High Gear Archive - 01012009 -06242009

High Gear Archive - 01012009 -06242009

High Gear, Wednesday - June 24, 2009
With assurance from on high that the sun will, indeed, shine again one of these days, the East Hartford Rotary Club met, in the rain, at Sunset Ridge Clubhouse. New President George Schoen rang the bell at precisely 12:15 for the start of his year in office. Some club members seemed a little confused as to what George is today, President-elect (cause it's still not July 1st) or President. His nibs himself acknowledged that in the International world of Rotary, he might technically still be “…-elect,” but in the East Hartford world, George was, indeed, installed last Wednesday evening, thus, he is already our “Mr. President.”
In an invocation led By President George himself, he told of Art Bradbury's sister, Pat Baldwin, having died on Tuesday evening in Philadelphia, and extended condolences to Art and his family.
A plate of ziti and meatballs met our palates, with chocolate cake for dessert. All this to the introduction of guests: Kate Evans, Rotarian from So. Windsor; Michael Fitzpatrick, a visiting Rotarian from someplace down south, and our speaker for the day, Joyce Kristof. The Welcome Song was led with good cheer by Glen Peterson and Dan Russell, while Sheryl O'Connor tickled the ivories.
Sgt-at-Arms Jack Sayre told of a couple birthday celebrations; Jim Reik and Tom Galvin (who somehow managed to pay for last year's as well!). Also, Glen Peterson jumped in the air and clicked his heels while paying for the last day of school, sending the little darlings home for the summer. (He didn't really say that; the High Gear editor just made it up 'cause it would seem to have been an appropriate thing to do!)
President George's first list of Announcements included:
His “thank you” to Kathy McCabe for a well-earned, and well-run Installation Banquet last week at the Gallery in Glastonbury
A thoughtful expression of thanks from Jim Reik on the club's support at the recent loss of his beloved granddaughter
Jim Fallon's sharing news of the Golf Committee, already hard at work in planning the Annual Golf Tournament, to be held (mark your calendars) on Sept, 21st at Manchester Country Club. Be thinking about raffle prizes!
George Finch brought back a colorful Rotary Club flag from St. Martin
The District is looking for a Rotary team leader for the GSX trip to Japan. Great opportunity! Anyone interested, call President George
Bill Saunders told of his and Bill Secord's activity on behalf of a Rotary Peace Scholarship. We have a candidate: Gretchen Upheld, late of the Peace Corps and outstanding young woman who would pursue a yearlong course of study (hopefully in Australia) on the many concepts of peace, such as conflict resolution
And then, some dates to commit to memory:
July 19 - Past Pres. Party at “the Lake”
Aug 9 - Bus trip to Saratoga
Aug 10 - District Golf Tournament
Aug 12 - Club Assembly (that's a Wednesday noon)
Aug 19 - Picnic at the KLock's
After seeing Larry Hangland win the weekly Raffle, we were introduced by Art Bradbury to today's speaker, Joyce Kristof, Exective Director of the Little Theatre of Manchester. LTM's Cheney Hall is a theater venue built by the Cheney Brothers for their silk company employees back in the late 1800's. Originally constructed for concerts, speakers, plays, etc., it also has served as a temporary hospital facility during WW I's flu epidemic, and a fabric store in the 50's & 60's. Following a $2 million restoration project in the 1980's, it has become the home of LTM and Manchester Musical Players, as well as filling its original purpose of providing cultural and musical events (concerts, duos, string quartets, etc) each year, but now for a wider audience from much of Greater Hartford. Ms Kristof is a gracious spokesperson for LTM, and she presented her remarks with charm and enthusiasm.
So, with this first meeting of President George's year, we offer a “Well Done!” It was also the last scheduled speaker-type program of the 2008-2009 year; seems to this writer that the Program Committee has done a great job all year. Thank you, Sheryl et al!!!
Arthur

High Gear, June 17, 2009
Once again the Gallery in Glastonbury proved itself a great place to meet, eat, and celebrate, this particular evening, the Going Out of President Sue Klock and the Coming In of President George Schoen. 'twas a happy, jovial crowd, as both old and new friends met over a favorite beverage and delicious hors d'oeuvres. (Didja notice that the bartender, by now known to all as Chris, remembers your name? Amazing!) After an Invocation from Art Bradbury, in which he asked the Good Lord to be at George's side as he leads us in the coming year, we met the guests. In addition to the usual gathering of PDGs from far and wide, new President George's table included Lucile Bailey, Jay Stewart, Art & Char Bradbury, best friend Pastor Al Turner & his wife Charlotte, George's sister Marge, his darling daughter Donna, and his ever lovely wife and soon to be "Co-President," Peggy. Tom & Art then led a boisterous rendition of the Welcome Song. Dinner, as promised, was wonderfully prepared filet mignon, sea scallops, and chicken. Ummmm!

