50th anniversary celebration
The Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast was chartered on June 28, 1967. Current and past club members celebrated the club's 50th anniversary at a banquet at White River Conference Center on Sept. 9, 2017. Our special guests were John Ashcroft, an honorary club member, and his son, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.
John Ashcroft was a member of our club when he taught at Southwest Missouri State College (now Missouri State University) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He left the club to become, consecutively, state auditor, state attorney general, governor, U.S. senator and U.S. attorney general.
In addition to John Ashcroft's keynote talk, the celebration included remembrances by club member Sam Hamra, the first president of the Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast. We have a video posted on YouTube of Sam talking about early days of the club and his remembrances of John Simpson, a charter member of the club who died in 2017.
These photos are by Ryan Kowalski, a photographer for 417 Magazine, whose co-owner, Gary Whitaker, is a club member.
Click on each photo to see all of it.
John Ashcroft was a member of our club when he taught at Southwest Missouri State College (now Missouri State University) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He left the club to become, consecutively, state auditor, state attorney general, governor, U.S. senator and U.S. attorney general.
In addition to John Ashcroft's keynote talk, the celebration included remembrances by club member Sam Hamra, the first president of the Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast. We have a video posted on YouTube of Sam talking about early days of the club and his remembrances of John Simpson, a charter member of the club who died in 2017.
These photos are by Ryan Kowalski, a photographer for 417 Magazine, whose co-owner, Gary Whitaker, is a club member.
Click on each photo to see all of it.