Scituate Rotary - Member News

FEBRUARY 27, 2008
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Top Photo: Paul Harris awards to Jim McInnis and Frans Nuboer - Congratulations!

Bottom Photo: President Elect Bob Schipul outlining his goals for the Club next year.

IN ATTENDANCE: President Michael, Dietrich, William C., Candace, Mary, Suzanne, Joe, Jim, Alden, Bob P., Bart, Bob S. Sandi, Janet, Ben, and Diane

GUESTS OF ROTARY: Connie Mitchell and Frans Nuboer

A cordial welcome was given by Captain Michael to our guests Connie and Frans. It was great to see so many of our regulars plus Mary Jenkins and Jim McInnis! We hope that the mid-winter doldrums are over!

After our pledge by Jim and Invocation by Bob, Janet gave us a Rotary “Minute”. We were reminded that The Rotary Foundation (TRF) is the vehicle by which all Rotary work is accomplished.

The mission of TRF is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty. The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation that is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision for a better world.

Janet also gave us an update of our club’s status for Paul Harris Fellows and surprisingly we have a very high number of recipients standing currently at 17. Bart and Janet together bestowed a new Paul Harris Fellow Award to Bart’s son Franz Nuboer, who personifies the Rotary motto, “Service Above Self”.

Walter Heller had a plaque made to present to Eli Jordan, as our club has plans to initiate him as an honorary Rotarian some time to be determined in March, his 81st Birthday is March 8th! Eli was responsible for the Rotary- Cushing School Annual Dinners to be held at The Barker Tavern for over 25 years now.

Our Happy and Sad Bucks reflected our high attendance for the end of February, but also the absence of Lew Burridge who broke his hip while visiting in Vermont last week. We wish him a speedy recovery and await his return to our meetings! Our thoughts go out to Judy Rego and her family while her Mother is at Life Care.

Bob wrapped up the meeting with his thoughts and goals for 2008-2009 under the Rotary Theme, “Make Dreams Real”. It will be an exciting new Rotary year for everyone, beginning in July, with the Installation of all District Officers on June 23rd in Providence, RI. The incoming Rotary International President, Dong Kurn Lee is scheduled to preside over the induction of 66 new officers and the ceremony is open to all fellow Rotarians.

In Rotary,
Sandra Schipul, Secretary

Dear Colleagues in Rotary,

How wonderful it is to sit here tonight and dream. The theme for 2008-2009 RI is “Make Dreams Real.” D.K. Lee has hoisted the sale, thrown down the gauntlet and raised our sights for the coming Rotary Year of 2008-2009. Dreams can be filled with nostalgia of the past or hope and anticipation for the future. We each have a “good old day” that we can call to mind. A time when life was simpler and easier, when things moved slower but I must confess that was when I was younger and my perspective was different from now. While I like remembering when, I also like “What IF? “much more.

You see, how we perceive today and what we hope for tomorrow has to do with how we greet life each day. Since we come from many different walks of life and times and places, what is it that can unify us tonight as we look towards the coming year? An e-mail crossed my desk this week about a sr. citizen who was being introduced to his new home away from home. A skilled care facility of very…very modest means. Having lived all his adult life in one house with one wife, now deceased he was heading for his “room” which would sport a sheet for a window curtain. When asked how he felt, he said that he couldn’t wait to get to his new room. When reminded that it would be quite sparsely decorated he said: “It will be a very nice place to spend my time.” How can you say that,” retorted his son, feeling both guilt and exasperation. I have always made up my mind to be positive about any position I am in before I get there. If I view it in a positive way I will have a much better time of living through it.

Bear with me for a moment as I share with you my dreams and how I hope we can achieve them and how I hope to encourage you to share in them with me. For if they are my dreams only, I am a party of one. But if they become your dreams also then we are much stronger and at the end of the year we will be able to celebrate together what good we have done and how we have enjoyed the journey!

I have 6 dreams for Scituate Rotary which we can make real.

1. A year marked with growth

2. A year marked with a balance of local, national and international projects.

6. Enjoy this year as I grow with you in “Service Above Self” to:
MAKE DREAMS REAL

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Top photo: Mark Patterson, Scituate Harbormaster and speaker for the evening, at the buffet.

Bottom Photo: Mark Patterson, Scituate Harbormaster, at the podium along with Howie Kreutsberg of the Waterways Commission and Chuck Dewey, a Scituate Resident and Contractor.

