Lenexa Rotary Club

Today's meeting program speaker was Mary Gillespie, Master Naturalist with Johnson County K-State Research & Extension. She heads the "Bluebird Nestbox Project" which places and monitors nesting boxes used by Eastern Bluebirds and several other bird species. We also honored a new Paul Harris Fellow, Bob Parker, and two Paul Harris Fellow +4s, Milton Jeffrey and Wayne Zetzman.


Mary Gillespie is pictured with Club President Steve Adams.

Photo courtesy of Marshall Rimann

At last week's club meeting, we had a wonderful visitor from Argentina, Jose Fernandez. Jose was in Kansas City for the Argentina/Algeria FIFA World Cup match. Jose was a Rotary Youth Exchange Student during the 1987-88 school year, attending Shawnee Mission West. During that time he stayed in the home of PDG Greg Peterson.

Jose returned to Argentina to finish high school, and then returned to Kansas to attend KU, where he majored in Architecture and spent his summers with the Petersons. He finished first in his class at KU, and won a national competition for architectural students. He stayed another year after graduation to prepare architectural drawings for the restoration of Union Station.

Craig Denny was a member of our club during Jose's stay, and hosted a Swedish Rotary Youth Exchange Student who became friends with Jose.

Jose remarked at our meeting that everyone looked a lot older than he did.

Left to right in the photo: Jose Fernandez, Craig Denny, Greg Peterson.

Photo courtesy of Marshall Rimann

Our program speaker at last week's club meeting was Nina Kimbrough, telling us about her great uncle, Junius Groves, who was a very prosperous potato farmer in Wyandotte County in the early 1900s. She has written a chidrens' book about Junius Groves, titled "Mr. Potato King". Ms. Kimbrough is also the Executive Director of Johnson County Christmas Bureau, a charity that our club has supported for many years.

County Christmas Bureau


Pictured with Nina Kimbrough is club President Elect Kevin Day.
Photo courtesy of Marshall Rimann.

A great night was had by all.

Pitch Lenexa is filling up…go USA

Lenexa Rotary at Pitch Lenexa bring on the 5,000

Lenexa Rotary will be at Pitch Lenexa tomorrow at 5:00 PM. Maximum that will be let in 5,000. I heard tonight that there may be a line at 5:00. What a great Community Event. Watch USA play at 8:00.

Sunday July 5, Districts 5710 and 6040 will be hosting a candlelight vigil in honor of Human Trafficking Survivors. Please mark your calendars.

Over many years Rotary and Its Partners have almost eradicated Polio. Join Rotary and Its Partners now in Helping to End Human Trafficking.