The Rotary Club of Norfolk had a two-part meeting on November 1.

 

We presented resolutions honoring three special club members who died in recent years – Barry Kesser, Bill Burnette, and Harry Gustin. Each received a standing ovation in tribute to their years of devotion to Rotary International and our club.

 

Additionally, Sigur Whitaker, our club’s foundation chair, gave an overview of Rotary giving in anticipation of the “Giving Tuesday” opportunity on November 29. Over the past three years, club members’ donations have made our club among the top three worldwide for online donations on Giving Tuesday. Sigur encouraged members to give generously and continue that accomplishment.

 

Sharon Laderberg, read the resolution honoring Barry Kesser, a 40-year club member who passed away at age 79 on March 23, 2021. He was her cousin and club sponsor. Barry strove every year to have perfect attendance at Rotary, often making up at foreign clubs while on travel. Due to health reasons, his widow Kay could not attend in person but his children attended via zoom. His family thanked Rotary for this honor and Sharon’s father, Howard Kesser, accepted the resolution on behalf of the family.

 

Our club website includes this tribute to Barry:

 

Barry Kesser was a Rotarian in spirit before he became a Rotarian. He would do anything to help people. and is fondly remembered for his upbeat nature, friendly greetings, and smile. He was a member of the chaplain's committee, and his invocations were thoughtful and often included a Priestly Blessing.

 

A real estate developer and appraiser, he was well-known throughout Norfolk and Virginia Beach. He loved to race Hobie Cats, was an avid runner who participated in marathons, earned an amateur pilot’s license, and rode a motorcycle.  He was active in the community as the president of the Board of the Norfolk Board of Realtors and served on the boards of Congregation Beth El, the Norfolk Public Library, and the TOWN Foundation.

 

 

Barry was a devoted family man married to the love of his life, Kay.  They had three children and seven grandchildren who fondly called him “Papa Bear.” Barry is pictured with Kay.

 

Joey Rothgery read the resolution honoring Bill Burnette. He passed on February 3, 2020. Bill played bridge every Tuesday morning at the Norfolk Yacht & Country Club then rushed to get to Scope on time. Joey noted that Bill would love to have our club meet at the yacht club. Joey honored Bill for his long association with Rotary, where he was generous with his time, talent and treasure. Bill’s widow Betsy accepted the resolution.

 

Bill’s obituary calls him a humble, compassionate, and generous person who always put his family first. He lived his 92 years with gusto. He spread happiness wherever he went, and his talent for making friends was legendary.

 

As a boy, he discovered flying and launched on a journey that ultimately became a 76-year love affair with aviation.

 

Bill graduated from Newport News High School and immediately enlisted in the Coast Guard during WW II. He later attended The College of William and Mary where he became a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and was in the Class of 1950. He served in the Air Force Reserve during the Korean conflict. He went on to a career of over 60 years with the Equitable Life Assurance Society.

 

Bill started his second career in the self-storage industry on the Outer Banks in 1999.

 

Bill was a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd, where he served as Senior Warden.

 

 

Joey also read a resolution for Harry Gustin, who passed away on March 20, 2020, at age 98. His family couldn’t attend, but Joey will send the resolution to them. Active in Rotary until 2015, Harry was a member of the Rotary Foundation Bequest Society.

 

His obituary highlights Harry as a graduate of Virginia Tech in the class of 1943.

 

He served in the U.S. Army and Air Corps from 1943 to 1946 with the Thirteenth Air Force in the Philippines. He graduated in 1948 from the University of Virginia School of Law. He joined a Norfolk law firm that became Taylor, Gustin, Harris, Fears, and Davis. He later worked with Huff Poole and Mahony in Virginia Beach and retired after 60 years of law practice.

 

At Park Place Baptist Church, he served as a Bible school teacher for 20 years. He later joined Talbot Park Baptist Church and served as board chair, deacon, scoutmaster, and moderator of the Norfolk Baptist Association.

Harry served as president of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, president of the Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association, vice president of the Norfolk YMCA, on the Norfolk School Board and on the Norfolk Public Library Board.

 

 

 

Sigur explained that Rotary charitable giving occurs at two levels:

 

The Rotary Foundation started in 1917 by Arch Klumpf with $26.50 has grown to more than $666 billion in assets. It has invested more than $3 billion into projects around the globe, including here in our region.

 

The Rotary Foundation has a four-star Charity Navigator rating and is ranked among the top charities in the world. Rotary manages its funds efficiently and applies them to seven focus areas, including fighting disease, promoting peace, and the environment.

 

Sigur made a pitch for members to donate annually to the Rotary Foundation for either the annual fund or Polio Plus. For the annual fund, three years later, 92% of the funds donated by our district are returned for clubs to apply for supporting local grants and international projects.

 

Rotary Foundation grants have helped our club join with others to install a kitchen at the Hunton YMCA, put in a play area at the Virginia Zoo, and support other worthy nonprofit projects in the region. Our club is in the process of leading an international project to provide clean drinking water in Ethiopia.

 

Checks can be made to Rotary Foundation and mailed to Rotary International in Chicago with a form printed from the website, or if preferable to donate online at Rotary.org. To do that, sign in and get a login and password. To find your Rotary member number look on the label on the magazine you receive monthly or check your profile on our club website.  

 

A good time to make a contribution is Giving Tuesday -- November 29 -- the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Sigur hopes to continue our club being among the top three in the world for giving on that day. Our club matches each $100 contribution with points.  You can help the club in its efforts to match by donating your points. To find them, check your donation balance on the Rotary Foundation website

 

Points are when you give to either the annual fund or polio plus – one point for every dollar, you can use those to help someone to become a Paul Harris Fellow.

 

To support our club’s local endowment (or Little Rotary), write a check to Norfolk Rotary Charities and earmark it for the endowment or use Venmo.

Our club established its endowment in 1991. It currently has a value of $786,527 and is managed by the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. The endowment supports our club’s annual grantmaking efforts.

 

 

President Laurie Harrison reported Barb Lipskis had surgery on her arm

 

Dave Duncan introduced the guests: