This week at Rotary
Our Next Meeting Off Site
Thursday, September10, 2026
Arrive by 11:30AM, come early to enjoy some social time
12:00 PM START
At
New Central Education Building
424 W. First St. (near Fifth Avenue West and West First Street)
This week’s speaker
Joe Cavanaugh
Founder and CEO,
Youth Frontiers
Character is Destiny
Youth Frontiers’ mission is to provide experiences that inspire character, civility and community. We offer student retreats focused on timeless values like kindness, courage and respect. Youth Frontiers also offers programming for educators, parents and community leaders to support the adults at the forefront of turning today’s youth into tomorrow’s leaders.
Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities
September 12, 2026, from 10:00 am - 4:00pm
Rotarians are needed to help!
Contact Geiger Yount to volunteer.
Twin Ports Rotary Interclub Council Opportunities
Twin Ports Rotary Pickleball Players:
Starting in September We’ll organize it as a men’s & women’s mixed doubles league. We’ll play twice/month on a flexible schedule. We won’t be keeping track of wins and losses. We’re just playing for pure fun. To sign up or for more information contact Brad Jenson (past president of Harbortown) at 218-349-7566 or
bradley.jenson1956@gmailcom.
Highlights from Last Week’s Meeting
By Anthony Nordan
Before our meeting started, we were introduced to the new General Manager and COO for the Kitchi Gammi Club,
Carl Granberg.
Carl Granberg introduces himself to Club 25
Our meeting was started by being rung in by President Dan Maki. We followed that up with the Pledge of Allegiance and the 4-Way Test.
Our reflection was brought to us by Jerry Thoreson. This reflection is a deviation from the norm. This reflection focused on honoring women in Rotary. Jerry brought up events that happened in the early and mid 80s. Events from Ronald Reagan v Walter Mondale to the first civilian teacher to travel to space to the 1st Martin Luther King Day. He also brought up a surprising fact that the first woman to join Rotary did so in 1987.
Jerry Thoreson
All the event he discussed happened before the first woman joined Rotary. The fight for women to join Rotary started 75 years prior in 1911. A Duluth Rotary Women’s Club was started, and they sought recognition from Rotary International. That request was rejected and Rotary remained exclusively men for many years to come.
On May 4, 1987, the Supreme Court in Rotary International vs. Rotary Club of Duarte decided that Rotary couldn’t exclude women from our organization. Four months later on September 1, 1987, Duluth 25 Rotary welcomed their first two members. President-Elect Jay Ott was a member in 1987 and at that meeting. He indicated that even at that time some of the members were not welcoming of the new female members into the club.
The first women to join Duluth 25 Rotary were Past President Bonita Nelson and Cheryl Mefse. They were able to join the club today and give a bit of history of their journey into Rotary and with Rotary over the last 40 years. We have had 10 female presidents since 1987 and several of those were in attendance at the meeting today.
Pioneers Cheryl Mefse with Past President Bonita Nelson.
We had several guests today:
- Judy Sage
- Brad Jenson (Harbortown Rotary)
- Cheryl Mefse (Past Member and Stockbroker)
- Michell Trujillo (1994 Exchange Student from Mexico. Cheryl Mefse was her host mom)
Brad Jenson (Harbortown Rotary) selling Roses
Allison Hanig-Landrus
We had a few announcements today.
- September 10th will be off site. The meeting will be held at the new Central Education Building.
- There will be a program meeting after today’s meeting. For those who wish to help in finding programs for our meetings please attend.
- There are also 3 volunteer opportunities.
- if you wish to assist with this volunteer opportunity.
- September 12th Harvest Festival. Please contact Geiger Yount if you wish to assist with this. It is put on by the Farming Association.
- September 19th is the Northshore Inline Marathon from 7:30am – 1:30pm. If you are interested in helping please contact Allison Hanig-Landrus
- The current Rotarian magazine for the month of September has an article about liberal arts education. It is a very good read
.
Past District Governor Elaine Hansen
President Dan Maki introduced our speaker. As President Dan said, “Our speaker needs little introduction.” Our speaker today is Past District Governor Elaine Hansen. Her presentation was started off by thanking the Club for their efforts in the district conference as well as those who were in the committee that helped organize it. Renee Burns and Sandy Hoff received a specific thank you from Elaine.
Elaine told her story about how she was introduced to Rotary as well as her life in a male dominated field. She turns 78 in December. Years ago, she was an accountant for a firm in town that did the annual audit for Rotary. This is how she was introduced to Rotary, by doing the most fun task any non-profit must undertake. She later worked at the state auditor’s office and realized a few times that she was the only woman in a room full of men.
In wrapping up her presentation she led us through the changes that Rotary is undergoing. It is changing, a lot. There is a large focus on growing membership of the rotary clubs around the world. There are currently 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide. There are 4,000 clubs worldwide. This means that there are on average 34 members per club. Rotary clubs in the Americas are in decline, while Rotary Clubs in Africa and Asia are in a growth stage. Rotary International Board currently does not have many from the North and South American countries.
Rotary is changing. We have changed here. Holding onto the past by saying, “We used to do x y z...” ignores how vibrant our club is. We do good things in our community now. Constantly saying how good we once were; neglects and demeans the work we do today. We can do more together than we could every do separately.
Our 50/50 raffle had $56. The winning numbers were 1725771.
[Writers note] I visited the Fergus Falls’ Noon Club last week. That club raised money for a splash pad in Fergus Falls, that was opened in 2024. Whenever we return there in the summertime my children absolutely love visiting this splash pad. I see my old clubs name on the list of donors in the $50,000+ level every time we visit. As Elaine said, “We can do more together, than we could every do separately.
_____
Club 25 – 100 Years Ago This Week
By Jerry Thoreson
The Gimlet
Vol. 10, No. 45 • September 8, 1926
Roll Call: Members 120. Visiting Rotarians 9. Guests 9. Total 138.
The September 8, 1926 Gimlet offered quip on a “Brief Essay on the Auto Industry”
“The motor car has increased the ratio of mortality, created appalling traffic problems, contributed to juvenile delinquency, showed half of America how to live beyond its income, and relieved us of the horse fly.”
In less than two decades, the automobile had gone from a luxury for the wealthy to part of everyday American life, and no car did more to bring about that change than the Ford Model T.
Introduced in 1908, the Model T was designed to be simple, durable and affordable. Ford's development of the moving assembly line allowed cars to be built much faster and at far lower cost. As production increased, the price fell, putting automobile ownership within reach of millions of American families. By the 1920s, more than half the automobiles in the world were Model T Fords. More than 15 million would be built before production ended in 1927.
The Model T was still America's best-selling automobile in 1926, but its dominance was beginning to fade. Chevrolet and other manufacturers were offering more stylish and modern cars. Ford responded by updating the 1926 Model T with lower body lines, nickel trim and optional wire-spoke wheels. A new Ford Model T could still be purchased for well under $600, depending on the body style.
The 1926 Ford Model T Touring Car
Club 25 had witnessed the automobile revolution almost from the beginning. When Duluth hosted the 1912 Rotary International Convention, automobiles were still novel enough that an automobile tour of Duluth's Boulevard, today's Skyline Parkway, was part of the convention entertainment.
Club 25 appealed to local automobile owners to provide cars to carry the visiting Rotarians. The Entertainment Committee said it hoped to make the outing “the largest auto parade ever held in the City of Duluth.”
Fourteen years later, automobiles weren't a novelty anymore. They were everywhere, bringing freedom and mobility along with traffic accidents, congestion, debt and apparently one undeniable benefit:
Fewer horse flies.
