MEETING RECAP
Writing the Wrongs
Sunday, October 2, 2022 By: Eric T Quinn“Writing the Wrongs”
Aloha Friday began with the customary “Aloha” from President Whalen.
Because our presenter today is an excellent author, we decided to share some quotes from some of the greatest authors.
"We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out." —Ray Bradbury
Andrew Kruse gave us the thought for the day, and reminded us that we are lucky to be here today. AK is really thankful for Rotarians “not putting Band Aids on things” and looking out for the long-term good of the community.
Clint Johnson led us in the Pledge
Jason Whalen welcomed the “Zoomies”
Making our meeting happen: Rob Erb, James Osundwa, Terry Roarke and the rest of the setup committee. Walt Richardson took pictures. Chuck Hellar worked the $2 table. James Guerrero supervised the Foundation Table. John Lowney was our Sergeant at Arms. Eric Quinn wrote the bulletin. ???????
Visiting Rotarians:
Bob Zawilski introduced Gil, from Tacoma 8.
Guests:
Tony Camoroda was recognized as an ADG.
Dave Reames invited Ralph Lockhart (a distinguished honorary Rotarian) to the meeting—and he was there.
Steve Enquist introduced two guests, Lynn Brotsky and Lisa Brodoff.
As for Sunshine, Ed Shannon will be undergoing an initial round of immuno-therapy infusions for lung cancer. Monday he will begin radiation. We are thinking of Ed.
September 30 was Little Free Pantry Day! See more here: https://www.littlefreepantry.org/
We need new members on the member retention/recruitment committee.
Above: South Sound Wildlife Project: is that Mark Blanchard?
Bill Potter gave an update on the Major Project: There will be a work party tomorrow on October 1 at South Sound Wildlife Area. We will be weeding, pulling up scotch broom and doing many other good deeds, from 9AM to 1 PM. As for the Club’s Major Project, restoration of the swing set at Fort Steilacoom Park playground is moving along.
From the Fundraising Committee: On Saturday, November 5, we are doing a murder-mystery dinner at the Weyerhauser mansion. Details are being worked out and we will share more soon—but we will not share too much, because that would take away from the mystery.
Steve Enquist gave an update from the foundation. The foundation is asking every club member to give $25 or more between October and the end of November ($5 a week).
John Lowney made an announcement regarding the Lakewood Community Foundation Fund. We have budgeted $2000 for that fund this year but we need a motion to put money toward the fund. The motion was made, seconded and passed unanimously.
Tony Camoroda discussed the background and meaning of the Imagine Rotary logo. There is a very inspiring message behind it.
Phil Eng gave an announcement from Waikiki. He announced the next round of Rotary Picnic Dinners. This will take place on the week of October 10. If you are interested in joining as a host or guest, contact Phil.
David Swindale gave $20 for a trip. Phil Eng matched that for his trip to Waikiki. James Guerrero signed up for a 50K run but he made it about 40K. He gave $40 for that. Andrew Kruse gave $50 for his absence as of late. He put $25 toward the Foundation. Troy and Stephanie Wilcox went to the Bahamas. They dodged two hurricanes, so Troy gave $40, or $20 for each hurricane they dodged. Mary Marlin spelled a name incorrectly in the bulletin and gave $20 for that.
Anne Enquist introduced Amanda Dubois
Anne has been excited about this speaker today because she read Amanda’s book, The Complication, while on a flight home. She did not sleep at all on that flight home. She read the book instead. She found the book to be “the definition of a page turner.” The book takes place in the San Juan Islands and Seattle.
Amanda received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from PLU, and started her career as an RN before going to law school and becoming a lawyer. Her JD is from Seattle U. School of Law. She founded DuBois Cary Law Group, where she focuses on people who are going through a divorce or other family law-related matter. She has also practiced in the area of medical malpractice.
Amanda founded the Civil Survival Project, which focuses on encouraging people who were previously incarcerated, and she wrote the Civil Survival Series, which is used by high school
students and people who just got out of prison. Her most recent passion is the Full Circle Scholarship, which provides tuition assistance to law students whose lives have
been impacted by the criminal legal system. All of the profits from The Complication, the first in the Camille Delaney mystery series, go to the Full Circle Scholarship and other charities. Recently the Washington State Bar Association awarded Amanda the “Sally Savage Leadership Through Philanthropy” award in recognition of her philanthropic work.
Amanda wrote a first draft of the book and sent the manuscript to her writing coach. The writing coach put a lot of red ink on the book. Her coach pointed her to a book by Joseph Baker and other things to research. Once Amanda learned about story arcs and character development, it gave her a better foundation for writing the book. She discussed the story arcs of protagonists like Luke Skywalker from Star Wars and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and noted that both of them had “mentor characters” that followed them through their journey. Luke had Obi-Wan and Dorothy had the Tin Man, etc.
After we set the stage for the “ordinary life” of the protagonist, the protagonist goes through some kind of “ordeal.” Every book follows this pattern. For example, in a Few Good Men, Tom Cruise has a great case in the beginning but his star witness dies. As soon as the witness dies, Tom Cruise gets drunk and thinks he can’t win the case any more. But then people rally behind him. He ends up winning the case and then goes back to his “ordinary world.” All great stories include these story arcs.
Amanda opened it up for questions. Andrew Kruse wondered whether the concept of the story arc can show up in non-fiction. Amanda indicated yes because essentially, non-fiction is made up of story arcs. Chris Kimball actually went back to the beginning of her presentation about valuing a life. He asked the question: “How do we value a life?” Amanda discussed how nuanced that question is and therefore she could not give a “one-size-fits-all” answer.
Thank you to Amanda Dubois for an engaging presentation. You can buy a copy of the Complication here: https://www.amandadubois.com/ Again, the proceeds of the sale go to the Full Circle Scholarship and other non-profits.
Above: The Complication
The winner of the raffle today also gets two tickets to the Catapult at the Lakewood Towne Center. $250 was in the pot. John Lowney pulled out a white chip.
Bob Zawilski introduced Gil, from Tacoma 8.
Guests:
Tony Camoroda was recognized as an ADG.
Dave Reames invited Ralph Lockhart (a distinguished honorary Rotarian) to the meeting—and he was there.
Steve Enquist introduced two guests, Lynn Brotsky and Lisa Brodoff.
As for Sunshine, Ed Shannon will be undergoing an initial round of immuno-therapy infusions for lung cancer. Monday he will begin radiation. We are thinking of Ed.
"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." —Dr. Seuss
Announcements:September 30 was Little Free Pantry Day! See more here: https://www.littlefreepantry.org/
We need new members on the member retention/recruitment committee.
Above: South Sound Wildlife Project: is that Mark Blanchard?
Bill Potter gave an update on the Major Project: There will be a work party tomorrow on October 1 at South Sound Wildlife Area. We will be weeding, pulling up scotch broom and doing many other good deeds, from 9AM to 1 PM. As for the Club’s Major Project, restoration of the swing set at Fort Steilacoom Park playground is moving along.
From the Fundraising Committee: On Saturday, November 5, we are doing a murder-mystery dinner at the Weyerhauser mansion. Details are being worked out and we will share more soon—but we will not share too much, because that would take away from the mystery.
Steve Enquist gave an update from the foundation. The foundation is asking every club member to give $25 or more between October and the end of November ($5 a week).
John Lowney made an announcement regarding the Lakewood Community Foundation Fund. We have budgeted $2000 for that fund this year but we need a motion to put money toward the fund. The motion was made, seconded and passed unanimously.
"We are all broken, that's how the light gets in." —Ernest Hemingway
David Swindale mentioned that we are looking for members for the Publicity Committee.Tony Camoroda discussed the background and meaning of the Imagine Rotary logo. There is a very inspiring message behind it.
Phil Eng gave an announcement from Waikiki. He announced the next round of Rotary Picnic Dinners. This will take place on the week of October 10. If you are interested in joining as a host or guest, contact Phil.
"Sooner or later even the fastest runners have to stand and fight." —?Stephen King
Above: James Guerrero
Generous Giving:David Swindale gave $20 for a trip. Phil Eng matched that for his trip to Waikiki. James Guerrero signed up for a 50K run but he made it about 40K. He gave $40 for that. Andrew Kruse gave $50 for his absence as of late. He put $25 toward the Foundation. Troy and Stephanie Wilcox went to the Bahamas. They dodged two hurricanes, so Troy gave $40, or $20 for each hurricane they dodged. Mary Marlin spelled a name incorrectly in the bulletin and gave $20 for that.
“Life is a journey, not a destination.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Above: Amanda Dubois, our speaker today
Program: Amanda DuBoisAnne Enquist introduced Amanda Dubois
Anne has been excited about this speaker today because she read Amanda’s book, The Complication, while on a flight home. She did not sleep at all on that flight home. She read the book instead. She found the book to be “the definition of a page turner.” The book takes place in the San Juan Islands and Seattle.
Amanda received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from PLU, and started her career as an RN before going to law school and becoming a lawyer. Her JD is from Seattle U. School of Law. She founded DuBois Cary Law Group, where she focuses on people who are going through a divorce or other family law-related matter. She has also practiced in the area of medical malpractice.
Amanda founded the Civil Survival Project, which focuses on encouraging people who were previously incarcerated, and she wrote the Civil Survival Series, which is used by high school
students and people who just got out of prison. Her most recent passion is the Full Circle Scholarship, which provides tuition assistance to law students whose lives have
been impacted by the criminal legal system. All of the profits from The Complication, the first in the Camille Delaney mystery series, go to the Full Circle Scholarship and other charities. Recently the Washington State Bar Association awarded Amanda the “Sally Savage Leadership Through Philanthropy” award in recognition of her philanthropic work.
“And in the end, we were all just humans... drunk on the idea that love, only love, could heal our brokenness.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald
Amanda took the podium and discussed how this is something of a “full circle” moment for her, as she got her nursing degree at PLU. She discussed what makes people write fiction. She mentioned that it is often “something that makes you crazy.” What made Amanda crazy about the legal profession is that it values individuals, in the personal-injury context, based on the amount of money they make, and not their intrinsic value—and we all have intrinsic value, don’t we? Her book begins with a person’s ego distorting (complicating) the care he provided to another human being, and the ripple effect of that distortion.Amanda wrote a first draft of the book and sent the manuscript to her writing coach. The writing coach put a lot of red ink on the book. Her coach pointed her to a book by Joseph Baker and other things to research. Once Amanda learned about story arcs and character development, it gave her a better foundation for writing the book. She discussed the story arcs of protagonists like Luke Skywalker from Star Wars and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and noted that both of them had “mentor characters” that followed them through their journey. Luke had Obi-Wan and Dorothy had the Tin Man, etc.
After we set the stage for the “ordinary life” of the protagonist, the protagonist goes through some kind of “ordeal.” Every book follows this pattern. For example, in a Few Good Men, Tom Cruise has a great case in the beginning but his star witness dies. As soon as the witness dies, Tom Cruise gets drunk and thinks he can’t win the case any more. But then people rally behind him. He ends up winning the case and then goes back to his “ordinary world.” All great stories include these story arcs.
"To thine own self be true." —?William Shakespeare
Once Amanda learned this, it gave her great context for writing the book.Amanda opened it up for questions. Andrew Kruse wondered whether the concept of the story arc can show up in non-fiction. Amanda indicated yes because essentially, non-fiction is made up of story arcs. Chris Kimball actually went back to the beginning of her presentation about valuing a life. He asked the question: “How do we value a life?” Amanda discussed how nuanced that question is and therefore she could not give a “one-size-fits-all” answer.
Thank you to Amanda Dubois for an engaging presentation. You can buy a copy of the Complication here: https://www.amandadubois.com/ Again, the proceeds of the sale go to the Full Circle Scholarship and other non-profits.
