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Our Rotarian of the Week grew up in Wayzata, Minnesota, near Lake Minnetonka, and graduated from Wayzata High School, home of the Trojans, with 275 in his class. His first job was working for his father on the family turkey farm and hatchery, putting together cardboard boxes for the turkey poults for two cents/box. He was able to put together about 25 boxes an hour to earn just enough money each week to go to the movies on Saturday. After high school, our special Rotarian attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. He went on to earn a Ph.D in chemistry, while specializing in molecular biology, from the University of Oregon. After earning his Ph.D., he started an analytical laboratory and consulting company in Dallas, Texas, where his clients included the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Texas Instruments, and several municipalities. After selling the company, he tried to retire in his mid-30s. It didn’t last. Bob Elwell subsequently relocated to run the laboratory of a municipal sewage plant in northern Virginia, where he also started attending law school at night. He subsequently became a full-time student and worked for a patent law firm. He went on to practice for the next 34 years, usually prosecuting patent claims for his clients. Along the way, he raised two kids as a single parent, and now has 3 grandkids, with 2 more on the way. Bob enjoys Rotary because usually Rotary is where everything happens in town. Prior to transferring to our club four years ago, Bob was a member of the Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotary Club for nearly 30 years. Rotary runs in his family, with his father being a Rotarian with the classification of “Turkey Hatchery.” His favorite Rotary moment was attending Rotary meetings in Dundee, Scotland, while visiting his daughter. Since moving to Cheyenne in 2016, Bob is active in our club, helping with peaches, tree planting, and other programs and projects. He also is active in the Masons and also serves as an Election Judge. Other than family, Bob’s proudest accomplishment was working in Scotland during college as part of important research project measuring worldwide DDT contamination so as to protect bald eagles, DDT leads to the failure to death of unhatched eagles during the incubation phase. Bob’s favorite meal is a ribeye steak, extra rare, only slightly darkened on the outside with a baked potato and lots of sour cream. Please join me in congratulating Bob Elwell, our Rotarian of the Week. |
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