|
Rotary Flash for Meeting on March 16, 2010 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Written by Dan Carr
|
|
Thursday, 18 March 2010 22:52 |
|
Our meeting began with Mark Parker leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance and God Bless America. Our invocation was given by Tim Henry. Sergeant at Arms Report John Hanna reported 50 of our 106 members in attendance today. We had one visiting Rotarian – Brian Beeghly again joined us from the Rockwood Club. We had a number of guests. Tom Jachimowitz brought his wife Patty, John Hanna brought Alex Smith and Felix Krynycky, Cathy Baumann brought Bill Johnston, Rotary Foundation Moment Bill Thorne gave our Foundation Moment this week. What would you do to eradicate polio? Would you shave off all your hair? Rotarians in District 5040 did just that and raised $10,000 for PolioPlus Partners. Would you hike 2,658 miles over six months? Rotarian Chrissy Wallace of California did to raise money for Rotary's PolioPlus program. World you cycle 4,165 miles on the TransAmerica Trail? Rotarian Robert Keegan of Tennessee did to benefit PolioPlus Partners. Dedicated individuals, clubs, and districts continue to promote and support PolioPlus Partners at every opportunity possible. Many districts also gift their District Designated Funds to the polio effort. What can you do for PolioPlus Partners? Bill's quote of the day comes from Will Doran. “The first lesson of philosophy is that we all may be mistaken.” Students We had two students from Greensburg Salem High School join us. Emily Gabriel and Tricia Swab joined us for lunch today. Announcements Ed Meadows announced that he and his wife went to see Ken Rutter – he enjoys having the company so stop by and say hello if you can. Rick Nedley announced that Jim Horsley, a U.S. Navy Blue Angel Pilot, will be speaking at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel for the 38th Annual Good Friday Family Prayer Breakfast and for the dinner the evening beforehand. The dinner will be on Thursday, April 1 at 7:00 and will cost $27 a person. The prayer breakfast will be the next morning at 7:00 AM and will cost $12 a person. Dawn Roberts announced that she is collecting bids from individuals who would be interested in running CAT5 cable and installing some receivers to connect her two TV’s up. Larry Blake announced that the American Red Cross is hosting the Westmoreland Chamber’s BASH on Wednesday. They are also having a day-long blood drive that day, so please come to the BASH if you’d like, but also come to donate blood. Mark Parker announced that Chuck Stroebel has stepped forward and taken a leadership role as an assistant to the district governor this upcoming year. Thank you Chuck for stepping up to the plate. Word of the Week Mark’s word of the week is gula. It means both the upper part of the throat, or a molding having a long hollow area. Speaker Tim Henry introduced our speakers from Seton Hill University. Their organization is SIFE, which stands for Students in Free Enterprise. Three students and their professor joined us today. Last year they competed at the regional SIFE competition in Philadelphia for the first time, and they won Rookie of the Year and Second Runner-Up awards. One student was from Ireland, and another was from Ethiopia. SIFE is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to make a difference in their communities. It operates in over 40 countries with 1,376 active university teams. Seton Hill’s SIFE team has 17 active members. They have focused on increasing education and awareness about the environment and promoting the need to reduce waste. Their project aimed to promote the Three ‘R’s, reduce, re-use, and recycle. They hope to lessen waste of unconsumed goods, and to provide resources to unprivileged kids in developing countries. They encouraged students to donate their un-used or leftover stationary to SIFE at the end of each semester. They intended to have three international students take the stationary home with them to provide for local under resourced schools. They are presenting to us to increase the local awareness of their project. They have looked to local businesses asking for a donation of stationary, and continue to ask students to donate it to a great cause. A similar project is collecting tennis balls, shoes, and pens to send over to people in Iraq who need our help. The tennis balls allow our soldiers to teach a new game to the children, and the other goods help the children to have the resources to further their education. This in turn helps the children to trust the soldiers and to build a better relationship between our countries. The soldiers can also learn from the children things like the language of Arabic. Thank you students for presenting these wonderful projects to our club, and thank you for improving our community and our world. Mark ended the meeting in the usual way with the Four Way Test. |
|
Rotary Flash for Meeting on March 2, 2010 |
|
|
|
|
Written by Dan Carr
|
|
Tuesday, 02 March 2010 22:43 |
|
