The Rotary Club of Dubuque, Iowa

November 7th 2006 Hillcrest Family Services Meet the Class of October 2006... our newest members inducted in the club this past week. They include. Jim Hallenbeck, Joyce White, Dr. John Chapman are now officially Rotarians. Make sure when you meet these new members, show them the secret handshake. Incidentally, we recommend you listen to the recording this week and pay particular attention to the introduction of Dr. Chapman by John Burkhart. It's like poetry. And Joyce White's acceptance speech was a lovely get-to-know her opportunity. Mr. Hallenbeck appears to be a pretty interesting guy. He's a patent attorney. So his acceptance speech was apparently copyrighted (all rights reserved). His sponsor is Guy Gard.

October 31st 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs. Download the non-streaming file for your archives.

This week's meeting included a comprehensive report on how to participate in the Paul Harris Fellowship program of Rotary International. First and foremost, Rotarians need to realize that membership and service don't stop at the city limits. We are a worldwide organization that is making a positive impact on quality of life for people in need not only in our own community the the world at large. According to Barry Bromberg, who is directing our Rotary Club's Paul Harris participation drive, it's time to step up and qualify yourself. There are matching funds available, and you can defer your contributions over a period of time.

Did you know that half of your Paul Harris contribution comes back to our chapter for us to invest in community and humanitarian projects? True. For example, you can give $75 toward your Paul Harris, and the club will kick in $25 to round your contribution credit up to $100. Good deal.

There are several simple ways you can become a Paul Harris Fellow. It's a wonderful way to support our club's core mission. Learn more by listening to the recording this week.

Dr. Greg Crowley was a guest this week of Guy Gard.

Julie Florez was a guest of Patti Lachecki

Ralph Potter, candidate for county attorney, was a guest of Jim Schilling. Mike Campbell, another guest, is in the middle.

Mary Ann Gassman was delightful in her Halloween duds. Check out the stockings. Very cute.

Bob Woodward brought with him Shelly Guestner

John Knox brought Kathy Abba.

Karen Lynus was a guest of Thom Reilly.

Kent Renier is putting together a new banner for the club: Paul Harris Fellows.

Brian Dalzeil was a guest of Kevin Lynch this week.

Fun & Frolic hostmeister this week was Suzy Koelker. She was hilarious as always. Click on the photo for a printable enlargement.

That cute couple, the Lovelesses, Mike and Cheri, brought along their neighbor to a meeting. His name is Mark Sullivan. Maybe he'll return the hedge trimmer he borrowed last August. Hey, it's a Black and Decker! Click on this photo to reveal a printable enlargement.

"I pledge allegiance to Bob's new shorts and the United States of America..." Fortunately this week we sang a hym and gave the Pledge a rest. Well you could have seen this coming, for heavens' sake. You give Bob something to wear, and he's going to wear it. Frankly we like how he accessorized with the socks, shirt and headband. Kind of a whacky Casper-Doodle Dandy.

At Right: A guest Rotarian from Iceland, Thora Novarinsdottie, is here with Rod Bakke. The guy in the back is Jim Schilling on hand to notarize this photo caption. It's official, this paragraph has the record number of consonants in it for the least number of words. Quick, call Guinnes. This image is linked to a printable enlargement. Just click on it.

October 17th 2006 Meet Gerda Preston Hartman who is a bonafied Daughter of the American Revolution. She's also a spokesperson for the historic park to Dubuque's immediate south, The Mines of Spain. And she is an expert at local history since her ancestors can be traced back more than 150 years ago. Gerda is a celebrated author, and she brought her books.

October 24th 2006 Meet Bruce Braley (above conferring with Geri Shafer and David Hockenberry), the Democratic candidate for the 1st District of Iowa congressional seat.

October 17th 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs. Download the non-streaming file for your archives.

In any event, Gerda brought along some artifacts as you can see on the table above. Included are some Indian artifacts and arrow heads. She also brought along some printed materials and literature. Gerda is apparently well versed on the native American history of our area and she brought with her substantial information about the Indians and Julien Dubuque, our community's founder.

Kent Renier did the recording this week, and it sounds like he did an excellent job.

The images on this page are linked to splendid enlargements. Just click on them to download.

We've had his Republican opponent, Mike Whalen, to our club twice. You know what was interesting? How similar these candidates actually are in terms of family history. Other than their immediate careers (Bruce is a lawyer and Mike is an entrepreneur and business owner), they both studied law and both married girls from Dubuque. Imagine that. One thing that Bruce did discuss in his remarks was the negative campaigning that seems to be the hallmark of every election these days, and especially his congressional race with Whalen.

October 31st 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs. Download the non-streaming file for your archives.

