High Gear Archives - 01052005-06292005

High Gear Archive 01052005 - 06292005

High Gear -- June 29, 2005



With a relatively soft gong, and a few chuckles, this evening began with an unusual invocation

— Longtime HIGH GEAR Chair, Bill Flynn, announced his ―permanent‖ move to Florida, and

this particular HIGH GEAR editor realized it was the announcement of a huge loss to our club.

Elaine and Bill will be moving this coming week, ―hasta la vista, babies!‖ After over thirty years

of membership in our club and, by tacking on some years in other areas of the northeast — over

thirty-six years as a Rotary-involved couple. Bill has been the best chair of high gear ever.

(And, that‘s after his having been a member of the board and President of our club.) Thanks,

Bill, for all your years of Service Above Self in our area; we know you will continue and those in

Florida will benefit.

Bill‘s invocation was certainly special, as we realized it would be his last as one of us, but also

because he focused so well on those things dearest to the hearts of Rotarians as we round out this

year of celebrating Rotary‘s 100th year.



Have Don Hallquist to thank for all the music this evening; do enjoy having our own piano man,

not all clubs have that! And to top it off, our very own lyricist, Tom Westbrook, led the

Welcome Song tonight..



After welcoming guests — special thanks to DG Seidman for sending Asst. DG Richard Borden

of Manchester Club to celebrate this passing of the torch — and focusing on the many Past

District Governors in our midst, a great tribute to efforts of our club in District 7890, Dan

mentioned especially how wonderful it is to have PDG Jim Sheehan, accompanied by Ruth, ―a

real; babe‖ according to a lone Yankee fan in the vicinity of this editor‘s table, and of course

noting how proud we are to have in our midst Frank and Ceil Collins, who together are working

at the highest levels of Rotary International to achieve Rotary goals. (Frank is our RI delegate to

the UN for any of you who have been dozing for the last year or so. Ceil is the newest member

of our East Hartford Rotary Board, Sergeant-at-arms, but more importantly, she is a walking

encyclopedia of what‘s going on in Rotary in the world.)



President Dan took a few moments to line up his board and give thanks to them and the many

other significant club members who have made his year a grand success. Then he handed over

the medallion to incoming President Carol, whereupon he ―faded into the immediate obscurity of

a . . . club Past President.‖ (great quote from Doug W, when Pres. NC went into obscurity.) Just a

note here: these Past Presidents are careful to celebrate their ―pastness.‖ This year‘s picnic for

Past Presidents will be Wednesday, July 20th, 5 PM, at Lake Pocotopaug‘s ―clubhouse.‖ More

details to follow, or contact PP Neal for information.



Out with the old, in with the new. President Carol began by introducing her friends and family,

then, the incoming Board of Directors, and took a few minutes to outline her plans for the year.

A final note, in a gesture so much like him, President Dan opted to have his outgoing President‘s

gift be a donation to the Rotary Foundation — $300 for the foundation‘s good works has been

contributed by our club. I am sure PP Dan thanks you all.







Hope this conveys the enthusiasm of the event.



Ever the Empress, Mary, who organized and oversaw this installation dinner for Carol, also had

some announcements out on every table for Rotarians, friends and family. Among these, Mary is

reminding us of the “mock “ medical disaster scheduled with the town‘s health department on

Wednesday, July 27th. Volunteers from our club will act as ―victims‖ of a pretend case of

anthrax contamination who need medication — of course, this is only a drill — no need to act

sick or to take any actual medication. Location is Two Rivers Magnet School, next to Route 2,

from 4 to 6 PM on July 27th. ―Victims‖ can register and be in and out in about a half hour; you

will not be committing to the full duration of the drill; Consider helping our town with this

interesting event.



Another item on Mary‘s flyer of events to remember — school supplies collection drive which

has been underway for a few weeks and will continue until Thursday, July 28th. Give your

supplies to Mary or drop them off at Town of East Hartford Social Services‘ office in the lower

level of Town Hall.



Last but not least, heads up, mark the date on your calendar, just two days before our famous

East Hartford Rotary Club Invitational Golf Tournament, which will be on Monday, September

26th, this year‘s Rebuilding Together Day is scheduled for Saturday, September 24th. Our club

will be helping in a variety of ways, ranging from distributing food and drinks to workers to

overseeing or participating in home repair and renovation tasks at sites around town. Save the

date to help!



Yours in Rotary,



Sue Klock, dedicated to Bill Flynn, co-chair for this one last week of HIGH GEAR .









High Gear -- June 22, 2005



As we arrived at the Ridge on this first Wednesday of Summer our attention was drawn

to the side room where President Dan was throwing us a wine and cheese party.

Words of advice for incoming President Carol - remember the medallion!!!! Thanks,

Dan, for forgetting!! Thanks also must go to Dean Roland, the club's wine steward and

chief party planner. You do a great job in this role. As the noise level began to escalate,

it became time to enter the main hall to begin our regular activities. After our opening

ritual, Rev. Ted gave a thoughtful invocation and urged us to see all the goodness

around us, and to empower us as Rotarians to make things better. Luncheon was

served and consisted of roast lamb, rice pilaf, and grilled squash which was followed by

tapioca and whipped cream.



Following lunch, Pres. Dan called us back to order a little sooner than usual. The

following guests were introduced; Bob Dugger from Glastonbury, Gordon Surtlief, from

Torrey Pines, California, and Gordon's friend from Manchester, Mark Ray. The

Welcome song was led by a spirited Kathy McCabe, who has been away for awhile,

with Don, as usual, at the Piano. Welcome back, Kathy. The Sgt. at Arms report was

delivered by Dan Dienst. He had one birthday - Don Cramer, and several anniversaries

- John McNaughton -17, Mo Moshovos -36, and Gil Wishart - 4. Dan Russell

contributed because his grandson's soccer team had just won its third State

Championship. Mo Moshovos also contributed for a new grandson. The Raffle was

won by Mo Moshovos. One of our guests, Gordon Surtlief, asked if we would sing

Happy Birthday to him if he donated $25 to the club. We accepted his offer. and even

sang it twice in hopes he would double the offer!



President Dan made several announcements concerning Board related activities.



1. The Board voted to give $200 to the Intercommunity Health Organization.



2. Dan mentioned recent club publicity - for the School Business Partnership Career

Day and the Taste of Hartford's use of the Gazebo.



3. We received a thank you from the District Governor for our contribution of $1000 to

the District's tsunami relief fund. The District raised $14,000.



4. The Club received a thank you from Laura Larson, John's daughter, for helping her

attend a youth leadership conference in Washington, D.C.



5. He had a note from Roger Nicholson, now a Pittsburgh Area Rotarian, indicating that

he had just hosted a GSE member from Japan.



6. Neil Cunningham spoke briefly about the Past President's Party which has been put

off until mid August. Call him if you have any thoughts about this.



7. And finally, Jim Reik spoke about going into a restaurant in Montenegro on May 23rd

and seeing Rotary Flags all around. Jim sought out the owner who was thrilled to see a

visiting Rotarian. He gave Jim a bottle of wine to present to the club. By unanimous

acclaim it was given to President Dan who Indicated it was meeting #51. One More To

Go!!!



Remember, no noon meeting next week. The Installation Banquet will be held at the

Glastonbury Hills Country Club. Cocktails at 6:30, Dinner at 7:30.

Bill Saunders reminded us to get going on the Golf Tournament - Sponsors, Raffle

Prizes, and Golfers are needed.



That’s all folks.







Bob Wood filling in for Larry Churchill







High Gear -- June 15, 2005



Dear Elsie,



I'm sorry you could not make the Sgt.-at-Arms party last night. It's true that we can't be

everywhere at once, and you had another important engagement. But you surely did miss a

festive occasion.



When I turned into Skyline Drive at 5:40 P.M. both sides of the street were already lined with

cars, trucks, and assorted other means of conveyance. And walking across the lawn of the Leone

Estate, it was obvious that the party was already well underway. Animated conversations in

small groups were going on around the "refreshment" table and the narrow passageway between

tables on the patio. Rotarians never seem to tire of talking with one another, have you ever

noticed that, Elsie? At the far end of the patio the Master Chef himself scurried back and forth

between kitchen and grills where another gourmet dinner was being prepared. To fend of our

ravenous gluttony for the salmon and tenderloin with pasta and salad that soon were to be served,

a table was laden with fresh shrimp, various seafood dips and crackers, cheese, pretzels, and I

cannot remember it all because I was soon among those stuffing themselves and began to

wonder how I would also manage the magnificent entrée. But dauntless Rotarians that we are,

we met the challenge, Elsie, and would you believe? We even tamped it all down with vanilla

ice cream and fresh strawberries, and for the non-purists in our midst, other assorted toppings!

Oh, Elsie, I don't know what you had to eat last night, but you must be eating your heart out at

the thought of what you missed.



At a propitious moment President Dan (it was 6:15 P.M. if you want to be picky), splendid in a

"D & D" green racing jacket with yellow stripes at collar and cuffs, called the meeting to order.

There was no Sergeant-at-Arms report, which to this experienced collector of alms seemed a

most regrettable lost opportunity and even dereliction of responsibility. And there was no raffle,

which annoyed me because it was surely my turn to win. We did have the usual introduction of

guests. We were honored to have in our midst Mrs. Judy and Dr. Keith Barnard-Jones from

Portland, England. Dr. Keith served with our own Frank Collins on the Rotary International

Board of Directors. We also rejoiced that Scotty Howat, accompanied by Nurse Mary, and

Frank Kreson, Jim Sheehan, Steve Guidatti, and not least Dick O'Brien joined us for the evening.

Dick with great gusto led us in our traditional Welcome Song, which he dedicated to Roger

Driggs.

RGA (that stands for "Rotary Golf Association in case you didn't know, Elsie) Director Bill

Saunders reported on the tournament at the East Hartford Golf course earlier in the day. A field

of twenty-one had shrunk to something like fifteen players by the time the tournament actually

got underway, a response, no doubt, to fear of the fierce competition this event always involves.

Bill announced that Dave Amberg won the longest drive contest. George Agnelli won both

"closest to the pin" contests at holes #4 and #8. There were two teams tied for second place

honors with a score of 73: Amberg, Frazier, Schoen, and Lemieux on one team and Dienst,

Saunders, and Tamiso on the other. There were also two teams tied for first place at 72: Ghagan,

Larson, Richmond, and Wood, tied with Flynn, Cramer, Westbrook and Agnelli.

Full credit goes to Sagacious Shot Selector George for this win, because he put Don Cramer in

position to hole out a critical putt for par. Actually it was only Don's accomplishment that saved

George from the wrath of his partners for selecting an impossible shot and insisting on it. Be that

as it may, the competitors were rewarded with sleeves of golf balls.



That's about it, Elsie. A wonderful day - though a bit chilly on the course and around the tables

late in the evening. But memorable for food and fellowship. Many thanks to our chef, to Bev

Leone and Jean Roland for all their hard work behind the scenes, to those who did the set-up and

those who stayed to help with clean-up. Where would the rest of us be without you??



