The first official act of president Ev was to introduce "Fireside Meetings." Two were held at Rotary Park, one at Ev's home, and one in
the Union Building. The Board of Directors liberalized our local attendance rules so that anyone desiring, could actually meet our 60% attendance requirement for each six months without any undue difficulty.
Sickness and death in the family were automatically excused. Business and vacation excuses could be obtained by request from the Secretary. The limitation of 6 days before and 6 days after regular meeting
for makeup was eliminated. Makeups include Board meetings, Club Assemblies, Dist. Conferences, Dist. Institutes and other Club or Rotary functions, in addition to regular meetings of other Clubs. Attendance did improve
as the food improved. The October attendance percentage reached 85.7%.
The Club purchased 200 newly designed (by Howdy Porsch) Lafayette Rotary Club banners—members could purchase and give to foreign or
other Clubs. We discontinued giving Lafayette Rotary Wheels as distance awards. The Club bought eight 5-tube radio sets (through Bob Hiatt) for Saint Elizabeth Hospital in recognition of inviting us to be their guest
for a noon meeting, at which we learned more of the great work this hospital is doing in our community. $600 bought two pool tables for the local YMCA.
District Governor Curt Hostetter at his annual visit to the Club
said: "Rotary is not measured by the number of Clubs, the number of members, or the countries in which it is found, but by the INDIVIDUAL ROTARIAN in the Club."
Joe Baker, Dan Cooper, Chief Honewell, Charlie
Wiselogel, Jimmy Williams, and Dave Pfendler gave vocational talks: "Ripples from Rotarians".
In October 1958 Lafayette Rotary had 146 active; 5 additional active; 31 senior active; 3 past service, and 8 honorary
members. The record showed that for the past ten years we had lost 14 members and gained 18 new members per year.
Seventy Rotaryanns braved -2° temperature to have noon lunch with us on December 9.
The sudden
closing of Marshall's forced the Club to find a new place to meet. Oscar Pipes invited the Club to come to the Fowler on March 17th, and we stayed. In the move we discovered our "Meeting Place Plaque" had been stolen
from Marshal's. Marshall reimbursed the club $25.00 - a new plaque was ordered and placed by the elevator in the lobby of the Fowler. Later on the old plaque was found in a fraternity at Purdue when the police were
looking for something else taken in a prank—Marshall's $25.00 was returned by the fraternity and the Club wound up with two plaques. The next year quite a group of Lafayette Rotarians went to Crawfordsville for the 40th
anniversary meeting of their Club. Lafayette had sponsored this club. It was found that they did not have a meeting
Plaque there in the hotel Crawford, so our 2nd plaque was given them on this occasion.
Dayton McCormick, Jack Barclay, George Spencer, Sam Keller and Andy Bain put on a stimulating program answering the four questions posed in The Four-Way Test.
Roy Whistler and his
Membership-Classification Committee deserve a vote of thanks for their efforts in bringing the classification roster of the Club up to date.
Happenings of Rotarians through the year:
Chauncey McCoy
admonished other Rotarians that they might fare as well as Frank Riedel if they forget to remain at the scene of an accident.
Mickey McGuire, upon returning from Flint, Michigan, was to pick up his family
in Huntington. Back in the PMO office much later, he "remembered" that he "forgot."
A past president, past secretary and past editor of Ripples wanted to know: "Where does past governor George go when he wants to go
to the State Fair?"
Cordy Hall drove to South Bend, obtained a room with TV in a hotel, and saw the Purdue-Notre Dame game in style.
The Union threw a strike on the Fowler, and Rotarians Stewart, Luhman and Mickey
McGuire couldn't cross the picket lines—Holmes Martin almost tricked Al once into coming.
John Osmun MC'd the 25th anniversary banquet of the National Pest Control Association in Washington, D.C.
District Governor
Curt Hostetter presented "The Rotary Wheel" to twenty-nine Rotary Clubs in the district - speaking to the individual members Curt said: "You are an important COG on the Rotary Wheel today to help build the BEST District
in the Rotary World."
Norris and Eleanor Shreve made their annual trek to Formosa.
Paul Chenea was at M.I.T. for a year as a visiting professor and Clyde Nichols went to M.I.T. for the Spring semester
as a guest professor.
Harold Amrine was honored with a Fulbright Scholarship to teach at University of Melbourne, Australia, for one year.
J.R. Mitchell and Dan Cooper invaded the Lions Club at Pendleton.
Jim Huston, a Lt. Col. in the Army Reserves, became a faculty member of the Navy War College for a year—what is Jim trying to do?—Sink the Navy?
John Osmun visited Russia as a member of the United States Entomological Delegation.
Ralph Morgen was one of eight to study Russian Engineering Education for 60 days—all over Russia.
Dayton
McCormick went to Scotland to fill Rev. Levison's pulpit for three months, while Rev. Levison filled Dayton's here in Lafayette. While here, Rev. Levison met with the Rotary Club in Dayton's place.
Everett Wright's
last act was to appoint (for the second time) Clyde Nichols as Club Historian.
