The Eastside Rotary Tradition
December 7, 2011
News From This Wednesday and Other Events
The 7th was another boisterous meeting, with lots of jollity before the formalities. The club had such momentum that when Sherri was a bit slow leading off with the Pledge, there was a spontaneous chorus of “…pledge alliegance..etc…Maybe we don’t need anyone to lead these --just turn the Eastsiders on and let them run. Guests were Mabel Symes and Sandy Hamlin. No “best-dressed” awards presented officially, but you have to go with Sandy and Jeannie in their red and green seasonal tops. It would have been birthday hat time for Will Woods but he missed it. Ryan passed out sign-up sheets for January 21st”s Canstruct Project. Jack Stuery has tickets for Community Chorus concerts at the Cathedral. Jane, as membership chair, inducted Erik McGuire as our newest Eastsider. He didn’t really have a sponsor, since he just showed up to apply. He was a Rotarian in Burlington KS before coming to town. Erik graduated from Truman State in ’07 but for some reason he is a KU fan. He will be our Boy Scout connection—maybe we can even get back to sponsoring those weenie roasts which the Geezer members enjoyed because the service was all sitting down for them.
Christmas Party : Shawn and Amy were last Saturday’s hosts at the Commerce Bank lobby for an enjoyable event of socializing and good eating. Eight or ten bottles of wine seem to have gotten emptied somewhere along the way, as well. Ken Hamlin drew the Raffle Board’s Instant Paul Harris Fellowship (see Picture) and the winner was Amy Ryan. The dessert contest had an upset, with Sandy Hamlin’s marshmallow-topped brownies edging out Tom Roetto’s trifle by one vote. I’d already made an early (and incorrect) prediction and photographed the empty trifle bowl. (See Pic). In the hors d’oeuvres division, it was a walk-away by Jane Graves with her big pan of Slider burgers. Her recipe includes boiled ground beef, Lipton dry onion soup and Velveeta. Get the details from Jane and happy up your table. Sadly missed by a few of us—Carol Singing.
Changes in the wind: The Shawn Drew family will be moving to Saint Joe. Hod Symes has a new white Taurus, after retiring his old Honda with 200K plus on the odometer. He and Mabel will head directly for Florida after the holidays.
Dec.l Board Meeting No scoops. Stuff we already know about is just percolating along Jack Steury will announce new a scholarship program in February. We have unspent money since Dawn Ireland was unable to use the last allocation we made to her for student teaching. St.Joe Christian School hopes to get Interact moving after the first of the year. Heather will be announcing her full slate of officers and directors shortly before year’s end. We may have a special orientation event for new members; stay tuned.
I wonder what kind of mail our Ohio State contingent has gotten lately after OSU signed up a four million dollar football coach. They will surely savor the honor of having someone think they can afford to help pick up that kind of tab. Or could it be that their bill for new season tickets will be so heavy that it will have to be delivered by Federal Express?
CACAO CAPERS AT THE COLLEGE
Missouri Western has a melt-in-your-mouth addition to its Business curriculum, as explained by Dean Phil Nitze and Special Consultant (and former Interim Dean) Carol Roever of the Steven Craig School of Business.
Western has established a course in Entrepreneurship which is unique in the country. The class culminates in a competition to select an actual entrepreneur who is awarded a franchise for Rocky Mountain Chocolate. Craig himself initiated the sponsorship by RMCF and he provides each new franchisee with capital enough to get underway. He also locates the franchises in shopping malls he runs across the Midwest and West.. So far seven such franchises have been set up and all are doing well, because of the extensive training, internship and encouragement they receive at Western. Besides their faculty teachers, the class hears from business executives, store managers and franchise experts like Dave Shinneman (St.Joe McDonalds). The past class members have served internships in actual operating stores around the country. The next class can do their interning without leaving St.Joseph, because Craig and Western have copartnered on a local store in the former Stover Candy location on Frederick . Dean Nitze has such a great relationship with the Rocky people that the owners talk of sending their own children to Western to take advantage of the class.. He says that after the store franchisees pay off Mr.Craig’s start-up loans, they will be able to net incomes of $70,000 and up. This Western program is firmly grounded academically, so that it can draw respect from other colleges.. Western hopes to develop ultimately a Major in entrepreneurship.
This impressive presentation was capped by distribution of chocolate bars to each club member.
COMING PROGRAMS December 14 Vocational talk; December 21 Holiday Music!
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;