Oh! Don't forget it's wine and cheese before the meeting next week. And the Golf Committee

will also meet next week (6/22) at 11:00 A.M. at the Ridge. See you there.



Your Fellow Rotarian

LB







High Gear -- June 8, 2005



Another great summer day at the Ridge as President Dan rang the bell at 12:15 on

the dot. He asked that we repeat the four-way test and not look at the banner. I

think to his surprise (and mine); everyone seemed to know it.



Reverend Mosebach gave the invocation; (he asked that no one look at him either).



Sergeant at Arms again today was ―Dangerous Dan Dienst‖ who reported a good

day for adding to the coffers. Birthdays included President Dan Firestone, Stu

Harris, and Chuck Clark. All paid well! Anniversaries included Nick Cecere, and

Chuck Clark.



Darlene Roberts paid for her picture in the paper, and an unnamed Rotarian was

fined for ducking out early last week without paying and showing up late today

with no pin.

Announcements:



Get your money in to Mary Martin for the Installation Dinner on the 29th if

you haven‘t yet paid.



Reminder, Herb Barall is being honored at the courthouse in Hartford at 1pm

on June 15th. Rotarians are invited to attend.



Bill Saunders is setting up a golf tournament next week before the Sergeant

at Arms party. It will be held at East Hartford Golf course, and will start at

10:30am. Anyone interested who has not signed up, please contact Bill

before Sunday so he can make the appropriate arrangements.



Don‘t forget the ―Sergeant at Arms‖ party at Bill Leone‘s home. Save the

date, June 15th. It‘s a great event and the foods (and drinks) are the best.



Bob Brown has been in the hospital but the good news is he will be coming

home tomorrow. Get well soon Bob



We started our summer schedule this week so there was no guest speaker, but our

District Governor; Dick Seidman paid us as farewell visit today. He indicated this

would be his last time visiting East Hartford as the District Governor and

expressed appreciation for all that our entire club has done and the support he has

received.



He presented the club with the District's [new] Outstanding Service Award for

2004-2005.



In addition to the club Citation, he also presented Service Awards to Don

Hallquist, Neil Cunningham, Steve Jacoby, Frank Collins, Ceil Collins,

George Stewart, and Jim Sheehan. Congratulations to everyone who make this

club so special.



Winner of the raffle today was Dean Roland. What are you going to do with all

that money Dean?







We closed with one verse of God Bless America.

Respectfully, Elsie





High Gear -- June 1, 2005



June opened with a very pleasant day for us at the Ridge. President Dan opened the

meeting promptly at 12:15 with the ringing of the bell, followed by the four-way test and

his brief but eloquent blessing. (We sure missed Don Hallquist for the opening song)







Someone must be tipping the chefs well because the meal today consisted of a generous slice

of prime rib, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes and topped off by blueberry cobbler. I

think everyone cleaned his or her plate.







Sergeant at Arms was the infamous “Dangerous Dan Dienst who reported a slow day. In

addition to late arrivals and early leavers, Carol Krantz paid for her daughters’ safe return

from Iraq, Steve Bates for his 10th anniversary, and Dean Roland for a birthday. He

wanted everyone older than him to stand up and sing, but Dan Larson indicated anyone

older than Dean wasn’t able to stand up or could not hear the request, or both.







Announcements:



The golf committee meeting date is changed from the 15th to 22June.







Mary Martin requested the payment from attendees at the installation Dinner on



June 29th.







Our own Herb Barall is being honored at the courthouse in Hartford. Rotarians



are invited to attend. The ceremony will be held from 1-2pm on June 15th.







Don’t forget the Sergeant at Arms party. Bill Leone is hosting. Save the date,

15th of June. Sign up if you haven’t done so. Anyone with a pickup truck willing



to help transport tables, chairs, etc. for the event, please call Tom Galvin to offer



the help.







The Memorial Day Parade in East Hartford had a significant representation



from our Rotary. Thanks, to Jack Ghagan who worked to help put it together,



and all the Rotarians who represented us.







Flag Day is being celebrated at the Elks Club. June 7th, 6pm.







Roy Spiller held the lucky raffle ticket.







Our speaker today (as it turns out only guest) was Celerick Stephens our Group Study

Exchange Student to Argentina who works at Pratt & Whitney. I cannot imagine a better

ambassador to represent our Rotary Club and our Country than Celerich. He spent one

month in Argentina, and was in 5 provinces and 13 cities.



He spent several months studying his Spanish before the trip and it was the only language

spoken there during his stay. He had several amusing antidotes concerning translations.

Most important was his obvious infectious enthusiasm for the people and the Country. Al

in all, Celerick made a very interesting presentation that made us all proud of Celerick and

his representation from Rotary and the USA.



President Dan closed the meeting with “God Bless America”.



Respectfully,







Ellcee







High Gear -- May 25, 2005

Rain and very cool temperatures inspired Maestro Don to entertain us with some

very unseasonable, but cheery holiday music. The opening bell was rung by

President Dan at 12:15 PM. The pledge and 4WT were followed by a few

comments on the weather and then good thoughts by Rev. Bill Flynn



Lunch was a leftover from the Senior Citizens‘ Dance, without the fruit salad, i.e.,

tossed salad, penne pasta with meatballs, sauce and grated cheese. Dessert was a

choice of white cake or chocolate cake, either with chocolate frosting.



Guests: John Mitchell from the South Windsor Rotary Club, John Judd from the

Hamden Club, speaker for the day, and, last, but not least, Luci Scerrato,

with Nick Cecere.



Welcome song was conducted by Revs. Bill Flynn and Ted Mosebach



Sgt@Arms: anniversaries Larry Churchill and Skip Guillemette,



Birthdays George Agnelli, George Steward, Roy Spiller, Those over

72 years of age sang to Roy and George



Notices:



(1) Art Bradbury reported that Juan Pablo Hidalgo, a Rotary Exchange

student 17 years ago, is getting married. The longtime bachelor has invited Rotary

friends who hosted him (Bradburys, Stewarts, Woods as well as Helen Davis and

her son, Greg), and all are heading to the Canary Islands next week. Doug Willett

added that he and Diane just spent a delightful week visiting their former exchange

student, Florence Vauraberg, in Bordeaux, France, where she lives with her

husband and two-year-old daughter. She and her husband run the Chateau de Pic

winery there.



(2) Glen Peterson reported on a discussion with Mary Martinez: the

$1,000 the club is contributing to the literacy program will all go to the Sunset

Ridge School (6th grade). Rotarians wishing to add to this are encouraged to write

a check, made out to East Hartford Community Projects, to help the school buy

additional books from a list Glen handed out at the meeting. Call Glen if you need

more information. Price range is $7 to $20 per book; a bargain for library-quality

hardbound books.



(3) June 15, no noon meeting, Sgt @ Arms party

(4) Memorial Day Parade participants should: meet before 9:30 AM

behind McNulty‘s Gym (aka Natural Bodies).



(5) Next week‘s speaker: Celerick Stephens, GSC rep to Argentina



(6) Next week is first meeting of President Dan‘s last month as pres.



(7) Wine and Cheese for meeting of 6/22, come early



(8) Mary Martin needs your payment for installation dinner by next week.

Bring it to Rotary on June 1 or mail it to her before then.







Raffle was won by Doug Willett (welcome back, Doug!)



Today's speaker was introduced by Jackie Danise: John Judd of the Hamden Club

is leading up an ambitious Statewide drive to make ―Amber Alert Child IDs‖ for

Connecticut‘s youth. Each year (nationwide) 800,000 children under 18 years of

age are reported missing. A little less than half are benign, 200K involve injury or

being lost, 204K involve a member of the family abducting the child. But 58K are

abducted by non-family members and are considered ―endangered‖. 74% of

―endangered‖ children who are later found killed are killed within the first 3 hours

of the abduction. Thousands are still missing each year.



Hamden Rotary Club, in coordination with the State Police, CT Chiefs of Police,

and the University of New Haven (Henry Lee Institute) have developed a plastic

scannable ID card containing a photo, age, distinguishing marks, height, weight

and a unique Amber Alert ID #. Note: the name is left off the card! If a child is

believed missing anywhere in the country, his/her parent can call the database

center in CT and start procedures toward declaring an Amber Alert. The Club

hopes to coordinate with up to 100 other Clubs in CT to create ID cards for

between 300,000 and 400,000 children per year. John hopes that EHRC will be

one of these Clubs.



Makeups: Frank & Ceil handed in a makeup list which was enough to make the

weary weep — Port Canaveral Fl, District 6950 (cruise), Rotary Club of Nassau

(and we‘re not talking Long Island), and back to Manchester for a Foundation

Dinner. Other makeups were a bit more ho-hum, but thanks for the effort: Bob

Brown in Manchester on May 17th and Steve Jacoby in South Windsor or April

20th. Margaret Lacroix made up online with www.rotary5450.org, reviewing an

article ―Living Life in the Fast Lane.‖ Ceil and Frank could have written it,

perhaps.



Peter & Sue



High Gear -- May 18, 2005



Hallelujah, Maestro Don is back, and we didn't have to rely on humming and wondering where

the heck the right key was! Rev Bill offered our invocation and made the cloudy day sunny with

his upbeat thanksgiving for our lives in and around the Rotary world. We sat comfortable with a

sweet 'n sour Hawaiian chicken dish fit for the gods of Mauna Loa. Cream-topped

strawberry/rhubarb pie encouraged us to "lap and retain."



The decibel level was certainly up this day; perhaps because all of the "snow-birds" have

returned. At this scribe's table, June Cramer had brought husband Don up from the sunny south,

although they both cut out early to catch a granddaughter's (Heather) softball game up in New

Hampshire. Other guests included Kevin, a teacher-intern working with Glen Peterson, and

Penny Brice & Mitsey Baker, our speakers. Still sporting Florida golf course tans, Herb

Tischofer & Chuck Clarke did a very creditable job leading our Welcome Song.



Sgt At Arms Steve Bates had a long list of miscreants, to wit: Chickie Amberg's new car (for

which Dave paid the fine); Roy Spiller & John Shemo, for something; John McNaughton for

causing the blue-jacketed DEA agents to helicopter into his compound, ostensibly to shut down

that illicit garden, only to find rows of tomatoes! Other achievements of the day were recognized

as: awards for academic excellence by Bill Saunders' grandsons Kevin and David Liner (for

which it was duly noted that it's all in the genes, Bill's that is, most humbly taking credit for their

accomplishments!). Not to be outdone, Mo Moshovos proudly took credit for a new grandson,

(sorry, Mo, I never got his name!)



Sponsored by Jacquie Danise, Pat Gately, our newest Rotarian, was installed with proper and

fitting decorum by President Dan Firestone. A native of East Hartford, Pat works in real estate

and has had a long and checkered career in serving the town of East Hartford on myriad boards

and committees. Her uncle, Roy Powers, was a charter member of our club. Welcome, Pat, we're

happy to have you aboard!



