Rotarian Dave Hamilton (center) is flanked by Club President Tim Neubert and the club’s portrait of Rotary founder Paul Harris as he receives his “Paul Harris Fellow Plus 1” recognition pin. Paul HarrisFellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute a total of $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation. Each additional $1,000 in contributions brings a plus number jewel to their pin. There have been over one-million Paul Harris Fellows recognized worldwide. The Rotary Foundation seeks to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by supporting projects that improve health, education, the environment, and alleviate poverty. You may donate to the Foundation using this link: https://www.rotary.org/en/donate.
Sycamore Park District PGA Professional Kirk Lundbeck talked golf and quizzed Rotarians during this week’s meeting. Lundbeck, a 1976 graduate of Sycamore High School, is in his 27th year as Superintendent of Golf Services.
Former Club Secretary and long-time member Mario Fontana passed away Tuesday, February 14, at the health care facility in Geneva, Illinois where he was cared for during the past three years. He was 75.
Former Club Secretary and long-time member Mario Fontana passed away Tuesday, February 14, at the health care facility in Geneva, Illinois where he was cared for during the past three years. He was 75.
Visitation will be Sunday from 4-7 PM at the Finch Funeral Home in DeKalb with a Funeral Mass Monday at Christ the Teacher Parish in DeKalb at 9:30 AM. The family suggests donations be made in his memory to the Rotary Club of Sycamore or the American Stroke Foundation.
The Rotary Club's Board of Directors has also decided to send flowers on behalf of the membership.
Sycamore Park District Superintendent of Golf Services and PGA Professional, Kirk Lundbeck, promoted the upcoming golf season interspersed with prize-winning trivia questions for Sycamore Rotarians at this week’s meeting. Lundbeck began by asking what the Disney Corporation and the Park District have in common (both are celebrating their 100th anniversaries). He then noted that this year’s lineup of leagues at the Sycamore Golf Club has something for all ages, genders, and skill levels. Lundbeck expressed excitement about improvements at the golf course, most notably the new bridge at hole 10. This prompted a question about the number of bridges making up the golf course (there are 11, although at one time there were 12). He also asked how many holes have some type of water feature associated with them (which is 11). He was proud of the fact that Sycamore is the top-used golf course in the county. He also noted that a charity event, “Beat the Pro”, has been able to raise $207,072 for the community. Lundbeck will be retiring at the end of the 2023 season. Full details on the season at the Sycamore Golf Club may be found at www.playgolfsycamore.com.
When he’s not on the golf course, Lundbeck is frequently found playing in a band or orchestra (the trombone is his most well-known performance instrument) and he is also conductor for the DeKalb Municipal Band, Lundbeck received a rousing applause from Rotarians thanking him for his leadership at the Sycamore Golf Club and the community music scene.
The Rotary Club of Sycamore is committed to supporting many great causes. Following are the causes we have support since July 2022:
$372.50 to Sycamore District 427 for School Supplies (50/50 raffle cause for August)
$300.00 to Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County (50/50 raffle cause for September)
$465.50 to Safe Passage (50/50 raffle cause for October)
$1,350.00 for Polio Plus (funds raised through Chicken Salad Tasting with Suter Company)
$2,761.00 for Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County’s 2022 Home Build (w/ Dist. 6420 Matching Grant)
$400.00 to Usborne Books (during District conference) to provide reading materials to Ukrainian refugees attending two schools in Chicago's Ukrainian Village
$896.00 for Adopt-a-Family
$1,000.00 to Coats for Kids
$1,000.00 to Feed My Starving Children/Make a Difference DKC
$352.50 to Spartan Food Pantry (50/50 raffle cause for November)
$1,000.00 to Sycamore Public Library to fulfill District 6420 Governor's "Nothing Reads Like a Book" initiative
$292.50 to Sycamore Food Pantry (50/50 raffle cause for December)
$500.00 to Pay-It-Forward House (50/50 raffle cause for January)
$400.00 to Navajo Water Project (50/50 raffle cause for February)
$365.00 to DeKalb County Community Gardens (50/50 raffle cause for March)
$297.50 to Tails Humane Society (50/50 raffle cause for April)
$500.00 to South Prairie Elementary School (Rotary Reader)
As with Happy Dollars and fines, 50/50 raffle proceeds have long been earmarked for the scholarship fund for Sycamore High School seniors. In an effort to "spread the wealth" and support more causes, the members of your Rotary Board have determined that 50/50 raffle proceeds collected each month will benefit a different cause.
