Wendy Guyton, President of the 2024-25 Rotary year, passes the gavel to Fred Lowy, President of the 2025-26 Rotary year.
Happy New Year! New Rotary Year, That Is!
Wendy Guyton, Fred Lowy, and Barbara Barr Bengen
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke celebrated the 2024-25 Rotary year while ringing in the 2025-26 Rotary year with a “Passing the Gavel” festivity at the SaddleBrooke Ranch Ballroom. Rotary dignitaries, guests, and club members helped to honor the old year and welcome in the new year Western style. From cowboy grub and a Sundae Bar to boot scootin’ with the SaddleBrooke Square Dance Club, we had great fun while recognizing our dedicated leadership.
Outgoing president Wendy Guyton began wrapping up the 2024-25 year. She exclaimed that “…we didn’t just meet our goals—we soared past them!” Guyton further reflected that “… every success we achieved was a direct result of your hard work, your innovative ideas, and your unwavering commitment to Service Above Self.”
The leadership of the 2024-25 Rotary year includes President: Wendy Guyton, Past President: John Oszust, President Elect: Fred Lowy, Secretary: Mollie Hunter, Treasurer: Lynn Devou, Foundation: Tom Turriff, Club Services: Linda Drake, International Services: Harvey Smith, New Generations: Roger Bailey, Community Services: John and Linda Howard, Membership: Diane Demeroutis, Vocational Services Bre Zientarski, Peace and Conflict Resolution: Doug May, Environmental: Bill Demeroutis, Fore for Kids: Dan Watson and Gordon Wainwright, Foundation President: Paul Herr, and Foundation Treasurer: Joe Guyton. We are very grateful to our officers and our board. From impactful projects to robust fellowship, their leadership has set a standard of excellence. We extend our heartfelt thanks for their unwavering efforts.
As we turn the page to a new Rotary year, we enthusiastically welcome our incoming president, Fred Lowy, and his officers and board. With fresh outlooks and energy, they are ready to lead us forward into another year of purpose-driven service as well as connection.
A number of our officers and board are continuing to guide us through another year of meaningful impact. Returning to the same responsibilities are Lynn Devou, Paul Herr, John Howard, Linda Howard, Bill Demeroutis, Dan Watson, Gordon Wainwright, Harvey Smith, Diane Demeroutis, Doug May, and Bre Zientarkski. Leading us in new roles are President Elect: Lynn Devou, Secretary: Jan Baker), Immediate Past President: Wendy Guyton, Club Services: Fran Lowy, Community Services: Pete Watson, Finance and Technology: Joe Guyton, New Generations: Dan Devou, Rotary International Foundation: John Oszust, and Director-at-Large: Mary Kay Voss.
Incoming President Fred Lowy has been a Rotarian since 1975. He has held numerous positions in the SaddleBrooke club. Previously, he was a member of the Port Chester (N.Y.) club, and the Camas-Washougal (WA) Rotary Club, where he served as president in 2009-2010. A former newspaper editor and a member of the USA TODAY startup team, he retired from the communications-media profession.
“We encourage service-minded residents to check out our organization and join with us to provide ‘Service Above Self,'” Lowy said, quoting Rotary’s principal motto.
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke meets for Lunch at the Ranch House, Thursdays at 11 a.m. Lunch is followed by a brief meeting and an educational program. For more information, contact Diane Demeroutis at rotarySBAZ@gmail.com.
Alfred (Fred) Lowy, 2025-26 President of the Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke Has a New President
Barbara Barr Bengen
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke has elected Fred Lowy as President for the 2025-26 Rotary Year. Fred becomes the 26th president of the club. Fred and his wife, Fran, are residents of SaddleBrooke.
Fred Lowy has been a SaddleBrooke Rotary Club member since mid-2015. He has served as sergeant-at-arms, club services chair, charity golf tournament grant chair, and secretary of the club’s foundation. And now, the club enthusiastically welcomes Fred as our incoming president.
Prior to moving to SaddleBrooke, Lowy was a member of the Port Chester (New York) club from 1975 through 1984. In 2002, he joined the Camas-Washougal (Washington) Rotary Club, where he served as president in 2009-10. Fred brings rich experiences to his role as president.
Fred’s wife, Fran, joined SaddleBrooke Rotary in October. Fran has made many high-impact contributions to Rotary throughout the years. The club is so delighted to have her as a member. The Lowys have two daughters and five grandchildren.
In addition to Rotary, Fred enjoys swimming, reading, and completing the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle in one-hour or less. He has also been involved with the Community Circle Players and the SaddleBrooke Computer Club. A former newspaper editor and a member of the USA TODAY startup team, he retired from the communications-media profession in 2016.
As the Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke embraces new goals and opportunities, we do so with confidence in Rotary’s legacy while innovating for the future. President Fred reminds us that, “Our club is unique. It was the first Rotary Club to be formed by a group of retirees. We don’t do a lot of business-to-business (B2B) networking, nor do we worry too much about getting back to our jobs when our meetings end. When I first joined Rotary (1975, Port Chester, N.Y.) it was an all-male, all-business, occasional service organization that thrived on B2B and beat down the doors of the Village Inn rushing to get back to their desks, dentist offices, and banks.”
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke is very unique from other Rotary clubs. Composed primarily of retirees, our time is devoted to service to others, fellowship, and continuous learning. We meet weekly on Thursdays for lunch at the Ranch House at SaddleBrooke Ranch. Then in the ballroom, we have a brief meeting followed by an educational program or speakers. The weeks are filled with opportunities for members and friends to sign up for service projects and fellowship events.
“Rotary International’s theme this year is ‘Unite for Good.’ Here, in SaddleBrooke,” Lowy said, “we will be looking at new projects and programs that focus our traditional areas of concern on the unique needs of our surrounding communities in the ‘Copper Corridor.'”
“We can’t do it alone,” Lowy added. “We encourage service-minded residents to check out our organization and join with us to provide ‘Service Above Self,'” he said, quoting Rotary’s principal motto.
Here’s to another year of serving, growing, and giving locally and globally, as Rotarians united in making a lasting difference.