Every town with community pride has its generational stars, those individuals whose mark on the community is so profound that it passes, like a torch, from that person’s generation to the next, something that over time we think we were born with, rather than given. Our town - and this club -- lost such a star last week.
Bob Oakland was not a Great Falls native. He chose us back in the ‘40s, met his future wife here, started his own business here, raised his children here. And what a wife and business and children they were and are. City Motors has prospered for 60 years and more because Bob knew the value of quality – quality in the product, quality in the service, and quality in community engagement.
But Bob’s mark on Great Falls goes far beyond City Motors. He set out to elevate the lives of others in the community he called home. He wanted to see that happy runner raise his arms in victory at the Special Olympics. He wanted to hear a little girl say “that’s so pretty” and be understood because of the help she got from the Scottish Rite. He wanted that battered woman and her children to sleep safely in Mercy Home. He wanted the light to come back into a veteran’s eyes after hauling a “pig egg” across the beautiful Beartooths. He wanted a disabled child to go skiing, courtesy of Eagle Mount. He wanted a young man who should have been a drop-out walk across the commencement stage. He wanted a teacher to know how to reach that young man when he still could be reached because a GFPS Foundation grant taught her how to recognize and reach traumatized children. He wanted not just to save lives, but to change them. And throughout this community, he did just that.
Bob Oakland built a booming business from the ground up, but all of us fellow Rotarians know he didn’t have a snobby bone in his body. He was a family man, content to live happily in the hum of a wife he loved and children and grandchildren who adored him. He liked to roll up his sleeves and do the work of building a community. He especially liked the camaraderie of Rotary, a place to socialize with other community leaders over lunch on Tuesday, but to do more than socialize – to learn more about the community and the world and to work together to make both better places.
I first met Bob through my work at the college but I really got to know him at Rotary. He was, as the Irish say, a lovely man, a man of quiet warmth, a ready laugh, and unfailing kindness. Still, I was not a close friend. I have no reason to cry at his loss. Yet the night I learned we'd lost him, I found myself watching a movie I’ve seen a thousand times, about a mother losing her daughter to diabetes, a movie full of laughter and acceptance and the special community that human beings create with one another through association over time. And when the tears came, I went outside on the deck and looked up at the stars and recalled Juliet’s words about Romeo.
As all those little stars twinkled down on me, I thought of all the people in Great Falls whose lives have been brightened by the touch of Bob Oakland. He’s done his work here. And, ooohhhh, he will make the face of heaven so fine.
Mary Sheehy Moe
This Week in Rotary
This week we'll get an update on all the Great Falls Chamber of Commerce from the Chamber's Executive Director, Shane Etzweiler. The meal features a tossed chef's salad with vinaigrette, beef tostado, and the ever-popular cookie. Join us at noon at the country club to hear about an important organization from an engaging speaker!
You have the opportunity, beginning today, to attend the Rotary International Convention for free! It's a virtual convention running from June 20-26. An email from District Governor Sandy Wong yesterday gave you the details, and you can sign up here:
Go to www.riconvention.org/signup. Submit your name and email and check the boxes to accept the Terms and Conditions.
Where We Are with Bylaws Amendments
At last week's noon meeting, Bylaws Committee Chair Mary Moe explained the changes in the bylaws under consideration by the committee and received feedback from members. She has been receiving it ever since. The rest of this bulletin is devoted to sharing the issues the Bylaws Committee is trying to address and the perspectives of various Rotarians on key issues.
The Committee is proposing the following minor changes and has received nothing but positive feedback:
We should eliminate the sergeant-at-arms position from the bylaws.
Since we now have electronic voting for voters unable to attend a meeting, there is no need to add proxy voting.
Alter the timelines for voting on officers and board members to preserve the right of members to make nominations from officers from the floor before the ballot is distributed.
Reserve one of the directors-at-large seats on the board for an ex officio member of the Camp Rotary Operations Committee.
Allow meetings (whether of the board or of the membership) to be conducted through conference call or Zoom in emergency situations.
It is also time to decide the next steps the club needs to take as the evening membership pilot concludes in August. Although the pilot did not generate the projected surge in new members, it did attract some very active and talented members. The Bylaws Committee, with the concurrence of the board, is not recommending that we continue the evening membership, but two issues that the pilot hoped to address would benefit from your feedback.
The first is the regular meeting time - Tuesdays at noon. The pilot was started to see whether having an after-work meeting time would attract a substantial cohort of new members. That did not happen. However, the mid-day meeting time continues to be an obstacle for some members, both new and old. The Committee recommendation is to return to the standard weekly meeting at noon on Tuesday, but to add at least one alternative meeting each month. The alternative meeting would have a different format - like our monthly socials and our highway clean-ups - and be conducted at a different time and place, including the possibility of Zoom-like settings. Members at the meeting responded favorably to that proposal.
