Category Archives: Madison WI

July 16:  Madison Public Library Celebrates 150 Years

Posted on July 18, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Joy Cardin

The City of Madison did not have municipal water, sewage or electricity when its first library opened in City Hall in 1875 – but it had the smarts to promote learning and provide access to information for its residents.  

The Director of the Madison Public Library Tana Elias presented the history of the library system as it celebrates its 150th anniversary this year when the Rotary Club of Madison met on location at Madison’s Central Library this week. 

Over the years, the library has grown to include nine branches in neighborhoods throughout the city and the Dream Bus Library bookmobile.  This spring there was a groundbreaking for the 10th library branch in Reindahl Park.  The Imagination Center will be an indoor-outdoor library and community space.  It is scheduled to open in September of 2026.  

Elias can’t say for sure how libraries will evolve in the future, but she believes our Madison Public Library system will continue to provide the tools and experiences to keep the community informed, inspired and engaged.  

If you missed the program, you can watch it here:  https://youtu.be/oPPpccO7tUg.

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Posted in Madison WI, Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Club of Madison Guest Speaker

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June 11: Economic Collaboration Between Madison and Milwaukee

Posted on June 12, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Joy Cardin

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and the co-founder of the Hoan Group Ian Abston addressed our club about the importance of partnerships and collaboration in building healthy communities. Crowley said if Milwaukee County and Dane County are doing well, the entire state of Wisconsin will benefit. He noted numerous successful Milwaukee County projects and programs and credited the Hoan Group for helping to make them happen.  The Hoan Group is a private network of civic-minded leaders working to bridge the Madison and Milwaukee business communities. It was co-founded by Ian Abston and our club’s president Jason Ilstrup!  A main focus of the group is to collaborate to retain young people in Milwaukee and Madison and to attract new talent to our communities to keep the twin engines of Wisconsin’s economy humming.  One example of joint efforts to appeal to more young people is having a Milwaukee presence in the Night Market series in Madison and vice versa. 

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Posted in 2. Meetings, Madison WI, Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Club of Madison Guest Speaker, Weekly Rotary Guest Speaker

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June 4: Center for Black Excellence & Culture

Posted on June 9, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Larry Larrabee

Rev. Dr. Alexander Gee, Founder and CEO of The Center for Black Excellence and Culture, gave an excellent presentation describing the founding and purpose of his organization whose new headquarters will open in December in the 700 block of Badger Road. Dr. Gee said that 100 years ago, Blacks moving North had a better sense of acceptance and inclusion than is true today, and the Center’s purpose is to help develop that feeling among Madison’s Black Community.  He stated that studies show that when Blacks have this feeling of belonging, they have fewer degenerative diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.  One of the many activities of the Center is to aid UW researchers in studying factors that help Blacks thrive and succeed.

If you missed our meeting last week, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/F5y9JAEkWt4.

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Posted in Madison WI, Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Club of Madison Guest Speaker, Weekly Rotary Guest Speaker

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May 21:  Former U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg, Tom Barrett Provided Insight into His International Role

Posted on May 23, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Sharyn Alden

“It was like a chess game,” he said at the May 21st Rotary meeting. “Except this was a game of ‘human chess’ dealing with people. The former Milwaukee mayor of 18 years, and U.S House of Representatives, shared a close-up look at being ambassador to Luxembourg for three years. “I am proud to have represented the people of the U.S.,” he said.

Often asked how he got the job serving this very wealthy country smaller than Dane County with its population of 650,000, he said he asked for it.

In February 2021, in an airplane hangar at Milwaukee’s Mitchell Field, President Biden asked Barrett what he could do to help him, following the Democratic Convention in Milwaukee being pulled due to Covid. “He asked if I’d like to be the ambassador to Luxembourg, and I said yes.”

Among some special remembrances, he said, “The people of Luxembourg love the U.S. They haven’t forgotten we saved them twice in 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge. Barrett said he was touched when an 84-year-old woman told him, “We will always be grateful for what the U.S. did for us.”

If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch it here:  https://youtu.be/h25Lg_osrFk.

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April 23: A Scientist’s View of the Bird flu

Posted on April 25, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Rich Leffler

Thomas Friedrich, a UW Professor of Virology, spoke to us about the possibility that Bird Flu will spread to humans. It originated in wild birds, spread to dairy cattle, then to poultry (deadly), and there have been 70 cases in humans, all mild. No human-to-human transmission. Yet. Will it cause a pandemic? Various factors have been studied. Only four mutations are needed to allow it to spread to humans. It needs to be tracked by human health systems. Many have recently been defunded. One of Professor Friedrich’s funders has rescinded its grant. Crazy, no?

Attendees also got to hear Soprano Sachie Ueshima, who will sing Zerlina in the Madison Opera production of the great Mozart opera Don Giovanni on May 2 and 4, as she opened the program with a superb performance of an aria from the opera.

If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/qJyFMAJS_uQ.

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Posted in Madison WI, Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker

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April 9: Passing the Citizenship Test

Posted on April 14, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Rich Leffler

Caitlin Mackesey, head of the ESL and the Citizenship programs of the Literacy Network and a former student, now instructor, Alejandra Munoz Contreras, spoke to us of the effort to help immigrants prepare for the tests to become American citizens. They gave a pop quiz of some of the questions from the official test, which a sizable percentage of Rotarians could not answer correctly. Questions in Civics, U. S. government, and history. In addition, competence in reading, in writing, and in speaking must be demonstrated. Classes and tutoring are offered. Fifty people in the program became citizens last year and, so far, 18 this year. A great program, you say? The federal government just cancelled their $70,000 grant, with no notice.

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Posted in Madison WI, Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Club of Madison Guest Speaker, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker, Weekly Rotary Guest Speaker

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