It all started in the fall of 1924 when Frank Loftus brought a bouquet of fresh garden flowers to the grave of Charles W. Nichols, a past Rotary president who had recently died. The custom grew in an informal manner and when Loftus died four years later, the official Frank Loftus Day Memorial Service was held - a cherished Lansing Rotary Club tradition that each September honors deceased club members who are buried in the Lansing area. It was not surprising that Frank Loftus started this revered tradition. A longtime grocer and life-long Lansing resident, he was known for his compassion, often extending credit at his store on Washington Avenue to families who were encountering difficult financial times. His civic dedication was legendary. He also gave his time to volunteer with the local Red Cross, with his church and with the Knights of Columbus. He died on May 30, 1928, the major headline in the Lansing Capital News was "Loftus Dies Suddenly" and the accompanying article went on to describe the many contributions he had made to his community.
It is likely our club is the only one in Rotary International that remembers its deceased members in such a unique way. This year, Friday, September 10th we will honor Rich Guilford, Frank Tegge and Paul Rathbun at our meeting. Immediately following committees can visit the graves they are assigned or plan a time any day that week. Cones will be available at the Lansing Center at no charge. At the bottom of the Rotogram in the "Download Files" is a listing of all members with their Committee Chairs.
We would like to invite you and your club to join in the Cereal City Sunrise virtual Zoom meeting on Thursday, September 23 at 7:00 a.m. We will host a very special speaker, Rotarian Edwin Velarde from California, who is the Chairman of the Rotary Action Group for Diabetes (RAG-D) and the founder of the EPIC Journey for Diabetes, a bicycle tour of the U.S. and Europe. Edwin has worked tirelessly to elevate diabetes as a major Rotary cause. I am working closely with him to bring the message to our District and Zone. Most recently he biked from London to Hamburg for the RI Convention and previously biked from Chicago to Atlanta.
Diabetes is the fastest growing health problem facing, not only American's but everyone in the world. It is predicted that 1 in 3 of us will be touched by diabetes in the next 10 years. We look forward to seeing you. Here is the Zoom link for the meeting: