In a truly magnificent celebration of service above self, the Rotary Club of Weston & Wayland commemorated its 75th anniversary on April 3, 2025, at the Weston Golf Club. Over 90 people attended. Current club members, representatives from the Rotary district and international organizations, friends, and family gathered to honor the work and the people who have and continue to do it. This evening will live long among the fondest memories of all who attended.
The evening began with a casual cocktail hour, followed by President-elect Robert Blackburn and District Governor Joyce Graff welcoming everyone with the traditional ringin
g of the Rotary bell. Remember that this bell has plaques testifying to our status as Club of the Year out of 50 clubs in District 7910, four years in a row!
g of the Rotary bell. Remember that this bell has plaques testifying to our status as Club of the Year out of 50 clubs in District 7910, four years in a row!President Vera Lucia Dias launched the exciting, award- and speaker-studded evening with a thoughtful, heartfelt thank you to Rotarians present and past, including members of adjacent clubs present to celebrate with the Rotary Club of Weston & Wayland.
The program continued with event co-chair John Marchiony’s grateful recognition of longtime club sponsor The Village Bank and its president, Joe DeVito—no relation to club past-president Richard DeVito! In keeping with the spirit of the evening, current Rotarians then presented deeply moving remembrances of two longstanding club members who passed away this year: Chip Bradley and Salvatore “Tony” Micciche. The memories they shared reminded many who knew and worked alongside them of the numerous contributions these two men had made to the club and our community.
It was indeed an evening of multiple celebrations of members present and past. Additional acknowledgments included: Past-President Mark Messina’s presentation on our “mission-critical” RYLA awards program; Board Member and Chair: End Polio Now/Pints for Polio Jimmy Belotte, the highest-impact newer member; oldest and youngest Rotarians inducted on the same day-Board Member Joy Viola and Public Image Co-Chair Aaron Roy; a slide show retrospective of the club’s longest serving members, Blake Munson, Stephen Karoghlanian, Dick DeVito, and Bruce Lee—all present at the event; Richard A. DeVito, Jr.’s presentation on our club’s biggest fundraiser, The Antique & Classic Car Show, along with the surprise announcement that the show would go on again this year, its 28th; and Robert Mosher’s presentation honoring five legacy Rotary families: Aubrey and Sabra Jones; David and Chip Bradley; Dick, Richard, and Brenda DeVito; Mike and James Brasco; Russ and Sarah Goldstein; and Rob Mosher himself and his father, Bob. All of this before dinner!In the Rotary spirit of honoring members who have gone above and beyond in their commitments to “service above self”, the evening included presentations of five Paul Harris Awards. This was the largest number of Paul Harris fellows ever named at one time! President Vera Lucia Dias introduced the honorees, who were: Robert Blackburn, Katya Portnaya, Richard DeVito, Jr., Bruce Lee, and Robert Mosher. Finally, District Governor-Elect Johnny Ahern spoke to the oh-so-receptive crowd to acknowledge and enumerate all of the Rotary Club of Weston & Wayland's many achievements over the past 75 years. President Vera closed out the evening with thanks and invited all club presidents to join her in ringing the closing bell. It was indeed an evening to remember!
