Lawrence Central Rotary

Category: Members

Remembering Jim Peters
Jim Peters died on September 4, 2023. Lawrence Central Rotary members mourned his death and celebrated his life at a recent meeting. Not only was Jim a dear friend to members, he was a consummate Rotarian. Although every Rotary club has members who personify the good will and friendship that Rotarians hold dear, Jim was one of the special people who played that role for our club.

Jim was the person who noticed when someone was sad or struggling and took time to give a hug and word of encouragement. He took time to form friendships that extended beyond the weekly meetings themselves. Known for telling jokes that aroused groans as well as a chuckle, he always had a new funny story to share at the end of the meeting.

As club members talked about Jim, many recalled his warm welcome. Because he served as chair of the program committee, Jim was the person who greeted speakers when they arrived with a smile and a handshake, ensuring a good impression of the warmth and energy in the club. Jim also took the next step to invite presenters to join the club, and many newer members said that his invitation was their reason for doing so.

Programs at Lawrence Central Rotary were rich with variety and deep with local history and current connections, reflecting Jim’s love of history and wide range of connections in the community. Jim himself was the presenter at the last meeting that he attended, telling the story of publishing the fourth edition of his book about Arlington National Cemetery.

Jim joined Rotary in March 2013, moving quickly into leadership and serving as President from 2016-2017. Beyond his time on the board, Jim was key to numerous club initiatives.
- Jim was the cyclist who led the family ride during the annual community bike rides sponsored by the club.
- He rang the bell for the Salvation Army on the day of the holiday parade downtown, singing carols to all passersby.
- He showed up for work days at the Rotary Arboretum and was an unfailing advocate for the arboretum itself.
- Since the inception of the club’s ownership of the Lawrence Kids Calendar, Jim was the key sales contact to solicit advertising for the website.
- When the club took on the responsibility of running the “Santa Rescue” in downtown Lawrence each November, it was Jim who decided that the club should not only collect letters to Santa during the rescue event, but also send each child a response. The evening when club members gathered to write return postcards to those Santa letters was a jolly time for all.
September 14, 2023
Liticia Cole Inducted into Lawrence Central Rotary

Leticia Cole stands with sponsor Steve Lane during her induction into Lawrence Central Rotary.

Leticia has worked for Paul Werner Architects for over 11 years. She is a 2014 graduate of Leadership Lawrence and has been a board member of Catch-A-Break for the past two years.

October 2, 2018
Lawrence Central Rotary Inducts New Members

New members (from left) Karena Schmitendorf, Gena Dellett, Julia Gaughan, Janis Bunker, Lee Ann Thompson, and Margaret Brumberg.

Lawrence Central Rotary celebrated the club’s new members on September 5. The following new members were inducted: Karena Schmitendorf, Gena Dellett, Julia Gaughan, Janis Bunker, Lee Ann Thompson, and Margaret Brumberg.

L-R: Julia Gaughan, Margaret Brumberg, and Karena Schmitendorf

The three newest members, Julia Gaughan, Karena Schmitendorf, and Margaret Brumberg shared more about their background and interests during the now traditional new member panel.

Julia Gaughan studied law and works at Bert Nash. Her most recent read was There There by Tommy Orange. Audrey Coleman invited Julia to Rotary. The two have been friends since college. Volunteering has always been important to Julia. She shared that she’s excited to be around people who find service important. For fun, Julia reads, writes, is involved in several book clubs, and attends a lot of soccer games, cheering on her 10 year old son.

Margaret Brumberg studied law and administers federal grants at KU. Her most recent read was Amateur by Thomas Page McBee. Kate Campbell invited Margaret to Rotary. She was immediately inspired by the service mission. For fun Margaret enjoys being outside, taking walks, and drinking wine.

Karena Schmitendorf is a retired art instructor and now works combining three of her passions: art, elderly care, and transitional housing. She has recently been reading books on death and dying, integrating her learning into her daily work. While living in California, Karena regularly presented to Rotary clubs about her work with a homeless and housing group. She is especially drawn to Rotary’s international focus. For fun Karena enjoys gardening, cooking, and her work renovating a house. She also is enjoying the many art galleries and events in Lawrence.

September 12, 2018
Lawrence Kids Calendar Sees Improvements

Jay Holley shares an update about Lawrence Kids Calendar.

Lawrence Central Rotary knew taking on the Lawrence Kids Calendar was going to pay off, even if it meant more volunteers were needed. With an active membership, volunteers keep stepping up. As president-elect Audrey Coleman said during the July 27th meeting, “the field of nonprofit fundraising is crowded. With the Kids Calendar, we offer businesses a service they really need.”

Fortunately, that service is getting better all the time. Jay Holley shared a variety of updates with the club that the team of volunteers is focused on to improve the Lawrence Kids Calendar.

One recent change Holley is excited about is setting up a staging environment for the website. Among other things, this will give the administrative team the ability to test out and implement changes without potentially breaking or modifying the website’s existing functionality. Holley summarized, “we want to improve things without breaking things.”

The team is also looking at ways to increase site speed and performance, better manage and update all plugins that add functionality to the site, improve tracking options, and simplify the management interface.

Coleman elaborated on the initiative to generate a “Back to School Monthly Preview Guide” and ways Rotary members can get involved in promoting the Kids Calendar and selling listing promotions. As the Kids Calendar grows, so will the Lawrence Rotary Club’s ability to support and enrich daily living and opportunities in Douglas County.

June 27, 2018
Open House with Brenners

George Brenner, a longtime member of Lawrence Central Rotary, retains his membership in the club even though he and his wife Mary Ann now live in Richmond, VA. When the Brenners visited Lawrence recently, club members met for a potluck meal to reconnect.

April 16, 2018