District 506 (1957-1991)
Past District Governors
1990-91 Jack Peters (Betty)*
Jack Peters was the sixth of ten children born to a Mennonite farm family in Osler, Saskatchewan. His ancestors immigrated to Manitoba from Russia in 1874 and then moved on to Saskatchewan about two years later.
In 1954 Jack met Betty at a party and asked her to dance. He says that although he stepped on her toes a few times, she agreed to marry him a year later. Their marriage has given them three daughters, Sheila, Sharon and Sandra, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Shortly after they were married Jack took a job with Lloyds Tire Company in Grand Prairie, Alberta. He later joined Dunlop Canada and worked for them in several locations until 1968 when they moved to Vernon, BC. There, he started Peters Tirecraft. That business grew to include a wholesales network of 250 dealers and 7 Tirecraft stores. They sold the company and retired in 1988 after 34 years in the tire and battery business.
Jack served as President of the Vernon Rotary Club in 1982-1983, and was District Governor of District 506 in 1990-1991. He was instrumental in installing the Rotary wheel on the plinth at the International border at Oroville/Osoyoos.
He has received many Rotary honors including the first Harold Henderson Award for significant service to District 5060. He is currently an Honorary member of the Vernon Rotary Club. In addition to Rotary, Jack enjoys golf, curling, travel and listening to music.
Jack passed in Vernon on 23 June, 2022, after a brief stay in the hospital.
1989-90 Carl Tymm*
Past District Governor Carl Tymm died in 2015 at the age of 84. Carl joined the Penticton (B.C.) Rotary club in 1971, and served as the club president in 1977. In 1989-90 he served as District Governor. In addition to Rotary, he was a longtime member of Penticton Freemasons and Shrine.
His friends in those organizations remember him for his favorite motto, “do good, be good, and have fun doing it.” He was an extremely positive individual who loved being of service. He greatly enjoyed being a greeter at Rotary events such as the club’s fall wine festival. He also represented the Penticton Rotary club on a goodwill trip to South Korea.
Carl was a Canadian Army reservist and a member of a local ham radio club. He had three children and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.
1988-89 Dr. Alfred (Al) Stojowski (Alice) *
[text below from a club presentation 9/27/18 by Jon Volyn who interviewed Dr. Al]
Dr. Stojowski was born and raised in New York City. His Father was a concert pianist in New York, and taught at the Julliard School in New York, the famous musical academy known for setting the standard in musical education worldwide. His Mother was from Peru, and was a linguist. She also had an interest in Piano. She traveled to the US and while in New York, sought out the country’s most renowned concert pianist at the time and asked him who she should study with. His recommendation was to his own student there in New York, Dr. Stojowski’s father. Eventually, the two were married. Dr. Stojowski can correctly boast that his parents were set up by the Nation’s most renowned concert pianist.
Dr. Stojowski attended prep school, college, and medical school at the distinguished Columbia University in New York.
He was Married to Alice Stojowski, a former Nurse in the Army Nurse Corps, for 63 years before her passing in 2009. He has three children, Peter, Pam, and Jorden.
While in medical school, he befriended another medical student, from Wenatchee, Washington. His friend became an orthopedic surgeon while Dr. Stojowski became a thoracic surgeon. A thoracic surgeon required additional years of residency than orthopedics, so his friend was finished with his schooling first. He returned to Wenatchee and reached out to Dr. Stojowski, recommending that he consider locating to Wenatchee after his residency was finished. Dr. Stojowski came west to see the area and fell in love with it, and has been here ever since.
At his friend’s recommendation, Dr. Stojowski moved to Wenatchee and set up a practice at the Wenatchee Valley Clinic. He was the only thoracic surgeon in the Valley at the time.
Dr. Ed Cadman (Rotary Titan, member for over 40 years, not only local chapter president but Rotary International President) suggested that Dr. Stojowski join our local Rotary club. Dr. Cadman was his sponsor. In 1961 Dr. Stojowski joined the Wenatchee Rotary. Dr. Ed Cadman started the Rotary Polio Plus movement to eradicate Polio around the world. The project became the focus of the global Rotary International Organization. Today, it has taken what was the epidemic that was polio and virtually obliterated it from the globe. Dr. Stojowski was a vital part of the initial project efforts with Dr. Cadman – launching the global project here from Wenatchee. From 1967-68 Dr. Stojowski was the president of the Wenatchee Rotary Club and later became District Governor (1988-89).
