January 14, 2019

95 YEARS OF EUREKA ROTARY
 We all know that the first Rotary Club was organized in Chicago in1905. We may not be aware that club number two was organized in San Francisco  by Manuel Munoz, a salesman by trade, and his friend Homer Wood, a lawyer. Clubs were then organized in Oakland, Seattle and Los Angeles before a rotary club was ever organized on the east coast.

Prior to 1923 there was no club on the North Coast.  The district governor at the time was enthusiastic about starting a club in Eureka.  Our local response was not exactly overwhelming.
The District governor was not to denied, however, and San Francisco Rotarian Leo Lebenbaum came to Eureka in 1922 to manage the brand new Eureka Inn and assisted by past governor Bru Brunier, helped set up an organizational meeting of the 21 charter members on October 10, 1923.

More to come…

Sad day for our local club.  J Warren Hockaday, long time Rotarian, passed away.  He was loved and respected by all.

 

 

Brad Mettam opened the meeting.  Nathan Nilsen gave the invocation.  The menu included the traditional combination of fried cod and spaghetti.  Dr. Kim made an announcement of the club’s 95th anniversary coming up.  March 15 is the date for the club’s fund raiser Mardi Gras. There will be no cash prize this year.  There will be another party later in the year including a raffle. Edward Jones financial adviser Leslie Wilhelm gave her craft talk. She started her career as a bank teller  in 2015 and moved swiftly to loan officer and then to financial adviser.  She is a native of Port Angeles Washington and has a horse.

 

 

 

Our presenter was Heidi Benzonelli-Burden head of the Jefferson Project.   The former elementary school has been converted to a family resource center, clothing closet, playground, and distributor of free produce.  They are developing a neighborhood network that acts together to clean up the eyesores in the area and reduces crime and raises property values.