Recent Happenings

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On July 9th the new club President, Phil Harris, presided at his first club meeting; an hour prior to that, he presided at the first meeting of the 2025-2026 Board of Directors.

Our informal Change-of-Officers ceremonies were held at Coastal Fermentory on June 25th.  First, Past District Governor Diane presented departing President Elizabeth with the Rotarian of the Year award, for serving as President not one but two years during some of the most challenging times in our club's history.  Next, PDG  Diane swore in Phil Harris, the President for the 2025-2026 Rotary Year.

Wrapping up the speakers in the 2024-2025 Rotary year were Carl Duffy educating us about human trafficking, Jeff Tanner talking about horse racing, Derek Lapisca telling us about his new business the Bird Girl Bottle Shop, Commissioner of the Revenue Tiffany Boyle of the City of Newport News, and nurse Nicole Duck on stroke.

On June 18th we met at the Brooks Crossing Innovation and Opportunity Center in downtown Newport News.  We got a brief tour of the facilities, heard from Director Larry Brunson about the many ways the facility is helping the less-advantaged people in the community, and got a glimpse of the great improvements that the City is bringing to this area.

On April 23rd we had another off-site meeting, this time at the new home of THRIVE.  We revisited their updated facility and heard about their rapid progress.

In the early portion of the calendar year we heard from John Frantz, who linked medicine with politics, Anthony Rogers, who spoke about the Peninsula Agency on Aging, Jay Paris of the "IV Watch" program, Susan Price talking about her furniture repair business, and Daniel Collins explaining what a "sustainable city" is.

Our meeting March 19th started in the David Student Union on the campus of Christopher Newport University, with a talk about our club's scholarship endowment at CNU, and the elite Bonner students that benefitted from the scholarships.  The meeting was kicked outdoors by a fire alarm, but since the weather was beautiful and mild, we happily continued with the meeting and heard from the four Bonner scholars.

On February 26th we had an early-evening social at Coastal Fermatory's "uptown" location in Newport News.  A social is slated to be a monthly happening in the club.

February 15th saw our annual "Charter Night," although this time it was really a charter day, being in the afternoon instead of at night.  The venue was the "farm" of Kevin and Nhu Yeargin near Windsor.  The miserable weather outside only emphasized how nice it was inside.

On December 21st we had our annual holiday party at the home of Adam and Jen Duncan.  Good food (all home-made!) and good fellowship.

Every year we ring the bell for the Salvation Army kettle in shifts, all day.  On the left we see the just-relieved Suki Pierce standing with Dale Mingleton, Howard Waters, and Phil Harris.  On the right are John Frantz and Diane Hagemann.

The following are meeting programs not described elsewhere:  Adam Hess spoke about Project LEAD in the Peninsula Health District; Ay Jordan, from Hampton Roads Transit, talked about the new options available in public transit; David Rosenthal, of the District 7600 Foundation leadership team, brought us up to date on Rotary's war on polio; Nicole Duck, Riverside Regional Stroke Program Coordinator, described the Stroke Smart City; Jeff Trimbur from the Rotary Club of Oyster Point gave us an update on the Mariners' Museum & Park Discovery Project; and Doreen Kopacz, Port Development Administrator for Newport News, spoke about current port development projects.

On November 14th our meeting was held at Hampton City Hall, in the 9th floor Real Time Crime Center.  The RTCC is a space where information gathered electronically from across the City can be displayed simultaneously, real time, to police and emergency officials so that reactions can be coordinated quickly and efficiently.  The technical presentation was made by Sergeant Chris Matthiae, with comments by Police Chief Jimmie Wideman.  We in the Rotary Club were astonished by the capabilities of the system.

On a warm Halloween's eve, we had a social get-together on the porch at the Smoke restaurant in Newport News.

Speakers in late summer not mentioned elsewhere include our own Dale Mingleton introducing us to his organization, the Newport News Public Schools Foundation; Marcie Bevins from Virginia Natural Gas; Katie Stodghill and Jess Archer describing the renovation of cabins in Virginia's state parks; Carol Minter from Soundscapes, an organization that teaches music to children; and Brian Cole, explaining about the importance of personal training and the development of small skeletal muscles.