While District Governor, he spoke at a Rotary International meeting in Canada. To give you an idea of the kind of man he was, during his speech he addressed the future of Rotary. At the time, Rotary accepted only male members. He told the crowd that the next essential step for Rotary was the admission of women Rotarians. He was booed off the stage. What happened shortly thereafter? Women members.
He attended multiple rotary international conventions, including those in Munich and Korea. There he learned another Rotary lesson. While attending the function in South Korea, this is after the Korean war, despite the fact that the countries were staunchly separate and opposed, there were North Korean Rotary members and delegates in attendance. This speaks volumes for the collegial fellowship of Rotary worldwide.
He is a Paul Harris Fellow and Wenatchee Rotary Foundation Paul SCEA Fellow.
Dr. Stojowski believed in actively participating in and working for the betterment of the community. Not only was he a busy thoracic surgeon, the only one in the valley for many years, and took on leadership roles in Rotary, he was a member of the Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce as well, and even served a term as its president. He was also a longtime and accomplished participant in the local Wenatchee Musical Theatre. He had hoped to make to age 100, which he did. He passed away October 19, 2019. Read his amazing obituary HERE.
From his memorial service, read the handout listing 36 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT AL - PAGE 1 PAGE 2.
1987-88 Chuck Kuhn (Betty-Ann)
Chuck Kuhn was born in Whitemouth, Manitoba and graduated from high school in Vernon, BC. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from the University of British Columbia in 1958, and married Betty-Ann in 1961. They had two children.
Owner of the North Kamloops Pharmacy since 1965, Chuck joined the Rotary Club of Kamloops North in 1967. In 1971-72, he was the club president. He served as district Secretary in 1975-76 and was the District Governor’s special representative for the formation of the Kamloops West Rotary Club.
His community activities included five years as a School Trustee, a member of the Kamloops, Recreation and Culture Commission and many more. When not involved in community, business or Rotary endeavors, he enjoyed athletics and travel. Chuck served as District Governor in 1987-88.
1986-87 Julian Agranoff (Sylvia)
Julian Agranoff was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 9, 1927 and moved with his family to Southern California in 1931. In 1938 the family relocated to Soap Lake where Julian’s father managed a resort hotel.
He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Architecture and Civil Engineering. During World War II Julian served in the Navy Air Corps. Following the war, he and Sylvia Cutler were married in 1948.
They are the parents of three daughters and have nine grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Julian’s career has included work with the US Bureau of Reclamation and the Corps of Engineers. He was also the Grant County planning Director for 21 years and had a State Farm Insurance Agency for 16 years. He also served on the Ephrata Port Commission and Ephrata School Board.
Julian has been a member of the Ephrata Rotary club for 55 years, serving in almost every office in the club. He was Governor of District 506 in 1986-1987. His Rotary service has included leading a GSE team to England. He was chair of the district GSE Committee for 5 years, and served on Rotary’s Council on Legislation three times.
1985-86 W.R. (Bill) Fennell * (Pat)
William Raymond “Bill” Fennell joined the Rotary Club of Kelowna Capri East in 1971. In addition to publishing the Kelowna and Area Five Club Roster, Bill also served on the executive committee of the club as Treasurer, Secretary, Vice President, and President.
He was the District Governor’s special Representative for the formation of Rotary Clubs in Okanagan Mission and Westbank, District Rotary Information chairman, area coordinator for Group Study Exchange and District 506 Extension Committee Chair.
Bill was born in Calgary, Alberta in 1931, and was educated there and in Manitoba. He received Professional Engineer designation in 1960, and worked for some time in the oil industry. Following that, he entered the accounting field, studying in the United States and England. He then established a public accounting firm known as Fennell, Horton, Butler and Schneider.
He and his wife Shirley Anne had two children, Pamela and Jonathan. Bill was District Governor in 1985-1986. He passed away February 15, 2021 in Kelowna, BC. Read Bill's obituary
HERE.
