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Montclair Rotarians Brave Rain to Meet Friends @ the Walnut Street Fair on September 29

Greeted the hundreds of people, families, pets and more who attended the fair and strolled along Walnut St., Depot Square, and adjoining parking lots.

Stuart borrowed the tent from West Orange Rotary. He also handmade much to the signage and gathered all types of Rotary literature.

We attempted to raffle off Stephen and Edie Colbert’s book, entitled the Does This Taste Funny, accept few people wanted to fill out the entry form.

We may award the book to the Most Deserving Montclair Rotarian of 2024 at the Holiday Luncheon.

We achieved out primary objective of showing the Montclair Rotary is alive well and fully functioning.

Thank you to everyone who helped make are presence at the Walnut Street Fair a reality.

Bob

Bob Rinklin

Club President, 2024-2025

Recording Secretary & Public Image

Montclair Rotary Club

https://www.montclairrotaryclub.com/

MontclairRotary@gmail.com

boblrinklin@gmail.com

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Montclair Ambulance Unit Receives Grants from

Rotary Club Foundation

Montclair Ambulance Unit responded to more than 4,700 medical emergencies during 2023, said Chief of EMS James Mazza, when speaking with the Montclair Rotary Club. During 2024,MAU, which has served the community for 71 years, expects to answer more than 5,000, 911 ambulance calls, added Chief Mazza. The Montclair Rotary’s Foundation, which has contributed $200,000 to local not-for-profits since 1922, recently provided MAU with financial grants. MAU’s 45 career emergency medical technicians and two volunteers are on duty 24/7 and 365 days a year in Montclair and provide service to Cedar Grove from 6am to 6pm daily.

MAU’s Director of Development Kristen Ryan explained, “Billing only covers a fraction of our costs. We rely on generous individual contributions and grants to help close the gap between what it costs to provide emergency medical services and our operating expenses.” For example, MAU plans to replace one or more of its aging ambulances, and the cost to purchase a fully equipped vehicle is about $300,000. MAU is without the financial resources to fund that large purchase. Donors may contact Ms. Ryan about making a tax-deductible donation by emailing her atkryan@montclairems.org or calling 973-783-7624.

Shown in the photo from left to right are Montclair Rotarian Kathleen Bennett, MAU Director of Development Kristen Ryan, Montclair Rotary Foundation President Stuart Keil, MAU Chief of EMS James Mazza, and MAU Deputy Chief of EMS Michael Craig. The Montclair Rotary meets each Tuesday at 12:15 pm at Pappardelle Restaurant on Walnut Street.

Please contact Bob Rinklin, President-Elect, at robertrinklin@outlook.com about being our guest for lunch.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club

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Montclair Rotary Club’s Foundation Supports

the YMCA of Montclair’s Safety Around Water

The non-profit Montclair Rotary Club Foundation recently donated funds to support the YMCA of Montclair’s 2024 Safety Around Water Week, May 20-24. The YMCA of Montclair’s program teaches practical water safety skills to youth ages 6-12, teens, and adult non-swimmers. The program includes five, 40-minute lessons that provide children with a sequenced set of skills to reduce the risk of drowning. By completing the program children also gain more confidence in and near water. The Safety Around Water lessons cost just $5 a person and the program is open to the community. The YMCA of Montclair’s Executive Director of Aquatics & Risk Management Tammy Como said, “Drowning is a serious public health concern, and our
programs teach children to be safer in and around water.” Anna Smith, the Aquatics Director at the Park Street Y, said, “We’re grateful to receive the Rotary’s contribution because it helps us offer our water safety program to families and their children at a very low cost.” Shown in the photo at YMCA of Montclair are from left to right Anna Smith, Montclair Rotary Foundation
President Stuart Keil, and Tammy Como. For more information about enrolling children in the Safety Around Water program contact the YMCA of Montclair at 973-744-3400. The Montclair Rotary meets each Tuesday at 12:15 in the Pappardelle Ristorante on Walnut Street.

Guests are invited to weekly meeting, please contact the club’s President-Elect Bob Rinklin (boblrinklin@gmail.com) about attending as a guest.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club

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Montclair Rotary Honors Georgia Brown for Two Decades of Selfless Service

Rotarian Georgia Brown (seated in the center) and her family recently hosted members of the Montclair Rotary Club at their home. The club honored Ms. Brown who has decided to step back from her responsibilities at the Montclair Rotary, which she joined in 1999. During more than two decades of service to local and global communities through Rotary initiatives, Brown has remained a positive force in the club and her ongoing actions embody the Rotary motto of Service Above Self. Born and raised in Georgia, Ms. Brown earned the nickname, Dictionary Peach, by starting and then managing the annual delivery of student dictionaries to third graders at Montclair and Verona schools. She and Rotary have donated 15,500 dictionaries. Shown in the photo from left to right are Club President Buddy Evans, Cordelia Siporin, Linda Cranston, Ms. Brown, April Robinson (standing), one of Georgia’s daughters, Stuart Keil, and Connie Eason, also a daughter. The Montclair Rotary Club is starting its 101st year of community outreach. The Club meets each Tuesday at 12:15 pm at Pappardelle Ristorante on Walnut Street in Montclair. For more information about the club, please email MontclairRotary@gmail.com.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club

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Montclair Rotary Inducts YMCA’s CEO as its President and Initiates Rotarian

The Montclair Rotary Club recently inducted Buddy Evans (third from right), who is the CEO of Montclair YMCA, as its President for 2023 – 2024. Also, life-long Montclair resident Cordelia Siporin (second from left), who is a professor of Cinema Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University, was initiated as a Rotarian. Ms. Siporin is also a member of the Friends of the Bellevue Avenue Library. Shown in the photo, from left to right, are Rotarians Linda Cranston, Ms. Siporin, Bob Rinklin, Stuart Keil, and Mr. Evans plus the Rotary Club’s guests – Kristen Zachares, owner of The Eclectic Chic Boutique, and Dorrie Barbanel Ershow, LMSW, BCBA, LBA, who is a Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychotherapist. The Montclair Rotary Club is beginning its 101^st year of service to the community. The club meets each Tuesday at 12:15 pm in the Pappardelle Restaurant at 77 Walnut Street in Montclair.

