“And now for some fun and historical perspective”–that’s how Jerry Baysinger introduced past presidents of Pearl Rotary on Tuesday, April 10.

What followed was more than an hour of short speeches by 23 presidents dating back to 1977-78, two years after the club was chartered in 1975 as Portland Industrial Rotary.

Each was introduced by Baysinger (1985-86 president) who had gathered pictures of most leaders’ years in a PowerPoint presentation. Special tribute was first given to Sam Lee, a member of the Portland Rotary Club who acted as the chartering Rotarian for the new–and first breakfast club–in the district. Ironically, Lee died just a day before the event at the age of 97; before a fall three weeks earlier at his home, Lee had planned to attend.

Bob Wilhelm, the club’s third president and owner of Wilhelm Trucking in Northwest Portland, and one of three charter members who came to the Ecotrust meeting spot, led the presidential parade. He recalled annual steak fries, Brag for a Buck (still a PPRC feature most Tuesdays) and the challenge of getting speakers. Wilhelm spoke for many: “I did really enjoy the year.”

Joining Wilhelm as charter members in attendance were Bing Bingham and Herm Hermanson, also Northwest entrepreneurs.
One by one, the presidents followed Wilhelm, standing before the club’s blue and yellow Rotary wheel and banner, to trace the club’s significant service history that includes:

• International projects from fitting eyeglasses for refugees in the ‘80s to more recently equipping a teaching kitchen for poor women in Costa Rica;
• Commitment to youth–in the ‘90s with the Youth Incentive Program which provided mentors and funded college enrollment for at-risk youths…and today through support for Rotary youth exchange, stand-out students at Lincoln High School and participants in the Open Meadow non-traditional school.
• Community service projects like Transition Projects at the new Bud Clark Commons (where a monthly meal is prepared and served)…a partnership with the Northwest Children’s Theater (which has brought acting classes to the Zimmerman Community Center)…and neighborhood clean-up events like Polish the Pearl and graffiti abatement.

Other landmark events were resurrected:

• The first female Rotarian in ’87-88 (Nola Jeli, among those attending, became president in 1993-94);
• Successful fundraising events with the Oregon universities’ football coaches;
• Support for the Multnomah County Library’s Northwest Branch;
• Re-branding of the club seven years ago with a new name (Pearl Rotary) and breakfast site (Ecotrust);
• Installation of a granite bear in Jamison Park as the club’s Rotary International centennial project;
• And the club’s continuing support for the worldwide Rotary effort to eradicate polio.

Portland Industrial was chartered in 1975, in large part to be a convenient make-up club for downtown Rotarians. For many years, it met at the MAC club in southeast Portland.

About ten years ago, the club was down to 22 members, Dave Bangsund (2002-03 president and Northwest resident) remembered. “We had only two projects–youth exchange and Meals on Wheels. Was this a club that was folding up or going on?”

The last decade has seen the Rotary “Service Above Self” motto at work–in the club, in the community and in the world. The club today has a membership nearing 70, with 50% growth the last two years.
“This is a club that is a delight to be associated with,” Bangsund championed. “I’ve just had a wonderful experience. I’m proud to be a part of Rotary.”

There was laughter–the club once had a “baby” fundraiser to predict the birth of a club member’s child. There was once a bizarre anecdote when a former Rotarian was charged with murdering a spouse. And there were tears from the podium when Dave Sorenson (1992-93) memorialized Dan Park (1988-89) who died earlier this year.

Emotionally, Sorenson said Park “gave guidance and mentored me…he meant a lot to this club and he meant a lot to me.” Sorenson then presented almost $1,300 in contributions for the club’s non-profit (the Pearl Fund) that he had solicited from past presidents. Park’s widow, Maylene, was in attendance.

Leading the club was an important personal accomplishment cited by many, including the most recent past president, Phil Rothock (2010-11): “Rotary International has a magical combination that is dynamic: We make the world a better place and we have fun. As president, I had more learning that year than anytime in my life.”

The past presidents’ event was organized by George Wright (1991-92), Walt Swan (2001-02) and Baysinger.

“The presidents were just terrific,” observed Wright, author and N.W. Thurman resident. “What fun to see all and watch them greet one another. The memories were great to hear: the fun, the achievements, the emotions–fabulous.” The recollections gave former, long-term and new members “an important history lesson,” Wright believes.

The organizing trio worked with current President Lou Radja to plan the two-hour meeting.

No doubt speaking for most in attendance, Radja ended: “Today was one of the highs of being president–to hear our club’s rich history.”

(Editor’s note: Donald Q. Smith, a resident of Northwest Portland, is a former weekly newspaper editor and publisher in Minnesota; he is a member of Pearl Rotary and served as president in 2009-10; he can be reached at donaldqsmith@yahoo.com.)

“Set Sail,” “Fore”– Pearl Rotarians plan spring, summer fundraisers

An ocean cruise on Holland America Line…an afternoon of golf in nearby Newberg – both await supporters of Pearl Rotary’s new fundraisers.

The cruise (up to ten days) is the top prize in the Pearl Fund Raffle, launched this month. The winner can choose the tour for two from the line’s itineraries, a package valued at $5,400. The top prize was arranged through Willamette International Travel, represented in Pearl Rotary by Nancy Fowler.

Second prize is $800 in cash; third: a new iPad, 16gb with wifi (value: $499).

