Rotary Club of Struthers

Hosted by Rotarian Tom Baringer, members of the Clemente and Paris families attended the September 20th meeting of the Struthers Rotary Club. Charter Member  Mike Clemente related that the he was pleased that the annual Children’s Christmas Party remained an active event and would be celebrating its 61st year along with the annual Pancake Festival. He expressed his appreciation for recently deceased co-charter member of the Struthers Rotary Paul Paris, who spearheaded an effort in 2012 that resulted in 4 new members. That year also saw the inception of the ‘Fly the Flag’ program in Struthers that has been so successful and enjoys broad community participation. He pointed out that the current club is among the best in its history with much of its success due to the inclusion of women in the membership. He feels that the Rotary did more good for him and his personal growth than he was able to repay to the Rotary. His generation left a legacy of community participation and giving.

For Mr. Clemente the Rotary has always been a family endeavor with his wife Ellen being an active partner in his involvement. At a recent meeting of the Struthers Rotary Mr. Clemente made a donation to the club in memory of Paul Paris. Rotarian Mary Ann Morell read a brief tribute to Mr. Paris highlighting his devotion to the club. In honor of Charter Members Paul Paris and Mike Clemente, a Paul Harris Award was presented to Ellen Clemente for her more than 50 years of service along side her husband.

Photo:Clemente and Paris Family Members at the September 20th Struthers Rotary Club meeting. Seated are  Mike Clemente and his wife Ellen Clemente. Standing (l-r) are Rotarian Tom Baringer, Barb Micco, Carol Wagner, Joe Paris, Struthers Rotary President JoAnn Sweeney, Paul Paris, Sandy Delquardi, Mary Lee McClure