applied to become a group leader. Chorzempa said she knew it would be a challenge, but because of the bonds she developed with Kingston residents during her mission, she decided to assume the added responsibility and apply for the program again during her junior year. "You’re not supposed to go back," Chorzempa said, "(but) I chose to lead it because I really wanted to see those people."

The Kingston trips cost about $1,500 each per person, and many volunteers turned to local businesses for sponsorships. Thanks to the Rotary’s generous donation, Chorzempa said she was able to raise the necessary funds. - complete text

2003 Bocci Night Picnic at Fran Massucci's - 9/17/03

The Winners!!!! - The Bocci Ballers

John (The Artist) Kennedy

Ron (The Strategist) Klein

Pauline (The-First-Woman-in-Southington-Rotary) Levesque

Chet (The Bocci Jet) Potrepka)

more...

2003 William S. Thomson Golf Scramble

The 2003 Southington Rotary William S. Thomson Golf Scramble was held on Wednesday, July 9, 2003 at the Southington Country Club. The event, our major fundraiser, raised $23,000 to support our club projects, including the newly-established William S. Thomson Scholarship.

more...

"Bring a Guest to Lunch" featuring Rotary Jeopardy at The Orchards - 5/28/03

Congratulations to Chet Potrepka for winning our Rotary Jeopardy program over the talented field of Charlie Cocuzza, Rod Greaves and Walt Hushak.

Full Rotary Jeopardy! game board...

William (Wild Willie) Taylor, Southington Rotary Lifetime Member Inductee

I am proud have been asked to induct Bill Taylor as a Lifetime Member of the Rotary Club of Southington.  I feel a bit put out about being passed up for the John Mullett or Tom McKnerney gig, but we are all team players here, and you do what you’re asked to do.

Born and raised in the streets of New York City, Bill early on fell in with ruffians and the like, living the rough and tumble West Side Story, yet taking time to sing streetcorner harmony with one Dion DiMucci in an acapella group which became known as Dion & the Belmonts.  You might be interested to know that it was Bill’s soaring falcetto you heard on the 50’s hit 45 “Why Must I Be A Teenager in Love.” The album jacket shows a tall, skinny kid with a greased-back DA haircut, looking something like a 50’s Kevin Mezzanotte.

After a brief stint doing ‘hard time’ for running numbers for the Mob (he was known as “Willie the Tailor”),  Bill enrolled at Columbia University, you guessed it, just in time for the 1960's student takeover of the University administration building.

He then appeared, Zelig-like, as a guest composer-performer with the Moody Blues, penning “Nights in White Satin” for their ‘Days of Future Past’ LP and then playing bass and being something of a groupie-magnet on their subsequent world-wide tour.

But then Bill decided it was time to focus on his real passion- banking.

Bill joined the Southington Rotary in 1984, garnering a solid 58% approval by the membership.  He immediately made his mark on the Club, teaming with Tom McKnerney to pass legislation that every Club event be an open bar, even breakfast meetings.  He rose through the chairs eventually becoming President in 1990, succeeding a true Rotary legend (whose name escapes me at the moment), using the campaign slogan ‘hey, back off, it’s MY turn!’  Unfortunately, during his term as President, Bill hurt his back and, depending on who you listen to, was out of action, according to legend, for 6 YEARS!  But, regardless, Bill left his mark on our Club:

In addition to serving as President, Bill was the voice of reason as the chair, for over six years, of the sometimes-stormy Gifts & Grants committee.  He also chaired the important Scholarship Committee for two years.  He was a silky-smooth voice of the airwaves on Rotary Radio Days and the deadpan sidekick to yours truly in some truly memorable (some would say truly forgettable) Rotary skits and tributes.

Bill Taylor is what Rotary is meant to be- someone who works hard

I am honored to introduce one of the three new Lifetime Members of the Southington Rotary Club - my fellow Rotarian – and my friend – Bill Taylor.  

John Kennedy, Presenter

Lifetime Member Induction Luncheon at The Orchards - 4/30/03

Lifetime member inductees:

Tom McKnerney presented by Chet Potrepka

Bill Taylor presented by John Kennedy (see above)

John Mullett presented by whom?

Bysiewicz discusses voting reform

By BRIAN FRAGA, New Britain Herald staff writer

SOUTHINGTON -- Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz addressed members of the Southington Rotary Club Wednesday in a speech focusing on her office’s voting reform efforts and business development initiatives.

