RUMFORD – The Rumford Area Rotary Club installed new officers for the year, which runs from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005, at its July 19 meeting.

Jack Zollo, a 50-year Rotarian and honorary member of the club, inducted the new officers.

President is Linda French who, although new to the club, is a 17-year veteran of Rotary. She and her husband, Bill, moved to his ancestral land in Rumford Center last year after spending vacations there for several years.

In addition to her involvement in Rotary, French worked on the Christmas in the Valley Committee and is active in the Rumford Center Improvement Society. She retired from the West Hartford, Conn., Chamber of Commerce where she was executive director.

President-elect is Rod McIntyre, Rumford Community Home administrator. McIntyre, too, is new to the club, but not to Rotary International, having been a member of several other Rotary clubs in Maine. He will become president in July of 2005.

Vice President Joe Sirois of Rumford, Oxford County Association for Retarded Children executive director, has been a member of the Rumford Area Rotary for more than 14 years and is a past president and past assistant district governor. Sirois is in line to become president for the second time in 2006-2007.

Katherine Harvey of Dixfield is the newly elected club secretary. Relatively new to Rotary, she has taken on the responsibility for the high school program, Interact, which is sponsored by the Rumford Area Rotary. Harvey is also active on the Rotary Scholarship Committee. She works for Big Brothers Big Sisters and is the parenting class facilitator for ONE ME, a project of the Healthy Communities Coalition.

Paul Jones of Dixfield continues as treasurer. In addition to his leadership of Rotary projects, most notably the Moontide Road Race and the club’s participation in the Relay for Life, Jones is active with the Chisholm Ski Club and the River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition. He is retired from Mead.

Joyce Myles of Mexico, one of the first women to join Rumford Area Rotary and its secretary for many years, has moved to the position of assistant secretary. A fountain of Rotary and Rumford club knowledge, she will support Harvey and other members of the board as they learn the ropes. Myles retired from Franklin Savings Bank.

Other board members are Jane Bubar of Dixfield, director of community relations at Rumford Hospital; Dr. Jerrold Cohen of Rumford, a dentist; Patricia Duguay of Byron, River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition executive director; and Edward Paterson of Rumford, registered representative for New England Financial at Sargent Insurance, all past Rumford Area Rotary presidents.

The club meets at the Green Church in Mexico every Monday, except holidays, at noon. It is seeking new members who want to become involved in international and community projects, adopting the Rotary motto, “Service above Self.”