Our meeting began in the usual way with Bill McGrath leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance and God Bless America. Our invocation was given by Jack Waite. Sergeant at Arms Report John Hanna reported 52 of our 104 members in attendance today. We had one visiting Rotarian – Brian Beeghly joined us from the Rockwood club. We also had a number of guests. Bill Kern brought Clara Lou Kern, Ron Barner brought Dave Hunter, and Dave Robinson brought Amanda Meckling. Rotary Foundation Moment Bill Thorne gave our Foundation Moment this week. What can you get for $100 these days? A pair of shoes, a nice dinner for two, or a stove for a needy family in rural Guatemala. A contribution of $100 to the Annual Programs Fund will make you a Sustaining Member of the Rotary Foundation, but it also provides life-changing opportunities for those in need. When you choose to support our Rotary Foundation, you are making a difference in two ways: you are changing lives and you are literally saving lives. What an amazing thing. Bill’s bonus quote of the day is from Malcolm X: “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Students We had students visiting from Hempfield this week. Elisa Paul, Kaitlyn Taylor, and Michael Gallagher joined us for lunch today. Thanks to Rick Nedley for bringing them to and from the meeting. Announcements There will be a board meeting this Thursday at Bill McGrath’s home. The Westmoreland County Food Bank will need helpers this Saturday. Cathy Baumann said that she went for her first time last month, and she had such a great time, and she really hopes that as many people can make it as possible. It’s very rewarding, and taking two hours from 9 to 11 would be great. The golf committee will meet on March 23 at 5:00 PM. Some other dates to keep in mind: Blood screening – April 24 Group photograph (weather permitting) – May 4 Spelling bee – May 23 Bill Kern has taken some time to put together the history of our district. As soon as it’s made available, we will have it reprinted for all of the members of our club. It talks about our district 7330 and its history. Leia Shilobod announced that the Red Cross will be holding its Taste the Good Life event on April 29. Contact her for details. Rick Nedley announced that the Friends of the Y program at Nemacolin Woodlnads Resort is on a last call. Contact him for details if you’re interested. Kevin Metsger announced that the signup sheet for the blood screening went around for the first time today – please sign up if you can help. Word of the Week Bill’s Four Letter Word of the Week is kibe (pronounced KIB). It is a chapped portion of your skin. Speaker Bill Kern introduced our speaker today, his close friend (and son) Tom Kern. Some years ago, this club sponsored him to attend university in Cambridge, England. So he is grateful for the opportunities that our club has afforded him. Tom works for ITS America, which works on intelligent transportation technology. It is a non-profit organization that attempts to work on the cost of transportation. There are indeed ways to improve our transportation methods – ITS America tries to bring together organizations from both the public and private sectors who have a role in transportation. The goals are to protect lives, costs, and the environment. Almost 40,000 people die in traffic fatalities, and there are 2.5 million injuries. The average rush hour commuter spends nearly a full work week stuck in traffic each year. The cost of traffic accidents and delays are more than $1 billion each day. Americans actually spend three times more of their average household expenditures on transportation than on health care. Some of the existing technologies help immensely, such as traffic light synchronization and E-Z pass toll methods. But new problems continue to occur, such as distracted driving with cell phones and text messaging. Some of the goals for ITS America include better interoperability between transportation methods, to put smart technologies to work, to provide incentives for performance improvements, and to advance next generation solutions. So how does transportation get paid for? The fuel tax has not been increased since 1993. But we also pay in other ways – we either pay now or we will pay later if we don’t have an effective infrastructure. If the traffic systems aren’t effectively managed, or if the poor road quality helps to cause an accident. As an Anglophile, the British address their transportation challenges more proactively. Eisenhower built the interstate highways in the 50’s for defense and security reasons, but also for interstate commerce purposes. There are many questions and methodologies that may help with improving the quality of our transportation. For example, should traffic lights attempt to detect whether someone is about to run a red light? Perhaps you don’t wish to reward someone for this action, but if it will save someone’s life is it worth it? Also, should bus drivers have the ability to extend lights to improve public transportation? He closed with a question and answer segment. He talked about the people and methods working toward a more effective public transportation system in Pittsburgh. Thanks for sharing your time, knowledge, and message Tom. It was very informative. Bill ended our meeting in the usual way with the Four Way Test. |
|
|
Rotary Flash for Meeting on March 9, 2010 |
|
|
|
|
Written by Dan Carr
|
|
Thursday, 18 March 2010 22:45 |
|