Negative campaigning is pervasive (even school board elections are not immune). The net result of all this negative campaigning is that good and qualified people will simply not subject themselves to this kind of punishment and public scrutiny. Take-no-prisoners/ slash-and-burn politics does something else... it apparently works. According to Braley, it's easier for people to vote against something than for something.

In any event, listen to Mr. Braley for yourself on our weekly audio feature on this website (it's below left in the archival colunm. The audio at right is this week's meeting already. Photos coming).

October 10th 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs. Download the non-streaming file for your archives.

October 10th 2006 We had one of the largest inductions of new members in a long time. Click on the photo to see all of the members standing behind them and showing their support. Our Rotary District Governor, Ken Kolek, was on hand to officially welcome them to the club (he's on the far right). New members include Dan McCarthy (sponsored by John Knox), Chris Kolovitz (sponsored by Joy Droessler), Eugene Bird (sponsored by Charlie Miller) Jennifer Uptegraph and Bernie Fox (sponsored by Mike Brannon). The images on this page are linked to splendid enlargements. Just click on them to download.

And the Rotarian of the Year is Amy Weber! A tireless promoter of Rotary Club, she expanded committees and the fund raising activities we organize, increased our revenues and the funds we give to charity; and during her presidency, she made our club run more like a business with business goals and objectives (that we met). She continues to be a great leader in our organization. Congratulations Amy!

President Guy Gard apparently wanted to remind Bob Casper, our club's sergeant at arms, of the time he forgot where the American Flag was at a meeting not too long ago. These shorts made a nice gift, and, if the occasion ever presents itself again... well... let's not go there.

Guests this week included Louis Bassler, hosted by Eric Hilbun.

So guess who hosts Fun & Frolic this week? Celebrated motivational speaker Matt Foley who is 35 years old, divorced, and lives in a van down by the river. Matt knows a little something about motivation. Jerry Trimble introduced Matt to a packed house. All this fun was designed to raise more money for Rotary Club college scholarships, and we think he did a great job. His best line... "You know... if it wasn't for these scholarships, these kids wouldn't amount to jack squat!" It's all in the delivery. One never knows what Jerry Trimble is going to come up with when he's assigned Fun & Frolic. But it's always funny.

Lisa Fondell was a guest of Gery Kremer's.

Oh, and speaking of Jerry (pictured below) he's with guest Ruth Daly who visited Rotary Club this week.Isn't this a great photo? Click on it to download the free enlargment, compliments of your Dubuque Rotary Club.

Joyce White, a Rotarian from Fairbanks, Alaska, is transferring to Dubuque Rotary Club. Welcome Joyce to Rotary Club!

Rod Bakke brought along the executives of Five Flags Center (he's on the board), Joyce White (right) and Jennifer Uptegraph.

Jim Hallenbeck was a guest this week of Guy Gard. Jim is a Patent Attorney working for an intellectual property law firm in Des Moines, however he resides and practices in Dubuque, his boyhood home.

October 3rd 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs. Download the non-streaming file for your archives.

October 3rd 2006 Our guest Mike Whalen, the congressional candidate making his second visit to Rotary Club. The race is heating up, and this Republican wants to make sure he carries Dubuque County. His opponent has an invitation, but we haven't seen Mr. Braley yet. Perhaps closer to election day. Nonetheless, Mike hammered away on his main platform points: congressional spending (out of control and out of touch), career politicians (he's not one of them), and Social Security (he has a plan to keep the program solvent). If you would like to visit Mike's website, click here. This photo is linked to a printable enlargement as are other photos on this page.

John Burkart brought along Dr. John Chapman to Rotary Club this week.

And it was nice to see that Mike Whalen's wife, Kim, accompanied him (here she is lunching with Loras Bleile).

And less we forget, we had a rousing chorus this week lead by our Rotary Club singers. You'll have to hear it on the audio. Just click the audio file button above. To have a printable photo, just click on any one of these images to download the enlargements.

September 26th 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs. Download the non-streaming file for your archives.

September 26th 2006 Our guest was the former Governor of the Great State of Iowa, Terry Branstadt. He is now the President of Des Moines University, a college for osteopathic medicine, and this school has more graduates practicing medicine in the state than graduate from the University of Iowa, the state's other medical school. Terry is a great speaker, and his topic was very interesting considering the fact that perhaps not that much is known about Des Moines University among our community (though we have practicing physicians from this school in our community). This photo is linked to a printable enlargement as are other photos on this page.

And who knew Terry Brandstadt was a Rotarian? Yes, from Des Moines! Well, now we have a nice little flag he brought along from his home community that we'll proudly hang on one of our Big Banners of Rotary Flags. Thanks!

