On Wednesday, the Fulton Rotary Club welcomed its first corporate membership holder and took a look at Mike Offineer's life on the tracks.
Corporate memberships are designed to allow flexibility for business people who might be unable to attend weekly meetings.
Chris Dickerson, operations manager at the nearby 1.2 million-square-foot Dollar General distribution center, was sworn in as an executive corporate member.
After the swearing-in, Rotarians heard from Mike Offineer, a former railroad engineer who also spoke at Sunday's "Cruising Callaway to Portland" event. This time, he tracked his 41-year personal history with the rails.
"Railroading is usually a family-oriented affair," Offineer said.
Those with personal connections through family and friends are more likely to land jobs with the
railroad, he said. His father was a heavy equipment operator, and Offineer himself wasn't sure what he wanted to do. After high school, he lived at home and worked a couple days per week at the IGA.
One chilly day, he carried some groceries out to an older woman's car for her. Ice got in the latch and prevented the door from staying shut.
"She was kinda hysterical," he said.
Offineer managed to tie her door shut with twine and thought no more about the incident.
Then, some weeks later, a man stuck his head around the door at Offineer's other job.
"Do you want to work for the railroad?" he asked.
He explained the local rail yard would soon have job openings as a batch of workers retired and encouraged Offineer to apply.
Offineer said he wasn't sure what he wanted to do and asked what the job entailed.
"He might as well have talked to me in a foreign language," Offineer said.
After telling the man he'd go apply, Offineer instead hopped in his car, "went to the rootbeer stand and waved at the girl."
The man returned the next week and asked Offineer if he'd applied yet. Offineer said he hadn't, but he was going to. Once more, he went to flirt with the girl at the rootbeer stand instead.
The week after that, the man brought him an application personally. "This is the last time I'll bother you," he said.
Finally, Offineer asked, "Why are you doing this?"
"I'm an engineer on the railroad," he said.
He reminded Offineer of the time he helped the woman with her car, and said she was his wife.
"When my wife got home, she said you'd helped her despite it being a busy day. She said, 'We should do something nice for that young man.'"
Offineer applied and got the job. It was a hard transition, he said, and he considered quitting several times. With his youth and long hair, not to mention ignorance of railroad terms, he stood out among the old-timers. Many were initially hostile towards him.
"As time went on, a couple of them sort of took me under their wing," he said.
Offineer swore to himself he would never treat a newcomer as poorly as he was treated.
He spent 15 years with the Katy Railroad until the company merged with Union Pacific. He worked for Union Pacific until his retirement in 2014. Over his career, he worked his way up to engineer, drove the Amtrak and even drove the steam engine Challenger between Kansas City and Jefferson City.
"I miss it. I miss being on the train," he said.
Also discussed was the Rotary fundraising drive to end polio. In October, Rotary Club members will distribute donation boxes to at least 12 local businesses. The boxes will contain fake crocuses that donors receive to indicate they've donated.
The Fulton Rotary Club's efforts are part of a larger, national Rotary Club movement. According to a Rotary factsheet, the PolioPlus initiative (founded in 1985) has, to date, collected more than $1.5 billion to fund immunizations.
Currently, the "This Close" campaign - named to highlight the fact polio is eradicated in all but three nations - has the backing of big names like John Cena, Jane Goodall and Desmond Tutu. Funds raised in this campaign will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
In addition to the boxes, Rotarians will be at Walmart in Fulton on Oct. 23 to collect donations.
