The program speaker at the Thursday, Jan. 10, Rotary Club of Edina meeting was WCCO reporter and anchor Jennifer Mayerle.
Click on the link below for more on the meeting...
John Flynn opened the meeting to a modicum of applause by using a butter knife to ring the bell! Turns out that he had earlier placed the gavel at another table but forgot. He’s older, it happens. The introduction thanking those who assisted with making the meeting simply outstanding was met by a somewhat muted response. Except to the person typing this note – he was warmly greeted.
Ron Erhardt was surprisingly upbeat (for him) when announcing the guests of fellow Rotarians who were in attendance:
- Nick and Eli (last names redacted for security reasons) guests of Royce Pavelka. Both guests are pastors at Calvary Church.
- Susie Simonson, a stroke survivor, author and public speaker, who was a guest of Scott Hawkins.
- Barry Zilka, who sold booze and was the guest of Dave Hatzung. This was Dave’s way of saying thanks for many years of the mutual friendship he and Barry shared with someone named Jack Daniels.
- K. Young, and in all honesty, I was eating my meatloaf when it was announced so I apologize for not knowing anything else.
- Charlie Plump, who recently started as a Youth Pastor in Bloomington, and is the son-in-law of his host for the meeting, Wade Thommen.
- Gene Andersen, wife of Rotarian Ken Andersen, along with Loreli Steuer, wife of Rotarian Axel Steuer, were also in attendance. Only thing I couldn’t understand is why Gene was the guest of Axel and Loreli was the guest of Ken?
- Matt Loucks, a member of “The Other Club in Edina,” better known as the Edina Morningside Rotary Club, had Alexis Lopez from Christo Rey High School in South Minneapolis as his guest. Alexis attended 2018 Camp Enterprise.
Tim Murphy gave a rather lengthy address regarding his attendance at the Roteract Club meeting the previous night at The Mezz at Lunds & Byerly’s. He thanked us all for our continued support of this endeavor to identify the next members of Rotary. He summarized his report by providing some details that I can’t read in my notes but I am sure they were important.
The ever present and charming David Clynes and guest Alexis Lopez then provided us a quick summary of the impact Camp Enterprise has had. Alexis told us how he and his team made a pitch to the VCs in order to secure funding for a Battery Operated Bicycle. The experience was great and provided a wonderful opportunity to learn. He is currently working at Wells Fargo Bank while finishing up at Christo Rey. Community Service—Local Projects Director Kenny Smith shared with us that today was the final day for donations of shoes to the program Soles2Souls. The bins were full today and Kenny said they would be delivered today. He also said that if you wanted to continue donating shoes to contact him directly and he will get you in touch with the organization.
Catherine Gump (wife of the District Boss-to-Be!!) presented an opportunity for fellowship with the 1st annual Snowshoe Golf Open being hosted by the Barnetts, Winningers and Gumps, along with John Flynn and Pan Conlow. It will be held Jan. 26 behind the Barnett and Winninger homes (they are neighbors). Please respond to the recent email invitation you received and register online. There was a “promo video” shown but we won’t write about that!!! WOW!
**Reminder: There are very specific steps you must take so that your entrance to this exclusive neighborhood is granted. Should you receive security clearance you will be mailed further instructions. The mailing will at first appear to be a monitoring discount from EdinAlarm on one side and the other will be the offer of hiring a motivational speaker (at a deep discount), but don’t be “ALARMED” as you have been placed on the cleared list.
Sutton McGraw, who is in charge of the annual Rotary Bowling Night, let us know that it too is fast approaching and will be held Feb. 2 at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park. If you want to bowl, please sign up. If you don’t want to bowl and show up – then just show up.
Gordy Lewis, who had a grin from ear to ear, introduced today’s speaker, Jennifer Mayerle. Gordy beamed with pride as he shared the impressive credentials for one of Edina’s own who returned to WCCO as a general assignment reporter and anchor some four years earlier. Jennifer’s family have been neighbors and friends of Gordy’s since 1981.
Jennifer graduated from Edina High School and the University of San Diego (which for those of you who don’t know, has a train transportation system around campus). San Diego didn’t have a reputation as a broadcasting school, so in her summers home she worked as an intern at WCCO.
After graduation, she started her career in Midland/Odessa, Texas, where in the middle of the oil patch, she covered everything from the Olympics to the town/school made famous by the book and movie "Friday Night Lights."Her address and weather changed with the next move to Mobile, Alabama, where she was able to cover Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall just down the road in Biloxi, Missiissippi. Without batting an eye, she shared that it was during the storms aftermath that she “found her voice” as an anchor. To this point she shared with us a clip of her interviewing a man with his two children immediately following the storm. He had nothing but the clothes on his back and his kids while sharing his wife was swept away in the flood waters. The emotion of both the man being interviewed and Jennifer were heartfelt and raw. In the years following she and the man stayed in touch till sadly he died a few short years ago.
Following her job in Mobile, she moved up the road to Atlanta, where she worked as an investigative reporter for the CBS affiliate and did some work with CNN as well. It was here where she saw how lives can be impacted by the media helping to get answers for those whose voice otherwise might not be heard.
Then it was back home to WCCO some four years ago, where she is now able to share and report on stories that impact the people of a state she loves. To that end, her time working on the Jacob Wetterling case has had a profound effect on how she tells stories going forward. She closed her talk with a story that could make anyone’s heart warm. Rose’s Journey from stage 4 cancer, the long road to recovery, and the unremarkable act of a garbage truck showing up once a week. It showed how the simple act of a wave can make, if even for a moment, everything seem OK. Rose is back to playing and being a kid but there is still nothing she, along with her brothers and sisters, look forward to more than their weekly wave.