We had several guests this week, among them the Johnson Brothers, Brice and Brent, who publish Vue365, a weekly newspaper of culture and community news. Ray Quint was host. Is it us or does this image look like a front page from GQ? The photographer says he felt very inadequate because he was wearing cotton chinos with one of those expandable waistbands.

So here's Patti Lashecki and her guest Julie Florez.

Susan Todd-Bedell and Ruth Baxter of Glennville, N.Y., visiting Rotarians.

Rob Apel brought along Kevin Recken, a commercial lending executive with Liberty Bank.

Honest to God, Suzy Koelker is one of the best Fun & Frolic speakers ever. She's just plain funny. And her programs are almost always interactive. Because she didn't have her badge, because it was, frankly, confiscated by our club treasurer for late payment of dues, Suzy made a presentation of a check to our Rotary Club officers to get her badge back. We had to photograph this event.

September 12th 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs. Download the non-streaming file for your archives.

September 19th 2006 Our special guest this week was the candidate for the county attorney's post, Werner Hellmer (friend, Paul Hemmer, introduced him). Werner has had an illustrious and productive military (Marines) career, and he was among the council who wrote the rules of engagement for Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. He served in some of the world's hottest hot spots militarily and diplomatically speaking. Hellmer served in Somalia, a "humanitarian operation," where he was in charge of Civil Military Operations, Marine Forces. He confronted warlords and their militia on a daily basis. His previous other assignments included duties as Chief Prosecutor, Chief Defense Counsel and Military Judge He was nominated by the Marine Corps to be the Legal Adviser to the Chairman Joints Chief of Staff (one of 4 finalists). He had a lot to say about the war on terrorism and America's enemies. He also spoke about torture as an interrogation tool. His insightful talk was actually quite remarkable and compelling. It ran about 15 minutes longer than usual, but practically everyone stayed transfixed. You can hear his presentation in its entirety by clicking on the Windows Media Player button in the box above. This is one not to be missed, and if you heard his talk in person, you can share it with others in your e-mail circle by just e-mailing the link to this page.

Returning to the bosom of our beloved Rotary Club is former member now new member, Dr. Howard Wallace. Ed Babka, center, is his sponsor. At left is our president, Guy Gard. Dr. Wallace is Professor of Biblical Theology Emeritus at the Dubuque Theological Seminary. "It's good to be back." he told the club as he recognized several familiar faces in the audience. Dr. Wallace has been all over the world in pursuit of his academic career. (Below) Dr. Wallace getting pinned by his sponsor, Ed Babka.

Gary Kramer introduced Jake and Carrie Wookey. They are from northern Minnesota and are opening a new chiropractic and nutritional health clinic in Dubuque.

September 12th 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs.

September 12th 2006 Angela Petsche of the Society for Special Needs spoke to our group this week. This is a group you may not necessarily have heard of in our community, but they do fantastic things, and, of course, Rotary has been a generous benefactor. They do such a variety of projects, but most have to do with raising the necessary money to help people with special mobility needs. Sometimes they just help people obtain what they are entitled to, but most of the time, explains Angela, her organizatiion has to be more than creative in finding angels to help their individual causes. Learn more by listening to the audio file in the box above. Meanwhile, all photos on this page are linked to larger more printable versions. Just click on them.

Above is Bill Zaleski with Jason Meyer (right). Welcome to the Rotary Club of Dubuque. Hank Suverkrup (below) brought along Rich Birkenbeuel of the University of Dubuque to the meeting again this week. Welcome back!

Jim Schilling reads a lovely thank you card from the Finley people for our Super Shot Saturday event that inoculated several children against childhood diseases.

Speaking of beneficiaries, representatives from Special Olympics, Paul Garrell, Erin McKeown, and Rich Fellingham were presented a check from proceeds raised at Rock'n'Soul II in which we partnered with Radio Dubuque and Paul Hemmer pictured far left.

Guest with Mike Brannon this week was Jennifer Uptegraph.

Guest of Karen Dorshkind is Susan Brood (I hope we spelled these names correctly) Note to members... please print names on the guest sheet. No handwriting. What do you think the photographer is... a pharmacist?

Jack Schmid introduced and inducted our newest member this week...Ellen Otterness. She's in the long-term care business, and we welcome Ellen to the Rotary Club of Dubuque.

Jim Schilling and guest Hugh Wagner were on hand for the meeting. Let's get this Hugh in the club! What do you say? He apparently laughs at Schilling's jokes. Well he'll get Schilling's vote.

August 29th 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs.

