A brief summary of Arizona Dude Ranch history with an emphasis on Tucson’s often forgotten position as the “Dude Ranch Capitol of the World”.
Russell True ~ Biography
Born in Denver, Colorado, Russell was brought to Tucson at 5 years old when his parents bought White Stallion Ranch. He has worked there for his entire 40 year working career and owns and manages the ranch with his brother.
-Graduated from University of Arizona in 1982 with a finance degree.
-Two-time president of The Dude Ranchers’ Association, the only multi-state dude ranch organization.
-Co-founder and president of the Arizona Dude Ranch Association.
-Board member of the Dude Ranch Foundation, a 501C3 dedicated to providing scholarships to rural students, rancher education, land preservation and preserving dude ranch history through its museum and archives in Cody, Wyoming.
-Along with partner Jaye Wells, established Ranch Preservation Holdings, LLC in 2016 to own, manage and save dude ranches across the West. Currently 4 ranches are in the True Ranch Collection, with plans to expand.
-Received the David J. Nivison award from the Southern Arizona Attractions Alliance in 2016. The award recognizes “excellence in promoting tourism, attractions and dude ranches in Southern Arizona”.
-Inducted into the Arizona Tourism Hall of Fame in 2017.
-Named the Family Travel Person of the Year by the Family Travel Association in 2019.
-Board member and currently board chair of the Rillito Park Foundation, which operates racing, the farmers market and events at Pima County’s Rillito Park.
-Authored Dude Ranching in Arizona (Arcadia Publishing) in 2016.
-Authored Dude Ranching in Wyoming (Arcadia Publishing) in 2020.
The Gem Show is back in town at the TCC, and since the show needs all the available space, Westward Look will be hosting our lunch meeting on February 2nd. Please enter left of the main entrance to the Sonoran Ballroom.
Typically, the President’s 2nd quarter review would be in early January, but I elected to tap the brakes given the Car Show program and the presentation of a check to our friends at Pima County JTED. That all occurred last week. More on this in a moment.
First, a quick note about our programs and a big thank you to our amazing Program Committee consisting of Kurtis Dawson, David Lovitt, and Nancy Bevins. They have stayed true to our Centennial focus in bringing our members incredible keynote speakers who are all “Tucson Treasures”. Please join me in thanking them.
The second quarter of the year and the first few weeks of January we have enjoyed some truly outstanding keynote speakers including Henrietta “Hank” Huisking (Rotary District 5500 Governor); Bonnie Schock (Fox Theatre); Zach Yenzer (Tucson Young Professionals); Diana Madaras and Lisa Bates (Tucson Wildlife Center); Joni Condit (Tucson Classics Car Show); General Ted Maxwell (SALC); Crystal Stark (Singer); Bill Doelle (Archaelogy SW); Richard Oseran (Hotel Congress); Felipe Garcia (Visit Tucson); Dr. Angelo Versace (UA Jazz Studies); Roger Pfeuffer (Mission Gardens); Carlotta and Ray Flores (El Charro); and Kasey Hill (Greater Tucson Leadership).
So too a round of thanks to the Switcher Studio Team for all their efforts too. Matt Blair, Jenn Delaney, Dan Kalm, Bob Logan, Chris Mooney, Tom Moulton, Gary Olsen, you are all simply the best. This provides a lot of exposure to sponsors and allows our members who are unable to attend a way to stay engaged. Thank you.
Rick Rose (Film Creations) and Matt Russell (Russell Public Media) continue to knock the ball out of the park with the video introductions of our keynote speakers. A big thank you to both of them too.
And now the big news!!! To say the 15th Annual Car Show and our Centennial Celebration were successful is an understatement. Thank you to Joni Condit and Jim Lubinski for their leadership as our chairs. They and the team simply knocked the ball out of the park. Over 25,000 people attended the Car Show and enjoyed over 400 classic cars.
As a Club we made a commitment to JTED of $250,000 and exceeded that commitment by presenting them with just over $456,000 over the last two years. Wowza, that is over $200,000 more than we promised them. That donation will increase given they have been named as our beneficiary to our 2022 Tucson Classics Car Show.
The icing on the cake was Honorary Members Rob Draper and Buck O’Rielly at O’Rielly Chevrolet electing to donate to PCC JTED scholarships, in the name of the Rotary Club of Tucson, the entire cost of the car they helped us secure through Chevrolet. That added over $71,000 to the funds raised for JTED students and brought the overall impact to just over $527,000.
