PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — In an effort to make up for lost time the Presque Isle Rotary Club hosted its second Paul Harris Recognition Evening this calendar year, on Nov. 29 at Northern Maine Community College, recognizing four community members for their outstanding service to community and to the objectives of the Rotary Foundation.
The recognition evening, historically an annual event, took a pause in the years of 2020 and 2021, and then resumed in June of 2022, with the club recognizing five Rotarians with the honor. This second recognition evening in late November allowed the club to honor several individuals that they weren’t able to recognize in a large group setting during the pandemic. The Paul Harris Fellow Recognition, named after Rotary’s Founder, is the highest distinction in Rotary
The first Paul Harris Fellow recognition went to the club’s longest serving Rotarian, Richard Engels, who has provided the club with outstanding service for the last 52 years. However, his service did not begin there. After completing his formal education, Dick served as an Army Intelligence Officer, rising to the rank of captain. After serving in Vietnam, he began practicing law in Presque Isle. He joined Bemis & Rossignol, LLC. in 2007 and just recently retired after over five decades of practice. During his time with the PI Rotary Club, Dick has had a passion for youth and scholarship projects. He has been very active in his church and other community organizations. He was instrumental in the formation of the Northern Maine Community College Foundation and is the co-founder of the Aroostook Football League. Dick has previously been recognized with Paul Harris Fellow Recognitions by both the Presque Isle and Caribou Rotary Clubs for his work in Rotary and the community.
Nancy Fletcher has been a member of the Presque Isle Rotary Club since 1991. Nancy has always been more than just a member of the club as she has given so much of herself to help with many service projects over the years. She has been active within the local Rotary foundation and literacy committees and has served on many Rotary Auction Special Project committees. She served as club president in 2009-10 and as Assistant District Governor in Rotary District 7810 from 2012-15. Serving in various capacities at the club and district levels, she has attended district conventions, district trainings, served as club historian and in various capacities for the annual Presque Isle Rotary Auction. Nancy is a “behind the scenes” Rotarian, always stepping up when asked.
Next, the Presque Isle Rotary Club recognized Dixie Shaw for her work with Catholic Charities for the past 35 years. Dixie is an Aroostook County native, working in potato fields from age nine into adulthood. She first began her career at Catholic Charities in the Juvenile Jail Diversion Program. She then became youth services director for 13 years, managing that program along with the Emergency Foster Care Program. In 2002, she became the program director for the Food Bank which later evolved into Hunger and Relief Services. Through her vision, she has continued to build the program to now consist of two food banks, over 28 food pantries served, four thrift stores, one large scale textile recycling center, Farm for ME, a Glean Team and many partnerships with schools, agencies and organizations throughout the nation. Dixie credits her success to God and the wonderful staff and volunteers she has worked with over the years as she says “They make me look good!”
The final recognition went to Sonja Eyler who you may know as the librarian at the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library. She began her library career in 1993 as the assistant children’s librarian at the same library in which she now leads. Sonja is committed to literacy and lifelong learning. She believes that reading for recreation or learning creates a community of practice that encourages economic and personal growth, an appreciation for nature and positive relationships. In addition to her work at the library, she also owns and operates an equestrian center with her husband Steve, where they provide lessons, trail rides and events for community members. She has dedicated her recreation time to helping people in the community see the beauty around them with the assistance of horses and to use these experiences to improve their own outlook on life.
“These recognition events are so important. It reminds us how fortunate we are to be able to celebrate and show our thanks to some amazing individuals,” shared Chantal Pelletier, Presque Isle Rotary Club president. “We live in a community where a lot of impressive service happens every day and these four outstanding community members truly emulate the ‘Service Above Self’ Rotary motto. The Presque Isle Rotary Club would like to take the opportunity to congratulate and express our gratitude to these four individuals for their dedicated service to Rotary and our community.”
