Yehls head United Way campaign

Roswell Rotary Club member Warren Yehl and his wife Barbara will chair the 2022 United Way of Chaves County fund-raising campaign. The goal of this year's campaign is $400,000.

Rotarians help monarch tracking

Bianca Cheney at release

Rotarians and family members helped with the release of 200 tagged monarch butterflies during the 19th annual Dragonfly Festival at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge east of Roswell.

This year’s festival was held Sept. 10 at the refuge, 4200 E. Pine Lodge Road.

Rotarian Warren Yehl and club president Bianca Cheney led the Roswell Rotary Club effort to release the butterflies

The club contributed to the purchase of the butterflies this year from a 2022-23 District 5520 grant.

“We will be asked to work on the butterfly trail at a later date,” Cheney added. “The monarchs are marked with a special tag so when they are caught, locations and distance traveled can be documented.”

The wildlife refuge reported each butterfly had a special numbered light sticker affixed to its wing. This sticker, which does not hinder the butterfly’s flight, helps scientists keep track of the monarchs’ migration routes.

Volunteers in Mexico locate the monarchs in their overwintering sites and on their spring migration back through North America.

Information collected also helps conservationists set aside migration corridors for the butterflies and promote planting milkweed along the way. Monarch caterpillars require milkweed to survive, the refuge reported.

The Warren Yehl family and Bianca Cheney help a Bitter Lake Wildlife Refuge ranger with the release of monarch butterflies.

Paul Long newest member

Paul Long is officially welcomed into the Roswell Rotary Club on Sept. 8. Long, who holds a Banking classification, is senior vice president of J.P. Stone Community Bank.

Barbara Gomez this week's speaker

Gomez

Barbara Gomez, the new executive director of MainStreet Roswell, will speak to the Roswell Rotary Club this Thursday about the program.

Gomez has served as MainStreet Roswell executive director since Aug. 1.

“This organization is vital to not only the community of Roswell, but most especially the downtown Roswell district,” she said. “MainStreet Roswell is considered an arm of economic development and is charged with providing economic vitality, organization, promotion and design to the downtown district.

“We apply for grants to provide revitalization of facades and to build new outdoor areas to bring economic vitality. We have submitted a grant to help construct the upcoming Great Blocks area ‘Market Place walk’ and should know soon if we were approved for a substantial grant for this project,” Gomez said.  

She said the downtown corridor “encompasses Main Street from Eighth Street to McGaffey, going north and south; Richardson Avenue and Virginia going east and west.

“Events on MainStreet provide promotions to shop on Main Street and tourism — events such as UFO Events in July, the Chile Cheese Festival in September and Christmas events in December. We also provide decorations on Main Street — flags for 4th of July weekend, flowers in the pots in spring, Christmas lights in the trees, and Christmas decorations on the light poles,” Gomez said.  

Prior to being selected as MainStreet Roswell director, Gomez worked for Frontier Medical Home Care for 12 years.

“Many of you may already know me or have attended one of the many events I have coordinated, such as the Baby Boomer Health & Business Expo, the BRAVE 5k (Bringing Remembrance to All Veterans Everywhere), Roswell Mud, Sweat & Tears, and many more,” she added. 

Concert on courthouse lawn

Roswell Rotary Exchange student Sakurako “Sakura” Kamitani and host mother Maria Bleth attend the Roswell Symphony Orchestra brass band concert Sept. 2 on the lawn of the Chaves County Courthouse.

District governor's Roswell visit

John Drusedum, Rotary District 5520 governor, presents a banner to Roswell Rotary Club president Bianca Cheney during his visit to his home club on Sept. 1. After addressing Roswell Rotary Club members and meeting with board members, Drusedum was guest of honor at a reception in the home of Rotarian Mark Bleth and his wife Maria.

John Drusedum, Rotary District 5520 governor, addresses Roswell Rotary Club and Pecos Valley Rotary Club members during a reception at the home of Roswell Rotarian Mark Bleth.

Drusedum to address home club

John Drusedum will speak to his home club this week as Rotary District 5520 governor.

Governor Drusedum will meet with the Roswell Rotary Club Board of Directors and then will address the whole club on Thursday (Sept. 1)

John is co-founder of LGR Projects LLC, a New Mexico company that purchases and manages rental real estate. In addition, he and his wife Sharon are owners/managers of the Lonely Goat Ranch and Chuckwagon located just outside of Roswell.

They also own a unique Roswell hair salon, Strands of Gold LLC.

John received his BA and MA from SNU and served churches in Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico in pastoral ministry for 30 years.

In 1998, John co-founded the web and graphic design studio VaporWerks Inc. He and his co-founder closed the studio in 2004.

He grew up on the East Coast in a Philadelphia bedroom community. He is a Vietnam War-era veteran, serving in the U.S. Navy as a data systems technician — now known as IT.

John has been married to Sharon, a native “Roswalien,” since 1981. They have 2 adult daughters, 1 adult son, and 9 grandchildren.

 

John became a member of Rotary in April 1996 while living in Santa Fe. He has held various leadership roles as a member of the Rotary clubs of Santa Fe Centro; Rio Rancho; Austin-Oak Hill (now Southwest Austin), Texas; is a past president of the Roswell Sunrise Rotary Club; member of the Roswell Rotary Club; and has served as District 5520 as assistant governor and lieutenant governor.

He is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow (as is Sharon and 2 of their 3 children), a member of the Paul Harris Society, and he and Sharon are major donors.

In 2018-19, John and Sharon were the host family to a Finnish Rotary Exchange student, with whom they continue to stay in contact.

 

Some of his hobbies/passions include chuckwagon cooking, bass guitar, classic cars, empowering the next generation, clean water/sanitation, and peace initiatives.

John Drusedum, Rotary District 5520 governor, and his wife Sharon are shown before the start of the July 4 Independence Day Parade in El Paso. John will address his home club on Thursday.