The group had a lot of fun too and the addition of Honorary Member Adia Barnes as our Car Show Marshall was a hit. So too was her bringing the entire UA Women’s Basketball team to support the event.
Sadly, it has not been all roses. A handful of members, who were on “Leave of Absence” announced at year end that they were going to step away. The greater majority have stated business pressure and/or COVID related issues being the most mentioned. We have dropped to 235 members (which includes 15 Honorary Members).
We are hopeful that the recent showcasing of the 40 Under 40, the women’s mixer, and the upcoming March Madness will create some new opportunities for membership. It is incumbent on all members to remember our Club’s focus of bringing in new members and also Rotary International’s “everyone bring one” goal. This starts with an invitation from you to have someone in your sphere of influence come join you at one of our luncheons.
As I have moved past the midway point in my tenure as your President, it has me thinking about those folks who will kick off the next 100 years for our Club. I have no doubt that Bruce Jacobs will be a finely tuned incoming and exceedingly capable President when he takes over in about 150 days. Likewise, Margaret Higgins will be waiting in the wings to take over thereafter and is another outstanding choice to lead our Club in the future. Our Car Show is in excellent hands with Bobby Larson as our new Chair. Joni’s role in leading the Foundation will also be impactful.
Please be a part of the solution. March Madness is another opportunity to do so.
President MARK IRVIN opened the meeting by welcoming back ERNIE MINCHELLA. It was good to see him up and about again.
President MARK introduced MITCH PISIK, who led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and Song ‘America the Beautiful’.
KYM ADAIR gave the Inspiration. She spoke of Resilience and how Rotarians do not dwell on setbacks but continue to find ways to service others in need and strive to move forward even though faced with adversities.
President MARK updated the Club on the ongoing COVID protocols. Now members can be identified by wearing a ribbon that expresses their desire to Social Distance and avoid contact during the Meet and Greet time prior to the start of the meetings. President MARK asked people to be respectful of others’ level of comfort during these COVID times.
After the break for lunch and fellowship, KHRIS DODGE, Sargent at Arms, introduced the many Guests and Visitors that were in attendance and thanked them for joining our meeting.
President MARK introduced the Program for the Meeting. JIM LUBINSKI will talk about the Centennial, JONI CONDIT, Chair of the 2021 Tucson Classics Car Show and BOBBY LARSON, the 2022 TCCS Chair.
JIM LUBINSKI spoke about the Centennial and the planning, which started four years ago in 2018. The plan was decided which would combine the two major Fundraisers, The Centennial and the Car Show with a single beneficiary. The goal was for $250,000. JIM MURPHY headed the effort to select a single Beneficiary out of 46 applicants. The field was narrowed down to three applicants, Reid Park Zoo, Interfaith Community Services and PIMA JTED. PIMA JTED was selected as the main Beneficiary and $35,000 went to both Reid Park Zoo and Interfaith Community Services. The Centennial was planned to be a community wide event and celebrity JAY LENO was picked to Headline the event. Unfortunately, COVID happened shortly thereafter which caused the event to pivot to a Live and Online Auction. JIM thanked all of the people that were involved in the Event. JIM thanked MIKE, SUSAN and ZACK ANDERSON from WE BUY HOUSES.com, for their continued financial support of the Event. Also recognized was JIM CLICK and all of the many Rotarians and Media Sponsors that contributed financially to the success of the Event. JIM introduced JONI CONDIT, Chair of the 2022 Tucson Classics Car Show.