Name a worthwhile and memorable social event, and chances are you'll come up with John

Shemo. Our first "Soc Hop" was an outstanding success, by any measure you want to use. With a

hardworking committee including Tom Westbrook, Chuck Clarke, Dan Larson, and Bob

Richmond, this fund-raising effort netted at least $11,000, coming from sponsors, as well as

many Rotarians. Well done guys, the Cultural Center gymnasium looked just like our high

school gyms of old!



Frank Collins asked for a moment of silence to pay respect to the late PDG Rod Hauser.



President Dan told of Board action in awarding a $250 Youth scholarship to Laura Larson,

daughter of our Paul Harris member and Congressman John Larson.

Other announcements of the day included:

* Installation night for incoming prexy Carol Krantz on June 29…$35/per person (ask Mary M)

" Don Pitkin in need of our thoughts and prayers (39 Timber Trail)

" Golf Committee - 11:00 next week

" The Raffle - Won by Skip Guillemette



And, of course, our Program - and we should be proud of the work which the School- Business-

Partnership accomplishes for the Town of East Hartford, for we presented them this day with a

check for $12,000. Our speakers, Penney and Mitsey, told of the fine work their organization

does in building trust and offering opportunities for the town's kids. They conducted a Career

Day, a Community Day and a Speakers Bureau, all well attended with wonderful enthusiasm by

hundreds of kids. Well done, Jim Fallon, Bill Saunders, President Dan, and all of the other East

Hartford Rotarians who have worked to make this program such a grand success.



Make-ups? Only ones we know of are the Collins's, in PA, IL, RI, and Mexico!



And there you have it for another week, and wasn't it great to be together!

Arthur





High Gear -- May 11, 2005



After the cold and wet weekend just past, today‘s weather was a true pleasure—the sort of day

when you put the top down if you‘re driving a convertible. We were missing our resident pianist today.

Probably Don Hallquist‘s duties at the District Conference worked his fingers to the bone. But Art

Bradbury gave us the pitch, we launched into a lusty version of the R*O*T*A*R*Y song, followed by the

Pledge of Allegiance to our nation‘s flag, and a recitation of the Four Way Test—words to live by. Bill

Flynn added more words to live by, praising the Almighty for the beauty of the Spring day, and asking for

blessings on Rotary, our projects and the fellowship and friendship around the tables.



Lunch consisted of roast loin of pork, au jus, with applesauce, roasted potatoes, green beans and

carrots, followed by marble cake and ice cream which had been provided by Spurgeon Stokes in

celebration of his eightieth birthday. Boy, he doesn‘t look that old.



President Dan rang the bell early, citing a very full agenda. We had a stellar list of guests today:

Stephanie Labanowski, member of our Town council, Mark Scheinberg, President of Goodwin College,.

District Governor Dick Seidman of the Hartford Club, Assistant District Governor Dick Borden of the

Manchester Club, Ed Firestone, also of the Manchester Club and brother of our standing president, and

Hope Firestone, of the West Hartford Club and lovely wife of our president. Talk about a bunch of

credentials! President Dan called upon the DG and ADG to lead us in the welcome song—Art Bradbury,

from his seat, provided us with the pitch and tempo. We finished with great cheers and applause.



Sergeant-at-Arms Steve Bates reported contributions to the fund for birthdays: Herb Tischofer,

Steve Bates, Jim Watts, Margaret LaCroix and Spurgeon Stokes. Herb Tischofer also paid for an

anniversary. Steve was reluctant to fine George Stewart who was wearing a Bates (College, that is) hat

and scarf, provided to George by Bill Flynn, but, if this reporter is not mistaken, George forked over. Dan

Larson paid two dollars because his daughter just graduated from college, and that was all the money he

had left.



President Dan gave a brief account of the District Conference held in Providence last weekend.

The GSE Teams from Argentina and the Philippines gave wonderful reports. Celeric Stevens, team

member sponsored by East Hartford, will be sharing his experiences with us in the future. Roger

Nicholson was presented with a Paul Harris second level pin by the District in recognition of his many

years as District Chaplain.



President Dan read an OpEd article from the New York Times, of today‘s date, which article

reported on the exceptional work of Rotary in eradicating Polio throughout the world. When that

campaign started, in 1975, there were 1,000 cases of polio a week reported; now we‘re down to 1,000

cases per year. That shows you what $600,000,000 in donations can do to change the world.



District Governor Dick Seidman took the podium briefly. He praised Roger Nicholson for his

faithfulness in serving the District, noting that Roger will be in Simsbury for six weeks during the

summer. Art Bradbury was thanked for his fine singing. There were, with the GSE Teams and the

exchange students, fourteen countries represented at the Conference. When our team (Argentina) was

assembled, only one member spoke Spanish. Before they flew south, they all knew Spanish, and in

Argentina they made all of their presentations in that language. He touched briefly on the Ambassadorial

Scholarship which is being permanently funded by Bob Dunn and his wife. Dick then asked George

Stewart to talk about one of our members, one who is always there to help, works behind the scenes,

always makes things happen. DG Dick then presented Dean Roland with a Commitment to Service

Award from Rotary International. This is a rare and fitting award. After receiving his certificate, Dean

passed by and I asked if he were not going to make a speech—he said no, that when he stands up, his

mouth closes! Our Club also earned a Presidential Citation.



Remember the Sock Hop Saturday evening. Board of Directors will meet Monday evening at Dan

Larson‘s office. The raffle was won by Steve Bates.



Steve Jacoby introduced our speaker, Mark Scheinberg, President of Goodwin College. Mark said

that East Hartford is a mature, accepting community, incredibly allowing, letting individuals grow. There

is great power and strength in Goodwin College. It grew 42% last year, the fastest in the State of

Connecticut. The College had evening programs for those who work. Its nursing program is the largest

in the state. And all this has been accomplished with no monies from the state, no monies from

foundations! A new campus will be developed along the river front—the College has been renting space

from St. Rose and Burnside Methodist Churches. The first building should be occupied in the Fall of

2007. The campus will include three deep water docks (remember, it was an oil terminal) which will

support river research.. The College has 1,500 students now, and expects 2,500 next year. And 6,000

when the new building is available for use. Wow! Mark is a motivated and creative individual, an

interesting, enthusiastic, knowledgeable speaker. We ran late, but truly, it would have been fine to talk

with him for another half hour at least. That would mean three more paragraphs as well. A great program.



Make ups: Don Cramer, Fort Myers Beach, Florida; Herb Tischofer, Naples Bay, Florida, twice.



------ Dan Russell









High Gear -- May 4, 2005

President Dan rang the meeting to order promptly at 12:15. The call to colors and four-way test

followed. PD then called upon returning Bill-the reverend-Flynn for the blessing. A lunch of

fish, mashed potatoes, and eggplant with stewed tomatoes and spiced cake without frosting

followed.



Guests today were former member Fred Campbell and Rochelle Ripley. The welcome song was

ably conducted by the duo of Douglas-Bailey and Lacroix.



Sergeant-at –arms Steve Bates collected fins from Neal Cunningham, Margaret Lacroix, George

Schoen, and Chuck Clarke for anniversaries, Bob Brown for his birthday and Mary Martin

for…laughter, laughter, laughter, then George Schoen was at the mike thanking all who helped

with the GSE program. Jack Ghagan asked for volunteers for the Memorial Day parade. Call

Jack if you wish to march. Next Mary Martin (no laughter this time) reminded the members

about the School Supplies project. Make-ups; Steve Jacoby with the GSE team in South Windsor

and Willimantic.



John Shemo gave an up-date on the SOCK HOP to be held on May 14th at the East Hartford

Community Cultural Center as follows;



(1)Confirm your table reservation with John, (2) If you are signed up you will pay, (3) Bring

payment to SOCK HOP, $35.00 pp, (4) Drive your vintage car, (5) Bring your

yearbook/pictures, etc., (6) Dress for the era/ contests for the best dressed, (7) Bring a hor

d‘oeuvre for your table, (8) BYOB, (9) You may bring a cooler, (10) Ice and cups will be

provided, (11) Attendees will clear tables at the end of the night, and (12) Menu: hamburgers,

cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chips, pickles, ice cream, coke, 7-up, and coffee.



Jim Fallon won the raffle.



Steve Jacoby introduced our speaker Rochelle Ripley, Lakota Storyteller and teacher of

Medicine Wheel wisdom. Rochelle told of the poverty, disease, lack of shelter, and

unemployment of the Lakota Peoples on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota.

Through her non-profit agency ‗hawkwing‘ she is fulfilling a promise made to her Lakota

Grandmother ―to go home and help the people‖.



Some causes are more worthy than others, this one is most worthy. To help or volunteer call her

at 633-8933.



Closing with one verse of ―America‖ the meeting was adjourned.



LRF







High Gear -- April 27, 2005

Today was a special day, in spite of the dreary, cool, misty, rainy weather. The Group Study

Exchange Team from Argentina was with us for our weekly meeting, so there seemed to be lots of pre-

lunch conversation, and the noise level continued throughout the meal. Following the ringing of the Bell,

the singing of our opening song, the Pledge to our nation‘s flag, and the recitation of the Four Way Test,

Ted Mosebach offered a fitting invocation, ending with the plea that we might be granted peace in our

time.



Krause presented us with a sumptuous buffet: baked ham carved to order, sliced turkey, baked

beans, ziti, tuna salad garnished with hard-cooked egg wedges, a tossed salad with a choice of dressings,

and finally, yummy cookies for dessert. Most of us had not finished eating when President Dan rang the

bell again, ten minutes early by this writer‘s watch. We had much which needed our attention. Guests

today included Barry Callahan from Glastonbury, District Governor Dick Seidman, Rotary wives Debbie

Wood, Peggy Schoen and Peg Spiller. And of course, the GSE Team, Francisco Critto, the team leader,

Maria Luduena, Karina Vadamar, Romina Suarez Miskoski, and Julian Lenis. Tom Westbrook led us,

with mucho gusto, in the Welcome Song.



Sergeant-at-Arms Carmen Piscatello reported that Jim Fallon had paid very handsomely for his

birthday. Jim was recognized, having raised his hand, and said that he‘d whispered in Carmen‘s ear that

he didn‘t want anyone to sing to him but that Carmen replied ―no one told him what to do.‖ We all sang

to Jim. The Yankee fans paid for the triumph of A-ROD last evening, and there were the usual late

arrivals and early departures who also paid.



Announcements for the good of the club: Sue Klock reminded those who had signed up that the

Annual Senior Prom is tomorrow. The GSE Team will be at Spiller‘s Friday evening. Mary Martin

announced that East Hartford‘s Social Services Department is beginning its request for ―Back to School‖

backpacks for the kids who are less fortunate than our own. Bill Saunders is calling the Golf Tournament

Committee together for a meeting at 11 o‘clock next Wednesday morning, before our regular meeting.

Jim Sheehan has begun his chemo and radiation treatments, and is driving himself to and from the

treatment centers. He‘ll call on us when and if needed. Art Bradbury is in the hospital with, as of lunch

today, an undiagnosed stomach ailment. Let us keep all of our friends in our hearts and minds.



The winning raffle ticket was drawn by one of the GSE team members; another member, Maria

Luduena, won! Way to go!



