April 8, 2026 Newsletter

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

President Deborah called the meeting to order to a full house. After the Pledge of

Allegiance, she welcomed guests and acknowledged this week's volunteers.

Guests present:

• Jean Gilbert — Wellness Coordinator for the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union

(WSESU), guest of MJ, and this week's featured speaker.

• Janis Nadler — prospective member, seated at the guest table and welcomed warmly.

Thanks were given to:

• Servers: Nick (this week); server for April 15 to be confirmed.

• Scribe: Tristam Johnson (this week). Next scribe: KJ (April 15)

• Greeter: Will.

New Member Induction — Greg Hessel

The meeting opened with the formal induction of Greg Hessel, who has attended three

meetings and was voted in by the board. President Deborah conducted the ceremony

and offered a detailed introduction.

Greg lives in Brattleboro with his wife Ariel — a longtime friend of Deborah's since 1997

— and their two sons: Nico, currently living in Bangkok, Thailand, and Tucker, a

freshman at UVM. Professionally, Greg is an organizational coach with two decades of

experience specializing in conflict resolution, managing change, and strategic planning.

He is also known for hitchhiking over 100,000 miles, working in war zones in Bosnia, El

Salvador, and Nicaragua, and successfully helping to negotiate the release of a

kidnapped Italian clergy member in Central America. He is the former Board Chair of theWindham and Windsor Housing Trust and enjoys biking, ping pong, gardening, and

travel.

Greg received his pin, badge, and membership packet, and was reminded that new

members are also expected to scribe. Bill was introduced as Greg's mentor for the club.

• Happy Hour: Thursday, April 17, at the Marina, 5:30 PM. All members welcome.

• Pot Luck BBQ: Saturday, May 9, at Deborah's house.

The District Conference is May 30. Members signed up so far include Tristan, Roger, and

others. The sign-up link is on the front page of the club website. Dan offered to send an

email to the full club list with the link to make registration easy.

There is also a social immediately after the conference at Frog Hall Brewery.

Pine Ridge Student Backpacks

Supplies for the Pine Ridge Student Backpack program can be purchased via the

Amazon registry link below. This initiative has a connection to the District Conference

program on May 30.

Melissa reported that the Rotary scholarship application has been updated — tweaked

for user-friendliness to make it easier for students to share their resume. The Penfield scholarship application was also updated. Both applications are now live and accessible

through the Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary website, they are also

listed on Naviance.

A discussion followed about accountability for past scholarship recipients. Tristam

raised a concern — one he has voiced over several years — that the club gives

substantial money in scholarships but rarely hears back from recipients about their

outcomes.

Garden Cleanup — Sunday, April 12, Noon

All hands-on deck for a garden cleanup and mulch spreading at the Rotary gardens at the

bottom of the Brattleboro Commons. D&E Tree has generously donated four yards of

mulch (a "manna mulch" blend) for both gardens. Bring gloves and clippers. Bags will be provided. No gardening knowledge required, and guests are very welcome.

 

• 30 for 30 — either a current update or a summary when the initiative wraps up.

• Trivia Night and bingo — an overview of the club's current fundraisers.

Tristam reported on three active international priorities and called for the committee to

meet — either via Zoom or following a club meeting — to discuss how to prioritize

available funds:

• Cuba Solar Project: An e-Rotary club working in Cuba has a solar panel installation that

is approximately three-quarters complete and needs roughly $625 to finish. This is not a

formal funding request to the Brattleboro club but a need that emerged from discussions

about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Cuba.

• The BEAR Project (Be Excited About Reading): Based on the Standing Rock/Lakota

reservation in South Dakota. Described as a fabulous, long-term commitment to

sustainable change and educational opportunity for Lakota youth.

• The Wendell Yellow Bull Scholarship: An ongoing commitment.

Tristan noted the club's current focus is on the Honduran scholarship, the BEAR Project, and

Wendell Yellow Bull, but said these priorities are not set in concrete. He distributed a committee

email with attachments describing humanitarian crises and organizational efforts and offered to

share it with the full club.

Trivia Night is Monday, April 20, at the American Legion. The regular leaders (Diana and

one other) are traveling, so Ben and Jim will serve as substitute team leaders that

evening.

Will reported that Jason Cooper is organizing a volunteer workday to cut and clean the

trail along the Connecticut River that will connect to the West River Trail — eventually

linking downtown Brattleboro's West River Trail all the way to the railroad station. The

meeting point is the railroad station (likely the new station location). Bring gloves, saws,

and clippers. The estimated commitment is two to four hours. Roughly six members indicated interest during the meeting. President Deborah suggested the club form an official Rotary team for this effort and try to get as many members as possible involved, noting it could grow into something as significant as Disc Golf.

