President Sofie Ameloot welcomed everyone to the Centerville Rotary Club and led reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. Sivaji Subramaniam provided the prayer.
Sofie recognized the family and friends of Rotarians who are no longer with us and thanked them for coming to our meeting.
For Sally Beals: John Beals Jr. and Lorie Beals. Also, Nancy Beals and her friend Mary Harris, Jennifer Beals Smiley and Jennifer's son: Gavin
For Joyce Young: Margaret Young
For Don Gerhardt unfortunately his wife Phyllis Gerhardt and daughter Lorie Gerhardt were not able to make it.
Recap of action taken this week:
- Business committee is plugging away. Pat Beckel read the list of businesses that we can approach to become Rotarians. Business committee meeting via teams on Monday Sept 30th at 5pm.
- Update for the Pancake Committee? The sponsorships are slowly coming in: I want to thank Pat for 2 sponsorships for both Pat Beckel Insurance and for Beckel’s Humidor and Raj has brought in Lexus!! Adam has a few more. And I was able to secure Hanson Audio and Video and Manna Uptown.
- Kristin Hutton and Sofie Ameloot went to Agape for Youth. It was a lovely event.
Other business:
- Frank’s breakfast or dinner committee has met already this morning.
- Community Service: 2 sign-ups for St Vincent de Paul and Shoes for the Shoeless (10:30-1 commitment. Please sign up on the list if you’re interested in helping and the group will coordinate days. They now require soft background check, Shoes for the Shoeless, every Tuesday & Thursday at schools, please sign up.
- The City of Centerville reached out to see if Rotary would be interested in volunteering to assist with parking at Fall Fest on Saturday, October 5 at St. Leonard. So far we have: Kelly, Crissy and Sofie signed up, but they need many more people.
- Sofie and Brian held our Club banner that was designed by Carol Kennard, printed by Bill Menker and will be hanging on the fence at CHS to promote our Club's Youth programs.
An inspirational quote today from Don Overly is "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Thanks to our greeter today: Kelly McDonald.
Happy Bucks for this quarter go to Operation Warm, our annual drive to purchase winter coats for children in need in our area.
Happy Bucks today:
- Pat B = Lots of things happening at Beckel's Humidor business. He will have celebrities coming such as Ron Harper (Four Time NBA Champion), Butch Carter and John Jackson in October 04, 2024, from 6-9pm at Humidor. Additional five coats for Centerville's Fall Fest next Saturday. His son Duncan will be performing uptown by Graeter's Ice Cream.
- Boyd P = happy bucks in memory of Kitty Ullmer
- Lee H = farm report is we need rain
- Mark F = good to be back from his two week vacation in France
- Bill M = was on vacation in Michigan and celebrated 31st wedding anniversary yesterday
- Matt K = this is his last meeting with our Club. Apologized for his attire today. Thanked everyone for his 20 years with Centerville Rotary. Appreciate what you have here as we have here is really phenomenal and it is one thing he is really going to miss, the community and the friendship. He visited his old Rotary Club in California three weeks ago and there were only 10 attendees & three were visitors. He will miss everyone.
- Chuck K = gave $20 in memory of Kitty Ullmer, for our guests at the memorial ceremony and for Matt Kuhn for last meeting with Centerville Rotary
- Dale B = Operation Warm and in memory of Kitty Ullmer
- Lisa GM = a coat and said we are still over $2k less from the funds we've generated from last year for Operation Warm
- Socks B = a coat
- Sivaji S = thanked his friend from Dayton Rotary Club, Jack Lohbeck.
- Ray M = been out d/t hospitalization (he is with us today, but he is very weak) 2 coats
- Ed Werner = happy to be a new member and he hopes that his name badge comes in soon
- Adam M = happy to see the Beals family join us, sad about Kitty, going to miss Matt Kuhn since he's moving. Asked if he could get some extra help to put out our large pancake signs Saturday at 9am. He did get two people to volunteer and help.
- Jim H = Happy for families visiting as we recognize members being remembered with a brick and commented on his visit with Dick Hoback.
- Jack Lohbeck (Dayton Club) = annual Archer's Chili cook-off on October 5th @ 2p. This is the 13th year for the Chili cook-off.
- Kelly M = thank you Lisa for the challenge
- Harvey S = a coat in memory of Kitty Ullmer
- Elda GG = in memory of Kitty Ullmer and those who we are celebrating today
- Sofie A = in memory of Kitty Ullmer and our guests today
- Arnie B = a coat for Kitty Ullmer and he shared that Kitty always took time to speak with a child of his
- Pat B = additional 5 coats in John Beals name
We headed outside for a memorial service at the Centerville Rotary Memorial plaza at Grant Park. Bricks are placed in the plaza when we lose long-time members of the club. Brian Hayes led the prayer.