1984-85 Dr. Arthur (Art) Borchardt * (Muriel)
Dr. Arthur Ernest Walter (Art) Borchardt was born Aug. 21, 1918 in Ramona, S.D. to Albert Borchardt and Olga (Hannemann) Borchardt, and died October 25, 2009 in Yakima.
He was raised on a dairy farm with six siblings. He knew from an early age that he wanted to be a doctor, and left home to attend Des Moines Still College of Osteopathy and Surgery.
He began his medical practice in Lidgerwood, N.D., during WWII. Art often made house calls by a horse-drawn sleigh in the harsh winters, delivering babies in farm homes.
In 1946 he and his wife Muriel moved to Seattle, where he practiced at Waldo Hospital. They moved to Sunnyside in 1948 with their three-week-old daughter, Judy. Daughter Kay joined the family in 1950. Art practiced in Sunnyside, Washington until his retirement from active practice in 1984. He remained active in the profession until the age of 80. As the first osteopathic physician in the Lower Yakima Valley, Art was responsible for bringing other doctors of Osteopathic medicine to the Valley, splitting his practice several times as he mentored the new physicians.
He was instrumental in founding and building Sunnyside General Hospital, Sunnyside Medical Center and founded Lower Valley Hospice. Art also was a past president of the Washington Osteopathic Medical Association.
Always active in community affairs, he was a Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow, and also served as Governor of District 506 in Rotary year 1984-1985. He and Muriel sponsored and mentored Rotary Exchange students from Chile, Paraguay and Denmark, who lived with the family and attended high school in Sunnyside.
He was an avid hiker, enjoying backpacking trips into the Goat Rocks area of the North Cascades.
1983-84 Gordon Richardson * (Sunny)
PDG Gordon D Richardson August 12, 1928 – July 26, 2018
Gordon will be missed in Rotary as he passed away recently. Gordon was from the Rotary Club of Vernon which he joined in 1970. He was their club president in 1972-1973. In 1983 he become District Governor of the district 506. There were 40 clubs and they appreciated all their club visits at that time. They had a wonderful district conference with over 800 in attendance.
Gordon supported the Rotary Foundation and was a Paul Harris Fellow. He was a Rotary International President’s aide to RI Presidents Rep and Past RI Director Theodore D. Griley II.
The Rotary Club of Vernon made him an honorary member in the last four years.
Gordon and his wife Sunny loved to downhill ski at Silver Star Mountain and golf at Hillview Golf Course.
Gordon will be missed by all.
(The contribution of this information was made possible by PDG Jack Peters).
Obituary, July 26, 2018
Gordon was born on August 12th, 1928 in Vegreville, Alberta and passed away on July 26th, 2018 in the North Okanagan Hospice at the age of 89 years. Gordon will be lovingly remembered by his wife Sunny, to whom he was married for 66 years; two sons, Dale (Sonja) and Wayne; one daughter, Lynn (Ian) Cobb; seven grandchildren, Isaac (Lindsey), Trevor, Adam (Erin), Riley, Kyle, Clark and Lee; two great- grandchildren, Jacob and Emily; two brothers, George (Keitha) and Jimmy; one sister, Lorraine; and numerous nieces, nephews and extended family members. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Elwood and Lloyd; and one daughter-in-law, Susan.
1982-83 Ray Shutt*
Ray Levi Shutt was a graduate of Lincoln High School in Seattle where he met the love of his life, Ruth Hillock. They were both born in Seattle, he in 1916 and she a year later in 1917. They were married in January 1943.
Later that year they moved to Wenatchee where both lived the rest of their lives. Ray was a member of the Wenatchee Rotary Club and was its president in 1978-79. He went on to serve as District Governor in 1982-83.
He and Ruth enjoyed travel and took many trips to Europe, Asia, and around the United States. Their favorite vacation spot however was Hawaii. Somehow in addition to Rotary, travel and other community activity, Ray found time to serve as the Director General of the Wenatchee Apple Blossom Festival in 1973. He died in Wenatchee on December 29, 1990.
1981-82 Peter Wing* Peter Wing was born in Kamloops, B.C. and lived there most of his life. In 1934 he became a member of the Kamloops Board of Trade. In 1996 he became the first person of Chinese descent in North America to be elected mayor when he started a three-year term as mayor of Kalmoops.