George Schoen introduced the GSE team leader, Francisco Critto. Francisco thanked us for the

invitation to take part in our weekly meeting, and noted that their stay is Connecticut was, as he put it, so

far, so good. Francisco, besides being active in his own Rotary Club, is past president of a non-profit

organization which concentrated on special needs of children. As a reporter, it is important to admit that

the heavy Spanish accent takes a bit of getting used to, before the thoughts begin to run in a smooth and

orderly fashion. He brought us greetings from his own District Governor, whom our DG knows

personally. Francisco them introduced his team members, giving us a mini-bio of each.



The team first treated us to two Argentinean songs, with Julian playing his guitar, all four

singing. We were told beforehand that they are not professional, but they sure sounded great. The music,

accompanied by a lot of foot stomping and hand clapping, was filled with rhythm and verve. How many

of us remember ever having been that young, that good looking, or that talented?



The team had assembled a power point show: Argentina, The Southern Paradise. Beautiful

photographs were accompanied by live commentary. A short geography lesson: Argentina lies in the

southern part of South America. Its climate varies from tropical to arctic, with rain forests in the north,

and glaciers in the south. The beautiful and varied landscape includes very modern cities and ancient

Indian ruins. In parts of the country the Indian culture still thrives. Agricultural crops include soy, wheat,

sugar cane, maize and, of course, from the vineyards, excellent wine.. Tourist attractions have fascinating

names like the ―Train to the Clouds‖ and ―Valley of the Moon.‖ There is good ski country and wonderful

scuba and snorkeling areas. Buenos Aires, the capital, boasts the widest avenue in the world. One of the

southernmost provinces is Patagonia, a jumping-off point for visiting Antarctica. Truly is looks like a

place worthy of an extended visit.



The meeting ran overtime, but was well worth the extra few minutes. President Dan presented

the group with mementos of East Hartford—pens, book, tee shirts and banners.



Make-ups reported: Don Cramer, Fort Myers Beach, Florida, twice, and Sanibel-Captiva,

Florida; Chuck Clarke and Herb Tischofer, Naples Bay, also part of Florida, each, three times.



Pat Gately has been proposed as a new member. She‘s been with us a number of times;

paperwork is somewhere in process. It will be good to officially make her a member.



It has been a pleasure and a privilege to have been your scribe for the month of April. I look

forward to another assignment. Meanwhile, keep the peace.



------Dan Russell









High Gear -- April 20, 2005



The weather today was more like August than April, but the heat seemed to make everyone

upbeat, talkative, and glad to be alive. Our opening was the usual: ROTARY Song, Pledge to our

nation‘s flag, recitation of the Four Way Test, and an invocation, offered by your High Gear editor. As

lunch was being served, John Shemo approached the podium, and after a bit of difficulty getting the

group‘s attention, announced that he was circulating three sign-up sheets for the Sock Hop: one for basic

attendance, one to be a Rotary Sponsor, and a third, a list of potential sponsors, with the hope that some

member would have a fruitful contact at the businesses named.



Lunch was a tossed salad with Italian dressing, ziti with tomato sauce, chicken parmesan, and

tapioca pudding. It was colorful and nourishing.



President Dan rang the bell five minutes early, noting that he had a full agenda. Guests today

included our District Governor Dick Seidman, past member John Horn, back in East Hartford from

Florida, proposed new member Pat Gately, Realtor, Bob Dugger from the Glastonbury Club, and Steve

Bates, Jr., 10-year old son of our member by the same name. Our speaker for the day was Leonard Boyle,

Connecticut‘s Commissioner of Public Safety. Steve Bates the Elder led us in the Welcome Song.



Sergeant-at-Arms Carmen Piscatello collected fines as follows: from Spurgeon Stokes for fifty-

two years of marriage, Bill Secord for his birthday (we all sang), George Agnelli for thirty years in

Rotary, and for having had their pictures in some publication, Carol Krantz and Dan Firestone.



Dick Seidman gave a brief report: today was his 150th visit to a club! He informed us that the

traditional attendance contest at the District Conference would be on again this year, and that, for the

moment, East Hartford was leading by one person. He also said that at the Saturday night banquet one of

East Hartford‘s own would receive some special recognition. Just who is a secret for the time being. The

District will have an informal Hospitality Suite at the International Convention, open most evenings

except during the Tuesday night formal banquet. The Convention is June 18-22 in Chicago, home of the

White Sox, Marshall Fields and the Art Institute of Chicago.



Frank Collins told us that as of April 6th; Rotary had shipped 7,000 shelter boxes to house those

who lost their homes in the tsunami disaster in Asia. Since that date, another 2,000 boxes have been

shipped. That equates to shelter for 90,000 homeless people.



We received a ―Thank You‖ from the YMCA for our annual support. President Dan attended the

annual meeting of the School-Business Partnership, at which Rotary was mention numerous times.

George Schoen‘s wife is home and doing well. The GSE Team will be with us next Wednesday. A

laptop with a power point attachment is needed. All the arrangements for them are in place. Remember

the gathering at Spiller‘s next week Friday evening to spend some time with the team members. Bring

snacks or desserts. The raffle was won by District Governor Dick Seidman. His ticket was one digit

lower than mine!



Roy Spiller introduced Len Boyle, who has had a long career in law enforcement, both as a police

officer (in East Hartford under Chief Drumm) and as an attorney. He worked in the U.S. Attorney‘s

Office for the District of Connecticut, and served as the Assistant United States Attorney for Connecticut

and Counsel to the United States Attorney for Connecticut. He investigated and prosecuted violations of

federal criminal laws, including public corruption, civil rights, corporate fraud, violent crimes and

narcotics trafficking—all sorts of bad doings. He served as a professor at UCONN Law School, and was

appointed Commissioner of Public Safety by Governor M. Jodi Rell last August. Len has a sense of

humor. He began by saying that one should have a good opening, a good closing, and should keep them

close together. Why did he say yes to Governor Rell? Because he feels that good order is the foundation

of all things, and that a good police department is part of that. The department he heads comprises

dedicated and talented employees. Under his aegis are the Forensic Services which has received world

wide acclaim under Dr. Henry Lee, the Offices of the State Building Inspector and the State Fire Marshal,

and the Police Division, which included 1,400 of the 1,800 employees. Len talked about social skills and

face to face communication which seem to be overshadowed in this age of computerization. New

methods of fingerprinting (electronically) allow matching and identification of individuals with prints on

file across the country in a matter of two hours, often less time than that. We may eventually see such

identification needed for credit card use. Such identification also becomes important in cases of sex

offenses, homeland security and fire arms sales. He also noted that gang violence is a disturbing trend.

He was a riveting speaker.



Make ups: Bob Wood, Bridgeton, Maine; Frank and Ceil Collins: Wilbraham, Massachusetts

30th Anniversary, Charlotte Harbor, Florida, 25th Anniversary, District 6960 College of Governors, Lake

Wood Ranch, Florida, Rotary Meeting, and West Springfield, Massachusetts, District Assembly. And

Frank all by himself, in New York City, at UN/Rotary.



We closed with one verse of God Bless America. It was good to be together. --------Dan

Russell









High Gear -- April 13, 2005

The day was, as was last week, very pleasantly springlike; the sun was welcoming even if

the breeze was chilly. At least the forsythia, the magnolias and the daffodils are in bloom. Some

of our snow birds are back—Chuck Clarke and Doug Willett—nice to see them. Don Hallquist

was at the keyboard. Preprandial music included ―Over the Rainbow‖ and ―The Hills are Alive

with the Sound of Music.‖



George Stewart gave the invocation. The recitation of the Four Way Test sounded as

though most of us know it by now. Lunch was a small piece of chicken breast with a

tomato/mushroom sauce, rice and green beans; strawberries over ice cream ended the meal.



A sign-up sheet for the Senior Citizens Prom was circulated. In spite of last week‘s

confusion, the event will be Thursday, April 28th. Pasta chefs are needed form 2:30 to 6:00 p.m.

Thirty-two Rotarians, including some spouses, have signed up to work. The GSE Team from

Argentina will be there also. Lets hope the kitchen is large enough to hold the entire crew.



Announcements: Bev Saunders, wife of Bill, is in the hospital for cardiac tests. Peggy

Schoen, wife of George, is in the hospital for for a nasty viral infection. Jim Sheehan is facing

chemotherapy for a tumor. Some of us know that chemo can work wonders. Lets keep both

these friends in our thoughts and prayers.



Guests today included Lucille Bailey, Pat Gately, a prospective new member (she‘s been

through Rotary Information) and Charlotte Bradbury. Jim Watts led the Welcome Song. The

Sergeant-at-Arms, Carmen Piscatello, thanked those who were late or who planned to leave

early, for their contributions. John McNaughton, and Chuck Clarke and then, later, Doug

Willett, paid for having returned from Florida. Doug protested. Birthdays: Larry Churchill and

Andy Andreo, who also paid for Roger Nicholson‘s birthday, since he and Roger share the exact

same day. Andy asked that all those born after 1928 serenade him—that meant most of us.

Marcia Leclerc paid for her 6th Anniversary. A few baseball aficionados paid because either the

Yankees or the Red Sox had won games. Carmen reminded us that all these collections go into

the Scholarship Fund [unless you make out a check to the Rotary Foundation].



Scotty Howat is still at Manchester Manor and apparently enjoys visitors. His son

reports that he is doing very well and might return home soon. Art Bradbury reminded us that

yesterday, April 12th, was the 50th anniversary of the okay of the Salk vaccine for polio. In 1985

Rotary International initiated the Polio Plus Program. East Hartford raised $85,000 toward

immunizing children world wide—the number is now up to some two billion, in 122 countries,

who have received the vaccine. Up-coming events include the Sock Hop on May 14th, and the

GSA Party at Spillers on the 29th of this month. District Conference: May 6-8 in Providence;

International Convention in Chicago, June 18-22. Habitat for Humanity workers this past week:

Bob Richmond, Dave Amberg, Dan Firestone and Jack Sayre. The Raffle was won by Glen

Peterson.



Our speaker today was Charlotte Bradbury, lovely, articulate wife of Arthur. Charlotte

reported on her experiences while on a Mission Trip to Haiti about a year ago. A group of 22

individuals comprising doctors (one, Art‘s brother), dentists, nurses, entertainers, construction

technicians and laity almost canceled the trip because of the political unrest, but they

persevered. Severe fighting over Aristide‘s regime broke out soon after the group returned to the

US. One of Charlotte‘s goals was to try to understand poverty, which in that country is extreme.

It is difficult for us, we who have so much and who have access to so much more, to comprehend

the misery and the squalor and the lack of what we consider must-haves. Charlotte kept us

fascinated with little stories of old women, young children, the need for just basic medical

supplies and basic housing. This is a culture totally outside our ken. Only five percent of the

population have electricity. Voodoo exists, is real. But she felt that if she had helped one person,

it was all worth while. Charlotte received long and enthusiastic applause when she concluded

her fascinating talk.