Photo by Suzanne Broullón, Montclair YMCA, for the Montclair Rotary Club

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Montclair Rotary Shows Appreciation

To Past President Lawrence Bogar

Montclair Rotary Club President Buddy Evans (left), CEO and president of the YMCA of Montclair, presents a plaque of appreciation to the Club’s Immediate Past President Lawrence Bogar for his year-long service to the organization and the community. Bogar led the club during its 100th anniversary year, 1922-2022. He also completed activities that include assisting with food insecurity efforts, making financial donations to local not-for-profits, and planting a grove of native scrubs in the Alonzo F. Bonsal Wildlife Preserve. Volunteers cleared invasive plants along the river side in the preserve before adding the new bushes.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club

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Montclair Rotary Club Earns District's Care & Share Award

The Montclair Rotary Club’s exceptional efforts to assist the Montclair Township Animal Shelter were recognized with an Honorable Mention in Rotary District 7475’s Care and Share Award program. The Montclair Rotary raised more than $6,500 to purchase a sturdy, stainless steel dog tub for the animal shelter. The shelter’s professionals said that the dog bath is used to provide medicated baths for the homeless, abused, and frightened canines that are brought to their facilities. Rotarian Linda Cranston led the fundraising effort that included a “Jazz Brunch” at the local restaurant, a “Go Fund Me” campaign, and generous donations from the community’s pet lovers plus a $1,000 grant from the Rotary 7475 Foundation. Shown in the photo from left to right are Montclair Rotary Club President Buddy Evans, Rotarian Georgia Brown, and Ms. Cranston.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club

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Montclair Rotary Marks Its 100^th Anniversary by Presenting Grants to Local Nonprofits

Montclair Rotary Club is marking its 100 years of service to the community by donating to and serving local nonprofits. The club’s foundation is providing grants to hunger relief efforts, first responders, Montclair’s schools, programs for children, and groups that assist families. In the photo, Montclair Rotary’s President Lawrence Bogar (left) presents a contribution to Toni’s Kitchen Executive Director Anne Mernin. Toni’s Kitchen is a food ministry of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. The nonprofit provides groceries to its neighbors in need in ways that respect their dignity, improves health, and fosters independence. The Rotary is celebrating its100 anniversary during 2022. The Montclair Rotary meets each week, and guests may find more about attending meetings by visiting the club’s website: https://www.montclairrotaryclub.com.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club

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Montclair Rotary Club Provides Grant to Support Hunger Relief Efforts by Mary’s Pantry

Renee Biancamano (center), a representative of Mary’s Pantry which is part of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church, recently received a contribution from the Montclair Rotary Foundation. The Rotary has aided and served community-based hunger relief programs for years. During Thanksgiving, Mary’s Pantry plans to provide turkeys and all the fixings to about 80 local families. Also, each week, individuals and families from Montclair and nearby communities go to the pantry to receive groceries, personal care items, diapers, and cleaning products. For 15 years, volunteers have collected contributions, packed the items in bags, and shared them with people in need. The effort is funded by donations from parishioners and their friends plus such local groups as the Knights of Columbus. Shown in the photo during are recent Rotary Club meeting are (left to right) Rotarian Linda Cranston, the club’s program chair, Ms. Biancamano, and Rotarian Stuart Keil, president of the Montclair Rotary Foundation.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club

Montclair Rotary Club

100^th Anniversary

Club History: 1922 – 2022

During our 100-year history, The Montclair Rotary Club has been a continuous force for good.

Rotary’s broad network and deep expertise allows us to be part of current and emerging challenges. We stay committed to eradicating polio around the globe while coordinating response to the Covid pandemic.

We promote practices to create a lasting peace, and Rotarians also take action to help people in need. We are providing humanitarian relief to Ukrainian refugees and people around the world.

Rotary makes a difference. Together we look beyond ourselves to imagine what we can do to improve peoples’ lives.

We present an overview of our positive actions throughout the last century in the club’s history. The list of past Montclair Rotary Club presidents is in Appendix 1, which begins on page 11.

2020 – 2022

Montclair Rotary Club marked its 100^th anniversary with a celebration planned and presented by the Rotarians from the Montclair and Nutley clubs. Nutley has also served its community and the wider world for over a century.

Each club’s service was honored in proclamations presented by U.S. Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, N.J. Senator and Former Governor Richard J. Codey, and Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. Rep. Sherrill also provided each club with an American flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol building.

Montclair Rotarians also received tributes from N.J. Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin and the Montclair Township Council and Mayor Sean Spiller.

Rotary District 7475 presented each club with the Century of Service honor.

Rotarian Paul E. Metcalfe became the first and only member of Montclair Rotary Club to serve as president three separate times.

Paul Blodgett and Stephen Hutton of the USS New Jersey Commissioning Committee recently met with our club. They discussed how the committee is preparing for the commissioning of the SSN-796 New Jersey. The vessel is a Virginia class nuclear-powered fast-track submarine which is scheduled to join the U.S. Navy fleet during 2023.

The committee has been raising funds for events that will occur during the commissioning ceremonies.

2020 – 2022, continued

Recent Club Milestones

Our club marked its 18^th year distributing dictionaries, as part of a literacy project, to third-grade students who attend public, private, and parochial schools in Montclair and Verona.

In 2004, Rotarian Georgia Brown introduced the Dictionary Project to our club.

Rotarians have donated more than 15,000 dictionaries to pupils.

Funds to purchase dictionaries were provided by the Montclair Rotary Foundation, grant from Rotary District 7475 Foundation, and individual donations.

2010 – 2019

The Miller Family, the Montclair Public Library, and our Club formed an alliance to provide a permanent display for artist Don Miller’s historic painting called the Dr. Martin Luther King Freedom Mural. The original artwork is a smaller-scale version of the 56-foot-long and 7-foot-high mural that Miller painted in his studio on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair.

Miller’s mural depicts major events in Dr. King’s life and shows the people who influenced the civil rights movement in the United States.

