The Wagner Rotary Club met on Wednesday, November 7th and the first order of business was to introduce the guests of the day. President Jerry Weber brought as his guest, the new Lutheran Pastor in Wagner who is William (Bill) Heermann. Welcome to Wagner Pastor Heermann. William Woods was also introduced as a guest by his Auntie Kelsey Doom.

Pastor Laurie Kidd gave thanks for the day and the new pastor. She asked for protection for all those who are homeless and hungry with the advance of the cooler weather.

Rotarian Ken Cotton gave a brief Membership Minute from the November issue of the Rotarian Magazine. It was a quote from a parent who had lost his son in the “Great War” as it was dubbed back in 1914. This was the war to end all wars; however, we all know that hasn’t happened. Veterans Day is fast approaching, and this year it falls on a Sunday. There is something special about this year’s observance. It is the 100th Anniversary of the end of WWI.

Rotarian Laurie went to the piano and the members sang a rousing rendition of Roll on Rotarians to the tune of Roll Out the Barrels.

Fines were light for the day. Rotarian Amanda Bechen once again helped the Sergeant at Arms Craig Krsnak and levied fines.

The new Pastor Bill Heermann drew the lucky ticket and the drawing was explained to him. He tried his best to draw the Queen but wound up with a 10 of Hearts. Rotarian Patty reported that we collected $21.00 today for the pot which has now grown to $111.00.

There were two absences on the Henke Team for a total of 13 misses and 2 misses on the Frei team for a total of 16 misses. Monday night football winners were Amanda Larson sold by Gerrit and Caitlyn Caldwell sold by Dave Isebrands.

Patty announced that today was the last day for offering a donation to World Polio Day. Also announced were the upcoming programs which will be given by Ken Cotton on November 11th and the November 21st program will be taken care of by Laurie Kidd.

Rotarian Pat Breen introduced his program for the day. It was Highway Patrolman Taylor Mohr. He is a familiar face to the Wagner Community having grown up here and graduated from WHS in 2009. His parents are Stacy and David Greger. Patrolman Mohr gave the club a rundown of his patrolman education. He attended the Highway Patrol Academy in Pierre which is 34 weeks of intensive training.

He quizzed the club members on when the Highway Patrol began in South Dakota. Several dates were offered up but no one had the correct answer. SDHP was founded in 1935 by then Governor Tom Berry.

Mohr said the Highway Patrols function is to keep people safe and keep traffic moving. His area covers about seven counties. Charles Mix County is divided in two. The northern area is assigned to the Chamberlain force. He patrols from Ft. Randall to Hwy 44 and over to Hwy 281. Then east to HWY 81 and down to 46 & 37 and to the Niobrara Bridge.

Mohr stated that they have about 650 total employees including troopers, dog handlers, truck inspectors and enforcers. They have four officers who have motorcycles, two in Sioux Falls and two in Rapid City.

He highlighted the 34 weeks of training. The first ten weeks are spent on basic law enforcement procedures. There is an additional 10 weeks of supervision by each candidate with a State Trooper receiving on the job instruction. The next 10 weeks are spent in a patrol car with the candidate doing the work and being observed by a Trooper. There are four weeks of additional training with a field instructor. When asked about his hours he replied that everyone is assigned hours randomly. Being a State Trooper is not a 9 to 5 job, but they are all treated evenly and fairly. Mohr’s first day on the job was spent helping people in a blizzard in the middle of April. He won’t soon forget his introduction to the job.

He compared his physical training in the first ten weeks as very similar to training for the National Guard and the Army. You are tested twice a year after graduation to see if you can measure up to the physical standards of the job. Trooper training is highly specialized and is paramilitary in comparison.

Trooper Mohr fielded several questions from the members and a question was asked concerning the sobriety checkpoints and Charles Mix County seeming to have more than its share. It was then he explained about the county being divided because of its size. Charles Mix County is about 100 miles long, comparable to the distance between here and Sioux Falls. All the troopers participate in the checkpoints and dividing the county allows them to concentrate their efforts from one end to the other.

Mohr was given a round of applause and thanked for his service in the military and as a State of South Dakota Trooper. Well done Taylor!

The club adjourned in its usual fashion of singing America.