Rotary Club of McMurray celebrates 50 years
A rendering by Santel Landscape & Design of the proposed Rotary plaza in Peters Township
Pictured front, from left, are three original members who have been with the Rotary Club of McMurray since its founding in 1965: Paul Owens, Russ Wylie and Bill Holt. In back are Jim Mortimer, club president, and Mark Kessler, Rotary District 7330 governor.
McMURRAY – Usually when a milestone anniversary is reached, it’s celebrated by getting gifts from family and friends.
But, the Rotary Club of McMurray, and its 41 members, are putting a different spin on its golden anniversary celebration. The club, which turned 50 Monday, is donating a plaza at the intersection of Valley Brook and East McMurray roads to the township.
“We have been wanting to do something there for years,” said Michael Silvestri, Peters Township manager and a long-time Rotary Club member.
The plaza should be ready later this year. It is tentatively dubbed Rotary Club Plaza, and will have some green space and a bench where people can meet to take a walk, get coffee or shop nearby, Silvestri said. The club is hoping to fund the project – which does not yet have a price tag – through donations and sponsorships of plaques or medallions at the site.
In honor of the club’s 50 years, Peters Township council issued a proclamation that designated Monday as Rotary Club Day in the township and congratulated the club on its community work during the past five decades. Projects done in Peters by the club include the installation of the street clock in front of the municipal building, the donation of a picnic shelter and playground at Elm Grove Park, sponsoring of student scholarships, and pitching in to assist people in need with building repairs. The local club also sponsors an orphanage in Cali, Colombia.
The club, whose motto is “Service Above Self,” was started in 1965 and three of its founding members, Paul Owens, William Holt and Russ Wylie, are still active in the club, said current President Jim Mortimer.
“They have given of their time and service all these years,” Mortimer said.
The founding members will be recognized at the club’s annual President’s Dinner June 25 at Rolling Hills Country Club in McMurray, said Mortimer, who will be handing over the club’s presidential duties to Ed Werner, 27, of Nova Biostorage in Canonsburg.
“To me, people tend to think of Rotary Club members as an older generation,” said Mortimer, noting that the club’s members are getting younger, something he said is great to see.
“One of our youngest members is 22,” he said.
Rotary International was founded Feb. 23, 1905, in Chicago. There are now 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide with more than 29,000 clubs in 161 countries.