Bysiewicz explained to the 40 Rotary members assembled in the community room at The Orchards retirement community exactly what her job title entails and how she has gone about fulfilling her responsibilities since being elected secretary of the state in 1998. "Since the Florida (voting) debacle in 2000, people seem to have a better idea of what I do," Bysiewicz said. "I’m like the CEO of a $100-million business that turns a profit for the state of Connecticut."

State corporations and LLC’s have to register with her office and update their business profile and information annually. Bysiewicz was the first secretary of the state to post that information on the Internet and says she plans to also have an online file of business documents such as annual reports and merger papers. "The information is good for people with LLC’s and corporations to see what their competition is doing," Bysiewicz said. "Having the information online also makes you sure your information is accurate and that you know it is there."

Election reform has also been a major focus of Bysiewicz’ term, and she detailed to her audience a particular initiative she is championing that would allow three Connecticut municipalities to test electronic voting machines. According to a federal law signed last year by President George W. Bush, each state must update its voting systems by 2006. Known as the Help America Vote Act, Bysiewicz called it "one of the most important voting rights legislation since the National Voting Rights Act of 1965."

Bysiewicz is proposing three towns use electronic voting machinery for the 2003 municipal elections. She said the technology would give voters the option to confirm their votes on a screen and would print a hard copy of each ballot. Bysiewicz was not concerned whether the elderly could handle the technology. - complete article

Car Raffles

Thanks to the efforts of Rod Greaves, our club raised approximately $50,000 over a three-year period by conducting car raffles:
2000 - VW Beetle
2001 - VW Beetle The 2001 Drawing
2002 - Mazda Miata The 2002 Results

Jazz 'N Ribs Fundraiser for PolioPlus at the Mountain Room - 10/3/02

"Great Jazz, Great Food, Great Cause" was the theme of an evening to truly satisfy the soul and senses. In the jazz club setting of Mt. Southington's Mountain Room, the Southington Rotary Club hosted Jazz 'N Ribs, a fundraiser to benefit the Rotary International PolioPlus campaign to eradicate the polio virus worldwide.

Guests enjoyed succulent ribs and fixins' prepared by chef Patrick Noury, served by student volunteers fron the Southington High School Interact Club, then listened to the hot jazz of the Billy Cofrances Quartet featuring New York jazz vocalist Nicole Pasternak.

New haven-based saxophonist Cofrances, who cites Cannonball Adderly, Eric Kloss and Paul Desmond as influences, was backed by Tom Devino-drums, Steve Taylor-bass and Joe McWilliams-keyboards. The musicians seemed inspired by the tasty backdrop of oversized black and white posters of jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis and delighted the capacity audience with two sets of energized jazz standards. Pasternak, whom Chuck Berg of JAZZTIMES has described as "reminiscent of a young Ella," often traded scat-laced vocals with Cofrances' tenor and alto licks. She even playfully blended in an audience request for Michael Franks' jazz/pop hit, "Popsicle Toes."

Billy's website features some wonderful pictures from the event.
More pictures... courtesy of Trish Walden

2002 Southington Rotary Golf Scramble

The 6th annual Southington Rotary Golf Scramble was held Wednesday, July 24, 2002 at Pine Valley Golf Club.

more...

2002 Annual Installation Dinner at the Mountain Room - 6/21/02

Incoming Officers:

Dolores Fanelli, President

Dan Daigle, Vice President

Victoria Triano

John Salerno, Treasurer

more...

Murder Mystery Cocktail Fundraiser at Carol Grant's House - 6/7/02

Who Put the Eccentric on Ice?

The year is 1953, and the unthinkable has happened! That most popular of private eyes, that gastronomic gumshoe himself, the famous Neron Volt has been murdered in his Manhattan brownstone. Gasp! Who could have committed such a deplorable deed? _ more...

Rotary Club of Southington, 2001 Apple Harvest Booth Awards

Once in a great while, an event occurs which is of such stature that it cannot be ignored.  The Southington Rotary Apple Harvest Booth semi-standing awards committee felt that this year we experienced one such event, and we are here to.....honor it?