Present: Janet. Bart, Karen, Joe, Walter, William, Bob Price, Mike (our captain), Dietrich, Diane, Ben, Candace, Bob Schipul, Alden and his lovely wife Connie, and 3 guests. So, once again, we are 2 shy of our minimum…Sandi and Janice were home recuperating but we have no others excused. Please let Sandi know if you have done any make-ups or are excused so that our reported attendance is not a disaster.

Alden began the pledge for us, Bob the invocation and secretary’s report was given. We are reminded that Bob S. will share his goals with us next week. Please come and hear… (Note, again, that all future programs are listed on the webpage for your convenience.) Candace reported on an exhibit that has the Globe’s attention this week. It is about railroads and will run until the end of March at the South Shore Arts Center. She encourages us all to pop in and see it. It was noted that there are auditory effects approximately twice an hour.

Janet gave a Foundation report about the Gate’s matching grant that requires RI to contribute $100M by the end of December 2010 to earn that amount that the Gate’s Foundation has actually already given us. The report suggests every club give $1000 a year for 3 years to meet the match. Our president (Mike, for example) can give one Paul Harris and pay for our part of that. The public should continue to be made aware of Rotary’s role in Polio Eradication. Polio donations are eligible for PHF credit and should not supersede EREY.

Alden handed out copies of his “25 years of club history” which was recently reprinted with a grant from Loic. Thank you Alden and Loic. If there are still members without this document, please let Alden know. And Bill, you have just over a year to update that memoir with the 40 year history. The library is in Mike’s garage.

The container in Kenya is on a truck and on its way to Rwanda. Miracles happen.

HBSB was its usual fun and our guests who were excused and encouraged not to contribute said, “I want to play too,” so all three contributed to our “finestine” program. Very generous and appreciated. Walter continues to threaten fines for talking while others are talking. He specifically said $5 was the fine and it was quieter than usual. Thanks, everyone, for trying to listen better.

Our speakers were the Harbor Master, Mark Patterson, Howie Kreutzberg of the Waterways Commission and Chuck Dewey, contractor and generous interloper. Since that is such a charged word I will start with Chuck. He happened on the works of the other 2, was interested and offered his services gratis! Chuck is a contractor and designer and has created the images that were on display. (If we are lucky, Dietrich took some photos to attach.)

Mark spoke first and reported that he had looked up “Rotary” on the Internet and was most impressed with what he found. In particular he liked the fairness and honesty in all areas of professional and private life. He told stories to demonstrate his core values – he IS Rotary material! That aside, he told us how he became our Harbor Master having worked his way up to that role since college days making money helping out in the Marina. We talked out the friendliness for visiting boaters and the value for money there.

Mark is concerned with the needs of community recreational water users as well as the community fishing industry. He said that the Waterways Commission monies are all put back into the Waterways needs. Additional money is obtained by applying successfully for state grants. Scituate has gotten about $600,000 in grants in recent years. This probably says a lot about who is applying for the grants. Grants fund upgrading facilities, dredging and now the new Marine Park to be built on the site of Young’s Boatyard.

The Scituate Marine Park sits on 3 acres of land opposite Cole Parkway. It has 3 agendas – a marina with slips and moorings for 60-100 vessels and boat storage, a working boat yard complete with lift suitable for local fishermen’s needs and hoping to accommodate 90% of boats needing that assistance, and a non-boating component. There will be walking paths and a small building with bathrooms and a meeting room for 40 some people. It is a very attractive, year round building proposed. And the proposal is a great use of the land they have. The park abuts Mary’s family’s land she is trying to sell to the town. We already know what a great idea that would be! We all hope not to see more condos out there.

Anyway, the dilemma is this: the building cannot be built with state grant money. Vocational Tech has agreed to build the building for free beginning the fall of 08 if materials can be purchased by then. They feel they can do this for $200,000. This MUST be do-able! We directed Chuck and Howie to Candace, our professional fundraiser and William suggested that they look into prefab with VoTech doing the interior only. If the animal shelter can raise 900,000 then this must be easier…or not?... Maybe we can come up with a fund raiser during Heritage days with the Waterway commission to do this! It benefits EVERYONE in town.

