LOS LUNAS — The Rotary Club of Los Lunas gathered on Jan. 9, 2024, at Ribs Hickory Pit BBQ to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the club’s charter two days shy of its Jan. 11, 1984, founding date.
Present at the celebration were three of the charter members — Dr. Don Leach, the club’s current president; George Hobbes, the club’s long serving treasure/secretary; and Louis Huning Sr., the former mayor of Los Lunas.
Submitted photo
Charter members of the Rotary Club of Los Lunas are George Hobbes, Dr. Don Leach and wife, Janice, and Louis Huning Sr. and wife, Nancy.
In a touching tribute, Leach read the names and businesses of the 25 charter members. It was truly a who’s who of 1984 Los Lunas and Valencia County.
Legacy is an important aspect to the Los Lunas Club. While members Louis Huning Jr. and Ruth Huning-Gonzales are a great example of legacy within the membership, the club also sponsors a Los Lunas High School Lending-A-Paw Interact Volunteer Club.
The local club is also well known for several annual projects that include Youth Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) and Clothes for Kids. These and other youth-focused programs have been the mainstay for the Los Lunas Club.
“Sponsoring Clothes for Kids is the best thing we have done,” George Hobbes stated.
Over the years, the club has been the host for several foreign Rotarians to include visits by clubs from Brazil and the Philippines. The club also hosted New Mexico State Govs. Bruce King and Garrey Carruthers during their tenure in office.
The club was sponsored into existence by the Rotary Club of Belen at a joint meeting at the Tierra del Sol Country Club.
The club’s president is a one-year term with the club’s first president being Tony Romo. While the club has met a various locations over the years, the club initially held its weekly meetings at Mi Chante in Los Lunas. In the present, the Rotary Club of Los Lunas meets at noon each Tuesday at Ribs Hickory Pit BBQ in Los Lunas.
The Valencia County News-Bulletin is a locally owned and operated community newspaper, dedicated to serving Valencia County since 1910 through the highest journalistic and professional business standards. The VCNB is published weekly on Thursdays, including holidays both in print and online.
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