Make-ups: Bob Brown, Manchester; Walt Kupchunos, Venice, Florida, twice; Roy

Spiller, Rockville, three times, and Glastonbury, once. Way to go. We closed with one verse of

―God Bless America.‖ The day was still beautiful, it was great to be able to enjoy it.





Corrections and omissions from last week: Todd Andrews did the invocation, not Dave

Amberg. Apologies to both. Make-ups from last week: Jackie Danise, Venice-Nokomis,

Florida, twice; Don Cramer, Fort Meyers Beach and Sanabel-Captiva, Florida.



----- Dan Russell







High Gear -- April 6, 2005



The day was very pleasantly springlike; the warmth was welcoming. President Dan, after

he had rung the bell, wondered aloud if the golf courses had opened, since the attendance seemed

so sparse—there were barely thirty hardy souls gathered for our opening. We finally ended with

forty-five as members and guests trickled in. Our Rotary Song was a capella, we saluted our

nation‘s flag, lurched through a recitation of the Four Way Test, and listened to Todd Andrew‘s

invocation.



Lunch menu: Krause‘s famous chicken pot pie, apparently a club favorite, accompanied

by coleslaw, followed by chocolate cake.



Guests today included Laura Lundgren, a friend of Sue Klock; Pat Gately, a potential

new member, guest of Jackie Danise; and Gil Spencer of the Glastonbury Club. President Dan

wondered aloud what his ―undertaking‖ might be. Tom Westbrook led us in a spirited version of

the Welcome Song.



Carmen Piscatello is the month‘s Sergeant-at-Arms. He advised latecomers to pay up,

saying he was not about to chase them, but if they waited until next week, the fine would be

doubled. Jack Ghagan paid for a birthday; we all sang. John McNaughton also had a reason to

be fined, but he ws broke, so that report, and much money will also have to wait until next week.

John Mozzicato paid because the Yankees had beaten the Red Sox twice. George Agnelli paid

for having had a photo of his business establishment in the Journal Inquirer. Pat Porteous paid

for her fifth anniversary.



Don Pitkin, retired from Pratt and Whitney, member of our Town Council, was

inducted as the newest member of East Hartford Rotary. His proposal was supposed to have

been in last week‘s High Gear, but some of the high jinks of the Paul Harris Celebration got in

the way. Don was sponsored by Dan Dienst. President Dan read the litany of the nomination,

which incorporates the high ideals of Rotary International and its members. Don will celebrate

his 84th birthday tomorrow, the 7th of April. Don and this reporter have lived on the same street

for more than forty years.



There were many announcements. John Shemo thanked all those members who have

supported the Sock Hop as Business Sponsors. Rotary Sponsorships are available for $50.

Remember that besides being a fun evening, this is a fund raising event for our club. President

Dan thanked Bill Leone and his committee, and Tom Westbrook and Don Hallquist for making

the Paul Harris event so successful and enjoyable. Volunteers at the EHPD Operation

Identification held in conjunction with the Annual Easter Egg Hunt held March 26th included

Dave Amberg, Steve Jacoby, Mary Martin, Pat Porteous and Gil Wishart. Sue Klock reminded

us that the Senior Citizens‘ Prom will be Thursday, April 26th. Pasta chefs are needed. The GSE

Team from Argentina will also attend. There will be a gathering at Spiller‘s on Friday, the 29th,

with the GSE Team. Bill Saunders reported greetings from Roger Nicholson, who had sent a

contribution for our Golf Tournament. We received an acknowledgment with thanks from the

YMCA for our $1,000 donation. Bob Wood had had a phone call from Don Cramer, who was in

Delaware, where Don‘s 47 year old son was recovering from a heart attach. Don will be

returning to Florida. The District Conference is May 6-8, in Providence. Registrations are still

available. And remember the International Convention will be in Chicago in June. Guest Laura

Lundgren, who is Director of Fund Development for Interval House, thanked us because we have

supported that institution in the past. It provides shelter and counseling for battered women and

their children. Interval House is sponsoring a gala dinner, dance and auction with a South

American theme at the Goodwin Hotel on April 30th. Invitations were available. Mary Martin

reminded us that the installation of Carol Krantz as president will take place the last Wednesday

in June at Glastonbury Hills Country Club. Mary is preparing the annual Presidential Citation

Award application. We had no program.



Neal Cunningham won the raffle. We closed, early, with one verse of America.



----- Dan Russell



High Gear -- March 30, 2005



As the sun faded on a pleasant Spring evening, we gathered at the Gallery Restaurant. We

entered-mostly on time or early- one of the Great Philosophers of Life and Turf whose initials

are Bob Brown commented "Open Bar certainly gets the Rotarians here on time." Anyone who

was late missed the best hor d'oeuvres in this scribe's 17 years of Rotary. Many were speechless

at the quality and volume (because their mouths were full.). The camaraderie of Rotarians and

spouses was evident in the cocktail lounge.

President Dan rang the bell at 7:20 much to the consternation of those enjoying the open bar.

Many later found that our host, The Gallery, was ever generous with the length of time and kept

the bar open. We had a full evening but Bill Leone had it so well organized it moved quickly.



The program started with the national anthem performed professionally by our own Piano Man

and our non-Rotarian Guest of Honor, Kate Preston. Larry Frazier giving the invocation

followed this. His theme of Rotarians ―keepers of the earth‖ was stirring and a close associate

(Doris) was heard to comment "WOW... I was impressed." We all were! We went on to

welcome many guests with our East Hartford song led by Tom Westbrook with his usual vigor.



THE…MEAL was simply outrageous (shrimp cocktail with a choice of three wonderful entrees)

no more can be said. Gossip was that our golfing crew had ventured out during the warm spring

day. They braved the snow in the sand traps and played well (so they said.)



At 8:47 President Dan turned the podium over to Bill Leone who gave us a brief overview of

what the Paul Harris Award was all about. In brief, it started in 1917 with a $26.00 donation and

has now passed one billion in charitable donations. The Paul Harris Award is the highest honor a

club can bestow.



Bill passed the podium on to Frank Collins who handled the rest of the evening with his

debonair style. The presentation of the Paul Harris Awards began with Ceil Collins who was

called upon to introduce Sue Klock. Ceil recounted Sue‘s history of superior academic and

social service achievement. Sue received her new multi sapphire pin and silver centennial pin

with a wish that Scotty Howat could have joined us this evening.



Bob Wood came forward to introduce the filling of the Klock sandwich. There has been a lot of

meat in the accomplishment of David Amberg. Bob covered David’s very successful career at

P&WA and his many, many "well done" projects for East Hartford Rotary. David accepted the

award with a quote from Micah,"…Only do the right, love goodness, and walk humbly with your

God.‖ A sentiment we should all take to heart. There was no comment on the several digs re his

alma mater of storied football tradition, which he took like a gentleman. For all of the above, we

allow him this... "Life is longer than one season." (Rockne, Leahy, Parseghian). He was

presented with his medal by Chickie Amberg and his pins by Frank Collins.



Art Bradbury eloquently covered Peter Klock's many academic achievements as well as his

vast array of travel and hobby accomplishments, but the list of his social service

accomplishments was even more impressive. Peter accepted his sapphire pin in his own quiet

manner and joined Sue in wishing that Scotty Howat was present.



A fourth Paul Harris was presented by President Dan to the love of his life, Hope Firestone.

Everyone appreciated the great joy President Dan evinced in sharing Hope's many business,

personal and Rotary achievements with all those present.



The final act of the evening was the presentation of the Vocational Service Award. It was

pointed out that this is not an annual award but one that is only given when a person of true

accomplishment is recommended to the committee. Kathleen Lynch Preston (President of

Travelers Life & Annuity) more than meets that criteria. Rotary was treated to a description of

her view of corporate responsibility to the community without depriving the shareholders. It is a

difficult juggling act, which she has handled with skill and compassion. Frank Collins presented

the award plaque. He took a moment to allow the entire gathering to view the professional

quality and elegance of the award being presented. (Ok… that's worth a $5 fine to the supplier of

the plaque.)



The collective accomplishments of the 5 recipients are far too many to detail in this format even

if the scribe could write that fast. We would like to congratulate all of this evening‘s recipients.



One verse of America and we were on our way, all enthusing about the wonderful job Bill Leone

and his committee did!!!







Thanks for the memories, John McNaughton







High Gear -- March 23, 2005



The day was gray and blustery with a potential snowstorm moving in from the west, but the

fellowship inside the Ridge was warm with good spirits. The migrating birds of nature are back from

the south, but most of our SnowBirds are still in the warmer climes. Our Piano Man was cranking

out show tunes to the delight of all. (I was afraid a dance was going to break out)



We came to order at 12:15. All joined for The Pledge, Four-Way Test, and Darlene Roberts gave

the Invocation. Our meal was tossed salad, lasagna, followed by Birthday Cake.



Yes, Birthday Cake. It was rolled in mid meal with a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday Carmen.

90 years young..... with panache Carmen Piscatello blew out the candles and was treated to a kiss on

the cheek by President Elect Carol. The cake was accompanied by balloons which Carmen loaded

into the back seat of his car before he drove home! (after the meeting)



The bell rang at 12:45 with an echo. Celerick Stevens was our only guest. He is looking forward to

his adventure in Argentina.



East Hartford Rotary will be concentrating our funding efforts heavily in the educational area this

year. Glen Peterson will be overseeing $1000.00 that will be for books for grammar school literacy

program. The Board also has decided to donate $500.00 to Literacy Volunteers — Connecticut River

East, a group focused on adult literacy. Again this year, Rotary will be contributing to the School

Partnership. The amount will be $12,000.00 this year!!!!



As a point of interest, the first meeting of East Hartford Rotary was called to order in the month of

March, 1928 by President Roy Powers. In that same year four of our present members came upon

this earth. They were Gerry Brady, Andy Andreo, Bob Popp & Rev. Roger Nicholson – all of

whom have helped to make this a better place.

Carmen paid for a solid rendition of Happy Birthday by Moe Belanger. It was delivered with

sincerity and respect for a 90th. Tom Galvin paid for 22 years. No Early Leavers and I was watching.

(Congrats to Us). George Schoen is looking for drivers on various days while GES is in progress and

Roy and Peg Spiller will host a party to say farewell to our visiting GES team. The Region District

Conference is May 6th. If you missed this meeting and are going, check in with Pres. Dan. Raffle

was drawn by Tom Galvin, with Nick Cecere walking away with a smile. If you have a problem

with the password for the new web site contact Sue Klock...she will help you through it.



Make Ups: Don Cramer FL, Herb Tischofer (3) Naples, Chuck Clarke (3) Naples, Steve Jacoby

(3) Springfield MA., New Britan CT, and Marbella Spain, Frank and Ceil Collins (2) Nashua (NE

Pres. Elect Training Seminar) and District 7260 Centennial Celebration.



Our program was a review of the Fireside chats. Most groups agreed that better PR would be a key to

membership and retention. Another idea was an exit interview would be helpful. There were too

many good ideas for this format but an excellent conversation followed with great ideas coming forth

from Jim Fallon, Sue Klock and Tom Westbrook. Jim volunteered to organize the exit interviews.