Our meeting began in the usual way with Mark Parker leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance and God Bless America. Our invocation was given by Kary Coleman. Sergeant at Arms Report John Hanna reported 53 of our 106 members in attendance today. Jim Steeley brought his wife Karen, Dave Robinson brought Amanda Meckling his chauffeur, and Dick McNeil brought his wife Janet, although he forgot to bring himself (he showed up later). Students We had two students joined us from Greensburg Central Catholic. Olivia Lantz and Lauren Tyger joined us for lunch today. Announcements Mark announced that we need representatives to represent us at the district level. First, the district conference will be at Nemacolin, and we need 4 representatives from our club to go. Please contact Mark – the conference is on April 9, but the voting will probably happen on Saturday morning. There also someone who must represent us on the nominating committee. You must be a past president but not a past district governor. They will help to choose the next district governor. And finally, we need an individual to be elected to the district finance committee, which meets twice a year. If anyone is interested in any of these positions, please contact Mark or Bill McGrath. Leia Shilobod announced that the American Red Cross, The Westmoreland / Chestnut Ridge Chapter provided 60 disaster clean-up kits to be provided to local homes in the case of disaster with the funds that our grant provided. She showed us the contents of the kits, and each one that our grant helped to provide has a sticker on it showing that we funded it. She wanted to thank the club for providing the grant for these kits – they will help those in our community immensely. Passed around two fliers regarding the enrollment for the school or learning. If you know of a neighbor or student who needs or is looking for hands-on non-traditional learning, put her in touch with Sue. Also, Sue is looking for individuals who would like to have a student shadow them in a particular area. John Hanna announced that the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra will be holding a Greensburg Rotary Club Night at the Symphony with discounted tickets at $5 for students and $9 for adults. You must order your tickets by this Thursday, March 11 to be eligible for the discount. Tom Hower passed around pictures from last year’s fishing outing. He is looking for volunteers to help again this year at the event. Word of the Week Mark Parker’s word of the week is yodh. It is the 10th letter of many semantic alphabets. Speaker Tim Henry, our speaker chair for the month, introduced a stranger to our club, Jim Steeley. Jim presented “There Was A Time…”, discussing the special times and places in around Greensburg, PA. On New Years Day, 1900, prominent businessmen donned clown costumes to celebrate the New Year. This happened for the following 15 years and became a kind of tradition. In 1901, the courthouse was torn down, and the new one was erected. The new courthouse was a symbol of the changes taking place across the United States. There was incredible optimism in that time – they predicted X-rays curing cancer, a tube being created to suck people across the country in a car, and using solar energy. Things were booming in the country, and confidence was high. Similarly, Greensburg was the hub of the county. Between the Civil War and 1900, 30 boroughs and towns sprung up in the area. Coal, natural resources, and real estate made everyone wealthy. In 1907, the first harness racing track was built and on July 19, it began the annual meet. This was on the location where Lynch Field is, and the inner track is still 5/8 miles today. We belonged to a racing circuit which included Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland groups. It was called the Polo Grounds. Greensburg also was supporting a first class opera house. The St. Clair Theatre, which no longer exists, was bigger than the Palace Theatre. It was built by George Miller Contractor, the same contractor who built the court house and the temporary court house. George bought some property and additional materials and built the opera house. The entrance was on Main Street, across from the Lutheran Church. They had Madam Butterfly come in and very big shows around 1908. By 1911, people had fallen on hard times and they had to resort to burlesque. The planned community of East Greensburg was proposed by Bair & Lane. The nice bridge that is still there, was proposed to be coated in white marble. East Greensburg (around where Mark Barnhart’s Funeral Home is) was a very shady place. So they proposed new development there and on the other side of east Pittsburgh street. By the time World War I came, the project was essentially given up, but many of the mansions still stand, for example where the Diocese of Greensburg is located. There was a time when Greensburg had two airports. The Pittsburgh-Greensburg airport was located in current day West Point. Greensburg didn’t have much to do with this, but the Greensburg Chamber of Commerce recommended the site. It went out of business in 1954. Air mail and freight was transported, and you could learn how to fly. It cost $1 for a 1000 feet, $3 for 3000 feet, and for a whole $5, you could get a round trip to Pittsburgh. Most of the historical aerial photographs that we have were taken at this time. The Greensburg City airport in Carbon near where St. Paul’s Church and Greensburg Central Catholic is currently located. The City of Greensburg helped to put this airport together, and the first plane arrived in September 28, 1947. Larry Anderson and George Allen learned to fly at this airport, and both went on to become flight instructors in Tuskegee. Finally, Roadman’s Lake was just east of Greensburg along Slate Run Road. It was a free lake, and for almost 20 years it was open and used. Mr. Roadman was eventually sued by someone who cut themselves on their own skates, and he decided to close it down. Thank you Jim for your fantastic presentation. Mark ended the meeting in the usual way with the Four Way Test. |
|
Rotary Flash for Meeting on February 23, 2010 |
|
|
|
|
Written by Dan Carr
|
|
Tuesday, 23 February 2010 21:15 |
|
Our meeting began in the usual way with President Bill McGrath leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance and God Bless America. Our invocation was given by Rick Nedley.
