On Thursday, July 9, the Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast gathered at Patrick Harrington's home for its 55th annual John Simpson Memorial Shrimp Feed & Fireside Chat. Members shared the traditional meal of boiled shrimp, salad and garlic toast before breaking into small groups to take up a set of thought-provoking questions — conversations meant to give the club's membership a direct hand in shaping Southeast's direction. President Jeff Cumley presided over the banquet. The annual group photo was taken by past Southeast member Rick Gilmore. (Text and photos by Dan Emrie)
Shrimp Feed preparations
On Wednesday afternoon, July 8, a crew of Southeast members took over Evangel University's kitchen to boil 80 pounds of shrimp ahead of the club's annual dinner of shrimp, salad, and garlic toast on the next night. Pictured from left to right in the first photo (click on it to see all of it): Gary Leonard, Rick Gilmore, Bill White, Rex Johnson, Harry Price and Dan Emrie
Through the years: Springfield Southeast Rotary Club service projects
Club historian Dan Emrie compiled this list of club projects between its founding in 1967 up to 2001. He's working to add projects in more recent years.
1971 - Our first hands-on project worked with the Springfield Police Department to create a Neighborhood Watch program.
1975 - $3,600 was given to City of Springfield for restrooms in Phelps Grove Park.
1982 - Our first longtime commitment to a community project was underwriting an animal survival program at Dickerson Park Zoo.
1984 - Funds were donated for remodeling the Golden Lion Tamarian Exhibit at the Zoo.
1985 - Southeast’s first major gift of $10,000 went to help build the Ronald McDonald House near Cox South Hospital.
1987 - Rotary International’s Polio Plus Campaign began and Southeast pledged $62,000.
1988 - Southeast arranged for medical equipment donated by Smith-Glynn-Callaway Clinic to be sent to a university hospital in Honduras.
1988 - The First Rotary Basketball Tournament to benefit Special Olympics was held, raising $500. The tournament eventually raised well more than $100,000 and ended during COVID about 2020.
1988 - Southeast sponsored a new sister club, Springfield Sunrise. The club has sponsored other new clubs over the years.
1990 - $10,000 seed money was given to Ozark Greenways to start construction.
1992 - $25,000 was committed to build the “Patty Ashley” house in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity. This was our club's 25th Anniversary project.
1994 - Three drug-sniffing dogs were purchased at a cost of $6,500 each. The club also donated $16,000 to convert an ambulance into a crime scene van.
1996 - A project named ”Super Summers, Springfield” that explained summer opportunities and activities through a guidebook was funded with a cost of $30,000; 17,000 copies were printed.
2000 - Rock ’n' Ribs Festival began at Bass Pro parking lot. It expanded through the years and moved to the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds, raising money for several nonprofit organizations.
2001 - The club raised $31,000 by holding a raffle for Polio Plus. Cindy Howell won his/hers Rolex watches.
Here's a list of service projects and organizations we've helped, in alphabetical order, compiled by Past President Michael Wehrenberg.
