Paul Alinsky was a past President of the Rotary Club, past Chairman of the Board for the Michigan City Chamber of Commerce, and founder of Sentinel Alarm Company.  Paul is remembered for his good humor, leadership, ingenuity, curiosity and a life lived in the spirt of Rotary: Service above Self. On July 19, 1997, two private airplanes crashed in mid-air over the Chicago lakefront, killing all seven occupants.  Paul was the pilot of one of those planes. He was 41 yeas old.  The Rotary Club of Michigan City  created  the Paul J. Alinsky Award to keep his memory alive. It is presented annually to a person from the Michigan City community who exhibits dedication to community service, as well as excellence, passion, and innovation in their vocation or career. These are the areas where Paul excelled.

Past recipients of this award include Les Radke, Bud Ruby, Duane Mertl, Ron Bensz, Jerry Karstens, Emerson Spartz, Glen Lubeznik, James Welborne, Kathleen Lang, Bernie Scott, Jan Radford, Tom Ringo, Jim Dworkin, Dr. Lisa Hendricks, Marty Corley, Don Babcock, Al Whitlow, Dion Campbell, Cyndi Davis, Dr. Barbara Eason-Watkins, Angie Nelson Deuitch, Clarence Hulse, and Rotary Service Volunteers. In 2016, in honor of the club’s 100th anniversary, the award recognized every Rotary Club member over the past century.

A memorial inscribed with the names of past recipients is on display at City Hall, 100 E. Michigan Blvd., Michigan City.

A nomination form is available on the Rotary Club website at www.mcrotary.org and must be returned to Alinsky Award Committee Chair Marty Corley at mcorley@emichigancity.com or can be sent via mail to Michigan City Police Department, ATTN: Marty Corley, 1201 E. Michigan Blvd., Michigan City, IN 46360

Yours in Service, 

Matt Kubik