August 29th 2006 Dominic Pulera made a fine presentation on the immigrant contributions of Italian Americans over the past 100+ years. Dominic, himself, is half Italian, and so he had a vested interest in his topic. One of the better questions asked of Dominic was, "Italian immigrants aggressively assimilated into American culture. They made a tremendous effort to fit it while forsaking many of the customs, their language, and sometimes even their names. Consequently, Italian Americans have been extremely successful in America. Would you say that they established the roadmap for today's Middle Eastern, and Latin American immigrants trying to attain middle class status and wealth?" "Most definitely," replied Dominic. But they also brought much to the American experience.. cuisine is one important example. Reality in invention and technology are others, and even politics, though there has yet to be an Italian American candidate for President. "That would be a mark that would signify Americans of Italian decent have arrived and attained what stands for the American dream."

As we were taking the picture of Jim and his guest, Hugh, Dan Kruse wondered why we never photograph him any more. Well, we remedied that situation with a click of the shutter.

August 15th, 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs.

August 15th 2006 Dennis Clark (with Cheryl Kramer), Clark & Associates, spoke to us on his time spent at Walter Reed Army Hospital. Dennis represents his family business that is now in its third generation (his son has joined the profession) which is the integration of technology and artificial limbs and prosthetics to grievously wounded military personnel. Dennis just completed a stint at Walter Reed where he fitted several military people of the war in Iraq with state-of--the-art legs, arms, and hands. The images in his PowerPoint presentation were stirring, powerful, and also inspiring. When one puts into perspective the sacrifices these soldiers have made, and that a creative family like Dennis Clark's is there to bring technology to bear on this challenge, well... words can't adequately describe the emotions that inevitably become involved.

We had a lovely ceremony welcoming the latest two members of our club. Their speeches on the audio recording are not to be missed. Next to president Guy Gard is new Rotarian Mike Cody. Sponsor Mary Ann Gassman, in a lovely zebra print blouse, also introduced new member Joy Droessler who was inducted. This image is linked to a printable enlargement.

Another great reason to listen to the audio file of this meeting is a always funny Bob Rudzianski who performed his Fun & Frolic duty to raise funds for our Rotary Scholarship Program.

Rock'n'Soul Reunion Photo Albums

The Shafer's had a grand time and we bet so did you at this year's Rock'n'Soul Reunion with Mickey and the Memories. Want to see more photos? Then click here.

Who is this eating a sandwhich? Click on the photo to see more candids and some real surprises.

Dr. Jim Darling of the Galena Club contributed two NFL Bears vs. Chargers (in Chicago) tickets for this weekend to auction off for Rotary scholarships, and certified auctioneer, Loras Bleile ran the bidding. Ironically, an anomous bidder won the tickets for a mere $50 (they were worth $100 the pair), and it was Loras, himself.

Paul Hemmer brought along a brochure and an invitation for all Rotarians to join him on a bicycle ride to help raise funds for the Winter Special Olypics. See Paul, and get your bike ready to roll.

These are the "Boys from Bellevue" Rotary Club who brought along some raffle tickets to sell. Here they stand with el Presidente Guy Gard.

This was cool. These are members who attained 100% perfect attendance for one year. Jon Luckstead, Mike Loveless, Mary Ann Gassman, Dave Weber, Paul Hemmer, Amy Weber, Kent Renier and our pres, Guy Gard.

And lest we forget, Polio Plus is making a push to make the world polio free. This exclusive World Wide Rotary program has its champions in our club that include Kent Renier. There's another opportunity to travel to India. Kent has been there and so has Mike Pratt. Talk to Kent, and get your shots.

August 8th, 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs.

August 8th 2006 Jean Scallon, Program Director of Geriatrics, Southwest Health Center in Cuba City, Wisconsin, spoke to us about programs that her facility is engaged in to determine demensia and a whole host of diseases that cause memory loss. There are other physiologies that cause memory loss in patients besides Alzheimer's disease. Everything from depression to seemingly minor injuries, shock, and even sexual dysfunction can exacerbate loss of memory either short term or long term.This was an excellent presentation. Of course the entire meeting is included in the audio program we provide. We receive compliments all the time for the quality of spirit captured in these recordings. It's nice to know we have fans on the World Wide Web.

You know darn well that when Jerry Trimble has Fun & Frolic duties, you are going to be treated to a lot of laughs. He wrote a real song he sang about Rotary Club, and he probably set the record for funds raised for scholarships. Whatever time you spent writing that song, Jerry, it was worth every penny.

Amy invited Jacque Rahe, manager of the Holiday Inn, to the meeting this week.

Robert Grierson, the newly named manager for the Dubuque Airport, was a guest of Doug Brotherton. Robert is a Rotarian and will transfer into our club. Welcome!

Jim Curoe brought his son to a meeting, This is Matt Curoe. Matt is a banker.