For the month of June, 50/50 raffle proceeds will help support CASA DeKalb County, Inc. to advocate for and serve as the voice for children who have experienced abuse or neglect in DeKalb County. The Board has committed that the total amount given to this cause will be no less than $250.
Thank you for your support of this important cause...and best of luck with the raffle!
February 12, 1809 – The 16th President of the U. S., Abraham Lincoln, is born in a log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. By the time he was a young man his family had relocated to Illinois where he became a self-taught lawyer, then served in both the state General Assembly and U. S. Congress. He became President in 1861, guided the Union through the Civil War, and abolished slavery. He was assassinated just a few days after Lee’s surrender to Grant at Appomattox.
February 14, 1818 – African-American abolitionist, lecturer, and editor, Frederick Douglass, who was also an escaped slave, is born in Talbot County, Maryland.
February 15, 1809 - Inventor and industrialist Cyrus McCormick is born in Rockbridge County, Virginia. He invents a horse-drawn mechanical reaper contributing to development and cultivation of vast areas of the American Great Plains. His reaper forms the basis of International Harvester Corporation.
February 15, 1820 – Pioneering women’s rights advocate Susan B. Anthony is born in Adams, Massachusetts.
February 14, 1929 – The infamous St. Valentine’s Day massacre occurred in Chicago when seven members of the Bugs Moran gang were gunned down by five of Al Capone’s mobsters posing as police.
February 15, 1898 – The U. S. Battleship Maine was blown up while in Havana harbor with 260 crew members lost. Inflamed public opinion (“Remember the Maine”) led to a declaration of war against Spain.
February 15, 1933 – An assassination attempt on newly-elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt occurred in Miami, Florida. A spectator deflected the gunman’s aim, but Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was shot and killed instead.
February 16, 1923 – English archaeologist Howard Carter enters the sealed burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian ruler King Tutankhamen culminating a five-year search for the boy-king’s tomb. The tomb’s interior treasures were untouched after more than 3,000 years with King Tut’s mummy the most perfectly preserved ever discovered.
Birthdays & Club Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
John Peterson
August 1
Dave Smith
August 14
Janice Docherty
August 19
Join Date
Bob Hammon
August 1, 1984
39 years
Clifford Golden
August 1, 2018
5 years
Troy Oates
August 1, 2014
9 years
Brandon Diviak
August 5, 2015
8 years
Dave Smith
August 8, 2019
4 years
Jeffrey Petersen
August 12, 2010
13 years
Stephen Hansen
August 17, 2011
12 years
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 2023-2024
President – Brandon Diviak
President Elect – Steve Wilder
Director (President Nominee) – Jonelle Bailey
Director (President Designee) - Becky Springer
Past President – Tim Neubert
Treasurer – Dr. Michele Jurkovic
Secretary – Sally Bruch
Sergeant at Arms – Paulette Renault
Monthly Committees
July: Board of Directors
August: Jeff Keicher, Brandon Diviak, Pat Shafer
September: Dave Hamilton, Jeff Jacobson, Jim Stoddard
October: Paul Callighan, Matt Nelson, Paul Stromborg
November: Sue Emberson, Jeff Frank, Mark Spiegelhoff, Heidi Wright
December: Paul Barnaby, Larry Berke, Riley Oncken
January: Ray Dembinski, Joyce Klein, Rob Mondi, Tim Neubert
June: Stephen Hansen, Steve Wilder, Paulette Renault
Standing Committees
Membership: Jonelle Bailey, Ray Dembinski, Bob Hammon, Steve Kuhn, Jeff Petersen, Bob Wildendradt, Jeff Jacobson, Brandon Diviak, Matt Nelson, Riley Oncken
Public Image: Bob Brown, Paul Callighan, Stephen Hansen, Jeff Keicher, Joyce Klein, Tasha Sims
Fellowship: Paulette Renault, Pat Shafer, Mark Spiegelhoff, Sally Bruch, Sue Emberson Dave Hamilton, Paul Barnaby, Larry Berke, Paul Loner
Service: Brandon Diviak, Jeff Frank, Michele Jurkovic, Rob Mondi, Brendan Wilson, Heidi Wright, Alicia Cosky, Tim Neubert
Foundations: Jim Buck, Sue Emberson, Matt Nelson, Jim Stoddard, Paul Stromborg
New Generations: Chip Houdek, Julie Sgarlata, Becky Springer, Steve Wilder
Scholarships: Tim Neubert, Julie Sgarlata, Ray Dembinski, Steve Kuhn, Michele Jurkovic, Don Clayberg
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