CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Trueman Mills had three passions in his life: first was his family, then the Methodist Church, and then Rotary, according to Jean, his wife of 66 years.

(Pictured above:Trueman and Jean Mills.)

“As my daughter Debbie says, it depended on which day of the week what was first,” said Jean this week in an interview with exploreClarion.com.

“And that’s the truth. He really did have three passions and what he really enjoyed and loved.”

Trueman, a well-known businessman, community leader, and Rotarian, passed away on May 27, his 88th birthday, at Mercy Hospital.

View Trueman’s obituary here: Well-Known Businessman, Philanthropist Trueman Weaver Mills Passes Away at Age 88.

Jean and Trueman did not know each other until they met on a blind date.

“I was a senior in high school, and he was a junior at Clarion State Teacher’s College. Trueman went to Clarion-Limestone, and I went to Clarion High School. We did not know one another.”

Trueman and Jean lived on Fourth Avenue in Clarion all of their married life since 1958.

“We built the house and moved into it March of 1958.”

Both Trueman and Jean graduated from Clarion State Teacher’s College and worked at Redbank Valley School District. After two years of teaching, Trueman joined his father-in-law, Wayne R. Weaver, in a car dealership located at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Main Street in Clarion and later moved the dealership to the Riverhill before selling the franchise in 1985.

The year 1985 was also the year Trueman stepped up his public profile when he co-chaired a capital campaign for the Ross Memorial Library with Ron Seidle. The campaign was a success that enabled the building of an addition that replaced the Ross auditorium and added space for the library, and it also provided him with a link to another career.

“He had jokingly often said, well, you know, I think someday I might go into fundraising,” said Jean. “There was a man from Brockway who ran the campaign, and he was in his late 80s. He told Trueman he had to quit because he was getting too old, and he thought Trueman would be a perfect fit for the work. In the first couple of campaigns, the Brockway man worked with Trueman and after that, he was on his own and had a new business.

“As a fundraising consultant for nonprofit groups, he basically did a lot of libraries, fire companies, and a couple of hospitals. He also did a lot of work in Clearfield for different campaigns during his 30 years as a fundraiser.”

Trueman joined the Clarion Rotary Club shortly after it was organized, accomplishing much during his stewardship in the organization, including the following:

• Club President in 1968-69

• District Governor of what is now District 7280 in 1982-83.

• He considered his legacy to Rotary was organizing the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program in District 7280 that has served over 3,000 local youth.

See a video below of Trueman explaining the RYLA program in 2015:

• “Trueman co-chaired the Polio Plus Campaign with Jack Nickolas, a past district governor, and they raised well over a million dollars from the district to help eradicate polio. They called themselves the Bartle and James Roadshow as they visited clubs in the district during the ’80s,” Jean explained.

Rotary International launched PolioPlus in 1985 and was a founding member of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. Through decades of commitment and work by Rotary and their partners, more than 2.5 billion children have received the oral polio vaccine.

“Trueman always looked for a way to help people through his service. He was also a member of the American Cancer Society Clarion chapter and helped bring Daffodil Days to Clarion County as a fundraiser,” added Jean.

“He loved to golf and golfed with Bill Corle, Jim Arner Sr., and Ralph Simpson, calling themselves the fearsome foursome. They would play on Thursdays at Pinecrest. and in the summer months, once a month, they would go somewhere to play on a different course.”

Just as he approached fundraising in a regulated manner, Jean also revealed some additional insight.

“He was fastidious about his clothing and his appearance. He was very particular about how his clothes were even hung in the closet, and he loved shoes.”

Trueman and his cohorts always had ideas for community events, and they usually went off without a hitch…except for the time that Trueman and Gene Burns organized a soapbox derby race on Fifth Avenue. The steep hill gave drivers extra speed along the way.

“They were lucky someone wasn’t killed,” she said with a smile.

Going back to his college years, Jean offered another observation.

“He was also proud to be a member of Alpha Gamma Phi Fraternity. They always gather a couple of times a year and he looked forward to that.”

The Gammas were Clarion’s first fraternity and always maintained their local status.

“They are now an alumni group and are aiming to have a million dollars in their scholarship fund at Clarion for what they call the Last Gamma Standing, and the members give whatever they feel they can. They hope to present the scholarship when the last member is standing.”

Of all the awards Trueman received over the years, Jean found one of the most unusual as she surveyed a lifetime of memories.

In past years, Clarion Rotary held a chicken barbecue at the Autumn Leaf Festival at the Clarion County Courthouse each year as a fundraiser. Members would toil in the back, flipping racks of half chickens over open charcoal fires.

The Chicken Plucking Award plaque honors Trueman for his service contributing to the chicken breeders of the world.

“I think we’re going to put it on display at the funeral home.”