Please note that due to the Paul Harris Award Dinner there will be no meeting next Wednesday.

Open bar 6:30 to 7:30 at the Gallery and dinner at 7:30.



God Bless America and the bell at 1:32



John McNaughton









High Gear -- March 16, 2005



Top of the Morning to you. The day was bright and brisk for March but the Piano Man treated us

to Irish Sounds.



12:15 – Art Bradbury’s invocation asked for a return to simpler days and peace on earth. The

meal was corn beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes followed by ice cream.



The bell rang at 12:38 PM by President Dan with the following business items.



Our GSE member was our guest. He will be representing EH in Argentina and is looking

forward to meeting the members of their team. Scotty Howat is in room 3015 at Manchester.

He can not receive calls but visits ok as long as not during mealtime. Mark Sirois, Police Chief

was welcomed into Membership by President Dan and sponsored by George Stewart. He was

given the card with the 4-way test and will be ready for a test on next Wednesday. He is a 1976

Graduate of EHHS and currently lives in Hillstown area. His wife is also from EH and has kept

him for 23 years.

John Shemo is looking for sign ups for the Sock Hop. We need sponsors from outside the club.

Let‘s all get one sponsor.



President Dan proclaimed all members to be Irish tomorrow.



Bill Saunders is having the first golf meeting prior to next Wednesday‘s Rotary meeting







Fines – Richard Lemieux celebrating 81 years young



John McNaughton celebrating the birth of a grand daughter, McKenna May



Daniel Larson celebrated 8 years elected to Rotary



Irish paid for St. Patrick‘s heritage and Italians paid for eating cornbeef







The team member‘s fields of endeavor are Education, Tourism, Agronomy, Journalism and

Medicine. Roy Spiller will be entertaining the agronomy counterpart up at Uconn and John

Shemo will be shepherding our tourism guest around Hartford. We are looking for volunteers for

the other three occupations.







Dan Dienst introduced our speaker today. Dan Matos, President and Mark Pilotter, VP of Matos

Group which is developing Rentschler Field. Dan began to invest in real estate in 1984. At the

time, he was a lawyer specializing in Real estate at Day, Berry and Howard. His two prominent

clients were GE and UTC. He feels (as do most EH Rotarians) that United Technologies is one

of the most outstanding corporate benefactors in their desire to help the local community. UTC

had a vision, which matched the state, and local government, which grew into a plan to develop

1000 acres into a world class Research and Technology Park. With the park will be recreational

fields and residential units. This will be developed around a lake. The removal of the runways

will allow for scenic development. The Matos Group is proud to work with United Technologies

on this project. It looks to all of us that they are doing a great job. The first phase is scheduled to

be completed by 2007.







Make up: Don Cramer, Fort Meyers FL







High Gear -- March 9, 2005

The membership was both few and slow to gather on a snow blowing, wind howling cold day.

The sun was shinning and hopefully March will leave us like a lamb.



President Dan called us to order promptly at 12:15. The Pledge and the Four Way Test were

preformed with our usual vigor and Mo Moshovos gave a stirring blessing. Our meal was served

promptly. The fare was Swedish meatballs, rice, squash followed by strawberry shortcake. Good

conversations were exchanged. The big question of the day was…What would we do tonight

with no Uconn game?



Marcia Leclerc led a spirited Welcome Song for guest Art Aspostoc (Guest of Mo Moshovos)

and Joe Marfucci (our speaker). We followed with a Happy Birthday for Neal Cunningham. I

must point out that serenading was much improved with the return of the "Piano Man".



GSE still needs one more home for the exchange 4/23 to 4/30.



Alert - Correction: The actual date of this year Paul Harris Award dinner is March 30th.

Cocktails at 6:30 PM and dinner at 7:30 PM.



Frank Collins informed us that Rotary has supplied housing for over 50,000 people so far in

Indonesia after the tsunami. Scotty may be coming home this week. Herb Barall was taken to the

hospital with heart problems. He is at Hartford Hospital and can be called (545-3349)



Dan Russell's announcement of "THE IRISH WASHWOMAN" was missed….SO take note that

this is a great way to start the major Holiday Week of the year - St. Patrick Week! (a little green

humor). SO plan for Sunday March 13 at 2 PM at the Community Cultural Center. (Free

Admission presented by the East Hartford Fine Arts Commission.)



Make Ups: Walter Kupchunos (4 Venice FL), Chuck Clark (2 Naples, FL), Herb Tischofer (3

Venice FL), Bill Saunders (4 Cape Coral North FL), and Frank and Ceil Collins (Anaheim, CA

Past Officers Reunion, Boston MA District 7930 Centennial celebration, Keynote Speaker,

Cruise Ship Service Club Mtg.). A motion was made by Dan Larson that Walter be fined for

submitting the weather report with each Make Up. No one voted against the motion.



The fines were light today with the exception of the Early Leavers, who were far too many.

Those Early Leavers missed an extremely interesting presentation for Joe Marfucci. All of it new

material since his previous visit several years ago.



Dan Deist introduced Joe as needing no intro. Joe brought us up to date on what was happening

with the River Front Recapture. Of interest was the rowing, where our EH Highly diversified

(there is only one Larson on it) team won the 8 man Head of the River. There are several events

planned, which include a Get Hooked on fishing and Dragon Boat races. The new Boat House

will host over 120 events this year. There will be two excursion boats including one with dinning

and much more.



May the road rise up to meet you and the wind be ever at your back.

John O'Naughton

High Gear- March 2, 2005



On a gray Wednesday, following a meek Nor`easter, President Dan rang the bell at 12:15. With

the ―Piano Man‖ out for the day, Art Bradbury was called upon to lead those gathered in the

opening song. Bill Secord gave us the blessing in fine form.



Our meal was served promptly, beef stroganoff, twice-baked potato, carrot and green beans. As

our meal progressed, John Shemo treated us to Lets Go to the Hop and an explanation. The Sock

Hop planned for 6 PM on the 14th of May is to be a fun fundraiser. Please let friends and families

know they are invited. Sponsors are being sought...Pratt & Whitney and Coke are thought to be

on board. The raised funds will be going to the new score board at McKenna Park. Roy Spiller

will be contacting Members for their sponsorship. On a sad note, Ray McKenna, long time sports

writer for the East Hartford Gazette, passed away early this week.



The business portion of the meeting was called to order promptly at 12:45.



Committee listings were on the tables for 05/06. If you were not present ask at your next

meeting.



Forms for attending our regional and RI in Chicago are available. George Schoen announced the

GSE would be 4/23 to 4/30. Four out of 5 host homes were identified...someone (other than Bob

W, Steve J, Art B and The Collin‘s ) not in attendance needs to check in with George right away!



Our piano man‘s absence was noted and our thoughts and prayers go out to Betty Hallquist.



Tom Westbrook led the Welcome song for Kate Carter, our guest and speaker. Roy Spiller

serenaded Bill Leone while standing atop a nearby table. Total height must have been 10 feet or

better. Happy Anniversary for Bill and we are sorry for the pains caused to Roy‘s posterior. The

last Fireside chat will be held at Roy‘s home Thursday evening. All are invited whether you have

been to one this year or not. Next week‘s speaker is Joe Marfucci of Riverfront Recapture.



Paul Harris Dinner is scheduled for May 30th at the Gallery in Glastonbury. Event schedule is

6:30 PM cocktails and 7:30 dinner with a cost of $35.00 per person. The Maffe Foundation is

looking for Rotary to sponsor a table on April 30th for an ―Unveiling Dinner Dance.‖



Glen Peterson introduced our speaker, Kate Carter, Principal of Great Path Magnet School.

Presently they have 83 students from Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester, Glastonbury etal.

Great Path is working hard to allow the students to achieved their highest potential. The students

are selected through a lottery system. She was proud to announce that two East Hartford students

are college levels Phi Beta Kappa. In addition, several of the Great Path students arrive at college

with their freshman year complete. One of the founding fathers of this advanced approach was

our own Jim Fallon. We enjoyed a video of young people learning and growing at Great Path

Academy.



God Bless America was sung and we were on our way...until next Wednesday at Noon.

John McNaughton









High Gear -- February 23, 2005



By golly, we found winter still hanging on this morning, with a wisp of the white stuff having

been delivered overnight. A touch of the world‟s wonderfully moving music emanated from

Don’s keyboard, and it was with impulsive and excited energy that we became aware that

Tom Galvin has returned!!!!!! How great to see you, Tom!!!

After a „spur of the moment‟ invocation from Brian Hall, we sat to a filling menu of sliced

pork-loin, carrots & string beans, potatoes, apples & mashed yams (or squash, or sweet

potatoes, or something!) Dessert was a tough fruity Jello, only mildly reminiscent of an

early luncheon dish prepared by Charlotte up at Bates College almost 58 years ago!!!



Guests today included old friend Rick Lawrence, a Manchester Rotarian, and Mark Sirois,

East Hartford‟s Chief of Police. Mark has been proposed for membership and, with the

classification of Law Enforcement, will be ready for induction into our club shortly. Welcome

Song leadership was provided with verve, spirit, and gusto (sounds like a law firm) by Andy

Andreo. (He almost didn‟t even wait for Don, such was his enthusiasm.)



Sgt at Arms today was none other than the long and sorely missed Tom Galvin. Tom

expressed his appreciation for the cards, letters, thoughts and prayers which came his way

from a lot of thoughtful people. And then he went to work! On opining that he‟d never heard

Tom sound so serious, George Stewart was immediately fined $1.00 in old-time-Tom-

fettle. That‟ll show him! Adding to the coffers were Todd Andrews and Dick McCarthy for

anniversaries, as well as McCarthy, John McNaughton, and Dan Russell for birthdays.

All were sung to in the best East Hartford Rotarian style! Also poorer after the meal were

Brian Hall, on TV, a promotion and his daughter‟s BD; Bob Brown, for confounding the

medics with his carotid artery; and the Zircon-salesman George Agnelli & Jack Ghagan

for some obvious misdeeds. Yep, it was pretty evident, Tom is back!!!



President Dan Firestone told of lots of happenings:

 The Board has voted $5,100 to the YMCA building fund (to be spread over three

years), and $500 to Riverfront Recapture,

 Three Interact members will be going to the upcoming Conference

 Reminder of the District Conference dates in Providence: May 6-8

 The International 100 Year Convention in Chicago in June

 Fireside Chats, happening right now…have you made plans to attend yours?

 Carol Krantz needs your committee preference sheets…now!

 Next week’s speaker: Kate Carter, Principal of the Great Path Magnet School.

And the Raffle winner today was Roy Spiller.



Program today, introduced by our own Judge Herb Barall, was the great State of

Connecticut‟s Lt. Governor, Kevin Sullivan. Thrust into this roll by the resignation of you-

know-who after 18 years in the Senate, most recently as Pres. Pro Tem, the Lt. Gov. told of

his assignments, interests & activities in which he hopes for change, among them:

elimination of pensions for convicted felons, more pay and better health benefits for Nat‟l

Guardsmen, & local property tax relief. Believing that too much of the tax burden in the

state falls on low and medium income families, he bemoaned the elimination of taxes for

folks with estates worth over $5 million, because that lost tax revenue would solve many of

the state‟s inequalities in town education expense problems. He appealed to citizens to hold

back on being too critical of state government, rather, to step back and visualize what we

want the state to be, to do, and work for positive programs, such as better mental health

care and earlier intervention in substance abuse problems. A real privilege to have the Lt.

