Yearly Archives: 2026

Louis Thomas “Tom” Conlin of Ann Arbor, Michigan, a devoted family man, lifelong champion of his hometown community, and a pioneering travel entrepreneur passed away peacefully surrounded by family. Born October 30, 1933, Tom was a proud fourth-generation Ann Arborite who deeply loved the history and heritage of the city he called home throughout his […]

Did you know that, as of March 23, 2026, there are 36,556 Rotary Clubs in the world, totaling 1,163,774 members. The US has the most with 6,997 clubs and 263,114 members for an average of 38 members each. Our neighbors in Canada host 665 clubs with 18,780 members. Asia is doing well with India (4,804 clubs […]

This year’s Rotary District Assembly will be on April 11 from 9:30am-2:45pm at Livingston Educational Services Assembly (ESA), 1425 W. Grand River Ave., Howell, Mi. 48843 All Rotarians and Rotaractors are invited to attend. The day is full of training, collaboration and networking to make the next year successful and meaningful. For registration go to: […]

“A Rising Tide Lifts all Boats” That’s the foundation of a fledgling initiative to be known as the Washtenaw Coalition of Service Clubs. It will not be yet another club in itself. What it will be is an online clearinghouse of the programs, events, and activities being undertaken by each of the “Big Four” service clubs […]

As growing groups of bright-eyed prospective UM students (and their equally wide-eyed parents) massed outside by the Cube, 66 Rotarians and guests met in the Anderson Room of the Michigan Union. President Dawn Johnson rang the bell to begin the meeting and pianist extraordinaire Jody Tull de Salis played our National Anthem as we sang […]

Ashish Sarkar has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Robert S Northrup Humanitarian Award by the Award Selection Committee composed of Rotarians and community representatives appointed by the ARC and Peace Committee, for his lifelong commitment to provide service to humanity, with a strong moral sense and in cooperation with like minded individuals […]

President-elect Roy More held a “Member Trivia Quiz” at our March 18 meeting. Here were the “hints”. 1 Has been in Ann Arbor for over 40 years but is not from here 2 Is a past president of the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor 3 Likes Angel’s Envy bourbon 4 Has written a book 5 […]

Wednesday’s meeting was called to order by President-Elect Roy More while President Dawn is away. The first order of business was the patriotic song “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” accompanied by Jody Tull. Jennifer Richard shared an inspiration about service and how we can light the path for others. Song leader, Joanne Pierson, lead us […]

On the final day of the month our club had 199 Active Members. All membership information is pulled from ClubRunner statistics. Attendance for February’s meetings was 31% (down 5% from last month). Average attendance at each meeting was 60 members and 7 guests. Our Engagement Ratio for the month was 58% (down 8% from last […]

Joan Knoertzer, or Joanie, as her friends called her, was born August 1, 1938, in Detroit. Her parents, Wilmer and Mildred, made sure she had a good Catholic schooling with emphasis on books and music. Those two passions would engage her throughout her life. Joan graduated from the University of Michigan in 1960 with a […]