Bruce Thesenga, Rotarian of the Year!
Posted by Jeremy Turner
We are pleased to announce that Bruce Thesenga has been named Bozeman Noon Rotary Club's Rotarian of the year!Bruce was born and raised in Minneapolis where he met his wife Judy in high school. After two years in the Navy Bruce were married and had five children. In the early 70's they moved their young family to Portland where Bruce opened a new branch of NASCO, a welding and safety supply warehouse. In the years to come he opened four more warehouses along the west coast and joined forces with several more throughout the U.S.
Horses were always a part of his life and it wasn't long before a small ranch in Washington state was bought as a place to keep them and a great getaway for the family on school holidays and weekends. Thru the years Bruce enjoyed many week long trail rides in Minnesota, Arizona, and California.
As the kids grew, they all enjoyed the Oregon coast and skiing. Bruce also gained an interest in wine; specifically the wine region of the Willamette Valley in Oregon where he became a partner in a winery.
After selling the welding supply business in 1989, he and Judy enjoyed a lot of foreign travel with trips to France, Italy, exploring wine regions and of course....tasting!
About 12 years ago they moved to Bozeman. Walking the dogs one day, Bruce and another gentleman were talking and came up with an idea for a fund raiser for the Museum of the Rockies. They started the Wine Classic, held in July,a nd now in its 11th year!
An accident at the ranch in Washington in 2006 left Bruce with a severed spinal cord and put him in a wheelchair, but Bruce remains positive and enjoys wine, travelling, one trail ride a year, riding at Eagle Mount and mostly the kids (and 1 granddaughter!), all doing well and happy in their professions.
Being the wino that he is, his idea for the Rotary Wine Cellar event, along with his countless hours of work and assistance has helped create another successful fundraiser for the Bozeman Noon Rotary Club. He is already working to make this year's event better than the last so our club will have the resources to support new projects to benefit our community.
Bruce and Judy celebrated their 48th anniversary in May.
Horses were always a part of his life and it wasn't long before a small ranch in Washington state was bought as a place to keep them and a great getaway for the family on school holidays and weekends. Thru the years Bruce enjoyed many week long trail rides in Minnesota, Arizona, and California.
As the kids grew, they all enjoyed the Oregon coast and skiing. Bruce also gained an interest in wine; specifically the wine region of the Willamette Valley in Oregon where he became a partner in a winery.
After selling the welding supply business in 1989, he and Judy enjoyed a lot of foreign travel with trips to France, Italy, exploring wine regions and of course....tasting!
About 12 years ago they moved to Bozeman. Walking the dogs one day, Bruce and another gentleman were talking and came up with an idea for a fund raiser for the Museum of the Rockies. They started the Wine Classic, held in July,a nd now in its 11th year!
An accident at the ranch in Washington in 2006 left Bruce with a severed spinal cord and put him in a wheelchair, but Bruce remains positive and enjoys wine, travelling, one trail ride a year, riding at Eagle Mount and mostly the kids (and 1 granddaughter!), all doing well and happy in their professions.
Being the wino that he is, his idea for the Rotary Wine Cellar event, along with his countless hours of work and assistance has helped create another successful fundraiser for the Bozeman Noon Rotary Club. He is already working to make this year's event better than the last so our club will have the resources to support new projects to benefit our community.
Bruce and Judy celebrated their 48th anniversary in May.