From Public Relations Chair Jeff Emsweller
Greensburg Rotary Club #3437 in District #6580 presented a Paul Harris Fellow Community
Award to Greensburg Community High School teacher John Pratt during the Club’s annual
Christmas party held Friday at the Bruner Center in St. Paul. On behalf of Pratt, the Greensburg
Rotary Club has contributed $1,000 to Rotary International Foundation. A Paul Harris Fellow is
an award recognizing a person who has done something significant for others. The award was
presented by Rotary District #6580 Governor Elect, Mandy Lohrum, of Greensburg.
Pratt is a remarkable figure who has accomplished several milestones throughout his career. He
is a graduate of Greensburg High School and Thomas More College where he played tennis and
earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history. John has devoted 17 years of his life to
philanthropy, which took him throughout the Midwest, New Orleans, and Boise. At the age of
40, he started teaching and went on to become a recipient of several awards, including the Caleb
Mills Indiana Historical Society’s Teacher of the Year Award, the Indiana DAR’s Teacher of the
Year Award, and a Lilly Creative Teacher Fellowship.
John Pratt follows the guidelines of the Rotary International 4-way test. He is a truthful and fair
person who has fostered goodwill and better friendships by bringing different individuals
together through the Chautauqua Program. The Chautauqua program was founded by John Pratt,
who was then a social studies teacher at North Decatur High School. His original vision for the
program was to create a great school event and recruit talent from across the region to share their
talents with students during the school day. Currently, the Greensburg Community High School
Chautauqua is a semi-annual event hosted in the fall and spring, and it has hosted numerous
national and international talents.
Thanks to the support of the community and organizations like the Indiana Arts Commission and
many local business and individual supporters, Pratt has been able to recruit amazing guests,
inspiring hundreds of projects by the students at Greensburg Community High School.
Chautauqua is currently in its 32nd and final year of existence in Decatur County. John has
created lasting memories for many and has earned his rightful place as a role model and
permanent fixture of Decatur County. “This (Paul Harris Fellow Award) means the world to me,” Pratt told Rotarians and their guest in
attendance. “It has been an honor and pleasure to bring an amazing event like Chautauqua to the
community.”
Even though this is the last year Pratt will be involved in Chautauqua for the school, his always
racing mind may be thinking of the next big thing with this long-standing tradition.
Rotary International is a group of 1.4 million like-minded individuals who see a world united by
taking action to create lasting change.
Greensburg Rotary Club #3437 meets at the Branch Coffee House and Gathering Place in
downtown Greensburg at 12 p.m. on Mondays. Rob DeHoff is the 2023-24 Greensburg Club
President.
John Pratt with Mandy Lohrum