During his term as mayor, Wing was also President of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities. Wing was also the first native-born mayor of Kamloops and served as District Governor of Rotary District 506 in 1981-1982.
In 1976, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada and was awarded the Order of British Columbia in 1990. In 1999, the city of Kamloops renamed the Peter Wing Rotary Rose Garden in his honour.
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On 27 December 2007, he died of a stroke at the age of 93 in Vancouver.
1980-81 Edgar (Ed) Johnson*
F. Edgar (Ed) Johnson was born on December 23, 1912 in Magrath, Alberta Canada. At the age of 10, he moved with his family to Yakima, Washington; where he spent the remainder of his life. He was extremely active in the LDS Church, where he had several leadership positions including Branch President, Bishop, High Council, and Stake President. Married in 1934, he first entered the fruit business with J. M. Perry and C. M. Holtzinger. In 1948 he became a partner in a fruit processing brokerage, and became full owner after a fire destroyed the plant in Sunnyside in the early 1950s; the firm then became known as Johnson Fruit & Cold Storage until he retired in 1986.
He was noted for his love of his community, church, worldwide travel, a family that eventually reached 25 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren before his death, and Rotary. He was President of the Yakima Rotary Club in 1976-77, District Governor in 1980-81, and other leadership offices in the organization. Having suffered a heart attack in 1968, he also was a charter member of CAPRI, the special exercise program at the YMCA for heart attack survivors.
He passed away September 12, 1996 in Yakima.
1979-80 Thomas (Tom) Watt*
Thomas MacRea Alexander (Tom) Watt was born in North Vancouver, BC in 1919, and married Yvonne Louise Wrench in 1946. They had three daughters, Judith, Lynda and Diane. In addition to world travel, he and Yvonne could regularly be found dancing at the Palomar Supper Club and the Panorama Roof Ballroom in Vancouver.
Tom was President of the Penticton Rotary Club in 1970-71 and served as District Governor of District 506 in 1979-1980. He worked as a pharmacist and both he and Yvonne were Paul Harris Fellows. He died in North Vancouver on June 8, 1991.
1978-79 A. Bert Christianson*
Bert Christianson was a native of Council Bluffs, Iowa and received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota. He later earned a Master’s degree in music from the University of Idaho. In 1944 when he was stationed at Vancouver Barracks, Washington he met Shirley Beckett and they were married the following year in Vancouver.
In 1947, they moved to Ellensburg, Washington where he was director of bands and professor of music for 31 years at Central Washington University. At Central he taught Woodwinds, conducting, music education and led a number of different bands. He was a member of the American Band Masters Association and was the recipient of a number of awards. They included induction into the Washington Music Educators Association Hall of Fame.
Bert and Shirley were very active in the Ellensburg community and were longtime members of Grace Episcopal Church. After his retirement, they moved to Leavenworth, WA and later relocated to Wenatchee. He died in Cashmere in 2004 at the age of 90. Bert was a longtime member of the Ellensburg Rotary Club and served as District Governor of Rotary District 506 in 1978-1979.
1977-78 Henry (Hank) Shaw*
Henry A. (Hank) Shaw was born in British Columbia in 1908 and died in Kelowna, BC in 1993 at the age of 85. He was a member of the Kelowna Rotary Club although he first joined Rotary in Shanghai, China in 1947. He was a member of the Shanghai club until its termination due to political strife in 1949, and was in attendance at the last meeting of that club.
Originally with the American Confectionary Export firm in Shanghai in 1933, Henry was appointed manager of a bakery, restaurant and airport catering company in 1946 and held that position until all foreign operations were terminated in 1949. He and his wife Mary and their three daughters then moved to Kelowna. There, he was self-employed with a feed manufacturing, cattle raising and turkey raising operations in Kamloops.
Hank was President of the Kelowna Rotary Club in 1957-1958 and District Governor in 1977-1978.
1976-77 James T. (Jim) Adamson* (Carol)
James T. “Jim” Adamson Sr. was active in the Moses Lake and Leavenworth Rotary Clubs for over 50 years, and served as Governor of Rotary District 506 in 1976-1977.