This is a great photo of Rob Apel with his guest, the manager of Eagle Country Market, Rick Chapman.

Okay, here's our favorite photo of the week. Our sound man, Nathan Renier, is the son of Kent Renier. He was a natural with the boom microphone, headset and volume controls. Plus, he learned were the on-and-off switch was, and he worried about battery level like a pro. These images are linked to larger, more printable images. Just click on any of them.

August 1 , 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs.

August 1st 2006 What a fascinating time we had at Rotary this week. David Burkhart, an author and noted authority on not only the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 but stereoscopic photography. He brought an outstanding show and excerpts from his book on the topic of the earthquake as recorded by stereoscopic cameras, all the rage at the time. There are perhaps thousands of such photos in existance, and

David Burkhart apparently has many of them. We all donned 3D glasses to view his special PowerPoint show, and it was stunning. Above is a view of Rotary Club members you may never see again. It looks like a scene from the 1950s, doesn't it?

We celebrated the contributions Amy Weber has made to Rotary Club at this meeting . Our former president received her Paul Harris Fellowship. At right is the medal and certificate. Below is Amy and her husband Dr. Dave Weber as the entire club gave her a standing ovation.

Ed Babka brought Howard Wallace to the meeting as his guest. He also brought along his wife, Shirley (below).

Ed and his wife Shirley Babka.

Mike Brannon brought his father-in-law as guest this week, Bernie Fox.

We inducted Dr. Don Kahle among the ranks or Rotarians in Dubuque. Here he is with his sponsor and long-time friend, Ed Babka.

John Knox and his guest Dan McCarthy.

John and Virginia Burkhart were on hand to watch their son's presentation on the San Francisco Earthquake.

Our Rotary Club scholarship winner Kristin Crawford is pictured here with Kim Tully. Kristin is from Senior High School and that's her mom Jackie on the left.

Keith Wolff (Mike Armstrong's Guest) and Danyel Bahr (Gery Kremer's guest) visited Rotary this week.

Wallace Brown was a guest this week, and he intends to join our Rotary Club. Here he is with his co-sponsors, Amy Weber and Gary Olsen.

Hank Suverkrup brought a guest, Rich Birkenbeuel. Gosh, we hope we spelled this name correctly. We finally spelled Hank's last name correctly.

July 18 , 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs.

July 18th 2006 Jean Wertzer (right), Vocational Services Director for Area Residential Care of Dubuque, spoke to us about employing people with disabilities and how this is so advantageous to the employer as well as the employed. ARC has a wonderful heritage in Dubuque, and it truly can be called one of our finest "quality of life" organizations. Not only to they place people with businesses, but they have a tremendous workshop facility for contract work that can be outsourced to them. The recording of the entire meeting, the first half of which is positively hilarious, especially Suzy Koelker's gig as Fun & Frolic host, is not to be missed.

Suzy Koelker did a splendid job with Fun & Frolic. She never ceases to entertain. This week was a quiz between two contestants, Kevin Lynch and Amy Weber. The question categories were sports (for Amy), and Fashion and Design (Kevin). Kevin actualy knew that a "duve" was found on a bed (not the bathroom), and Amy didn't do too badly either. She knew that Steve Alford (Iowa Basketball coach) originally attened Indiana. The score was tied.

We inducted two new members this week at Rotary. Left, Steve Davis, and his sponsor is Barry Bromberg is on the right next to president Guy Gard. Steve is with Medical Associates Health Plans. Below, Karen Dorshkind was inducted by her sponsor, Jim Schilling who is putting on her Rotary pin. She's marketing manager for Oak Park Place.

Here's Todd and his partner before the demonstration. In one exercise, Todd had drugs hidden in various locations of the room. The dog sniffed them out very expeditiously. When he finds the contraband, he sits and turns his head toward his handler. The dog is not only utlized by the Dubuque County Sheriff's Department, but Todd helps other law enforcement agencies in the Tri-State Area when the need arrises.

The dogs are actually bred and trained in the Netherlands. The handler must learn commands in Dutch. This prevents another person from issuing commands (unless of course they are Dutch, but what are the odds?) The dogs cost about $10,000, and in this case, Todd went to Holland to pick up the dog and receive special training. Todd says he accompanied several dogs to the US when he made his trip.

July 11 , 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs.

July 11th 2006 What an astonishing program this week! Members of the Dubuque Country Sheriff's Department and it's canine unit were on hand for a demonstration. It was really something to see, The dog is enormously talented in all things involving crime detection from drug sniffing to finding lost children hor thieves in hiding. But the dog also is trained to subdue violent people. Everyone remarked that this was one of the best meetings we've had in a long time. Above, Sheriff Ken Runde is center next to Jim Schilling, and Todd George is on the right. Todd's partner is pictured below.

