It was July 4th, 1981.
Our very first Gyro Stand at Starin Park.
$2.00 Gyro, $1.00 Ding Dong Sundaes, .50 cartons of Hawthorn Melody milk.
Several months earlier, a group of men met in the basement of Commercial Bank, discussing the possibility of starting an Optimist Club in Whitewater. Duane Dickens spearheaded this movement, and asked if we were interested in community service. I was currently President of the Whitewater Jaycees at the time and we had a very active group with over 90 members.
So, on we went. It took several months to get to the required 35 members who were interested in paying dues to volunteer! We did, and as the 4th of July drew near, we decided to have a food booth in the park. Gyros were launched, with equipment offered by Athanas (Tony) G. Georgalas, who owned the Duck Inn at the time. Splitting our time between the Jaycees Jingle Board and our food stand was fairly easy. It was fun to be at the park seeing so many friends.
So now we have a kitty, some equipment, and a track record; what we needed now was a Charter, a Board of Directors, and officers.
On July 26th the motion to organize was made by R. Fassl seconded by H. Devitt with 21 members present and four guests.
The officers were:
Duane Dickens President
Tim Sobie Vice President
Tom Aumann Vice president
Pat Bonney Director
Harry Devitt Director
H. Marklein Director
Duane DeSart Director
Wayne Riegler Director
Tom Schopen Director
And Gerald R. Thayer was our Secretary/Treasurer (Where did he keep the Gyro money for a whole year ?! )
This was the start of a 45-year run of Optimism in Whitewater. We did Gyros until 2018, when we found that we just did not have enough manpower to run the length of the event.
It was a tough decision to make, and it is still missed.
We continued with many other projects from building parks and playgrounds, to taking over several projects from the Jaycees such as the Easter Egg Hunt and Post Prom activities. We enjoyed our partnerships with the WUSD, at all the schools serving ice cream, Bicycle Rodeo, finger printing all our children with the Safe Child Program, honoring Students of the Month, Teachers of the Year. Giving tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships. Oratorical Programs, Tri-Star Sports of all kinds. Sponsoring youth sports through the Whitewater Park and Rec. Dept.. The Optimist Fishing Derby at Cravath. We loved Breakfast With Santa, Toys for Kids, Christmas Neighbors, Floats in the Christmas Parade.
We were young and energetic, so building playgrounds and building Optimist Park was easy, and fun! Deer widows Bowling Tournament, Trivia Night, and Bingo at the Legion brought in people from near and far. We kept the shelves stocked at the food pantry. manned the gates at Perkins Stadium, and manned the concessions stands at the Kohl Center and the Bradley Center. We even worked the first Brat Fest in Madison. And so much more.
As the Club grew, we had even more impact. We started a Club on the UWW Campus, which also grew into a Student Optimist Club on Campus. We had a Chapter in the Middle school, the Junior Optimist Club, and the Octagon Club at the High School. With so much involvement, and so many members, there was little that we would not take on, so we added Highway Cleanup, and the Fremont Nature Park. Moving the “Mustard Building” that was across the street from the train depot to the southeast end of Washington School field for a warming house/clubhouse. It stood next to their Washington Golden Eagles Butterfly Garden.
Last month, the Board of Directors made a difficult decision to no longer pay our National dues, and due to no longer being able to find new members to join, officially ended the UW- Whitewater Community Optimist Club. We were able to donate materials and supplies to Studio 84. WUL received art supplies for the National Children’s Day event. The Community Space was able to take a few loads, and we are pleased that the Whitewater Rec. Dept continued the Breakfast for dinner With Santa event. Watch for it next year. It will be wonderful! The Aquatic center provided a new home for all our Easter Eggs!
Thank you for your support throughout the years, and maybe think of helping our remaining Service Clubs in Whitewater by pitching in. It is a lot of fun to serve.
There will always be Optimists in Whitewater; we just look a little different.
Rick Fassl, Charter Member
