A little something new for the Trumpet!
The "Member Spotlight Interview" features an interview between Wade George and another Emmaus Rotary Club Member to serve as a way for our newer members to learn more about some of our long standing members in the Club and how Rotary has made an impression on their lives. They will talk about what Rotary means to them, share advice, as well as memories they've made along the way. Our goal to include a quarterly "Member Spotlight Interview" in future editions of the Trumpet. We hope you enjoy our first "Member Spotlight Interview" with Rotarian Larry Delhagen!
Thank you Wade and Larry for taking the time to collaborate on this exciting new addition to our newsletter.
Member Spotlight Interview with Larry Delhagen by Wade George. (May 2020)
Your membership in Rotary goes back to January 1997, that’s over 23 years in the organization. An absolutely amazing accomplishment on so many levels. What first inspired you back then to join?
"I was looking for a service organization to join in my early 30’s and I decided Rotary would provide the best opportunity to engage in some fun and needed community service work. (And that was in spite of Gordy Shantz being the president at the time so you KNOW it was a great club.) Plus, my father was a past president of the Warwick (Rhode Island) Rotary Club and my uncle Jack a past president of the ERC so it seemed like the thing to do."
In all of your years as a Rotarian, what is the individual accomplishment or moment that you are most proud of as a Rotarian?
"It’s hard to name just one. I would say the refurbishment of the Emmaus Community Park Playground and installation of the new equipment, my year as president, the work Rotary has done to eliminate Polio from the planet, and watching the EHS kids, including my own, participate in and become officers of the EHS Interact Club and attend Camp Neidig and then watching them present their experiences to our club."
What are you most proud of Emmaus Rotary for?
"I think how well we involve our new members is something to be extremely proud of. Watching our newest members take positions of responsibility in the club is just awesome."
Is there a specific event that is most memorable or a favorite memory of yours that you haven’t previously mentioned?
"I don’t know if it’s my “favorite” memory, but the moment I realized that Brent Peters asking me if I want to “do programs” meant I was going to be club president. There was about a 6 month lag time between the two because no one ever actually asked me if I wanted to be in the chairs, and I didn’t know becoming Program Chair was becoming 2nd VP. We were a much smaller, less formal club back then so some of the formalities were sometimes omitted. But it worked out well in the end."
Over the years, who are some Rotarians that you have developed the closest relationships with? With whom in particular did you share a good laugh?
"I have been in the ERC long enough to remember Ernie Shaffer who was in his mid-90’s when I joined the ERC. He gave a happy dollar every Thursday morning and declared that “it was good to be on the right side of the sod”. That cracked me up. I particularly miss the Carls (Gingrich and Franz) and Bob Bisbing who’ve passed on to the great Rotary Club in the sky, and Dennis Gouldy who left the ERC a decade or more ago. Dennis, Neil Black, and my original sponsor to the club, Gordon Shantz would get a little tipsy while they shopped for the gifts for our annual Christmas party. It was hilarious. Great guys all. And of course my baseball nemesis, Marge Geosits. I miss her not being able to come to meetings and answer for the egregious nature of her favorite team. I guess I’m kind of in the middle of my Rotary journey now. I am really enjoying watching the new/next generation of Rotarians join the club and I admire the heck out of our older members who’ve been faithful Rotarians for so many years. Wilmer is an inspiration, as is Dale. And Roger’s OK too for a Democrat. Don Blose has been a friend since I’ve lived here. The only one I really don’t like is Gary Rohrbach. But he knows that and we’re both OK with it."
What advice can you give to the current and future leaders of the Emmaus Rotary as well as to any newer members in the group?
"For new members, don’t be afraid to dive in and get involved. It’s the best way to make friends. Be fearless with your happy dollars. Don’t sit with the same people every week. If you have the time, participate in the physical projects. Roll up your sleeves and if possible, get your kids involved. And your significant other. Rotary is a family."
Obviously, in your profession, you have seen a lot over the 23 years you have been in Rotary. Can you provide some reassurance to those who may be especially stressed out these days?
"You need to have perspective. We have a Rotarian in our midst who’s lived through the Great Depression, WWII, the Korean Conflict, the Cuban Missile Crisis and Cold War, the Vietnam War, 9/11, the Great Recession, Polio, AIDS, SARS, MIRS, Ebola, Swine Flu and now COVID-19 and he still works in his own yard. We’ve had umpteen bull markets and bear markets, presidents, congresses, and (I know this is hard for Steelers fans) Patriot’s Super Bowl Championships, and despite all, we are still Americans and we work, innovate and problem solve like no one else on the planet because our Constitution ensures our individual liberty. We’ll be just fine. Just have a little faith and some patience. We’ll get through this and in due course this “pandemic” will be just another footnote in history."