Gov. here…Thanks, Herb!



Maker-uppers: McCarthy (4x‟s) Sarasota Sunrise; Willett (3x‟s) Cape Coral North; and



Clarke & Tischofer, (3x‟s) Naples Bay.



And with a reminder that Rotary was started 100 years ago today, (thanks, Stew) this

scribe will say „adieu;‟ it‟s been nice we could be together!



Arthur









High Gear -- February 16, 2005



“Spring Fever” wafted from Maestro Don Hallquist’s piano as East Hartford Rotarians

assembled at Sunset Ridge today. A day that started with bright sunshine gradually clouded

over and we once again got used to an up & down weather pattern. But where we were was

warm and alive with Rotary spirit! Steve Jacoby offered an invocation, and we sat to a

meal of chicken marsala, mashed sweet potatoes and rolls, followed by chocolate cake.



Guests were few…Don Pitkin, friend of many East Hartfordites, came with Dan Dienst; D.G

Dick Seidman gave a brief report on the Providence Centennial party, and a wonderfully

generous gift to the Rotary Foundation by a Rotarian who shall remain, for now, nameless.

They and our speaker were serenaded by Stu Harris’s enthusiastic song leadership (as

always, with Don, of course). Better watch it, Stu, we‟re looking for a permanent leader!

Sgt-at- Arms Jack Ghagan told of birthdays for Frank Collins and Charlotte Bradbury

(husband Art paid) and the whole club sang with gusto. (Didn‟t even know he was there!)



Lots of Pres. Dan Firestone announcements:



 Steve Tamiso asks for Vocational Service Nomination forms to be returned by next

week; can be either a Rotarian or non-Rotarian.

 Carol Krantz (pres-elect) asks that committee preference forms get back to her by

next week; if you care, send one to her…if not you‟ll be assigned as Carol sees fit.

 Rotary Board will meet next Monday, the 21st in Dan Larson’s office.

 A reminder about apps for the District Conf in Providence on May 6-8. Dan has „em.

 Fireside Chats have started. Check the schedule and be there!

 Carol Krantz reminded us of the Saratoga trip on Aug.7, $45 per, still a few seats.

 The Paul Harris Awards Dinner date is set as Mar.30. Mark your calendars!

Past Pres. Neal Cunningham told wonderfully descriptive intimate details of his and

Rosemary’s recent trip to Washington. Sounds as though they did everything but sleep in

the Lincoln bedroom (come to think of it, he didn‟t say they didn‟t!)









Lucky Raffle winner today was Skip Guillemette, car salesman extraordinaire!









Our Program today, introduced by Frank Collins, featured Lillian Ortiz, Dean of Institu-

tional Development at Manchester Community College. Her talk, with a Power Point

presentation, centered on the MCC Foundation and described the many ways in which it has

been enhanced, such as Endowment building and increased scholarships. The slides

featured views of academia, the arts, culinary arts, a fine wine collection and stressed the

many opportunities there are for donors to the school.



Good informative talk. Thanks, Frank.









Maker-uppers included Frank & Ceil Collins at the Hartford Centennial Bell meeting,

Plainville, and, just Frank in Evanston; Rotary Ski trippers: Leone, Spiller, Sayre, Amberg,

Cramer, & Stewart; and the Russells in Singer Island, FL. Well done!







And next week, boys and girls, come early for your favorite seats to see and hear our Lt.

Governor Kevin Sullivan!









And wasn‟t it good that we could be together!



Arthur









High Gear -- February 9, 2005



Seems as though the day‟s weather is always a factor in the writing of High Gear doesn‟t it?

This was a mild one for early February, but if the weatherman is even near accurate, it‟ll

turn cold again and bring more nasty stuff tonight and tomorrow. The Vermont ski group is

up at the Golden Stage Inn, a lovely spot to help while away the hours with good friends.

For those who‟ve never been, there‟re jigsaw puzzles, good food, good grog, and for those

who actually ski, well-groomed trails! And then, of course, our ranks were also thinned by

the absence of snowbirds who we‟ll see again in the spring, all tanned and healthy looking.



After a welcoming Pledge, Prayer, and Performance of the 4-Way Test with President Dan

Firestone, Krause Caterers served up garlic bread and veggi lasagna, along with Boston

Creme Pie for a Patriots-pleasing dessert. How „bout them guys! Wow, Zounds!!!



With only one guest today, Sister Pat McKeon, Dan Larson not only did the intro but was

called on to lead the Welcome Song, which he did with “Danny-Boy” enthusiasm & gusto.

When Dan tried to auction off George Agnelli‟s 2 tickets to the Lady Husky-B.C. game,

however, there were no takers…imagine! Where was Roy Spiller when we needed him?



Sgt-at-Arms Jack Ghagan asked for silence for Sue Klock’s birthday, and Spurge

Stokes‟s 24th anniversary, and we didn‟t get asked to sing for either. For shame! We‟re

encouraged that Scotty Howat is continuing to feel stronger, cause they‟re talking about

the possibility of his going to Manchester Manor next week. Keep sending him your prayers.



President Dan presented a few announcements, to wit:



 Hartford Rotary‟s Bell Ringing Party was well attended by EH Rotarians,

among them, Dan and his brother, Jim & Ruth Sheehan, Gil Wishart and

Jay Stewart, Steve Jacoby (& Jackie?) Frank & Ceil Collins, and maybe

some others (sorry if you were left out; that‟s all were mentioned!)



 The District Conference will be held at the Providence Weston on May 6-8.

Applications are available from Pres. Dan or on the Rotary website.



 Jack Ghagan urged us to participate in the town‟s Memorial Day Parade.



 Stay tuned for John Shemo’s gala kick-off of the “Sock Hop” on Mar.2



 Ways & Means Committee will meet on the next 2 Wednesdays at 11:30



 Be sure to check out your assigned attendance at a Fireside Chat!



 And…though not a presidential announcement, Jim Sheehan won the raffle!



Then, from Larry Frazier, a short pitch for “Sharing Rotary”: Please fill out the Membership

Survey found on each table, and return to Larry at the soonest. Conscientious follow-

through will result in increasing our membership, one of President Dan‟s goals.



Our Speaker today, Sister Pat McKeon, was brought to us by Danny Boy Larson. Sister

Pat is a Sister of Mercy and Executive Director of Mercy Housing and Shelter Corporation in

Hartford. Based on the premise that homeless people should be moved out of homelessness

into Supportive Housing (rather than managing their needs as “homeless people”) Sister

Pat‟s MHSC has made a strategic commitment which is making a real difference in the

Greater Hartford area. She stressed that the problem of homelessness appeared as a long-

term phenomenon only in the last 25 years, and has been brought on by such things as

federal budget reductions, foster care cutbacks, early prison releases, closure of mental

hospitals, and the high cost of housing. Sister Pat‟s presentation was a very positive one by

an outstanding human being, one who is obviously living her faith in a real service to

humanity. Well done, Sister Pat, and you, too, Dan, for bringing her to us!



Next week‟s meeting will feature Lillian Ortiz, Dean of Development at MCC.



Recent make-ups included Frank & Ceil at the PETS Leadership Training in Nashua, N. H.;

Sue Klock on the Web visiting eClub One, Chuck Clarke and Herb Tischofer in Naples, Fla,

and Don Cramer in Fort Myers and Sanibel/Captiva, Fla.



What a great club we belong to! …………. and wasn‟t it great we could be together!…..Arthur









High Gear -- February 2, 2005



'twas a beautifully sunny, but still chilly, Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil must certainly

have seen his shadow this morning. Isn't it strange how 40 degrees can feel like a warm Spring

day after more than 2 weeks in the deep freeze! Virtuoso Don Hallquist was truly the "Life of the

Party" (honest, that was the name of the song book he was playing from). Wonderful melodic

tunes; they made ya wanna dance and sing!



After a thoughtful blessing offered by George Agnelli, we sat to a repast of old favorite chicken

pot pie, followed by a raisin-laden apple crisp. Those at our table thought it tasty. Also on each

table were Committee Preference Forms handed out by next year's prexy Carol Krantz (very

important that they be returned by Feb.16!) & Fireside Chat schedules. Steve Tamiso stressed the

importance of RSVP-ing as well as calling the host if you need a different night. Let's try for

100% attendance at these worthwhile sessions this year.



President Dan Firestone tried hard but couldn't find any guests. Even so, Johnnie Mo was drafted

to sing the Welcome Song to us. It's been a long time since we did it in Italian!

And then, wouldn't you know it, Larry Churchill's name came up a winner of the raffle; must be

all that clean livin,' to have Rev. Ted Mosebach pull yer ticket!



Sgt-At-Arms George Agnelli told us Darlene Roberts had requested that all of us 68 and older

sing to her, 'cause that was twice her age (c'mon, nobody's that young!). My gosh, at least 2/3 of

the club stood up! Other celebrations were in order for Andy Andreo, recognized by his alma

mater, Bryant College, and Gerry Brady, for an anniversary. Assuring us that he hasn't forgotten

how, Roy Spiller auctioned off 2 tickets to Gino's gals' roundball game vs Vivian's lovelies on

Thursday. Mary Martin was the lucky winner.



President Dan told of his cavorting with Hope at the Governor's mansion (on behalf of Interval

House), and then read a thank you note from the E.H. Social Services Dept for social services

rendered by our club (fitting, that!). Our august leader also told of our duty to cast a vote for our

zone's nominee as R.I. President who will serve the world of Rotary in 2007-2008. Candidates

were a gentleman from Maine and old friend Abe Gordon, from Bridgeport. Since many of the

assembled know Abe from his attendance at E.H. functions, the vote was for Abe, unanimously!

And, deserving of special mention, was a request that we mark our calendars on May 14th for the

sure-to-be -fun "Sock Hop" at the East Hartford Cultural Center, our springtime bonanza. To be

chaired by our own Dick Clark: Johnny Shemo, that fact, alone, should insure its success.



The Program today was produced by that swingin' impresario of Terpsichorean delight, none

other than our own Judge Herb Barall. With an act certain to win plaudits at Arthur Murray's or

earn disbarment at Superior Court, Herb brought on three (count 'em) 3 ballet (oh, sorry, bellay)

dancers. When they moved back the piano and carried out the tables, we knew something special

was in the works. And sure enough, the shimmering gold discs shook and shimmied like a bowl

of jelly on a frosty morning, the sword never fell off her head, the gauzy aqua veil finally did

turn Dick LeMieux's hair a lovely shade of blue, and Don Hallquist was seen running for cover,

lest his other ear fall victim to the power of the sword! Great fun, Herb, but how're you going to

top that???



With one verse of America, the show was closed down for another week, and wasn't it nice we

could be together?!!!!