The National Library in Washington, D.C. commissioned the large mural, which was presented to the public during the first official observance of Dr. King’s birthday in January 1986.

The Miller family donated the 12-foot-long mural to the library and the Montclair Rotary donated funds for the archival preservation and framing of the artwork.

The Freedom Mural is located on the library’s second floor and the placement of mural was facilitated by Rotarian Peter Coyle, who was director of the Montclair Library.

Local Historian Frank Gerard Godlewski researched and prepared a presentation about Miller’s mural and presented the program to Rotarians and the public at the library.

The club and U.S. Congress helped sponsor a visit to Northern New Jersey and New York City by healthcare professionals from Cherepovets, Russia. Montclair and Cherepovets became sister cities during the 1990s.

A healthcare team from Cherepovets assists Russian children with special needs as well as youngsters with autism.

2010 – 2019, continued

Rotarian Juliana G. Belcsak arranged the visitors’ air travel and lodging and scheduled visits to healthcare facilities, including Caldwell University’s Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis as well as the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC.

Our guests met with leaders from Montclair Township, attended a New Jersey Devils hockey game and Broadway performance and were honored at Rotary-sponsored events.

Rotarian Linda Cranston organized the Club’s efforts to raise more than $6,500 to purchase a large, stainless steel dog bath for the Montclair Animal Shelter.

The Club’s fundraising program included a Jazz Brunch at Trumpets Jazz Club, a Go Fund Me website, and a raffle with prizes

In addition to a grant, we received for District 7475, there was an outpouring of donations from animal lovers too.

Rotary President Alicia Robinson, Rotarians, and young men from Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity volunteered to scrape and paint the outdoor porch at The Montclair Inn, an affordable residence for seniors.

Our club continued to host the Taste of Montclair fundraising events and the proceeds were donated to local food insecurity programs.

Rotarians completed one of many food drives with the cooperation of Kings Supermarket.

Residents donated tons of non-perishable food items were collected and donated to local hunger-relief programs

Rotarian Robbie Furman, entrepreneur and balloon artist, organized a fun project, which involved making food sculptures using boxes, cans, and containers of donated items.

Rotarian Diane Lilli, author, journalist, publisher, and communications professional, connects our club with social media by launching our Facebook page and producing regular posts.

2000 – 2009

The Montclair Rotarians significantly increased the club’s support of the local hunger relief efforts during this decade and the next. Many local families and individuals face food insecurity issues. These families turn to organizations such as the Human Needs Food Pantry, Montclair

Salvation Army Citadel and Toni’s Kitchen to feed themselves, their children, or people they were assisting.

2000 – 2009, continued

Past Presidents John Deermount, Rev. Beverly Sulllivant, Diana Pombo-Gonzalez, and Paul E. Metcalfe as well as Rotarians Linda Cranston, Dalton Chandler, Diane Lilli, and John Lee created and managed The Taste of Montclair fundraising events. Deermount explained that The Taste grew out of Montclair Restaurant Week, which was launched by the township’s former Economic Development Corporation.

The Taste started in 2006 with a sold-out event at The Grove in Cedar Grove. The Rotary also hosted The Taste in University Hall at Montclair State University. For years, The Taste kicked off Montclair’s Restaurant Week, which was supported by 30 or more local eateries.

From its inception, our club’s non-profit foundation has raised $150,000 in proceeds from The Taste events. The funds were donated to the community-based, non-profit hunger relief and food insecurity programs listed above.

Rotarian Preston Harrington and his wife Nancy, who died in 2008, often hosted Gift of Life children. These children and a parent traveled from foreign countries to Northern New Jersey for heart surgeries that were unavailable to them in their home nation. These children received the life-extending surgeries at Children’s Hospital at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

Our club helped raise funds for and hosted Gift of Life children and their families for over 30 years.

The club’s Foundation provided funds to the Rotary International project in Kosovo. Rotary contributions were used to drill wells, install piping, and equip schools with plumbing fixtures that provided drinking water and toilets to eight

schools in the Kosovo municipalities of Ferizaj and Gjilan. The schools serve 4,500 students ages 6 to 15.

The school’s water systems were destroyed during the War in Kosovo.

Rotarians built and installed a ramp for easier access to the non-profit HOME Corp.’s offices that were located on Maple Avenue in Montclair.

Annually, our club recognized and honored local first responders who showed courage and bravery “above and beyond the call of duty” while serving the Montclair community and its residents. The first responders include police, fire, and emergency medical officers.

Rotarians Meg Banitch and Paul E. Metcalfe organized the Montclair Rotary Golf Challenge Cup, which became a successful fundraising event for our club.

1990 – 1999, continued

Our club’s golfers often won the challenge cup while competing with teams from nearby Rotary clubs.

Golf outings continued into the 21st century.

1990 – 1999

Montclair Rotarian Stuart Keil was selected to serve as Rotary District 7470’s District Governor (DG) during 1991–1992. A member of our club accompanied DG Keil as he visited each club in the district during the year.

During this decade Montclair Rotarians selected their first female club President. The first women to serve as Club Presidents are the following:

Madeline J. Brown, 1993 – 1994
Juliana G. Belcsak, 1995 – 1996
Margaret Banitch, 1996 – 1997
Margie Leather, 1998 – 1999
Judith Zinn, 1999 – 2000.

Annually, our club hosted one or more high school students from a foreign country as part of the Rotary International Youth Exchange Program. Also, we sponsored high school students from Montclair who traveled overseas to live and go to school in foreign countries in just about every continent.

Rotarians who hosted inbound international students in their homes often formed long-lasting relationships which continue to the present.

Montclair Rotarians led by Juliana G. Belcsak formed a sister-city alliance with Cherepovets, Russia.

A group of high school students from Cherepovets visited Montclair and were hosted by Rotarians and our club’s friends.

Our club provided funds and guidance to business and community leaders in Cherepovets who formed one of the first Rotary Clubs in Russia.

A young girl from Cherepovets and her parents came to Montclair through the Gift of Life program

Rotarians Tom and Patti Conk hosted the family.