He was born and raised in Chehalis, WA, and attend Central Washington College of Education where he captained the varsity basketball team and was president of the student government. He earned his bachelor’s degree in education in 1948 and a master’s degree in 1955.
For most his life, Jim was involved with sports and education. He was both a high school PE teacher and a multi-sport coach at Leavenworth and Moses Lake High Schools. He also was principal of Peshastin Dryden High School before returning to Moses Lake where he worked until his retirement in 1979.
He was an Eagle Scout in his youth and served in the U.S. Army from 1942-1946 in the European Theater of Operations.
Jim was a founding member of the Cascade Medical Center Foundation and its president from 1992-2006. He was a long-time member of the Moses Lake Presbyterian Church and the Plain Community Church.
One of Jim’s favorite hobbies was woodworking, and many people and charitable organizations, including Rotary, have been recipients of his handiwork. He also enjoyed classical music, oil painting and traveling with friends and family.
Jim was married for 68 years to Carol Burgess Adamson and they had three sons, six grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.
1975-76 Thomas (Tom) Kobayashi*
Toru (Thomas) Kobayashi was a member of the Kamloops North Rotary club when he was selected to be District Governor of District 506 in 1975-1976. He and four other members of his club appeared in an article in The Rotarian in 1960 when they were recognized for planting 100 trees in Kamloops Centennial Park. 75 of the trees were to recognize the 75th anniversary of RI and 25 recognized the 25th anniversary of their club.
Tom was born in Stevenson, British Columbia in 1918, and died in Kamloops in 2005. He and his wife Rose operated the Kamloops Optical Company. In addition to Rotary, he enjoyed all sports but particularly loved curling, badminton and fishing.
1974-75 Lev Craven* (Maude)
Although “Lev” Craven was named Leavitt after his mother’s family, throughout his life, he was known as “Lev.” Leavitt Homer Craven was born on September 9, 1911 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He managed J. C. Penny stores for 38 years, and for 23 of those years was the manager of the Wenatchee store. He married Mary Maude Galloway in Weiser, Idaho on the 4th of July, 1936.
Lev joined the Wenatchee Rotary Club in 1952 and was its president in 1959-1960. He was District Governor of District 506 in 1974-1975. As a member of the Wenatchee club, he served on a number of committees, and was appointed by then District Governor Ed Cadman to determine if there were enough businesses to start another club. He reported back that there was tremendous potential for another club and on December 12, 1968, the Wenatchee North Club was born. Lev died on January 18, 1990 in Wenatchee, Washington. In 2018, Wenatchee North was renamed Wenatchee Confluence Rotary.
1973-74 Elwood (Woody) Miller*
Woody was born in Prosser, WA, on November 29, 1916, and passed away on May 28, 1992, in Yakima, WA. After attending Prosser schools and graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in transportation, he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy during WWII, and eventually retired from the Navy Reserves with the rank of Lt. Commander. Following the war, he moved with his wife, Anne, to Yakima where he was employed by Bell Wyman Chrysler Dodge, and later owned Yakima Transfer and Storage. He joined the Yakima Rotary Club in 1951, was club president in 1959-60, and served as Governor of (then) District 506 in 1973-74. In 1977, he was awarded the District Citation for Meritorious Service. Along with his Rotary service, Woody was an elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Yakima, a long-time board member of the Salvation Army, and a member of the Board of Yakima Memorial Hospital. He is survived by three daughters, all married to Rotarians, and a grandson Rotarian.
1972-73 HD "Dick" Prichard*
Dick Pritchard was born in Worcestershire, England in 1912 and moved to Canada in 1914, settling in the Okanogan Valley. After completing school in Armstrong, B.C., he received a teacher training diploma from Victoria Normal School and a B. A. degree from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Before retirement in 1969, he served as supervising principal of Penticton Secondary Schools for 25 years. His wife's name was Jean. He was very active in his community’s life. Dick joined Rotary in 1957 and was president of the Penticton Rotary club in 1961-1962. He served as Governor of District 506 in 1972-1973.
1971-72 Perry Mitchell* Perry Howard Mitchell was born on a farm near Weiser, Idaho 1903, one of ten children of Alonzo and Olive Mitchell. He grew up in Idaho and Washington. In 1925, while still a student in Bellingham, Washington, he met and married Dorothy A. Asher. At the time, she worked as a telephone operator. Perry died in May of 1978 in Coupeville, Washington. In 1971-1972 Perry Mitchell served as the District Governor of Rotary District 506, now District 5060.