Above: The Complication
“And in the end, we were all just humans... drunk on the idea that love, only love, could heal our brokenness.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Drawing:The winner of the raffle today also gets two tickets to the Catapult at the Lakewood Towne Center. $250 was in the pot. John Lowney pulled out a white chip.
| Upcoming LR events: 10/21 Putt-Putt Golf Fundraiser at Harkness Furniture (Tacoma South Rotary) 10/22 “Make a Difference Day”- Playground Fix Work at Fort Steilacoom Park 11/5 Murder Mystery fundraiser 12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast |
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And Now It's Fall
Sunday, September 25, 2022 By: Mary MarlinTHE LAKEWOOD KEY
And Then It was Fall.
First it was summer. And then it was fall! Bring on the colors, the cool breeze, the vibrant sunsets and the Friday Rotary meetings. And so it was on Friday, September 23rd! President Jason Whalen and his conch shell announced the meeting and all members and guests stood up in respect and appreciation. Bob Hammar opened with a thoughtful prayer and Leon Titus led us with the Pledge of Allegiance. Thoughtful thank-yous from the Pres. were given to the set-up team of Tom George, James Osundwa and Rob Erb. Bud Montgomery was accepting Foundation contributions and Leon Titus was given a standing ovation for being missed for so long and for encouraging members to buy raffle tickets. Fine payments were registered by John Lowney with Greg Rediske maybe encouraging them? Photos were being taken by Phil Eng and Yours Truly had pen in hand for the Bulletin.
How amazing it is that nearly one hundred people come together every week to contribute to the common good!! Yea Lakewood Rotary! Visiting Rotarians were then introduced. Dave Harkness from Tacoma South was present with fun information to share about their putt-putt fundraiser. Guests were Ellen Mazoff, Rotary Partner and wife of Steve Mazoff, and Mark Kerr who Carl Bronkema mentioned would be a guest for only a few moments more. Eric Warn was happily sharing that "Everything is great in Rotary Land" and there are no health concerns of members or difficult news to share. Good news!
Above: New Member Mark Kerr
It was then time for Carl Bronkema to introduce his friend, Mark Kerr, to the club and announce that Mark would soon be a member of Lakewood Rotary. They walked to the podium since Mark has made his decision to join and had met with members to share his interest in the club. With that, President Whalen then presented a Hawaiian shirt to Mark to encourage his comfort and help with the 4 Way Test. Mark completed the 4 Way Test and was eagerly applauded by the members watching. Welcome, Mark! As is the protocol, the membership then learned more about the new member as he gave the group information that they probably didn't know. We learned many interesting things that Mark has experienced. Did you know.....Mark was hit by a car while on his motorcycle and the accident changed his life? He said it was the best thing that has ever happened in his life. He left the army after 18 years, entered the carpet cleaning business, did a handshake deal with an army buddy for another business, bought another business in Olympia, developed a partnership in Tacoma with a group that needed help, and is now the owner of Hammond Knoll Carpet Cleaning Company. Mark met Carl via business and they talked about how they both wanted to help others. Carl then suggested he come to one of our Rotary meetings and Mark was impressed. His comments were: "Your club does amazing things and it feels so great to help out. I feel blessed to be a member of this club." With that, the members stood and applauded our new member. Yorleny Clapper donated her Puffin to our newest member Mark (even though she said she would miss her Puffin buddy) and Mark generously gave back his Hawaiian shirt to the President. With that, Pres. Whalen gave our new member a packet of info... as well as a bill, of course! Tradition! And with a smile, the Pres also mentioned that "I bet Tacoma South is jealous."
Tacoma South Rotary member, Dave Harkness, smiled as he was then welcomed to inform members and guests of the Annual Mini-Golf Tournament on October 21st at Harkness Furniture. This annual fundraiser of Putt-Putt golf has raised over a million dollars to benefit twelve non-profits and free dental clinics for those in need. Put this on your calendar! Roaring 20's theme! Doors open at 5pm. Bar is open. Dinner at 6. At 7:00 p.m. tee time begins. 18-hole course. Sponsors: Silver level is $250. Gold is $500. Platinum level of funding is $1000. A gift certificate to the winner. Find three friends and make your team a winner. Your $75 allows you to play and will go a long way to helping others! If questions send to dave@harknessfurniture.com. See you there!
Above: Sally Porter Smith earned recognition!
Mary Horn and Sally Porter Smith then arrived at the podium for an emotional tribute to a deserving member. Mary Horn said she and Sally shed some tears when Sally found she was being honored with the special International Club Service Award for outstanding Club Service. With the District Governor's signature in the framed award, it was a touching moment for all. Sally's comment of "I have worked a long time in the club....am so humbled....and thank you" brought on generous applause.
Greg Horn then encouraged others to join him and Mary in Australia at the International Conference in 2023. Both Greg and Mary will also be attending the Zone Leadership Institute from Nov. 10- 12 this year. Thirty districts and 500 people have already signed up to visit Salt Lake City.
Anne Enquist then gave us news about the Little Free Pantry. With help from Rotarians Rose Stevens, Yorleny Clapper, Anne Enquist, Barlow Buescher, Bob Zawilski, Mark Blanchard, Chuck Hellar, Eric Warn, John Lowney and generous others, much is getting done. Currently, there are 8 pantries in Lakewood and Steilacoom. Some are self-sustaining, others need support. The theme of "Give what you can and take what you need" is the essence of it. There is a 24/7 barrier-free access and with team efforts they help to supplement food banks. The last Friday of the month is our donation encouragement for Lakewood Rotarians. Each pantry is cleaned and filled by a steward and community partners, such as Judy Eng with Little Church on the Prairie help, support the pantry at LASA. Clover Park, Lions, Kiwanis, and drop off sites such as Lakeview Power and Light, Lakewood YMCA, Moon Rise Cafe, and school drop-offs also contribute. Getting the word out is definitely helped by Dave Reames' electronic sign, Suburban Times articles, programs for student awareness and a current video being created all add to the outreach program. We encourage all to contribute as you can.
Announcements: Jan Gee, the chair of Community Concerns committee, mentioned that there is $25,000 available for grants and is "open for business"! Grants range from $500 to $2000 or more, depending on the need. Fines of the day.....Pat Price just got a new Bronco for her birthday! Donation? Not sure! Dave Coleman donated $100 because it is his birthday month and he's going to Lake Coeur d'Alene to celebrate. Jim Sharp is celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary and warm weather so he donated $100. Carl Bronkema was sponsored by Phil Eng when he joined the Country Club so he donated $20. Barlow Buescher appreciated Peter Marsh's tomatoes and donated $20. Leon Titus wants to attend meetings more often and chipped in $100.
Above: Donna Phillips
THE PROGRAM
Sally Smith then introduced Donna Phillips, the speaker of the day with her topic "It's Okay: Dementia...Friendly Programs Around the World". Donna had an opportunity at University of Southern California to take a course with two professors who had knowledge of a neurosurgeon and reporter named Sanjay Gupta . The focus of the class was dementia and the way that different countries treat the people who have extreme difficulty communicating with others. The tendency of people with dementia is to withdraw and decline. Often communities will also restrict and isolate individuals. But there are other ways of addressing this condition that have been effective. The need for friendly programs and initiatives has been helpful. For instance, in Michigan a restaurant with servers who have dementia have found that they are more active when activities are available. Several countries such as Japan, Korea, China, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK look for liberation for those with dementia by involving them with physical activities, food prep, yoga, music (Tony Bennett is a good example), and choices that appeal to them. Some countries have set up communities specifically for dementia sufferers and it has been found that there is less agitation and better interactions when fewer meds are used and better protocol addressed. Changing the mindset.....can change the world.....in all sorts of ways! Thank you, Donna, for the interesting information!
President Whalen then drew the raffle ticket; Gayle Selden got $5 for her birthday. Until next time.....Mary Marlin
Above: Steve Enquist sent in this photo about Mary Lou Sclair’s Rotary pins
Last week was our exchange student, Hans Bruun’s 16th Birthday.
This weekend he is spending in Florida with the Murtha family.
Other weekends he’d enjoy spending time with you and your family for adventures. It could be a hike in the woods, a trip to the pumpkin patch, a Seahawks game, a Mariner game, a Kraken game or even dinner and game night at your home. All of these are fun activities Hans could join you in. Seahawks games are his number 1 hope
Call or text Paula Murtha at (210) 722-0768 and set up some time with Hans.
We are also looking for host families for after the Holidays (End of December/January start), if you have space in your home and want to enhance your life contact Bob Martin (bobandsuemartin@gmail.com).
Above: New Member Mark Kerr
It was then time for Carl Bronkema to introduce his friend, Mark Kerr, to the club and announce that Mark would soon be a member of Lakewood Rotary. They walked to the podium since Mark has made his decision to join and had met with members to share his interest in the club. With that, President Whalen then presented a Hawaiian shirt to Mark to encourage his comfort and help with the 4 Way Test. Mark completed the 4 Way Test and was eagerly applauded by the members watching. Welcome, Mark! As is the protocol, the membership then learned more about the new member as he gave the group information that they probably didn't know. We learned many interesting things that Mark has experienced. Did you know.....Mark was hit by a car while on his motorcycle and the accident changed his life? He said it was the best thing that has ever happened in his life. He left the army after 18 years, entered the carpet cleaning business, did a handshake deal with an army buddy for another business, bought another business in Olympia, developed a partnership in Tacoma with a group that needed help, and is now the owner of Hammond Knoll Carpet Cleaning Company. Mark met Carl via business and they talked about how they both wanted to help others. Carl then suggested he come to one of our Rotary meetings and Mark was impressed. His comments were: "Your club does amazing things and it feels so great to help out. I feel blessed to be a member of this club." With that, the members stood and applauded our new member. Yorleny Clapper donated her Puffin to our newest member Mark (even though she said she would miss her Puffin buddy) and Mark generously gave back his Hawaiian shirt to the President. With that, Pres. Whalen gave our new member a packet of info... as well as a bill, of course! Tradition! And with a smile, the Pres also mentioned that "I bet Tacoma South is jealous."
Tacoma South Rotary member, Dave Harkness, smiled as he was then welcomed to inform members and guests of the Annual Mini-Golf Tournament on October 21st at Harkness Furniture. This annual fundraiser of Putt-Putt golf has raised over a million dollars to benefit twelve non-profits and free dental clinics for those in need. Put this on your calendar! Roaring 20's theme! Doors open at 5pm. Bar is open. Dinner at 6. At 7:00 p.m. tee time begins. 18-hole course. Sponsors: Silver level is $250. Gold is $500. Platinum level of funding is $1000. A gift certificate to the winner. Find three friends and make your team a winner. Your $75 allows you to play and will go a long way to helping others! If questions send to dave@harknessfurniture.com. See you there!
Above: Sally Porter Smith earned recognition!
Mary Horn and Sally Porter Smith then arrived at the podium for an emotional tribute to a deserving member. Mary Horn said she and Sally shed some tears when Sally found she was being honored with the special International Club Service Award for outstanding Club Service. With the District Governor's signature in the framed award, it was a touching moment for all. Sally's comment of "I have worked a long time in the club....am so humbled....and thank you" brought on generous applause.
Greg Horn then encouraged others to join him and Mary in Australia at the International Conference in 2023. Both Greg and Mary will also be attending the Zone Leadership Institute from Nov. 10- 12 this year. Thirty districts and 500 people have already signed up to visit Salt Lake City.
Anne Enquist then gave us news about the Little Free Pantry. With help from Rotarians Rose Stevens, Yorleny Clapper, Anne Enquist, Barlow Buescher, Bob Zawilski, Mark Blanchard, Chuck Hellar, Eric Warn, John Lowney and generous others, much is getting done. Currently, there are 8 pantries in Lakewood and Steilacoom. Some are self-sustaining, others need support. The theme of "Give what you can and take what you need" is the essence of it. There is a 24/7 barrier-free access and with team efforts they help to supplement food banks. The last Friday of the month is our donation encouragement for Lakewood Rotarians. Each pantry is cleaned and filled by a steward and community partners, such as Judy Eng with Little Church on the Prairie help, support the pantry at LASA. Clover Park, Lions, Kiwanis, and drop off sites such as Lakeview Power and Light, Lakewood YMCA, Moon Rise Cafe, and school drop-offs also contribute. Getting the word out is definitely helped by Dave Reames' electronic sign, Suburban Times articles, programs for student awareness and a current video being created all add to the outreach program. We encourage all to contribute as you can.