I must point out that in the history of the Rotary Apple Harvest Booth, going back to....well, a long, long time... one event stands above all others.  Let me take you back a few years.  It’s late afternoon on the last day of the festival and Rotary has decided to begin dismantling the booth – floors must be unscrewed and disassembled according to some secret formula known only to John Ryan, fryolaters must be emptied and cleaned, refrigerators must be wrestled.

But before that, because the Fritter Booth next door was still doing a brisk business, the crew is in their pre-dismantle relaxation mode -  John Kennedy and Steve Parsons sharing a cola in the front, John ‘Curly’ Mullett going around back to check the propane tanks.   After fiddling around with the propane for a bit, Curly must have muttered out loud, “There seemed to be a leak here and what happens if this thing blows up!” 

All of a sudden all hell breaks loose! Panic sets in at the Fritter Booth!  Workers yelling and screaming, bodies FLYING out of the booth as Messrs Parson/Kennedy look on with bewilderment.  Curly appears around front and announces understatedly that he thinks there might be a problem as the sounds of fire/police sirens and screaming people fleeing for there lives, fill the early Autumn evening air.  Steve Parsons suggests that this might be a wonderful time to hand in the remaining tokens, and the committee conveniently disappears into the crowd.  Legend has it that only a heroic effort by Pauline Levesque saved the Rotary Club from being banished from the Festival forever.  John ‘Curly’ Mullett to this day is forbidden to be anywhere near the propane tanks.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d like you all to greet warmly the Southington Rotary Club Apple Harvest Booth Hall of Fame’s only current member – John ‘Curly’ Mullett!!!!

Fast forward to 2001.  The location is different now – churches are not at risk.  We no longer sell grinders or chicken fingers.  But the Southington Rotary spirit remains.  The booth has been set up, refrigerators have been wrestled into place and, on this wonderful Friday afternoon, we are putting on the final touches in preparation for the Festival’s opening.  I, as a seasoned observer (not to be confused with a seasoned curlyfry), am up in the front of the booth doing what I do best – observing.  Ummmm....i observe, fries in exchange for fritters....fries in exchange for chili......and are these wild pigs really officers of the law?    I ponder............

Ron Graves and Charlie Cocuzza are testing the fryolators......seasoned veterans making sure that our famous fries (small order- two tokens, large order-same size, larger container-four tokens) are cooked to perfection.

I hear in the background “Rod, this flame went out, I’m going to light it again.”  Distracted by some passersby, I continue to observe and ponder.....look at the....when BOOM!.....my heart leaps from my chest!  I think I’m having a heart attack!....Gathering myself, I turn around.......Charlie is standing there with a look of shock and amazement, but seems ok.....I turn to Rod......my immediate thoughts go to Santa Claus in the off-season.....covered head to toe with soot!.....hair, eyebrows, ....he looks dazed.....so I can’t tell if anything is wrong – he always looks that way......I yell, “Rod, are you ok,”  not knowing whether to laugh or cry......concerned for Rod’s safety...knowing that he’s in charge of the booth this weekend and not wanting to have to take his place......

Suddenly, to my relief, Charlie and Rod, in the best spirit of Rotary, each start blaming the other for the near-catastrophe, calling the other careless and incompetent.  Kyong Wilson, a fellow observer, rushes in to cool down  the two hot-tempered young bucks, as I thought to myself – Curly, I think we have two winners here!!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen – please welcome the latest inductees into the Southington Rotary Apple Harvest Booth Hall of Fame – Charlie Cocuzza and Rod Greaves!!!!!

2001 Apple Harvest Booth Hall of Fame Inductees

Previous Inductees:

• John 'Curly' Mullett

Current Inductees:

• Charlie Cocuzza
  
• Rod Greaves (a/k/a Ron Graves)

Induction presentation by
Hall of Fame committee chair, John A. Kennedy, Jr. - here...

The "legendary" Carnac the Magnificent skit

Presented at the Southington Rotary Club's annual installation dinner on June 9, 2000 with John Kennedy as Johnny Carson's Carnac and Bill Taylor as Ed McMahon.  It was a noble effort, but it was legendary in how badly it came off.  Trust us, you had to be there.

 

1.  ANSWER.  Cyclone

QUESTION.  What do you get when you clone a guy named Cy?

  

2. ANSWER.  Skalliwags.

QUESTION.  What does Tom McKnerney’s skalli do when it’s happy?

3.          ANSWER:  A, B, C, D, E, F, G

 Question:  Dr. Blumer, can you tell us some of the earlier versions of Preparation H?