Local Community Service Projects Including, but not limited to:
5 K-9 Drug Dogs
AIDS Project of the Ozarks
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Books for Babies
Boy Scouts
Boys and Girls Club
Boys and Girls Town of MO
Campfire Boys and Girls
Camp Wakonda
Centennial Park Project
Children's Choir of Southwest Missouri
Community Blood Center of the Ozarks
Community Partnership of the Ozarks
Council of Churches/Therapeutic Riding Program
Crosslines
Dickerson Park Zoo's Tamarian Exhibit
Dickerson Park Zoo Train
Discovery Center of the Ozarks
Easter Seals
Families for Children
Festival of Lights
Fire Department Smoke Detector Program
Flood Relief
Friends of the Zoo
Girl Scouts
Greene County Family Court, Juvenile Division
Greene County Sheriff's Memorial
Habitat for Humanity House
Humane Society of SW Missouri
Junior Achievement
The Kitchen
The Kitchen's Talbot House
Leadership Springfield
Learning Disabilities Association
Long Term Youth Exchange
Students
May 4, 2003 Tornado Victims
Mobile Crime Scene Van
Multiple Sclerosis 150 Bike Tour
New Hope GYN Cancer Support Group
Neighborhood Watch Program
OATS
Oklahoma and Kansas Tornado Victims
Oklahoma City Bombing Victims
One Missing Link
Ozark Greenways
Ozarks Food Harvest
Ozarks Literacy Council
Polio Plus
Rainbow Network
Rape Crisis
Regional Girls Shelter
Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival
Ronald McDonald House
Rotaract Club Sponsor
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
Scholarships to High School Students
Southwest Missouri Office on Aging
Special Olympics/Rotary Annual Basketball Tournament
Sporting Chance
Springfield Family YMCA
Prime Time
Springfield Police Department's "Let's Go Bikes" Program
Springfield Public Schools Foundation
Study Middle School Choir
Super Summers Resource Books
TECHSPO
World Community Service Projects Including, but not limited to:
Tuition for a Cuban student
United Way Report Breakfasts
Visually Impaired Preschool/Children
Wonderland Camp
Transportation of ultrasonic equipment for a hospital in Honduras
Medicine for a clinic in the Amazon
Support of a polio hospital in India
Support of a rehabilitation center for disabled children in Bolivia
Support of an orphanage in Latvia
Water Well Project in India
Literacy and job training in South Africa
Educational equipment for Nicaragua elementary students
Tents for Afghanistan refugees / Rainbow Network Housing Project
METI Emergency Care Simulator
PolioPlus
Rotary Foundation Programs including but not limited to:
Friendship Exchanges
Group Study Exchange Teams from other countries
Promotes Ambassadorial Scholarship Program
Rotary Foundation
Welcome new member Ashley Reynolds
Nate Dunville introduced Ashley on July 2. Her cosponsor is Gene Hartley.
Ashley is director of development for Crosslines Community Outreach, overseeing the nonprofit organization’s fundraising and public relations since March 2026. She was an award-winning reporter for KY3 News from 2011 to 2026, specializing in investigative consumer journalism. She managed and checked hundreds of weekly consumer fraud complaints and tips and gave consumer advice in numerous speeches and other public appearances. She also continues to be a freelance producer of TV scripts for the nationally syndicated Consumer Reports Television news segments.
Ashley grew up in Springfield, graduated from Hillcrest High School, and earned a Bachelor of Journalism degree in 2008 at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where she reported, anchored, produced, edited and supervised other students at KOMU-TV, the school’s NBC affiliate. She then reported for two years on three co-owned stations in Middlesboro, Ky., before returning home.
Ashley’s community service includes Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks. She and her husband, Josiah, live in Nixa with their 4-year-old daughter.
Recognition Lunch 2026
Outgoing President Jennifer Baker opened the annual Recognition Lunch program on June 25, 2026, by recognizing and expressing gratitude to the board members completing their service in the 2025-2026 Rotary year. She then reflected on the club's achievements over the past year, noting Springfield Southeast had truly lived up to this year's Rotary theme of "Unite For Good."
Highlights included volunteer work, community empowerment through the Springfield Southeast Endowment, participation in the Route 66 celebration, international service through the Tanzania Project, and numerous fellowship events.
Past President David Compere then took the floor to formally swear in and install the incoming 2026-2027 Officers. The following members stepped into their roles as the new Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast Board:
President - Jeff Cumley
President-elect - Lynette Weatherford
Secretary - Kimberlee Nevins
Treasurer - Tammy Young
Past President - Baker
International Service - Marilyn Lopez
Community Service - Mike Cosgrove
Vocational Service - Joseph Piatchek
New Generations - Catherine Upp
Club Service - Carrie Henry
We also thanked our outgoing board members:
President - Baker
President-elect - Cumley
International Service - Jason Flores
Community Service - Benji Lampert
Vocational Service - Carl Hutchinson
New Generations - Lynette Weatherford
Club Service - Dana Maugans
After Cumley was sworn in, past presidents did the annual Passing of the Gavel, which went from Rex Johnson (1984) to David Caffey (1993) to Steve Rice (1996) to Bonnie Keller (2004) to Bob Hammerschmidt (2005) to Anne Keckeley Brown (2008) to Bill McNeill (2016) to Lori Barnes Miller (2017) to Patrick Harrington (2019) to Rusty Worley (2020) to Lisa Blumenstock (2021) to Lori Johnson Murawski (2022) to Michael Wehrenberg (2023) to Compere (2024) to Baker (2025) to Cumley.