October 12th saw a work day for a multi-club District Grant for the Mariners'  Museum.  In these photos we are scraping, sanding, and painting a play surface; and we are assembling game panels, all for the museum's children's play area.

While she was visiting, Joy Kline presented Bill Ziglar with a pin for reaching a Paul Harris Fellow plus five level in Foundation giving, and she welcomed John Frantz for graduating to the Paul Harris Society status in giving.

Each year, the Rotary District Governor is required to make an official visit to every club in the District.  September 11th found her making her visit to the Virginia Peninsula Club.  She talked about the year's theme, "The magic of Rotary," complete with props.

Kevin and Nhu Yeargin had us out to their new digs in Windsor--the occasion for the social was Kevin's birthday.

In early August we had an interactive visit from Brian Swets from the Newport News Department of Development.  He had us give our comments about what should be done in Newport News, with the intention that our comments would be incorporated into the upcoming comprehensive plan for the City.

Ted Mercer, a retired USAF Major General, is the CEO & Executive Director of The Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority.  He told us about commercial space flight coming to Virginia.

We began the new 2024-2025 Rotary Year with DG Joy Kline swearing in Dale Mingilton as our newest member.  Dale is a transplant from a Colorado Rotary Club.

On July 10th the 2024-2025 Board of Officers and Directors were sworn in by Joy Kline, District Governor for 2024-2025.  This was followed by the swearing in of Elizabeth McCoury, who extends her presidency into the 2024-2025 Rotary year.

On the 19th of June Jimmie Wideman, Chief of Police for the City of Hampton, talked about some of the changes that have come to the art of urban policing.

In the spring of 2024, programs not discussed elsewhere included Robert Pollard talking about the current political furor over menhaden fisheries; Rick Correa discussing upcoming HOV highway lanes; Bob Estrema talking about literacy; Conover Hunt taking us back to the Kennedy assassination; Tina Hawley-Blount explaining how to help those who are blind; and Brantley Bissette discussing new developments in the treatment of sewage.

Our big fundraiser for the year: the Virginia Peninsula Rotary Club's Casino Night, March 13th: how to have the fun of a casino without the risk.

In February and early March we heard from Sarah Navarre discussing the Safe House Project; Jay Grant, executive director of LISC Hampton Roads; Bill Pollard talking about a unique physical workout organization; and Adam Duncan conducting a Club Assembly going onto the finer points of the planning for Casino Night.

Our Charter Night celebration this year was held at the home of Amy and Bill Ziglar, and that large abode was bursting at the seams with Peninsula Club Rotarians.

Early in the calendar year we heard from Michelle Mitchell, Superintendent of Newport News Public Schools; Past District Governor Stephen Beer talking about The Rotary Foundation; Karen Joyner,CEO of the Virginia Peninsula Food Bank; and Adam Hess talking about Drug Interdiction Measures of the Peninsula Health District.

To start the new calendar year, our club participated in a five-club social to celebrate a completed joint project at THRIVE, a local organization that supports those in the community experiencing hardships.  The five clubs involved in this project were the Warwick at City Center Club, the Peninsula Cub, the Yorktown Club, the Newport News Club, and the Oyster Point Club.

Under the glare of an unusually bright sun, on December 20th the Peninsula Club worked shifts to man the kettle for The Salvation Army all day long at the Newport News Sam's Club entrance.  On the left are Steve Adams and Ray Spencer; on the right are Adam Duncan and James Hicks.

On the evening of December 9th at the home of Bill and Amy Ziglar, we had our holiday party.  The environment was excellent, the conversation was enjoyable, the food was exceptional, the beverages were good and plentiful--even the weather was cooperative.

Local media personality (and now CEO of a public relations firm) Joel Rubin entertained and informed the club at the November 15th meeting.

November 9th was the date for the 2022-2023 District Foundation Awards Banquet in Williamsburg.  Kevin Yeargin was honored with the prestigious James Pierce Foundation Leadership Award.  Shown here with Kevin are Suki Pierce, who gives out the award, Kenny Janes, 2022-2023 District Governor, and Larry A. Lunsford, Rotary International Trustee and keynote speaker for the evening.

On November 8th District Governor Rudy Garcia addresses the club during his official visit.