The young patient was scheduled to have surgery to repair serious heart problems.

1990 – 1999, continued

Former ABC News Correspondent Dave Marash was covering the War in Kosovo in 1998-1999.

At a Kosovo hospital, Marash met Ibadete Thaqi, a young woman who lost both of her legs during the war.

Thaqi was flown to New York City by the U.S. Air Force.

Surgeons and medical teams at the Hospital for Special Surgery performed miraculous procedures and created prosthetic implants, enabling Thaqi to walk again.

Following her surgery and recovery, Thaqi shared her dream of wanting to attend an American high school.

Our club, President Andrew Keil, and Rotarian Belcsak arranged for Thaqi to attend Montclair High School.

Juliana and her husband, Hans Belcsak, opened their home to Thaqi who graduated from Montclair High and then received her bachelor’s degree from Georgian Court University in New Jersey.

1980 -1989

Our club and its Rotarians became active supporters of the Short-Term Youth Exchange Program in Japan, which was renamed the Ross Redmond Short Term Youth Exchange Program. We have had an active role in this cultural exchange program for over 35 years.

Our club recruited students who traveled on three-week trips to major cities in southern Japan including Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara.
Montclair Rotarians have served as chaperones for these students while Rotarians in New Jersey hosted students and chaperones visiting from Japan.

Our club began active support and fundraising for Rotary International’s Polio Plus initiative to wipe out this deadly virus around the world.

Annually, our Rotarians contributed resources to help Polio Plus achieve this goal, which was completed in the 21^st century.

Our club sponsored the Montclair Rotary Run and fundraiser that drew more than 600 runners.

1980 – 1989, continued

Our club and its Rotarians hosted more than 30 visitors from its sister club, Bourg-en-Bresse in France, plus 10 families from nearby Châtillon-sur-Charlaronne.

French Rotarians and their families were given a grand tour of Northern N.J. and New York City.

Realtor and entrepreneur Judith Zinn was the first woman selected to join the Montclair Rotary Club.

Rotarian Zinn served as club President.
Hosted Rotary International Youth Exchange students.
Organized annual food drives that served local hunger relief programs.

1970 – 1979

Montclair Rotary marked its 50^th anniversary in May 1972.

The Club increased its support of and involvement in the Rotary International Youth Exchange Program. The program strives to give each student as wide an experience as possible in the host country and community.

During the 1973-1974 school year, for example, the Club hosted Maria Therese Montemayor of Davao City in the Philippines.

Outbound student Katherine A. Minden, a recent graduate of Montclair High School, studied aboard in Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

In 1976, Mary Ellin Donan, who attended Lacordaire Academy, spent her senior year as a Rotary Exchange student in Bulls, New Zealand, living with four different Rotary families during her stay.

The club welcomed the first Rotary Exchange Student to receive a scholarship for college study at Montclair State. Vincent Peskins of Holland resided with Dr. Ann Sharp, who was a professor in the college’s education department.

The club donated funds to assist the Montclair Ambulance Unit’s efforts to raise $300,000 to build a new headquarters building.

Montclair Rotary and District 747 announced an opportunity for six, non-Rotarian business executives to take a six-week, all-expense-paid trip to India and Bangladesh beginning in January 1979.

During the decade, the club sponsored fundraising events, including the following:

Antique car show and flea market at Montclair State College.

1970 – 1979, continued

10-mile Rotary Run Sunday that drew more than 600 registrants.

Our Club named a record seven Rotarians as Rotary International Paul Harris Fellows. We contributed $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation for each Paul Harris recipient. The donations funded scholarships, fellowships for international exchange of students and business executives, and club-sponsored relief projects.

1960 – 1969

Montclair Rotary honored Col. Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. by placing a bronze plaque embedded in a boulder that honors the Apollo 11 astronaut. The tribute recognized Aldrin as “Montclair’s Man on the Moon,” and the commemorative plaque was placed in front of the hero’s childhood home on Princeton Place.

The Rotary’s action was part of the township’s “Buzz Aldrin Day” that was held on Sept. 6, 1969, just weeks after the successful Apollo 11 moon landing.

Buzz’s father, Edwin E. Aldrin, was elected to serve as Montclair Rotary’s president in 1962-1963.

Aldrin Sr. saw extensive service in the United States Air Force.
He also managed Newark Airport and served as aviation manager for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey.

1950 - 1959

Rotary International and Montclair Rotary Club initiated programs that focus on the promotion of international goodwill and understanding. The backdrop for these policies was the increasing intensity of the Cold War.

Our club announced the availability of fellowships for advanced study abroad for young men and women from Montclair. For the first time, these fellowships were open to young people who had earned a bachelor’s degree or were in their senior year of college.

Fellowship recipients received resources to cover travel, tuition and living costs for one school year in a foreign country.

The club supported and participated in a program sponsored by the Montclair Area Displaced Persons Committee to help find employment for displaced people who emigrated to America.

The club launched a successful campaign to collect used clothing to help the thousands of refugees streaming into West Berlin from East Germany and other Communist-controlled countries in Eastern Europe.

1950 – 1959, continued

The club invited Professor N.A. Nikam, the noted Indian philosopher and visiting lecturer at Montclair State College to speak with Rotarians.

Professor Nikam said, “Although India has a culture over 2,000 years old, it is only 10 years old politically.”

He also explained that India today owes a tremendous debt to Mahatma Gandhi, whose teachings brought sanity to the country and prevented anarchy.

1940 -1949

The United States entered World War II on Dec. 7, 1941, following the surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service on America’s naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Momentarily, the Rotarians put aside wartime cares to mark the club’s 20^th anniversary.

The club participated in Montclair Library’s Furlough Register by inviting servicemembers to attend lunch meetings as guests. The invitation was open to any person who returned home while on leave from active military duty.

The club generously donated resources to the Send-A-Child-to-Camp Fund, which was managed by the Council of Social Agencies and The Montclair Times.

In a newspaper story, Mrs. W.H. Areson, the organization’s chair, said, “We are deeply indebted to the Rotary Club for their splendid generous action. The Club has proven again that it has the welfare of youth at heart.”

