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New Canaan Rotary Club Bulletin                                           May 29, 2008

 

A large crowd gathered at the Roger on a lovely spring day to celebrate Rotary and share fellowship with fellow Rotarians.  President Amy was in the house and called the meeting to order at the prescribed hour and then called on the venerable and august Roy Riggio for the grace.  To the amazement of all, he intoned, “Rub a dub dub, God thanks for the grub.”  In the wink of an eye he appeared less venerable and august.

 

David Rucci brought Ron Balzano as his guest.  Tracy Forbes and Pamela Andrews were also in attendance from the Miss Fairfield County Scholarship Program, accompanying our speaker [more later].

 

Amy announced that as part of the NCHS graduation festivities Phil McLain would be presenting a $1,000 scholarship to a senior student and Frank Bernardo will present a Rotary service award to another graduating student.

 

Fireman Fred then arose from his chair looking strangely incomplete.  He explained the phenomenon by cautioning against betting with the Boy Scouts.  Fred had bet his troop that if they raised $12,000 he would shave his mustache.  They raised $13,000 and the rest is history.  Fred and his Clean Your Mile assistant Laura Rubinfeld, one of whom will be absent and the other leaving early, announced that, weather permitting [check your email if you are in doubt] the Rotary team will assemble in the NCHS parking lot at 9:00 am this Saturday, May 31 [a correction from the bad poop published in this space a week ago] and proceed to clean Farm Road from South Avenue to Old Stamford Road and some portion of South Avenue as well.  Frank Bernardo will man the Karl Chevrolet pickup if the Teamster business agent doesn’t adjust his back.  Service above self.

 

Frank Bernardo, who seemed omnipresent at the meeting then rose to report on the Rotary receptacle project.  Last year the club presented 10 replacements for the aging and unattractive trash cans in town at about $750 a copy.  This year we have furnished an additional three and Frank envisions continuing at that pace until all 25 receptacles are replaced.

 

Frank then rose as the stand-in sergeant-at-arms.  While there were notable contributions, Roy Riggio’s 49^th wedding anniversary trumped by George Magoo’s 50^th, Sandy Malloy’s daughter’s wedding and John Kerchoff learning of his son’s engagement after missing last week’s meeting, the kindest thing that could be said for Frank’s standup material was that it made one pine for Scott or Steve.

 

Ken Campbell continues to overcome his image as just another pretty face by coming up with a broad range of excellent programs.  He certainly outdid himself this week.  He introduced the reigning Miss Fairfield County, Kristen Masterson who quickly put to rest any preconceived notions of pageant contestants as pretty air heads.  Kristen is a cum laude graduate of UCONN who, next year, will either be the new Miss Connecticut or a student in the accelerated Registered Nursing masters program at NYU.  She was a poised and articulate advocate for the hospice concept, which will be her personal cause.  She first became aware of hospice when her 49 year old father was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor which killed him within a year.  Hospice was wonderful to both him and to her and allowed her dad to die with minimum pain and maximum dignity.  Although that hospice was in Texas, she has been volunteering at one in Branford ever since and, following her graduate education, hopes to open her own facility in Fairfield County.  A very impressive young lady who made a strong positive impression on all present.  By the by, she is very pretty.  We don’t know what Ken’s personal cause is, but there were whispers that we should enter him in a pageant!

 

Donald Trump

 

New Canaan Rotary Club Bulletin                                                      May 22, 2008

 

A large crowd of eager grantees joined an animated group of Rotarians at the Roger in anticipation of the year’s most inspirational luncheon – allocations!  As 12:15 came and went there was a leadership void, as rumors spread that Amy had run off with a cadet after her District Conference weekend at West Point.  These proved false as Amy arrived breathless after David Rucci, in another naked grab for power, led the pledge and requested a prayer.  Your humble editor was in the anteroom and could neither identify the pray-er, nor hear the prayer, so we must accept on faith that the spirit and delivery were strong.

 

I heard that the food was excellent, although by the time I reached the buffet it looked like an Ethiopian picnic.  A few pieces of brown rice stuck to the bottom of the serving dish, one piece of cauliflower, and a spoonful of curried chicken.  The good news is that our guests ate well.

 

Amy, sans cadet, reported that the Club had been awarded both a Presidential and Outstanding Governor Citation at the District Conference.  Congratulations to President Amy and the Club.

 

Visiting Rotarians were John Watson from Westport and Paul Burnham from Wilton.  Ex NC Rotarian Pat Criss, now a third year seminarian at Yale was also in attendance representing a grantee group [more detail to follow].

