Celebrating 31 Years of Rotary in Sun Lakes
The Sun Lakes Rotary Club was chartered on April 22, 1986 and will soon start its 31st year. The club was conceived in 1985 when Chandler Rotarian, Andre Felix put an advertisement on the Sun Lakes Club House Bulletin Board to see if anyone was interested in attending Rotary...
As such, Rotarian, Wayne Johnson had just moved to Sun Lakes from Moline, Illinois to enjoy retirement, noted the advertisement and responded. The next week, eight Sun Lakes retires met around a lunch table with Andre and decided that there was a need for a Rotary club in this fast growing Sun Lakes Active Adult Community.
After working with the Arizona Rotary District 5510 and Rotary International, final approval was granted and the Sun Lakes Rotary Club was charted as a Tuesday morning club with 15 members, not the required 25. Allan Gustafson was elected the Charter Club President. And the rest is history in the making! The club grew to 140 members in 2000-2001 and then helped charter on November 29, 2001, a Thursday noon club, The Sun Lakes Crown Rotary Club (now called the San Tan Crown Rotary Club) with some members transferring to the new club. From a low of 15 members to a high of 140 members, the club now balances between 90 to 100 members.
Wayne Johnson is still an active member and the only charter member left in the club. During his membership, he has served as Club President, Board of Directors, and several Committee Chairmanships and is a Paul Harris Fellow. In total Wayne has been a Rotarian for 61 years and unless ill or a family situation hasn’t missed a meeting in all these many years.
After working with the Arizona Rotary District 5510 and Rotary International, final approval was granted and the Sun Lakes Rotary Club was charted as a Tuesday morning club with 15 members, not the required 25. Allan Gustafson was elected the Charter Club President. And the rest is history in the making! The club grew to 140 members in 2000-2001 and then helped charter on November 29, 2001, a Thursday noon club, The Sun Lakes Crown Rotary Club (now called the San Tan Crown Rotary Club) with some members transferring to the new club. From a low of 15 members to a high of 140 members, the club now balances between 90 to 100 members.
Wayne Johnson is still an active member and the only charter member left in the club. During his membership, he has served as Club President, Board of Directors, and several Committee Chairmanships and is a Paul Harris Fellow. In total Wayne has been a Rotarian for 61 years and unless ill or a family situation hasn’t missed a meeting in all these many years.