Our new president, Guy Gard, led the clubmembers in applause for our outgoing president, Amy Weber. She deserved our admiration for she was extremely effective in her duties this past year having revamped our accounting and budget process, integrated our member management software program, she was key in establishing an ongoing relationship with the Grand Opera House for a share of beverage sales revenues, helped move our location to the Dubuque Golf & Country Club, and helped raise membership to over 160. What a president! Incredible accomplishments.

Gery Kremer brought with him Mark Kremer and Danyel Bahr.

And in appreciation for her term of office, Guy Gard presented Amy with the golden gavel to commerate her contributions to Rotary Club.

Greg Phreme brought Stephanie Neuwoehner and Christie Neuwoehner (right) as well as his wife, Bridget Prehm (left) to lunch this week.

As her final duty, Amy handed out certificates of appreciation to members who have completed their Board of Directors terms this year. Mike Loveless was one of them.

Keith Dralle was a guest of Mike Seyer this week at Rotary. Remember that photos on this page are linked to printable enlargements. Just click on them.

Ken Werth was another Board Member who is retiring. Ken was so overcome with emotion, his eyes were closed during this photo.

The New Member Orientation and Social at Dr. Dave and Amy Weber's home was a lovely affair and we have the photos for you right here.

Gary Olsen completed his term on the Board as well, and he showed Ken how to take a good award photo. "I make sure I get a hug as well as the certificate," advised Gary. Below is the current Board of Directors.

David Hockenberry did a great job of raising funds for scholarships, and he did it in less than one minute. It could be a new record. He's a very funny guy.

Kelly Gard, wife of our new president was on hand for the ceremonies, and we snapped her for the website. She's so proud.

. Keith Bibelhausen (left) brought Dick Hartig to the meeting. This is ironic actually. Dick is a former member of Rotary, and he sponsored our current president, Guy Gard many years ago. It was Guy who sponsored Keith! Keith is the CEO of Hartig's Drug Stores, by the way. "And the Rotary wheel goes 'round and 'round... and it ends up here!"

Christopher Kulovitz of Elizabeth, Ill, was a guest speaker a couple of weeks ago, and now he's a guest of Mike Coty (right). Looks like Chris is considering joining our Rotary Club.

Fun and Frolic was performed this week by Chuck Andracchio who did an admirable job of ferreting out excellent fines from among our members in the audience. Chuck even nailed members who couldn't make the meeting. Of course all in good fun, the fines raise our Rotary Club Scholarhip Fund that helps local high school students attend college.

June 27, 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs.

June 27, 2006 The Hospice of Dubuque executive director, Joey Anderson (here with Rotary program coordinator Cheryl Kramer on the left), made a wonderfully informative presentation on this worthwhile organization. To be on hand to help those who are terminally ill or reaching the end of their lives is a noble service, and many of our members have apparently had first hand knowledge of this organization that has helped them with a loved one or friend. Click on the photo to reveal a printable enlargement.

Speaking of money, incoming president of the club, Guy Gard, told us that after much deliberation and collaboration, dues will have to be increased in the coming year to $200. But when compared to other clubs in the region, we are still among the lowest in that department. Congratulations to Guy for his efforts on behalf of the budget committee, and good luck in the coming year. But we all know that luck is actually the residue of good planning.

A possible Rotarian in the making was a guest of Joe Graham (left). John Hodges had lunch with us on Tuesday. Joe attests this guy would make a great member. Most of the photos on this page are linked to printable versions that you can download for free. Just click on the images.

A guest Rotarian visited us from Klamath Falls, Oregon, Ken Kiest. Here he poses with Billy Riley (left).

Fun and Frolic was done by the always droll, witty and sometimes wicked Barry Bromberg. He fines Rotarians for a variety of things, and the money is raised for scholarships. So you actually want Barry to single you out in a meeting for something like appearing in the paper, saying something stupid, or forgetting to wear your Rotary pin. It's all good.

June 20, 2006

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June 20, 2006 We were so charmed by this great guest Christopher Kolovitz. Chris is a film maker and he wants to make Dubuque, Iowa his home and center of his creative and professional universe. He's produced an independent film called "Saddled," and he invited everyone to see it at the premier on Thursday, May 22, at Senior High (proceeds to benefit auditorium renovation at Senior). What was really interesting was Chris's vision of Dubuque as an incubator for film making talent that would start with a film festival designed to appeal Dubuque, Iowa particularly to high school and college students.

