Keith Olson provided our invocation and then we recited the Four Way Test. Lori Larson, Executive Director of the Fergus Area College Foundation, was our guest. Announcements included a reminder to those with a Fine & Brag card to use it up before June 30, 2022, when it will turn into a pumpkin. Zack Stach reminded us of the scheduled highway clean-up the next day [it turned out that only he and Wally Cole showed up and through their industrious efforts they did one of our two miles picked up]. Officers and Board members were reminded of our Board meeting via Zoom tomorrow morning, June 8th, at 7:15 a.m. A thank you was offered to the Golden Guys for set-up and take-down and arranging our programs in May, those being Steve Andrews, Mark Bring, Greg Darling, Jake Hexum, Dean Monke and Anthony Nordan.
Keith Olson was back from Iceland and led off our brags by extolling the virtues of visiting that country -- he found everything more than above average, including public restrooms that are meticulously clean. (I hope that is not his fondest memory of the trip.) Lois Josefson applauded Keith's recognition of her homeland, as she is 50% Icelandic. Brian Tjaden paid for missing last week and having to leave the day's meeting early. Bonnie Denzel also contributed for being gone awhile and for her son Reese graduating from Harvard Business School, also happy about a planned trip to Hawaii to meet her second grandson and having had a chance to meet today's program when M State recognized scholarship recipients last fall. Zack told us of enjoying a recent concert while Buzz Lundeen enjoyed his sojourn to Montana and Spokane, the latter home of the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
As our program for the day was this past school year's recipient of the Rotary-Wesley A. Waage Memorial Scholarship, Hal Leland was invited to share a few memories about Wes. Hal recalled that Wes hired Hal and that Wes and his wife Muriel were neighbors on Park Street when Hal was working at our public high school. Because of Wes, Hal embarked upon a 34 year career at the college. This writer also shared Buzz Lundeen's recollection that Wes always wore a gray suitcoat to Rotary, while the undersigned shared a fond memory of working with and getting to know Wes on an Up With People event sponsored by Noon Rotary.
Jourdan Fischer was then introduced to the Club. Describing herself as a Type A personality, it was clear she has overcome many hurdles to become a very worthy recipient of the scholarship. Jourdan grew up in Hawley and has suffered many physical ailments and surgeries, including the removal of a kidney after her second daughter's birth. Her inspiration has been her father who overcame addition and a prison term to go onto nursing school, changing the trajectory of the family's lives. Jourdan described herself as going straight to God to overcome her own addiction, taking her father's advise to "stop digging." She decided to enroll at M-State because of her father; her younger sister is also now in the nursing program, providing each other fellowship and friendship. Family is a huge part of Jourdan's live. Jourdan said that even on those occasions when she feels she is only crawling she reminds herself that she is still moving forward. Jourdan is studying to become a registered nurse and an American sign interpreter. She works full time with persons with disabilities and also is taking care of a little nephew in addition to her children, ages 11 and 9. She is very thankful that she can be a parent and still go to school. The school has offered her amazing opportunities, as she is President of the Student Nurses' Association and participates in a mentorship program at M State. She has taken part in leadership conferences, some particularly designed for women, with three of those conferences hosted by M State. Jourdan indicated that sharing some of these things with us was a little beyond her comfort zone, but she wanted us to see where she came from to appreciate where she is going. She intends to continue to pursue her studies and, with her resolve, no doubt has a great future ahead of her.