Fabulous, fanciful offerings, followed one after the other, and here it should be noted that President Sue, in highlighting the accomplishments of her year, paid moving and emotional tribute to the many East Hartford Rotarians, many of them Past Presidents, who made it all possible, among them:
o "4 Avenues of Service" Award to Bill Leone
o Recognition of his moving to "Level 3" in support of the Foundation, to Steve Jacoby
o "All of the Hardware," pin, plague, badge, (no bill?) to new member Marc Glass. Welcome, Marc!
o Numerous Presidential Citations to our club, presented by DG Jim Dusza. President Sue called up Bill Saunders, Doug Willett, and a host of others (I knew I shouldn't start with names!), in citing the many people responsible.

With the help of incoming District Governor Herb Toback, and with what almost sounded like a marriage ceremony, our new prexy, GEORGE SCHOEN was sworn into office. In the traditional sharing of the wine goblet (a long ago gift from our sister club in Neath, Wales), Sue and George "sealed the deal." President Sue, in passing the gavel of office to new President George, assured the club of her confidence that "next year will be our best!"

President George, as he introduced his new Board, presented them with colored baseball caps, noting that, together, they resembled a "bowl of Fruit Loops." George's remarks included enthusiastic telling of the goals for his year, among them, support for:
o Continued new member growth and, as important, their assimilation.
o Rotary Foundation, for its role as the basic undergirding of all things Rotarian
o Polio Plus, toward its final eradication
o Encouragement of the existing Interact clubs
o Our annual Golf Tournament, with much-needed influx of new members on the committee
o …and most importantly, the every member support of President George, as he leads the East Hartford Rotary Club in the year ahead!

In a most fitting presentation, and in addition to a diamond studded PP pin, now Past President Sue was given a check for $500 toward the purchase of a Shelter Box!

Kathy McCabe is owed our thanks for putting together a wonderful evening. And, after saying so, President George (you can tell he's a tenor by the key he started it on) led us in a hearty closing rendition of "God Bless America." Kate Smith would have been proud!

HIGH GEAR: June 10, 2009, SERGEANT OF ARMS PICNIC
As a first time participant at the Sergeant-at-Arms Picnic, I had no idea what to expect. I was less than enthused because the weather was somewhat iffy for an outdoor picnic and the thought of sixty plus Rotarians milling around inside the house in case of rain gave me claustrophobic thoughts. It turned out to be a remarkable day. The rain held off. The lack of sunshine was clearly offset by picnic goers basking in the culinary delights, great company and the gracious host and hostess.

The setup clearly reflected the efforts of many Rotarians volunteering their time and muscles to put the remarkable arrangement together. Somehow my senses told me where the appetizer table was located. Trying to decide if I should go for the shrimp cocktail or breaded peppers or chicken nuggets, various kinds of chesses, cracker, chips, you get the picture, was tough. The wise decision for me was to try all of them and I am glad I did. I will let you know about the consequence when I weigh myself next Monday.

President Sue rang the bell exactly at 5:55 p.m. by my watch. A flag of the United States was quickly produced so that Dan Firestone could lead us through the Pledge of Allegiance and his occasion appropriate invocation consisting of words like grille, food, thanks, etc. We found out that it was the day for Sue and Peter's 42nd wedding anniversary. We all sang happy birthday to Ruth Sheehan and Tom Galvin followed by the uplifting announcement by Tom that he has been cancer free for five years.

The Membership Committee members were pleased to see President Sue go through the welcoming process with two new members, Dave Parry and Marc Glass. We were told that the construction of our new website is going well. Bob Richmond would like to have people sign up for the August 10, 2009 Golf Outing. You know how to contact him. The Shelter Box program this year was so successful that the same group will be back in October 2009. Gil Wishart asked for a show of hands to determine which of the three choices, the backpack, the BBQ set or the bottle opener should be the winning prize for the golf tournament. Backpack was the clear winner. President Elect George delivered a clear message; Rotary means some work and not all play. Despite my best attempts not to come within 10 feet of President Elect George, I got my committee assignments for the coming year like many others who thought they were attending just a picnic. Good job George. The bell was rung at 6:10 p.m. to remind people that the best part of the picnic was yet to come.

It will be almost sinful of me to end the High Gear here without giving you the details of the main courses. It was another gastronomical extravaganza. The nicely spiced salmon grilled over water (or some magical potion) soaked cedar boards would have won any food contest. It melted like butter in my mouth. The people with steaks on their plates seemed to be enjoying their meal just as much as I did. Bill and Beverly Leone deserve a round of applause. Ice cream with toppings and whipped cream squirted by Mary Sullivan, leaning out of the window like the Ice Cream Parlor lady out of the serving window, matched the delight of the appetizer and the main course. New members got the whip cream squirted on their wrist which they had to quickly lick clean to pass the initiation test; just kidding about the initiation test. The efficiency, with which the group dismantled the entire setup and loaded it on trucks, was a scene to watch. I left the picnic with no doubt in my mind that this is not the first time the Leones have thrown a picnic like this.

