Mitchell Rotary Club

09/11/2026

I want to express a big word of thanks to Cathy Powers for telling her powerful story about the Medical Aid in Dying provided to her husband Ron. What a heart-wrenching and compelling story. I forgot to take a photo of her while speaking, and I'll get that posted as soon as I can.

Joel

09/09/2026

Rotarians,

I hope you've all had a restful Labor Day Weekend! In spite of the name, I always end up seeming to complete my list of home projects or at lease make some progress on it.

Labor Day is often seen as the end of summer celebrated with cookouts and weekend get-aways. But Labor Day originally was about a movement for a shorter work-week, for decent pay and for dignity and safety in hard work. Isn't it interesting how we have domesticated what was once a bitter struggle. George McGovern's history dissertation was about the coal wars of Colorado during which many coal miners and their families died trying to fight for decent working conditions and a livable wage. Let's not forget that part of the story.

A friendly reminder that we Rotarians are planning to meet on Thursday, September 10th at Bradley's Grill and Bar at noon or a little before. Our guest speaker is Cathy Powers. Cathy has a very interesting personal story that I have heard quite a few times because I keep asking her to be a speaker in courses at DWU. Her story never fails to illicit a lot of questions and perplexity. It deals with what we now call MAID (Medical Aid in Dying).

I would also like to take the personal privilege of inviting anyone interested to a meeting the McGovern Center has begun - Braver Angels Alliance of the Mitchell Area (or BAAMA). We hope to build community across difference through conversation and cooperation. To learn more, see the attached flyer.
Happy Labor Day! Be thankful for the benefits we enjoy.
JOEL ALLEN, Ph.D., Rev.

Professor of Religion and Philosophy

Director of the McGovern Center

1200 W. University Ave. | Mitchell, SD | 57301

605-995-2937 (office)| www.dwu.edu

606-627-5126 (cell) | [email protected]

At DWU, everyone is focused on helping you  develop your natural talents, supporting your achievements and preparing you for success.

09/03/2026

Our next meeting is Thursday at noon.
I would love to tell you who our speaker is, but unfortunately that information was stored in my carefully maintained Excel schedule, which has now been permanently, unalterably, and — according to our finest IT experts — impressively corrupted.
So at the moment, our speaker is less “to be announced” and more “known only to the vanished spreadsheet gods.”
The good news is that I’m fairly certain someone was scheduled to speak, and I’m hoping that person remembers this fact without the benefit of a reminder from me, the calendar, or divine intervention.
If no speaker appears, I have two backup plans:
Perform my little-known stand-up act, which is little-known for several excellent reasons.
Give a presentation on the McGovern Center, which may or may not be better than the stand-up act. Early polling is inconclusive.
There is also a remote possibility that we will sing “The Sidewalks of New York,” though I want to be clear that no one has requested this, and several people may actively oppose it.
In any case, please join us Thursday at noon for a delicious Bradley’s meal, good company, and what promises to be either a scintillating program or a memorable organizational improvisation.
Hope to see you there.
Joel

08/26/2026

Dear Mitchell Rotary Members,
A motion has been introduced reminding all members to attend our upcoming Mitchell Rotary meeting where Mel Olson will be our speaker.
Whereas, Mel Olson is a former school teacher;
Whereas, he served in the state legislature;
Whereas, he now teaches history at Dakota Wesleyan University;
Therefore, be it resolved that this meeting is officially worth attending.
No filibustering. No skipping class. No “I forgot my homework” excuses.
Join us as we welcome Mel Olson for a great program! Mel will be talking about leadership from the vantage point of his years in the legislature.
If you haven't asked someone to come to Rotary with you, take a moment and think, "Who would I like to see there." Invite them to join you. I invited Brad Tennant last week, and I'm going to go out on a limb and invite another historian friend.
Just so you know what's involved, our website has great information on projects we're involved in or have undertaken. The URL is linked here.
One last thing - our regional water project is a replacement of the water fountain at Patton-Young Park. Rotary purchased the old one in the 1980''s. Our District Governor suggested we submit a regional Rotary grant to help us pay for it. Would any of you be willing to take that on as a project? We are almost assured of getting the funding. Talk to me if you're interested. The city will install and do maintenance.
All the best!
Joel

JOEL ALLEN

08/20/2026

Today we enjoyed getting to hear our Rotary District Governor Mike Gibson. He has such an enjoyable and quirky sense of humor. It really put everyone at ease and makes us want to do a better job as Rotarians.

