Rotary Club of Lyndonville, Vermont

"Service Above Self"

Chartered March 22, 1951

(above) First meeting of the Provisional Club of Lyndonville, January 15, 1951
at the Darling Inn.

Traveling Rotarians are welcome to join us for luncheon meetings which are held each Wednesday at 12:15 pm at the First Congregational Church on Middle Street in Lyndonville. Our town, known as the "Gem in the Green" in Vermont's scenic Northeast Kingdom, is located about nine miles north of St. Johnsbury (take Exit 23 from Interstate 91) and 40 miles south of the Canadian border.

Lyndonville Rotary is part of Rotary International District 7850 which includes forty-one clubs; twenty-five of them in Vermont, twelve in New Hampshire, one that straddles the VT - NH border and three in Quebec, Canada. Currently, our club has 41 members...some of them in the photograph below (in 1996).

Pamela S. Kvam is our Club's President for 2008-2009

Marie-Anne Hemond is President-Elect for 2009-2010

Todd G. Wright is Vice-President

Suzanne L. Roberts (802-626-3100) is Club Secretary

Lorraine C. Matteis is Club Treasurer

Thomas K. Barrett is Sgt.-at-Arms

                                                                                                                 Outgoing president Mary Ann Riggie (right) turns over the reins
                                               to Pam Kvam during changeover ceremonies held at the home of
                                             Mark and Mariann Bertolini on June 25th. Pam will use the gavel
                                                  presented to her father, Reginald Simpson, for his service as
                                                                   president of the club during 1965-66.

(Other changeover scenes below)

Our popular PENNY SALE, conducted at Lyndon Institute annually each February for over thirty-five years, is our principal fund-raising event and benefits dozens of local charities and community activities.

Photos by Steve Legge, courtesy of the Lyndon Independent

An outdoor AUCTION in Bandstand Park, generally held in August, is also a popular community event as well as an additional funding source.

Photo by Jeanne Miles, courtesy of the Lyndon Independent

Good attendance at meetings has been maintained by the quality of the programs which have been provided by members serving as weekly program chairmen on a rotating basis. We have had several interclub meetings, perhaps the most memorable being a trek to the Sherbrooke Club in Quebec (within our international district) several years back. Many of the most interesting programs have been classification talks by the individual members themselves. Recently, we were honored to have the Chief Justice of the United States, William H. Rehnquist, address us at a well-attended joint meeting with Rotarians from the nearby St. Johnsbury Club.

Photo - Jeanne Miles, courtesy of the Lyndon Independent Photo - Jan Newpher, courtesy of the Cal-Rec (left) Chief Justice Rehnquist honors us as speaker at meeting of 7/17/96.....as guest of Dick Boera.
(right) Candidate...now Governor...Jim Douglas endures advice after addressing the club 12/12/01.

The Club's Golden Anniversary was observed at a gala dinner meeting, March 22, 2001, held at the Darling Inn...site of the very first Charter Night. Even the menu was the same as the offering on the same date in 1951, with a Roast Vermont Turkey entree. PP Nancy Anastasia arranged the event which was attended by about 70 Rotarians and their guests, including 19 past presidents of the club. Honored for their long and dedicated service were Charter Member Raymond Russell and "almost Charter Members" Urban Wakefield and Hazen Russell.

2001 Photo by Jeanne Miles, courtesy of the Caledonian-Record
At the Lyndonville Rotary Club's 50th Anniversary dinner at the Darling Inn, Lyndonville Rotary
President Paul Wheeler, right, presents a certificate of appreciation to charter member Raymond Russell.

We try to follow...

THE FOUR-WAY TEST

... of the things we think, say and do:

1. Is it the TRUTH ?

2. Is it FAIR to all concerned ?

3. Will it build GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS ?

4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned

Club members with Col. David Newell ship off school supplies to Iraq June 30, 2005.

The club's R.I. Centennial project was the installation of Welcome entrance
signs donated to the Town of Lyndon (June 2005).

                     2006 Business-Person(s)-of-the-Year, Patty & Dana Emery.
          (In 1991, Patty was the first woman elected to membership in the club.)

Lyndonville Rotary Hosts French Visitors

Lyndonville Rotarians Dick Banks, far left, and president Mark Bertolini, far right,
escort Rotary International Group Study Exchange visitors, from left, social worker
Huguette Gallisath, wine distributor Frederic Schall, sterile-cleaning company director
Vincent Lang, electrical engineer Pierre Bombois and journalist Katia Bitsch. (April 2007)

Stars & Stripes Pageant 2008
(McRotary food tent - another annual fund-raiser)