Anwar Hossain

High Gear, Wednesday,June 3, 2009

Well, at least the day started out with sunshine, and it carried thru to our Rotary meeting, where lots of happy shining was evident up at the Ridge! Ceil Collins led us in the Pledge to our beautiful American flag, Carol Krantz offered a thoughtful invocation, and we sat to the wafting aroma from the candles on Dan Firestone’s humongous birthday cake. Some cute little blond gave a very good imitation of Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday” serenade of JFK, and we were off and running!!! We sat to a tasty but rather glum-looking dish of sirloin tips with gravy over mashed ‘taters, accompanied by the first George Bush’s un-favorite vegetable, limp broccoli. Oh well, Dan’s birthday cake & ice cream for dessert left a good taste in our mouths, right, Moe?

Guests? We had ‘em today! President Sue called on Ross LabellaHerb Tischofer (& of course, Sheryl O’Connor at the piano) to lead our Welcome Song for: Matt Ryan, Principal of EHHS; Scholarship recipients (see below) and their parents; ole friend Denny Weir and club President Bob Dugger of Glastonbury; prospective members Marc Glass and Dave Parry; and a bunch of delightful entertainers of the “Fantango & Company” troupe.

Sgt at Arms (pro tem) Jack Sayre told us that the coffers were enriched by Gil Wishart (8 Rotary yrs); Herb Tischofer and Dan Firestone, birthdays; Luke Blanchard, for an old 26 years (of birth, not in Rotary!); and Stu Harris’ daughter, Julia, for being Salutatorian of her class!

Scolarship recipients who graced our gathering, along with their proud parents, were introduced by Larry Frazier, as follows:

Kristin Duquette, studying to be a motivational speaker; Ariana Larson (absent, please see below); Julia Harris, Lafayette Univ; Jimmy Nguyen, UConn; and Jessica Gustamachio. A wonderful group of young people; it made us all proud to have them here!

Notes and news of interest:

• A whole bunch of Rotarians aided and abetted the IB Interact young’uns in their “Shelterless” event last Friday night, and then again made breakfast for everyone Saturday morning. They raised $2500 toward Shelter boxes (covering 25 disaster victims for 6 months or more!). Thanks all!
• Our club is working on sponsoring a young adult applicant for a Rotary Foundation Peace Scholarship, first time ever, under the mentoring guidance of (who else) Bill Secord!
• As noted above, Marc Glass & Dave Parry were present today, attending a Rotary information session. Their signed applications signify the start of a 7 day period after which they will be eligible to be admitted into our club, providing that no one has submitted to Pres. Sue reasons why either should not be allowed into our membership (all of this in accordance with our Bylaws).
• Next year’s officers, under the guidance of Sheryl O’Connor, are planning the move of our Website to ClubRunner. Members, especially committee chairs are urged to become trained in its use. There are instructions for getting into this…see Peter, or Sue, or Sheryl, for details.
• The Past Presidents’ outing will be held on Sunday, July 19, at the Spellman Pt Clubhouse, down at the Stewart cottage on Lake Pocotopaug.
• Bill Leone has gotten (for the state) everysingleraffle ticket, sold or unsold. Amazing! Good job!!
• And under good news: Betty Russell will be coming home next Tuesday; better clean the sink, Dan!

and Ariana Larson is home w/a headache after a night in the hospital caused by a biking accident.;

hopefully also of good news, good friend SkipGuillemette just had open heart surgery at

St. Francis Hospital. We’re sure cards are in order and would be appreciated.

Remember, INSTALLATION DINNER; When; June 17, 6:30 Cocktails, 7:30 Dinner. Where: The Gallery.

Dinner selections: Filet Mignon, Chicken Marsala, Sea Scallops w/ bread crumb topping. Tariff: $40 pp, due to Kathy McCabe by June 10th. No noon meeting that day, or on the earlier party, before that one, next Wednesday, the 10th, the Sergeant at Arms Party, at Bill Leone’s, next Wednesday.

Sorry to be so brief in its description, but the Dance Party program, featruring the Fantango & Company troupe, brought to us by Dan Firestone, was something else…you really had to be there. Thanks, Dan!

Oh yeah, Bill Leone won the raffle; wasn’t that fitting? and Glastonbury Rotary’s Lobster Fest tickets are only $50. Interested? Call Bob Dugger in Glastonbury. That’s all, folks!…so, for the month of June, Arthur

Before I load that file I want to report that the Guatamala project this year collected $4,000 from our Club and money gathered from other District Clubs totalled to 28K plus. Behrhorst found matching grants that brought the total to $63K. Sue also produced a check for $2K toward a Healthy Village Project in one of our towns. This can be viewed on YouTube at "District 7890 Guatamala water project part 1" If you want a direct link, let me know.
YIR, Peter
HIGH GEAR: Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Our weekly meeting seemed to have a lively bunch of members. It takes an authoritative gong to bring us to order. The Rotary song, then Louise Mazzoli led us in the Pledge of Allegiance to our nation's flag. George Schoen offered a meaningful preamble to his prayer before the meal, quoting words written by a Guatemalan woman whose village had received the blessing of clean water. We forget our many blessings. George gave thanks for the opportunity we all have to put service above self.