–submitted by Melanie Ramey; photos by Rob Stroud and Karl Wellensiek
Front Left: Tim Stadelman, Tom Popp, Dick Olson, Melanie Ramey & Bob Dinndorf; Back Left: Bob Sorge, Paul Riehemann, Wes Sparkman, Dave Mollenhoff, Larry Smith, Carol Toussaint, Ted Long, Perry Henderson, Rob Stroud, Jim Ruhly and Karl Wellensiek
The inaugural meeting of the Past Presidents Anonymous (PPA) Organization was held on September 17 at The Madison Club. About half of the extant past presidents were in attendance. The name Past Presidents Anonymous was chosen as it is apropos because one may never fully recover from the experience.
(Photo 1: Jim Ruhly and Bob Dinndorf; Photo 2: [from left] Tim Stadelman, Bob Sorge and Wes Sparkman)
Members shared some of the challenging experiences of their presidency. There was a lot of good humor and fellowship. One person spoke movingly as to how helpful some of the presidents had been to him when he was experiencing a difficult time. Others spoke of how helpful it was to know that we could seek out the counsel and help of each other as well as other club members.
It was decided that the group would meet annually. A special thanks to Karl Wellensiek who instigated the idea and handled the arrangements for the occasion. The meeting concluded with Dick Olson telling an Ole and Lena joke and the taking of a group picture which will hopefully be photoshopped.
For a full listing of our past presidents, refer to pages 4-5 of our current membership roster.
Rotary Club of Madison, Wisconsin 