1987—1988 

1988--1989

1989—1990

This was an active year for Club 32.  During the year the three St. Joseph Rotary Clubs contributed approximately $13,000 to reduce the debt on a new craft building at YMCA camp Marvin Hillyard. The Club provided additional contributions of $3,175 to the following community organizations:

·        Boy Scouts           

·        Camp Quality

·        Inter Serve Thanksgiving Food Baskets

·        JROTC Saber Award

·        Junior Achievement

·        Project Graduation

·        Salvation Army Christmas Fund

·        Teen Institute

·        United Way

Fundraising projects included the rose and grass seed projects, and sergeant at arms fines.

 The Club was involved in several community service projects.  850 seedlings were distributed as part of  “Trees for St. Joseph.”  The Club participated in “Adopt a Highway by cleaning the downtown entrance and exit ramps of I-229 near the Holiday Inn.  Twenty-four Rotarians volunteered to assist in bone marrow testing, and the Club sponsored 12 student leaders from the four local high schools who attended “Student Government Day” in Jefferson City.

 The St. Joseph Rotary Foundation awarded $3,200 in scholarships to four high school seniors.  Club 32’s nominee received the $400 scholarship from District 603, and the Clubs candidate was the recipient of a $16,000 International Scholarship grant to study in Spain for one year.

 Community leader Chuck Tadlock received the “Award for Excellence.  Club 32 received “Bulletin of the Year” and “Project of the Year” awards at the District Conference.  Hod Symes received the “meritorious Service Award, and Five Rotarians received perfect attendance wards.

 During the year, Club 32 hosted “Three Club” meetings with community members for Senator Christopher Bond and Governor John Ashcroft.  It also hosted the Student Christmas Party for college students and entertained the orthopedically Handicapped Childrens’ Class of Pickett School. 

The Club hosted a Group Study Exchange team from Argentina with four Club 32 families acting as host families. 

During the year, the Club initiated 18 new members and membership at year-end was 110.

1990—1991

 Contributions totaled $2,760 and were awarded to the following organizations:

·        Boy Scouts

·        Camp quality

·        Inter Serv

·        ROTC Saber Award

·        Junior Achievement

·        Project Graduation

·        Salvation Army Christmas Fund

·        United way

·        Cotillion for Achievement

·        Allied Arts Council

These projects were funded by the rose and grass seed projects and 50% of Sergeant at Arms fines.

 The debt on the new craft building at Camp Marvin Hillyard was retired at the beginning of the fiscal year.

Community projects included the following:

·        Trees for St. Joseph—planted 107 trees.  Eight of these were Canadian red chokecherries donated to the Parks Department.  Rotarians helped with the planting of the trees.

·        Adopt-A-Highway—clean ups were scheduled during the year at the downtown ramps of I-229.

·        The Club sponsored student leaders at Student Government day in Jefferson City.

·        January Rotary Awareness Month—billboard provided by the three St. Joseph Rotary Clubs.

The St. Joseph Rotary Club Foundation awarded $2,800 in college scholarships to four graduating high school seniors, and Club 32’s candidate received a $400 District 6030 scholarship.

Community leader, Alan Lowenberg received the “Award for Excellence.”

The first annual “Outstanding Career Nurse Assistants award day was held.  Eleven nursing assistants from area nursing homes were honored.  Students from the Orthopedically Handicapped Class at Pickett School were hosted at a special luncheon.

The Club received “Bulletin of the Year” recognition at the District Conference.

 Club 32 hosted a “Three Club Meeting” with KPL/Gas Service Company CEO, Bill Johnson, and also hosted the Royals Caravan.

Social events included the All Rotary Day golf tournament, the Club’s 79th birthday party, and a Valentine’s Day Party.

 The Club hosted a Group Study Exchange team from Mexico.  Two Club 32 families provided housing for members of the Mexican team.

1991—1992

1992—1993

 Membership was 107 at the beginning and end of the year.

 The Club conducted two successful fundraisers.  Seventy-three Club members participated in the annual rose sale.  450 dozen roses were sold and the Club netted more than $5,000.  In conjunction with the opening of the Pony Express Museum, the Club sold special edition  newspapers and raised more than $4,000 which was donated to the museum.

 During the year the Club donated $4,775 to local civic and charitable organizations including:

·        The Freedom Festival

·        Rotary Rose Parade

·        United Way

·        Boy Scouts

·        Bicycle Rodeo

·        YWCA Youth Center

·        Arts Fund

·        Special Olympics

·        Champions—Drug  & Alcohol Education

·        Child molestation interview room

·        Junior Achievement

·        Girl Scouts

·        Camp Quality

·        JROTC Saber

A 3-Club softball tournament was held September 12.  The All Rotary Day golf tournament on September 12 at Moila Country Club was won by the East Side Rotary Club for the second year in a row.

 The Club Birthday Party was chaired by Barbara LaBass.  Lynn Watkins and Barbara Wurtzler chaired the Valentine luncheon.

 Milestones included 45th year of perfect attendance for Ed Schneitter, 31 years for Eddie Hirsch and seven years for Jerry Russell.  Connie Saxton Married Jim Fly.