The Club donated funds to the Community Hospital to purchase an oxygen tent.

In receiving the gift, Mrs. Alfred H. Skogsberg, superintendent of the hospital, explained the increased use of oxygen therapy by the medical staff. During the past year, the tent was used 206 days. The machine that had been available broke down and the facility needed to rent an apparatus at considerable expense.

1930 - 1939

America’s Great Depression cast dark shadows of distress over the lives of millions of people in the United States.

During that decade, the Montclair Rotary Club sponsored simple contests to entertain families and award prizes to children. The competitions were free and open to every family and included the following events:

Kite flying – which drew a record-breaking 54 entries – and the event was viewed by more than 300 people.

1930 – 1939, continued

Additional contests included model glider flying and horseshoe pitching competitions.

The club launched a project to build a first aid station at Camp Glen Gray, which was the Montclair Boy Scout Camp in Bergen County.
- The club hosted a series of events to raise funds for the construction and completion of the project.

During Rotary Year 1939-1940, Walter D. Head, past club president in 1927-28 and former principal of The Kimberly School, became the President of Rotary International.

1922 - 1929

In June 1922, the Montclair Rotary Club held its charter night. The founding Rotarians represented a diversity of business and professional interests. The club was focused on serving the community and the nearby region by hosting programs, taking on community-based projects, and encouraging young people to achieve their highest potential.

Rotary Projects included the following:

Club Band and vocalists performed at one of the community’s summer concerts.
Invited Colonel H. Norman Schwarzkopf, the first superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, to discuss current trends in law enforcement.

Colonel Schwarzkopf graduated from the West Point Military Academy and served in World War I

Decades later, Schwarzkopf’s son, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., commanded international armed forces, including U.S. troops.

The club researched and developed programs for Montclair youth designed to nurture hobbies, encourage hiking and fishing plus building interest in organized sports and scouting

Rotarians raised funds to create a trust fund for family of local man who was a homicide victim.

The club’s leaders assisted in the organization of Rotary Clubs in Bloomfield and Verona.

Montclair Rotarians supported the Y.M.C.A. branch on Glenridge Avenue by donating a radio. Interest in this innovative technology attracted many youths to the association.

Note: The Montclair Times’ archives are the key resource for our Club’s history over the last century.

Compiled and prepared by Bob Rinklin, Montclair Rotary Club Recording Secretary & Public Image
Research by Eric A. Rinklin

Editing and proofreading Ron Leir, Eric Rinklin and Bob Rinklin

Appendix 1

Rotary Club of Montclair, New Jersey, USA
List of Past Presidents
Organized: 17 April 1922
Admitted to RI: 1 May 1922

Merton L. Beebe	1922-23	Albert J. Nugent	1973-74
Harry N. Reeves	1923-24	Allan Morehead	1974-75
John J. Blondel	1924-25	Richard N. Heale	1975-76
E. Melville Wylie	1925-26	Andrew Buchan	1976-77
T. Kirtley Gardner	1926-27	Paul A. Newsom	1977-78
Walter D. Head	1927-28	Dr. Houston G. Elam	1978-79
Edward H. Holmes	1928-29	Daniel B. Gilbreth	1979-80
Frank G. Pickell	1929-30	Stuart Keil	1980-81
Arthur B. Holmes	1930-31	John Samson	1981-82
Harry A. Sprague	1931-32	James Johnson	1982-83
Jacob F. Weber	1932-33	Robert Kapp	1983-84
George S. Harris	1933-34	Michael Dickerson	1984-85
William McLean	1934-35	Ernest L. Fogg	1985-86
William H. Massman	1935-36	Barney Martin	1986-87
Crosby J. McGiffert	1936-37	Robert W. Brown	1987-88
Gilbert L. Morse	1937-38	Odell Archer	1988-89
John H. Faber	1938-39	Michael Vovakes	1989-90
Alfred T. Gibbs	1939-40	Paul E. Metcalfe	1990-91
Frank J. Hutchinson	1940-41	Paul Leggett	1991-92
Mercer C. MacPherson	1941-42	John O'Toole	1992-93
George Biggs	1942-43	Madeline J. Brown	1993-94
Henry D. Silverman	1943-44	Dean Boorman	1994-95
Charles W. Perdue	1944-45	Juliana G. Belcsak	1995-96
Ralph Lounsbury	1945-46	Margaret Banitch	1996-97
Paul Pearse	1946-47	Thomas Conk	1997-98
Francis Geigle	1947-48	Margie Leather	1998-99
Dr. William Giblin	1948-49	Judith A. Zinn	1999-00
William Sieger	1949-50	Geff F. Sanford IV	2000-01
Dr. Ethan T. Colton Jr.	1950-51	Georgia M. Brown	2001-02
Charles G. Bourgin	1951-52	Brien Delp	2002-03
C. Wright MacMillan	1952-53	Andrew Keil	2003-04
E. DeAlton Partridge	1953-54	Thomas Ross	2004-05
Gunnar T. Soderberg	1954-55	Gail Stone	2005-06
Keith Atkinson	1955-56	John Deermount	2006-07
Rev. Paul Yinger	1956-57	Preston Harrington	2007-08
Lester Lieb	1957-58	Rev. Beverly B. Sullivant	2008-09
John D. Bundage	1958-59	Michael Chapman	2009-10
George C. Bond	1959-60	Diana Pombo-Gonzalez	2010-11
Dr. Clarence E. Hinchey	1960-61	Thomas Conk	2011-12
Edwin E. Aldrin	1961-62	Margaret Banitch	2012-13
Richard M. Carlisle	1962-63	Eddie Maxie	2013-14
Charles W. Hamilton	1963-64	Robert Rinklin	2014-15
Donald M. Littlefield	1964-65	Paul Metcalfe	2015-16
Donald Mulford	1965-66	Alicia N. Robinson	2016-17
Raymond F. Conover	1966-67	Kevin Stoops	2017-18
Horace M. Bennett	1967-68	Dalton Chandler	2018-19
Joseph A. Carnevale	1968-69	Stuart Keil	2019-20
Edward T. O'Brien	1969-70	Georgia M. Brown	2020-21
James L. Parsons	1970-71	Paul Metcalfe	2021-22
Edmund T. Mancusi-Ungaro	1971-72	Lawrence K. Bogar	2022-23
Herbert Linley	1972-73

The Montclair Rotary Club sadly reports the death of Past President Paul Metcalf who passed away on September 25, 2021. Paul served as the Club’s president three times: 1990 – 1991, 2015 – 2016, and 2021 – 2022. He was a dedicated and active member of the Montclair Rotary Club for more than 40 years.

