Alexandria Rotary Club

Happy Anniversary Rotary

During the first Rotary club meeting on 23 February 1905 in Chicago, Paul Harris, Gustavus Loehr, Hiram Shorey, and Silvester Schiele met to talk about their personal experiences. Harris then unfolded his general plan for their club meetings.

This was the simple beginning of the world’s first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago. It was created because of Harris’ wish to capture in a professional club the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth. The Rotary name derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members’ offices.

Rotarians continue to take pride in their history. In honor of that first club, Rotarians have preserved its original meeting place, Room 711 in Chicago’s Unity Building, by re-creating the office as it existed in 1905. For several years, the Paul Harris 711 Club maintained the room as a shrine for visiting Rotarians. In 1989, when the building was scheduled to be demolished, the club carefully dismantled the office and salvaged the interior, including doors and radiators. In 1993, the RI Board of Directors set aside a permanent home for the restored Room 711 at RI World Headquarters in the Chicago suburb of Evanston.

[courtesy of the Rotary International web-site, rotary.org]

Service Above Self

Appropriately, 5 new Rotarians were officially inducted into the Alexandria Rotary Club today (Kerry Donley, John Keogh, Terry Quist, Greg Slotten and Sheila Gilbertson). It would have brought a smile to LeRoy Meyer's face. Today's program was arranged by Morey Grover and he was going to have his wife, Barb, give an update on the Runestone Museum which will be celebrating it's 50th Birthday in 2007. Instead, Barb and Morey talked about the innumerable ways in which LeRoy touched this community (Big Ole, Runestone Museum, the city's Christmas lights,...). Morey and Barb moved to Alexandria in 1960 after Morey was hired as the new city attorney and soon met LeRoy as he was on the City Council. Morey, Barb, family members and friends had fond memories to share about LeRoy.

Other meeting notes: Each week one Alexandria Rotarian is featured during the meeting as the result of a ticket picked up upon entering the meeting. Today's Featured Rotarian was Tim Bush. Tim is in his second year of membership at the Alexandria Rotary Club (Mark Watkins was his sponsor) but was a member of Rotary Club in South Dakota for 3 years prior to moving to Alexandria with his wife, Teri, and their 3 children. Tim is an alum of Concordia College and is employed by State Bank and Trust.

Remembering LeRoy

LeRoy a. Meyer was born in McLeod County, Minnesota on February 22, 1921, the only child of William and Lora(Stafford) Meyer. He attended schools and grew up in that area. He helped on the family farm until he entered the U.S. Army during World War II. He served in Okinawa.

Upon his Honorable Discharge from the military, LeRoy attended the University of Minnesota Agricultural School, where he became trained as a milk tester. It was during this time that he served as an adult 4-H leader and met Elinor Andersen, who was a rural school teacher in Faribault. They were married on June 1, 1952. LeRoy and Elinor were the parents of three children. They lived in Hutchinson, Osakis and moved to Alexandria when they purchased the Garden Center in 1957. Elinor died in February of 1988.

LeRoy was united in marriage to Carol Anderson in 1988. The couple continued to live in the Alexandria area.

The Minnesota and National bowling communities know LeRoy because of his successful operation of the Garden Center from 1957 until his phasing out to give his children control in the early 1990's. LeRoy suffered a stroke in 1996 and at that time his children took on a more active managerial role in Garden Center. LeRoy truly enjoyed his work at Garden Center. He was State President of the Bowling Proprietors Association of America and a past National Officer of the organization. He had also been elected to the Minnesota Bowling Hall of Fame.

LeRoy always found time for civic duties as well. He was a Past President of the Alexandria Rotary Club where he had, at one time, 41 years of perfect attendance. He served on the Alexandria Light & Power Board of Directors and was also a City Councilman. He was a founding member of the Community State Bank (now Wells Fargo) of Alexandria, a member of the American Legion, VFW, Eagles and Elks. LeRoy also enjoyed hunting.

LeRoy died suddenly on Sunday, November 19, 2006, at the age of 85. He is survived by his wife Carol Meyer of Alexandria, children William (Karen) Meyer of Alexandria, Charlie (Kathy) Meyer of Alexandria and Susan (Dennis) Brede of Alexandria; step-children Dan (Kathy) Anderson of Baxter and Maureen (Randy) Winger of Alexandria; grandchildren Chad Meyer, Matthew Meyer, Amanda Brede, Jared Anderson, Trent Anderson, Gage Winger and Madalyn Winger. He is also survived by an aunt, Evelyn Stafford of Grove City, Minnesota. LeRoy was preceded in death by his parents and wife Elinor.

Leroy Meyer, 85

Early Sunday morning, November 19th, beloved Rotarian LeRoy Meyer passed away. Leroy was 85 years old.
Funeral services will be held Friday, November 24 at 10:30 a.m. at United Methodist Church in Alexandria.
Visitation will be Thursday, November 23 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Anderson Funeral Home and one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday.

Happy 100th Anniversary Rotary

The world's first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago, Illinois, USA, was formed 100 years ago today in 1905 by Paul P. Harris, an attorney who wished to recapture in a professional club the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth. The name "Rotary" derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members' offices.