 

Fred Baker announced that, as head of our Clean Your Mile effort, he planned to be absent, but last year’s leader Laura Rubinfeld would meet our team at the intersection of Farm Road and South Avenue this coming Saturday morning, May 24, at 9:00 am to attack South Avenue from Farm Road to the Parkway.  Team members can park in the YMCA parking lot.  This is a much easier route than the traditional 123 from Lakeview to the Parkway.  Let’s try to exceed the four members who showed up for our recent service project, particularly if you have not contributed any Rotary service recently.  Let Amy know by email if you plan to serve.

 

Frank Bernardo, standing in as the Sergeant of the day, told a totally appropriate joke for the occasion and collected dollars from Amy and Andy for their birthdays, and from Andy as an afterthought on his engagement, as well as child bride Susan Eng’rs 20^th wedding anniversary.

 

As we contemplate Conan replacing Leno and Kimmel replacing Conan, we witnessed Ben replacing David.  It was a jolting experience, and frankly only marginally successful until Gentle Ben zinged the Outback by confusing them with Strays and Others, and then noting how easy that actually was to do.  Nice edge.  Ben started with the international grants to our Rotary District Project, the South Asian Pure Water Initiative, and then moved on to the U.N. Committee for New Canaan and their school for Afgan girls project, Hospital Sacre Coeur in Haiti, and our friends at HALO who continue to demine the killing fields of Cambodia.  Americares provided a nice segue from international to domestic recipients as they announced their grant would be used in their Norwalk Free Clinic.  Ben then distributed envelopes to the Getabout, Camp Hand in Hand, Magical Music For Life [represented by the aforementioned Pat Criss], Meals on Wheels, and Fireman Fred who will use the money to install smoke detectors in homes without them.  Ben pressed on with grants to the NCHS Scholarship Committee, New Canaan Library [who qualified even without the heavy hand of David Bryant on the lever of the Allocation Committee], Nature Center, Historical Society, Ambulance Corps. YMCA, Nursing and Home Care, Strays and Others, the Outback [these are in fact separate organizations], Summer Theater, and, finally, the Town of New Canaan for the upgrading of waste receptacles around town.

 

It is always inspiring to recognize how many citizens of this town find meaningful ways of providing service to their fellow New Canaanites.  A truly fun and uplifting lunch and, dare we say it, perhaps a star is born.  Nice job, Ben.

 

David Letterman

New Canaan Rotary Club Bulletin                                              May 16, 2008

 

On an unfamiliar Friday schedule your humble scrivener waded across the muddy parking lot in the unfamiliar venue of the Silvermine Tavern, hung his cloak in the cloakroom, and labored up the steps with the help of his trusty cane, only to be accosted by a furious Skip Sisson who went off on a profane tirade questioning the legitimacy of my ancestry for having omitted, in my correspondence with the Club concerning Jeff Immelt’s appearance at NCHS on tuesday evening, the fact that he is a Dartmouth alum.  Mea culpa.

 

The combined New Canaan and Wilton clubs made their way to the rear of the Tavern [where Tom Weilenmann was observed feverishly making notes regarding sticky buns and homemade strawberry shortcake] where the Wilton stand-in president and our own real life president Amy called the meeting to order, led the pledge, received a blessing and then, much to the chagrin of the NC club, recited the four way test.  The inability of said NC Rotarians to quote the test, which is at the very heart of Rotary, suggested that we might should try it at the beginning of some of our own meetings. Food for thought.

 

Visiting Rotarians and guests were dispensed with, and Amy announced that next week’s NC meeting will be the first allocations luncheon in the post David Bryant era.  One can scarcely imagine such a thing.  I guess we will all just have to show up and see how it goes.  Talk about pressure…

 

Following our repast, the day’s program was introduced.  The Group Study Exchange Team from District 4150 in our neighbor to the south, headed by Team Leader Jorge Aguilar Pimentel, DDS presented a slide show illustrating their particular state of origin, what it was famous for, where it is located in Mexico and including photos of family [and in one case friends].  Jorge was followed by Deborah Melendez Castro [not that Castro], a 23 year old from Sinaloa with a degree in business administration and a credential as a certified consultant.  Then came Maria Cristina Gutierrez Mata, a 26 year old from Guadalajara with an international business degree. Next was Maria Jose Torres Hernandez from Tepic, the capital city of Nayarit who holds a master’s degree from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida and is currently working on her doctoral thesis in educational innovation.  Finally, we heard from the lovely Gladys Guadalupe Espinoza Gonzalez, a 26 year old laboratory technician from Comala, Colina who is pursuing her master’s in management and planning of superior education.  Why host Ben Bilus took this particular group to Stew Leonard’s is a mystery.  Following the presentation of banners, Jorge and the girls produced a guitar and serenaded the meeting with a traditional Mexican folk Song, whose chorus “Ay Ay Ay Ay…” was familiar to all.  Nevertheless, Adolph Guiseppe Anthony Tomaselli seemed to know some lyrics which were unfamiliar to the singers.  All in all a memorable program full of friendship, fellowship and the possibilities of Rotary.