Announcements: Jan Gee, the chair of Community Concerns committee, mentioned that there is $25,000 available for grants and is "open for business"! Grants range from $500 to $2000 or more, depending on the need. Fines of the day.....Pat Price just got a new Bronco for her birthday! Donation? Not sure! Dave Coleman donated $100 because it is his birthday month and he's going to Lake Coeur d'Alene to celebrate. Jim Sharp is celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary and warm weather so he donated $100. Carl Bronkema was sponsored by Phil Eng when he joined the Country Club so he donated $20. Barlow Buescher appreciated Peter Marsh's tomatoes and donated $20. Leon Titus wants to attend meetings more often and chipped in $100.
Above: Donna Phillips
THE PROGRAM
Sally Smith then introduced Donna Phillips, the speaker of the day with her topic "It's Okay: Dementia...Friendly Programs Around the World". Donna had an opportunity at University of Southern California to take a course with two professors who had knowledge of a neurosurgeon and reporter named Sanjay Gupta . The focus of the class was dementia and the way that different countries treat the people who have extreme difficulty communicating with others. The tendency of people with dementia is to withdraw and decline. Often communities will also restrict and isolate individuals. But there are other ways of addressing this condition that have been effective. The need for friendly programs and initiatives has been helpful. For instance, in Michigan a restaurant with servers who have dementia have found that they are more active when activities are available. Several countries such as Japan, Korea, China, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK look for liberation for those with dementia by involving them with physical activities, food prep, yoga, music (Tony Bennett is a good example), and choices that appeal to them. Some countries have set up communities specifically for dementia sufferers and it has been found that there is less agitation and better interactions when fewer meds are used and better protocol addressed. Changing the mindset.....can change the world.....in all sorts of ways! Thank you, Donna, for the interesting information!
President Whalen then drew the raffle ticket; Gayle Selden got $5 for her birthday. Until next time.....Mary Marlin
Above: Steve Enquist sent in this photo about Mary Lou Sclair’s Rotary pins
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This weekend he is spending in Florida with the Murtha family.
Other weekends he’d enjoy spending time with you and your family for adventures. It could be a hike in the woods, a trip to the pumpkin patch, a Seahawks game, a Mariner game, a Kraken game or even dinner and game night at your home. All of these are fun activities Hans could join you in. Seahawks games are his number 1 hope
Call or text Paula Murtha at (210) 722-0768 and set up some time with Hans.
We are also looking for host families for after the Holidays (End of December/January start), if you have space in your home and want to enhance your life contact Bob Martin (bobandsuemartin@gmail.com).
| Upcoming LR events: 10/21 Putt-Putt Golf Fundraiser at Harkness Furniture (Tacoma South Rotary) 10/22 “Make a Difference Day”- Playground Fix Work at Fort Steilacoom Park 11/5 Murder Mystery fundraiser 12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast |
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A Land of Ice
Sunday, September 18, 2022 By: Paula T. OlsonLessons from the Land of Ice
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
There was a warm breeze that swept through the Tacoma Country and Golf Club dining room at 12:21 pm, nine minutes before the Lakewood Rotary weekly meeting. What was it? Kinda had a fruity, Hawaiian scent to it. It was our President! Nine minutes early! All those participating in the “How many minutes before the meeting will Jason show up” lottery got blown out of the water.
Our fearless leader started the meeting on time, as usual blowing his horn or shell or whatever you call that thing he blows. Clint Johnson gave an Autumn invocation and Gary Fulton led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Meeting set up involved those dedicated Rotarians, including James Osundwa, Tom George, and Rob Erb. The bulletin writer is yours truly, Paula Olson; manning the $2.00 table was Mark Edgecomb, a PP, and Chuck Hellar was at the Foundation desk. Phil Eng did duty as the photographer.
We had some guests. One of them was Charlie Hyde. No, wait, he is actually a member but has been absent for oh, so very long. When he paid his $100 fine, he called it “deplorable.” But so nice to see him again.
Above:
Back to real guests. Carl Bronkema introduced Mark Heir for the third time, which happens to be a charm because he had an application to become a member. Good choice and welcome Mark! Prez Jason got all emotional, saying he needed another belt for his new member notches. Andrew Cooley and Linda Disney were guests of Gil Quante. Gil reported that he told them to come here because Tacoma 8 was full up so we were second best. Someone needs to do something about that because that just ain’t right! James Osundwa introduced Medina Rosa for the third time. Application time, Medina? One Puffin was in attendance.
Speaking of Puffins, Clint Johnson announced that the first meeting of the Puffins to prepare for fall events and the infamous Presidential Roast was September 27th. Not sure where or when but Clint will let you know. You guys got it ssoooo easy to roast President Jason.
Eric Warn had no Health and Wellness report because we are all healthy and well. Stephen Enquist then took the floor to make new Paul Harris awards. He presented Tom George with his fifth Paul Harris and said he had committed to a $1,000 per year contribution and is a Paul Harris Society member. What is the Paul Harris Society? Steve explained that the Paul Harris Society recognizes Rotary members and friends of The Rotary Foundation who elect to contribute $1,000 or more each year to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus Fund, or approved global grants. The purpose of the Paul Harris Society is to honor and thank individuals for their generous, ongoing support of The Rotary Foundation. Rotary districts often honor new members of the Paul Harris Society by presenting them with a certificate and chevron at a district or club event. We have seven members of the Society in our club: Tony Camoroda, Mary Horn, Rose Stevens, Bob Zawilski, Greg Horn and Gary Fulton.
Above:
Kendra Riconosciuto announced a new fall fundraiser, a Murder Mystery to be held at Weyerhaeuser Chapel, Saturday, November 5th. The cost is $100 per person for 75 people only. It will be a catered dinner and fun for all as we solve a murder. Tickets will go fast so don’t be left out. The chapel accommodates those with limited mobility. There is a community service project in October. Details to be shared soon. The District wants to beef up its public image so send pictures of Rotarians doing good works to Mary Horn or President Jason.
Aloha Bucks:
And now for Aloha Giving or fines. Prez Jason picked on Mary Moss, his deputy Mayor for the first opportunity to give. Turns out Mary was just awarded the Hero for Harborstone Credit Union in honor of her journey from the tobacco fields of Virginia to all of her amazing accomplishments. Congrats, Mary, well done! She kicked in $20. Chris Kimball reported on his dream vacation that turned into a nightmare. While getting settled in Victoria, BC, he got a call that his pup was having seizures. He and Vicki raced home only to find that all five veterinary hospitals were full with hours and hours of wait time. They took the dog home and he seems to be doing okay. But those seven chipmunks having a good time in their walls had to go. For his pain, Chris gave up $50.
Barlow Buescher gave $20 to honor Mary. Dwight Williams reported on his first Reeder Roadster Romp into the wilds of northeastern Washington. Dwight stated he was invited to attend at no cost due to a last minute cancellation. His offers to pay were refused so he did the next best thing – pay $300 in Aloha Bucks. Bob Martin also was on the romp and he said it was over the top, thanks to Phil Eng and crew. His poor ‘66 Mustang got to Snoqualmie Falls and went no further. Rather than trash his $4,000 engine, Bob went back and got a working car to continue the trip. He kicked in $25. Clint Johnson had a birthday and went traveling to see one son in Bend, Oregon and one in Los Angeles, California. Then he had three granddaughters visit and has two more in the ovens. Clint donated $100.
Above: Anne Enquist with her buddy—the tour of the Smoke Jumper base was memorable!
Anne Enquist also thanked Phil and John Lowney, and Wagon master Rick Selden for their work to make the romp a raging success and gave $20. This set off a parade of rompsters giving $20: David Swindale, Barb Spriggs, Bob Martin, Jan Gee, Paula Olson, Mary Marlin. John Lowney had to rub it in because “his car” made it the whole way but he got a ticket. He paid as appropriate, $50. Rick Selden gave hats off to Phil for saving all that money by cooking the dinners ourselves and getting it all organized while everyone else got drunk. He paid $20 and set off a round of “I didn’t get drunk!” from other rompsters. Not to be outdone, Phil Eng said it was all about teamwork and paid $50.
Above: This cute cub is not the one who ran across the road in front of our car near Winthrop during Roadster Romp
Whew! Prez Jason sure raked in the cash today. But wait, we weren’t done. Jason reported that he has three daughters and the youngest one was a super star at the Bellarmine track or cross country meet, coming in third out of 111 girls and had the third best time in Bellarmine history. He paid $25.
The Program:
With that Prez Jason introduced our speaker, Bob Martin with part two of his trip to Antarctica. Okay, the truth is that the scheduled speaker couldn’t come and Bob was happy to get another 30 minutes to share pictures and more details about his amazing trip. Bob held up a transparent globe to show the geography of the earth and how most of the land of the earth is in the Northern Hemisphere. Antarctica is same size as North America and consists of 3,000 miles of flat ice spanning the area between New York and San Francisco. That ice is two and a half miles thick.
Bob went on his trip in November 2017. He left the southernmost tip of Argentina, Ushusia, which is at the end of the Andes Mountains, the world’s longest mountain chain. Bob said that actually the mountain chain went under the water and up through halfway of Antarctica. Bob took Oceanwide Expeditions which is not a scientific expedition. His ship was the MV Ortelius, a refitted ice breaker. Bob said the ocean there between Argentina and Antarctica was the wildest given the narrow gap. Bob showed some great pictures of the area. He told us about Lake Vostock which is found under 3,000 feet of ice. Antarctica is cold but not wet. He talked about the term “rounding Cape Horn” as being going around the island of Cape Horn as opposed to the commonly understood meaning of round a point of land.
Bob talked about the Wandering Albatross, birds with a wing span of 12 feet. They spend months in the air without standing. The Arctic Tern travels about 12,000 on its regular migration. Bob said that it was hard to tell the size of the ice floes. He showed pictures of the exploration stations on the perimeter of the continent. There are no hotels on Antarctica. They saw lots of whales. In one of his pictures, you could see a dark smudge. That was a team of climbers going up an ice mountain. Bob talked about the 50,000 shades of intermediate blue and 50,000 shades of dark intermediate blue. He also talked about the steps that had to be taken so as not to bring anything to contaminate the ground. You have special boots that you have to disinfect. You had to stay with a guide and couldn’t wander off. The people he traveled with did different activities, such as climbing, kayaking. He talked about Damoy Hut, a British station for an airport. It had been abandoned 30 years ago but still looked the same as. He showed how he slept in a snow pit, hole in the ice with ridges around it to protect from the wind. You put your sleeping bag down and sleep like a baby. He talked about pancake ice, layers of ice that has seven times its amount under water. There were lots of pictures of penguins that were everywhere and very friendly as they have no reason to be fearful of humans. One bright light in the ground called the birds that eat penguin poop stool pigeons. Thanks, Bob, for a great program and sharing a place most of us will never see.
Above: Bob with visual aid.
Dwight Williams won the raffle and got himself a white chip. Good for him!
Above:
Back to real guests. Carl Bronkema introduced Mark Heir for the third time, which happens to be a charm because he had an application to become a member. Good choice and welcome Mark! Prez Jason got all emotional, saying he needed another belt for his new member notches. Andrew Cooley and Linda Disney were guests of Gil Quante. Gil reported that he told them to come here because Tacoma 8 was full up so we were second best. Someone needs to do something about that because that just ain’t right! James Osundwa introduced Medina Rosa for the third time. Application time, Medina? One Puffin was in attendance.