As Peninsula Club Foundation Chair Kevin Yeargin looks on, District Foundation Chair John Padgett welcomed President Elizabeth as a member of the Paul Harris Society.

October 25th found the club visiting the Virginia Living Museum, where Executive Director Rebecca Kleinhample gave us a view into what was happening at the museum, and we made the acquaintence of Moe the elderly otter.

October 13th through 15th saw the 2023 District Conference of our District 7600.  The venue was the nearby Newport News Marriott at City Center.  Our own PDG Diane Hagemann was the co-chair of the conference and played a central role in the organization and running of the event.  Ray Spencer, with help from Kevin Yeargin, presented the club's recently-completed Global Grant at two different breakout sessions.  And half of the Sergeant-at-Arms crew was from the Peninsula Club.  Shown in the Sergeant-at-Arms photo above are (left to right) Kevin Yeargin of the Peninsula Club, Mike Jallo of the Historic Triangle Club, John Frantz of the Peninsula Club, Joe Hansley of the Churchland Club, Ron Lynde of the James City County Club, and Bill Ziglar of the Peninsula Club.

Speakers in late summer included Bob McKenna of the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Liz Wolfson of Langley Federal Credit Union, Lisa Howard of E3 (Elevate Early Education), Ray Spencer talking about the Club's recent trip to Costa Rica, and Jody Lassiter of CSX Transportation, Inc.

The 30th of August found us enjoying a pleasant, interesting, and tasteful ice cream social in Poquoson.

Speakers in early summer not described elsewhere included our own Mike Salka discussing his nonprofit helping veterans when they buy a home, Diane Hartley of the Peninsula Agency on Aging describing the dementia-friendly community, Derek Perry of the Newport News Department of Development describing happenings in the City, Kathryn Nemeth of CHKD discussing the psychiatry pavilion at CHKD, and J. B. Crowley of Historic Hilton Village.

In mid-August we took a trip to Costa Rica, joining the Heredia Rotary Club of Costa Rica to look at potential projects.  Three members of the Virginia Peninsula Club, plus two spouses, were joined by three members of the Warwick at City Center Club, plus a niece.  Shown here at the building of the Centro Agricola Cantonal in Santa Barbara on the central plateau of Costa Rica are (third from the left) Jennifer Daknis of the Warwick at City Center Club, (seventh from left) Leslie Borwick of the W@CC Club, (eighth) Kevin Yeargin of the Peninsula Club, (ninth) Ray Spencer of the Peninsula Club, (tenth) Holly Kidd of the W@CC Club, (eleventh) future Rotarian Rebecca Robinson, and (fourteenth) Bill Blanchard of the Peninsula Club.  Others in the photo are members of the Heredia Rotary Club and staff of the Centro Agricola Cantonal.

On the 19th of July we were joined by Steve Drew, Chief of the Newport News Police Department.  He gave us an interesting, informative, and sometimes moving talk.

On July 12th the incoming president, Elizabeth McCoury, was sworn in by Past District Governor Diane Hagemann.  Her Board of Directors was sworn in immediately after.

Another honor for Adam Duncan:  He was named by his peers as Rotarian of the Year for an amazing year of leadership.

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??On June 14th John Frantz was recognized as the club's newest member of the Paul Harris Society.  He is shown here with Kevin Yeargin, the club's Rotary Foundation Chair.?

 On June 8th we had dinner and a game: a picnic at the ball park, and a baseball game featuring our hometown team, the Peninsula Pilots.

During April and May our speakers included our own Adam Duncan giving advice on retaining employees, Kalen Hammann talking about relationships at home and in the workplace, Pam Croom expounding on diversity, Amasa Smith bringing us up to date on An Achievable Dream, Billy Hannah telling the history of his own company, Diane Umstead talking about Smart Beginnings, Virginia Woodward talking about the Fear 2 Freedom program, and Judge Doug Miller explaining the U.S. District Court system.

March 25th saw our Casino Night.  The intention was for this to be the first of many annual Casino Nights, which would become our chief fundraiser.  The first of an event like this is always difficult, and the success of this one promises even greater success in the future.

The Ides of March was active in the membership area.  First, we inducted James Hicks as our newest member; then James and Michael Vassalo told us about themselves in Classification Talks.

