THE EASTSIDE ROTARY TRADITION

May 23, 2012

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AROUND THE TABLES… Lots of reading this week because there has been a lot to report, so take your time and work your way through it. No skipping, though. This will all be on the final exam. On Wednesday, Dan Hausman and Josh Middendorf, prospective members were present on their last day as guests, and Amy Wilson was the guest of Lee Ann Smiley. Kevin Kirby, visited from Downtown, primarily to present us, in person, with a framed certificate from the Red Cross. Eastside received their “Good Neighbor” award for (what else?) the smoke alarm project.

New officers were presented to the club by Pres. Susie to accommodate the resignation of Tom Roetto. Ryan Horsman moved up to President-elect. Sherri Hahn moved up to Vice-president and Shelly Hulet will take Sherri’s spot as Sergeant-at-Arms

Heather Shearin thanked all who worked on the crew assembling playground equipment at Youth Alliance last Saturday. The first unit was nearly completed and Heather has found a friendly contractor who will take over the remaining assembly. It was the crew’s unanimous judgment that Lowes spoke with forked tongue in representing that three or four people could assemble the unit in a half day. Youth Alliance will take responsibility for assembling the second unit so we are (thankfully) off the hook

Susie received email pictures of the workers via the wonders of the internet and showed them as part of her panel participation at the District Conference. Sjoert also attended the District Conference and has kept up his network of International Service supporters. Ken Hamlin was presented to the District as our club “hero” for conference recognition.

Jack Steury announced that our college scholarship has been awarded to a non-traditional student Laura Ulmer, currently carrying a 4.0 average.

In preparation for Royal Family Kids Camp, Melissa asks for donations of kids clothing (particularly swimwear), sizes 6-14, which she can dispense from the camp “store” to campers who come without.

By-laws notice #2: Dan Hausman and Josh Middendorf have been approved for membership.

Mr. Saint Joe Strolls Memory Lane

Bob Slater has spent his lifetime in Saint Joseph first as a newspaper man and next as a power company executive, and there is not much that he doesn’t know about our history. His talk covered three main events. The first was our attempt to become a worlds fair city. In l889 St.Joe had a huge building on the tract where Truman Middle School now sits. It was 960 feet long and was set to become a railroad car manufacturing center employing 500. The owner visualized it as the center of a worlds fair but it burned down—so we ended up with no factory and no fair. St.Louis in 1904 got the worlds fair that made the city famous worldwide. St.Joe also had a famous population growth in the 1900 census, growing from 52,000 to 102,000 people---only it was a fraud. When the census bureau sent an investigator to recheck the count, local civic leaders kept him drunk until they had shown him the same busy intersection six times—and he ended up reporting that the census was an undercount. That’s why St.Joe, on the next census books showed a drop to the 75,000 count which it maintained for many years. Finally Bob told of a more horrible event, the 1933 lynching of a black prisoner at the county jail. Such a huge mob arose that they overpowered the National Guard been called out by the governor The sheriff feared for the lives of other black prisoners and surrendered the accused to his death. One man was tried for his involvement but was acquitted—others in the mob, many “solid citizens” were never charged. Nevertheless the city always had lots of municipal pride and Bob recalled the electric sign that sat atop the Corby Building for many years—“The City Worthwhile” spelled out with 35,000 light bulbs.

AWARDS AT ANNIVERSARY EVENT

Festive Eastsiders gathered Thursday night at the Remington Nature Center banquet room to celebrate the club’s anniversary and to issue

awards. Amy Ryan was the impresario and a tasty buffet was catered by the J.C.Wyatt House kitchen. The business of the year award went, in absentia, to B.J.Burns and her eponymous office supply establishment. Roger Leander, pastor of First Lutheran Church received the Larry Jones Humanitarian Award. Pat Ryan was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship with Amy doing the pinning. Five members received Key Awards for special club service and got a gold key to remind them what they’d received: Jane Graves (see photo), Bill Roberts and Susie Campbell (see photo) were recognized on foot and in absentia, Sherri Hahn and Jeanne Chavez were also keyed. Don Mahaffey (see photo), retired MWSU prof, received the community leadership award for his service to Habitat for Humanity.. He has been an officer and administrator since its founding. He has had his hammer on all fifty-two houses which Habitat has built—putting in 3500 hours of service at last count. Our most prized award, Rotarian of the Year, went to Sjoert Zuidhoff (see photo)in recognition of the Thailand pure water project which he personally sponsored and sold throughout the entire District.

COMING PROGRAMS May 30 Barb Read on Rolling Hills’ Bookmobile; June 6 Tom and Tonya Rhein international auction celebrities; June 13 Sandy Hamlin—Prep for Royal Family Kids’Camp; June 20 Induction of new officers and board; June 27 Lunch at RFKC

The Tradition is the weekly news bulletin of The Rotary Club of Saint Joseph, East. Eastside meets every Wednesday at noon, at the Albrecht Gallery, St.Joseph, Missouri. Officers for the 2011-2012 Rotary year are: Susan Campbell, President; Heather Shearin, President-elect; Shawn Drew, Past President; Tom Roetto, Vice-President; Dave Richmond, Treasurer; Jeanne Chavez, Secretary; Director, Club Service: Amy Ryan; Director, Community Service, Mark Trullson; Director, Vocational Service, Lynette Saxton; Director, International Service, Sjoert Zuidhof;Membership Chairman, Jane Graves; Rotary Foundation Chairman, Jim Fitzgerald; Public Relations Chairman Alan VanZant; Senior Advisors: Ron Auxier, Ken Hamlin ..