Historical
Highlights
Of
The
Rotary
Club of Bastrop County
District
5870
July
1990 — June 1991
Beverley Saunders Reed, President
July
1991 — June 1992
Gary Workman, President
July
1992 — June 1993
Stacy Adams, President
July
1993 — June
1994
Ed Nyc, President
July
1994 — June 1995
Nancy Best, President
July
1995 — June 1996
Earl
Walborg, Jr., President
July
1996 — June 1997
Wilfred
Navarro, President
July
1997 — June 1998
Steve
Taylor, President
July
1998 — June 1999
Derek
Van Gilder, President
July
1999 — June 2000
David
Weir, President
July
2000 — June 2001
Travis
Sheffield, President
July
2001 — June 2002
David
Johnson, President
July
2002 — June 2003
Dolores
Hestdalen, President
July
2003 — June 2004
Jay
Polsky, President
July
2004 — June 2005
Bill
Reed, President
July
2005 — June 2006
Rick
St. Cin, President
July
2006 — June 2007
Rick Nalle, President
Youth
Exchange Program
1997 - Wendy
Steward, Australia
1998
- Thais "Thata" Fredrich, Brazil
1999
- Breno
Hernandez Santos, Brazil
2000
- Lena Woudstra, Netherlands
2001
- Anna Dreves, Germany
2002
- Juha Koskinen, Finland
2003
- Rosa
Alejandra Sardon Panta, Peru
2004
- Anne
Pelletier, France
2005
- Michelle
Hui Ling Chung, Taipel, Taiwan
Young
Hero Award 2003
Camp
Enterprise
Interact
Clubs
Ryla
July
1990 — June 1991
Beverley
Saunders Reed, Charter President
“Enjoy
Rotary”
·
Spring 1990:
The Rotary Club
of Bastrop County began meeting as a provisional club at La
Cabana Restaurant in Smithville, Texas.
The club was officially chartered on July 25, 1990.
·
September 1990: The
Rotary Club of Bastrop County celebrated its Charter Banquet on
Sunday, September 16, 1990 at the Village Inn Restaurant at
Tahitian Village, Bastrop.
As a result of the hard work and commitment of PDG Virgil
Waggoner, Charter President Beverley Saunders and sponsoring
club, the Rotary Club of La Grange, the Bastrop County Rotary
Club had become a reality.
In attendance were over 100 visiting Rotarians and their
guests, along with the 25 charter members and their guests.
·
Spring 1991:
The first academic scholarships of $500 were awarded to a
graduating senior from Bastrop, Smithville and Elgin High
Schools.
July
1991 — June 1992
Gary
Workman, President
“Honor
Rotary with Faith & Enthusiasm”
·
November 1991:
The first
fundraiser to fund the scholarship program was launched by
selling Rotary Wreaths to the
community.
·
Spring 1992: The
Rotary Club of Bastrop County was paired
with the Rotary Club
of Ciudad Victoria, Mexico as a partner
club for the purpose of International dialogue and
friendship
between the two clubs.
July
1992 — June 1993
Stacy
Adams, President
“Look
Beyond Yourself”
·
July 1993:
In support of
the Rotary International Foundation, the first member of the
Rotary Club of Bastrop County was recognized as a Paul Harris
Fellow.
July
1993 — June 1994
Ed
Nyc, President
“Real
Happiness Is Helping Others”
·
To be developed.
July
1994 — June 1995
Nancy
Best, President
“Believe
in What You Do, Do What You Believe In”
·
July 1994:
The Board of
the Rotary Club of Bastrop County accepted proposals from
non-profit organizations for the
purpose of entering into a long-term
support relationship for
community service.
·
October 1994:
The first Cajun Fest fundraiser was held at Smithville
Riverbend Park and proceeds of $4,500 were donated to the new
Smithville Regional Hospital to purchase furnishings for the
emergency room waiting area. The Cajun Fest Chairperson was Beverley Saunders.
·
November 1994: The
Rotary Club of Bastrop County elected
to support the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) and the
Court Appointed
Special Advocates (CASA) as the club’s
major project in the future. The
purpose of the partnership
was to help the two organizations
acquire a permanent facility
which
both groups would share.
