By Hub City Times staff

MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield Noon Rotary Club celebrated its 100th anniversary on Oct. 7, with a special dinner and program at the Holiday Inn Conference Center downtown. The event also featured past club members and presidents, highlighting decade by decade some of the major milestones, accomplishments, and projects Rotarians have been involved with locally for the past century.

Michelle Boernke said a big milestone came in the 1980s when the Supreme Court ruled that Rotary clubs could not exclude women from membership on the basis of gender.

Some of the club’s major projects were highlighted as well, such as the handicap dock addition to Wildwood Park in 2004 and startup costs for the Rotary Winter Wonderland Holiday Light Display, also at Wildwood Park. Other milestones mentioned included the club’s contributions to Marshfield’s centennial celebration in 1972 and a 1977 donation toward the creation of the New Visions Art Gallery at Marshfield Clinic.

Former Rotarian and retired Marshfield Clinic Executive Director Fritz Wenzel spoke of the club’s core values and commitment, to provide service above self.

The Marshfield Noon Rotary was officially chartered on August 1, 1919, with 25 members. Rotary is a service organization of business and professional men and women who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help foster goodwill.

The celebration concluded with the club making a donation of $20,000 to the city’s new cougar exhibit and welcome center Wildwood Zoo, which is scheduled to open later this month.