Jerry Trimble reported on .... let's see.... what did he report on? Oh well, you'll have to listen to the recording. Suffice it to say, he was funny as heck, and that's all the reason you need to listen for it. Jerry has brought so much to our club, that we are always delighted when he volunteers to head up a project because that just puts him in front of a microphone more often. Like we said, it's all good.

This is Guy Thomas Barbier (right) with Rotarian Wayne Breckon. Bonjour Guy! Guy is from France. Too bad we didn't have French Toast with French Fries for lunch. He would have felt right at home. C'est dommage. We did have some nice French-style green beans and carrots lightly sauteed in butter, however. Magnifique!

We've said it before and we will say it again. Bob Casper, our sergeant at arms is a treasure. When he gets everyone wound up with a rousing chorus of a patriotic song, it kind of cleanses the soul, don't you think? The blood flows better and your head clears of cobwebs.

A wonderful honor was bestowed upon one of our members this week, Kevin Lynch. President Amy Weber presented Kevin with a very special Dubuque Rotary Club Award of Appreciation for his company's support of our website. Net-Smart has been hosting our website and providing technical support for the past 8 years, and it is one of the best Rotary Club websites in the nation receiving up to 2,000 visits per week from around the world.

June 6, 2006

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs.

June 6, 2006 We were supposed to have Mike Blouin who was running for US Congress, but he couldn't make it. As it turned out, he didn't make it in the primary on this election day. So Mike Brannon agreed to step in and do his vocational talk which was really wonderful. He had two excellent jokes, by the way, but you'll have to listen to the audio to hear them. Mike Brannon is the son of the late favorite Rotarian, Vince Brannon. It's great that Mike carries on with his dad's legacy, not only in the monument business, but in service to the community. Above he's photographed with program committee member Brent Johns (left) who did the introduction.

Dr. Don Kahle was a guest of Ed Babka this week. Don is a former member of our club, and he wishes to return.

Here's our latest crop of new members with their sponsors at this meeting.

Pinned, Mark McDermott, retired from the Navy and back in his favorite hometown after seeing a good part of the world. Now It's official. He's a Rotarian.

The entertainment value practically equals the character value that this program imparts on young people. It is one of Dubuque's most valued natural resources. The hills are truly alive with the sound of music this summer. Listen to this audio and hear for yourself. Photos are linked to printable enlargements, compliments of the Rotary Club of Dubuque.

This young man entertained us with a number and the young woman below perfomed an unusual but entertaining tympany solo (below). You might want to turn up the volume on the audio file at that part, especially if you want to simulate thunder on the prairie or possibly a bevy of African drummers communicating with one another across expansive equatorial jungles. Incidentally, check out her music stand... left center of photo.

May 31

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs.

May 31, 2006 Above, one of the members of the Colts Drum Corps demonstrates is virtuosity on the marimba for this week's Rotary Club meeting. Greg Orwoll (pictured below, the director of the Colts), was on hand to present this year's schedule of wonderful concerts and brought with him three young musicans to do a little musical demonstration. This fine local resource is an incubator of musical talent that attracts and holds incredible young people representing several states and some nations. Greg emphasizes that this Colts organization focuses on local musical talent first and foremost, but the diversity of talent that the Colts attract actually benefits the local musicans even more.

Click on any photo on this page, and the printable enlargement will automatically download. Enjoy our photographs with our compliments.

Among our guests this week was Suzy Peterson, a newly installed bank officer at Liberty Bank. Rob Apel (her boss) is on her left.

Above is one of the best photos ever taken at Fun & Frolic. Suzy Koelker is a champion at raising scholarship money through this great Rotary Club tradition. Can't you tell she's having fun? Also (left) former Tuesday Noon Rotarian Tim Duggan visited Rotary This week. He's now a member of the Key City Rotary Club.

Jim Schilling brought along Karen (we are very sorry, but we could not make out the hand writing on the guest list nor the pronunciation on the audio file to affect a proper spelling). In any event, here's the picture. Nice to meet you Karen!

Other guests this week include Brandon Lynch, son of Kevin Lynch. Brandon has graduated from Senior this year (an honor student). Steve Davis was a guest of Barry Bromberg, and Mark McDermott was a guest again this week of Marry Ann Gassmann.

Photos from May 23rd, 2006

Barry Bromberg is honored for his work on behalf of Dubuque Rotary's humanitarian projects. He's presided over the distribution of tens of thousands of dollars over the last several years to local and area organizations. Mike Seyer (right of Amy Weber, our President), is taking over his duties on the Humanitarian Services Committee.

May 9 Meeting

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs.

May 9 , 2006 Jack Schmid with our program person, Cheryl Kramer ham it up for the camera. Jack's vocational talk was among the best we've heard, and it was really funny. More information is forthcoming on this page, so stay tuned. Photos are linked to printable enlargements, compliments of the Rotary Club of Dubuque.

