For nearly 30 years – since 1993 – our Club has made special efforts to identify and acknowledge the work of individuals who have demonstrated service to their community and to this Club.
This presentation is for the Jack R. Grist Club Service Award. It is named after a now departed member of the Neenah Rotary Club who was known for his outstanding service to the Club and to his community.
The award winner is provided with a $1,000 fellowship in his or her name to either the Rotary International Foundation or the Neenah Rotary Club Foundation. Nominations for this award are made by our fellow Neenah Rotarians. Members nominate individuals who they believe epitomize service to the Neenah Rotary Club, and whose values reflect the ideals of Rotary International.
This presentation is for the Jack R. Grist Club Service Award. It is named after a now departed member of the Neenah Rotary Club who was known for his outstanding service to the Club and to his community.
The award winner is provided with a $1,000 fellowship in his or her name to either the Rotary International Foundation or the Neenah Rotary Club Foundation. Nominations for this award are made by our fellow Neenah Rotarians. Members nominate individuals who they believe epitomize service to the Neenah Rotary Club, and whose values reflect the ideals of Rotary International.
Dave Wollangk has been active on the Board of Directors and has been honored as a Paul Harris Fellow multiple times. He served in several leadership roles within the Club and helped with many club activities, including working with Seafood Fest for multiple years, donating time and treasure to our annual golf tournament fundraiser, delivering gifts at Christmas time, as well as regularly supporting our Club’s Rotary Youth Exchange students as one of the coolest host parents ever!
Outside of Rotary, Dave has served at his church as a Deacon, a Youth Leader, and a Choir Member. He is also a past volunteer leader at the Boys and Girls Brigade. Additionally, to the club’s benefit, his design skills in would always add a very professional look to our promotional materials.
Perhaps most obviously to many of us, Dave loves to sing, always having a perfectly pitched note to get us started with our Rotary songs. At times when we were particularly lucky, he would entertain our club with special songs for whatever the occasion was. And speaking of entertaining our club, he was our mostly secret and talented "odist" for many years, painstakingly gathering all available dirt on our outgoing presidents to craft a special toast/roast honoring them at these dinners.
In nominating Dave, club members noted that his contributions may have been overlooked throughout the years, as we’ve recognized members who were more visible and out in front of the club as President or one of the larger committees. Dave was described as a humble servant who usually does his volunteer work “behind the scenes, not behind the podium” and who never looked for recognition for himself.