The laser eyes of Dr. Jeff Frank were working well at this week’s Rotary meeting as he drew the Ace of Spades to win the full pot from the 50-50 raffle. Frank will share the $400 prize with his tablemates. Here we see a happy Dr. Frank showing off the winning card masterfully picked from a pretty full deck.
Sycamore High School Senior Monroe McGhee is the April student of the month. McGhee, a standout student basketball player, said she has a passion for helping people both in good times and when times are not so good. As a result, she plans to study Psychology and then use her knowledge to help athletes with their mental health care. She is a founding member of the Student Athlete Support Coalition at Sycamore High School which focuses on mental health well-being. McGhee is an academic all-conference basketball player and is a leader on the Spartans girls squad chosen as Captain the past two years. She has coached and refereed for kids’ camps and Little League basketball programs. She was named homecoming queen her senior year. She received an African American Academic Recognition Award from the College Board. She is a National Honor Society member. She is active in student government serving on student council (class secretary her sophomore year and class vice president her junior and senior years) and the student advisory forum. She serves as vice president for the Lil Sis Big Sis freshman mentoring program. She is a member of Rotary Interact and has been part of church mission trips to Tennessee, South Dakota, and Florida. McGhee hopes to pursue her Psychology studies at University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, and of course, play basketball. Her Rotary donation check will go to the Student Athlete Support Coalition.
New Sycamore Park District Golf Superintendent Paul Price introduces himself to Sycamore Rotary. Price took the helm of the golf program in December with the retirement of longtime superintendent Kirk Lundbeck.
Even though there were snow flurries outside, newly appointed Sycamore Park District Golf Superintendent Paul Price laid out his vision for the upcoming season at this week’s Rotary meeting. Price came on board in December to succeed retiring longtime golf superintendent Kirk Lundbeck who retired. Price comes to Sycamore from the Grayslake Park District where he promoted golf participation by non-traditional age groups, especially with youth camps. Price learned to play golf through family and friends, especially with trips to a practice range with his father. He even admitted to an interest in golf at a very early age when he had a toy golf set. He said he wants to see a full age-range of instructional programs available to youth, especially filling a gap for those over age 11 that do not fit into league play.
Although he has not had professional competitive golf experience, Price says he is a 5 to 6 handicap golfer. He says the “short game” is the best part of his outings. Style wise, he says he adapted techniques from multiple players, not dominated by any one specific player’s approach. Price said he is eager to help individuals elevate their golf experience at the Sycamore course focusing on personal enjoyment. Price said he hopes the programs, course quality, and resources available at the Sycamore Golf Club help grow interest and participation in the game.
March 31, 1732 – Composer Franz Joseph Haydn, considered the father of the symphony, is born in Rohrau, Austria.
April 2, 1805– Fairy Tale author Hans Christian Andersen is born in Odense, Denmark.
April 3, 1924 – Academy award winning method actor Marlon Brando (known for The Godfather, A Streetcar Named Desire, and On the Waterfront) is born in Omaha, Nebraska.
April 5, 1856 – African American educator Booker T. Washington is born as a slave in Franklin County, Virginia. Self-taught to read at an early age, he becomes principal of the Tuskegee Institute with 30 students in 1881 and helps it grow into a modern university which today has 2,900 students.
April 1, 2004 – Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, known for jokingly publicizing over-the-top products or plans on April Fool’s Day, announce a free email service with what was then the largest amount of storage available. It was up to an Associated Press reporter to verify Gmail was for real in a dispatch sent to news outlets nationwide. Gmail now boasts over 1.8 billion active users worldwide.
April 1, 1973 – American Rock Band Cheap Trick is formed in Rockford, Illinois. They have sold more than 20 million albums and done over 5,000 live performances. The Illinois Legislature designated April 1 “Cheap Trick Day” in 2007. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
April 2, 1513 – Near present-day St. Augustine, Florida, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon comes ashore and claims the territory for the Spanish crown. The Spanish explorer was on an ill-fated search for the “Fountain of Youth,” the fabled water source that was said to bring eternal youth. He named the peninsula he explored “La Florida” because his discovery came during the time of the Easter feast of the flowers, or Pascua Florida.
April 4, 1968 – Civil Rights leader Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. is shot and killed by a sniper in Memphis, Tennessee. As head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, he had championed non-violent resistance to end racial oppression. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
Birthdays & Club Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
Alicia Cosky
September 1
Riley Oncken
September 1
Steven Kuhn
September 3
Larry Sill
September 10
Ray Dembinski
September 13
William Fairchild
September 14
Join Date
Sejal Patel
September 2, 2015
9 years
Paul Barnaby
September 8, 1979
45 years
Ahmed Kamel
September 11, 2005
19 years
Brendan Wilson
September 29, 2021
3 years
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 2024-2025
President – Steve Wilder
President Elect – Jonelle Bailey
Director (President Nominee) – Becky Springer
Director (President Designee) - Matt Nelson
Past President – Brandon Diviak
Treasurer – Dr. Michele Jurkovic
Secretary – Pat Shafer
Sergeant at Arms – Paulette Renault
Monthly Committees
July: Board of Directors
August: Brandon Diviak, Jeff Keicher, Pat Shafer
September: Dave Hamilton, Jeff Jacobson, Jim Stoddard
October: Paul Callighan, Matt Nelson, Paul Stromborg
November: Sue Emberson, Jeff Frank, Phil Meyer
December: Larry Berke, Ray Dembinski, Riley Oncken
Fellowship: Paulette Renault, Larry Berke, Sue Emberson, Dave Hamilton, Pat Shafer
Foundations:Paul Stromborg, Jim Buck, Sue Emberson, Matt Nelson, Jim Stoddard
Membership: Jonelle Bailey, Ray Dembinski, Brandon Diviak, Bob Hammon, Jeff Jacobson, Steve Kuhn, Phil Meyer, Matt Nelson, Riley Oncken, Jeff Petersen, Bob Wildendradt
New Generations: Chip Houdek, Julie Sgarlata, Becky Springer, Steve Wilder
Public Image: Bob Brown, Paul Callighan, Jeff Keicher, Joyce Klein, Tasha Sims
Scholarships:Tim Neubert, Don Clayberg, Ray Dembinski, Michele Jurkovic, Steve Kuhn, Julie Sgarlata
Service: Brandon Diviak, Alicia Cosky, Jeff Frank, Michele Jurkovic, Rob Mondi, Tim Neubert, Brendan Wilson
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