Pictured (l-r) is Fillmore Rotary President Scott Beylik presenting a mug to Rotarian Reverend George Golden for sharing his story with the club. Photo courtesy Martha Richardson.

Rotarian Reverend George Golden was the speaker on January 17, 2024. He was born in Texas and never went to church until he was 16. As a young man he rode Brahma bulls, played softball, knew Larry Gatlin and the Oak Ridge Boys; one of them is his cousin. He modeled clothes for a few years and was a stand-in in movies for a while. After he became a Christian, he went to college to become a pastor; he was 55 when he got his Doctorate. For several years he worked with churches to raise money for their projects. He also raised money to build a water well in Africa as well as solar for electricity. George was a pastor in Ventura for 28 years, Fillmore for 15 years and will be starting a new church in Ventura soon. George and his wife Dorthy have been married 69 years, have five children and 44 grandchildren. George likes to say, “Your past makes you what you are now”.