Guy Gard reported on his training for his upcoming presidency of Rotary Club coming up in July.

This is Joe Gitta with Rod Bakke. Joe is from the Cedar Falls Rotary Club.

Shirts for sale out in the lobby. These are some styles you haven't exactly seen before. Talk to Jerry Trimble.

Entire Meeting

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs.

April 4, 2006 Jerelyn O'Connor, here with our our program committee chair, Cheryl Kramer, visited Rotary representing the City of Dubuque and the Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission. She spoke on the upcoming events and projects that will be taking place all designed to put art in closer proximity to people... especially sculpture. A three state call for entries has been sent inviting artists to install their works along our river front and among our already popular tourist attractions like America's River. To learn more click on the button in the box, and enjoy the entire meeting. It's quite hilarious. Did you know that the meeting sound tracks we provide on this page are recorded in full Surround Sound Stereo? That's right. If you have a good sound system with your computer, and the speakers are properly placed, it feels just like you are sitting in the meeting. Just another exciting feature of your Dubuque Rotary Club website.

Cindy Steinhauser brought along two colleagues, Dawn Lang and Genna Brumwell.

Fun & Frolic was hosted by two of our fine members this week, and perhaps a new comedy duo evoking Burns and Allen or maybe Sonny and Cher was born. Bob Rudzianski and Sue Koelker took the lectern and turned the meeting in a laugh fest. You just have to listen to the recording if you missed it. And if you caught it, you might want to listen to it again.

Eugene "Euge" Bird wants to join Rotary Club! He would be a terrific member. Here he is with Charlie Miller, his host. Here's a good one. Mary Ann couldn't make out his name on the guest sign-in sheet. Charlie was going to take the blame for it, but Euge confessed that he wrote the illegible signature. Guess what business Eug is in? The sign business.

Deb Buol hosted Patty Lacheki to our meeting again this week.

Mike Pratt provide an update on Polio Plus this week.

What a great photo.

Greg Prehm (right) and Dan Raduns

Former Interior Secretary, James Watt, paid a visit to Rotary Club. He was in town to give a lecture, and he was a guest of David Solberg (left).

Joc Jacquinot was a guest of Pat Donovan

Entire Meeting

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs.

March 28, 2006 Vocational talk by our own. Dr. Dave Weber. His family goes back a few generations in Dubuque (Weber Paper), but Dave decided not to go into the family business but instead, in his words, "Take on the medical establishment." Dave is a passionate and very successful doctor of chiropractic medicine and his practice is in located in East Dubuque, Illinois. Did you know that the meeting sound tracks we provide on this page are recorded in full Surround Sound Stereo? That's right. If you have a good sound system with your computer, and the speakers are properly placed, it feels just like you are sitting in the meeting. Just another exciting feature of your Dubuque Rotary Club website.

Shirts for sale out in the lobby. These are some styles you haven't exactly seen before. Talk to Jerry Trimble.

Entire Meeting

This is the the whole meeting recorded for you in Windows Media Player. It will play on both PCs and Macs.

March 21, 2006 A great presentation by one of our own, Chuck Andracchio, on the topic of insurance (this was a vocational talk). We really need to do more of these, but then again, Rotary is so popular with people outside the club who want to address our esteemed members, our schedule is quite full. Did you know that the meeting sound tracks we provide on this page are recorded in full Surround Sound Stereo? That's right. If you have a good sound system with your computer, and the speakers are properly placed, it feels just like you are sitting in the meeting. Just another exciting feature of your Dubuque Rotary Club website.

Entire Meeting

This is the meeting portion of the Rotary Clubmeeting without the presenter material. We have a link (the project to the left) that will link you to the film that was played this week. But if you want to hear an uproarious meeting with Bob Rudzianski doing Fun & Frolic, click on this button and prepare to laugh.

March 7, 2006 Cheryl Kramer with Kent Renier and former mayor of Dubuque, Terry Duggan, who will be co-chairs of the Project Concern Campaign coming up. Cheryl presented a movie produced by our own Gary Olsen for Project
Concern. Speaking on behalf of Project Concern was the director of that organization, Steve Jacobs. The movie that was shown is available for you to view and share with others in the community by clicking on the "Presenter File " button right here, you can go to the Dubuque Community Schools Website where you can view the film in your web browser. . Did you know that the meeting sound tracks we provide on this page are recorded in full Surround Sound Stereo? That's right. If you have a good sound system with your computer, and the speakers are properly placed, it feels just like you are sitting in the meeting. Just another exciting feature of your Dubuque Rotary Club website.

Tom Reilly brought Angela Petsche to the meeting this week.