The Rotary of Macomb meets Tuesdays at noon at the First Presbyterian Church.
May 20, 2025 Our 47th meeting of the Rotary year commenced with President Lynne Campbell ceremoniously ringing the Rotary bell. Todd Rodeffer delivered the invocation, and John Clerkin led the “Pledge of Allegiance.”
Rotarian Matt Lawver reported attendance, noting that 28 members were present in person and 1 via Zoom, representing 53% of the club’s total membership.
With the addition of two guests, the total number of attendees reached 31. The guests included speaker Levi Walton and his wife Desiree Walton.
Tom Stites presented John McMillan with his Rotary Paul Harris Fellow +3 pin, recognizing John’s ongoing support of the Rotary Foundation and his contributions to doing “Good in the World.”
President Lynne then acknowledged those celebrating birthdays, member anniversaries, and wedding anniversaries in May: Patrick Osterman’s birthday on May 8, Garry Johnson’s 40 years of membership, and the wedding anniversaries of Nick and Liz Knowles, Tom and Ann Stites, Jerry and Mary Brookhart, and Tony and Lynne Campbell.
During the Happy Money segment, several members including Todd Lester, Steve Hopper, Nick Knowles, Todd Rodeffer, John Corson, Kelly Lucas, Bruce Biagini, John McMillan, Ron Peterson, Jerry Brookhart, Debby Dallefeld, and Ryan Van Dolah contributed to the celebration of their happiness.
Kim McKee participated in the 50/50 drawing but did not win as she drew the Queen of Spades instead of the 7 of Clubs.
President Lynne provided an update on upcoming meetings:
• May 27, 2025: No meeting due to the Memorial Day Holiday
• June 3, 2025: Meeting and lunch at Horn Lodge, which will also include a cleanup service project
• June 10, 2025: Rotary District 6460 Governor Dan O’Brien’s official visit
• June 17, 2025: Emily Alden, Patient Advocate at McDonough District Hospital
• June 24, 2025: Installation of New Officers for 2025-2026 Todd Lester introduced the guest speaker, Levi Walton, who is from Bushnell and a graduate of WIU with a degree in Law Enforcement. Levi served with the McDonough County Sheriff’s office from 2011 to 2023. He had presented a program to our club in 2021 about the canine patrol. He joined the Illinois State Police in 2023. In 2016, he also began his military career with the Illinois National Guard.
Levi is currently on military leave, having just returned from a deployment in the Middle East as the company commander of Alpha Company. He shared insights into his military experiences and training:
• Basic training: 4/2016 – 9/2016
• Officer Candidate School (OCS): 9/2016 – 9/2018
• Illinois Basic Officer Leadership Course (IBOLC): 10/2018 – 4/2019
• First Deployment to Afghanistan: 7/2019 – 4/2020
• Second Deployment to Jordan and Saudi Arabia: 4/2024 – 4/2025 During his last deployment, the primary defense strategy focused on countering drone attacks, with daily threats being thwarted by fighter planes. Levi noted there were seven missile sites across four countries in his operational area.
With his leave from the military and his return to the Illinois State Police being in July, he has been spending valuable time with his family. He is also preparing for the final phase to qualify for promotion to the rank of major.
The club expressed gratitude to Levi for his service to the country and wished him success in both his military and State Police careers.
President Lynne officially concluded the meeting with the recitation of the “Four Way Test”, followed by ringing the Rotary bell and encouraging everyone to make Rotary Part Of Their Life – and to embrace “The Magic of Rotary.”
Interested in speaking at Rotary or becoming a member, contact Tom Stites at [email protected].