·
Spring 1995:
The Rotary Club
of Bastrop County was awarded the District’s Membership
Development Award for 1994-95 at the District Conference in
Killeen for the largest percent of membership increase of the 50
clubs in the District.
July
1995 — June 1996
Earl
Walborg, Jr., President
“Act
with Integrity, Serve with Love, Work for Peace”
·
October 1995:
The second
Annual Cajun Fest fundraiser was held at Riverbend Park with
$5,000 designated for CAC and CASA.
The 1995 Cajun Fest Chairperson was David Weir.
·
November 1995: The
Rotary Club of Bastrop County made its first financial
contribution to CAC and CASA by donating $5,000 toward the down
payment of the Rotary Children’s House at 1202 Chestnut in
Bastrop. An
additional $5,000 was donated for the purpose of renovation of
the property.
·
December 1995: Club
support of the Rotary International Foundation increased to
include three Paul Harris Fellow
recognitions and 16
Paul Harris Sustaining Members.
·
Spring 1996: Continuing
major projects of the Rotary Club of Bastrop County included:
the awarding of academic scholarships to local high schools,
increase of membership, increased contacts and visits with our
partner club in Mexico, sponsorship of the club’s first
foreign exchange student from Australia, and increased
involvement in the community and Rotary International
July
1996 — June 1997
Wilfred
Navarro, President
Build
a Future with Action and Vision”
·
October 1996: The
third Annual Cajun Fest fundraiser was held at Riverbend Park.
Rotary again give $5,000 to CAC and CASA.
The 1996 Cajun Fest Chair was David Weir.
·
January 1997:
The Club was
happy to welcome Wendy Steward, from Australia and our first
exchange student. She
stayed with our club throughout the year.
Her host families were Beverley Saunders Reed and her
daughters, Kelly and Regan Saunders; Wilfred and Dully Navarro;
and David and Sharah Johnson.
·
April 1997: The
Rotary Club of Bastrop County was fortunate to host Group Study
Exchange Team members from District 2710 in Japan.
The team members were treated to highlights of Bastrop
County, including historic homes, a tour of MD Anderson Science
Park, Research Division, and an old-fashioned Texas rodeo.
·
May 1997: The
Club held a work day at the Rotary Child- ren’s House to
assist the CAC and CASA staff with yard
work, general cleaning,
painting and other projects.
July
1997 — June 1998
Steve
Taylor, President
“Show
Rotary Cares for Your Community,
For
the World, for its People”
·
August 1997:
Families of
Rotarians from our partner club in Ciudad Victoria, Mexico were
weekend guests of our club.
Both groups enjoyed the opportunity for fun and
fellowship.
·
October 1997: The
fourth Annual Cajun Fest was held at
Riverbend Park to benefit CAC/CASA in
the amount of
$5,000.
The 1997 Cajun Fest Chair was Darian Young.
·
May 1998:
Steve Taylor
led the club to receive it’s first Presidential Citation.
The club also awarded three college scholarships to area
graduating seniors at Bastrop, Elgin, and Smithville High
Schools for $500 each.
·
May 1998:
A team of Rotarians participated in the first
annual Rotary Club of Bastrop County
Relay for Life to benefit
the American Cancer Society. The club was also a corporate
sponsor of the event, making a $500
contribution in
addition to the amounts collected by
team members.
July
1998 — June 1999
Derek
Van Gilder, President
“Follow
Your Rotary Dream”
·
October 1998:
The fifth
Annual Cajun Fest was held at
Riverbend Park to benefit the CAC/CASA
and the amount of
$5000 was donated. The 1998 Cajun
Fest chair was Darian
Young.
·
Fall 1998: The
club had it’s second Youth Exchange student, Thais (Thata)
Fredrich. This
year’s student came from Brazil to spend the 1998-1999 school
year in Bastrop County. Her host families were Charlotte Hinds
and her daughter, Miranda Hodgkiss, and David and Sharah Johnson
and their children, Zane and Claire.
·
Spring 1999:
The club
co-sponsored with the Giddings
Rotary Club a new Rotary Club in
Elgin.
