George Cade, president and CEO of Downey Welding & Mfg. Co., Inc. since 1953, was honored Tuesday as Downey Rotary's Rotarian of the Month.A BS in mechanical engineering product of the University of Arizona, he has over the years built several underground and aboveground storage tanks for airports and gasoline stations representing such oil giants as Union Oil, Richfield Oil, Gulf Oil, as well as storage tanks for water/hot water applications in agriculture and housing (apartments, hospitals, and city facilities); and supplied and put in service many water conditioning systems in several California state prisons. Manufacturing water softeners using welded steel tanks was an early activity and directly inspired his firm's name. The firm also built hundreds of filters for swimming pools during the '50s. Downey Welding, which today continues to enjoy steady business with its storage tank and water softener lines, employed 20-30 welders, engineers, sales people, and support staff for fifty years before the recession forced it to downsize. Cade was a member of the glee club, played violin for the school orchestra, and was a varsity football player (left tackle) at Downey High, graduating from DHS in 1946. Cade served as a First Lieutenant in the US Air Force based in Spokane, and was military vehicles supply officer for the whole state of Washington. His countless church activities over time include multiple terms in the church council; helping fund and conduct gym building, church sanctuary, etc., projects; funding/supporting mission endeavors around the world; and funding the Cade Memorial Scholarship program at Life Pacific College in Azusa for over a decade. A member dating back also to 1953 of the Christian Business Men's Association, Cade has served as its chairman multiple years, has been the principal mover for a number of years of the Downey 'Day of Prayer' at the city hall flag pole, as well as the program chairman for the past 24 years of the Downey mayor's Prayer Breakfast. While gaining distinction in Downey Rotary, among other things as a Paul Harris fellow and for attaining perfect attendance since he joined it in 1953 as well, Cade's impact in the community has been as wide: providing involvement and financial support to Living Help; providing physical and advisory assistance to the Downey Community Hospital, especially in earlier years when the hospital relocated from Fifth Street to its current address; along with a variety of contributions, involving assisting with funding and otherwise, in his associations with Arc, the Downey Rose Float Association, and his 52 years of continuous membership with the Downey Chamber of Commerce. He has also been a member for over 50 years of both the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Water Quality Association. Sharing Cade's moment of recognition from his peers Tuesday were his wife, Janet, daughters Jeanne (and husband Bill) and Jani (and husband Nick), along with 9-year old grandson Austin, just entering 4th grade. Another daughter, Judy, was unable to attend. Current Rotary president Ingrid Martin summed Cade up: "He represents what a true Rotarian really is."

********** Published: September 2, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 20