Joy was in the air at today’s Club meeting for the 78 Rotarians, guests, and Zoomers. From the personal greetings at the door from Emily Olson and Leslie Pinney, to the Kathy Waugh-inspired inspirational welcome by Shelley MacMillan, and from the beautiful rendition of What a Wonderful Waugh, to the last ebullient notes of Gershwin’s American in Paris by the Akropolis Reed Quintet, this was an upbeat and joyful meeting.
President Roy More rang the bell to begin our meeting and Pianist Extraordinaire, Jody Tull de Salis, played as we sang My Country ’Tis of Thee. More led us in reciting the 4-Way Test. Then, inspirational welcomer Shelley MacMillan let us know some October 21 highlights from over the centuries such as it being Alfred Nobel’s (1833) and Dizzy Gillespie’s (1917) birthday. She culminated her inspiration by noting that today, Oct. 21, is noteworthy because it is the day Kathy Waugh receives the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor’s Distinguished Service Award.
Songstress Monica Swartout-Bebow and amazing acoustic guitarist Matt Boylan set the musical stage for Kathy with new, bespoke lyrics to the tune, What a Wonderful World:
Verse 1:
She walks in with a smile so warm and bright,
Her laughter rings out and the room feels light,
And we think to ourselves,
What a wonderful Waugh – Kathy Waugh!
Verse 2:
Arms open wide, a hug for all
She’s the first to say yes when for help there’s a call,
And we think to ourselves,
What a wonderful Waugh!
Bridge:
She’s beautiful and friendly, the kindest one we know,
She volunteers her heart out wherever she may go.
She’s helped so many causes, year after year,
“Service Above Self,” in Kathy shines clear.
Verse 3:
Distinguished, devoted, faithful, and true,
Kathy, this honor belongs to you,
’Cuz we know it ourselves
You’re a wonderful Waugh…
You’re a wonderful Waugh! Oh, yeah!
President More returned to the podium to thank today’s meeting team: Mary Avrakotos, Matt Boylan, Larry Gray, Linda Kentes, Fernando Leon, Shelley MacMillan, Bryn Mickle, Emily Olson, Leslie Pinney, Mary Steffek Blaske, and Monica Swartout-Bebow. Wonderful guests were introduced by Dennis Powers, Jody Tull de Salis, Ken Fischer, and Janice Zinn. Confetti was tossed high to celebrate Meghan Armstrong’s, Derek Jankowski’s, Carolyn Leppard’s, Bill McPherson’s, Walker Barnes’, and Mary Neff’s birthdays. The celebration kept going as we feted Rich Sheridan, Leo Shedden and Jody Tull de Salis for their 15th anniversary as a Rotarian in our Club.
Who’s that Rotarian? Barb Dawes tested the Club members with today’s mystery Rotarian who knows how to high-wind surf, whose grandfather began Chevrolet and has a highway named after his family: Dallas Dort! Kudos to Norman Herbert and Tom Millard for identifying Dallas correctly.
News and Announcements
The Ann Arbor Arts Center gallery features an exhibit of the fiber works of long-time, and much-loved Rotarian Millie Danielson, through October 25.
Dennis Powers invited all Club members for an engaging and uplifting dinner on Nov. 2 at Knight’s on Liberty Street to celebrate the UM Rotaract Club’s Charter Dinner where new Rotaractors are introduced and returning Rotaractors are welcomed back. Contact Dennis to secure a place at the table of this fun event – and maybe you’ll get to sit at the fun kids’ table!
Nov. 4 Club meeting is at the Gerald Ford Presidential Library on the UM North Campus. Please register ahead of time also identifying with your meal choice. Parking is limited, so consider car pooling with a fellow Club member.
Nov. 5 is the Rotary Foundation Gala in Sterling Heights. There are car pools available making it easy for you to attend. Contact the Ashish or Norma Sarkar for details.
The 5th Annual Send Hunger Packing Event will be at 9:00 a.m. on Nov. 14 at Pioneer High School. Join other Club members as well as Rotaractors and other local volunteers to create 50,000 nutritious and much-needed meals for those in food emergencies.
Today’s Club Board meeting accomplished many important tasks including approval of the next generation of Rotaract/Rotary policies, approval of two new Club members, exciting news about membership retention gained from meeting with other large-membership Rotary Clubs, and the news that the next slate of our Club’s officers will be announced next week.
Distinguished Citizen Award
Past President Dawn Johnson, along with Nishta Bhatia, Michael Field, Rob Shiff, Susan Shipman and Peg Talburtt met and selected Kathy Waugh to receive Rotary’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award for service above self.
Shipman came to the podium and shared Kathy’s story growing up in Ohio and becoming the “real, strong woman you were meant to be,” as advanced by Kathy’s Alpha Chi Omega sorority on the Bowling Green’s campus. Shiff added that Kathy worked at Black & Veatch since 1993 and during that tenure she also sang in many musicals. One was Jesus Christ Superstar, where she met her husband Kurt. Waugh serves on the Boards of Kerrytown Concert House and Randazzo Dance Studio. She is a regular performer at the Annual Kerrytown Concert House gala performance, Wine, Women and Song.
Johnson came back to the podium to note how Kathy has embodied the 4-way Test in her approach to people and to the myriad of Club service projects she tackles. Johnson praised Waugh for how Kathy accomplishes each project with balance, grace, humor, resilience and a can-do! attitude.
Kathy was regaled with a Standing Ovation as she came to the podium and thanked the wonderful people in her life. As she took her seat, there was another standing ovation for her.
Akropolis Reed Quintet
This dynamic reed quintet started at the University of Michigan School of Music in 2009. It is a full-time performance group that has commissioned and introduced 250 new works and produced seven albums. The group won a 2025 GRAMMY® Award for Best Instrumental Composition at the 67th Annual GRAMMY® Awards. The five performers, Tim Gocklin playing Oboe, Kari Landry playing Clarinet, Matt Landry on Saxophone, Andrew Koeppe on Bass Clarinet, and Daniel Fendrick on Bassoon, dazzled our Club with three dynamo selections:
Marc Mellits’ Splinter featuring three movements: Maple, River Birch and Red Pine;
Derek Scott’s final movement of A Soulful Nexus; and
George Gershwin’s final movement to American in Paris.
This reporter has never seen so many tapping toes throughout the Anderson Room by our Club members. By the final dynamic squeeze of the scales, our entire Club had leapt up to give the Reed Quintet a huge round of applause. The Quintet will be performing again at Rackham Auditorium on Dec. 12. It’s the place to be to get those toes tapping again!
President More concluded our meeting with a quote from Margaret Mead.