1993—1994

In 1993 the Missouri River flooded St. Joseph and Elwood.  Families displaced by the flood were housed and fed temporarily in the National Guard Armory.  Club members volunteered to assist in the cleanup after the evening meals at the armory.  This effort was chaired by Connie Saxton.  The Club also raised $7,450 which was donated to the Ministerial Alliance of Elwood, Kansas, and the United Way of St. Joseph for flood relief and to help in the rebuilding after the flood.

The primary fundraising project was the Rose Sale, chaired by Mary Cornett and Rob Houp.  Four hundred thirty-nine dozen roses ware sold, with the profit split 60/40 between the Club and the Rotary International Foundation.  Proceeds.  The Club made more than $6,600 of contributions to the following activities:

Freedom Festival

Rose Parade Float    

Boy Scouts

Clarence J. Carpenter Memorial Fund           

Sesquicentennial Historical Reenactment        

United Way

Midland Empire Closed Captioning   

Salvation Army Bell Ringers

Allied Arts

Cotillion for Achievement

Junior Achievement

Quest Program

The Window

Mid Buchanan Graduation Party

JROTC Saber Award

Earthquake Relief fund, Woodland Hills, CA

Performing Arts Association

Children’s’ Theater

Jeremey Nichols memorial fund

Project Graduation

Bicycle Rodeo

Ericka Highsmith scholarship for National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine

 The Club was actively involved in recurring projects that included Adopt-A-Highway, Student Government Day at Jefferson City; and the Noyes School Partnership.

 The 3-Club Softball Game was in August with a cookout after the game.  The game was notable for a double play executed from Bill Carpenter to Duane Kohlstadt at second and Dave Oliver at first.  All-Rotary day was postponed twice during the fall and rescheduled for April 22.  Club #32 recaptured the traveling trophy, which had been held by East Side for two years.  Golf at Fairview was followed by lunch at the Bucket Shop.

 The St. Joseph Clubs hosted a Group Study Exchange team from the Netherlands.

Career Nursing Assistants Day and the Pickett School Orthopedically Handicapped Children’s program were held during the spring.

 Russell Peck celebrated his 91st birthday, and Eddie Hirsch, Ed Schneitter and Jerry Russell continued their years of perfect attendance with 47, 32, and 7 years, respectively.

1994—1995

1995—1996

The 1995—96 year was an active one for Club 32.  The Noyes School partnership was continued and Rotarians accompanied Noyes School students to assist them in viewing the Olympic Torch Run, which passed through St. Joseph.  Local Student Government Day was held for the first time with Rotarians and the St. Joseph high schools participating.

 The Rose project was discontinued and replaced by operation of a booth at the Trails West!® Festival.  Contributions to local organizations were $5,660, which was a $2,000 reduction from previous years.

 The St. Joseph Rotary Foundation awarded $4,500 in scholarships to five St. Joseph high school seniors.  The Club’s nominee, Clarissa Carriger, was awarded a $400 scholarship from District 6030.  The Club’s nominee, Diana Silver, was the Ambassadorial Scholar for District 6030.  She conducted her Ambassadorial studies in Ireland.

Club #32 hosted a Group Study Exchange team from Alsace Lorraine.

The Club hosted Outstanding Career Nursing Assistants day, and visited Pickett School for the annual program with the Othopedically handicapped class.  The children showed Club members their classroom and demonstrated the use of the computers and other aids, which help them with their classroom work. 

 During the year, long time Rotarians Barent Springsted and Wilbur McDonald were lost to death.  The District Golf Day was renamed “The Barent Springsted Memorial All Rotary Day”.  A fund was established to receive memorial gift donations on an annual basis.

The Club By-Laws were amended establish the membership of the Contribution Committee to be chaired by the president-elect, and to include the president, past president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, and one member at large.

Computerization of office functions began.  Year-end membership was 110.

1996—1997

Pat Lile completed ten years of service as the Club’s executive secretary.  During that period, Pat has become an integral part of all the Club’s activities.

During the year the Club was saddened by the deaths of four past presidents:  Ernie Wildhagen, John Martin, Clarence “Van” Vander Molen and David Hornaday.  The Club awarded $4,500 of scholarships to St. Joseph high school seniors.

The Club was active in the community and significant activities included Student Government, Career Nursing Assistant, and Pickett School Orthopedic School days.  Several Rotarians participated in the Noyes School partnership and were involved in reading and mentoring projects at the school.

Three of our members continued to add to their perfect attendance records with Ed Schneitter achieving 49 years, Eddie Hirsch 35 years, and Jerry Russell 11 years.

 Club membership, excluding honorees, was 103 at year-end.

1997—1998

During 1997—98 Club 32 continued its tradition of active involvement in the community with several community service projects that had become traditions including:

·        St. Joseph Student Government Day

·        Award for Excellence (presented to Ali Wray)

·        Career Nursing Awards

·        Pickett School Orthopedic Class Day

·        $4,500 of scholarships to five St. Joseph high school seniors

·        Four Way Test competition

·        Noyes School partnership

·        Salvation Army Bell Ringers

The Club earned several awards, including District 6030 Best Project Award for the Pickett School Partnership.