JONI was very excited to speak about the ‘Supreme 15’ Car Show and everyone that made the Event possible. A special Thank you went out to JEANNE ZETAH, DORINNA and KARI and KANDIE VACTOR for their hard work supporting the Event. ROB DRAPER was instrumental in acquiring the 2021 C8 Corvette for the Auction. Thank you to CINDY BARBEE and MARY MARTIN and all of the Media Folks who were recognized for donating over $200,000 in Media expenses to support the Event. CHUCK SAWYER and TOM STRAUSBERG and The Gregory School for heading up the preparation of the Field. The Friday Night Auction was a great success due to many Rotarians but a special thanks to FAYE MORSE, ARNIE JACOBSEN, JEANNE ZETAH and BRUCE JACOBS. ADIA BARNES was selected as the Grand Marshall of the Event. Thank you to our MC’s for the Show, KHRIS DODGE and SCOTT VAUGHN. Thank you to DJ JOHN for the Music. JON WANG, thank you for Sponsoring the TCCS Tee Shirts. STEVE PICKERING was chair of the Classics Club and PAT ZUMBUSCH with Wellspring for sponsoring the Classics Club, which was a great success. Thank you to both of them. Thanks to DOT KRET for the Food Vendors and their great food. Thanks to JEN and SEAN HOFFMAN for running the Beverages portion of the event. The Show Layout team, MARIANNE, KANDIE, TOM and ARNIE did a great job. Thank you to all of the Row sponsors. Special thank you to the Clean Up crew for the great job returning the field to great shape after the show. Thanks to the Photo crews and volunteers. All totaled, there were over 260 volunteers that made this show a great success. Thank you to the Car Entrants Hospitality team headed by SHARYN FELTON, ANN LANCERO and ANN PICKERING. MIKA COLE was the Winner of the C8 Corvette and donated $10,000 back to the Foundation, WOW!
The Goal for ticket sales was 35,000 tickets which was exceeded as 38,045. Thanks to JON WANG and MARK IRWIN for each selling over 1,000 tickets.
JONI did the presentation of the Check to the PIMA JTED. For this year, the amount was $382,604.56 and added to that were the proceeds from last year’s virtual event, all totaled $456,646.56. GREAT work for all of those who helped make this a tremendous success.
JONI introduced BOBBY LARSON, next year’s TCCS Chair. BOBBY thanked JONI for her success and gave her a beautiful memento.
BOBBY let everyone know that the 2022 Beneficiary will again be PIMA JTED as they are constructing a second Building, dedicated to Health and Medical Careers at the Bridges Campus. JIM MURPHY provided a packet of drawings and conceptualizations of the new campus.
BOBBY announced the Car for the 2022 TCCS, a 2015 C7 Corvette which was available to see outside the meeting room. MIKE ANDERSON went on a mission to obtain the Corvette in RENO. DAVE WHITE flew to RENO and drove the Car back to Tucson. Title Sponsors for the 2022 TCCS are again the ANDERSONS with WE BUY HOUSES.com. Thank you MIKE and family for your generosity and continued support of our Club and the Tucson Classics Car Show.
President MARK invited Kathy Prather and the folks from PIMA JTED up to receive the Check as beneficiaries.
President MARK acknowledged the Birthdays for this weeks meeting.
JIM ENGEL, San Jose State University and U of A, retired Manufacturing / Sales
STU GOLDMAN, Ohio State University, Transportation and Limousine services
EMERY BARKER, U of A, Legal, Real Estate Law / Mesch, Clark and Rothschild
Happy Birthday Gentlemen!
Presentation of two Paul Harris award recipients were given to DAN KALM, plus 1 and LYNN DEVOU, plus 2 by Past President SCOTT VAUGHN. Congratulations to DAN and LYNN!
The History Moment was postponed until next week. The Raffle ticket winner was MIKE ANDERSON but the King of Clubs was not picked.
President MARK announced an addition to the IRV’s fly fishing Wall. RICH FLYNN and 2 of his Grand-kids were pictured on the Wall. Thank you RICH for your donation to the Fly Fishing Fund.
The Social Mixer was announced for February 9th at Hotel Congress. Limited seating at 75 so make sure and sign up.
President MARK congratulated the Birthdays and Paul Harris awards Recipients as well as all involved with the 2021 TCCS.
The Sweetheart/Social Mixer is fast approaching and will be held on WEDNESDAY, February 9, 2022 at Hotel Congress (The Century Room), 311 E. Congress Street from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. This Mixer will replace our lunch meeting on Wednesday, 2/9/22. We are limited to 75 seats, so it will be on a first come basis. ALL must register on the Club Website at www.tucsonrotary.org under "Upcoming Events". Parking is available at AC Marriott and Depot, and west of Maynards. Bring your Guest/Sweetheart, the fee is $35 and will be billed to your account. There will be LIVE MUSIC and a cash bar.
So remember, if you plan to attend, don't wait to sign up. Again, only 75 spots are available!
