Rotary Bulletin 8/23/07

 

New Canaan Rotary Club Bulletin                                              August 23, 2007

 

President Amy called the meeting to order at 12:15 sharp, led the Pledge and called on Chaplain Ad who, apparently as the result of a recent vasectomy, was hobbling on a cane.  Ad, who had allowed the bell to ring while he was separated from the food table by virtually the entire membership, issued a perfunctory blessing and then, with moves worthy of a roller derby star, moved through and around the crowd to claim his rightful spot at the head of the chow line.

 

A clarification of an item in last week’s bulletin for the less hip in the audience [your humble scrivener being one]:  the young man with Sandy Parks could not have been her son because no one who looks as young as Sandy could have a child of that age.

 

President Amy will be absent for the next two weeks as she makes a pilgrimage to the Tar Heel state.  For some reason, perhaps having to do with the level of confidence in leadership potential, last year’s president will be in charge instead of the more traditional president-elect route.  I trust no offense will be taken.  Amy also reminded the club that her dad, Rotary International President Wilf Wilkinson, will be in Mystic on October 6.  Amy and Nancy R. are planning to attend his appearance and Amy invited any other interested Rotarians to join them.

 

Lobsterfest Impressario Scott Hobbs, who is striving to make the 2007 version the best ever, again circulated sign-up sheets for work details on September 14 and 15.  He noted that the more everyone can commit the better.  Each person working only one shift has proven disastrous in  the past.  In keeping with his enthusiastic, extroverted, over the top approach to everything he attempts, Frankie the Claw [or possibly his younger darker haired and mustachioed brother] has signed up for every shift over two days.  Scott will appoint a shift captain for each shift with instruction that the beatings will continue until the morale improves.  Sandy Malloy will once again head up the desert effort by distributing two dozen shells the week prior to the event to each Rotarian for filling with some delicacy from the family recipe vault.

 

In what is becoming a meeting feature, club poet laureate George Baker materialized at the podium and delivered a dramatic recitation of the Robert Service classic, “The Cremation of Sam McGee.”  David Bryant, sensing an incursion onto his turf, vowed to one up George next week.  Ex-president Nancy had left with your reporter her entry for immediate publication should George rise again.  It goes something like this:  There was a young lady of Kent who said that she knew what it meant when men asked her to dine, and served cocktails and wine she knew what it meant – but she went!

 

Ken Campbell, seeming somewhat flummoxed by the introductory material given him by our speaker, introduced him anyway with a challenge to make sense of what Ken had just read.  Dr. John Zelem, recently retired surgeon, proceeded to do just that as he explained the importance of fully living whatever time we have on earth and the effect of attitude in dealing with adversity.  He said that by employing belief and hope we have the power to change.  Thought provoking and inspiring stuff!

 

Sell more tickets and get your checks in to Scott.  Enough of “the check is in the mail,” “the check is on my dresser,” “my dog [or cat or ground hog] ate my check.”  Just get it up!

 

John McCain

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