Bill announced that a microphone has been ordered for the podium and that the monitors at both ends of the room will soon be connected to project presentations.
Sergeant at Arms Report
Sergeant at Arms John Hanna reported that of the 106 members, 50 were present today. Guests included Justin Norris, visiting Rotarian of the Westmoreland Rotary Club; Karen Steeley, wife of Jim Steeley; Nick Incardona, son of Lou Incardona; Amanda, secretary and chauffer for Dave Robinson; and Josh Sokolosky.
Rotary Foundation Moment
Bill Thorne read the Rotary Moment.
Announcements
· Tuesday, February 23, 5 p.m.-Golf Outing Meeting at Bill Thorne’s house
· Thursday, March 4-Board Meeting at Bill McGrath’s house
· Saturday, March 6, 9 a.m.-Our Lady of Grace Food Pantry Distribution
· Saturday, April 24, 6:30-9 a.m., blood testing, Greensburg Salem High School
· Tuesday, May 4-Club photo at Marriot
· Sunday, May 23-3rd Grade Spelling Bee
· Monday, June 14-Golf Outing
· Annual Fishing Outing-Thursday, June 24
Word of the Week
Bill’s Word of the Week: gyve. Gyve is a leg shackle.
Students
No students were in attendance today.
Program
Ed Nemanic presided over the grant presentations to six local organizations. The Madeline Nichols grants, totaling $8,000 for 2010, were awarded to: American Red Cross (disaster kits to be distributed to victims of floods or house fires); Bovard Youth Baseball Association (batting cage); Family Services of Western Pennsylvania (community mural in Greensburg); Saint Vincent College (Science Wise Program); Summer Sounds (fund artists who perform during Summer Sounds); and Westmoreland Symphony (Westmoreland Youth Symphony Orchestra scholarships). Ed noted that the Rotary Club of Greensburg received $26,000 in requests this year but could only award $8,000. Since 1998, the Rotary Club of Greensburg has given $115,000 to organizations within the Greensburg Community through the Madeline Nichols grants.
Meadows Minute
Ed Meadows challenged all Rotary Club of Greensburg Board members to shovel snow and ice for any member who contributes $100 to the Rotary Foundation.
Last Tuesday was Fat Tuesday. The YWCA held a fundraiser and the Rotary Club of Greensburg was well represented. Gwen Loughner, Eileen Dorfman, Chuck and Nancy Anderson, Michele and Eric Bononi, and Ed and Sue Meadows were in attendance.
Ed prompted Bob Bloom to share details about his recent trip to St. Lucia. Bob and his wife, Kim, were to leave at 4:40 a.m. on February 6, in the height of the snow storm, for St. Lucia. Bob and Kim were grounded for 30 hours in Pittsburgh. They did manage to leave and had a wonderful time on the island. However, when they returned to the States on Valentine’s Day, they were stranded in Atlanta.
Autobiography
Regina Beatty
Regina has lived in Greensburg, Pa., since 2006. Her mother is Nicaraguan and her father is a retired coal miner. She was part of a very supportive and loving family. She graduated from Elizabeth Forward High School and attended a business school in Pittsburgh. Later, she attended Duquesne University’s Program for Leadership. Regina worked for the Hyatt for a number of years then made the decision to enter the financial world after the birth of her first child. Today, she is a financial wealth advisor for Mosaic Consulting, which is part of the Lincoln Financial Network. Regina loves golfing, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Bill’s Monthly Horoscope Minute
Aquarius-you are inventive and lie a great deal. You are impractical. Overall, everyone thinks you are stupid.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Doug Arndt presented this month’s birthdays and anniversaries.
Birthdays: February 3-Jim Steeley; February 4-Eileen Dorfman; February 5-Dick Chelsted; February 6-Mary Clymer; February 11-Dick McNeel; February 12-Ceasar Muccari; February 18-Lou Incardona; February 21-Harry Smail, Jr.; February 27-John Hanna and Dave Robinson. Happy Birthday, Rotarians!
Anniversaries: Chuck Anderson, 6 years; Rod Booker, 6 years; Mike Langer, 5 years; Dick McNeel, 22 years; Stacey Netzel, 5 years; Mike Pacek, 1 year; Mark Parker, 2 years; Chris Rizk-Orosz, 7 years; and Carl Rossman, 7 years.
Bill ended the meeting in the usual way with the Four Way Test.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kary Coleman
|
|
Last Updated on Thursday, 25 February 2010 07:39 |
|