At the first meeting of the new year retiring president Bill Ayres told new president Dick Hadley: "If you wham the bell hard enough they
will eventually listen to you". With only 2/3 of the year past, as this goes to press, much has been done to make this one of the outstanding years in Lafayette Rotary. District Governor Jim Pence gave a sincere and
earnest approach to the responsibilities and opportunities of Rotary when he made his official visit.
"Frank Riedel" Day on Oct. 20 was a great celebration in honor of 37 years of perfect attendance.
Seven Rotarians and five Rotaryanns attended the District Conference at Connersville, which was quite entertaining as well as full of good Rotary.
Joe Sicer and his committee really filled us full of barbecued
chicken at the fall Stag party out at Rotary Park—a great "poker-time" was had by all.
We were saddened by the deaths of our great past District Governor John Stemm, and fellow Rotarian Leroy D. Edwards.
The biggest Dinner Dance ever held by our club was at the Country Club on December 4. This was the opening of our Golden Anniversary programs—our own members and their Rotaryanns portrayed the growth and life of Rotary
to perfection. Other Anniversary projects have been the installation of eight Rotary road signs; the authorization to purchase some land for the Girl Scouts and giving of something of equal value to the Boy Scouts; the
publication of this history; and a series of programs to show us the local school situations.
There were 125 winners in the 4-H Corn Club Contest this year.
John Newby, our fellowship foundation student from
England cleverly showed the minor differences and major similarities between Americans and Britons.
John Cage, our program chairman, has brought so many outstanding programs that it would take another page to
summarize them. We will leave this, as well as the rest of the events of this 1954-1955 year, to be filled in by our next historian.
The regular Inter-City Ladies Night with Al Stewart and the Purdue Glee Club, and
the Glee Club Fish Fry (at Rotary Park this time) were held at the usual times in the spring. A special meeting on May 17 honored 65 of the oldest employees in length of service working in the businesses of Rotarians:
Eddie Loeb brought James E. Dafty, 22 years with Loebs, and Herb Hussey brought Miss Ruby Hayth with General Telephone 40 years.
The Club had 207 visiting Rotarians during the year; 391 Club invited guests; and 198
other visitors with Rotarians.
Norris and Eleanor Shreve left Lafayette Rotary wheels in Taipei and Tainan Formosa, and Norris gave the first anniversary address to the Tainan Club.
John Newby made at lest 30
talks to Rotary Clubs before returning to England—almost failed his work at Purdue as a result of being such an international goodwill ambassador.
The Club's By-Laws were amended to have 11 Board members with 3-year
terms rather than 7 members with one-year terms, effective the following year.
The Club, by a written secret ballot of the entire membership, voted to enforce the 60% attendance rule.
The passing of another charter member, Orion L. Foster, saddened our Club again.
Past District Governor George Davis joined the ranks of the "absent-minded professor" with all dues paid to a fortune teller, and
attested to by the police. Our good friend Frank Hockema dedicated a poem titled, "An Absent-Minded Professor" to George "Whitcomb Riley" Davis.
The price of meals was raised to $1.25, which brought a letter from
Jack Ralston objecting on the grounds that members who were attending were paying the penalty cost of the ones who were absent. And Curt Hostetter and Chauncey McCoy were caught slipping away without paying for their
lunch the next week.
The Golden Anniversary Project of the Club culminated in a deed to 10.6 acres of land for the Girl Scouts of Sycamore Valley, and the pledging of $1060 to the Boy Scouts for a worthwhile
contribution in the future.
Russ Mitcell, Irv Wilson, Herm Messing and Ev Wright were our official delegates to the Golden Anniversary Convention in Chicago.
