‘One of the best things I ever did’: Quincy Service Club to salute Dorsey’s altruistic endeavors with Golden Deeds Award

QUINCY — Much of Jeff Dorsey’s life in Quincy has been in the public eye (or the public’s ear), thanks to a 48-year career in radio that ended three years ago.

One of the reasons he enjoys his time with the Quincy Service Club — formerly the Quincy Exchange Club — is because so much of what he does is done without the public noticing.

“(Joining the club is) one of the best things I ever did,” Dorsey said.

The Quincy Service Club will honor Dorsey’s work with the club and in the community on Friday when it names him the recipient of its Golden Deeds award during its 72nd annual banquet, set for 11:45 a.m. Friday, May 3 at the Elks Club. Past recipients typically have made a positive impact as selfless volunteers or by working tirelessly on behalf of the community.

The award is called the Book of Golden Deeds because letters, written on behalf of the recipient by those who have firsthand knowledge of their efforts, are placed in a book and forever documented.

One of the letters in this year’s book came from Eric Schultz, a former club member now living in Virginia.

“(Dorsey) is not the heart of the Quincy Service Club, but he is one of the few who has made it his mission to ensure its heart keeps beating,” Schultz wrote. “He has been through the ‘chairs’ of the organization. and if he didn’t chair the group’s subcommittees, he was an intricate member.

“I have never known this man to say “no” to any project when its purpose was to help and/or improve the quality of another’s life. He is humble and never one to draw attention to the endless giving of his time, talents and treasures.”

Once Dorsey’s dream of playing professional baseball ended — he was scouted by the Cincinnati Reds, Oakland A’s, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets — he began his radio career at KIEE Radio in Kansas City in 1974. He came to Quincy in 1978 to work for WTAD Radio and KHQA-TV. He later worked for WGEM Radio, WTAD (again) and KRRY Radio in various on-air and off-air capacities. Dorsey won the Illinois Broadcasters Association’s Silver Dome Award for Excellence in Broadcasting six times.

His work for the Exchange Club/Service Club has been recognized as well. He received the John Tripp Distinguished Service Award in 2009 and was named the Bill Hageman Exchangite of the Year in 2014. 

Dorsey takes notes at every weekly Quincy Service Club meeting on Fridays at the Elks Club, and he writes the club newsletter.  He’s a three-time winner of the Tom Williams Sr. Communications Award from the Exchange Club’s Lincolnland District, which also named Dorsey the winner of the Kremer-Clarkson-Krause Award, a special award presented to an outstanding communicator over an extended period.

He has been a member of the club for 34 years but hasn’t forgotten his first meeting.

“(Club member and local businessman) Dick Wentura actually asked me to be speaker,” Dorsey said. “I had spoken to several other groups, and they were all pretty stoic. I had more fun talking to (the Exchange Club) than the others. We were laughing through half the damn meeting. Nothing I was saying was funny. I was just talking about radio. But with this group, the bullets are flying at you from different directions. It’s a crazy group, man.”

Dorsey is a frequent “tail twister,” telling jokes (and eliciting a few groans) while collecting donations from club members. 

“Hey, when you bomb, you bomb,” he said with a chuckle.

He also occasionally delivers his version of “The News,” a satirical look at the latest local and national news while taking jabs at club members.

“Check yourself at all times,” Dorsey warns anyone asked to spend a Friday lunch hour with the Quincy Service Club. “The verbal punch is going to come. You have to have thick skin. You can’t take it seriously. There are good people around you, and they’re all upbeat. They’re going to be funny. They’re going to say something crazy.”

Dorsey has donated time as a member of the Alzheimer’s Association, the Quincy Area Crime Stoppers, the Elks Lodge and the Mart Heinen Club. He was the founder of the annual St. Patrick’s Parade and the annual Teddy Bear Clinic for Kids, both of which lasted 35 years. He also started the “Load the Lobby” toy drive for kids at Y101 Radio for the Salvation Army for 14 years.

Two of his favorite activities, however, were done much more quietly with the Exchange/Service Club. One was when he dressed up as Santa Claus for the club’s annual Christmas program with the city’s deaf and hard-of-hearing children. He fulfilled that role for the club for about 20 years.

“I thought I was being kind of selfish, because I know there are some people out there who would like to (be Santa),” Dorsey said. “We will all tell you the same thing. It’s one of the best things when you walk in there and those kids gravitate to you like you were the greatest thing in their life at that point … plus I got to pick on some of the club members.”

Dorsey said he also never feels prouder to be in the club than when it puts up more than 1,000 American Flags as part of its annual Field of Honor display each September.

Now 70, Dorsey recently was named a lifetime member of the club. He would tell people to join a club — not just the Quincy Service Club but any service club — if they have an opportunity.

“Think about what the club does and how it comes back to them,” Dorsey said. “It may not come back to you personally, but somewhere along the way, it does. Where you see events going on that the club sponsors, maybe your kid or grandkids wouldn’t go if (the event) didn’t have some of the funding that was sent by an Optimist Club or a Kiwanis Club. They all do great work.

“Pick and choose whichever one you want. I’m biased. I love the Quincy Service Club. I think we have a lot of fun, but all clubs are good in their own little ways. They all have their unique niches. Quincy is a much better community because of these clubs. Just the thought of not having any of those service clubs in this area … it would be tough.”