The Rotary Club of Suffield awarded two Paul Harris Fellowships at the Club’s June meeting, held at the Seasons restaurant at Suffield by the River. Past recipients of the award and other guests were present.
The prestigious Paul Harris Award, named for the organization’s founder, recognizes those individuals who are judged to have demonstrated a shared purpose with Rotary, emphasizing personal, professional and community service. This year, Suffield Rotary bestowed two Fellowships: one awardee was not a member of the club, the other was.
Photo by Lester Smith
Joe Sangiovanni, pictured here with Scott Seabury, was the first of two individuals to receive this year’s Paul Harris Fellowships at the Rotary Club’s meeting on June 26
After dinner, Scott Seabury announced the awards, with Suffield resident Joe Sangiovanni first. Starting as an engineering trainee at Hamilton Standard, Dr. Sangiovanni retired this year as Senior Scientist at the United Technologies Research Center. His career in industry extended for 59 years. In Suffield, he has held many key positions at Sacred Heart Church, including chairman of the building committee for the present building. For the Town, he served on the new high school building committee and on several committees that contemplated building a new library. For many years he has been chairman of the Permanent Building Committee. He has also been elected repeatedly to the Board of Finance and serves on the Alternate Energy Committee.
Photo by Lester Smith
Gail Handley, a member of the Club, received the second of two Paul Harris Fellowships awarded at the June meeting
The second recipient was Gail Handley, a Windsor resident but a member of the Suffield Rotary. Gail’s long career has been in the wholesale food industry, starting as a key punch operator at Sweet Life, where she retired as vice president of customer service. She later returned to work, again reaching the same position for another food wholesaler. At Suffield Rotary she was elected as Sergeant at Arms and serves on the Fellowship committee; she has become a key member of the Club’s board of directors. In her Windsor church, she serves as a Eucharistic minister.