Paul was born in Jersey City, NJ, son of the late Edward and Doris Metcalfe. He grew up in Teaneck, NJ before attending college at Athens College in Athens, AL. After returning to NJ he settled down in Kinnelon, NJ. He began his career as a teacher at West Milford High School and Passaic Valley Regional High School before becoming a Financial Planner with Lincoln National Group for over 45 years.

Paul maintained a very active life filled with service. While attending Athens College he was President of his fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega. He served as a Kinnelon councilman for 10 years. He was also very active in his lake community and served as President of the Fayson Lakes Association, in addition his voice was often heard during the summer at weekly swim meets as he performed the role of announcer. He was an active member of the Montclair Rotary Club for over 35 years and served as President twice. Most currently he served as a commissioner of PRBRSA. He as also an active parishioner of Our Lady of the Magnificat Catholic Church in Kinnelon, NJ.

Paul loved to play golf and could often be found on the golf course as a member of the Upper Montclair Country Club. He also organized “The Metcalfe March Madness” golf outings for the past 25 years for friends and family.

Paul is survived by his devoted wife Ellen of 51 loving years, his two beloved children: Brian Metcalfe and Shannon Green and husband Courtney, a loving sister Valerie Heinrich and husband John. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

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U.S. Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, 11^th District, presented the Montclair Rotary with a commemorative America flag to mark club’s 100^th anniversary. The flag, which flew over the United States Capitol, was received by Montclair Club President Lawrence K. Bogar during the gala celebration to mark the century of service to local and global communities by the Montclair and Nutley Rotary Clubs. Shown in the photo are (left to right): Stuart Keil, president of the Montclair Rotary Foundation; Linda Cranston, program chair; Mr. Bogar; and Jessica Egenasi, club treasurer. Montclair Rotary meets each Tuesday at 12:15 pm, for more details about the club visit the website.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club

Past District 7475 Governor Dr. Ann Walko presented the 100 Years of Service Award to both Robert Peters, president, Rotary Club of Nutley, (left) and Lawrence K. Bogar, president, Montclair Rotary Club (right). The presentation was made during 100^th Anniversary Gala marking each club’s century of service to communities that are nearby and faraway.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary

Rotarians and their friends recently marked the Montclair Rotary Club’s 100^th anniversary during a gala celebration. Founded in 1922, the club has served the community by supporting local hunger relief programs, arranging for more than 100 high school students from the area to study in foreign countries, and participating in several community service projects during each decade of the last century. The club is planning a wider range of new projects by forming alliances with not-for-profit groups to serve more individuals and families. Shown in the photo in the front row from left to right are Lisa Kievit, executive director of Park Street YMCA; Connie Eason, and Rotarian Georgia M. Brown. Standing in second row and shown from left to right are Lawrence K. Bogar, president of the Montclair Rotary; Jessica Egenasi, club treasurer; Linda Okoro; Linda Cranston, club program chair; Mona Keil; Buddy Evans, the club vice president, and CEO of Montclair YMCA; Stuart Keil, president of Montclair Rotary Foundation; and Bob Rinklin, club recording secretary.

Photo by the Montclair Rotary Club

Rotarian Stuart Keil displayed his collection of valuable Rotary memorabilia during the gala to mark the 100^th anniversaries of the Montclair and Nutley Rotary Clubs. Keil has held leadership roles in Rotary during his more than four decades of service the club, the district, and Rotary International. He served in the highly demanding position of Rotary District 7470 Governor in 1990 – 1991. He also was president of the Montclair Club in 1980-1981 and 2019-2020, and he has led the Club’s Foundation Committee in recent years. Shown in the photo with the table of Rotary banners, pins, clocks, and remarkable items are Mr. Keil and Mona, his wife.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club

Rotary Club President Lawrence K. Bogar (right) presents a donation to Montclair YMCA’s President and CEO Buddy Evans (left). The Montclair Rotary’s contribution will help support the Y’s programs that serve individuals and families. The alliance between YMCA and the Rotary dates to the club’s founding in 1922. During the last century, two organizations have cooperated on projects that inspire young people achieve their potential in life.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club

Michael Bruno, executive director of the Human Needs Food Pantry, recently spoke with the Montclair Rotary Club. Bruno explained that community-based food pantry serves working families who regularly face food insecurity issues. Each week the non-profit organization supplies on non-perishable groceries plus vegetables, fruits, and meats to 2,900 families who live in Essex, Bergen, and Passaic counties. The pantry also distributes clothes, personal hygiene items, and diapers. Montclair Rotary President Lawrence K. Bogar (right) presented Mr. Bruno with a contribution from the Club’s Foundation. Montclair Rotary is celebrating its 100^th anniversary of service to local and global communities during 2022.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club.

