Happy New Year from Chris & Sandi Paustian
G’Day and greetings from Rotary District 5610 in the heart of the USA! Some may disagree with this characterization and say that the heart is a little farther south or east or some other direction. But since District 5610 is our home, it’s where our heart is!
I’m Chris Paustian (pronounced ‘paws chin’), and I’m honored to be the team leader for the GSE team from District 5610. A Rotarian for twenty years, I have been a member of the Mitchell (SD) Club all those years. Having served on most of the club committees, I am a Past-President of the club, and have attended district conferences. My wife, Sandi, and I have lived in Mitchell for twenty-three years and I recently retired as President of the Mitchell Technical Institute, a post-secondary technical school similar to the TAFES in Australia. I am a life-long educator at both the secondary and post-secondary levels serving as both a classroom teacher and an administrator. Sandi and I are both Paul Harris Fellows.
Sandi is a native of northwest Minnesota and could skate before she could walk. Before women were playing ice hockey, she played hockey and even brought her own hockey puck to the marriage. I am ‘ice challenged’ and avoid the ice at all costs, except when watching our grandsons, Zachary (age 9) and Andrew (Age 5) play hockey. Our son, Tim, and his wife, Alyssa, live in Fargo, North Dakota where he is a civil engineer. Our other son, Christian, who is single, lives in Phoenix, Arizona where he’s a senior quality control analyst for an educational software company. Having a relative living is a warmer climate in the winter time is great!
In addition to Rotary, I am active in many organizations in our community of 15,000. Economic & community development are of great interest to me. A unique feature of Mitchell, (in addition to the World’s Only Corn Palace) is that we are home to a prehistoric Indian Village (I serve on the board) dating back about 1,000 years. The village is federally protected and one of the buildings on the grounds is a dome with a roof that is partially covered with glass and lets in natural light for year round ‘digs.’
My primary hobby is ‘putzing,’ a made-up word that includes gardening, yard work, and the constant need to keep a house maintained. I enjoy reading non-fiction with a focus on history and biographies. Geography is also a big interest of mine and learning about Australia has been most interesting. I never pass an opportunity for fine Australian wine and fine dining and I’m looking forward to learning about Australian Rules Football since one of the team members from Australia who visited us last September described American Football as a bit ‘wimpy.’
One could also say that I’m a professional volunteer and for the next three years I will serve as the South Dakota liaison to an organization called the Taxpayers Advocacy Panel, a national group of about one hundred people throughout the nation that is affiliated with the Internal Revenue Service. And since the title contains the word ‘advocacy’ that’s exactly what we do, advocate for taxpayers. My learning curve is pretty steep. In 2009 I will begin a three year stint, moving from second vice president to president of our church’s congregation.
I look forward to meeting fellow Rotarians in District 9790 in Victoria and New South Wales Australia and learning more about their clubs, their state and their country.
