Congratulations to Dave Overman named Honorary Rotarian
I (Dalyn) asked Dave to give us a quick (he laughed at this description) summary of his time in Rotary. I mentioned that he joined Rotary the year I was born. :) So, for your reading pleasure, here is Dave's time in Rotary summarized by no one else but Dave himself!
I joined Rotary in 1983 – which doesn’t seem that long ago, but that being your birth year sorta changes my perspective (FYI – I have neckties older than you). I came to Park Hill Baptist Church in May of that year and joined Rotary sometime that fall. My sponsor was one of my church members, Harry Box.
I hadn’t been at Park Hill long, when Harry ask me to do a program. So I did a travelogue of the great state of KY (from which I had just moved after spending 15 years there – seminary plus 11 years as a pastor in western KY).
I think my first tour of duty as president was the 1988-89 Rotary year.
Greater KC Day started in 1988 and we joined began our participation in the year I was president so it would have been the April 1989 Greater KC Day.
My second tour of duty as president was the 2002-03 Rotary year. Off and on that year I began to do a “parting shot.” Harry Foockle, who was pastor of Platte Woods UMC succeeded me and asked if I’d continue the parting shot shtick and as the say the rest is history.
A couple of asides dealing with BBQ: (1) On the 25th anniversary of the American Royal BBQ our Rotary club (the team going by “Caveman Q”). The club had a come and go dinner and then the contest on the following day. We only did ribs and brisket but finished in the top 10% of entrants in those categories (beating out the “pros” from the sites adjoining ours) Mike Hobbs pulled the overnight shift with me to handle the lengthy time for a brisket and several club members help with the dinner and served as runners to get the finished product to the judges on time. (2) In 2007 the district conference was at The Elms in Excelsior Springs and we finished 1st in ribs (an aside Derby was an exchange student that year with our club and helped me out along with several club members).
In 2001 as district governor Homer Williams honored me with the District Governors Citation for getting the district’s website up and running. In the next year or two the guys who knew what they were doing took over.
I was honored with the Rotarian of the Year in 2005-06; Excellence Award for service to the club in 2006-07.
Thank you, Dave! All I have to say is are you ready to take over the Parkville Rotary website? That's a skill I didn't know you had!!!
Congratulations to Dalyn Novak, Rotarian of the Year, 2020-2021
I (Dalyn) was warned by a prominent member of our club (I won't mention any names, ... okay, I will... Don Breckon) said that I shouldn't just let this go unnoticed so here we go... My Rotary summary is a bit shorter than Dave's but it does include Homer Williams too.
Many of you know that Homer was once my boss. He left his position as an owner of Williams Spurgeon Kuhl & Freshnock Architects (now WSKF Architects) in the mid-2000's - around the time I started working at WSKF in 2006. As many of you know though he has continued to remain an important part of our firm and comes into the office almost daily still to this day.
Homer suggested that I join the Parkville Rotary Club while he was in Hawaii getting his PhD in Architecture. Little did I know that when he came back from Hawaii he would rarely attend Rotary meetings and events so in all reality you got a one for one trade from Homer to me. Not sure if you got the better deal or not!
Anyways, I first came to Rotary in early 2012 with Todd DeMint, who Homer contacted to take me to my first meeting before becoming a member. Todd and I knew each other from Leadership Northland, a class put on by the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce a year earlier.
In 2015, Edie Hays suggested I should become the next Sergeant at Arms. At the time I wasn't completely sure what I was getting myself into but here we are today. I was president 2018 - 2019 and am still proud of all the achievements we accomplished as a club that year. I think I hold the title for youngest female president the club has ever had.
I've met so many wonderful people in our club, in our district, and internationally because of Rotary. It wasn't until I became the president-elect that I really understand what all Rotary was and who we are by attending district level events and then international level events the following year.
Some day I hope to go on a Rotary mission trip and/or sponsor an exchange student but for now I will continue focusing my time on our club, my family, and my work.
Thanks, Lee, for selecting me for this honor. I am always willing to help out where I can and I have a problem with saying, 'NO' which I have recently learned how to do!
ROTARIANS RETIRING FROM DISTRICT 6040
For those of you who aren't aware Jerry & Cassy Venters and Gerry McReynolds are all retiring from District 6040. RLI graduates sent them off with a big farewell Zoom meeting Monday night.
Jerry & Cassy Venters have moved to Lander, Wyoming from May to November and Sanibel Island, Florida from November to May. Gerry McReynolds has moved to Tucson, Arizona and has plans to join a local Rotary club near his new home. Below is their information if anyone would like to contact them.
Jerry and Cassy Venters
2756 Sinks Canyon Road, #3
Lander, WY 82520
Gerry McReynolds
P.O. Box 68619
Oro Valley, AZ 85737
They have all been an integral part of their clubs and our district. It will take a lot of people to fill the gap they are leaving in our district.
PARKVILLE ROTARY BOOK CLUB
Look for more information on this in upcoming newsletters!
