Tonight, we were joined by our very own Dawn and John Drozd, who gave their new member presentation.
Dawn and John’s lives began on opposite sides of the country. John grew up in New York as one of five kids. Growing up, he could often be seen playing on his high school football team and spending a lot of time at his dad’s Italian pizza restaurant on Long Island. After high school, John attended SUNY Plattsburgh for college in upstate New York.
Dawn was born in Melbourne, Florida, while her dad was stationed there in the Air Force. After her family moved back to Michigan, she loved being involved in everything at her high school, from serving as student government president to starring in musicals. She attended Central Michigan University as a journalism major. After college, she wanted to live somewhere exciting, so she moved to Houston, Texas, where she met John at a St. Patrick’s Day party.
After getting married in 1985, John and Dawn moved to Rhode Island. While in Rhode Island, they had three boys, two of whom were twins. Their move to Rhode Island was prompted by John getting tired of working in the oil industry and wanting a change. He enrolled in and graduated from Wales Culinary School and entered the culinary workforce as a pastry chef. He spent over 35 years in the culinary business, moving between the business side and the kitchen. He retired two years ago from Dawn Industries, where he had worked for many years.
Dawn had a fulfilling career, starting off in marketing and banking before transitioning to sales and coaching. In the later years of her career, she started a small business coaching firm called Clear Vision, which she retired from on December 31st, 2024.
Dawn and John moved to Harper Woods five years ago and have since been dedicated to renovating their 1950s home. Since moving here, Dawn has become deeply involved in the community, joining the League of Women Voters and Rotary.
Thank you, John and Dawn, for joining Rotary!