The Club hosted a Group Study Exchange from Japan, and Carlos Moya acted as team leader of the exchange team that visited Japan in the spring.

 Contributions were given to the following local causes:

The Club was saddened by the death of Past President and Past District Governor, Frank Gee, who had been a member of the Club since 1942.  Year-end membership was 102.  Jerry Russell served as Governor Elect of District 6030.

1998—1999

District Governor District 6030:  Jerry Russell, St. Joseph Club #32

 The 1998—99 Rotary year passed several milestones.  Club #32 Past President, Jerry Russell was district governor and presided over the last year of District 6030 prior to its merger into the new District #6040.

The Club was involved in several fundraising projects including the operation of concession stands at Trails West!® and Pumpkin Fest.  On Valentine’s Day, 1999, the Club held its first of many “Trip Raffles”.   During the year, the Club raised more than $24,000, of which $8,661 was donated to the Rotary International Foundation, and the remainder to local projects and charities.

President John Anderson led the Club in reducing the number of local charities supported by the Club.  The Club adopted “The Window”, a home for teenaged unwed mothers as a project to support.  Club members assisted the window in the purchase of a van, and also volunteered to assist in lawn and grounds maintenance.

 The first annual “Trip Raffle” was won by Wes Lile, the husband of the Club’s executive secretary, Pat Lile.  Wes and Pat enjoyed a cruise to Alaska during the summer of 1999.

 The Club hosted a Rotary Youth Exchange student from the Czech Republic.

1999—2000

District Governor, District 6040:  Bill Nofsinger, Kansas City Club 13.

 In April 2000, the Club chartered a new Interact Club at Central High School with 15 members.  Membership had grown to 30 by June 30.  The Club sponsored one of the Interact officers, John Hornaday at the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) camp in June.

 The Club #32 foundation once again provided $4,500 of scholarships to five graduating St. Joseph high school seniors.

Past District Governor received recognition as Outstanding Rotarian at the first District 6040 Conference, and Club 32 received the Presidential Citation from RI President Carlos Ravizza.

 The St. Joseph Clubs played host simultaneously to two Group Study Exchange teams, one from India and the other from the Phillipines.

 Special activities included Student Government Day, Career Nursing Assistants Day, and the special program for the Orthopedic Class at Pickett School.  Eddie Hirsch planned and hosted the Pickett School event for the thirtieth year.

2000—2001

 Rotary International President:  Frank Devlin, Mexico

District 6040 Governor:  Homer Williams, Parkville, Missouri

 The Club’s perfect attendance Rotarians continued to add up years.  Ed Schneitter achieved his fifty-third year, Eddie Hirsch his thirty-ninth, and Jerry Russell his fifteenth.

 The Club received a Presidential Citation for outstanding service.  Mark Marsolf received the Four Avenues of Service Award for an Individual Rotarian. 

The Club continued personal service activities included the Central High School Interact Club, Salvation Army Bell Ringing, Career Nursing Assistants Day, and the Pickett School Orthodpedic Class Program.

Fundraising activities included Pumpkin Fest, and the trip raffle, which was won by Mark Tighe.  Mark donated his winning ticket to employees at the Med Clinic.

Funds raised during the year were helped to support Club donations to the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, United Way, Salvation Army, Allied Arts, Junior Achievement, Albrecht Kemper Museum, Special Olympics, India Earthquake victims, Afghan refuges, and the JROTC Saber award.

 During the year, the Club helped host a Group Study Exchange team from Turkey.

2001—2002

Rotary International President:  Richard King, Los Angeles, California

District 6040 Governor:  Larry Lunsford, Kansas City Country Club Plaza Club

 During the year, the Club mourned the death of its past president Eddie Hirsch in November 2001, after nearly forty years’ service.   Eddie was president of Club 32 during the 1970-71 year, and his significant contributions included the initiation of the annual program with the children from the Orthopedic Class of what has since become Pickett School.  Eddie chaired and acted as host for this event for thirty-one years.  In Eddie’s memory, the Club donated $1,000 to the class for a memorial gift.

On August 24, 2001, the Club hosted the District 6040’s first “Shoes for Orphan Souls” project.  Club #32 Rotarians collected more than 800 pairs of shoes which, together with shoes gathered by other clubs in the district, were ultimately shipped to orphanages in Eastern Europe.

Special Club projects during the year included Salvation Army Bell Ringing, Student Government Day, Career Nursing Awards Day, and the Pickett school program.  Salvation Army Major Mark Martsolf, and Sally “Pansy the Clown” Coffman interned the Club and the Pickett School children. 

 Ten Club #32 members attended the District Conference in Kansas City.  Staci Thornton and members of the Interact Club presented one of the special programs.

The Club celebrated its 90th anniversary at a Hawaiian theme party at the downtown Holiday Inn in November.  Past President and District Governor Jerry Russell presented an interesting history of Club #32 and Rotary International.

Effective June 30, 2002, Pat Lile retired after 15 years’ service as executive secretary of Club 32, and she was honored at a special “Pat Lile Day” program.  Throughout her tenure Pat was an integral part of the Club and her devotion to Rotary has been sincerely appreciated.

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