·
April 1999:
Derek Van Gilder led the club to receive a Presidential
Citation for the second consecutive year.
The club
attained five new Paul Harris Fellows
as well as four new
Foundation Benefactors for the
1998-99 Rotary year. Earl
Walborg was recognized with the
District’s Role of Fame.
The club set up plaques honoring
Past-Presidents, Paul Harris
Fellows and Cajun Fest Chairs. Two college scholarships in
the amount of $1,000 each were
awarded to a graduate from
each of the area high schools
(Bastrop and Smithville). The
club participated in two club-to-club
exchanges with our part-
ner club in Ciudad Victoria, Mexico.
·
April 1999:
Earl Walborg
was inducted into the RI District 5870 Roll of Fame, Class of
1999, at the District 5870 Conference, April 8-10, 1999.
·
May 1999:
The Rotary Club of Bastrop County again participated in
the Bastrop County Relay for Life for the American
Cancer Society.
The club sponsored a team, as well as par-
ticipating as a corporate sponsor
with a donation of $500.
·
June 1999:
The club donated a used commercial stove,
freezer and cooler to our partner
club in Mexico for their
Mesa del Senor program that feeds the
young and elderly in a
poor section of Ciudad de Victoria.
July
1999 — June 2000
David
Weir, President
“Rotary
2000: Act with Consistency, Credibility, Continuity”
·
July 1999:
The third Youth
Exchange Student was Breno Hernandez from Brazil.
He attended Bastrop High School.
His host families were Derek and Donna Van Gilder and Al
and Janice Mouton.
·
April 2000:
Beverley
Saunders Reed was inducted into the RI District 5870 Roll of
Fame, Class of 2000, at the District 5870 Conference in
Galveston on April 28-30.
·
April 2000:
The club
participated in the third annual Bastrop County Relay for Life
for the American Cancer Society.
The Club sponsored a team, as well as participating as a
corporate sponsor with a donation of $500.00.
·
October 2000:
The sixth
annual Cajun Fest was held at Riverbend Park to benefit the CAC/CASA
and $5,000 was
donated.
·
June 2000:
President David
Weir received the Club’s third annual Presidential Citation
for his service as president.
July
2000 — June 2001
Travis
Sheffield, President
“Create
Awareness — Take Action“
·
July 2000:
President
Travis Sheffield presented an award to the City of Smithville in
behalf of the Rotary Club of Bastrop County for their recycling
efforts.
·
July 2000: The
fourth Youth Exchange Student was Lena Woudstra from the
Netherlands. She
attended Smithville High School.
Her host families were David and Sharah Johnson; Earl and
MaryAnn Walborg; and Derek and Donna Van Gilder.
·
July 2000:
Derek Van
Gilder chaired the District 5870
Foundation Committee and was
Assistant Governor.
·
October 2000: The
seventh Annual Cajun Fest was held
October 1 at Riverbend Park in
Smithville to benefit the
Rotary Club of Bastrop County’s
special projects.
·
April 2001:
Members
attended the District Assembly at the University of Mary
Harden-Baylor on April 7.
·
April 2001:
The Bastrop
County Rotary Club hosted the GSE Team from England, District
2090, during the week of April 27 — May 8.
Host families were David and Cassie Weir; Al and Janice
Mouton; Derek and Donna Van Gilder; Earl and MaryAnn Walborg;
and David and Sharah Johnson.
·
April 2001:
The Club again
participated as a team in the fourth annual Relay for Life for
the American Cancer Society.
The Club was a corporate sponsor in addition to
contributions collected by team members.
·
May 2001:
The Club
through the efforts of President Sheffield collected
approximately 500 (480 from Smithville HS and 20 from the
Literacy Volunteers of America) school books for the District
5870 South Africa project. Also several dozen books were presented to the Bastrop Library
by President Sheffield.
·
May 2001:
Derek Van
Gilder was inducted into the RI District 5870 Roll of Fame,
Class of 2001, at the District 5870 Conference, May 4-6, 2001.
·
June 2001: President
Travis Sheffield received the Club’s fourth annual
Presidential Citation for his service as president.