Speaking of Puffins, Clint Johnson announced that the first meeting of the Puffins to prepare for fall events and the infamous Presidential Roast was September 27th. Not sure where or when but Clint will let you know. You guys got it ssoooo easy to roast President Jason.
Eric Warn had no Health and Wellness report because we are all healthy and well. Stephen Enquist then took the floor to make new Paul Harris awards. He presented Tom George with his fifth Paul Harris and said he had committed to a $1,000 per year contribution and is a Paul Harris Society member. What is the Paul Harris Society? Steve explained that the Paul Harris Society recognizes Rotary members and friends of The Rotary Foundation who elect to contribute $1,000 or more each year to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus Fund, or approved global grants. The purpose of the Paul Harris Society is to honor and thank individuals for their generous, ongoing support of The Rotary Foundation. Rotary districts often honor new members of the Paul Harris Society by presenting them with a certificate and chevron at a district or club event. We have seven members of the Society in our club: Tony Camoroda, Mary Horn, Rose Stevens, Bob Zawilski, Greg Horn and Gary Fulton.
Above:
Kendra Riconosciuto announced a new fall fundraiser, a Murder Mystery to be held at Weyerhaeuser Chapel, Saturday, November 5th. The cost is $100 per person for 75 people only. It will be a catered dinner and fun for all as we solve a murder. Tickets will go fast so don’t be left out. The chapel accommodates those with limited mobility. There is a community service project in October. Details to be shared soon. The District wants to beef up its public image so send pictures of Rotarians doing good works to Mary Horn or President Jason.
Aloha Bucks:
And now for Aloha Giving or fines. Prez Jason picked on Mary Moss, his deputy Mayor for the first opportunity to give. Turns out Mary was just awarded the Hero for Harborstone Credit Union in honor of her journey from the tobacco fields of Virginia to all of her amazing accomplishments. Congrats, Mary, well done! She kicked in $20. Chris Kimball reported on his dream vacation that turned into a nightmare. While getting settled in Victoria, BC, he got a call that his pup was having seizures. He and Vicki raced home only to find that all five veterinary hospitals were full with hours and hours of wait time. They took the dog home and he seems to be doing okay. But those seven chipmunks having a good time in their walls had to go. For his pain, Chris gave up $50.
Barlow Buescher gave $20 to honor Mary. Dwight Williams reported on his first Reeder Roadster Romp into the wilds of northeastern Washington. Dwight stated he was invited to attend at no cost due to a last minute cancellation. His offers to pay were refused so he did the next best thing – pay $300 in Aloha Bucks. Bob Martin also was on the romp and he said it was over the top, thanks to Phil Eng and crew. His poor ‘66 Mustang got to Snoqualmie Falls and went no further. Rather than trash his $4,000 engine, Bob went back and got a working car to continue the trip. He kicked in $25. Clint Johnson had a birthday and went traveling to see one son in Bend, Oregon and one in Los Angeles, California. Then he had three granddaughters visit and has two more in the ovens. Clint donated $100.
Above: Anne Enquist with her buddy—the tour of the Smoke Jumper base was memorable!
Anne Enquist also thanked Phil and John Lowney, and Wagon master Rick Selden for their work to make the romp a raging success and gave $20. This set off a parade of rompsters giving $20: David Swindale, Barb Spriggs, Bob Martin, Jan Gee, Paula Olson, Mary Marlin. John Lowney had to rub it in because “his car” made it the whole way but he got a ticket. He paid as appropriate, $50. Rick Selden gave hats off to Phil for saving all that money by cooking the dinners ourselves and getting it all organized while everyone else got drunk. He paid $20 and set off a round of “I didn’t get drunk!” from other rompsters. Not to be outdone, Phil Eng said it was all about teamwork and paid $50.
Above: This cute cub is not the one who ran across the road in front of our car near Winthrop during Roadster Romp
Whew! Prez Jason sure raked in the cash today. But wait, we weren’t done. Jason reported that he has three daughters and the youngest one was a super star at the Bellarmine track or cross country meet, coming in third out of 111 girls and had the third best time in Bellarmine history. He paid $25.
The Program:
With that Prez Jason introduced our speaker, Bob Martin with part two of his trip to Antarctica. Okay, the truth is that the scheduled speaker couldn’t come and Bob was happy to get another 30 minutes to share pictures and more details about his amazing trip. Bob held up a transparent globe to show the geography of the earth and how most of the land of the earth is in the Northern Hemisphere. Antarctica is same size as North America and consists of 3,000 miles of flat ice spanning the area between New York and San Francisco. That ice is two and a half miles thick.
Bob went on his trip in November 2017. He left the southernmost tip of Argentina, Ushusia, which is at the end of the Andes Mountains, the world’s longest mountain chain. Bob said that actually the mountain chain went under the water and up through halfway of Antarctica. Bob took Oceanwide Expeditions which is not a scientific expedition. His ship was the MV Ortelius, a refitted ice breaker. Bob said the ocean there between Argentina and Antarctica was the wildest given the narrow gap. Bob showed some great pictures of the area. He told us about Lake Vostock which is found under 3,000 feet of ice. Antarctica is cold but not wet. He talked about the term “rounding Cape Horn” as being going around the island of Cape Horn as opposed to the commonly understood meaning of round a point of land.
Bob talked about the Wandering Albatross, birds with a wing span of 12 feet. They spend months in the air without standing. The Arctic Tern travels about 12,000 on its regular migration. Bob said that it was hard to tell the size of the ice floes. He showed pictures of the exploration stations on the perimeter of the continent. There are no hotels on Antarctica. They saw lots of whales. In one of his pictures, you could see a dark smudge. That was a team of climbers going up an ice mountain. Bob talked about the 50,000 shades of intermediate blue and 50,000 shades of dark intermediate blue. He also talked about the steps that had to be taken so as not to bring anything to contaminate the ground. You have special boots that you have to disinfect. You had to stay with a guide and couldn’t wander off. The people he traveled with did different activities, such as climbing, kayaking. He talked about Damoy Hut, a British station for an airport. It had been abandoned 30 years ago but still looked the same as. He showed how he slept in a snow pit, hole in the ice with ridges around it to protect from the wind. You put your sleeping bag down and sleep like a baby. He talked about pancake ice, layers of ice that has seven times its amount under water. There were lots of pictures of penguins that were everywhere and very friendly as they have no reason to be fearful of humans. One bright light in the ground called the birds that eat penguin poop stool pigeons. Thanks, Bob, for a great program and sharing a place most of us will never see.
Above: Bob with visual aid.
Dwight Williams won the raffle and got himself a white chip. Good for him!
| Upcoming LR events: 10/22 “Make a Difference Day”- Playground Fix Work at Fort Steilacoom Park 11/5 Murder Mystery fundraiser 12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast |
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Trip to Another Planet
Saturday, September 10, 2022 By: Wendy Jo McGowanTrip to another planet.
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
A-lo-HA! President Whalen (devoid of any Hawaiian garb, but decked out in his lawyerly finest) welcomed us to the weekly gathering of Lakewood Rotarians. He then called upon Bob Peterson to give the invocation. Eloquent as always, Bob expressed his thoughts and feelings, noting the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and honored her for her lifetime of service to countries around the world. Referencing the upcoming 9/11 remembrance, President Jason then led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Next on the president’s agenda were thank yous to those who make our meetings possible (Set-up crew: Tom George, James Osundwa, Rob Erb and Gayle Selden), Recorder of fines: (Jan Gee, sitting in for treasurer, John Lowney), Bulletin Writer: “yours truly”, Photographer: Phil Eng, the Foundation desk: Steve Enquist, and the $2 table and Sgt. at Arms: (Jan Gee)….gee, was Gee a busy girl today!
Nearly out of breath, President Whalen asked if there were any visiting Rotarians, whereupon Gayle Selden announced that Ben Sclair, PP and son of Dave and Mary Lou was joining us today. Guest of Rotarian Carl Bronkema, Mark Herr, was welcomed. Mark is the owner of Hammond-Knoll, the commercial and residential carpet cleaning service in Tacoma. The Puffins in attendance were Veronica Bronkema and Yorleny Clapper.
Eric Warn was then called upon for the Health and Wellness Report. Eric acknowledged Dave Betz in our midst, who looked the picture of health and who stated his “heart attack caused no permanent heart damage”. Eric also let us know that Duncan Cook has left the hospital and now resides at the Weatherly in the memory unit and that Chuck Hellar is doing well. Eric found it important (why, I’m not sure, but most appreciated) to let club members know that I am recovering from a bad fall in July that resulted in a 4-way break in my upper right arm. “Thanks ‘Shutterbug Phil’ for the photo! Eric did convey some sad news that Andie Gernon’s son, Will, died in a recent motorcycle accident.
Steve Enquist had the privilege of letting us know that Mary Lou Sclair, a member of the Foundation’s Bequest Society, made a $10,000 gift in her will to the Foundation in son Ben Sclair’s name. The same is true of Ted Wier, leaving a gift in Carole’s name. Steve encouraged us to learn about how you can include Rotary in your estate and that flyers were on the tables today to learn about how your legacy can live on.
The announcements of birthdays were many and are as follows:
September Birthdays: Clint Johnson 9/4, Bob Zawilski 9/9, Greg Rediske 9/9, Mark Blanchard 9/11, Andy Phillips 9/12, Tony Camoroda 9/18, David Coleman 9/21, Gayle Selden 9/23, Patricia Price 9/23 and Mary Jo Copland 9/28.
Partner Birthdays: Rondi Johnson (husband, Lowell) 9/8 and Sue Martin (husband, Bob) 9/8.
Member Anniversaries: Leanna Albrecht 9/12/18 (4 years), Mike Zaro 9/25/15 (7 years), Eric Quinn 9/12/14 (8 years), Bob Martin 9/24/21 (8 years), and Walt Richardson 9/1/84 (38 years).
Wedding Anniversaries: Kris Peterson to Rosemary 9/3 (29 years), Walt Richardson to Tanya 9/1 (30 years), Greg Horn to Mary 9/18 (46 years), Mary Horn to Greg 9/18 (46 years), Mark Blanchard to Joanie 9/18 (46 years, Scott Buser to Kathy 9/7 (47 years), Wynn Hoffman to Margie 9/21 (54 years), Rick Selden to Sharon 9/6 (54 years) and Sam Hunter to Sybil 9/7 (65 years!) Amazing!
Fines and Generous Giving was next on the president’s agenda. He called on Rick Selden first. By the time Rick concluded his litany of violations I’m not clear what he owed (we think it was $100), but surely President Whalen hit the jackpot. Several $50 bills filled the Prez’s coffer from Yorleny Clapper, Angela Connelly, Walt Richardson, Gayle Selden (birthday) and “your scribe” for $80 (celebrating 80 years ‘young’ on the country club lawns on August 26).
Before the speaker was introduced, discussion ensued about The Fund Raising Committee and how it is searching for innovative ways to raise money without continuing to tap the pockets of members. The president said he’s had a recent discussion with Steilacoom Kiwanis Club member Dick Muri about his club’s ‘wine event’ and asked if our club could “copycat” Steilacoom’s event. Dick agreed to work with us to get such an event off the ground.
Angela Connelly offered the venue of the Highlands Golf Course club house and party room for an event. Mary Horn mentioned a “Girl’s Night Out” event that she had participated in recently. President Whalen encouraged anyone that would like to join the Fund Raising Committee and brainstorm would be most welcome.
He then introduced the speaker, member Bob Martin, who gave a detailed report on his “Fifteen Days in Antarctica.” Bob has a Masters in Geography and spent every summer camping across 46 of the American states. In addition to the continental U.S., Bob has explored the Aleutians, China, Norway, Australia and New Zealand.