 

Paul [his own self] Harris

My Fellow Rotarians,                                                                     May 13, 2008

 

The NCHS Global Leaders of Tomorrow club has over the past two years produced a series of events featuring local residents talking to students, parents and citizens about how best to utilize their high school and college years to develop the character and resume required to succeed in their future endeavors.  I have been privileged to attend several of these programs and have been extremely impressed with the quality of the speakers and the professionalism of the Global Leaders’ productions.  Next Tuesday, May 20, they are presenting their final program of this school year.  It features New Canaan resident Jeff Immelt, CEO of the General Electric Company, in his first local appearance speaking on perspectives on 21^st century education – what our children will need to succeed.  He will be joined on the panel by another New Canaanite, Spencer Stuart headhunter Jim Citrin, Dr. Jeffrey Brenzel, Dean of Admissions at Yale, and Tony Pavia, Principal at NCHS.

 

This is a most unusual opportunity to gain insight in to a number of facets of our children’s and grandchildren’s development and to help us understand what choices they may have put before them and what the ramifications of those choices might be on their futures.  I plan to attend and commend the event to all thinking Rotarians as a high value way to spend an evening.  The event will kick off at 7:30 in the NCHS auditorium.

 

Mike Hobbs

New Canaan Rotary Club BulletinMay 8

New Canaan Rotary Club Bulletin                                             May 8, 2008

 

President-elect David Rucci prowled the room anticipating the raw power of his year on the throne.  He had a faraway longing look in his pale Irish eyes as he contemplated acts of aggression and revenge in the days ahead.  It was, therefore, with a sense of relief when this year’s chief executive Amy struck the bell, calling the meeting to order and David back to the present.  Chaplain Ad asked the blessing and whetted the throng’s curiosity with his big finish, “As William Shakespeare said…” before losing steam and confessing that he could not remember what the Bard had indeed said.  Not an inspiring commencement.

 

Hobbs the Elder was heard confessing that he had recently had a perfectly good right knee replaced in his never ending quest to “be like Ad.”  Nice try, but the WASP genes will likely forever be an impediment to the achievement of Roman superiority.

 

Following another delicious repast at the hands of our lovable Swiss innkeeper, President Amy gaveled the audience into submission on her second try.  She pointed out that it was a pleasure to conduct her first meeting with Rob Avery as a member.  A round of applause punctuated her remark.  Joe Rucci then made a very confusing introduction of Greenwich Rotarian and land surveyor Allen Duval.  Either Joe and Allen are cousins, they shared an ancient and invalid classification, or they have never met and don’t like each other.

 

Impressario Bill Walbert then took the floor to announce that there has been a program change for the Rotary night at the Power House Theater tomorrow evening.  In lieu of the previously announced four hour pre-show shot-and-a-beer event, he has substituted a post-show champagne reception.  Goes under the “discretion being the better part of valor” heading, even if Bill sought to distract the group with claims that the change was necessitated by the weather forecast.

 

Fireman Fred Baker then reported that he, supported by a huge Rotary contingent made up of Bill Walbert, Jack Pugliese and Frank Bernardo, had completed a service project at the home of a Mrs. Williams.  The Club owes a vote of thanks to this intrepid band of activists.  Fred then reminded us that the New Canaan Clean Your Mile event will be held on May 31.  We could either leave our responsibility to be met by the aforementioned foursome, or some of the rest of us could get off our oversized duffs and do our duty.  You decide.

 

Amy reminded one and all that next week there will be no Thursday meeting at the Roger, but rather a joint meeting with the Wilton Club on Friday at the Silvermine Tavern.  She also announced that she would be attending the District Conference at West Point on May 16 and 17.

 

Sergeant Scott then recounted the challenges inherent in coming up with a clear, comprehensive and tasteful name for the medical partnership of a psychiatrist and proctologist.  More difficult than one might assume at first blush.

 

Proving that a high IQ is not a prerequisite for a fire marshall, Fred Baker reported that, for the thirty-second consecutive year he had completed his annual expedition to Tuckerman’s Ravine high on Mt. Washington this past week.  This pilgrimage is highlighted by savage weather, frostbite and near-starvation.  Anyone care to sign on for next year?

 

President Amy then introduced Sarah Proescher from the Norwalk-Nagarote [Nicaragua] Sister City Project.  Sarah, another in a seemingly endless line of driven, committed attractive young women bent on making the world a better place, explained the program, the goals, the means and the outcomes achieved.  An inspiring program full of hope for sustainable community development in the western hemisphere’s second poorest country.

 

Daniel Ortega