Let's all have some fun and fellowship at the Sweetheart/Social Mixer.
If you have any questions, contact the Rotary office.
(Please be aware of the Covid protocols through Pima County)
The Rotary Club of Tucson will be holding a Blood Drive during our February 16th lunch meeting at the TCC. The American Red Cross is in need of your help and they will be available between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Please click on the link below to sign up and once there use sponsor code: Tucsonrotaryto schedule your appointment.
February:PEACEBUILDING AND CONFLICT PREVENTION Month
One of the six areas of focus of Rotary we don’t seem to talk about very much is peacebuilding and conflict prevention (the actual area of focus is named "Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution"), which is the theme for the month of February. It is often, however, the conflicts that occur throughout the world that are the root causes of poverty, despair, economic hardship and poor health. Take for instance the major deterrent to polio eradication: the difficulty in vaccinating children in war torn countries. Rotary International as an organization understands this relationship and therefore is deeply invested in supporting individuals and programs that will develop leaders who are committed to seeking ways toward peace. The path toward peace begins with understanding and respect for the differences that make us unique.
These are the same types of values that are studied in the peace centers supported by Rotary International in association with several major universities across the globe. The mission of these centers is to “empower, educate, and increase the capacity of peace builders through rigorous academic training, practice, and global networking opportunities.
Through this experience, Rotary Peace Fellows build the skills needed to act as leaders and catalysts for peace and conflict resolution both in their communities and around the globe. These Fellows develop the skills needed to act as “leaders and catalysts for peace and conflict resolution both in their communities and around the globe.” As Rotarians we should all be similarly committed to understanding the conflicts that exist in our own society, to speak out when necessary, and to seek solutions that reflect the values of Rotary.
Through global grant activities, clubs and districts can participate in strategically focused, high-impact activities that align with Rotary goals that address this area of focus including to train leaders including potential youth leaders to prevent and mediate conflict, support peacebuilding in communities and regions affected by conflict, and support studies related to peace and conflict prevention/resolution for career-minded professionals.
"Save the date, Saturday, February 19th for the Sid Hirsh Memorial Hike of Tumamoc Hill. This mid town "hike" is fun for everyone whether your goal is midpoint, the summit or Sid's hike of summit and a half it is a great start to the day. Meet time will be 7:30AM and please be sure to follow all parking regulations. For those that are hungry after the hike, breakfast burritos and horchata coffee at Seis Kitchen will follow. Hope to see you there and more to come!"
The opportunities to showcase your fish during Irv's Centennial year are shrinking. You will not want to miss the chance to showcase your fish, or better yet your Kids and Grandkids with a fish! Don’t let the Wall of Fame escape you. Join these other folks who have made it to the Wall of Fame and donated to Rotary charities. Please reach out to Dorinna or Irv for all the details.
We will no longer be streaming our meetings live via Facebook but we will be streaming live via our YouTube Channel. We are encouraging you all to subscribe to our Channel in order to receive notices of when the meetings are streaming live. After the live meeting, this video will become a recording and immediately posted on our YouTube Channel. To view live CLICK HERE.
To view videos on the RCOT YouTube channel go to our Home Page of the Club website and click on the YouTube link on the right hand side of the page. Or, go to YouTube and type in Rotary Club Of Tucson. You will be able to click on the video you wish to watch once they are posted. Here is the link to do this: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rotary+club+of+tucson
Please add mailservice@clubrunner.com to your safe sender list or address book.
To unsubscribe from future e-mails, click here.
To forward this email to your friends, click here.
To view our privacy policy, click here.
ClubRunner
905.829.5299
102-2060 Winston Park Drive, Oakville, ON, L6H 5R7
.jpg)
A brief summary of Arizona Dude Ranch history with an emphasis on Tucson’s often forgotten position as the “Dude Ranch Capitol of the World”.
The Gem Show is back in town at the TCC, and since the show needs all the available space, Westward Look will be hosting our lunch meeting on February 2nd. Please enter left of the main entrance to the Sonoran Ballroom.
Typically, the President’s 2nd quarter review would be in early January, but I elected to tap the brakes given the Car Show program and the presentation of a check to our friends at Pima County JTED. That all occurred last week. More on this in a moment. 