Adding to his verve to learn and experience the geography of the earth, Bob spent two weeks on the continent of the South Pole. He commented, “It was almost like being on another planet.” The Antarctic is a landed continent covered over with a mile-thick stretch of ice.
Bob used a transparent, inflated globe of the earth to demonstrate the information he provided. He explained that the Northern Hemisphere is land-centric…a vast area covered with large masses of land. The Southern Hemisphere, by contrast, is covered with very little land mass. He showed with his globe that the Southern Hemisphere is mostly covered by water (oceans) and the only large land masses other than Antarctica are Australia and the tips of South America and Africa.
Rotarians pummeled Bob with questions: “What countries stake a claim of ownership to the Antarctic?” Bob explained that informal districts are claimed by Argentina, Australia and the United States, among others.
“What is the temperature like?” Bob responded that it ranges as low as 75 degrees below zero for the better part of the year. Only in November does the weather warm up to 35 degrees. He noted that the only part of the year one can travel to the Antarctic is between November 1st and March 1st.
“What credentials does one need to travel to the South Pole? Like, passport?” An individual can only travel to Antarctic if he or she is a part of a scientific expedition, is a member of the military, or travels with licensed guides.
“What type of accommodations are available when one reaches Antarctica?” Bob responded, “Most often a ship is “base camp.” Traveling via Zodiacs or kayaks is commonly used to and from the ship.
Bob’s presentation was peppered with interesting, often astounding, facts. Thank you, Bob. What an interesting life you have experienced. It is always so fascinating to learn a little more about our own member Rotarians.
Appropriately, Ben Sclair won the raffle but it was only $5.
Wendy
If buying through Amazon, don’t forget to use Smile.Amazon.com to direct some of the money to Rotary.
Nearly out of breath, President Whalen asked if there were any visiting Rotarians, whereupon Gayle Selden announced that Ben Sclair, PP and son of Dave and Mary Lou was joining us today. Guest of Rotarian Carl Bronkema, Mark Herr, was welcomed. Mark is the owner of Hammond-Knoll, the commercial and residential carpet cleaning service in Tacoma. The Puffins in attendance were Veronica Bronkema and Yorleny Clapper.
Eric Warn was then called upon for the Health and Wellness Report. Eric acknowledged Dave Betz in our midst, who looked the picture of health and who stated his “heart attack caused no permanent heart damage”. Eric also let us know that Duncan Cook has left the hospital and now resides at the Weatherly in the memory unit and that Chuck Hellar is doing well. Eric found it important (why, I’m not sure, but most appreciated) to let club members know that I am recovering from a bad fall in July that resulted in a 4-way break in my upper right arm. “Thanks ‘Shutterbug Phil’ for the photo! Eric did convey some sad news that Andie Gernon’s son, Will, died in a recent motorcycle accident.
Steve Enquist had the privilege of letting us know that Mary Lou Sclair, a member of the Foundation’s Bequest Society, made a $10,000 gift in her will to the Foundation in son Ben Sclair’s name. The same is true of Ted Wier, leaving a gift in Carole’s name. Steve encouraged us to learn about how you can include Rotary in your estate and that flyers were on the tables today to learn about how your legacy can live on.
The announcements of birthdays were many and are as follows:
September Birthdays: Clint Johnson 9/4, Bob Zawilski 9/9, Greg Rediske 9/9, Mark Blanchard 9/11, Andy Phillips 9/12, Tony Camoroda 9/18, David Coleman 9/21, Gayle Selden 9/23, Patricia Price 9/23 and Mary Jo Copland 9/28.
Partner Birthdays: Rondi Johnson (husband, Lowell) 9/8 and Sue Martin (husband, Bob) 9/8.
Member Anniversaries: Leanna Albrecht 9/12/18 (4 years), Mike Zaro 9/25/15 (7 years), Eric Quinn 9/12/14 (8 years), Bob Martin 9/24/21 (8 years), and Walt Richardson 9/1/84 (38 years).
Wedding Anniversaries: Kris Peterson to Rosemary 9/3 (29 years), Walt Richardson to Tanya 9/1 (30 years), Greg Horn to Mary 9/18 (46 years), Mary Horn to Greg 9/18 (46 years), Mark Blanchard to Joanie 9/18 (46 years, Scott Buser to Kathy 9/7 (47 years), Wynn Hoffman to Margie 9/21 (54 years), Rick Selden to Sharon 9/6 (54 years) and Sam Hunter to Sybil 9/7 (65 years!) Amazing!
Fines and Generous Giving was next on the president’s agenda. He called on Rick Selden first. By the time Rick concluded his litany of violations I’m not clear what he owed (we think it was $100), but surely President Whalen hit the jackpot. Several $50 bills filled the Prez’s coffer from Yorleny Clapper, Angela Connelly, Walt Richardson, Gayle Selden (birthday) and “your scribe” for $80 (celebrating 80 years ‘young’ on the country club lawns on August 26).
Before the speaker was introduced, discussion ensued about The Fund Raising Committee and how it is searching for innovative ways to raise money without continuing to tap the pockets of members. The president said he’s had a recent discussion with Steilacoom Kiwanis Club member Dick Muri about his club’s ‘wine event’ and asked if our club could “copycat” Steilacoom’s event. Dick agreed to work with us to get such an event off the ground.
Angela Connelly offered the venue of the Highlands Golf Course club house and party room for an event. Mary Horn mentioned a “Girl’s Night Out” event that she had participated in recently. President Whalen encouraged anyone that would like to join the Fund Raising Committee and brainstorm would be most welcome.
He then introduced the speaker, member Bob Martin, who gave a detailed report on his “Fifteen Days in Antarctica.” Bob has a Masters in Geography and spent every summer camping across 46 of the American states. In addition to the continental U.S., Bob has explored the Aleutians, China, Norway, Australia and New Zealand.
Adding to his verve to learn and experience the geography of the earth, Bob spent two weeks on the continent of the South Pole. He commented, “It was almost like being on another planet.” The Antarctic is a landed continent covered over with a mile-thick stretch of ice.
Bob used a transparent, inflated globe of the earth to demonstrate the information he provided. He explained that the Northern Hemisphere is land-centric…a vast area covered with large masses of land. The Southern Hemisphere, by contrast, is covered with very little land mass. He showed with his globe that the Southern Hemisphere is mostly covered by water (oceans) and the only large land masses other than Antarctica are Australia and the tips of South America and Africa.
Rotarians pummeled Bob with questions: “What countries stake a claim of ownership to the Antarctic?” Bob explained that informal districts are claimed by Argentina, Australia and the United States, among others.
“What is the temperature like?” Bob responded that it ranges as low as 75 degrees below zero for the better part of the year. Only in November does the weather warm up to 35 degrees. He noted that the only part of the year one can travel to the Antarctic is between November 1st and March 1st.
“What credentials does one need to travel to the South Pole? Like, passport?” An individual can only travel to Antarctic if he or she is a part of a scientific expedition, is a member of the military, or travels with licensed guides.
“What type of accommodations are available when one reaches Antarctica?” Bob responded, “Most often a ship is “base camp.” Traveling via Zodiacs or kayaks is commonly used to and from the ship.
Bob’s presentation was peppered with interesting, often astounding, facts. Thank you, Bob. What an interesting life you have experienced. It is always so fascinating to learn a little more about our own member Rotarians.
Appropriately, Ben Sclair won the raffle but it was only $5.
Wendy
| Upcoming LR events: 9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain 10/22 “Make a Difference Day”- Playground Fix Work at Fort Steilacoom Park 12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast |
If buying through Amazon, don’t forget to use Smile.Amazon.com to direct some of the money to Rotary.
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Punishing Puns!
Saturday, September 3, 2022 By: Gregory J. RediskePunishing Puns!
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
A physician, an engineer, and a lawyer were discussing which of their respective professions was the oldest.
The physician said: “Remember that, on the sixth day, God took a rib from Adam and fashioned Eve, making Him/Her the first surgeon. Therefore, medicine is the oldest profession.”
The engineer replied: “But, before that, God created the heavens and earth from chaos and confusion, and thus Her/Him was the first engineer. Therefore, engineering is older than medicine.”
Then, the lawyer spoke up: “Yes, but who do you think created all of the chaos and confusion?”
And then came the blowing of the conch shell by our esteemed President-and-lawyer-on-the-side to spread confusion and puns throughout the Lakewood Rotary kingdom. Attempting in vain to maintain order were these fine folks:
Eric Warn, Paul Harris collection
Rick Selden/Terry Roarke, raffle ticket sales and Sgt at Arms
Walt Richardson, picture taking
Scott Buser, Invocation
Ed Shannon, Pledge to the flag
Yorleny Clapper, in proud possession of the Puffin
There was a great deal of scuttlebutt on social media that President Whalen would be littering the meeting with bad puns and jokes, resulting in exactly zero guests or visiting Rotarians.
Jason decided to pun-ish the members anyway.
Wellness: Eric Warn noted the reappearance of Bob Hammar after weeks of nursing duty for wife Mary, all with good results. Duncan Cook broke his hip in a fall and is currently in the hospital with that and other health issues. Joan requested a resignation for Duncan because of this situation, while many of us signed cards to Duncan. Duncan was an amazing Rotarian. He seemed to shrink from the spotlight but was everywhere where help was needed in his 22 years in Lakewood Rotary. He will be missed, though the example he set is fresh in many of us. Thank you, Duncan!!
Paul Harris Presentations, Steve Enquist:
--Jan Gee, #5
--Jim Weinand, #7
--Greg Rediske, #9
Above: Steve Saalfeld, our Courageous Rider
The Courage ride, Steve Saalfeld:
Steve raised $45K out of the $320K raised in total: amazing work, Steve. He thanked many Rotarians by name, while calling out Bud Montgomery’s feat (fete? feet?) of 19 Courage rides. If you’d still like to donate to Steve and help ease the continuing pain in his gluteus maximus, go to:
www.tinyurl.com/saalfeldcourage Also thanks to Phil Eng, Donn Irwin, Steve Mazoff, and Rick Selden, who manned the rest stop. (I think their supportive spouses were all there too, so I’m changing that to “staffed” the rest stop or stops.) Happy wife, happy life.
Greg Horn promoted the speaker for September 30, Amanda DuBois. She is a nurse who became a lawyer at Seattle U Law School, and Anne Enquist has signed her up to speak about her book, a thriller called THE COMPLICATION. Greg raved that it is indeed “exciting”. All proceeds benefit numerous charities, especially scholarships at Seattle U. Buy it on Amazon Smile.
Barb Spriggs, American Lake Kayak Auction Item
20 brave souls took part in the kayak poker run on American Lake, culminating in a celebration at John and Lisa Korsmo’s. Jim Sharp preached safety, while Barb’s family along with Jan Gee, John Lowney, Carl and Veronica Bronkema and perhaps others helped make the event a success. Anne Enquist won the grand prize of a new kayak from Cabelas, but switched with the second place winner, Barb’s son, whose wish for his birthday present (the following day) was a new kayak. Granted! And Anne took the $100 second place prize. David Swindale came in third, while another $70 was donated the day of the event.
Golf, golf, golf. Joe Quinn
Will Rogers once said, “I guess there is nothing that will get your mind off everything like golf. I have never been depressed enough to take up the game, but they say you get so sore at yourself you forget to hate your enemies.” Golf serves a purpose in this world. There were 22 at the after-golf party, 15 golfers, and one low gross winner: Kris Peterson (82). Coming in second with an 83, Carl Bronkema. I don’t think those two do enough bad golfing to be sore at themselves, and probably don’t forget to hate their enemies enough. My golf game doesn’t allow for enemies to come to mind at all. “Give me golf clubs, fresh air and a beautiful partner, and you can keep the clubs and the fresh air.” Jack Benny’s classic
Announcements, Punster Whalen:
September 8: Presentation by Partners for Parks on the H-Barn project, 3:30 at the Pavilion.