Montclair Rotary Club’s Jessica Egenasi (center) helped with the food drive for Toni’s Kitchen. Jessica was joined by Dr. Mike Straker (left) and Marquis Whitney, who are members of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity’s Montclair Chapter. Jessica, Mike, and Marquis spoke with local resident who were shopping at Kings Food Markets on Valley Road. Residents bought non-perishable food items at Kings and donated non-perishable items to Toni’s Kitchen. In a few hours, the Rotary collected over 400 pounds of groceries. For more information about the Montclair Rotary, please contact Lawrence K. Bogar, the club’s president, by email at MontclairRotary@gmail.com.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club

The Montclair Rotary Club thanks the many residents who donated non-perishable groceries during its recent food drive for Toni’s Kitchen. Families and individuals generously bought food items from the Kings Market on Valley Road in Upper Montclair. The club contributed the groceries to the local nonprofit that provides food to neighbors in need. Rotarians received enough food for more than 300 healthy meals plus monetary contributions. Shown in the photo outside of Kings Food Markets are (left to right) Linda Cranston and Jimmy, her dog, Connie Eason, a friend of Rotary, and Georgia M. Brown. The Rotary, which serves the communities of Montclair and Verona, meets each Tuesday beginning at 12:15 pm in the Greek Taverna Restaurant. For more details, contact Rotary Club President Lawrence K. Bogar by email at MontclairRotary@gmail.com.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for Montclair Rotary Club

Lawrence Bogar (right) was recently inducted as the President of the Montclair Rotary Club. Bogar is responsible for leading the club and its members during the coming year. In the photo, Past President Paul Metcalfe presents Bogar with the ceremonial gavel that is given to the club’s new leader. Montclair Rotary is marking its 100^th anniversary in 2022. Guests are invited to attend the club’s meetings, which are held each Tuesday at 12:15 pm. For more details about joining Rotary visit the club’s website at https://www.montclairrotaryclub.com/

Montclair Rotary Club has elected and recently inducted its new leadership team for the coming year. Shown seated in the front row are Barbara Hirsch (left), Rotary District 7475 Assistant Governor for Essex County who was visiting from the Nutley Rotary Club, and Georgia Brown, the club’s treasurer. Shown standing in the photo are from left to right Stuart Keil, president of the Montclair Rotary Foundation; Buddy Evans, vice president; Lawrence Bogar, president; Paul Metcalfe, immediate past president; and James Stefanile, secretary.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club

Rotarian Jessica Egenasi recently received the Montclair Rotary Club banner during the new member induction ceremonies. Shown in the photo from left to right are Rotarian Jessica Egenasi, CPA, Rotarian Linda Cranston, who is the new member’s sponsor, and Rotary Club President Paul Metcalfe. Montclair Rotary Club meets weekly for in-person sessions on the first and third Tuesdays at 12:15 pm at Greek Taverna Restaurant, 292 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair, N.J. The club holds virtual meetings via Zoom on the second and fourth Tuesdays.

Photo by the Montclair Rotary Club

Georgia “Dictionary Peach” Brown has coordinated the Montclair Rotary Club’s Dictionary Project since 2004. Annually, the club provides student dictionaries to kids in Montclair’s elementary schools. Brown is shown outside the Watchung Elementary School after dropping off cartons of dictionaries for third and fourth grade students.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club

Georgia “Dictionary Peach” Brown Has Led Annual Effort that Brought 15,500 Books to Pupils

The Montclair Rotary Club has helped a generation of elementary school students in Montclair and Verona get a jump start in building their vocabulary. Over the past 18 years the club, which serves both communities, donated more than 15,500 student dictionaries to third-grade students in each school district. The first groups of students to receive their dictionaries have graduated from high school and finished college.

Montclair Rotarian Georgia “Dictionary Peach” Brown brought The Dictionary Project to the two communities in 2004 and has coordinated the effort the entire time. Annually, Ms. Brown and volunteers from the club distribute student dictionaries to pupils at 15 private, parochial, and public elementary schools in Montclair and Verona. This winter and spring, Ms. Brown and the club’s team delivered a total of 1,401 dictionaries to third and fourth graders in both communities.

Students at these schools received dictionaries this year:

Montclair: Verona:

Bradford Elementary School Brookdale Avenue School

Charles H. Bullock School Forest Avenue School

Edgemont Montessori Elementary School Laning Avenue School

Hillside Elementary School Our Lady of the Lake School

Lacordaire Academy Spectrum360 School

Montclair Cooperative School F.N. Brown School.

Northeast Elementary School

St. Cassian Elementary School

Watchung Elementary School

Rotarian Georgia “Dictionary Peach” Brown with Principal James Carlo of the Our Lady of the Lake School in Verona. The Montclair Rotary Club, which serves both Verona and Montclair, has provided over 15,500 student dictionaries to elementary school pupils since 2004.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club

Ms. Brown’s enthusiasm for the project earned her the nickname “Dictionary Peach,” a reference to her home state of Georgia.

The Montclair Rotary Foundation and Rotary District 7475 Foundation, both nonprofits, plus donations from individuals have funded the purchase of dictionaries. The total expenditure for the books exceeds $60,000.

Pandemic Disrupts Dictionary Distribution

Typically, the Rotary club gives dictionaries to third graders. But when the COVID pandemic disrupted

that schedule during 2020 and 2021, Ms. Brown decided to expand the project this year to include fourth grade classes in the dictionary distribution.

Longest Word in the English Language

The soft-bound books have more than 370 pages of words and definitions plus maps, biographies of U.S. presidents and information about America’s states and nations of the world. In the past, Ms. Brown brought dictionaries to each classroom and encouraged to lookup a word each day. She showed students that the dictionaries included the longest word in the English language, which has more than 1900 letters.

Ms. Brown said, “I was a natural choice to chair The Dictionary Project committee because I have always loved words. And I am a curious person and good dictionaries have thousands of words plus an abundance of useful information.”

The late Robert Pityo, a longtime member of the Cedar Grove Rotary Club, mentored Ms. Brown in the dictionary project. Brown embraced the project because she believes that learning is a lifetime habit. Dictionaries, she added, are tools people can always use.

During a recent dictionary delivery to Verona’s Lanning Avenue School, Principal Howard Freund said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to give our third and fourth graders their own dictionaries. They hold the dictionary in their hands and flip through pages filled with thousands of words. Students get to discover different words and find out what they mean.”

Rotarian Georgia “Dictionary Peach” Brown with Principal Howard Freund of Verona’s Laning Avenue School. The Rotary Club, which serves Montclair and Verona, has provided a generation of elementary school students with dictionaries that help pupils build better vocabularies.

