Coronado Rotary’s new president, Bob Rutherford, broke the mold in his family, joining the Navy after four generations of career Army officers. That choice was driven by his aspiration to fly jets. The Navy offered just that opportunity to Bob, with his freshly minted degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Arizona.
As a Navy test pilot, Bob tested the suitability of jets for use on carriers and did weapons systems integration verification. This involved pushing the limits of the aircraft to determine safe parameters using real-time telemetry. Bob’s job was to minimize surprises for the pilots who followed him.
One test stands out in his memory where he was instructed to test how slow one can take off from an aircraft carrier without losing significant altitude after leaving the carrier deck. On one flight, he dropped a bit more than was expected and made a note of that speed as below the minimum to protect the next pilot from a similar experience.
Bob was chosen as an exchange student test pilot for one year with the UK’s Royal Air Force Empire Test Pilot school, where the curriculum was similar to a master’s degree in engineering.
Like his forebears, Bob retired as a military officer, completing 30 years of service. The Navy took him to Coronado twice: in 1993 and finally in 2005, when he followed fellow Rotarians Tom Mitchell and Dave Landon as Commanding Officer, Fleet Area Surveillance and Control Facility. Like many military retirees, Bob and his family made the decision to remain in Coronado.
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Rotarian of the Year is the highest honor bestowed by the Rotary Club of Coronado on one of its members. It recognizes a person who, over the course of many years, has demonstrated a sustained and selfless commitment to the service of others.
“We’re all so proud to recognize Jim Kaufman as our Rotarian of the Year. Jim has been one of our most active members and a model of our “ Service Above Self " motto.” said Rotary President Bob Rutherford.
“Jim is an amazing supporter of the goals, ideals, and spirit personifying Rotary in the world” explained Paul Plumb, 2018 Rotarian of the Year, “His most impactful project, conceived 13 years ago, is hosting Coronado Rotary’s annual wine tasting event that raises funds to support Rotary International's initiative to eradicate polio around the world.” To date, these events have raised a total of over $3,500,000.
“Jim is such an important part of the End Polio Now wine tasting event,” Chris Keyes, 2023 event Co-Chair added. “ His good nature, enthusiasm and willingness to serve are felt in so many ways. This fundraiser would not be as successful and popular as it is without his dedication and support. Year after year, he generously and graciously hosts the Club's largest fundraiser at his beautiful home. Jim is a tireless backbone of the committee. Jim does it all with a smile and a tireless desire to make a difference in the lives of children and adults to save them from the ravages of polio. He is the epitome of "Service Above Self".
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In keeping with community tradition, Rotarians welcomed outstanding student athletes and their parents to an annual luncheon meeting that has become one of the Club’s favorites. Coronado High School Athletic Director Robin Nixon presented students that were chosen by the Coronado's coaching staff not only for their athletic ability but also for their sportsmanship, coachability, integrity, and scholastic achievement.
Coronado High School’s Interact Club members took over the May 24th meeting, introducing RYLA awardees, and sharing some projects during the past year, including supporting and visiting the La Hacienda Orphanage in Tijuana, fundraising events, and beach clean-ups, including one with members of the Grossmont Interact Club.
Thursday, August 4, 2022
Rotarian of the Year is the most coveted honor the Rotary Club of Coronado bestows on its members. It recognizes one person who, over the course of many years, has demonstrated a sustained and selfless commitment to volunteerism. The Rotarian of the Year is one of the best kept secrets of the club with clues disclosed at the annual Installation and Recognition Dinner. This year some of the clues read by 2021 Rotarian of the Year, Karen Strabala, included: “This Rotarian loves chocolate and big dogs, is a published author, was his high school’s Valedictorian, attended the Naval Academy; enjoys bicycle riding, rowing and tree-climbing. This Rotarian participates in community committees that include Emerald Keepers and Avenue of Heroes, and co-chaired Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) during the pandemic. This year’s Rotarian of the Year is Dan’l Steward.”
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Friday, July 22, 2022
Tonight, a Ukrainian refugee family of five sleeps soundly in a compassionate Danish family’s home, not realizing that the Rotary Club of Coronado, thousands of miles away, served as the catalyst for their ultimate safety. This family’s refuge all started because of a weekly meeting of Coronado Rotary and has since mushroomed into so much more. In fact, Coronado Rotary recently issued a substantial grant to the Rotary Club of Holbaek, Denmark to ensure that other similarly displaced Ukrainian refugees will find shelter from the war-torn ravages of their beleaguered homeland.
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Celebrate Rotary, a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service and encourages high ethical standards in all vocations. First established in Chicago in 1905 by four businessmen, Rotary celebrated its centennial in 2005 and currently comprises 35,000 clubs and over 1.2 million members in 200 countries worldwide. Embodied in our motto, Service Above Self, Rotary’s main objective is service — to the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world.
We support activities as diverse as feeding the hungry, bringing clean water to the thirsty, vaccinating the sick, and teaching thousands to read; we perform hundreds of other projects that promote greater understanding and goodwill in a troubled world. From hometown self-help projects to global campaigns, Rotarians unite in common cause. A seminal Rotary undertaking: Rotarians worldwide are united in a global campaign to eradicate polio... a program that received pledges from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation totalling $555M.
With a proud history that began March 8, 1926, we in the Rotary Club of Coronado have been serving our community and the world for over ninety years. From the original 22 members we have grown to more than 250 dedicated men and women who are involved in a wide variety of community, international, vocational, club and special activities.
Please enjoy your visit to our website. Look around, study of our rich history, and develop a sense of the projects and activities in which we engage with passion. Link to the wider world of Rotary International. If you plan to be in Coronado or the greater San Diego area, either as a visitor or visiting Rotarian, please join us for a meeting and lunch. We meet every Wednesday noon in the world-famous Hotel del Coronado. One hundred and twelve years of Rotary Fellowship and service are great cause for celebration, and during this year, I invite you to join us as we celebrate our enormous success in peace and humanitarian projects worldwide.
Membership in Rotary is by invitation. If you are interested in finding out more about our organization, please feel free to contact us at (619) 435-8334 or [email protected]. We would be delighted to share the unique joy and deep satisfaction one discovers from working with others in the spirit of "Service Above Self."
LuAnn Miller, President
2022-2023
People who walk our beautiful beach early on the weekends have probably observed blue-vested Rotarians picking up trash and putting it into white buckets. Coronado Rotary has been “keeping it clean” on the beach every month for decades. But it was only this summer that a Committee to Support the Environment was formed. In response to a Rotary International initiative to add an Area of Focus called Save the Environment, a group of talented and energetic Rotary members with a passion to serve the community and take care of the planet agreed to organize community cleanups.
In the three months since the Committee was formed, they have held 14 Saturday cleanups. Groups get together on the first, second and fourth Saturday of each month, focusing on Centennial Park, Orange Avenue and the Silver Strand Bike path. Small groups from 3 to 10 people, including their family members have spent over 127 hours improving Coronado by picking up over 500 gallons of trash.
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