Retirement celebration for Dave Strosahl...

Sunday, September 13, 2009 2PM - 5PM Aqua Turf Club $35 per ticket For tickets: First Baptist Church of Southington 860.628.8121 email at erin@fbcsouth.net Please feel free to send to the church congratulatory cards and letters, which will be presented at the retirement celebration.

A farewell conversation with Rev. David C. Strosahl
After 22 years as pastor of First Baptist Church of Southington, the Rev. David Conrad Strosahl will retire on Oct. 4. He is being hon­ored Sunday at a celebration at the Aqua Turf Club. Upon retirement, he and his wife, the Rev. Cynthia “Cyndi” Johnston Strosahl, are moving to a new home in Biddeford, Maine, which has been the host state of their family vacations since they were married in 1982. Their son Andrew, 26, lives only 32 miles away in Dover, N.H. as does their daughter, Sarah, 22, who attends the Universi­ty of New Hampshire. Their retirement holds the promise of being enriched by famil­iar surroundings and prox­imity to family. Strosahl was born on Oct. 8, 1947 in Plainfield, N.J. At age 7, his family moved to its ancestral home in Hones­dale, Penn. He attended Mansfield University in Mansfield, Penn., and earned a bachelor of science degree in education in 1969. While in college, a stronger, higher calling came, so upon gradu­ation, he took a brief posi­tion as a social sciences teacher while awaiting ad­mission later that year to An­dover Newton Theological School in Newton Center, Mass. In 1972, he received a master’s degree in divinity and accepted a position at the Lincoln Park Baptist Church in West Newton, Mass. From 1976 to 1987, he served as pastor of First Bap­tist Church in Hudson, N.H. He met, and in 1982 married, Cyndi Johnston, who was also attending Andover New­ton. She graduated in 1986. A year later, with toddler, An­drew, and infant, Sarah, in tow, the young family arrived in Southington, where he be­came pastor of the First Bap­tist Church, located at 581 Meriden Ave., a church that was founded in 1738. He suc­ceeded the Rev. Gordon Swan, now a director of the American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts. - (complete article in The Southington Citizen)

New member induction...

Membership chair Arthur Blumer inducts new member Gloria Brown
as sponsor John Kennedy bears witness.

Our friend...

SOUTHINGTON - Dr. Thomas K. McKnerney Sr. DDS, passed away after a lengthy illness on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008. He was the husband of Arline (Johnson) McKnerney.

He was born Sept. 14, 1931 in New Britain, son of the late Reginald and Angeline (Kane) McKnerney. Dr. McKnerney had practiced in Southington for 40 years. He was a lifetime member of the Rotary Club of Southington.

Besides his wife he is survived by three sons, Thomas K. McKnerney Jr. and his wife, Laura, Paul McKnerney and his wife, Dawn, all of Southington, Kevin McKnerney and his wife, Jennifer of Lebanon; two sisters, Rita Stiano and her husband, Joseph of Berlin, and Joanne Johannes of Niantic; six grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Reilly, and Maggie, all of Lebanon, Shawn, Brandon and Devin, all of Southington; several nieces, nephews and friends. Dr. McKnerney enjoyed his grandchildren and spending quality time with his family.

The funeral will be held Friday 10 a.m. at St. Thomas Church, 99 Bristol St. Burial will be in St. Thomas Cemetery. There are no calling hours. Donations may be made in his memory to the CT Children's Hospital, Pediatric Cardiology, 282 Washington St., Hartford, CT 06106 or the American Cancer Society, PO Box 907, Wallingford, CT 06492-0907. DellaVecchia Funeral Home, 211 N. Main St., Southington is in charge of arrangements. For online condolences visit dellavecchiafh.com

Can JR/JK get a makeup?

Carrollton Rotary Club beer tent at the 2007 Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans

Nice article in the R-J about Rotary member...

Plantsville Pharmacy has had success despite emergence of chains
By Rachel K. Raczka, Record-Journal staff
 
SOUTHINGTON — In the age of the chain pharmacy, it is a true rarity. Plantsville Pharmacy, appro­priately situated among the vil­lage’s many antique shops, is marking its 60th year of contin­uous ownership by the same family. Pharmacist James Potrepka calls it “a quiet celebration.” The store, previously named Hallahan’s Pharmacy, was pur­chased by siblings Frank, Bernadine and Chester Potrep­ka Sr. in April 1946 and re­named Plantsville Pharmacy. “It’s an icon. When you men­tion Plantsville you think of the pharmacy. It has been the one place everyone gathers around,” said Art Secondo, president of the Greater Southington Chamber of Com­merce. The building has functioned as a pharmacy under different names since the 1800s. Today, Plantsville Pharmacy is run by cousins and pharma­cists Chester and James Potrep­ka, both of Southington.

“It’s an unofficial historic landmark,” said Chester Potrepka, who began working for his father in 1980, after graduating from the University of Connecticut Pharmacy School in 1977. Creaky wooden floors and antique light fixtures are the first things one notices setting foot in the pharmacy. The racks of candy have handwritten price tags. Shelves of medica­tions and rustic wooden filing cabinets with phone numbers written on aging Post-it notes line the backroom, in obvious contrast to the atmosphere of the CVS or Walgreens up the road. “The fixtures may look an­tique, but we have up-to-date computer filing systems,” Chester Potrepka said. The pharmacy uses a QS­1 Pharmacy System that continu­ously updates itself.
 