Photo by Bob Rinklin for the Montclair Rotary Club

Marking the End of an Era

Ms. Brown, who is retired from U.S. Postal Service’s office in Montclair, is completing her last year as chairperson of the annual dictionary project. She said, “I have wonderful memories meeting and speaking with students at each of the local schools. When I hand the dictionary to students, I often see a sparkle of gratitude in their eyes and that makes all the effort worthwhile.”

About the Rotary Club of Montclair

The Rotary Club is marking its 100th Anniversary year in 2022. The club that serves the communities of Montclair and Verona by supporting not-for-profit organizations, schools, and community groups. Rotarians volunteer their time and contribute resources to aid local hunger-relief and food insecurity programs, affordable housing efforts, the local animal shelter, and programs for veterans and the elderly. Members also sponsor community service projects. For more information about the Rotary, which meets each Tuesday at 12:15 p.m., contact Club President Paul Metcalfe by email at montclairrotaryclub@gmail.com. The club currently alternates between virtual meetings and in-person sessions held at the Greek Taverna Restaurant in Montclair.

If you wish to donate to the Rotary Foundation, visit the Montclair Rotary PayPal Account:

Click the link below:

https://www.paypal.com/myaccount/transfer/homepage/pay

Search for montclairrotaryclub@gmail.com

Thank you for your generosity!

Click here to see the video. "Who We Are"

2023 Membership Application

Who We Are (VIDEO)

Rotary Manual of Procedures

The Montclair Rotary Club serves the communities of Montclair and Verona, New Jersey.

Our members make significant contributions to the community through their unique skills, talents, expertise and interests. Annual fundraisers, including the Taste of Montclair, enable the Montclair Rotary Club to offer charitable assistance to organizations in need and to perform numerous service projects that enhance the quality of life in the Montclair area. In its leadership role as a service organization, the Montclair Rotary Club extends membership to people who voluntarily and willingly dedicate themselves to the ideals of Rotary International, and a commitment to "Service Above Self". The Montclair Rotary Club is focused on helping those within our communities as well as supporting projects that are global in scope. If you are a person who recognizes that giving is more rewarding than receiving, then you already have the Rotary spirit! Contact us at montclairrotaryclub@gmail.com or at P.O. Box 1746, Montclair NJ 07042 to learn how you can apply for membership.

To download our MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION in WORD format, go to the "CONTACT THE MONTCLAIR ROTARY CLUB" section on the left of our home page and click MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION.

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Caroline Verkaik PhD, Co-Founder and CEO of Voice of Our Child

Rotarian Caroline Verkaik

Takes Teens on Humanitarian Trips To Kenya

that Builds Self Confidence and Serves Local Villages

Nonprofit ‘Voice of ‘Our Child’ Raising Funds for Young People Suffering With Chronic Depression

By Bob Rinklin, Montclair Rotary Club

Caroline Verkaik, Ph.D., is the founder and CEO of the not-for-profit Voice of Our Child, which serves teens and young adults battling chronic depression. Verkaik, who also launched WaterGap – Africa Safaris, discussed the nonprofit’s mission and the tour company’s journeys to Kenya at a recent virtual presentation to the Montclair Rotary Club.

By linking the nonprofit’s mission and her expertise in running safaris to Africa, Verkaik developed an innovative program. American teenagers, some who suffer with depression, go on a humanitarian journey to Kenya, Verkaik’s homeland, where they assist people in local villages. The visitors arrive with school supplies for children and items essential for families.

Harsh Life for Kenya’s Young People

In Kenya, the American teens have a rare opportunity to meet other teens who struggle with day-to-day living in a developing country. The Kenyans face daily food insecurity, lack of clean water and few, if any, books, notebooks or pens and pencils. The visitors are exposed to the huge lifestyle gaps between themselves and the Kenyans who typically make do with just one set of clothes and often no footwear.

Verkaik, who has a doctorate in social work, said, “The trip produces positive changes in our teens, who often give the Kenyans their sneakers, clothes and more. The America kids develop more self-confidence, self-reliance and a positive view of their lives. Parents are amazed at the changes and hardly recognize their kids when they arrive home.”

The Voice of Our Child plans to expand the number of humanitarian trips and is actively fundraising to offer travel scholarships to teens.

Verkaik said, “I’m honored to talk with Rotarians because they are a group of people who truly are about others.” The Kinnelon resident was just inducted into the Pequannock Valley Rotary Club.

Voice of the Child is a mentorship program that is committed to reducing the rate of depression and the occurrence of suicide among children, teens and young adults. Verkaik was energized to form the nonprofit after having failed to detect the signs that her eldest daughter had suffered with bouts of severe depression. Her husband, David, has also struggled with anxiety for years

Voice of Our Child (VOOC) is an international foundation that helps young people maintain humanity’s greatest resource, their minds.

Hosts Virtual Summit Every Saturday

The nonprofit also hosts a weekly video meeting for teens, young adults and their families in the United States and around the world. Each Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. (EDT), the organization hosts and moderates a global Zoom session. Callers share insights, feelings and strategies for living with, and ultimately working through, their depression and other obstacles.

Verkaik emigrated from Kenya to America in 1995. Her first job was a lab analyst at Kodak. She also competed in Mrs.World pageants and was selected third and fourth runner-up, and earned three Mrs.Kenya World titles. In 2016 was named among top 50 women business leaders during a meeting attended by 3,000 women executives from across the globe.

She also earned a 2019 citation from the legislature in Pennsylvania for most influential person of the year,

Rotarians may learn more about Voice of our Child by visiting the website https://www.voiceofourchild.org and donations may be made to the non-profit through the website.

For more details about trips available from WaterGap-Africa Safaris go to https://www.watergap-africasafaris.com.

Solar lights in Maasailand

Shown are some of the solar lights that members of the Montclair Rotary Club provided to the tribal people the club helps in Kenya through the efforts of the activists Avery and Paul Mantell.
The lights have totally ended incursions by hyenas and lions in the dead of night, making everyone in the village feel more secure.
Thanks to the generosity of Rotarians Laurence Bogar and Linda Cranston, the lights truly have improved the villagers lives by solving a long term problem!

If you'd also like to help the people of Maasailand, please visit www.MaasaiGirlsFund.org