September 9: 9-11 Memorial Service at City Hall, 2 pm. Jim Sharp, Mike Zaro and Jason Whalen are speakers.
“Embracing Philanthropy”, aka Jason’s fine time:
Anne Enquist: $20 to thank Barb for the terrific kayak project
Rick Selden: $5 in honor of Terry Roarke’s cow socks, which Jason called an “udder disaster”. There were more like this, but I couldn’t bring myself to write them down. You’re welcome.
Bob Zawilski: $100 for an upcoming birthday and an anniversary, which will mark 72% of his entire lifespan.
Jan Gee: $20 to welcome back Bob Hammar, a friend of 50 years, and for single-handedly “curing” Mary Hammar after her stroke.
Rob Erb, Mark Edgecomb, Tom George: All donated $20 each for the magnificent long drive of Past Past President Edgecomb on #18. It sailed harmlessly but scarily over the head of Veronica Bronkema to land about 300 yards from the tee: a magnificent drive resulting in a birdie for Mark. Rob teed the ball up for Mark to find eventually (Mark’s group was looking for the ball 50 yards back from there, not realizing his amazing power!).
Above: Our own Rose Stevens
The Program: Rose Stevens “Bring Children Back to School”
Rose has been helping the Nepalese people for years with multiple projects, trying to ensure continuity and lasting results. During Covid, the entire country shut down completely. Kids were assigned the task of getting food and other necessities, so there was no school. This project of ours (with partners and matching grants from Rotary) helped 1430 children with the $9000. There were winter caps for 500 kids; online schooling options; three teachers were added; counseling was available; school bags for 600 students; and more. Another project is in a stage of completion, $64K for a water project to supply 480 homes. Currently, it is a ½ hour walk one way to get the water at a spring. This project will pump the potable water to a holding tank in the village, while another part of the project will bring biogas for cooking safely. The Honolulu Rotary club is intimately involved here, too. Farming and marketing of excess goods will be included, lifting up the entire village in multiple ways. Project replication in other sites is the long-term goal. Anyone interested in going to an upcoming Nepalese project, contact Rose.
Drawing: #2872 was owned by Lowell Johnson, and he was fortunate enough to get $5.00 as a result. Sadly, not fortunate enough to draw a red chip and get $250.
Golf is so popular simply because it is the best game in the world at which to be bad.
Eric Warn, Paul Harris collection
Rick Selden/Terry Roarke, raffle ticket sales and Sgt at Arms
Walt Richardson, picture taking
Scott Buser, Invocation
Ed Shannon, Pledge to the flag
Yorleny Clapper, in proud possession of the Puffin
There was a great deal of scuttlebutt on social media that President Whalen would be littering the meeting with bad puns and jokes, resulting in exactly zero guests or visiting Rotarians.
Jason decided to pun-ish the members anyway.
Wellness: Eric Warn noted the reappearance of Bob Hammar after weeks of nursing duty for wife Mary, all with good results. Duncan Cook broke his hip in a fall and is currently in the hospital with that and other health issues. Joan requested a resignation for Duncan because of this situation, while many of us signed cards to Duncan. Duncan was an amazing Rotarian. He seemed to shrink from the spotlight but was everywhere where help was needed in his 22 years in Lakewood Rotary. He will be missed, though the example he set is fresh in many of us. Thank you, Duncan!!
Paul Harris Presentations, Steve Enquist:
--Jan Gee, #5
--Jim Weinand, #7
--Greg Rediske, #9
Above: Steve Saalfeld, our Courageous Rider
The Courage ride, Steve Saalfeld:
Steve raised $45K out of the $320K raised in total: amazing work, Steve. He thanked many Rotarians by name, while calling out Bud Montgomery’s feat (fete? feet?) of 19 Courage rides. If you’d still like to donate to Steve and help ease the continuing pain in his gluteus maximus, go to:
www.tinyurl.com/saalfeldcourage Also thanks to Phil Eng, Donn Irwin, Steve Mazoff, and Rick Selden, who manned the rest stop. (I think their supportive spouses were all there too, so I’m changing that to “staffed” the rest stop or stops.) Happy wife, happy life.
Greg Horn promoted the speaker for September 30, Amanda DuBois. She is a nurse who became a lawyer at Seattle U Law School, and Anne Enquist has signed her up to speak about her book, a thriller called THE COMPLICATION. Greg raved that it is indeed “exciting”. All proceeds benefit numerous charities, especially scholarships at Seattle U. Buy it on Amazon Smile.
Barb Spriggs, American Lake Kayak Auction Item
20 brave souls took part in the kayak poker run on American Lake, culminating in a celebration at John and Lisa Korsmo’s. Jim Sharp preached safety, while Barb’s family along with Jan Gee, John Lowney, Carl and Veronica Bronkema and perhaps others helped make the event a success. Anne Enquist won the grand prize of a new kayak from Cabelas, but switched with the second place winner, Barb’s son, whose wish for his birthday present (the following day) was a new kayak. Granted! And Anne took the $100 second place prize. David Swindale came in third, while another $70 was donated the day of the event.
Golf, golf, golf. Joe Quinn
Will Rogers once said, “I guess there is nothing that will get your mind off everything like golf. I have never been depressed enough to take up the game, but they say you get so sore at yourself you forget to hate your enemies.” Golf serves a purpose in this world. There were 22 at the after-golf party, 15 golfers, and one low gross winner: Kris Peterson (82). Coming in second with an 83, Carl Bronkema. I don’t think those two do enough bad golfing to be sore at themselves, and probably don’t forget to hate their enemies enough. My golf game doesn’t allow for enemies to come to mind at all. “Give me golf clubs, fresh air and a beautiful partner, and you can keep the clubs and the fresh air.” Jack Benny’s classic
Announcements, Punster Whalen:
September 8: Presentation by Partners for Parks on the H-Barn project, 3:30 at the Pavilion.
September 9: 9-11 Memorial Service at City Hall, 2 pm. Jim Sharp, Mike Zaro and Jason Whalen are speakers.
“Embracing Philanthropy”, aka Jason’s fine time:
Anne Enquist: $20 to thank Barb for the terrific kayak project
Rick Selden: $5 in honor of Terry Roarke’s cow socks, which Jason called an “udder disaster”. There were more like this, but I couldn’t bring myself to write them down. You’re welcome.
Bob Zawilski: $100 for an upcoming birthday and an anniversary, which will mark 72% of his entire lifespan.
Jan Gee: $20 to welcome back Bob Hammar, a friend of 50 years, and for single-handedly “curing” Mary Hammar after her stroke.
Rob Erb, Mark Edgecomb, Tom George: All donated $20 each for the magnificent long drive of Past Past President Edgecomb on #18. It sailed harmlessly but scarily over the head of Veronica Bronkema to land about 300 yards from the tee: a magnificent drive resulting in a birdie for Mark. Rob teed the ball up for Mark to find eventually (Mark’s group was looking for the ball 50 yards back from there, not realizing his amazing power!).
Above: Our own Rose Stevens
The Program: Rose Stevens “Bring Children Back to School”
Rose has been helping the Nepalese people for years with multiple projects, trying to ensure continuity and lasting results. During Covid, the entire country shut down completely. Kids were assigned the task of getting food and other necessities, so there was no school. This project of ours (with partners and matching grants from Rotary) helped 1430 children with the $9000. There were winter caps for 500 kids; online schooling options; three teachers were added; counseling was available; school bags for 600 students; and more. Another project is in a stage of completion, $64K for a water project to supply 480 homes. Currently, it is a ½ hour walk one way to get the water at a spring. This project will pump the potable water to a holding tank in the village, while another part of the project will bring biogas for cooking safely. The Honolulu Rotary club is intimately involved here, too. Farming and marketing of excess goods will be included, lifting up the entire village in multiple ways. Project replication in other sites is the long-term goal. Anyone interested in going to an upcoming Nepalese project, contact Rose.
Drawing: #2872 was owned by Lowell Johnson, and he was fortunate enough to get $5.00 as a result. Sadly, not fortunate enough to draw a red chip and get $250.
Golf is so popular simply because it is the best game in the world at which to be bad.
| Upcoming LR events: 9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain 10/22 “Make a Difference Day”- Playground Fix Work at Fort Steilacoom Park 12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast |
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A Terrible Parable
Monday, August 29, 2022 By: John W. MagnusonA Terrible Parable
Regarding The Four-Way Test
The Lakewood Key
Did you ever make the mistake of writing a letter of complaint to a business before your temper has cooled down? Boy, I have. In your heart and your brain you know you need to be polite and reasonable in order to get results – read that as convincing a total stranger to see things your way. Then have you ever had to write - oh, say – The Rotary Club of Lakewood Bulletin while you are still in a foul frame of mind? Boy, I have. Two things at play here: 1. Settle down, take a breath, go to your calming place and be patient and polite to the person in the complaint department before you give them “the business.” Then: 2. When it comes to writing the Lakewood Rotary Bulletin be just as nice as can be. Fellow Rotarians don’t identify with your problem at the business in question. Write with a smile on that pretty face of yours!
Now that I have that off my chest, I’d like to warn you to never do business with those nimrods at the Acme Wingnut Company! What a bunch of doofusses! Get your wingnuts from Tacoma Wingnut Supply or Wingnuts R Us. Those dimbulbs at Acme Wingn…. Oh, wait. I wasn’t going to do that. I need to calm down, take a breath, go to my happy place and forget about the unfortunate misunderstanding I recently experienced when purchasing wingnuts. Think of The Rotary Four Way Test: In the things we think, say and do; Is it the Truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? And, how can you make certain those horse’s patooties at Acme Wingnut Company burn in hellfire and damnation for eternity? Oh wait, that’s the five-way test; just use the first four questions. Framing everyday transactions and relationships with those ethical canons is easy and effective.
Easier to begin than it is to stop
Breathing now; calming now; thinking of a Maui sunset now; counting ten…. And now; President Jason blue, blowed, blew the conch shell. What a great gathering of eager Rotarians. Nothing compares with Lakewood Rotary. For example, take this quiz: 1. Who gave the inspiring invocation on Friday?[1] 2. Who led us in the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag?[2] 3. Who did President Jason thank for setting-up the meeting?[3] 4. Who was the photographer and who was/is the reporter?[4] 5. What did you have for lunch at TCGC?[5] See what I mean? You ain’t gonna get that anywhere but Lakewood Rotary, and you can get it every Friday!
Acknowledging Puffins, guests, visitors, the infirm and VIP’s
Our Danish exchange student was introduced - Hans Bruun. James Osundwa introduced his wife and daughter – a brand new Rotaract member! PDG Greg Horn introduced Brook Fisher Clark of Longview Rotary, today’s speaker. Eric Warn welcomed the return of PP Gayle Selden, recently recovered from COVID. After hailing ZOOMIES President Whalen recognized Chuck Hellar on ZOOM in a hospital bed with Cellulitis. Chuck promised a return by next week. Get healthy Chuckals! (From now on, I’m just going to type PMJW for President Mayor Jason Whalen. It will save time and money because our Bulletin Editor –in-Chief won’t have to pay me for using 4 words – just one.)
Announcing Events, Fellowship, gatherings, feats of derring-do
Above: Potter telling us where to go
Bill Potter told of an upcoming work party at someplace (South Sound Wildlife Area?) on October 1 from 9:00 to 1:00. The work will be grounds cleanup, cement pouring and squat tag. Check with Google Maps to find Someplace, or tune in next week for further instructions. We were then schooled on the use of Smile.Amazon.Com for all shopping needs. It is a simple process – even those of Norwegian descent can learn how. Simply use your HTMLPDFRAMMMCCPU button. Or call me for instructions. Anne Enquist announced the program for September 30. Author and Rotarian Amanda Dubois will speak about her new book, The Complication, a page-turner.
