Chan Tyrrell presented himself as "the recovering Rotarian". He was wearing literally all of the Rotary pins he had collected over the years.
Chan shared that his family has 4 generations of Rotarians. His Grandfather was a charter member of the Lincoln East Rotary Club. His father was a member of Lincoln 14. And his son, until he moved, was also a member of Lincoln 14.
Chan started his working years in the flower shop owned by his father and grandfather. He then landed in fundraising - from seminary to community to a retirement center. He mentioned that it was his calling - he loved his 32 year career as a fundraiser.
When he followed his father and grandfather into Rotary he looked it as a sound business decision. The contacts he would make would translate to clients. But, as his time in Rotary continued he decided that he wanted to be a Rotarian because of the things that we do - making a difference in our community and around the world. He is particularly appreciative of the peace efforts of Rotary - that has become very important to him.
What we may not know about Chan . . . when he was in college he and a number of friends rented a house together and had a pet rhesus monkey. His advice - don't!