Cumley concluded the luncheon by thanking his wife, Stephanie, for her support and then revealing the new Rotary theme, "Create lasting Impact."
[Photos and text by Dan Emrie]
Springfield Southeast Rotary Club's 2025 - '26 accomplishments and impacts
Bill McNeill introduced Keith on June 18. His cosponsor is Brent Baldwin.
Keith is a retired surgeon who also served as a clinical professor of surgery at University of Missouri, trained plastic surgeon residents in Springfield, and directed a Fellowship program in plastic surgery at MU.
Keith grew up in Detroit, earned his undergraduate degree at University of Michigan and his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School. He completed his residency at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. After a two-year stint in the Air Force, Major Laferriere settled in Springfield in 1979 and went on to build an accomplished career in otolaryngology -- head and neck surgery -- with particular expertise in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. He retired in 2015.
Keith published many peer reviewed articles and book chapters on facial plastic surgery and made hundreds of presentations on surgical techniques not only in the United States but also around the world. He served as president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and as vice president of the International Federation of Facial Plastic Surgery Societies.
Keith has served on numerous boards, including the Chamber of Commerce, the Burrell Center, the Discovery Center, the Ozark Tech Foundation, and the Drew Lewis Foundation. He currently volunteers at Crosslines in its Reading Buddy and Safe to Sleep programs.
Keith and his wife, Randy, have been married for 59 years and live in south Springfield. They enjoy spending time with the families of their son, two daughters and four grandchildren.
Logan Aguirre introduced Steve on June 4. His cosponsor is Gary Whitaker.
Steve is managing partner of AMP Recreation, part of A.M.P Commercial (Asset Management Professionals). The company, which was formed in 2025, runs Scratch & Co., The Daily Blend, and Sunshine Events Center in the Plaza Towers District at the corner of Sunshine Street and Glenstone Avenue, and has plans for another restaurant and a comedy club in 2026. Steve previously worked for 12 years for O’Reilly Hospitality Management, including 10 years as general manager of Houlihan’s, directed food and beverage operations at Big Cedar Lodge and Top of the Rock, and oversaw multiple locations of Bricktown Brewery. Before that, he managed Famous Dave’s restaurants in Branson and Springfield.
Steven graduated from Watertown High School and State University of New York (SUNY) Oneonta, where he studied the music industry. He’s been in Springfield for 16 years.
Steven has volunteered with Isabel’s House and the Missouri Restaurant Association. He and his wife of 14 years, Christina, live in east Springfield and have three children: Virginia Rosse (5), Victoria (12) and Anthony (14).
Welcome new member Shane Cowger
Rusty Worley introduced Shane on May 7. His cosponsor is Jennifer Baker.
Shane has been president and chief executive officer of Arvest Bank’s Springfield region since December 2025. He’s been with Arvest for 27 years, beginning in Joplin before moving to Miami, Okla., then Siloam Springs, Ark., and then Springfield in July 2011.
Shane graduated from Missouri Southern State with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. He was a member of Joplin Sunrise Rotary Club from 2000 – 2003. He serves on the boards of the Barnabas Foundation, United Way Ozarks Region, and Leaders for Ozarks Region Evolvement (LORE), which is a nonprofit organization that brings together business and civic leaders to address critical challenges across Southwest Missouri, focusing on workforce attraction, community quality of life, and regional identity.
Shane and his wife, Toni, live in Battlefield and will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary this November. She is a community nurse for the Springfield - Greene County Health Department. They have four children: Kori (married to Josh McCutcheon), Maggie, Davis, and Josie. Kori and Maggie are both teachers at Bingham Elementary, Josh teaches at Kickapoo High, Davis finished his freshman year at Missouri State University in May, and Josie is a sophomore at Kickapoo.
Shane is an avid golfer and a member of Hickory Hills Country Club. He has also been a soccer referee for 12 years, officiating at both the high school and collegiate levels.
