Rotarian of the Week 01-12-11

Our Rotarian of the Week grew up in Jonesboro, Arkansas, a small town in the northeastern part of the state.  His high school mascot was the hurricane.  This special Rotarian enjoys Rotary because of the people and really enjoyed working at the District level.  His first job was working as a newspaper boy earning $20 a month. He got paid a little more because he had a bicycle route.  He and a friend worked in his father’s shop and figured how to add an old motor between his legs so he had a motorized bicycle to run his route.  After high school he attended Arkansas State University earning a Bachelor’s of Science in Education.  He went onto earn a Master’s Degree in Social Science from the University of Northern Colorado after ten years of night school. Today, Milt Bittinger is a retired educator.  He and Darleen will celebrate 60 years of marriage on April 2^nd.  According to Milt, “love becomes better and better the longer you are married.”  Milt and Darleen have three kids.  In his younger days, Milt enjoyed buying old houses and fixing them up as rentals.  Now, he enjoys reading because as a teacher he didn’t always have time to read.  His favorite meal is a filet mignon from Little Bear.  His most memorable Rotary experience, was being recognized for his work in helping four different Districts.  In 2000, he received a special service recognition award from the District and was honored as the District Rotarian of the Year in 1995.  In 1988, Cheyenne Rotary President Frank Trelease also recognized him as Rotarian of the Year for our Club for his work on our banners.  Milt has been a dedicated member of our Club since 1979 when he was sponsored by Reed Taylor, the manager of J.C. Penneys.  He served as our Club President in 1992-93 and has been involved in countless projects and committees for our Club.  In recognition of his service to our Club, the Sergeant at Arms presented him with a gift certificate so he can enjoy a nice filet mignon at Little Bear.