Some meeting programs early in the 2023 calendar year included Joe Massino joining us via Zoom to discuss our upcoming Casino Night, Linda Ficht speaking about the legalities of non-compete clauses in employee contracts, Jerry Markham explaining the Pentagon Memorial, and William Donaldson discussing the economy of 2023.

We closed out February with a multi-club social at the 1700 Brewery.  Members of the Peninsula Club, the Newport News Club, the Warwick at City Center Club, and the Yorktown Club joined in fellowship.

Our Charter Night celebration this year was February 18th at the Oozlefinch Brewery Brewery on historic Fort Monroe.  We recognized the 47th aniversary of the founding of the Club.

On February 8th Randy Gnatowsky and Amanda Gundry, portraying a pirate and his barmaid friend, introduced us to the daily life of the 19th-Century East Coast.  They came from "Blackbeard's Crew," a Poquoson-based performing nonprofit.

Our own Phil Harris on the 1st of February spoke to the Club about how businesses buy business software, and how software vendors sell it.

On January 25th our newest member, Michael Vaasalo, was inducted into the Club.

On January 15th Amy Scott, a relatively new member of the Club, and her husband David presented the world with twins.

Our annual day of ringing the bell for The Salvation Army was on December 21, the Wednesday before Christmas.  Shown here are Suki Pierce and Bill Ziglar.

Rounding out the end of the calendar year we were joined by Tammy Guido speaking about her family's memorial foundation, Sean Heuvel discussing CNU's Office of Graduate Studies, Luisa A. Vazquez-Lopez on the Mariners' Museum, and Monica Hill on how to use ads on LinkedIn.

Here we are showing off the Rotary Year 2021-2022 awards we garnered at the District's Foundation Banquet November 10th: the EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) Award, the award for 100 percent participation in Foundation giving, the award for support of the Polio Plus campaign, and the award for giving $250 per capita or more to the TRF Annual Fund.  Shown here are Club President Adam Duncan, Club Foundation Chair Kevin Yeargin, and Rotarian Suki Pierce, whose husband Jim was a long-time ardent supporter of the Foundation.

Some autumn programs not mentioned elsewhere included Mike Poplawski, Director of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism for the City of Newport News; Jack Gelman of the Peninsula Council of CEOs, discussing and demonstrating the activity of his organization; and John MacDonald, manager of the award-winning Hampton/NASA  steam plant.

The Peninsula Club and the Warwick at City Center Club had a joint service project in late September, at the Four Oaks Day Service Center in Newport News.

As usual, this year's District 7600 Assembly just outside Richmond saw a good representation from the Peninsula Club.

The end of September saw a Club social at Bull Island Brewery, with a good crowd.

On September 14th District Governor Kenny Janes paid his official visit to the Virginia Peninsula Rotary Club.

Three late-summer programs not otherwise mentioned here were Coleen Bonadona giving us an update on Rotary's Polio Plus campaign, Chris Sapp from Yorktown's Victory Family YMCA told us about his facility's expansion plans, and Jonathan Provost of Pro/Vost Construction discussed his construction company and its project in downtown Newport News.

At the end of August we had a joint social event with the Warwick at City Center Club at the Smoke Restaurant.

On August 10th we inducted our newest member, Amy Scott.

July 28th found us out at the ball park--for dinner and for watching the Peninsula Pilots.  Our team won!

At a gathering of District leadership July 16th, our President Adam was recognized as the outstanding club president in the entire District for the Rotary year 2021-2022.  Well done, Adam!!

June 29th brought a bright sun and kind temperatures to our social at Styron Square in Port Warwick.

The evening of June 10th saw the Peninsula Club and the Warwick at City Center Club jointly holding a social at the Virginia Living Museum.  There was camaraderie, good food, and an excellent venue.

On the 11th of May Oleksandr Humen, better known here as Alex, visited our club.  He is a native of Ukraine, and gave us an interesting and thought-provoking talk about the informal but effective methods he and his fellow Ukrainians in the U.S. are using to help his friends and relatives back home.  We Rotarians got first-hand insight into the ongoing war.

