Branchburg Rotary’s 32nd President

Who is John and his Rotary story?

 

In 2011 John Shockley received a call from his home town Rotary Club, Hillsborough, desperately searching for equipment to borrow to repair a rain soaked field for the Hillsborough Rotary, who was hosting their annual fair. The grounds were in such poor shape and the big concern was the fair would have to be canceled. John responded by supplying much needed equipment and labor, he worked diligently to restore the grounds to a condition that permitted the Rotary to start their most important and largest annual fund raiser.   His level of commitment and dedication to the Rotary Mission is as strong today as it was the minute he offered his services to restore the grounds of the fair 9 years ago.  

The Hillsborough Rotary Club presented John with a Presidential Citation for the help he provided to their club with the restoration of the fairgrounds. He was inducted as a member later that year; where he continued his commitment to keep the fairgrounds in pristine condition until he moved to Branchburg Rotary Club in 2017.  John served as Club Secretary, President-Elect and President for Hillsborough. He has served as a director for 3 years and is currently President of the Rotary Club of Branchburg.

He was Assistant Governor for Mel Kevoe, Ray Freany and Ann Walko. John has also had the opportunity to assist on two district conference committees, and served as Sergeant-at-Arms for Past District Governors Tulsi Maharjan, Mel Kevoe & John Wilson. John has completed all Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) coursework, and has served as a facilitator for President-Elect Training Seminar (PETS) II.  He was a member of the RLI faculty. John is currently District Governor Nominee for 2022-2023.

John has been a resident of Somerset County for over 59 years. Married for 45 years, John and his wife, Linda, currently live in Hillsborough Township. John was a Boy Scout achieving the rank of Life Scout. Both John and Linda are recipients of the “Paul Harris Fellow” and the “Annual Peace & Diversity Award for Humanitarian Service” in November 2019. John received the District 7510 Vocational Service Award for 2016-2017 and the Rotary International “Avenue of Service Award” for 2019-2020. He is also a “Paul Harris Society Member”. He supports many organizations like “Michaels Miracles”, “Damon House”, and “Somerville Elks Local 1068”, of which he is a proud member. He is also a member of the “Princeton Lions Club”. John and Linda have two grown children, Jamie Lynn Brownlie and John III, who are also residents of Hillsborough.      

After graduating high school, John entered the water and wastewater industry. He attended numerous trade schools and apprenticed under licensed operators. He achieved the top New Jersey licenses for wastewater treatment and collection system operations.  John continued to receive technical training and obtained his licenses to operate water treatment and water distribution systems in NJ.  He also holds a 100 gross ton Master’s License from the US Coast Guard.     

John and Linda are self-employed and own 911 Carting and 911 Septic Pumping and Repair, which are located in Hillsborough. 911 Septic maintains, repairs and installs efficient and environmentally friendly septic systems. 911 Carting provides containers, carting and site cleanups for residential and commercial businesses in the area.  Both are licensed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for hauling solid and liquid waste.     

John enjoys motorcycling and driving Corvettes. When you can pull him away from Rotary, he embraces his passion for boating. Whenever possible, he and his wife, Linda, head to the Jersey shore to spend time on their boat, “Waste Knot” at the Marina. Despite the getaway, he is always available to field phone calls, respond to emails and direct information pertaining to important Rotary issues as he continues to align himself to the ‘service above self’ motto of the Rotary.

From the first day John presented himself to members of the Rotary to assist with the restoration of the fairgrounds to make that event possible, until this writing, John has been a tremendous benefit to Rotary. Similar to his attitude regarding the rain soaked walkways among the carnival rides, John has ambitiously tackled many roadblocks along the way. He embraces each challenge with a contagious fervor that motivates everyone around him to “get the job done.” His leadership and management skills inspire and motivate others.  District 7475 will benefit greatly from his presence.