POTSDAM -- Laurean Pelkey of Madrid was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Club of Potsdam at its annual meeting on June 12.

She was honored for her demonstrated commitment to the goals and purposes of Rotary and "in appreciation of his tangible assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world."

Pelkey is assistant secretary and secretary-elect of the Potsdam Rotary Board, secretary of the county Rotary Dodge Pond Committee, and volunteers for many Rotary activities and community service projects. Last year, she went above and beyond in her work with the FISU World University Games. She is also a board member of the Potsdam Holiday Fund.

Pelkey has been instrumental in obtaining and continuing Rotary business sponsorship awards for graduating seniors from each Seaway Tech BOCES program, and organizes the gala that further benefits BOCES students. 

Pelkey grew up in Rush, New York, the seventh of nine children, graduating from Rush-Henrietta High School. While working in a variety of jobs she attended SUNY Potsdam, where as a student supervisor she met and hired her husband-to-be, Duane Pelkey. She received her bachelor of arts degree in biology and then completed a master of science in teaching – both from SUNY Potsdam.

Pelkey married Duane in 1989 and they had three children, Connor, 34, Emily, 24 and Derek, 21. Supporting her husband's career, Pelkey lived in Watertown, Kirkwood, and Freeville, New York, usually working in hospitals as a monitor technician. They lived in Spencer for nine years, where she worked for a printing company, health insurance company and the Post Office, but then became a stay-at-home mom for her two youngest children. 

Pelkey and her family moved to Madrid in 2005, where she became involved in the town’s library board, promoting literacy and helping to write several grants restoring the library building.

Once her children were of school age, Pelkey took up teaching again and co-coached several Odyssey of the Mind teams at Madrid-Waddington School, where one team made it to the state competition level.

Beginning in 2017, the Pelkeys co-owned Yum Yum’s Chilly Delight and Scoops in Potsdam until its sale last year.

One-thousand dollars has been donated in Pelkey's name to the Rotary Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs.

The contribution honoring her will be used for projects like saving the lives of children through immunization, bringing water to remote global villages, or establishing hospitals in underdeveloped countries.

The Potsdam Rotary Club meets each Wednesday at noon at the Potsdam Town Hall community room in Potsdam and online. Guests are welcome.