Members of The Rotary Club of Rochester, past and present, along with family, friends, and Rotary members from area clubs gathered on May 15 at the Rochester Golf and Country Club to celebrate 100 amazing years of The Rotary Club of Rochester.
In addition to enjoying a delicious meal, attendees were welcomed by the evening's emcee Betsy Singer, Club President Dave Moertel, and District 5960 Governor Ed Boeve. Rochester Mayor Kim Norton read a proclamation from the City, and Lorie Luedke spoke about the club's 100th anniversary community project and the $10,000 raised to purchase benches that will encircle the new Silver Lake Park splash pad. Rotary Club of Owatonna's President Tom Partridge shared the story of how The Rotary Club of Rochester came to be through sponsorship by his club. Lois Nelson, secretary and club service lead for the Rotary Club of Owatonna, spoke about how the Rochester and Owatonna Rotary clubs came together to contribute funds toward a statue of Amelia Witherstine, the first woman elected to public office in Rochester. Ed Zirkle was the evening's keynote speaker. Ed, a photojournalist and Rotarian from Ohio, shared a story about the war in Ukraine through photos he had taken. The evening concluded with a heartfelt video featuring interviews with several members of The Rotary Club of Rochester. More than 500 hours of video was masterfully edited by Warren Harmon into a 20-minute video shared at the event.View photos from the May 15 anniversary celebration. Watch the 100th Anniversary video posted to the club's YouTube channel. Watch news coverage by KIMT-TV.
If you haven't already pre-ordered the 100th anniversary commemorative booklet, there's still time. The printed booklet is available for purchase for $15 and is only available to those who pre-order. A PDF version of the booklet will also be available to download at no cost. The booklet will be available this summer. Use this LINK to order and pay for your booklet. Click on the "register" button in the upper right corner of the webpage to complete your order.