4.  ANSWER.  John Karcz

QUESTION.  What will you find impounded at police headquarters the day after a crackdown on prostitution?

5.  ANSWER.  Bible belt.

QUESTION.  What holds up Dave Stroshal’s trousers?

6.         ANSWER.  The plane, boss!...The plane!!

 QUESTION.  What did Richard Corcoran exclaim when Trish Walden asked which kind of M&M’s he wanted.

  

7.  ANSWER.  The gas chamber

 QUESTION.  Describe Pauline Levesque’s office after a hearty Rotary lunch of franks and beans.

 8.  ANSWER.  John Ryan, John Mullett, John Kennedy

            QUESTION.  Name a surly, a curly, and a “shirley”

9.  ANSWER.  Murder, she wrote.

 QUESTION.  Leslie, some thoughts about how to reward Rod Greaves for the job he did this year as President of the Rotary Club?

10.  ANSWER.  Bob Morton, Nanci Jaros and George Costanzo

QUESTION.  Name a lender, a sender and a bender

11.           ANSWER.  Hell if I know

 QUESTION.  What do you get when you cross an elephant with a rhinocerous?            (Elephino)

12.  ANSWER.  Easter, Navy, and Olmstead

 QUESTION.  Name three seals (Ceil).

13.  ANSWER.  There will be hell toupee!!

 QUESTION.  What will happen if Satan ever loses his hair?

14.  ANSWER.  Rosy red cheeks

 QUESTION.  Ms. Walstrom, what do you feel was the your biggest benefit from our recent fireside chat?

15.           ANSWER:  The BIG ten

 QUESTION. What might you call the five finalists in the Miss Rotary Contest?

16.           Answer:  911

 Question:  How do you call for room service at the Parsons/Greaves luxury hotel in beautiful downtown New Britain?

17.           Answer:  Dave Stroshal, Vicki Triano and Steve Parsons

 Question:  Name three parsons

18.           Answer:  Nice Rack!

 Question:  Name a common response to the opening of a bridal shower gift.

19.           Answer:  Numbers are my friends.

 Question:  What was Treasurer Dolores Fanelli’s final dazed, pre-impeachment uttering to the IRS.

20.           Answer:  New Tower of Babel

 Question:  What are the naysayers calling the Florian/Coccuzza Renaissance skyscraper planned for downtown Southington.

Rejected answers

• He who lives in a glass house should not invite he who is without sin for dinner. 
• Today is the last day of your life – so far. 
• Contrary to popular opinion, there’s nothing wrong with sex on TV – as long as you don’t fall off. 
• Red meat is bad for you.  Fuzzy green meat is even worse!

“Glib” Carnac Responses

1.        May the bird of paradise fly up your sister’s hoop skirt.

2.        May the sands of time nestle into your Chicken Francais.

3.    May you be forced to visit a near-sighted proctologist.

4.    May a diseased yak squat in your hot tub.

5.    May Shaquille O’Neill slam-dunk your favorite cat.

6.    May a weird holy man drop a cactus down your shorts.

Southington Bandstand Project - dedicated 9/8/99

In celebration of its 50th anniversary (1948-1998), the Southington Rotary Club decided to spearhead a campaign to raise funds to purchase a self-contained mobile stage unit that would be donated to the Town of Southington for use by the Parks and Recreation Department. Research by John Kennedy pointed to this unit as being something the Parks and Recreation Department wanted for years, but could never fit into their budget. More...

Rotary Club of Southington, 1999 Annual Installation Dinner

Induction of Rodney Greaves as Southington Rotary Club President

Well, folks – you saw it with your own eyes…….John Ryan, a fallen President…..it’s sad really, for he came to office with such lofty ideals…….Yet he became intoxicated with the power of the office…….and abused that power…..abused us, really…….and he, therefore left office in disgrace…..as did Nixon and McKnerney and Parsons before him……But we cannot dwell on these .we must learn from these difficult life lessons. 

So we turn to……….Ron Graves?????????……..Who is this guy?  What does he represent?  What is his agenda?   Can he lead us out of our ideological darkness into the light of our Rotary ideals?…….What's up with those shirts?????????????

Perhaps we should take a closer look

Review of new cabinet (yes, it is a cabinet!!!!)