Fines, Aloha Bucks
Greg Rediske told of Ole’s seventy-twelfth birthday; 48 years being married to Bonnie and upcoming marriage of youngest son Kyle; all for $100. Thanks Greg; you are not as bad a guy as they say you are! Veronica Bronkema gave $20 for a missing Puffin. PP Scott Buser has been on the road again to Chelan and Denver - $100. Eric Quinn gave $40 for birthdays of his kids.
What is the second largest city in Denmark?[6]
Above: Our Viking Explorer experiencing the New World!
Hans Bruun, Rotary exchange student, will attend Lakes High School. He already graduated from school in Denmark and celebrated with chums all dressed as Top Gun pilots. He is meeting students and neighbors of the Murtha’s; his host family. He describes himself as very active with interests in dirt-bike riding, skiing, hiking and soccer. He hopes to attend a Seahawks game while here. He showed photos of his home and family. His point of contact for activities and invitation is Paula Murtha.
PMJW asked what two things are Dolly Parton best known for?[7]
Above: Our enthusiastic speaker, Brook Fisher Clark
Mary Horn introduced our speaker Brook Fisher Clark, Longview Rotarian and United Way Executive. Brook gave a rapid-fire description of this early education program for child literacy. Dolly Parton Imagination Library was begun by Dolly in honor of her father. She called her father the smartest man she ever knew in spite of the fact he wasn’t able to attend school, as we know it. Dolly was one of 13 children living in a two-room ramshackle house, but she states that her Dad made certain the kids lacked for nothing. Her Imagination Library has given away more than 187 million free books to children from birth to five years of age.
Brook’s passion is to see this program grow throughout Washington State. There are 39 counties in Washington and Brook has programs in all but 8. She is not resting until all counties have access to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. It takes
501-c-3 charities or public agencies to sponsor. The books cost $2.10 each. She has matching fund support so at this point the books are half price - $1.05. Brook has enlisted 32 affiliates as sponsors in Washington so far.
You might want to clear your 2023 calendar because Dolly Parton will be here. In Washington. State, that is. Impression: Brook is hyper-motivated, goal oriented, dynamic, sincere and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. I mentioned a rapid-fire presentation. It was all of that and more. Looking at my notes there was also mention of WIC, SNAP, FCYF, Spokane and Orcas Island. Which makes perfect sense. There were a few questions but she covered the subject thoroughly. Another sterling program by Lakewood Rotary.
PMJW noted that he was always impressed by two things Dolly Parton was famous for. (Pause for effect.)[8] Settle down folks; he is now adding philanthropy through the Imagination Library to his short list.
The drawing was held. Secretly. (Don Anderson won $5.)
Who Reads This Stuff?
Ole
Upcoming LR events:
9/1 Rotary Golf at Oakbrook
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
10/22 “Make a Difference Day”- Playground Fix Work at Fort Steilacoom Park
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Easier to begin than it is to stop
Breathing now; calming now; thinking of a Maui sunset now; counting ten…. And now; President Jason blue, blowed, blew the conch shell. What a great gathering of eager Rotarians. Nothing compares with Lakewood Rotary. For example, take this quiz: 1. Who gave the inspiring invocation on Friday?[1] 2. Who led us in the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag?[2] 3. Who did President Jason thank for setting-up the meeting?[3] 4. Who was the photographer and who was/is the reporter?[4] 5. What did you have for lunch at TCGC?[5] See what I mean? You ain’t gonna get that anywhere but Lakewood Rotary, and you can get it every Friday!
Acknowledging Puffins, guests, visitors, the infirm and VIP’s
Our Danish exchange student was introduced - Hans Bruun. James Osundwa introduced his wife and daughter – a brand new Rotaract member! PDG Greg Horn introduced Brook Fisher Clark of Longview Rotary, today’s speaker. Eric Warn welcomed the return of PP Gayle Selden, recently recovered from COVID. After hailing ZOOMIES President Whalen recognized Chuck Hellar on ZOOM in a hospital bed with Cellulitis. Chuck promised a return by next week. Get healthy Chuckals! (From now on, I’m just going to type PMJW for President Mayor Jason Whalen. It will save time and money because our Bulletin Editor –in-Chief won’t have to pay me for using 4 words – just one.)
Announcing Events, Fellowship, gatherings, feats of derring-do
Above: Potter telling us where to go
Bill Potter told of an upcoming work party at someplace (South Sound Wildlife Area?) on October 1 from 9:00 to 1:00. The work will be grounds cleanup, cement pouring and squat tag. Check with Google Maps to find Someplace, or tune in next week for further instructions. We were then schooled on the use of Smile.Amazon.Com for all shopping needs. It is a simple process – even those of Norwegian descent can learn how. Simply use your HTMLPDFRAMMMCCPU button. Or call me for instructions. Anne Enquist announced the program for September 30. Author and Rotarian Amanda Dubois will speak about her new book, The Complication, a page-turner.
Fines, Aloha Bucks
Greg Rediske told of Ole’s seventy-twelfth birthday; 48 years being married to Bonnie and upcoming marriage of youngest son Kyle; all for $100. Thanks Greg; you are not as bad a guy as they say you are! Veronica Bronkema gave $20 for a missing Puffin. PP Scott Buser has been on the road again to Chelan and Denver - $100. Eric Quinn gave $40 for birthdays of his kids.
What is the second largest city in Denmark?[6]
Above: Our Viking Explorer experiencing the New World!
Hans Bruun, Rotary exchange student, will attend Lakes High School. He already graduated from school in Denmark and celebrated with chums all dressed as Top Gun pilots. He is meeting students and neighbors of the Murtha’s; his host family. He describes himself as very active with interests in dirt-bike riding, skiing, hiking and soccer. He hopes to attend a Seahawks game while here. He showed photos of his home and family. His point of contact for activities and invitation is Paula Murtha.
PMJW asked what two things are Dolly Parton best known for?[7]
Above: Our enthusiastic speaker, Brook Fisher Clark
Mary Horn introduced our speaker Brook Fisher Clark, Longview Rotarian and United Way Executive. Brook gave a rapid-fire description of this early education program for child literacy. Dolly Parton Imagination Library was begun by Dolly in honor of her father. She called her father the smartest man she ever knew in spite of the fact he wasn’t able to attend school, as we know it. Dolly was one of 13 children living in a two-room ramshackle house, but she states that her Dad made certain the kids lacked for nothing. Her Imagination Library has given away more than 187 million free books to children from birth to five years of age.
Brook’s passion is to see this program grow throughout Washington State. There are 39 counties in Washington and Brook has programs in all but 8. She is not resting until all counties have access to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. It takes
501-c-3 charities or public agencies to sponsor. The books cost $2.10 each. She has matching fund support so at this point the books are half price - $1.05. Brook has enlisted 32 affiliates as sponsors in Washington so far.
You might want to clear your 2023 calendar because Dolly Parton will be here. In Washington. State, that is. Impression: Brook is hyper-motivated, goal oriented, dynamic, sincere and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. I mentioned a rapid-fire presentation. It was all of that and more. Looking at my notes there was also mention of WIC, SNAP, FCYF, Spokane and Orcas Island. Which makes perfect sense. There were a few questions but she covered the subject thoroughly. Another sterling program by Lakewood Rotary.
PMJW noted that he was always impressed by two things Dolly Parton was famous for. (Pause for effect.)[8] Settle down folks; he is now adding philanthropy through the Imagination Library to his short list.
The drawing was held. Secretly. (Don Anderson won $5.)
Who Reads This Stuff?
Ole
Upcoming LR events:
9/1 Rotary Golf at Oakbrook
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
10/22 “Make a Difference Day”- Playground Fix Work at Fort Steilacoom Park
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
[1] Jan Gee
[2] Don Anderson
[3] Rob Erb and crew – James O., Rick and Gayle Selden
[4] Walt Richardson and Ole
[5] Where’s the Beef? John Lowney treasures the treasures
[6] Aarhus; which translates in English to Oarhouse. A reference to rowing powered Viking boats or the University of Washington Crew. Ref: See Conibear Shellhouse
[7] Dolly’s acting and singing
[8] No, seriously - Dolly’s singing and acting
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DG Team Visit
Sunday, August 21, 2022 By: Joseph F. QuinnDG Team Visit
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
Jason blew on the conch shell and called for a hearty “Aloha” on Friday, August 19, 2022. Eric Warn did a very good impromptu job on the Invocation and someone led us in the Pledge but the inexperienced scribe missed it, because President Jason Whalen (PJW) called on him unexpectedly to lead us in the beautiful singing of O Canada. District Governor Dale Roberts diplomatically hid behind his napkin so we could not see him laughing heartily at us butchering his national anthem! (Actually, I made that up, as I was too busy singing off key to watch Dale at the same time.)
PJW deftly recognized all his helpers on this day, including setup crew James Osundwa, Kendra Riconosciuto, Rick Selden and maybe someone else I missed. Mark Edgecomb was helping at the entry table along with Jan Gee. Walt Richardson took all the fun photos in this bulletin and the Editor of the Lakewood Key decided to write for a change to remind himself that his expectations of the scribes is unrealistic. It really is not easy to keep up.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests were recognized and included the DG Team that featured PDG Mo Fritz-Roberts and her husband, the current DG Dale Roberts of Comox Valley. Also, he introduced again our Exchange Student Hans (pronounced like “hands”) Bruun of Denmark and Jerry, the Operations Manager at Christian Tomlinson’s company. “Another potential member,” Jason asked.
Above: Christian Tomlinson
The Health and Wellness report by Eric Warn? Eric said all was fine but asked Rick Selden to offer up something. Rick said that Gayle Selden picked up the Covid virus while traveling so cannot be with us today.
Induction of New Member:
PJW called forward Yorleny Clapper for induction into membership in the Rotary Club of Lakewood. Yorleny, originally of Costa Rica, has lived in the U.S. for 18 years now. She and her husband, Patrick, landed first in Austin, Texas and now here in the Pacific Northwest. She professed to like our green vegetation more than the dry hills and plains of Texas. They have a daughter named Amanda. Yorleny works in marketing but has been a teacher and a real estate agent. I think she said she has a B.A. in political science. She looks forward to being a LR Rotarian for many years.
Next, PJW called on Steve Enquist and the DG Dale Roberts to help him honor Troy Wilcox for his third Paul Harris award.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Barb Spriggs spoke briefly about the Kayak event that was an Auction item for many folks. It will start at 9:00 a.m. Sunday on American Lake Park, Be there for the safety briefing at 9 o’clock sharp, Barb said.
Christian Tomlinson said the first Rotaract meeting is taking place at the Ram in Lakewood tonight from 6 to 7:30 p.m. (Friday, so if you missed it, …it was fun even without you!) . We can report that it appeared as though a half dozen potential Rotaracters met to discuss the new club and several LR Rotarians were there to assist Christian with the organizational meeting and the beer drinking.
Joe Quinn is heading up the good times on the golf course on September 1 at Oakbrook, with several tee times, and a contribution of $40 per person for food. You do not need to play golf to join us at the Adriatic Grill for a fine meal at about 5:30 p.m. 18-hole players start between about 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. and the 9-holers start about 3:30 p.m. Most of those eating have paid but if you have not, send Joe a check or pay at Rotary. We will have at least 22 folks dining and at least 18 golfers too. Great prizes. 18-holers should tell Joe if you have a handicap or want to compete as a “Callaway” for those prizes.
Phil Eng noted that the Courage is this weekend and our member, Steve Saalfeld, may still be leading the fundraising charge. The Engs, the Seldens, and the Swindales are staffing not one, but two, rest stops this year. Service above self personified.