·
June 2001:
On June 26, the
Rotary Club of Bastrop County presented a new ambulance to its
partner club from Ciudad Victoria, Mexico.
The two clubs worked together raising $18,000 and
obtaining a matching grant of $18,000 from The Rotary
International Foundation to fund the vehicle.
The ambulance was given to
the Red Cross unit in
Ciudad Victoria. The
matching grant
application was developed during the 2000-01 presidential
year of Travis Sheffield.
July
2001 — June 2002
David
Johnson, President
“Mankind
is Our Business”
·
July 2001:
Derek Van
Gilder served as the 2001-02
District 5870 Rotary Foundation Committee Chair.
·
August 2001:
The Club’s fifth Exchange Student, Anna Dreves, arrived
from Germany and spent the 2001-02 year in Bastrop County.
Her host families were David and Sharah Johnson.
·
August 2001: A
pamphlet was developed by Club member Dolores Hestdalen about
our local and RI programs to be
given to perspective members.
·
September 2001:
The Club
purchased a Rotary Kiosk to be used at the Club’s public
appearances.
·
October 2001:
The eighth
Annual Cajun Fest was held at Riverbend Park in Smithville to
benefit the Rotary Club of Bastrop County’s special projects.
·
December 2001:
A new program
was developed whereby the Rotary Club of Bastrop County members
would donate Christmas gifts to the Bastrop County CASA
children. The gifts
were donated and wrapped by Club members during the annual
Christmas Party at the LCRA Conference Center.
·
December 2001:
District Exchange Students participated in a traditional
American Christmas at the home of Derek and Donna Van Gilder.
·
December 2001:
Personal hygiene items and clothes kits
were also donated to CASA for the children
who have been
taken from their homes so that they would
have their own
items.
Travis Sheffield was chair.
·
January 2002:
On January 5
members attended the District 5870 Mid-Year Rally and Academy
training for new Rotari-
ans and renewal for seasoned
Rotarians at Central Texas
College in Killeen.
Five members attended.
·
March 2002:
Dolores
Hestdalen, President-Elect, attended the sixteenth annual
President-Elect Training Seminar, Inc. (PETS) at the Hyatt
Regency Hotel in Dallas-Fort Worth Airport on March 22-23.
·
April 2002: The
Club donated $10 per member to the Rotary
Foundation
Polio Plus program.
·
April 2002: President
David Johnson presented Children’s Advocacy Center and CASA
with checks for $3,000 each to help with mortgage payments and
maintenance at the Rotary Children’s House.
·
May 2002:
The Rotary Club of Bastrop County again participated in
the fifth Bastrop County Relay for Life for the American Cancer
Society. The club
sponsored a team, as well as participating as a corporate
sponsor with a donation of $500.
David Johnson was chair.
July
2002 — June 2003
Dolores
Hestdalen, President— “Sow the Seeds of Love”
·
July 2002:
The
Installation Banquet honoring Immediate Past President David
Johnson, Incoming President Dolores Hestdalen, and the
installation of officers and directors was held on July 2, at ColoVista Country Club.
PDG Patsy Derr, Rotary
Club of Killeen Heights, was the Installing Officer and
music was provided by Sean Orr. Hestdalen’s officers and
directors were: Immediate Past
President David Johnson;
President Elect Jay Polsky; Vice
President Bill Reed; Secre-
tary Kariann Sokulsky; Treasurer Paul
Ervin; Sergeant at
Arms Steve Kice; Club Service Chair
Rick Nalle; Community
Service Chair Rick St. Cin; and
Vocational Service Chair Al
Mouton.
·
July 2002:
At the July 9
Club meeting, Texas Rep. Robby
Cook presented a Texas State flag
that flew over the Capital
to the Club’s 2001-02 German
Exchange Student, Anna
Dreves, as a going home gift.
·
July 2002:
The District 5870 Foundation Dinner was held on July 19.
RI President, Bhichai Rattakul, presented two Paul
Harris Fellows to members Dolores Hestdalen, President;
and Rick St. Cin, International Service Chair.
Eight members
attended.
·
July 2002: The
Club issued an area challenge to other civic organizations to
donate blood on July 23 when the Central Texas Blood Bank bus
visited Bastrop’s Masonic Lodge.