·        Treasurer Delores Fanelli - ok, ok enough with the hat thing!!!!  Artsy type…that's always trouble……publishes a well-known left-wing (some would call it subversive) weekly newsletter….

·        Secretary Nancy Dishereits - innocent-looking, but extremely dangerous;  as treasurer, she cleverly designed her monthly reports so as to completely confuse the membership, some say,  to cover up the sinister deeds of the previous administration.

·        Vice-President Leslie Cotton - subversive type; has record of infiltrating governmental organizations and wreaking havoc by expanding services and public access – anyone that progressive must be up to no good……watch her!!!

·        President Rod Greaves - The king is dead!  Long live the king!!!   

Rotary International Intelligence has forwarded to us a dossier on this sinister-looking, sartorial horrorshow. It reads, in part, as follows:

 

1. A/k/a "RON GRAVES"…..few people know why…..fewer care

2. Redhaired - suspicion of 'touching up' to support his self-image of matinee idol

3. Perhaps a pound or two over his campaign-listed weight of 155 lbs.

4. Shameless craver of publicity - example, always acting up in the presence of  the media in order to get his picture in the paper

5. New Britain slumlord with a number of rat-infested properties owned together with reputed mobster Stephen Parsons, the Yugo automobile magnate

6. Is rumored to have a serious madras fetish

7. Secretly refers to the all-female members of his administration as "the dishes in his cabinet."

8. Given to dressing as either a lawn chair or as a as brightly colored ice-cream parlor awning.

9.  As a suck-up to visiting Rotary dignitaries, makes legendary brown-noser Bill Taylor look like Don Rickles. (Rod has recently stated that incoming District Governor, TOM VORHEES has been the most influential person in his life!)

A look at some of the proposed planks in President Ron Graves' platform for the upcoming year:

1.  Secretly really likes the “big turkey sandwich lunch” and has asked Teresa to have it twice as often in the coming year.

2.   Proposes to make Steve Parsons the official finer for his entire term, thereby thwarting the weekly Greaves/Parsons picture-in-the-paper fine.  However, this may not be a legal maneuver, according to Club legal counsel Joe (NO, this is NOT a football helmet) DePaolo, citing Rotary Rule 87-7B, which states, in part, that " when a shared slumlord relationship exists between a Club President and another member of the same Club, it is inadvisable to have co-exist between the same parties a relationship of President/Official Finer -  for obvious reasons"

3. He wants a real microphone to go along with the podium's microphone holder, regardless of the cost!

4. Wants to honor our women Rotarians with an annual "Chicks in Rotary" luncheon

5. Plans to pressure Bob Morton to diversify the Rotary Trust investment portfolio, possibly into real estate…..perhaps certain rat-invested real estate in New Britain.

6. Will propose skipping the annual dues to Rotary District 7890 and instead take a flyer on a really big powerball jackpot….when questioned about the wisdom of such and act, he defiantly says…HEY, YOU NEVER KNOW!!!!

There you have it.  He is not our ideal candidate, but he's all we've got right now and we must support him!!  Please give up a lukewarm Rotary welcome to our new president, Rod Greaves!

John Kennedy, Presenter

Southington Rotary 50th Anniversary Celebration at the Aqua Turf Club - 11/14/98

HOW OLD ARE WE NOW?
Ralph Riccio lights the ceremonial candle for the Rotary Club of Southington's 50th anniversary cake, as fellow past presidents, from left, Audrey Brown, Nanci Jaros, Thomas McKnerney, and Francis Massucci watch. The evening was memorable, despite the wrong beginning year on the cake. (The Observer 11/19/98; photo by Robin Michel)

Rotary Success (The Observer editorial 11/19/98)

Last weekend marked an important milestone in the history of one one the town's unsung organizations. The Rotary Club of Southington marked its half-century of providing selfless service to citizens. Over the years, thanks to the club, thousands of dollas have been donated to worthy causes. Students have received scholarships, the Red Cross was the proud recipient of a new ambulance, and internationally their support enabled the PolioPlus Campaign to reach its goal five years early to inoculate children in Third World countries against serious disease.

Members, who come from all sectors of the business world, continue with good fellowship upon which the first club was founded in Chicago in 1905. But more importantly is their dedication to providing 'Service Above Self' to people worldwide.

Undoubtedly, the first 50 years of the local chapter will prove to be the model as they carry their goodwill into the new millennium.

Article in The Observer 11/19/98