January 20, 2026 (Jan. 20, 2026)

ATTENDANCE

If you couldn't join us on this cold winter Taco Tuesday, we missed you! We had 37 attendees, including Pastor Jeff Ogonowski from Abiding Presence Lutheran Church and Nevine Rizk a local realtor and a first-time visitor.

INVOCATION

Jay Eastman gave today’s invocation.

FIFTEENTH HANDSHAKE

This week’s greeter, Dave Walker, declared Alan McLellan the lucky member to go fine-free!

WHO AM I?

I joined Rotary because of all the great volunteer work Rotary does. My favorite memory is social parties at Addison Oaks. Something you may not know about me is that I was a great ice skater as a child.
I joined Rotary because I thought it would be a good way to have exposure to the community. My favorite memories are of the wine and beer tasting. Something you may not know about me is that I married my high school sweetheart.

ROTARIAN OF THE WEEK

Ron Lichtle passed the coveted trophy to Jay Eastman for being an all-around stellar Rotarian. Not only did Ron make the handoff with style, but he also paid the $5 “rental fee” — aka paying it forward. Extra salsa points for generosity!

TACO TUESDAY HAPPY BUCKS 🌮

Carol Fransiosi gave a shout-out to Paul Haig for riding to the rescue after another jeweler seriously botched the redesign of her mother’s wedding ring. Moral of the story (served warm, like tacos): go to a business/Rotarian you know and trust. Lesson learned.
Vito Pampalona was all smiles as he announced the arrival of his 11th grandchild — clearly collecting grandchildren the way the rest of us collect taco fillings.

BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES

Happy birthday to Tom Asmus, Ernie Schaefer, and Paul Haig.

Jerry Wanket is celebrating 38 years as a Rotarian today — that’s a lifetime supply of service.
And Vito Pampalona is also marking his 11th Rotary anniversary. Elevens everywhere — coincidence? We think not.

CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS

Who Am I answers:
- Jan Drobnich is a former skater, and
- Dave Walker married his high school sweetheart. Cue the aww — and pass the tacos.
Ernie Schaefer reported on Foundation activities and announced that the Foundation Committee will now provide monthly reports. He also reviewed Paul Harris Awards: donate $1,000 to the RI Foundation, and you receive 1,000 recognition points, which you can use to honor someone else for outstanding service. Even better, our club matches your donation with $500. Some of us got a little lost in the options and gently suggested Ernie might consider a diagram… or maybe a placemat flowchart.
Finally, congratulations to Steve Oehler, now serving as Chair of the Rochester Rotary Foundation Committee. If you have questions, Steve’s your guy — tacos optional, curiosity encouraged.

SONG LEADER

Bob Lyte The Meeting Song, written by Bob Lytle. We did a pretty good job of singing it too! We did pretty well on our second song, although this editor can't remember the title!

SHERIFF'S REPORT

Okay, buckle up—Sheriff Frank Rewold was clearly in full sass enforcement mode today. Here’s the remix, extra spicy 🌶️:

Sheriff Rewold promised to be quick… mostly because Ernie Schaefer’s Foundation report was long, complicated, and possibly eligible for continuing education credit.
Brad Upton, it’s been a while—which means you may as well slide $1,000 across the table and call it a reunion fee.
All Indiana alumni were immediately fined for last night’s big win. Congratulations on the victory—now pay up.
Veterans were officially exempt because Vito Pampalona was paying the $20 fine, as he loves helping veterans. Yes, even the Sheriff knows better than to mess with that one.
Librarians were exempt, too. No reason needed. Librarians just are.
Peter Stuhlreyer’s talk last week was apparently so fine-worthy that he was fined anyway, despite being absent today. And of course, our Sheriff wasn’t even there last week to hear it. Justice is blind… and occasionally confused.
Blake McLellan was fined for securing today’s speaker. No good deed goes unpunished.
Phil Lowman was asked to model the stylish hat he wore to Rotary today, but it was tragically stranded in the coat closet. Sheriff Rewold then politely requested Phil to model his underwear instead. Phil was game—clearly—but deferred because he is, after all, a very prim and proper gentleman.
All Rewold customers were exempt (loyalty has its perks), but anyone who hadn’t met Frank yet? Congratulations—you just paid the “nice to meet you” fee.
Jerry Wanket—38 years as a Rotarian? That’s clearly a $38 fine. Longevity is expensive around here.
Alan McLellan claimed he was the 15th handshake. Sheriff Frank was not buying it. Neither was the court. Pay up, Alan.
And finally, rumor has it Bob Lytle is running a bar above the pharmacy—with a golf simulator and dancers. Totally, absolutely, not completely true… which is exactly why it was mentioned.

Court adjourned. 💸😎

Thanks to Sheriff Frank Rewold for stepping up and being today's sheriff. Thanks to his creative enforcement, we raised $211 for our scholarship program! Remember, these “fines” are all in good fun, never exceed $5, and serve a great purpose: building camaraderie and raising funds for our charitable efforts, especially scholarships. Let’s continue living out the Rotary motto, " Service Above Self," with enthusiasm.

SPEAKER

A fixture in Detroit media for more than four decades, Dave LewAllen spent 35 years at WXYZ-TV, where he built an award-winning career in both sports and news. He concluded his broadcast career as an evening news anchor for Action News. A Central Michigan University graduate, Dave has lived in the area since 1987 and retired from WXYZ in April 2203.

Just before he began his talk, Frank Rewold presented Dave with a Western Michigan jersey, which Dave good-naturedly wore during his remarks—with strict instructions not to get it dirty.

In retirement, Dave wanted to remain engaged and continue telling meaningful stories, which led to the launch of The Dave LewAllen Podcast in August 2023. Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Amazon Music, the podcast represents the next chapter in his career. The format includes both audio and video and requires a significant investment of time and resources.

Now more than 63 episodes in, the podcast features in-depth conversations with coaches and athletes, newsmakers, authors, and nonprofit leaders making a difference across southeast Michigan and the state. Topics include sports, community impact, and current issues—but not politics. Dave typically records 30-minute episodes and releases new content every few weeks.

Dave works with a former WXYZ engineer who operates through the Waterford Township cable station. Dave personally secures the guests and conducts the interviews, after which the digital files are uploaded to a hosting platform where listeners can subscribe. Interviews are conducted both in person and via Zoom, depending on availability.

To build awareness, Dave creates short 30–40 second promotional clips for social media platforms such as X and Instagram, and guests are encouraged to share episodes with their own networks.

While Dave misses working with former colleagues and occasionally the structure of a daily newsroom routine, he does not miss the pressure of producing stories he wasn’t passionate about. Retirement has required an adjustment to a new schedule, but the podcast allows him to stay connected, curious, and creatively fulfilled.