His career in Education included a teaching position in Renton, Washington in 1940, where he eventually became a school principal. His choice also led him to Central Washington College (now Central Washington University) where he worked for many years as the Registrar. From 1958 to 1961, he was the acting president of the college.
1970-71 Morgan French*
Morgan French was born in Alberta, Canada in 1910 and graduated from the University of Alberta in 1934 with a Bachelor’s degree in commerce. He became a Chartered Accountant in 1937 and moved to Kamloops in 1944.
A year following his arrival in Kamloops he joined the Kamloops Rotary Club and in 1948-49 was the club’s president. In addition to leading the club, over the years, he served as its secretary, treasurer and accountant. He was involved in the District and served on a number of committees. In 1970-71 he was Governor of District 506. Morgan and his wife Mildred had two children.
1969-70 John E. Jones*
John Elmer Jones was born in 1917 in Kellogg, Idaho and graduated from Kellogg High School. He attended the University of Idaho and studied accounting until World War II. He then joined the Army Air Corps and served as a financial officer in Italy. After the war, he taught accounting at the University of Idaho where he met Ruth Marie Curtis. They were married in Boise, Idaho in 1945.
They then moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where John was a member of an accounting firm. He later worked in accounting for firms in Boise, Idaho and Moses Lake, Washington. While living in Moses Lake, he was elected mayor and was largely responsible for an arrangement with Japan Air Lines to train their pilots at the old Larson Air Force base, located there. He was a member of the Moses Lake Rotary Club and elected to be District Governor of District 506 in 1969-1970.
Following retirement in 1976 John lived in Elkhorn, Nevada, Boise, Idaho and finally in Sun City, Arizona. Again, he was active in Rotary in all thee locations. During his retirement years, he spent much time playing golf and participating in the activities of his Rotary Clubs. John died at his home in Peoria, Arizona on October 29, 2006.
1968-69 Dr. Edward (Ed) Cadman*, PRIP.
Dr. Ed Cadman, Rotary International President, and a leader in the creation of Rotary's PolioPlus Iniative. Dr. Cadman was president of Wenatchee Rotary 1962-63, PDG '68-69, RIP '85-86.
Watch the video of Ed's year as RI president
HERE.
1967-68 Dr. Harold Henderson*, PRIVP
A member of the Rotary Club of Kelowna since 1950, Harold was club President in 1955, District 5060 Governor 1967-1968, Director of Rotary International 1976-1978, a Nominating Committee member for President of Rotary International 4 times and Third Vice-President of Rotary International in 1977-1978. In addition to outstanding service to Rotary, Harold was recognized in the community and country, awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal (National award) in 1977, the Key to the City of Kelowna in 1986 and in 1997 was named the Male Citizen of the Year for Kelowna. PRIVP Dr. Harold Henderson passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at the age of 94 with family at his side.
1966-67 W.A. (Bill) Luce*
William “Bill” Luce was born in 1897 and raised by William and Celia Luce on a five-acre apple orchard in Massachusetts. He moved to Washington State in 1920 after graduating from the Massachusetts Agricultural College and found his first job at the Birchmount Orchard in Wenatchee. He went on to become a horticultural investigator for Chelan County and later worked as a horticultural consultant. In 1942 he was appointed tree fruit cooperative extension agent in Yakima, a position he held until his retirement in 1962. He wrote for various publications including the Good Fruit Grower and Better Fruit.
Bill was a charter member of the Yakima Pomological Club and helped form the Northwest Dwarf Tree Association. After his retirement, he worked as an orchard consultant and columnist for the Good Fruit Grower. From 1952 to 1968 he had a three-acre hobby and demonstration orchard in Yakima. In 1972 he published a book entitled Washington State Tree Fruit Industry… A Brief History.
Bill was awarded the American Pomological Society’s Wilder Medal in 1962, and served as president of the Washington State Horticultural Association in 1964.
He was a long-time member of the Yakima Rotary club and served as District Governor of then District 506 in 1966-1967. At the time of his death in 1994, he was survived by his wife Barbara.
