Brian Hayes, President-elect welcomed everyone to our first in-person meeting since March. The club met at Grant Park - Kennard Nature Nook, the location of the Rotary Memorial Evergreen Forest.
Jim Briggs led the Pledge of Allegiance, Brian Hayes led the 4-Way Test, and Ray Merz led us in a prayer.
Brian Hayes asked everyone to keep Frank Perez and his family in your thoughts and prayers as he was called out of town suddenly due to a family illness.
Next week the club will resume in-person meetings at Yankee Trace. Rotarians will receive an email with meal selection and will need to RSVP their attendance and meal choice. This allows us to manage the space and order enough meals. As a reminder, the following protocols will be in place:
- We will take attendee’s temperature with a no-touch thermometer on arrival.
- We will not use badges and there will be no sign-in sheet.
- Tables will be set for four people and spaced six feet apart.
- At the end of the meeting, members will be dismissed by table to avoid congestion.
- The meeting will also be available on zoom for members that do not wish to attend in person.
- No guests will be permitted at this time.
Rev. Harvey Smith was introduced to lead the program to honor deceased Rotarian, John Beals (1936-2019). Harvey shared these thoughts:
“As we pause to remembers John Beals and dedicate his brick in our memory walk of deceased Rotarians, I need to point out that John was a member of the committee that planned this memorial area and a constant caretaker of this grove and memorial area. He also secured the bricks as they were needed.
John was born in 1936 in Miamisburg and graduated from the High School there. He earned his civil engineer and surveyor’s certificates at The Ohio State University. Early on, he worked for the State of Ohio and one of his jobs was as an inspector for the building of 175 in Montgomery County. Around 1972, he and two other men formed an engineering and surveying firm, Lockwood, Jones, and Beals; informally known as LJB. The firm has grown over the years to serve in areas like Las Vegas, San Francisco, D.C., Houston, and even France.
John joined our club in 1993 and served as President in 1997.
He was elected District Governor for 6670 for the years 2007-2008, the year he retired. After his year as Governor, he was elected to the Centerville City Council, serving twelve years until his passing. He represented the city on the Sister City Committee and the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission and was its Chair at the time of his death. In retirement, he developed a skill in woodworking and built pieces of furniture for his children and grandchildren.
John was a strong and vital member of any group or organization to which he belonged. He had the ability to ask probing questions that helped the organization to do its work better. I know he made the Centerville Rotary Club better, and Centerville a better city.”
Mayor Brooks Compton also shared some comments about John Beals. He confirmed that John always asked probing questions, always keeping the City’s best interest forefront in decisions. He said John visited his office often, coming in with a list of items to discuss. It was always a pleasure to talk through issues with John, and Mayor Compton said he always learned new things from him. He said the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission recognized the value John brought to the organization by electing him President.
Rotarians gathered at the memorial to officially dedicate John Beals’ brick as a remembering of his contributions and placed it in our Walk of Memory.