“We’re very satisfied,” James Potrepka said of the computer system. The store’s timework ap­pearance, however, is deliber­ate. “It’s a village atmosphere and historically pharmacies have always looked like this,” he said. James Potrepka also graduat­ed from UConn Pharmacy School in 1970 and abandoned his original plans to be a veteri­narian to work in the family business. “I am very happy with my decision,” he said.


Competing with chain phar­macies that offer services such as drive-through prescription pickup and 24-hour service does not intimidate Plantsville Pharmacy. “What’s kept it here is the loyalty of the customers,” Chester Potrepka said. “We’re a hometown business, basically run by your neighbors.” Secondo said the reason for its longevity is the personalized service that only a family­owned pharmacy provides. Customers also like the idea of patronizing the same establish­ment where their parents shopped. “While many things in the world have changed, chain pharmacies have come and gone in the town, but Plantsville Pharmacy is still there,” he said.

Both pharmacists said they would not consider another job with a commercial pharmacy. “I enjoy working with the community. I love this commu­nity and I love the people in this town,” James Potrepka said. “Customers feel safer getting something from someone who cares,” said Chester Potrepka’s daughter, Jessica Potrepka, 20, a clerk at the pharmacy. “They get to know the pharmacists and form a bond.”

rraczka@record-journal.com 203.235.1661

Who Will Be The Next Rotarian IDOL????

SOUTHINGTON ROTARY CLUB 2006 SPRING MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

Being a Rotarian means being a part of an organization that changes millions of lives around the globe every day. The talents you share with others make a huge difference to those in need.

Some of the ways that lives are changed include:

§ Eradicating polio
§ Building sanitation services in Third World countries
§ Preparing youth for leadership throughout the world
§ Responding to disasters around the world
§ Making a difference, one Rotarian at a time

This year to promote membership our committee is developing the Who Will Be The Next Rotarian Idol membership drive. The goal we have set is to raise membership in our club by 10% before the end of this year. That means adding 4 new members between now and July 1st.

The date we have set for our Membership Recruitment Day is Wednesday May 17th.
Team captains are:

Helen Archangelo Art Blumer, Co Chair Audrey Brown Charlie Cocuzza Rich Corcoran	Matt O’Keefe Steve Parsons Harvey Polansky Chet Potrepka Donn Reilly
Dan Daigle Rosemary DeFeo Joe DePaolo Dolores Fanelli John Gissas	Ginny Roy John Ryan John Salerno Carl Sokolowski Dave Strosahl
Dr. Carol Grant Rod Greaves Dennis Kane Harold Kane John Kennedy	Vicki Triano Audrey Vinci Ruth Warner Trish Walden Dave Zoni
Ron Klein Dan Longo Elaine Maloney Mike Mathieu Robin Morrell

Each team is challenged to recruit one good member to become a “Southington Rotarian Idol.” We encourage you to bring this candidate to the meeting on May 17th because it will be at this meeting that we play the Rotarian Idol game and prospective new members will not only have some fun, they will meet other Rotarian “Idols” in the process. If however, you have a candidate who cannot come to this meeting we encourage you to have them come anytime. Let’s try to make this a great year for bringing in new members!!!!

An invitation from Carol Grant.....

INVITATION
Dr. Carol Grant and her staff warmly invite you and your staff to celebrate the grand opening of her new office at 1601 Meriden-Waterbury Tpk Milldale. The celebration is from 5-7 and refreshments will be served. Ribbon cutting at 6 ish. We are located at the corner of Clark Street and Meriden-Wtby Tpk. RSVP regrets only at 860-620-9523. See you there.

(note: as soon as Carol tells me the DATE, I will gladly pass it along to you; otherwise, just pick a day and go there, but be sure to go between 5-7pm.)

Carl Sokolowski, John Ryan honored

YMCA honors three for their efforts by Jessica Kastner, Observer staff writer

Carl Sokolowski is the Town Historian. Mike Albert is President of Pilgrim Furniture and John Ryan was the coordinator of the Apple Harvest Festival. Although the three men represent different sectors of the community, they have one thing in common- they help people. Sokolowski, Albert and Ryan were honored by the Southington-Cheshire Community YMCA last week for their contributions to the community over the past year.

YMCA Executive Director John Myers said the decision to select Sokolowski as the YMCA Person of the Year was a “no brainer,” since the historian’s reputation precedes him. Myers used terms like “compassionate” “man of high ideals,” “high integrity,” “true friend” and “town resource” to describe him. “Your place in Southington history is secure,” Myers said. “Because history is not only what we are, but who we are.”

Sokolowski’s roots with- - more

Rev. Dave Strosahl in the news

Local pastor calls work teaching clergy in Haiti ‘inspirational'

Special to The Southington Citizen

Sweating in a formal suit in 90-degree heat and going to worship services eight hours a day doesn't sound fun to most people. However, for the Rev. David C. Strosahl of First Baptist Church of Southington, having that experience in Haiti was like a breath of fresh air that renewed his soul. Strosahl recently returned from his second trip to the impoverished nation, where he was one of three American pastors who taught Haitian clergymen at the Bethesda Evangelical Mission Annual Pastors Conference.

"Haiti is a beggar nation rife with poverty, brutality and corruption, dependent on international largesse," he said. Violence is not uncommon with bandits preying on rural travelers.

Undaunted by such reports, Strosahl accepted the invitation from two Wallingford pastors, the Rev. William Huegel and the Rev. Jean-Lubin Beaucejour. The prospect of teaching excited Strosahl because it lent a new aspect to his mission trips, which he takes regularly to the Dominican Republic. "This was something I could get into: teaching pastors," he said. - complete article

"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...