July 1, 1976 - June 30 1977

President: J. Reid Clark
Vice Pres: Tom Byrne
Secretary: Gary Mertes
Exec. Secretary: Carol Norton
Apple Seed: Jay McFarland
District Governor: Jim Adamson, Moses Lake, WA

Attendance: 87.85%
New Members: 19
Members Lost: 15
Members end of the year: 180

The Rotary International Convention in Montreal was attended by incoming President Paul Larsen and his Rotary Ann, Lorna, and 13,425 other Rotarians from 87 countries. Also attending were R. I. Board member Ed Cadman, District Governor Lev Craven and Rotary Ann Maudie, and incoming District Governor Tom Kobayashi and wife Rose from Kamloops.

The Program Committee, Chaired by Bill Bumps, produced many fine programs, some of which were: Elliott Merrill, a Washington state aviation pioneer and former Boeing test pilot; Slade Gorton, Attorney General for the State of Washington; John Spellman, King County Executive; Miner Baker, Vice-President and economist for Seattle First National Bank; Dr. James A. Nielson, WSU Director of Agricultural Research and an economic advisor to Governor Evans; Dr. John Hogness, President of the University of Washington; Stu Beldsoe, Washington State Director of Agriculture, Wes Uhlman, Mayor of Seattle; Robert Hansen, Chief of Police, Seattle; Harry Mulliken, President of Western International Hotels; Don Hodel, Administrator for the Bonneville Power Administration.

Outstanding classification talks were given by new members Ron Hughes, Gene Vanderhoff, Kerry lease, Chuck Reidinger, Marlind Nelson, Herb Kuest, Milt Herman, Steve Beidler, Bill Buford, Dick Ottosen, Larry Hartog, Frank Donaghy, Lloyd Berry, John Drake, Bud Carter, Jim Pope, Jack Haynes, Bill Howe, Norm Lawson, Jim Wenninger and Glen Stoven.

District Governor Tom Kobayashi, visited our club August 14. His year was climaxed at the District Conference at Kamloops which was well attended by a Wenatchee delegation led by President Reid Clark, even though the event conflicted with our Apple Blossom Festival.

Our Wenatchee High School student representative was Herb Albin, Jr. Exchange students were Marilou Borja from the Philippines and Teresia Reutersbard from Sweden. Denise Raber was our Wenatchee exchange student to Sweden.

Some of the year's fundraising highlights were: The Rotary Suit Sale was a success, netting $2881 under the leadership of Dick Harris, Chairman of the Ways & Means Committee and Jim Mills as leading salesman. The Bicentennial Dinner Auction netted $2452 under the leadership of Gene Erickson's Ways & Means Committee. The Rotary House, rebuilt by general contractor Archie Rolfs and a cadre of Rotary assistants, was sold for $19,500 with a net gain of $8.487. The funds were invested with the Wenatchee Rotary Foundation to be used for youth activities.

The Interclub committee, chaired by Derald Martin, sponsored a flying visit to Spokane and a bus tour to Everett. The Everett Rotarians, in turn, made a trip to Wenatchee to visit out club.

The Wenatchee Club was sponsor of a new Rotary Club in Leavenworth. This notable activity and charter night party were steered by Ed Cadman and Lev Craven.

Our club roster included all three Wenatchee clubs for the first time, under the coordination of Marc Dailey.

The Service to Handicapped Committee, under the leadership of Arden France, sponsored a Scout Explorer Post for the handicapped with $300 provided by the Club to fund the Post. North Central Washington Supervised Skills and other handicapped activities received over $1,000 of club funds. The Youth Action Committee, Reed Johnston, Chairman, and the Youth Service Committee, Max Taylor, Chairman, provided exceptional service and distributed Rotary founds for youth activities in Boys State, YMCA, Girls State, Youth Hockey, Little League Baseball, and Boy Scouts. The Club provided over $4,000 in Rotary funding to various Wenatchee youth and handicapped activities.

The Club presented a surprise Paul Harris Fellowship to Past President Archie Rolfs. The World Community Service Committee, under chairman Wayne Zook, collected over 140 books for libraries and schools in Jamaica, in cooperation with the Rotary Club of Montego Bay, Jamaica. A substantial contribution was made by our club members to Guatemalan Relief following the disastrous earthquake of early February, 1976. A personal observation of this disaster was given by President Paul Larsen who was in Guatemala at the time of the quake.

With helpful efforts of the Committee on Membership Development, Mike Holland, Chairman and Classification, Skip Mussen, Chairman and Membership Development, Leo Sax, Chairman, our club gained 167 new members. Two of our long time Rotarians, Vint McBride and Greg Bitter, passed on during the year. We were able to maintain nearly 90% average attendance, due significantly to the efforts of Attendance Chairman, Ron Reimer, who was always on the backs of the absentees.

At his last meeting as president, Paul Larsen reflected that the Wenatchee Rotary Club is large enough to be dynamic, productive and interesting, but small enough to promote individual interaction and true personal friendship. it has quality members who are privileged to live in an action community with great opportunity for service.

1976 was the nation's Bicentennial Year. As the last official act of the Rotary Year, a "Past Presidents' Consequential Congress," composed of Ben Franklin (Al Stojowski), John Hancock (Phil Isaminger), John Adams (Jack Crowl), Benjamin Harrison (Ross Heminger, Patrick Henry (Lev Craven, and Robert Payne (John Manhart) presided over by an old Tory (Archie Rolfs) was convened to consider the credentials of one R. Paul Larsen to sit among these "freedom loving patriots." Larson was thoroughly excoriated for a long list of nefarious omissions, faults and defaults. But, finally, on humanitarian grounds alone, the Congress closed its eyes and accepted him into the hallowed halls of Past Presidents.