In Rotary Service,
See you next Wednesday!
Janet

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Photo: Senator Robert L. Hedlund addresses the Rotary Club

Rotary Newsletter February 13, 2008

Future transportation projects for Massachusetts face a 20 billion dollar short fall, according to Sen. Robert L. Hedlund in a talk to the Scituate Rotary Club Wednesday night.

"And the proposed casinos will not help that much", Hedlund told his listeners. He said the Greenbush line, which is not getting the number of passengers officials anticipated so far, will be the last capital project in the state "unless we get money from the government in Washington," he said. The senator has always opposed the Greenbush project.

He said the MBTA alone is in debt to the sum of eight billion dollars with three billion in interest payments. The senator said he is "skeptical" about the proposed three casinos in the state. He said the casinos' income will impact the lottery program and also he claimed Governor Patrick's numbers for the casinos "don't add up." He added the plan was full of expectations but predicted the proposed Boston to Fall River railroad line was among those projects not to see fruition in the foreseeable future because of the finances involved.

"The governor predicts 400 million from the casinos but I believe it will be closer to 300 million. The casinos are not a panacea," he said.

Among other subjects, he bemoaned the fact that at one time there was two state house reporters from the Quincy Ledger and today there are none. He said this means the activity on Beacon Hill is not being adequately covered and the people are not being informed about what their legislators are doing. He said the loss is because the newspapers are experiencing decreased revenue due to competition from radio and television.

The club congratulates Diane Waterfield and Mary Jenkins for each donating a computer to Carolina Hill in Marshfield. This kind of community service is what Rotary is all about.

Scituate Harbormaster Mark Patterson is scheduled to speak at next Wednesday's meeting. This should be another interesting program.

Member attendance at the meeting was 17(20 Total) which almost doubled the number at last Wednesday's meeting. This is better but there are those whose faces we haven't seen in some time. Let's see if we can contact some of them and find out why.

Attending the meeting were: D. Bilger,L. Burridge, B.Coulter, C.Cramer, W. Heller, M. Johnson, S. Kavanaugh, K. Kelley, L. Meston, A. Mitchell, B. Nuboer, B. Price, C. Ryan, J. Schmitz, B. Summers, L. Tompson and D. Waterfield.

Guests were: Connie Mitchell, Senator Hedlund and Elaine O'Gara.

Respectfully submitted,
Bill Coulter
Secretary Pro Tempore

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Right: John J. Michalczyk: Professor/Co-Director of Film Studies and current Chair of the Fine Arts Department at Boston College presenting on films shown at Rotary's Peace and Conflict Resolution Center in Bangkok, Thailand)

Rotary Newsletter February 6, 2008

Rotarians were given a first class education in projects aimed towards helping sow peace in various parts of the globe at our meeting Wednesday night.

Fr. Ray Helmick, the Boston College scholar in conflict studies and his colleague John Michalczyk gave us an inside look at the production of films based on issues of conflicts in such areas as Northern Ireland, South Africa,Sicily and the Middle East.

Father Helmick talked about attempts in Northern Ireland to bring together opposing factions in that troubled land. He described how he encounted hatred but said the leaders were curious and were willing to explore options and "eventually it worked." Father Helmick will be leaving later this month for Bangkok, Thailand to screen four of John's conflict studies films on Northern Ireland, the Mid-East, South Africa, and Sicily at the Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies Center there.

John Michalczyk talked about making his initial film on Northern Ireland which he called "Out of the Ashes." He said there were some faults with that production but added he improved the work with a second film called "Unexpected Openings", dealing with life-time prisoners in Northern Ireland, which he said was much better.

He also talked about filming in Sicily where he worked with forces opposed to the Mafia in Palermo that were successful. That film was named "Killing Silence". He also discussed his film currently in production about the Gulags in the former Soviet Union.

President Mike announced his plan to show John's recently produced film "Creating Harmony: The Displaced Persons' Orchestra at St. Ottilien"(2007,USA) at a Club meeting sometime in April.

The down side of the evening was that only nine members of our club of 31 present at the meeting. They missed an interesting, uplifting program.

Bill Coulter gave a WOW by reciting the junior class of church schools' essays on the Bible. Alden led the Pledge of Allegiance and Dietrich gave the Invocation.

Those present were: D. Bilger, L. Burridge, W. Clark, C. Cramer, W. Heller, M. Johnson, B. Coulter, A. Mitchell and B. Price. Our guests were the speakers and Connie Mitchell.

Respectfully submitted,
Bill Coulter
Secretary Pro Tem