At our September 28 club meeting, we enthusiastically welcomed Paul Rice as a new member of our Club. Membership Chair Harry Mitchell conducted the induction ceremony. Bill Sturm sponsored Paul's membership and assisted with the presentation of the Rotary pin and badge (image below).
Paul spoke briefly to our club after his induction. He relayed that he grew up in Eastern Illinois on a moderate-size family farm. In 2033, his family farm will be 100 years old. In addition to farming, he worked in real estate for 25 years. He went to auctioneers school when he was 50 and worked with families across central Illinois. He now lives in Springfield with his wife. He had attended our club meetings prior to joining and indicated that he found them to be friendly, informative, and enjoyable.
He is a wonderful addition to our club. Before he was officially inducted as member, he volunteered to provide brisket for our Pints to Polio event on October 6! He clearly has the heart of a Rotarian. We are thrilled that he chose to join the Rotary Club of Springfield.