One of the Waunakee Rotary Club’s new members is certainly not new to Rotary. During his classification talk at the club’s Nov. 11 meeting, Alex Welk talked about his experience as an exchange student in Japan during his 2008-09 school year, an exchange through the Naperville Rotary Club.

Alex lived with five host families and participated in all of the school activities in Japan, along with Rotary outings with his fellow exchange students. He enjoyed the food and has since learned to cook similar dishes using local ingredients in the United States.

Alex grew up in Naperville and graduated from Neuqua Valley High School with the class of 2009. He then pursued a degree in electrical engineering from Illinois Tech, where he also was part of UFarmIt.

After college, he worked as an intern at Argonne National Laboratories, and then worked professionally at Westphal and other companies before joining Affiliated Engineering in Madison.

As an electrical engineer, his work includes designing new lab facilities and other electrical and power design projects. Examples of his work have included the electrical and power design at the Waunakee Public Library, solar panels at the Law Enforcement Training Center and another project at Exact Sciences. One is coming for the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.

He and his wife Sarah have two dogs. Sarah makes home farmhouse décor to sell on Etsy.

Alex’s hobbies include tabletop gaming and he enjoys making and painting the terrain. He also enjoys liquor infusing.

 

Guests: None.

 

Visiting Rotarians: Jerry Henrich, Madison East Monona; Jacob Vehring, DeForest; Jim Oughton, Madison East Monona.

 

 Other news:

-The Headquarters in Oregon is hosting a Pints for Polio Event Nov. 15, donating $1 per beverage sold to Rotary’s polio fund, President Ross Maurer said.

-A new members gathering is set for next Thursday.

-Rotarians could get together to watch the Bears vs. Packers game Sunday evening.

-Santa will come to town Dec. 4 at the Centennial Park Shelter. Peggy Acker-Farber is looking for volunteers to provide cookies and bring them to the Dec. 2 meeting.

 

Birthdays: Nov. 30, Susan Vergeront.

Anniversaries: Nov. 22, Robert and Merrilee Sachtjen

 

Greeters: Nov. 18, Corey Randl, and Tom Roepke; Dec. 2, David Rupp and Troy Salisbury; Dec. 9, Ellen Schaaf and Todd Schmidt; Dec. 16, Phil Simon and Dan Statz; Dec. 23, Ray and Harriet Statz; Dec. 30, Jennifer Tasker and Howard Teeter.