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