Today’s Speaker:
Katherine Hurley, President and CEO, Infinity Financial Group
Kathie’s clients are executives and business owners who are in need of a trusted professional to help them make smart financial decisions. She sees her role as that of her client’s personal “Chief Financial Officer.” Kathie began her career in the financial services industry in 1980 at Merrill Lynch where she worked as an investment advisor for nine years. She joined AXA-Equitable in 1990, and formed Infinity Financial Group in 2005. She is involved in civic activities, but is especially supportive of Capital Hospice where she is a certified patient volunteer, serves on their Planned Giving Committee, and is a member of their Speaker’s Bureau. Other community involvement includes Rotary International, The Executive Women’s Roundtable, The Vienna-Tyson’s Chamber of Commerce, and the Reston Chamber of Commerce.
Last Week’s Program:
Rear Admiral Dick Van Orden discussed his new book, The Hindenburg Enigma. His work began after the death of his friend Sid Davis who collected notes on the Hindenburg, the German Zeppelin that crashed in New Jersey in 1937. His friend had envisioned a novel based on a murder that took place on the Hindenburg. After reviewing his notes, Dick decided to restructure the novel to focus on what caused the fiery crash of the Hindenburg.
The Hindenburg provided the first air-based trans-Atlantic trip for $400 and was in competition with passenger ships like the Queen Mary. The trip by ship took 5 days and by Zeppelin only 2 ½ days. The Hindenburg made 10 trips in 1936 and was scheduled to make 18 in 1937. When in the US, the airship was based at Naval Station Lakehurst, NJ. Zeppelins used highly combustible hydrogen to fill gas bags within a rigid structure. The Hindenburg was designed to carry72 passengers with a crew of 27. It flew at a top speed of 85 knots and stayed below 1200 ft. It was highly prized by the Nazi government who went to extraordinary measures to prevent sabotage of this symbol of Nazi pride and German nationalism.
The destruction of the Hindenburg occurred on 6 May 1937 as it was docking. The airship had arrived 12 hours late which Dick theorizes might have been why people were aboard when the crash happened. Of the 97 on board (36 passengers and an extended crew of 61), 34 people died (15 passengers and 21 crew). Since the gas was combustible, use of matches or other flammables on board the zeppelin was tightly controlled. Dick believes something must have happened to cause the fire and uses his novel to explore this possibility. He noted that a German luger with one shot fired was found after the crash.
Dick created a colorful set of characters any of whom might have been the saboteur. The suspects include a Luftwaffe officer who wanted to see reduced funding for Zeppelins in favor of traditional military aircraft; a mechanic on the crew who might have been a Communist; a Jewish entertainer; a German living in the US (based on an actual passenger); a beautiful but amoral female German agent; and a US Naval officer. Dick has woven all this into a suspenseful account of what might have happened to the Hindenburg based on the real facts.
This is the first book of fiction that Dick has written following 4 non-fiction books on naval topics. He says he wrote this book twice – once to his satisfaction and then a rewrite at the suggestion of a screenwriter friendwho said that his writing sounded like a PhD thesis, and that for his fiction to sell, he had to bring "...more intrigue, more suspense, and more sex." He accomplished his aim – the book is informative and a terrific read.The book is available on Amazon.com in both normal and large print and an electronic version for the Kindle.
Upcoming Events/Programs:
August 20-23
Rotary booth at County Fair – ThomasJeffersonMiddle School
August 20
ARC Board Meeting – La Cote d’Or following club meeting
August 22
District Foundation Seminar & Banquet– North Stafford HS
August 27
District Governor Horace McCormack visits our club! Be sure to attend this meeting.
August 29-30
District Polio Awareness Rotary Foundation
Club Business/Announcements:
Our Club has extended honorary membership to Lorna Daniels and Dottie Dodson. Both have accepted and will be inducted soon.
Guests for 13 August
Bill Ford – former ArlingtonCounty manager – guest of Dick Jones
Gordon Peyton – member of Alexandria club
Foundation News:
Two major events are planned in an increased effort to raise awareness of the $200 Million dollar challenge to eradicate polio.
District Entertainment Night - August 29-30
Fellowship and support for Rotary Foundation Eradication project – Reception followed by Play “Which Way is Out” – NOVA Annandale
World Polio Awareness Day - October 24
Reception followed by screening of film “The Final Inch”. This will be in WashingtonDC with many notables invited to the event. More to come on this topic in the months ahead.
Joe Lott won the 50/50 Raffle last week
HAPPY TALK from August 6:
Andrew Merrow – is the father of a happily engaged daughter
Elizabeth Harr Bricksin – wants to see more politeness from Arlington drivers and appreciates the support from fellow Rotarians
Patty Browne – happy for the car load of Rotarian donations to the homeless support group ASPAN
Ward de Groot – appreciates both those who need clothes and those that don’t have clothes
Linda Valentino – is leaving for vacation to the Grand Canyon and feels fortunate to have the kind of friends and family that support her
Kim Durand – enjoyed attending other club meetings and hearing their happy talk
Don Stoufer – is happy that his son has brought home a Harley – granddaughter Harley Marina Stouffer, that is.
The Arclight August 13, 2009