Mary Alice and Charlie are moving to North Carolina to be near their daughter, Jill. Mary Alice and Charlie have made significant contributions to Rotary and our Rotary Club. When they moved to the Denver area, they visited several Rotary Clubs and our good fortune is that they chose to join our club. Mary Alice thought they could make a difference in our club. She was right! Mary Alice is a natural leader and organizer. When she sees a need, she is right there to contribute. She dives in and asks, “ what can I do?”
- Joined Rotary in 1996 (30 years)
- Joined Centennial Rotary in 2007 (20 years)
- Club President - Texas Rotary Club
- Club President - Centennial Rotary Club 2009-2010
- Club Secretary for five years 2013 - 2017.
- Club Foundation one term starting 2022
- Both Mary Alice and Charlie are multiple Paul Harris Fellows.
Mary Alice has been selected by our club as Rotarian of the Year four times:
- 2007-08
- 2011-12
- 2017-18
- 2023-24
Perfect Attendance for over 30 years!!
Champion for:
- Literacy - Journals for 2nd graders. The children drew pictures which became the
cover of a book with blank pages or a journal. Cottrell printing assembled the journals.
Various Rotarians went with Mary Alice to the classroom, distributed the journals, and
explained how to use them. She chose second grade because as a teacher, she feels
that second grade is a critical time for students to learn to read and write. The journals
would encourage both.
◦ Prime Timers - Senior activities
◦ Bicycle Round-up - collecting used bicycles for an organization that refurbishes old
bikes to give away to children in underserved communities.
◦ Overall, if you needed help with a project, they were there to assist.
◦ And they have assisted in almost every club project
If you needed help with a project they were there to assist.
And even more…
They hosted Riccardo Tizzano, Exchange student from Italy. Ricardo was worried that
he was going to live with an “older” couple who would not do much. But he soon
discovered how wrong he was. They kept him on the go with local activities and
attended all his school activities. They even hosted a party with some of his friends. If
he needed a ride anywhere, they were right there to transport him.
He had never had a pet before and he fell in love with their dog, Bodie. He cried when
he had to say goodbye to Bodie.
They hosted numerous club parties in their home including changing of the guard and
several holiday parties
Personal Life
◦ Mary Alice was a 2nd grade teacher
◦ Charlie had a career in the US Army and served in Vietnam.
◦ Parents of two amazing children. A son, Wayne and a daughter, Jill
◦ And they are grandparents to Jill’s two children, Zaida and Charles
◦ Mary Alice is from Kansas and Charlie is from New Hampshire. Mary Alice is a big fan
of Kansas sports teams. She has the midwestern attributes of hard working, dedication
and loyalty.
◦ How they met. Charlie had two years in the army and then took a break in service and
he was in Denver working for IBM during that time. Mary Alice was out here and lived in
the same building and they met because she was going to Hawaii and he had been
there and came down to meet her to tell her all about it. They have been married for 61
years!
◦ They lived in Hawaii and Texas before moving to Denver
◦ They are first people we know to own a Tesla, which they drove cross-country. Mary
Alice is fearless. She had total confidence in Tesla technology. The Tesla guided their
trip and showed them when and where to recharge the vehicle. They got to the East
coast and back safely, with no incidents.
◦ They have been parents to several Collies and they currently have a beautiful Collie
named Bodie.
On their trips to see to Jill and her family, they have scouted Rotary clubs and found a
club that they like and have attended meetings there. That club will be so fortunate to
have them become members!
We will miss them and wish them well in their new home. Thank you for everything you
have done for our club!