08/18/2026

Good morning Mitchell Rotary!

I hope everyone is enjoying this amazingly comfortable few days we're having!

On Thursday, we'll hear from our District Governor Mike Gibson. We hope you all come and get better acquainted with what Rotary is all about.

Next week, our speaker will be Mel Olson who many of you know. He'll be discussing lessons in leadership which he gained from his work in the SD legislature.

If you loved Hamilton, you might enjoy watching this - https://youtu.be/wf88ogBBeyA?si=obiSmXru7sm17RHG

See you on Thursday at Bradley's.

Joel

08/11/2026

Good Afternoon, Rotarians!

Just a quick email update for our meeting on Thursday August 13th. Professor Brad Tennant will be our speaker. Brad taught history for many years up at Presentation College. He's a world-renown scholar of regional history - particularly the Lewis and Clark Campaign. Brad will focus on stories about Sacagawea and her impact and legacy. He is also a personal friend of mine and a former colleague.

Thanks to Dr. Paula Mazzer for doing such an excellent job speaking to us last week about the Johnson Ancestral Prairie project. What an exciting development for DWU!

I want to take a moment to draw attention to a very helpful page on our website. It is especially helpful for new members who want to learn more about Mitchell Rotary. Take a few minutes and inform yourself about what this Rotary business is all about.

We'll see you at noon on Thursdays at Bradley's.

Joel

08/04/2026

Good morning, everyone. I (Jory) am filling in this week for Joel while he is traveling. This week's program will be Dr. Paula Mazzer, Professor of Biochemistry at DWU. She will be speaking about the Johnson Ancestral Prairie, which is 138 acres of native South Dakota prairie land about 20 minutes from Mitchell. She will share about how she has incorporated the land into her teachings.

On the menu this week: Smothered chicken tenders with veggies and home fries + Chicken gravy along with soup and salad

JORY HANSEN, CFRE

07/28/2026

Dear Mitchell Rotarians,

We will not meet as a club at our typical time - seeing this is the 5th Thursday of the month. Rather than meeting at noon, we'll be going out to Parkston (if it isn't too hot) and participate in their Amphitheater Summer Concert Series beginning at 6:00 pm at 102 S. Anna Street. The band is called, Ivory.

Next week (Aug. 6th) - our speaker will be Dr. Paula Mazzer of DWU speaking about some ancestral lands given to DWU for prairie studies and other student research projects. I will be away then and Jory will be leading us.

The following week (Aug. 13), Dr. Brad Tennant will be with us to speak about the Lewis and Clark expedition with a focus on Sacagawea.

If there are some speakers you would like to invite, some free dates coming up are Jan 7, 14 or 21.

Finally, remember to support the Mitchell Area Community Band. We'll have our last concert of the season this Wednesday (the 29th) at Hitchcock Park or PAC depending on heat and weather. You can check their page for an update. Also, the ACT will be performing The Wizzard of Oz starting this weekend. Make sure to take that in if you get a chance.

All the best!

Joel

07/23/2026

A big thanks to Joe Lichter for updating our webpage. If you haven't spent much time looking it over, please take a look. It is full of information and it makes you realize, "We really do a lot of cool stuff!" Here's the link.

Our Programs   Rotary Park The Mitchell Rotary Club established a park near the Corn Palace for the enjoyment of Tourists and the people of Mitchell. Group Study Exchange The Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity. Scholarships Annually, the Mitc...