Local Leader John Huffaker

John is the current president of the Rotary Club of Parker. The Parker chapter, consisting of 62 members, has served Parker since its founding in 1993.

John Huffaker was born and raised in Texas, staying in the Lone Star State to graduate from Texas Tech University. He became an attorney and practiced for 38 years in Amarillo, Texas. John became widely known in the state for his experience and expertise in dealing with many aspects of agriculture and agricultural finance law. In 2009, he was appointed to the Texas Tech Board of Regents. Then, in 2012, he was appointed as the Vice Chancellor and General Counsel for Texas Tech University. After retirement in 2018, he and his wife, Charlotte, moved to Colorado to be nearer his two daughters; Lacye, who lives in Aurora, and Shannon, who lives in Albany, California, a suburb of Oakland.

Besides family and profession, John’s lifelong passion has been Rotary. With over 46,000 clubs, Rotary International is a network of service clubs serving local communities the world over. Huffaker first became a Rotarian in 1984 and is now completing his 42nd year.

John says that first and foremost, Rotary Clubs are where community members put to use their Rotary motto, "Service above self." In Parker, the club has served the town with projects such as the construction and maintenance of the gazebo in O’Brien Park, assisting many local organizations such as Affinity Ranch and the Parker Task Force, and assisting youth service groups.

When asked about retirement, John says it might not be as sedentary as we are led to believe.

“I find this to be true for a lot of retirees. Looking toward retirement, they wonder what they will do with their time and are ultimately surprised by how busy they end up being. That has certainly been true for me. I stay busy with Rotary and our church, the Parker United Methodist Church and, for the last 18 years, I have been deeply involved in conducting a continuing legal education program for agricultural law at the Texas Tech University School of Law. But also, my wife and I have enjoyed some wonderful trips, traveling in the United States, Europe and, once, to New Zealand. But the most special trips: We have been able to travel several summers with both our daughters, their husbands and our wonderful grandkids, most recently, last summer, to Costa Rica.”

John also says he happily does most of the cooking at home.

“You would probably know that, growing up in Texas, we ate a lot of chicken fried steak and gravy, but I have mostly left that behind. These days, I try to keep things healthy. I use a lot of lighter cooking methods, and I do a lot of seafood, chicken and pork. And I do vegetarian dishes fairly often. But I must say, I haven’t abandoned all my ‘Texas raisin’. Every other week or so, I make a batch of my mother’s cornbread, baked in her old cast iron skillet with the perfect patina.”

Parker Rotarians are a diverse group of professionals, tradespeople, civic leaders, retirees, stay-at-home parents, neighbors and friends, who:

• Volunteer locally and globally

• Support those in need including youth, seniors and veterans

• Enjoy fellowship through service, socials, and shared values

• Work together to improve lives in Parker and beyond

To learn more about what the rotary does or to become a member visit parkerrotary.org.