Speakers

 

Our presenters this week are Mike and Billie Rouse.  Mike is the Director of Choral Music and Yearbook Advisor for ISD 696 Ely Public Schools. Billie is Mike’s “Partner in Crime”.

 

Topic:  The Disney Broadway Musical “Frozen” as Performed by Memorial High School Students.  Disney has selected one HS in each state to perform “Frozen” and Ely HS is Minnesota’s representative. What is it like to work with Disney on a Broadway Musical?

 

Billie is from Indianapolis and bass clarinet was her instrument of choice all through high school and college. She has worked in a museum, as a para-professional in school and as a florist. She now owns a small Inn and is certified as a Lay Pastor.  She has spent some time on stage and yet prefers the behind the scenes work. Family is the most important part of her life and she is grateful for her kids and grandchildren as they make good impressions on this world. Billie and Mike have been married 47 years.

 

Mike was born in Charleston, South Carolina and spent most of his childhood on the family farm north of Indianapolis. He attended Anderson University as a piano performance major.  He owned a music business in the suburbs of Indianapolis, and moved to the Ely area over 30 years ago. In Ely, he found his way into teaching, or perhaps, “teaching found him“.  Every year he directs a musical for fourth and fifth grade students, a middle school musical and starting last year the high school musical. He’s also played keyboard in the pit for the spring musicals at VCC for many years. In addition, he’s also directed “Scrooge in Love” at VCC, and for several years is also directed “Camp Broadway”, a summer camp for students from several different Northeast Minnesota schools.  

On a personal level, he is a cancer survivor with a very rare form of cancer. In 1972, Indiana University Medical Center estimated that his life expectancy was around five years. His cancer diagnosis has greatly influenced his perspective on life and was also very instrumental in the choice of his life vocation, music! He has been very blessed with a wonderful wife and family.

His philosophy is, “Life is a gift, Music is a gift, and Music is Life!

We will be cleaning up our designated 2 miles of Highway 169 on Monday, October 9, 2023 beginning at 9 AM. Plan for the Cleanup to last approximately 1 1/2 hours.

For this fall’s Cleanup, we will be partnering with employees of Highland Bank - Boundary Waters Office, located at 601 East Sheridan Street, Ely.

DETAILS:

WHO: Rotary Club of Ely Members and Highland Bank employees.

RSVP:  Please confirm your interest in participating with Heather Fitzgerald at: heather.fitzgerald@highland.bank or 218-349-4211, by Friday, October 6, 2023.

WHERE:  Meet at the North American Bear Center parking lot for carpooling and coordination. Reflective vests, “trash grabbers” and trash bags will be distributed, and you will be assigned a partner.

WHEN:  Monday, October 9, 2023 - Meeting at 9 am.

WHAT: Two miles of Hwy 169, west of Ely.

ITEMS TO TAKE ALONG: Gloves, water, and wear shoes/boots and slacks that can get wet or muddy.

THANK YOU for your willingness, interest and ability to participate! The more .  .  . The Merrier!! And the quicker we finish!

 

Two relatively new Rotarians will present this week.

Susan Polege and another Rotarian, to be determined.

 

You may already know that Susan Polege has boomerang’d back to Ely four times now. 

In between those years, her other homes included a grass thatched hutch in Peace Corps - Zambia, instructing Outward Bound canoe trips in the Everglades of Florida, bike- commuting next to the monuments in Washington DC, and running on mountains in Washington state. She’ll do her best to tell a few interesting stories from the journey through these places back to northern Minnesota.

 

Our presenter this week is District Governor, David Long.

 

Dave Long has been a member of the Detroit Lakes Noon Rotary Club since 2014, and has served in numerous Club and District leadership roles.

 

He has been the Rotary International Convention Promotion Chair for District 5580 for seven years, and has attended eight International Conventions in five different countries. Dave served as Assistant Governor for Area 7 which included five vibrant clubs in West Central Minnesota. He has participated on the District Grants Committee for eight years, and was the Grant Sub-Committee chair, 2018 to 2020.

 

 Dave was chosen as Rotarian of the Year for District 5580 in 2018, and awarded Rotarian of the Year at his Detroit Lakes Club in 2019.

 

Dave worked in a manufacturing environment for over 30 years, where he provided expertise and leadership in process and product development and eventually also took on roles in business and market development.  Dave started a part-time engineering consulting business and began teaching a course at NDSU, before retiring from his full-time job in 2015.

 

Dave has been an avid promoter of amateur athletics for nearly 30 years and through volunteer organizations has helped develop and administer programs at the local, state, and national levels. He lives with his wife, Laurel on a small lake near Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

 

 Besides his primary District Governor focus areas of Mental Health, and the Environment, Dave’s biggest passions in Rotary are international travel and international service.