The Bill Luce Memorial scholarship fund was created by the Washington State Horticultural Association Research and Scholarship Foundation in 1990. Scholarships from this fund are awarded to students enrolled in Washington State University’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape, pursuing a career in the tree fruit industry.
1965-66 Francis Atkinson* Dr. Francis Edward (Ted) Atkinson was born September 15, 1905, in Vancouver and died May 2, 1992 in Summerland, BC. In 1962. Ted received a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science at Oregon State University in Corvallis in the 1920’s. Throughout his career he worked at the Federal Agricultural Research Station in Summerland and acted as head of the food processing lab for many years. In the early 60‘s, working out of pickers’ cabin on his orchard, Ted started producing fruit jelly candies to raise funds for his local Rotary Club.
He soon turned to commercial production and what began as a fundraising effort grew into a retirement project and blossomed into Summerland Sweets! The business he founded is still in operation, selling candy, syrups, nuts, fruit snacks and more. His granddaughter and her husband now operate Sleeping Giant Winery on property adjacent to the company.
He was married to Inez (Ina) Newstrom. and served as Governor of Rotary District 506 in 1965-66.
1964-65 Victor Boullion*
Victor Bouillon was born in Seattle, Washington on March 20, 1890 and was educated in the Seattle Public Schools and at the University of Washington. Upon graduation, he became the assistant registrar at the U. of W. In 1926, he became the cashier and manager of the Washington National Bank of Ellensburg in Ellensburg, Washington. Victor set the longest tenure record of a Central Washington State College (Central Washington University) Board of Trustees member, serving from 1931 until 1964. He was a member of the Ellensburg Rotary club and served as Governor of Rotary District 506 in 1964-1965. He and his wife Edna lived at 1010 E. Third Avenue. Victor died on December 13, 1969 at the age of 79 years.
1963-64 Leo Lowe*
Leo Edward Lowe was born in River Falls, Wisconsin in 1895, and died in Wenatchee, Washington in 1979. He married Effie Dorothea Lobben in Helena, Montana in May of 1925. He attended the University of Minnesota and graduated from the State College of Wisconsin in River Falls.
He was manager of the Washington Growers Clearing House Association in Wenatchee, Washington. As a member of the Wenatchee Rotary Club, he served as it’s president in 1946, and was District Governor in 1963-64.
1962-63 Jim Passmore*
James D. “Jim” Passmore was born in Toronto, Ontario on April 6, 1905. When he was ten years old, his family moved to Saskatchewan where he lived for the next 30 year. During his time there, he operated chain stores, worked in importing and general merchandise. It was there that he met his wife Miss Clara Blanchard with whom he raised two children.
In 1944 Jim and Clara moved to Kamloops where he was engaged in business until his retirement in 1950. In 1944, he was introduced to the Kamloops Rotary club by it’s founding president, Robert W. Irving. Jim served as president of that club in 1952-1953 and as District Governor in 1962-1963.
In addition to Rotary, he enjoyed golf and his volunteer time with a number of service organizations including The Canadian Red Cross, The Salvation Army, The Thompson Valley United Appeal and The Canadian Cancer Society. He was a driving force in the establishment of Kamloops Memorial Arena and the Kamloops Curling Club.
Born on a farm in Brookville, Kansas in 1904; Jack Larson and his family moved to Silverton, Oregon, where he began his career in the bakery business. He married there in 1926, moved to Wenatchee, Washington for a few years, and then moved to Yakima in 1934 to take a position with Cecil Gholson, owner of local combination grocery, bakery, restaurant, and meat market. When the business failed in 1940, Jack bought the bakery equipment and opened what became known as Larson’s Bakery on North Second Street. The butter bars and butterhorns were among the bakery specialties; and often customers would add extra butter and nuts for an extremely sweet and tasty treat. He sold this business in 1960, but local realtor Omar Andrews and he had bought the adjacent building, formerly the home of the Republic Publishing Company, in 1954. This building housed a brokerage firm, Investors’ Services, where Larson eventually became a full-time financial advisor.
