After the Rotary meeting on Thursday, March 24th, we received the sad news that Dale Dries, Emmaus Rotarian and ERC Sergeant-at-Arms Emeritus passed away. Dale was a fighter to the end as he reported his efforts to receive a new lung and stave off the breath-taking effects of Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Dale loved his close-knit family, his farm, racing cars, fishing and hunting. He lived life to the fullest, participating in community affairs, local boards, and Emmaus Rotary. Dale was a model Rotarian. He joined Rotary in July of 1972 and maintained his active membership for over 48 years. Dale followed his father, Howard Dries, into Rotary and became Emmaus Rotary President from 1981-1982, exactly 20 years after his father served as ERC President from 1961-1962. Dale was always ready to help, offering the rafters of his hardware store for big Rotary items and an upstairs room for files. He was generous to the local Rotary and Rotary International. As serious as he was about Rotary, he made the meetings fun. His humor was quick and on target as he carried out his Sergeant-at-Arms role for 31 years, from 1984-2015. It was estimated that Dale collected approximately $59,000 in fines and happy dollars. over the years. No member escaped a Dale witticism, observation or comment. We will miss his intelligence and humor.