JIM LUBINSKI spoke about the Centennial and the planning, which started four years ago in 2018. The plan was decided which would combine the two major Fundraisers, The Centennial and the Car Show with a single beneficiary. The goal was for $250,000. JIM MURPHY headed the effort to select a single Beneficiary out of 46 applicants. The field was narrowed down to three applicants, Reid Park Zoo, Interfaith Community Services and PIMA JTED. PIMA JTED was selected as the main Beneficiary and $35,000 went to both Reid Park Zoo and Interfaith Community Services. The Centennial was planned to be a community wide event and celebrity JAY LENO was picked to Headline the event. Unfortunately, COVID happened shortly thereafter which caused the event to pivot to a Live and Online Auction. JIM thanked all of the people that were involved in the Event. JIM thanked MIKE, SUSAN and ZACK ANDERSON from WE BUY HOUSES.com, for their continued financial support of the Event. Also recognized was JIM CLICK and all of the many Rotarians and Media Sponsors that contributed financially to the success of the Event. JIM introduced JONI CONDIT, Chair of the 2022 Tucson Classics Car Show.
VACTOR for their hard work supporting the Event. ROB DRAPER was instrumental in acquiring the 2021 C8 Corvette for the Auction. Thank you to CINDY BARBEE and MARY MARTIN and all of the Media Folks who were recognized for donating over $200,000 in Media expenses to support the Event. CHUCK SAWYER and TOM STRAUSBERG and The Gregory School for heading up the preparation of the Field. The Friday Night Auction was a great success due to many Rotarians but a special thanks to FAYE MORSE, ARNIE JACOBSEN, JEANNE ZETAH and BRUCE JACOBS. ADIA BARNES was selected as the Grand Marshall of the Event. Thank you to our MC’s for the Show, KHRIS DODGE and SCOTT VAUGHN. Thank you to DJ JOHN for the Music. JON WANG, thank you for Sponsoring the TCCS Tee Shirts. STEVE PICKERING was chair of the Classics Club and PAT ZUMBUSCH with Wellspring for sponsoring the Classics Club, which was a great success. Thank you to both of them. Thanks to DOT KRET for the Food Vendors and their great food. Thanks to JEN and SEAN HOFFMAN for running the Beverages portion of the event. The Show Layout team, MARIANNE, KANDIE, TOM and ARNIE did a great job. Thank you to all of the Row sponsors. Special thank you to the Clean Up crew for the great job returning the field to great shape after the show. Thanks to the Photo crews and volunteers. All totaled, there were over 260 volunteers that made this show a great success. Thank you to the Car Entrants Hospitality team headed by SHARYN FELTON, ANN LANCERO and ANN PICKERING. MIKA COLE was the Winner of the C8 Corvette and donated $10,000 back to the Foundation, WOW!
JONI introduced BOBBY LARSON, next year’s TCCS Chair. BOBBY thanked JONI for her success and gave her a beautiful memento. 
RK invited Kathy Prather and the folks from PIMA JTED up to receive the Check as beneficiaries.
The Sweetheart/Social Mixer is fast approaching and will be held on WEDNESDAY, February 9, 2022 at Hotel Congress (The Century Room), 311 E. Congress Street from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. This Mixer will replace our lunch meeting on Wednesday, 2/9/22. We are limited to 75 seats, so it will be on a first come basis. ALL must register on the Club Website at 
The Rotary Club of Tucson will be holding a Blood Drive during our February 16th lunch meeting at the TCC. The American Red Cross is in need of your help and they will be available between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Please click on the link below to sign up and once there use sponsor code: .jpg)
"Save the date, Saturday, February 19th for the Sid Hirsh Memorial Hike of Tumamoc Hill. This mid town "hike" is fun for everyone whether your goal is midpoint, the summit or Sid's hike of summit and a half it is a great start to the day. Meet time will be 7:30AM and please be sure to follow all parking regulations. For those that are hungry after the hike, breakfast burritos and horchata coffee at Seis Kitchen will follow. Hope to see you there and more to come!"
The opportunities to showcase your fish during Irv's Centennial year are shrinking. You will not want to miss the chance to showcase your fish, or better yet your Kids and Grandkids with a fish! Don’t let the Wall of Fame escape you. Join these other folks who have made it to the Wall of Fame and donated to Rotary charities. Please reach out to Dorinna or Irv for all the details. 
