Steven Cook will speak to the Rotary Club of San Marcos at noon on March 4 about the United States Veterans Service Dogs (USVSD) program. Cook lives in Kyle and is active with the VFW Post there. He is also the  Director of Fund Development for the service dogs program, which helps veterans reclaim independence through expertly trained service dogs. Rotary meets San Marcos VFW Hall, 1701 Hunter Road. Visitors are always welcome at Rotary meetings.

Cook served in the 7th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army from 1989 to 1992. His deployments included Operation Just Cause in Panama (1989–1990) and Operation Desert Storm (1990–1991). Cook earned several awards, including the Army Achievement Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal with two Bronze Stars, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Multi-National Forces and Observers Medal.

 USVSD was founded in 2018 by Cody Bellanger, who headed a program to train retrievers to assist diabetics. He was approached by Texas VFW to place VFW members with service dogs to help mitigate the disabilities veterans face within their everyday lives. USVSD started a breeding program and a puppy raising program to ensure the dogs coming into training got the best possible start for becoming future service dogs. The program now trains and places dogs with veterans to help mitigate the effects of PTSD, mobility, and hearing complications from military service.

Jimmy Cobb recognized Bill Pennington for 65 years of membership in the Rotary Club of San Marcos at the club's February 25th meeting. Bill's father was a charter member of the San Marcos Club when it began in 1921. Jimmy also presented Bill with a Paul Harris Fellowship +3 an honor recognizing his many years of service to Rotary and the community. Present at the event were members of Bill's family including (from left) on-in-law James Wingard, daughter Kristin Pennington Wingard, wife Linda Pennington, Bill, and son James Pennington.

Frank King steps into the leadership role of San Marcos Rotary on July 1, 2026. Here is some background information about Frank. 

He grew up in Corpus Christi and spent a lot of time on the water. As a Sea Scout he helped build a fleet of seven Penguin Class sailboats in which he  sailed the coast and participated in small regattas. 

After graduating from UT Austin, he found himself available for the draft which was still in effect back in the late 1950s. Rather than be drafted, he joined the Marine Corps and became part of a Recon Battalion whose purpose was to spy on the enemy in Korea by infiltrating their lines and reporting on troop movement, buildup, and capability of armament. He says there was always a plan to get them in and out of harms way.

After four years in the Corps, he went to work for Sears as  a buyer of children’s wear in the Dallas area and as Group Merchandise Manager for smaller stores in six states.

He became a member of Rotary in Irving, Texas. It was a large club with 140 members. In 1977 he became the club’s president. That year he attended the Rotary International Convention that year in Singapore. 

Frank was involved on the ground with two water improvement projects in Mexico for Rotary, first in Colonia Maya in 1978, installing a water purification system for a community of 50 families. The second, two years later, was in La Florista, providing water to a grade school that had no running water before.

He retired in 2000 and moved to Granbury, Texas,  joining and eventually becoming President of  that club in 2003. He was also the Assistant District Governor of the Ft. Worth District, which extended 100 miles West to Coleman. After that, he led a Rotary Group Study Exchange to the Dominican Republic, which involved leading a group of young professionals,  non-Rotarians, for a month of touring and speaking to Rotary Clubs. He says it was a  truly great experience.

Eventually he moved to San Marcos where his daughter and son live close by. In addition to Rotary, he has been a Mason and Shriner for many years, including participating in the Shrine Circus.

Frank brings to the Rotary Club of San Marcos a lot of Rotary and life experience. He hopes that San Marcos can be involved in an international water project while he is President. He believes those projects have a real impact on the day-to-day lives of people.