There are over 22,000 Rotary Clubs in the world and the Lafayette Club is the 56th largest. This was an historic year with regard to
Rotary membership: clubs may now admit women. A letter from M.A.T. Caparas, president of Rotary International, says, "Clubs should consider all candidates for membership without regard to sex, but they should not relax
the other requirements… "There will be some members of the club who will be reluctant to admit women as Rotarians, but others will be delighted with this move. "We must all accept this development, which we cannot
change. It will be to the club's collective and individual credit if this is done with grace."
President LeRoy Silva closed out his year by expressing gratitude to all Rotarians for their support and
assistance this year. He especially noted the fine job done by Terry Phillips as club treasurer and the special effort by Rex Kepler to play the piano most Tuesdays. LeRoy cited some goals—improved attendance, increased
membership, increased Paul Harris Fellows—and noted some accomplishments and some disappointments. He stressed his satisfaction at the smooth funding process that was accomplished by the Funds Request Committee headed
by Jack Mollenkopf. He also promised, as immediate past president, to continue working toward club extension and to get the Rotary bell repaired. LeRoy then passed the ball and the gavel to Ken Koger, who presented
LeRoy with his past president badge, diamond lapel pin and bound copy of Rotary Ripples. Paul Hams Fellows for the year included Martin L. Busche (deceased), Larry Lane, Jim Emerson, Frank Burrin and Dave Pfendler.
The Board of Directors provided funding for these projects:
- $1,000 for Loeb Stadium renovation.
- $1,700 for Boy Scouts of America.
- $250 to Leadership Lafayette.
- $35 to Trinity United Methodist Church memorial fund in memory of Vernon K. Hitch.
- $2,000 to the International Center for a computer.
The Rotary contribution to the Salvation Army this year totalled $11,184. $3,689 of this was from the kettles and the rest from cash and check individual contributions.
New directors elected
in December were: Town - Nick Ivey and Steve Ford; Gown -Bill Baumgardt and Bill Fuller.
The price for lunch went up to $5.50 per person. The last raise was in February 1984.
Winners of this
year's high school scholarship/citizenship awards included: Central Catholic - Marcee Johnson and Robert Gloyeske; Harrison - Christiia Long and Matthew Moore; Jefferson - Victoria Deets and Philip Hession; McCutcheon -
Lynnae Bishop and Steven Miller, West Lafayette - Janice Lin and Jordan Samuels. Victoria Deets and Matthew Moore won the two $500 Rotary scholarships.
About 70 Rotarians attended the annual Glee Club
party at the Frankfort Country Club. Brian Holstine won the "Service Above Self' award. Rotarians named to Glee Club awards were Bob Ford, the Albert Stewart Gleetarian Award; Bob Griffiths, the Golden Award; Ken Koger,
the Vociferous Award. "This was a particularly popular activity," says President Koger, "because of the chance to socialize with the Glee Club members and to enjoy the recreation. The wives also thoroughly enjoyed the
Glee Club and the personal attention which the boys gave them during the evening."
A new country has joined the Rotary Fellowship. Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Island makes 161 countries and geographical
regions in Rotary. There are 22,839 clubs with a membership of 1,031,297.
President Ken Koger remembers that there were two major topics of debate during his year as president. The first was the possibility of
forming a second Rotary club in Lafayette. "There were some very heated feelings on this issue," he said. The second concerned the decision on an international level to admit women to club membership. "Some did not like
this decision, but mostly it was accepted as inevitable," he noted.
"My memory of the year is appreciation for the way everyone worked on special projects and the willingness of everyone to do a task when
they were asked," he said.