A maximum of 2,000 tickets are available at $10 each; they are being sold by Pearl Rotarians. The drawing will be Tuesday, June 19, 8 a.m., at a regular meeting of the club (Ecotrust, second-floor conference room, in Portland).

While the cruise winner is destined for an international trip, golfers who form foursomes will travel less than an hour for the Friday, July 27, Pearl Rotary Golf Tournament. Site of the inaugural event is the Chehalem Glenn Golf Course, Newberg. A shotgun start of 1:30 p.m. is set.

The four-person scramble was announced April 12 at the club’s board of directors meeting by Greg Mottau, fundraising chair. Joining him in the coordination are Jerry Baysinger, chair of the club’s non-profit Pearl Fund; Marc Hillman, PPRC president in 2013-14; and Jordan Weisman, international service chair.

Proceeds from both events will go to the Pearl Fund, the charitable arm which funds projects ranging from Open Meadow non-traditional school in Portland to the Suri School in suburban San Jose, Costa Rice; and from youth exchange through Rotary to the Boy Scouts; and to both the Interact (at Lincoln high school) and Rotaract (at Portland State University) Clubs.

On April 10, there will be a gathering of note as the Portland Pearl Rotary Club invites its past presidents to assemble. The club, once known as the Portland Industrial Rotary Club before its transformation in 2005 to the Portland Pearl Rotary Club, has had 36 presidents since its charter in 1975.

It is anticipated that some 20 past presidents will attend a celebration of their past service. Plans include an extended meeting, which will include comments from each attending dignitary (in two-minute slots), focusing on something notable in their year albeit: momentous, humorous or calamitous.

Jerry Baysinger and George Wright, themselves past presidents, tracked down as many of our former leaders as possible. The response has been enthusiastic with only those who will not be able to attend being upset. We are urging all of our members to attend this gala event to hear about our club’s history and meet an amazing gathering of the people who led the club for over three-and-a-half decades.

You wouldn’t know it from the amount of favorable publicity Oregon wines are receiving nationwide. But, according to pioneering vintner David Adelsheim, only 1% of wine consumed in the USA originates in Oregon. “By taking a 25- to 35 mile journey, you can buy the best Oregon wines, right at the wineries,” the president of Adelsheim Vineyard boasted.

Still it’s an industry that has grown four-fold in the last dozen years, from about 100 in the late-’90s to over 400 today. One of the oldest in Oregon, located in the North Willamette Valley, bears his name.

Adelsheim, speaking Dec. 13 to Pearl Rotary, said he was “excited but very naive” when he planted his first grapes in 1971. The last four decades have been a continuing education for him on the multiple factors that affect wine production (temperature, rainfall, soil type, sunlight, hillslope, etc.). In addition to working in the field, Adelsheim has dedicated hours to the promotion of the Oregon wine industry, including a stint as president of Oregon Winegrowers Association.

72% of wine produced in Oregon is pinot noir, Rotarians learned. 27% of production is shared by three whites–pinot gris, chardonnay, riesling. The remaining 1% (Adelsheim called them “geek wines”) include pinot blanc and chenin blanc.

Adelsheim’s visit was timed perfectly with the annual PPRC wine exchange, scheduled Tuesday, Dec. 20. Wine enthusiast and Rotarian Mike Rompa will supervise the internal fundraiser. Rotarians and guests must bring $25 to enter and also present a bottle of wine ($25 suggested value and up). It’s helpful to have a couple $5 bills since wines selected by a Rotarian can be bought up to three times (“stolen” may be an accurate word).

The railroad passenger reception area at Portland’s Union Station looked, sounded and felt like a Las Vegas casino when Pearl Rotary staged its fourth annual Bet on the Pearl fundraiser.

The Oct. 22 event included gambling (blackjack, roulette, craps), food and drinks, live music by the Fenix Project, and a silent auction that garnered over $20,000 in value of the contributions.

“This was the biggest and best year for our silent auction thanks largely to the broad participation and generous donations of Pearl District and Northwest Portland businesses and organizations,” said past Pearl Rotary President Don Barney, chair of that event.. “We’re very fortunate to have so many local partners join us and help replenish our charitable fund for another year of Pearl Rotary service to the community.”

An estimated $10,000 from the event will be directed to the club’s non-profit, the Pearl Fund. Monies raised from the annual fundraiser are used to fund a wide array of club projects–including computers for a girls school in Costa Rica, support of Open Meadow non-traditional school, student of the month and other efforts with Lincoln High School, and new partnerships in the Pearl area with the Zimmerman Community Center and the Bud Clark Commons.

President Lou Radja summarized the evening:

“What a great turn out for Bet on the Pearl!–a night of fun while making a difference. Thanks to the support of civic, business and individual leaders in our community, our Pearl Rotary Club is able to make a real difference through our local and international service projects. In Africa we say: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.’ Well, together, we went far that night!”

Other Rotarians who joined Barney and Radja in leadership roles were Greg Mottau, fundraising chair; Duane Cook, tickets; Tracy Vicario and Roger Devine, silent auction. Another partner in the event was the Columbia County Rotary Club; members came to the train station to deal the games. In a reciprocal gesture, Pearl Rotarians will do the same in march for its fundraiser in St. Helens.

Pearl Rotary also announced a follow-up online auction. You can bid on items, while advancing Pearl Rotary’s causes, at the Portland Pearl Rotary Online Auction.