Larson was active in community affairs, serving as an elder of the First Presbyterian Church and the Board of the Chamber of Commerce. He was elected to the Yakima City Council in 1959 and during his 12 years on the council, he was instrumental in street improvements, saving the Metropolitan Parks District, the construction of a new sewage and wastewater treatment plant, and the creation of the Sister City relationship with Itayangi, Amori, Japan. Larson was elected Mayor by his fellow council members for nine years of his terms in office.
Joining the Yakima Rotary Club soon after his arrival in town, Jack was President of the Yakima Rotary Club in 1950 and Rotary District Governor in in 1957-58. He passed away in December 1998 at the age of 94.
District 153 (1947 - 1957)
Past District Governors
1956-57 John Coe*
John Coe was born on May 14, 1900 in Surrey, England and died on January 24, 1979, in Penticton, BC. He and his wife Gladys were the parents of two sons. John was a pioneer orchardist in Penticton for forty-eight years and served for many years as President of the Penticton Cooperative Growers.
He served in the Royal Flying Corps in World War I, and was an alderman of the city of Penticton for ten years. John was involved in many civic projects in Penticton, and served on the Board of the Okanagan Summer School of the Arts for sixteen years. He was its chairman in 1976. John was a member of the Penticton Rotary Club and District Governor in 1956-1957.
1955-56 WR Green*
Wilbur Robert Green was born in 1896 in Tangent, Oregon. Married to Lillian Cicily Bullen of Victoria, BC, they were the parents of four daughters. Bob, as he was known to everyone, was a member of the Spokane Rotary Club and editor of its bulletin, The Hub, for many years.
He served as District Governor of District 153 in Rotary year 1955-1956. During that year, he presided over the division of the district into two new districts. The Eastern portion becoming District 508 and the Western half becoming District 506. Those then eventually becoming 5080 and 5060 respectively.
Lillian died in 1940, and twenty-five years later in 1965, Bob remarried. His second wife was Doris Ella Muir who was born in Layton, England. Bob died in 1979 and is buried in Spokane, Washington.
1954-55 J.C. Jeppson*
Jay Carl (J.C.) Jeppson was born Nov3, 1893 in Millville, Utah. He married Zola Call, April 5, 1919 in Jacksonville, FL. He was active in the LDS church and held a number of leadership posts. When he lived in Lewiston, Idaho he was president of the Lewiston Rotary Club and District Governor of District 153. He was also active in the Boy Scouts. During WW I, he served as a Lt. in the Army. He managed J. C. Penny stores in Dillion, Montana, Tremonton, Utah, and Lewiston, ID. While living in Lewiston, he was post commander of the American Legion. He died in 1970 at the age of 76 in in Salt Lake City, UT.
1953-54 Dolph Browne*
Adolphus “Dolph” Browne was born on Pope’s Road in Cork, Ireland on December 26, 1892. He was the eighth of nine children. In 1912, his parents and all the children emigrated to Canada where they settled briefly in Edmonton, Alberta. As a young man, Dolph moved around a lot but eventually made his home in Vernon, BC where he had a successful career in the fruit industry.
After moving to Vernon, he developed a lifelong love for Curling and served as President of the Vernon Curling club for 14 years beginning in 1936. In 1942 he ran for City Council in Vernon and served as Alderman for four years.
In 1953-54 Dolph served as Governor of Rotary District 153 which included Eastern British Columbia, Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho and part of Montana. As he traveled the district visiting clubs he was joined by his wife Florence, known as “Florrie” who was a musician. She often played the piano and sang for the clubs they visited.
Dolph died on February 3, 1974 as they were leaving Vancouver for a vacation in Hawaii.
1952-53 Edwin Smith*
Edwin Smith was a member of the Wenatchee Rotary Club and was its president in 1939-1940. He was born in Lodi, New York in 1888, and died in Wenatchee, Washington in 1978. His wife Kathleen Philpott Smith was born in Dresden, Ontario in 1890 and immigrated to the United States in 1927. She died in Wenatchee in 1982.
Edwin was a horticulturist for the Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agriculture Engineering. His principle responsibility was the handling, transportation and storage investigations of fruit and vegetables at the Wenatchee field station. Edwin was a member of the Wenatchee Rotary club and was its president in 1939-1940. He served as District Governor of District 153 in 1952-1953.