Buffalo Sunrise Rotary Mourns Three Club Rotarians
Western New York and Rotary lost a champion on November 18, 2020, when Phil Haberstro lost his brief battle with cancer. Phil joined the Rotary Club of Buffalo Sunrise in 2010 and served as its President in 2015-16. In 2019, Phil became a Charter Member of the Rotary Satellite Club of Kenmore – Tonawandas. Phil was the Founder and Executive Director of the Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo & WNY. He "walked the walk of service", personally leading wellness walks in the city year-round. He led, or was actively involved in, a wide variety of activities to promote good health and a clean, safe environment throughout our region. He was a passionate leader in the Rotary-Greenway partnership in WNY and was the inspiration for our district’s Healthy Communities initiative. Phil embraced Rotary, lived its values with grace and humility, and promoted Rotary and its mission at every opportunity.
 
In addition, on December 21, 2020, our club and the entire Rotary community lost another truly great Rotarian and member of our club, Dr. R. Bruce Baum.  Bruce is a past President of the Buffalo Sunrise Rotary Club, serving in 2018-2019.  However, Bruce was much more than that, as our resident magician.  At many a Buffalo Sunrise Rotary Fundraiser, Bruce could be observed with a group of people around him as he performed card trick after card trick, to the amazement of everyone.  He was a gregarious and energetic soul and was a former professor of “creativity” in the Exceptional Education Department at the State University of New York’s Buffalo State College until his retirement.  In his spare time, Bruce could be found running his own magic shop, dancing as part of a Line Dancing Group, volunteering as a magician to cheer up patients at Buffalo’s Roswell Park Cancer Institute, planning the Creative Education Foundation’s annual Creative Problem Solving Institute, and traveling extensively with his beloved wife, Cindy.   His absence is felt strongly within the membership of our Rotary Club.
On July 24, 2021, we said farewell to another cherished member of our Rotary family. Jim Whitlock, a Technology Research Analyst at the University of Buffalo, passed away after a brief illness. He was always thinking of ways to make the world a better place, and inspiring others to take action along with him. Jim was soft-spoken, thoughtful, and passionate about promoting the cause of peace and non-violence.