April 23rd was a work morning at the Virginia Living Museum.  A crowd of Peninsula Club Rotarians and Warwick at City Center Club Rotarians worked on a new museum site--a playground area next to the Dinosaur Discovery Trail.  We worked on preparations for a "treehouse" with a swing, climbing boulders, balance beams, and a slack line.  And we took a large pile of mulch and distributed it over the area.

Schoolchildren in Costa Rica are still going to school virtually, and some of the students cannot afford the internet access necessary for online schooling.  The Peninsula Club, partnering with the Warwick at City Center Club and the Heredia Club in Costa Rica, obtained a District 7600 grant to give two years' access to 23 families in Costa Rica.  The photos above show a meeting at which the Heredia Club gave instructions and internet hotspot devices to high school students taking part in the program.  A similar meeting was held for grade-school students.

On April 7th Adam Duncan and John Frantz attended the annual Christopher Newport University President's Donor and Recipient Scholarship Luncheon.  Ariana Gatewood is this year's recipient of the Peninsula Rotary Club Endowed Scholarship.  Ariana is a sophomore majoring in cellular, molecular, and physiological biology, and minoring in Spanish and Leadership Studies.  Our scholarship fund is one of the oldest at CNU, and since its inception in 1983 we have awarded 38 grants totaling $146,435.

March 30th saw a social at Burger Theory.

Sunday afternoon, March 20th, saw three local Rotary Clubs--the Peninsula Club, the Warwick at City Center Club, and the Yorktown Club jointly turning a hallway in Patrick Henry Mall into a food factory, packaging thousands of meals for Rise Against Hunger.

In March we had a brewery fest--three programs, each presented by a different local craft brewery.  On March 2nd Seth Caddell of the Coastal Brewery talked about the quest for excellence.  On March 9th Eric Williams of the Billsburg Brewery discussed the brewery as a destination venue.  On March 16th Tuan Bui of 1700 Brewing talked about brewing your own beer at home.

Our annual February party is Charter Night (46 years!), held at the Hampton Yacht Club.  There was a good crowd, good conversations, and good food.?  The upper photo shows Paul Harris honorees.

January 19th saw the inauguration of our new meeting venue at the Holiday Inn at City Center.  Not quite coincidentally, the first program was by the manager of the newly-renovated hotel.

What would the holiday season be without the day of Peninsula Rotary bell-ringing for the Salvation Army?  On December 22 we rang all day long at the Sam's Club in Newport News, in one-hour shifts of two people each.  Above are Howard Waters and Charlie Edmonson.

On Friday night, December 17th, our annual holiday party at the Hampton Yacht Club was a great success.  The usual seafood spread plus cut-to-order beef, and lively companionship.

During a meeting of the Board of Directors the morning of December first, President Adam laid out some possibly important shifts in the Club's direction: a change in the venue of the meetings, an innovative new type of membership, and a surprise in the core of the Club's year--the Tennis Ball.

Some happenings during the months of October and November not mentioned elsewhere include Wendy Drucker giving us an insider's look at the world of real estate, Greg Seigel discussing the streetcars on the Peninsula, Alex Ritchie Oniell talking about the current state of Rotaract on the Peninsula, and Martha Morris giving us a nostalgic look back at Buckroe Amusement Park.

Once again this year the Peninsula Club was active at the District Conference.  As you can see here, two of the four members of the Sargent at Arms team were from our Club.

October 13th found us once again at the Bull Island Brewery.

On October 6th Past District Governor Judy Cocherell delivered a check for our District Grants.

Programs duing August and September not mentioned below include Randy Troutman, Regina Mobley discussing the life of a video-journalist, Betsy Layman explaining lean agility in business, and Holly Koons telling about the new CNU Torggler Fine Arts Center.

The evening of August 18th found us at a club social event at the Bull Island Brewery in Hampton.  Good food, good beer, and good fellowship.

As the first act of his new presidency, Adam Duncan congratulated Bill Ziglar as the 2020-2021 Peninsula Rotary Club Rotarian of the Year.  At a time of immense challenges--the Covid pandemic and the Club President moving away, to name but two--Bill's leadership made a success out of what could have been a disastrous year.

The Club's change of leadership took place on June 30th.  Past District Governor Diane Hagemann swore in President Adam Duncan, and District Area Governor Bill Ziglar swore in the officers and board of directors as a group.

For more photos going back through the years, visit our History Pages.