The second concern that the pilot addressed was the expense of being a Rotarian. Membership dues have been $640 since 2015. Over half of that amount is the cost of prepaid meals for our weekly meetings. Members were asked to provide feedback on (1) whether the fees should be unbundled from the dues and (2) whether members should have the option of paying annual meal fees at a much-reduced per-meal cost or buying individual or packaged meals at a higher per-meal rate.
Feedback on unbundling the fees from the dues and pulling the fees from the bylaws was mixed. Those in favor believe that it will make it easier to adjust the fees as meal prices and/or other contingencies arise. Those opposed were concerned that it would unnecessarily complicate what is now a pretty simple lump sum payment, made either annually or quarterly. (It should be noted that the lump sum payment method, either annually or quarterly, would not be changed by this proposal.)
Members expressed considerable concern about moving to a pay-as-you-go meal fees model for two reasons. First, they were concerned that it would be a disincentive to regular attendance at the noon meetings. Second, the fees obtained from members who don't always attend provides an important contingency fund for unforeseen expenses of the club. Only one member spoke in favor of the pay-as-you-go-model, positing that it would be more responsive to individual members' needs.
Mary emphasized that the decision about a pre-paid annual meal fee vs. a pay-as-you-go plan should be made on its merits, not made as a result of the evening pilot or what will happen to the evening members. Various Rotarians have already made a commitment to cover the meal costs of evening members for a year so that they can evaluate whether attending an alternative meeting and a noon meeting or two/month is something that they would want to continue. The issue is, Do we want to reduce the expense of being a Rotarian? If so, is this a good way to do it?
If you have feedback on any of these issues, please contact Mary Moe at mary.sheehy.moe@gmail.com before July 6. Your comments will remain anonymous if that is your wish. As Mary told the club on Tuesday, the Bylaws Committee needs your feedback so they can present you with bylaws amendments you will approve.The earliest that an amendments proposal will be presented to the membership for approval is July 28.
There at the Creation
Mary agreed to include in the newsletter the thoughts that I had from my presidency as to why we expanded membership. As I have been re-reviewing board minutes, during my presidency we started our expanded options as Rotarians who are people of action. Our intent from my presidency was to protect the service club and the camp in general. (Be more inclusive, open the Rotary doors welcoming everyone.)
My intent was never to just increase membership! There is a common theme in all service clubs, not just Rotary, that membership is dropping. It is something Rotary International has been working on for years, but we face a different estate planning problem for our club. We need to focus on the legacy-building. As our demographic ages, things can drastically change for our club at a moment's notice, financially as well as in human capital.
Over the past 2 years we've done a lot of education about Rotary to individuals who may or may not become members in the future. The commitment by those who attended the evening meetings over the last two years should not be over-looked. We need to plan for the next generation of Rotarians to carry on our good work and protect the camp. I just want to make it clear this is where my heart was during my presidency.
Todd Neighbor, Immediate Past President
A Good Deal
I am in favor of paying for everything once a year as we do today. It provides a contingency fund for Rotary (that’s how we got to $250,000 in the bank many years ago and had funds to spend rebuilding camp Rotary, with many donations as well). It also provides an incentive to come to the noon meetings because “my meal is already paid for."
Dues of $640 annual membership / 50 meetings = $12.50 per meeting. Very reasonable for the networking, friendship and food, plus the socials, the magazine and access to leadership training and opportunities. [We now do 48 meetings, but the point is still a strong one.]
I like the once-a-month alternative meeting; but would suggest it be in addition to the noon meeting, giving members the opportunity to make up a meeting or have another chance to visit with their peers.
Sheila Rice, Rotarian since the '80s
An Evening Member's Perspective
Thank you for sending this [explanation], Todd. It helps to know some background on what you had in mind when the evening group started.
One thing I have talked to Cari about is, what is the future of Rotary? Where is it going? When it comes to dues and meetings, I keep wondering if Rotary is only for people who can afford it and can make it to lunches. Is it a more elite service group? If the answer is yes, then that is ok, but knowing that is good. On the other hand, if Rotary wants to be more open and nurture the next group of people who will continue Rotary and the great works it does in our community, then maybe offering different fee structures or meeting options is the way to go.
The world has changed quickly and will continue to do so. Shouldn’t Rotary change with it, while keeping true to the 4-way test and the great work Rotary has done in the past?
As someone who was able to join Rotary as part of the evening pilot, it has been disheartening to read and hear some of the comments about dues, fees, lunches, and how if you can’t afford the $640, then maybe this group isn’t for you. Just because someone can’t afford $640 doesn’t mean they can’t be effective members in other ways such as volunteering.
Just some perspective from one of the evening members.
Heather Palermo,Club Facebook Administrator and Publicity Committee Chair