A sign-up sheet is circulating for the May 19 blood drive. Members can volunteer either to

staff the table or to donate blood. Dan is coordinating. Named on the agenda as potential

volunteers: Jim, Will, Evelyn, Dan, and Debra.

Roger announced — with evident pride — that MJ (Mary Jane) has agreed to serve as the

club's incoming president. Roger described attending a Rotary PELS (President Elect

Leadership Seminar) event alongside MJ and Raj, watching her take extensive notes and

genuinely engage with the experience before ultimately saying yes. Roger had a friendly

bet going with Mark Anderson about when MJ would commit; Mark had guessed June 30

(the day before changeover). Roger won.

Roger spoke to the broader meaning of the moment: "There are only five of us" (the

PELS organizing team) who work to put together a meeting for 90 people, and seeing MJ

and Raj inspired and enthusiastic meant a great deal. Mark Anderson from the

Brattleboro World Lunch has already been told and is excited. Roger reflected on the

Rotary brotherhood and sisterhood in Brattleboro — with over 100 Rotarians between the

two local clubs — and expressed deep gratitude to MJ for stepping up.

Tristan raised a board discussion about promoting Rotary visibility through club apparel.

Counting the room, approximately five to seven members do not currently have a

Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary polo or T-shirt. Tristan offered to get pricing from CNS Print

Shop, which gives the club a favorable deal, and report back.

Deborah noted that the white polo shirt has historically had low uptake and suggested

the club review all options before placing an order. She flagged that the two newest

members need to provide their T-shirt sizes so they can receive the "Rotarian at Work"

shirt.

Evelyn Sirois celebrates her birthday on Friday, April 11 — three days from today's

meeting.

Sandy — The Pit of Despair

Sandy delivered a vivid story about the console in the center of his car — which he has

named "the pit of despair," after a childhood memory of a similarly impossible basement

in the "Banana House" where he lived in college. The modern pit of despair is filled with

his wife's belongings and is nearly impossible to navigate. This morning, his wife had

placed his newly purchased Rotary pin somewhere in its depths. After ten minutes of

searching, he emerged victorious — and arrived at the meeting proudly wearing it.

Mona — Returned from 12 wonderful days on a Caribbean cruise with her husband and

mother, visiting Cozumel, Aruba, Antigua, and St. Maarten. She described the trip as

deeply relaxing and long overdue, apologized to the room for not bringing better weather

back to Vermont, and noted that while she still has some lingering dizziness, she is much

improved from two months ago. She reflected that the trip offered a window into her 76-

year-old mother's aging — her mother still works full time by choice to keep her mind

active — and that she tries to cherish every moment with her.

[Member] — Week with Mom and Two Weeks in Portugal

A member apologized for missing a month of meetings. She spent a week with her 91-

year-old mother, who the family is trying to persuade to move — a process she has

learned to approach as if her mother were a client: small steps count as progress. She

also spent two weeks in Portugal, which she described with wry humor as "enduring the

seven degrees of sunshine" while doing wine tasting.

Ben — Caucasian Chalk Circle at New England Youth Theatre

A member has spent six weeks in rehearsal for a production of Bertolt Brecht's The

Caucasian Chalk Circle — described as a reimagining of the parable of the Judgment of

Solomon, featuring incredible masks, puppets, and music inspired by the music of the

country of Georgia. The show is directed by Eric Bass, co-founder of Sandglass Theater

in Putney. It runs this weekend only — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Members were enthusiastically encouraged to attend and to spread the word to friends and family.

Diane — Bragged for MJ's decision to step up as incoming president. She described the experience of sitting next

to MJ at the PELS event — watching her take meticulous notes, clearly engaged and

excited — while making a quiet bet with Mark Anderson about when MJ would formally

say yes. She reflected on what it means to put together a meeting for 90 people with a

small team and to see it genuinely inspire someone.

Jean Gilbert was introduced by MJ as a lifelong friend and someone whose professional

dedication to scholarship stewardship at the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union is

remarkable. Jean currently serves as the Wellness Coordinator for the district and has

been in the central office for approximately 25 years. Over that time, she has organized

scholarship records that were found in disorganized banker boxes when the office

moved — assembling roughly ten blue binders covering scholarships across WSESU,

WRCC (the Career Center), VHS/Brattleboro Union High School (BUHS), and regional

awards.

