Albion Rotarian recognized for 57 years of perfect attendance

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Brad Shelp, left, joined the Albion Rotary 57 years ago and hasn’t missed a weekly meeting – ever.

The long-time car salesman has maintained perfect attendance since he joined the club, making up meetings on vacation in Florida and at nearby clubs when he had a work commitment that interfered with the Albion club’s meetings for lunch on Thursdays.

Kevin Crosby is district governor of about 70 clubs in Western New York and Southern Ontario. He was at the Albion club on Thursday and presented Shelp with a pin and certificate.

“This is really a remarkable achievement,” Crosby told Shelp and the Albion Rotary Club.

Shelp said he enjoys the fellowship in the Albion club, and also the chance to visit Rotarians in Holley, Medina, Le Roy, Middleport and Batavia, and also when he is in Florida.

“It’s nice to see what the other clubs do,” said Shelp, who continues to work part-time in sales for the Don Davis Chevrolet Buick GMC dealership. “There’s not too many clubs that are the same.”

During his visit with the Albion Rotary Club, Crosby was presented with a check for $341 by Don Bishop, left. That money was collected during the Rotary Club’s golf tournament last month and is to be used to help eradicate polio.

Crosby said the world is nearly polio-free. Rotarians are trying to wipe it out of the two remaining countries that have the disease: Pakistan and Afghanistan.