“Rotary Club Formed Here.” That was a headline printed 84 years ago in the June 11, 1937, Rock County Herald.
Dr. Charles L. Sherman, who came to Luverne in 1904 as the ‘horse and buggy’ doctor, was the club’s very first Luverne Rotary Club president.
Ever since Doc Sherman took the club’s gavel at the Manitou Hotel in June 1937, the club has always changed leadership in June.
This year, 2021, is no different from June, 1938, when Dr. Sherman completed his term as president and handed the gavel off to his successor, Ray C. Engan.
On the evening of June 29, 2021, the Rotary Club gathered at Take 16’s Event Center with 29 members and guests to witness the changing of the guard. This time, Tammy Loosbrock, who served as president during the past year, turned the gavel over to Tim Gust.
Gust, a longtime Luverne community member and businessman, became the club’s 85th Rotary Club president. He officially began his duties on July 1 and will start off the year leading a group of 37 dedicated members.
According to its website, “Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”
This past year, the Luverne Rotary Club completed the following projects:
•put finishing touches on Luverne’s South Highway 75 Rotary Park, which also contains an area for dogs to stretch their legs.
•provided bicycle helmets for children in Adrian, Hills-Beaver Creek, Luverne, and the two schools in Edgerton.
•cleaned road ditches through Adopt-a-Highway.
•provided and served a community meal; and
•financially supported several community programs, including The Food Shelf, ‘Roll on Luverne,’ Back Pack Program, Summer Recreation, and the global effort to eliminate polio.
The Luverne chapter meets at noon every Tuesday in the Luverne Pizza Ranch. Each meeting features a 20-minute presentation from community programs or causes to enlighten members.