Arthur







High Gear -- January 26, 2005



I said last week that it looked as if Winter was winning the Battle! This week confirms that

observation - only 27 brave Rotarians managed to find the Ridge through an occasional wind

driven snowflake!! President Dan got the attention of those in attendance at promptly 12:15

and led us in the Pledge and the Four Way Test. The Rev. Ted Mosebach gave the

Invocation and asked that we all be enabled to do what we can to make Peace and to teach us

to be be grateful and to share! We were treated to a generous meal of salad, chicken

cacciatore, and chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce. We were even offered seconds.



Following the lunch we were brought back to order. There were no guests, no Welcome

Song, and only a few announcements.



1. The District is looking for host families for GSE participants from either Argentina or the

Philippines while they are in East Hartford some time in April. Details will follow.



2. The Empire State Building will be lit up in blue and gold on February 23 to celebrate the

100th year of Rotary.



3. The Board voted to give $225 to the East Hartford Little League Rotary team. $1,000 to

the East Hartford YMCA's annual fund drive, and $1,000 to Rotary's Tsunami Relief Fund.

This will also credit our club with one Paul Harris Fellowship. The Board is also discussing

the possibility of making a donation to the YMCA Capital Fund Drive.

4. President Dan is looking for someone to attend the Hartford Club's Centennial Celebration

with him. Free Ticket! Call him if you are interested.



5. Dan read a thank you note from Chris Bessler, thanking us for helping him with his Eagle

Scout Project.



John Mozzicato gave the Sgt. At Arms report. Anniversaries for Roy Spiller (28 Years) and

Larry Hangland (5 years). John also fined himself for having another birthday, and Bob

Wood Paid for a new Granddaughter and a new car. The Raffle was won by Gil Wishart.

The following Make Ups have been received: Frank Collins (2) UN Breakfast NYC Rotary,

and various UN Meetings; Herb Tischofer (2) Naples, Fla., and Steve Jacoby in South

Windsor. Keep the Make Ups coming!



Prior to the Announcements we reconvened our Annual meeting which was held on

December 16th to finish the scheduled reports which were cut short for our annual school

holiday concert. Bill Leone gave a complete accounting of our scholarship accounts -the

Regular and the Brewer Account. Dan Firestone gave our Club's Treasurer's report. The

Club's financial status will be contained in the Secretary's report of the Annual Meeting.

Dan mentioned that the Board is also working on updating the Club's Constitution and that

it will be presented at a later date.



We adjourned after singing one verse of "God Bless America".



Bye for now, RBW







High Gear -- January 19, 2005



A cold day with the promise of some snow this afternoon makes one feel that winter is again

winning the battle. Upon entering the Ridge one noticed an array of Rolling Rock beer bottles

set out at each table and a wanted poster "Who's your Danny?" printed with the words to "Oh

Danny Boy"! It seems as if the "Presiding President" Dan Larson was starting a wonderful

precedent for those who are filling for the absent President. Nice touch, Dan! Hope others will

keep this tradition alive. Dan was a little slow at the bell but got us started in the usual manner.

A thoughtful invocation was given by Sue Klock, who expressed our collective gratefulness and

quoted a Muslim prayer for peace-"most gracious are those who walk on Earth in humility, and

when we address them, we say "PEACE." -This is our great hope.



The luncheon was Swedish meatballs, noodles, and Turnip(!) followed by a pistachio pudding

tart. A strange combination, but OK.



Following the meal Dan had some difficulty gaining the respect of Glen Peterson who balked at

introducing Pat Gately. Dan evened the score by having Glen lead the Welcome Song with help

from Don Hallquist. Sgt. at Arms John Mozzicato came up with birthdays for Tom Westbrook

and Steve Tamiso, and a 35th Rotary anniversary for Tom Westbrook. Dan Russell paid for his

2nd wedding anniversary to Betty - congratulations. The Raffle was won by our Sgt. at Arms -

John Mozzicato. The report was followed by a rousing rendition of "Oh Danny Boy" with the

ladies singing the first verse and the lads singing the second. Quite Well Done!!!!!



The following were the announcements:



1. Dean reported that Scotty is improving but still in intensive care. Cards sent to his home

would be appreciated.



2. Marcia plugged a Fundraiser at the Cultural Center on Feb. 5th to benefit the Senior Centers

in town. Tickets are $15. The Show is "Love Letters", a WWII era reading. Information 291-

7204.



3. John Shemo spoke of the May Sock Hop and Raffle. Dates would be May 14 or 21. Let

him know if you have a preference. He is also thinking about a raffle for a 2005 Retro Mustang

convertible.



4. Carmen announced that he saw Tom Galvin and that he is looking great and expects to rejoin

us soon. Hang in there, Tom. We look forward to your return.



5. Next week will be a Club Assembly to continue our Annual meeting which was cut short by

the Holiday Singers.



Dan (in Song) and Herb Barall introduced our speaker, Melody Curry, our 10th Assembly

District Representative. Melody has been a major player in the Legislature and was recently

recognized by the New England Board of Higher Education with an Excellence Award for

Outstanding Individual Achievement for supporting schools and academic programs in

Connecticut. Melody talked about the important issues facing the state. The death penalty issue

will be a major debate. The Budget deficit and the construction of the next budget loom as quite

difficult issues, and a lot of tough decisions will have to be made. It is very hard to project

revenue sources and the budget is at best a crap shoot. Melody feels that the State must get its

financial house in order and that this is not the year for new and expensive programs. The

Healthcare issue is one that must be addressed and again, this is a difficult choice question.

Ethics issues are high on the agenda and some changes are sure to be made. Melody talked

frankly, and then opened the floor for questions. It was a great program.







We ended with one verse of "God Bless America".



See you next Week - RBW

High Gear January 12, 2005



Winter seems to be winning this week - cold, damp, and miserable! The Ridge

was warm and filled with tunes by Don Hallquist at the trusty piano. A lot of

activity in the side room as several Rotarians were collating the updated

Roster Books. Make sure you pick one up! A great big thank-you goes to Larry

Hangland who printed them and to Roy Spiller for following this project

through to its conclusion. Pres. Dan was back at the podium in time to bring

us together at 12:15. Mary Martin gave the invocation and asked us to care

about those less fortunate than we! The luncheon was a stuffed chicken

breast, mixed vegetables, rice, and bread pudding.



Following the meal, guests were introduced and Steve Bates led the Welcome

Song a cappella - couldn't wait for Don! Sgt. at Arms John Mozzicato listed

several anniversaries - Moe Belanger 36, Peter Klock 15, Dan Firestone 29, and

Don Hallquist 40. Jack Sayre had a birthday and requested a moment of silence,

and Bob Richmond paid for a new granddaughter. The Raffle was won by Dan

Firestone.



The following announcements are for your information:



1. Board Meeting Monday the 17th at Dan Larson's office. All are

invited to attend.



2. Saratoga trip scheduled for Sunday, August 7th. Call Carol Krantz

if interested.



3. Meeting of the Vocational Service Committee next Wednesday (1/19),

11 A.M. at the Ridge.



4. People are needed to host and co-host Fireside Chats. If able and

interested call Steve Tamiso @568-6310.



5. Hartford Rotary Centennial Celebration is on Feb 5th at the Bond

Ball Room. Cal Pres. Dan if interested.



The Speakers for today, Bob and Nancy Fitzgerald, were introduced by Jackie

Danise. They talked about programs that were very necessary in helping

today's youth in so many different ways. Nancy spoke about "Arts for All", a

program in the Circle of Life group which has been organized by the Barall's.

The Arts program is run after school, during vacations, and the summer break.

This program helps fill the time for so many young people and teaches them

many skills and lifetime values such as Sharing, Respect, and Responsibility.

It is also fun!!! The Arts program is in need of funds, volunteers, and

various supplies. Can you help? Bob talked about Cribbage for kids. He and

others presently teach young people to play cribbage through this program. He

is presently teaching cribbage to 6th graders at the Academy School. This game

helps with math skills, Social Skills, logic, and provides a healthy

alternative to TV and Video games. It too, is a fun game and provides a great

intergenerational opportunity to communicate. These two individuals truly

give of themselves and are a great example of the Rotary Motto "Service Above

Self". Keep up the good work.







See you next week - Bob Wood



High Gear - January 5, 2005



Welcome to a new Rotary Year! Winter was trying to make a comeback after several Springlike days -

too early to tell if, indeed, it would succeed. Although it was cold and damp outside, it was warm with

fellowship inside the Ridge. As 12:15 approached one could not find President Dan anywhere, but a

close look behind the podium revealed that President Elect Carol was hiding there and just ready to ring

the meeting to order, and it should be noted here - without the Rotary Medallion, the proper symbol of

power and respect! She called upon past Pres. Neal to give the invocation. He asked that we all give

"Service above self" in all that we do, to serve those less fortunate that ourselves, and to have a happy

and healthy new year! A tasty meal of an open faced roast beef sandwich, carrots, and mashed potatoes

followed by double chocolate cake was quickly served.



Following the meal Carol called for introductions and Riasa Filkoff, Rockville, and Pat Gately, an East

Hartford Realtor were introduced and then serenaded by the club with the music by Don Hallquist and

led by Tom Westbrook. Sgt. at Arms John Mozzicato gave a lengthy report featuring 41 years of Rotary

for George Stewart, 44 years of marriage for Bob and Debby Wood, birthdays for Nick Cecere and Jim

Shay, Photos for Dave Amberg, Peter and Sue Klock, and several Red Sox Happy dollars. Some people

also had trouble with today's date, anyone you know, John? Roy Spiller also had some trouble explaining

his reasons for not growing his beard! You had to be there!!! The Raffle was won by Mary Martin.



The Speaker, Len Boyle, was unable to attend because of pressing duties at the State Capitol. So Acting

Pres. Carol called upon others to carry the day. Glen Peterson read a letter from Heifer Project thanking

us for our donation and support of the Magnet School Heifer Project. Glen is also looking for volunteers to

read to students on Literacy Day, March 2nd. Contact him if you can give an hours time. Next Frank

Collins talked about Rotary's part in helping out in the disaster relief in South Asia. He gave several

options for individual or club support. Listed here are some of the ones recommended by Rotary

International. The Rotary Foundation is setting up an opportunity to give through the ROTARY

FOUNDATION/SOLIDARITY IN SOUTH ASIA. Checks may be mailed to The Rotary Foundation, P.O.

Box 75133, Chicago, IL 60675-5133. Another opportunity is through Hunger Plus, Inc. , P.O. Box 337,

Plainview, TX 79072. Finally, Shelter Box USA, an organization that provides, shelter, cooking

equipment, and supplies for up to 10 people for 6 months. Website: www.shelterboxusa.org . A donation

of $ 900 sends a complete box, but any donation will be packaged with others to complete the package.

Mailing address Shelter Box USA, 8374 Market St. #203, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202. Its a worthy

Cause!!!



Make ups were given to all those who rang the Bell, and to those who served the at the Holiday Fest -

Steve Jacoby, Herb Barall, Staci Brazalovich, and Stu Harris. Thanks for your help.



See you next week - Bob Wood