This Monday, our Club honoured its past presidents with what we hope will become an annual tradition. It was amazing and heartwarming to see so many of those who have lead Rotary Club of Windsor (1918), now known as the club that has “given millions to those in need”, all come together in one room.

Click here to see the President's Day photo album (courtesy of Gordon Drake)

The question posed to each president was “how do you remember your year?”, and we heard countless unbelievable accomplishments this club has made throughout its history. From Past President Lex McCrindle (1981-82) to Past President Lou Valente (2016-17) and many in between, our club has helped support initiatives such as eradicating polio (referred to by Past President Don Marsh), establishing a community donations program (Past President Janet Kelly), supporting the John McGivney Centre and Maryvale (referred to by Past Presidents Romeo Girardi and Maureen Lucas), building the Safety Village (as described by Past President Stephen Payne), helping Haiti with earthquake disaster relief (mentioned by Past President Bill McArthur), raising money for the Willistead Manor through Art in the Park (as stated by Past Presidents Shari Cunningham and Gary Wintermute), and so many other amazing projects. Mottos to live by were given by some, including “Be a Gift to the World” by Past President Mike Drake, “Money isn’t to be accumulated, it’s to be spent and raised again” by Past President Charlie Clark and “Make Every Day Your Masterpiece” by Peter Hrastovec. Past President Lex McCrindle, warmly referred to as the “Dean of Past Presidents”, gave an inspirational speech reflecting on our club’s past, the state of our club’s present as well as hopes for the future. Read Lex’s address in its entirety here.
 
Thanks to fellow member David Langford for the videos (above and below).
 
This meeting was also filled with even more: Past President Fred Sorrell was presented with a Life Membership Award in recognition of “more than 30 years of superb, selfless leadership with devotion and diligence in club initiatives”. Margurite Reid was inducted back into the club, and an incredibly generous donation was presented from the Charles & Ethel Cohen Foundation to the Centennial Committee.