Don Overly provided a remembrance of Sally Beals:
Sally was a member for several years of this Club and served as past president. In addition to being a member in this Club, she was a leader in the community. There is a plaque just inside the doors of Yankee Trace Golf Course, where we meet every Thursday at noon, recalling the dedication of Yankee Trace on September of 1995. Your mother was a member of the City Council at that time. The plaque lists council member names along with the Mayor and other dignitaries . Yankee Trace serves as a focal point for this community. Later Sally served two terms as Mayor and was a major force in acquiring and renovating Benhams Grove.
I remember how proud she was of her family and her heritage. She was born and raised on a farm in Tipp City. She and John, her husband and your father, would often go back to the farm on weekends and return with buckeyes. On Thursday for one of our fall meetings , they would bring the buckeyes all polished and shiny for any Rotarian to take home. I believe that act was being proud of this Buckeye state and also proud of being a graduate of The Ohio State University.
She was very knowledgeable about local issues as well as issues in Ohio and in this great nation. I thought Brooks Compton, our current Centerville Mayor,adequately captured sentiments about her life when he said ( at a memorial three years ago) that Sally Beals life and legacy will remain for all those who call Centerville home today and will call Centerville home in the future. I remember her as a good mother to her family and a good friend to all Centerville Rotarians.
Lee Hieronymus provided a remembrance of Don Gerhardt:
Joined Centerville Rotary January 1, 1974
Married to Phillis with 2 daughters. He moved from Cincinnati and became owner / operator of the SOHIO Station at Brad Street and 48.
My first recollection of Don was watching him on TV in a Miami Valley Milk Produces ad drinking a glass of milk in his service bay at his SOHIO Station. He later sold that station and moved into the Service station at Iron Gate and 48. His business increased and an extra bay was added. He was a PR giant in the community. He met his customers with a smile and conversation to boot.
His leadership was always present at Rotary Club meetings and Rotary Functions. In 1984 he served as Centerville Rotary President. It was a fun year with him at the helm. He was also a Paul Harris Fellow. His nickname was “Greaser” not because of how he looked but because of his classification “Automotive Services” When our club had fund raisers “Spaghetti Dinners” or “Pancake Breakfasts” he was a top ticket seller. If you got gas or car service he would talk you into buying a ticket or two.
He enjoyed Scuba Diving. He became an instructor and taught many to become Certified Divers. After retirement he was more involved in teaching and taking groups on diving trips to different locations, even to the Caribbean.
For one Rotary Project, he and other Centerville Rotarians went to Peru, and if I am not mistaken the boys built chicken coops (Houses). He and Jack Workman had a great time together on that trip.
He and Phillis created the “Spaghetti Song” from the toon “Take me out to the Ball Game”. Our club was famous for having a song advertising our fund raiser. The song was adapted later to the “Pancake Song” when that became our main fund raiser. Don also was a major worker assembling the Rotary Gazebo in the Centerville Park - Benham’s Grove under the leadership of Rotarian Fred Weir.
Don Gerhardt was an honest and hardworking Rotarian and we honor him at this special recognition day at Grant Park
Dale Berry provided a remembrance of Joyce Young:
Joyce Young was well known in the entire area because of her spirit and energy to overcome disability and inspiration to help others. In the summer after her first year of college in the mid 1950's in Massachusetts she was diagnosed with polio at the age of 18. After 4 months in the hospital she was determined to beat this disease, so she returned home and started physical therapy. That was also the same year that she met Fred Young from Dayton Ohio. She was determined to walk down the aisle to marry Fred. The following year they got married and both returned to college. Fred to Harvard Law School and Joyce to Radcliffe. In the years following, they had 4 daughters and moved to Washington Township so that Fred could join his family law firm in Dayton.
Joyce's polio affected her ability to walk and she continued to use crutches and eventually an electric wheel chair but it never affected her ability ability to become very involved in the community and her desire to help others. She served on the boards of more than 10 organizations in the area and was elected to be a Washington Township Trustee for a total of over 22 years until she retired in 2017.
During her tenure as Washington Township Trustee she was also a member of Centerville Rotary. She was always involved in the Rotary mission to eradicate polio and also served Centerville Rotary in several other capacities, such as Foundation Board, Scholarship committee, public relations, pancake committee plus many others. In fact Pancake Day was always one of her favorite days because she would sit at the ticket table and could welcome all who attended ( and most of them knew her). So I am honored to recognize and dedicate the brick in the Rotary Memorial Garden with the name Joyce Young on it.
Next week GREETERS are Crissy Alums and Pat Turnbull
Next week Program: Bottom Line with Emily Broughton
Pool potluck at Brad Huffman’s house TONIGHT!! Our Interact Teacher is planning on coming with his fiancé.
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