Meet the king of meetings

LAKE STEVENS — Of the 2,000 Rotary Club meetings Loren Hole of Lake Stevens has attended — earning him the honor of perfect attendance over the past 40 years — only one was borderline in terms of whether it would count.

It took place on a sailboat to Hawaii. Hole and three friends, all Rotarians, were sailing from Victoria, B.C., to Maui in 1978.

“We had a box of wine and we toasted the queen, because the race started in Victoria, and we toasted the president and we adjourned the meeting,” Hole said.

When the group returned, they asked their home club, Everett at the time, for credit for having the meeting and it was granted, he said.

Hole, 82, was recently honored by the Rotary Club of Lake Stevens and Granite Falls for his perfect attendance since 1967.

A golfer, he was given a custom-made putter and a plaque, and he and his wife Lorna were treated to dinner and a Tony Bennett show at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle.

He’s appreciative of the recognition, but modest about his accomplishment.

“I guess they think it’s a big deal,” he said.

Hole attends meetings in far-off locations where he travels with Lorna, who is an honorary Rotarian. The club has chapters in more than 160 countries, and most cities in the United States, he said.

“Just about anyplace you go, you find a Rotary Club,” he said. “It’s really not that difficult if you just commit to it.”

A Rotarian who misses a meeting gets two weeks to make it up by attending a meeting of another club, which means sometimes attending two or more meetings per week. Most are breakfast or lunch meetings.

“You’ve got to eat lunch somehow,” he said.

Hole has been to meetings in New England, Alaska, Hawaii and Key West, Fla., the latter being probably the farthest-away meeting from the Northwest that he’s attended.

“It’s really a fun thing to do, to visit these other clubs,” he said. “You see some of the fun things they do, and bring back good ideas and you share.”

Hole worked as a manager for a company that made business forms and retired about 20 years ago. At the Rotary Club, he’s held all the offices, taken photos and “just given them help wherever they need it.”

He still works as an evaluator for people getting their amateur radio licenses, and teaches safe driving for AARP, Lorna Hole said.

He’s just as good at keeping up with all those obligations as he is with the Rotary Club, she said. And he plays golf twice a week, weather permitting.

“He has tremendous energy,” she said.

“I’ve been blessed with good health and I’ve appreciated every day,” he said.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

The peaks of Mount Pilchuck, left, and Liberty Mountain, right, are covered in snow on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Western Washington’s current winter drought may not last through the season

Even with last week’s snow flurries, there’s no denying this… Continue reading

A view of a homes in Edmonds, Washington on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County to mail property tax statements this month

First half payments are due on April 30.

Ticket and ORCA card kiosks at the Lynnwood Light Rail station on Thursday, April 4, 2024 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Beginning March 1, Community Transit to reduce some fares

Riders eligible for reduced fares will pay $1 for a single ORCA card tap and $36 for a monthly pass.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Devani Padron, left, Daisy Ramos perform during dance class at Mari's Place Monday afternoon in Everett on July 13, 2016. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Mari’s Place helps children build confidence and design a better future

The Everett-based nonprofit offers free and low-cost classes in art, music, theater and dance for children ages 5 to 14.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

The amphitheater at Deception Pass during the 2021 concert series. (Photo provided by Deception Pass Park Foundation Facebook page.)
Deception Pass Foundation seeks Adopt-A-Trail volunteers

If you’re looking for a way to get outside and… Continue reading

A pedestrian is struck and killed by vehicle Wednesday in Everett

The pedestrian was a man in his 60s. The collision happened at 5:30 a.m. on Broadway.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.