Several Club members
participated.
·
July 2002: At
the July 30 meeting, Derek Van Gilder presented John Agee with a
Paul Harris Fellow.
·
July 2002: The
following members served on or chaired District 5870 Committees
for 2002-03: Earl Walborg, Bi-District Reunion Chair; Donna Van
Gilder, Literacy; Derek Van Gilder, Membership Development &
Retention Chair; and Travis Sheffield, Assistant Governor and on
the Regional Committee for the Young Hero’s Award.
·
August 2002: On
Saturday, August 3, the Club participated in
the Bastrop Homecoming Parade with a
“truck float.” Donna
Van Gilder was chair.
·
August 2002: Members
Dolores Hestdalen, Derek Van
Gilder, and Travis Sheffield attended
the District Membership
Development and Retention Seminar on August 10.
·
August 2002:
The Club’s
sixth Exchange Student, Juha Koskinen, arrived from Finland on
August 14. He spent
the 2002-03 school year in Bastrop County. His host families
were Al and Janice Mouton, Mike and
Jean Helmick, and
Derek and Donna Van Gilder.
·
August 2002: On
August 20 at the Club’s meeting PDG Rex Weaver presented the
Club’s fifth Annual Presidential Citation to 2001-02 President
David Johnson.
·
August 2002:
During the
August 20 meeting, DG Tom Chamberlain presented a Paul Harris
Fellow to MaryAnn Walborg which was given to her by Earl Walborg
for MaryAnn’s birthday.
·
August 2002:
At the August
20 meeting the Club presented
DG Chamberlain with a $100 check for his Vietnam Child-
ren’s Hospital project.
This was a RI World Community
Service Project.
·
August 2002:
The Club sponsored a children’s book, Tiny Steps
Stories (and the moral is…) published by Friesens
Printing, Canada. The
book was a collection of short stories with a moral from authors
across the Country. Copies
of this book were given to the Club which in turn donated them
to the Children’s Rotary House.
David Johnson was Chair.
·
August 2002:
On August 24 members participated in a fund-
raiser for Ray Shappa, Smithville Police Officer who had
been providing security at our Rotary
Fests for the past two
years.
He was hit by a drunk driver and critically injured
while conducting traffic control at a
major fire.
·
September 2002: A
check for $1,000 was donated to the Boy Scouts for a Special
Eagle Project by Garret Lentz, Troop
187, to enclose a porch at the
Children Advocacy Center.
Rotary members also built a fence around the front of the
house. Al
Mouton was chair.
·
September 2002:
The club joined
both the Smithville and Bastrop Chambers of Commerce.
·
October 2002:
The ninth Annual Rotary Fest (name changed from Cajun Fest)
fundraiser was held at Riverbend Park on
October 5. Over
$22,000 was raised before expenses.
Donna Van Gilder was chair.
·
October 2002:
Club members
participated with the City of Smithville by supporting their
application for a Veterans Home in Smithville.
(Unfortunately Smithville was not one of the cities
selected for the VA Home.)
·
October 2002:
At the October 29 meeting, the Club was presented with a
plaque from the Boy Scouts of America for their donation of $300
to the Friends of Scouting.
·
October 2002: The
Rotary Club of Bastrop County set aside $3,000 to be used for a
Centennial Project for the Rotary Centennial Year 2005.
·
October 2002:
The Rotary Club of Bastrop County donated $500 to
District 5870’s South Africa Book Project.
Due to her shipping experience, member Donna Van Gilder
was able to negotiate very low rates for the shipping of the
books.
·
November 2002: Five
members attended the District
Academy for new member issues on
November 16 at the
Salado Civic Center, Salado.
·
November 2002:
The officers
for 2002-03 were elected during the November 19 meeting:
President Jay Polsky, Presi-
dent-Elect Bill Reed, VP Rick St. Cin,
Secretary Sis Ham-
mack and Treasurer, Al Mouton.
·
December 2002:
The annual Christmas Party was held on
December 16 at the LCRA Riverside
Center. Checks for
$3000 each was presented to CASA and
CAC. Members