New Member Bios - Stark, Mailliard, Stockton, Haverkamp

 

 

               Save the date:  At its Oct. 15 board meeting, it was decided that Monday, Dec. 15 would be the date for the club’s annual holiday luncheon.  Probable site is The Lincoln Center and the board is checking on availability of a slightly larger room than the Landau Conference Center, where our weekly luncheons are held.

 

             The board also is checking with Holmes Elementary School leaders to see about a Christmas gift drive for selected needy families, which the club has done for several years.

 

 

               When a guest speaker was unavailable, instead of the scheduled program, four of the club’s newest members shared thoughts about their careers.

 

               The high quality of the impromptu “classification talks” showed why each new member is a valuable addition to the club.

 

               Brad Stark, former Spokane city councilman and former Boy Scouts of America administrator and former club member, said conversations with Don Spencer and other club members enticed Brad’s return to the club.  He said he met Spencer at a concert in Sandpoint and Don urged Brad to rejoin the club, even as Don was falling victim to the pancreatic cancer which claimed his life.

 

              Brad said he quit Rotary as his family was growing and as he was switching to a career in financial planning.  Just returned from a trip to Disneyland with his wife, son and daughter, Brad recounted how his son, age 7, was picked as a Disney “mayor” for a day, complete with special mouse ears.  (Is that something a Spokane mayor would wear well?)

 

              John Mailliard, a retired FBI staffer, said he joined the federal agency in 1972, just eight days before legendary leader J. Edgar Hoover died.  A Burbank, Calif., area native, John said his dad was a 45-year Rotarian.  John has been a member in Murrieta, Calif., and Pocatello, Idaho clubs, for 19 years.  In the FBI, John helped establish a high-tech data center in Pocatello, where he served as second in charge.  He retired from the FBI in 2000 after a 28-year career.

 

               Alyson Stockton recalled her seven years in the Air Force and noted her husband, a major, flies KC135 aircraft. 

 

              Allyson said she saw a number of Air Force enlistees who struggled with personal finances, so she has dedicated her new career in financial management to help such personnel straighten out their accounting challenges.  She said she prefers “to look back” and work with existing problems, rather than speculating on forward-looking personal finance possibilities.

 

              True to her roots, she loves the “Roll Tide” University of Alabama football exploits, but said with the new career and growing young family, she often is too busy to watch the games.

 

              Chad Haverkamp, a Mead graduate, recounted how he decided to enlist in the Army, took the placement tests, and, despite a wide range of options, selected the infantry, against his mom’s wishes.  Chad said since the country was not at war, he thought the infantry would mostly involve exercises “like shooting paint-balls in the woods.”  But, he added, it was the year 2000, and things would change dramatically.

 

             Chad said he watches with mixed emotions the lingering fights in various Mideast venues, including Fallujah and other places where he was involved in intense skirmishes.

 

             He described his assignment at Banner Bank as helping businesses needing $1-million-plus infusions of capital.  Brad said he likes the forward-looking possibilities of helping businesses decide what opportunities to pursue.  Like Allyson, Brad’s family includes two youngsters.

 

             Thanks to all four new members for sharing their stories.  Each new member adds something special to Rotary-North.