Jean brought the scholarships to life not as line items but as human stories — profiling

the donors and recipients behind each award.

One of the most coveted and longest-standing awards at BUHS. Jean did not go into

detail during this section but noted it as the foundation of the scholarship tradition at the

high school.

This scholarship distributes $18,000 per year to students pursuing study in the arts

(music, painting, sculpture, acting, dancing, or writing). Students can apply for up to

three years. Ralph Ames, a 1933 VHS graduate who himself won the Austin Prize,

established the scholarship in memory of his brother Ernest Dickinson Ames — an

accomplished singer and actor — and in honor of his father, who was custodian at the

municipal center where the high school was located. Ralph remembered his brother

shoveling steps there to help their father during snowstorms.

Coming from very little, Ralph earned a place at Wesleyan University on an academic

scholarship and graduated with both a B.A. and a Master's in English. He served in the

Navy during World War II, spending two years in Japan during the occupation as an

interpreter for the Office of Naval Intelligence. He became a serious art collector and

raised bonsai plants. The endowment is invested to last indefinitely — Jean noted it will

be providing scholarships long after everyone in the room is gone.

Eligibility: students who have attended for at least two years, ranked in the top half of the

class, with demonstrated desire and talent in one of the designated arts disciplines.

The Raymond Harrington Award (and his wife's companion award)

Established by Raymond Harrington's children to honor a father who left school at age

five to support his family. He spent his career working with wood — first at Scorn &

Company, then at the Bradley Corporation (maker of wooden handles) — and by one

account had millions of board feet of wood pass through his hands over a lifetime. In

retirement, he collected unusual driftwood pieces and worked them by hand into

polished sculptures, which he sold at area craft fairs. The scholarship goes to a Career

Center student pursuing a trade.

A companion award honors Raymond's wife, who at age 15 became responsible for

raising her seven younger siblings after their mother's death. That award goes to a

young woman who has shown aptitude in family and consumer science (formerly Home

Economics). Jean noted these gender-specific designations are enshrined in the donors'

wills and cannot be changed — a point that has occasionally required her to hold firm

against pressure to update the criteria. She emphasized that preserving the integrity of

each scholarship's original intent is a core part of her job.

The Danny Wolterwitz Scholarship (established by Leona Wolterwitz)

Danny Wolterwitz never married and had no family. When the executor of his estate came

to Jean with a collection of his military documents, she discovered that Danny had been

a World War II B-29 tail gunner decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Stars, the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, and the World War II Victory Medal. Jean has his honorable discharge papers, separation qualification record, and a high school graduation photo.

The endowment — over $200,000 in principal — currently distributes approximately

$46,000 per year just from the interest alone. Recipients must be pursuing careers in

teaching or the medical/nursing field.

Jean found a signed high school graduation photo of E. Gordon Thomas in the scholarship boxes. Thomas was a member of the First Baptist Church on Main Street and was remembered as an exceptional organist. He had twin daughters; when the last daughter passed away, she called Jean to let her know —

and then the family sent a check for $150,000 to establish a scholarship in Thomas's

name.

Frederick Whitney left $290,519.26 to establish a scholarship. He was from Wallingford,

Connecticut, and despite extensive research — Google searches, date-of-death records,

birth records — Jean has been unable to find any connection between Whitney and

Brattleboro. She appealed to the room: does anyone know the name Frederick Whitney

or his possible connection to Brattleboro? Jean has found that he was born in Dummerston

 but no further links.

 

• Some scholarships are awarded without application — committees select recipients

based on specific criteria.

• Criteria can be so specific that the same student qualifies for multiple awards and can

walk out with as much as $15,000.

• Nikki Braun in the BUHS counseling office is an excellent resource — she has all specific

scholarship requirements on file and can tell students which ones they qualify for.

• Jean advocated for a college night in October of the year before senior year, where

families could come and learn about all available scholarships from the families and

institutions that sponsor them.

• Jean is personally involved with five scholarship committees and sits on each of the five

selection panels.

• Jean shared that one scholarship near to her heart was established in memory of her

great-nephew, who was murdered at age 12. The family didn't know what to do to keep

his memory alive, so they established a scholarship. In roughly five years, they have

given out over $5,000.

Jean closed by thanking the club for the work its members do on scholarship committees and

for their donations, and saying how proud she is to be part of a process that will continue long

after she is gone.