Category Archives: Rotary Club of Madison Guest Speaker

September 3: Madison LakeWay Project

Posted on September 9, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Kevin Hoffman

Former Madison Rotary President Jason Ilstrup and Madison LakeWay Partners CEO Jayme Powers presented a comprehensive overview of the project that will transform Madison’s 1.7 miles of Lake Monona lakefront that stretches from Olin Park to Law Park near the intersection of Wilson Street and Blair Street. With the goal of improving public access and connecting downtown to Lake Monona there are four areas envisioned to facilitate access along the entire length of John Nolen Drive. They will feature peers and boating facilities, event spaces, bio retention basins to improve lake health, segregated traffic lanes for cars, pedestrians, and bicycles. The first phase is in conjunction with the road reconstruction of the John Nolen Causeway starting in October 2025 and to be completed by Winter 2028.

If you missed the program, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/CDCzUhtg8z8

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

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August 27: “Former Area Man Has Madison Rotarians in Stitches Recounting the Founding of The Onion.”

Posted on August 29, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Joy Cardin

We had a very funny Rotary Club of Madison program on Wednesday with Scott Dikkers talking about his forthcoming book – The Onion Story: How a Band of Misfits, Dropouts and Sad Sacks Built the World’s Most Trusted News Source.

Scott recalled how he came to Madison from little Ellsworth, Wisconsin hoping to break into “show business” – not realizing how unlikely that would be at the time.  He first found some success when the Daily Cardinal student newspaper started running his Jim’s Journal comic strip, which eventually turned to a t-shirt design, and then a New York Times best selling book!  

The two founders of The Onion (named that because the two ate onion sandwiches) asked Scott to draw cartoons for this publication they were planning. He soon volunteered to help edit the stories – and before too long he became the co-owner of the paper and its editor in chief. 

Scott guessed that the Rotarians in the audience know how important it is to search “high and low” for great talent.  But he said he only searched low looking for the world’s best satire writers!   He found them in the form of disgruntled liquor store workers, dishwashers and grocery store clerks.  For whatever reason, the Badger Liquor Store was a big source of writers.  One applied with a story headlined: Area Loser Wants Job.  The writers were not micromanaged. They were left alone. They didn’t have to work business hours.  No one was fired.     The ones who weren’t that funny just stopped coming to the editorial meetings. And it worked!

The Onion Story will be published in October. 


https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Onion-Story/Scott-Dikkers/9781637747513

If you missed the program, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/7QKJgNYuH-0

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

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August 20: John DeMain and Robert Reed: The Madison Symphony Orchestra Celebrates 100 Years!

Posted on August 22, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Ellsworth Brown

Photos of Music Director John DeMain and Executive Director of the MSO Robert Reed

100 words do not do justice to the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s forthcoming 100th anniversary season.  Executive Director and Rotary Member Robert Reed and Conductor John DeMain shared an extraordinary array of programs, any one of which could convince a newcomer to consider the full season.  

The array of special events can be viewed by scrolling through madisonsymphony.org/events.  You will discover two days of performances at season’s beginning including a performance above the orchestra by Cirque de la Symphony, a grand Christmas celebration, and a 2026 spectacular world premier closing.  Don’t miss the chance!

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

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August 13: Author Diane Ballweg has Landed her Plane at 377 Airports, and Logged Flight Time on Five Continents

Posted on August 18, 2025 by | Leave a comment

  –submitted by Sharyn Alden

The name Diane Ballweg has long been synonymous with a wide number of achievements. Owner of Endres Manufacturing, founded in 1926 Waunakee by her grandfather, teacher of aviation at Edgewood High School, philanthropist, and for her deep support of the arts.

   But many know her as a private pilot, rather the “Pink Pilot,” who keeps her four-seat Cessna plane at her pink hangar in a Madison airport.

   Now, she can add another achievement to the list–and that’s author. Her extraordinary journey across global skies is fascinating reading in the newly published book, Into the Wind, Above the Clouds: Love at First Flight.

At Rotary on August 13, she pointed out misconceptions about flying starting in 1899 when Charles Duell, Commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office said, “Everything that could be invented has been invented.” She said, “It goes to show how limited innovative thinking was at the time.” Four years later, the Wright brothers invented the airplane. She added flying is safer than driving. In the sky, you are miles apart from another plane, but in a car on the road, only 8 feet or so apart.”

   It was easy for Rotarians to ‘feel’ Ballweg’s enthusiasm for flying. “My life changed when I got above the clouds,” she said.

If you missed the program, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/qk4LBV8rH4Q?si=GayVN7A6mPHcWw0L

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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 25: Is There a Path for Immigration to US Anymore?

Posted on June 27, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Larry Larrabee

Grant Sovern, a local immigration attorney, made an interesting and very entertaining presentation on the three levels of benefits for immigrants: Visas, Permanent Residence, and Asylum.  He began by pointing out there is no such thing in America as an application for immigration.  The process for obtaining any of the above is extremely complicated, as well as frequently changing with each administration since the law was written in 1952.  Without legal representation, it is practically impossible for the average person.  New York City, in response to this, began providing legal representation which has cut the number of deportations by 50%.  As a result, Madison has the Community Immigration Law Center located in Christ Presbyterian Church on Gorham, staffed by 7 volunteer attorneys, has seen the same results here. For more information, visit https://www.cilcmadison.org/.

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Posted in Rotary Club of Madison Club Service Award, Rotary Club of Madison Guest Speaker, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker, Weekly Rotary Guest Speaker

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