 I love Loftus Day. I had the chance to visit my father’s grave on Friday morning before our meeting and lay flowers. It’s been a little over four years since he died. He was always a proud Rotarian – buried with his Paul Harris fellow pin. The Honorary and our Beloved President Chris Swope kicked off the Rotary Club of Lansing meeting at 12:30. We began with the four way test. Kevin reminded us there is indeed a fifth thing we think, say or do – HAVE FUN! This was at the request of our District Governor. Irv Nichols led a reflection. He was born the year after Loftus Day began. That’s pretty cool if you think about it. He gave us a history of Loftus Day in his own words and reflected on the many different versions this tradition has taken on over his many years in the club. Instead of answering what we should be doing in 25 years from now, Irv sent the question back our direction. What will Loftus Day look like in 25 years? Something tells me Irv may still be here. Hari Kern played along to My Country ‘Tis of Thee. Outstanding as always. Shameless plug – Hari and I serve on the Advisory Board of the Broad Art Museum together. Please come to our fall opening party on Friday night! Lisa Smith brought the mic around. Alex Hernandez brought a guest, Amy Partin – an SVP from Christman Company. Health of the club appears to look better than those hands. They really don’t look well. Heidi McNaughton introduced Joey DiMenno, who we have had the pleasure of hearing before. She graced us with The Wind Beneath My Wings. And Josh Groban’s You Raise Me Up. Interesting fact – that was always my mom’s favorite song I played her on the piano. I always played the first four pages and then ended because the last two went in to a key that was so much brain work to play. It was like A# Minor or something like that. I never told my mom that she hasn’t heard me play the entire thing. Please don’t tell her. Joey’s accompanist was unable to make it and Hari stepped up. As you can tell from the story above, she is a much more accomplished pianist than me. Sarah Garcia was Chair of the Day – shoutout to Sarah for going out the day before and all the work her and the committee put in to make Loftus Day a success. Sarah reminded us of the power of Rotary and how special of a tradition Loftus Day is. As a newer Rotarian, I really hope this tradition outlives me. Cathy Zell gave us more of the history of Loftus Day. It is unique to our club. Every year at a September meeting, a Rotarian who has passed away during the year is honored. It’s a tradition that began in 1924 when Frank Loftus brought a bouquet of fresh garden flowers to the regular meeting of the club. Afterwards, he took the 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. It’s a time to remember, pay respect, and reflect on the many dedicated people who contributed not just to our club, but to the causes they’ve helped to support throughout our history, from local charities to Rotary’s international outreach. This year, we honored George Nichols, and Cathy read a reflection from the Nugent Family (Marilyn, Chris, Kelly and Steve). George always took the Rotary motto of Service Above Self and the Four Way Test to heart. What can we take from his 90 years? - Love of family and friends
- Unwavering loyalty and sense of duty
- Living a simple yet enjoyable life
He was a wonderful husband, father, grandpa and uncle. He was patient and kind and always gave excellent advice. He was a true gentlemen, a wonderful mentor and a person of the highest integrity. He valued loyalty and exhibited not only to his family and friends but also to the causes and organizations that he held dear. He first became a Rotarian in 1963 and was actively attending until his passing. Other than 11 years with the Kalamazoo Club, he was with our club for over fifty years and was proud to establish the Goerge and Marilyn Nugent Rotary Endowment Fund in 2022. Four generations of Nugent’s were born at Sparrow, where Goerge served as Chief Surgeon. He also served as their Board Chair and Foundation Chair. He attended MSU in the 1950’s and met his love, Marilyn. He was a proud member of SAE fraternity and will be eternally proud that all three grandsons followed him. His church was St. Paul’s Episcopal where he was baptized 90 years ago and he was instrumental in supporting their renovation. He was an unwavering source of inspiration, timely and sensible advice and was always supportive of whatever career path, sporting or dance event his family was pursuing. We were blessed to hear the Nugent families statement. Cathy also read us statements from the recipient of this year’s scholarship they founded at the LCC Foundation. This year’s winner is Joshua Gardner, an accounting major. He exemplifies the spirit of George. We then all headed out to Mount Hope Cemetery. This year, Barb Whitney was my pal again. We brought fresh flowers to the graves of four Rotarians, including Walter French. It was a joy to read a bit of their stories as we carry on their legacy and traditions. Next week our speaker will be Nora Zei - Rotary International Chief Experience Officer. The topic will be DEI Policy and How the Four Way Test Correlates. The email for Ben Rathbun: Ben@rathbunagency.com |