Fines: Jason fined himself $10 and the Editor $5 for running that hilarious photo of the Mermaid Whale(n) on a Hawaiian beach in last week’s bulletin. This job sure is fun sometimes. Jan Gee paid a fine for something but we missed it while laughing. Christian paid off his IOU of $80 from a few weeks ago, which had something to do with Rotaract. Someone claimed Jason should pay a fine for mentoring Christian so well, but Jason said those two huge drinks he bought for Christian in his lobbying effort should suffice. Tony Camoroda paid $20 for doing two introductions: Mo and Dale. Pat Price paid $60 for the 60th anniversary of her and Bill Price. Bill Potter, the incoming Assistant Governor for our area clubs, paid a $20 fine and bragged about his daughter and college achievement. He thanked Rotary for approving the $6000 contribution for the new swing set in the park. He also wanted us to save the date of October 22nd for Make a Difference Day. More on that soon. Bill Allen paid $200 for being a grandpa soon. Carole Wier, who is staying with the Northcutts on Lake Steilacoom offered up $100 for her wonderful visit with us from her new home in Minnesota. Land of 1,000 Lakes, and freezing winters. (Sorry, Carole, had to remind you of that!)
THE PROGRAM:
Above: DG Terry Dale Roberts of Comox Valley Rotary
Tony Camoroda, the current AG and new member of our club, introduced DG Dale Roberts, but not until he honored PDG Greg Horn, and in absentia PDG Gordy Quick. He also made all Past Presidents of Lakewood Rotary stand up and there were a surprising number of them who were there and who could still stand up.
Dale has been a Rotarian since 1977. He joined the Comox club in 1992 and is now in the club at Comox Valley. His wife, Mo, manages their business. They have three children. Both Dale and Mo are Major Donors to RI. Neither Dale nor Tony explained why they call him “Batman”. During his talk, Dale was backed strongly by a cutout of Jennifer Jones, the current (and first female) President of Rotary International. He mentioned that Rotary now has many strong leaders who happen to be female, not the least of whom is his own wife, PDG Mo Fritz-Roberts. Mo was the District Governor one year before the reign of Greg Horn.
Dale’s DG talk was not at all boring. He did tell one joke and it was about DG visits. He said maybe Gordy Quick told him this true story about when he was DG and visited a small club on Vancouver Island while doing his DG duties. The DG stopped at a local establishment to ask for directions and was told it was easy to find, as it was just down the road a piece. But the local man added, “Don’t expect a huge crowd today, as the District Governor is coming to speak.”
Dale made three big points. Number One: it is all about membership! He said this should be easy because: “Isn’t Rotary great?” He stressed all the wonderful things RI is doing in the world, such as striving mightily to eradicate polio from the earth. Number Two: How about the Foundation? This is RI’s international arm. Is it not the greatest and most productive charitable organization in the world? In passing, he mentioned Every Rotarian Every Year and the other ideas to spur giving such as Rotary Direct. (Did you know that we only have 9 LR Rotarians so far using this automatic, easy-to-use online giving method? Try it; it is most convenient.) Number Three: District Conference. Now combined with the District Assembly –which focuses more on training—the District conference has inspiring motivational speakers and is often held, as in 2022 and 2023, in the beautiful, historic city of Victoria, British Columbia. What’s not to like? Next year’s keynote speaker is Jordan Peterson, a well-known writer and influencer.
Dale ended with a quote: “You don’t just belong to Rotary, Rotary belongs to you.”
DRAWING: After the meeting ended, Rick Selden won the raffle again, but this time only $5.
Above: Rick with white chip
Visiting Rotarians and Guests were recognized and included the DG Team that featured PDG Mo Fritz-Roberts and her husband, the current DG Dale Roberts of Comox Valley. Also, he introduced again our Exchange Student Hans (pronounced like “hands”) Bruun of Denmark and Jerry, the Operations Manager at Christian Tomlinson’s company. “Another potential member,” Jason asked.
Above: Christian Tomlinson
The Health and Wellness report by Eric Warn? Eric said all was fine but asked Rick Selden to offer up something. Rick said that Gayle Selden picked up the Covid virus while traveling so cannot be with us today.
Induction of New Member:
PJW called forward Yorleny Clapper for induction into membership in the Rotary Club of Lakewood. Yorleny, originally of Costa Rica, has lived in the U.S. for 18 years now. She and her husband, Patrick, landed first in Austin, Texas and now here in the Pacific Northwest. She professed to like our green vegetation more than the dry hills and plains of Texas. They have a daughter named Amanda. Yorleny works in marketing but has been a teacher and a real estate agent. I think she said she has a B.A. in political science. She looks forward to being a LR Rotarian for many years.
Next, PJW called on Steve Enquist and the DG Dale Roberts to help him honor Troy Wilcox for his third Paul Harris award.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Barb Spriggs spoke briefly about the Kayak event that was an Auction item for many folks. It will start at 9:00 a.m. Sunday on American Lake Park, Be there for the safety briefing at 9 o’clock sharp, Barb said.
Christian Tomlinson said the first Rotaract meeting is taking place at the Ram in Lakewood tonight from 6 to 7:30 p.m. (Friday, so if you missed it, …it was fun even without you!) . We can report that it appeared as though a half dozen potential Rotaracters met to discuss the new club and several LR Rotarians were there to assist Christian with the organizational meeting and the beer drinking.
Joe Quinn is heading up the good times on the golf course on September 1 at Oakbrook, with several tee times, and a contribution of $40 per person for food. You do not need to play golf to join us at the Adriatic Grill for a fine meal at about 5:30 p.m. 18-hole players start between about 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. and the 9-holers start about 3:30 p.m. Most of those eating have paid but if you have not, send Joe a check or pay at Rotary. We will have at least 22 folks dining and at least 18 golfers too. Great prizes. 18-holers should tell Joe if you have a handicap or want to compete as a “Callaway” for those prizes.
Phil Eng noted that the Courage is this weekend and our member, Steve Saalfeld, may still be leading the fundraising charge. The Engs, the Seldens, and the Swindales are staffing not one, but two, rest stops this year. Service above self personified.
Fines: Jason fined himself $10 and the Editor $5 for running that hilarious photo of the Mermaid Whale(n) on a Hawaiian beach in last week’s bulletin. This job sure is fun sometimes. Jan Gee paid a fine for something but we missed it while laughing. Christian paid off his IOU of $80 from a few weeks ago, which had something to do with Rotaract. Someone claimed Jason should pay a fine for mentoring Christian so well, but Jason said those two huge drinks he bought for Christian in his lobbying effort should suffice. Tony Camoroda paid $20 for doing two introductions: Mo and Dale. Pat Price paid $60 for the 60th anniversary of her and Bill Price. Bill Potter, the incoming Assistant Governor for our area clubs, paid a $20 fine and bragged about his daughter and college achievement. He thanked Rotary for approving the $6000 contribution for the new swing set in the park. He also wanted us to save the date of October 22nd for Make a Difference Day. More on that soon. Bill Allen paid $200 for being a grandpa soon. Carole Wier, who is staying with the Northcutts on Lake Steilacoom offered up $100 for her wonderful visit with us from her new home in Minnesota. Land of 1,000 Lakes, and freezing winters. (Sorry, Carole, had to remind you of that!)
THE PROGRAM:
Above: DG Terry Dale Roberts of Comox Valley Rotary
Tony Camoroda, the current AG and new member of our club, introduced DG Dale Roberts, but not until he honored PDG Greg Horn, and in absentia PDG Gordy Quick. He also made all Past Presidents of Lakewood Rotary stand up and there were a surprising number of them who were there and who could still stand up.
Dale has been a Rotarian since 1977. He joined the Comox club in 1992 and is now in the club at Comox Valley. His wife, Mo, manages their business. They have three children. Both Dale and Mo are Major Donors to RI. Neither Dale nor Tony explained why they call him “Batman”. During his talk, Dale was backed strongly by a cutout of Jennifer Jones, the current (and first female) President of Rotary International. He mentioned that Rotary now has many strong leaders who happen to be female, not the least of whom is his own wife, PDG Mo Fritz-Roberts. Mo was the District Governor one year before the reign of Greg Horn.
Dale’s DG talk was not at all boring. He did tell one joke and it was about DG visits. He said maybe Gordy Quick told him this true story about when he was DG and visited a small club on Vancouver Island while doing his DG duties. The DG stopped at a local establishment to ask for directions and was told it was easy to find, as it was just down the road a piece. But the local man added, “Don’t expect a huge crowd today, as the District Governor is coming to speak.”
Dale made three big points. Number One: it is all about membership! He said this should be easy because: “Isn’t Rotary great?” He stressed all the wonderful things RI is doing in the world, such as striving mightily to eradicate polio from the earth. Number Two: How about the Foundation? This is RI’s international arm. Is it not the greatest and most productive charitable organization in the world? In passing, he mentioned Every Rotarian Every Year and the other ideas to spur giving such as Rotary Direct. (Did you know that we only have 9 LR Rotarians so far using this automatic, easy-to-use online giving method? Try it; it is most convenient.) Number Three: District Conference. Now combined with the District Assembly –which focuses more on training—the District conference has inspiring motivational speakers and is often held, as in 2022 and 2023, in the beautiful, historic city of Victoria, British Columbia. What’s not to like? Next year’s keynote speaker is Jordan Peterson, a well-known writer and influencer.
Dale ended with a quote: “You don’t just belong to Rotary, Rotary belongs to you.”
DRAWING: After the meeting ended, Rick Selden won the raffle again, but this time only $5.
Above: Rick with white chip
| Upcoming LR events: 8/20-21 The Courage 9/1 Rotary Golf at Oakbrook 9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain 12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast |
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Is This Hawaii?
Sunday, August 14, 2022 By: Mary MarlinAre we in Hawaii?
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
Who knew we weren't in Hawaii??? Our energetic President, Jason Whalen, retrieved his conch shell and a rousing OOOOOO startled the members and brought them to their feet. (So sorry there was not sand to play in!) Jason then looked for Andrew Kruse to give the invocation, but, alas, he was not there so our esteemed Pres. challenged the audience to Make it Great on this Aloha day. He reminded us, too, that next week would be an Aloha Friday with our distinguished District Governor present and that wearing Hawaiian gear would honor his presence. The Pledge was then recited and the meeting was called to order. A thank you was given to the Set-up crew of Tom George, Rob Erb, Wynn Hoffman, James Osundwa, Gary Fulton and Rick Selden. Greg Rediske recorded the fines. Bud Montgomery helped at the Foundation table. Greg Horn wished us luck with the raffle tickets. Phil Eng was busy taking pictures and Mary Marlin was attempting to catch the exciting moments of the meeting.
Several guests were welcomed.... Rotarian John Guardia from Gig Harbor, Utomy McLamb who may be a new member soon, Amelia and Sawyer (darling children of Kendra Riconosciuto), Mobina Russell (sp?) who is a friend of James Osundwa, Hans Bruun (our new Rotary Exchange Student), and Kris Quinn, who is married to Joe Quinn, and who grew up in Denmark and speaks the language. Kris welcomed our new exchange student in his language and kept us listening since none of us speak Danish. Mike and Paula Murtha are currently hosting Hans at their home. Hans was pleased to be at the meeting and appreciated Kris' kind remarks. In a couple of weeks we will hear more from Hans and his experience visiting the US as well as his opportunities to meet new friends, spend time with club members and participate in meet-ups at welcoming homes. Please talk to Gayle Selden about when you might be available for hosting get-togethers. Good fun to come!
Above: Hans with his sponsors and Bob Martin, Youth Exchange Chair
And Puffins were given a welcome back to the club, for sure!
The Health and Wellness report by Eric Warn? Done! All is well and no news is good news.... until... Eric was challenged for being appointed the new Board member of the YMCA! He then generously donated $40.
Joe Quinn is heading up the good times on the golf course on September 1 at Oakbrook, with several tee times, with a contribution of $40 per person for food. We have 18 signed up so far, but there is still room for a few more golfers. You do not need to play golf to join us at the Adriatic Grill for a fine meal at about 5:30 p.m. 18-hole players start between about 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. and the 9-holers start about 3:30 p.m. Pay Joe Quinn for food ASAP so we can give the Adriatic a firm number of “diners.”
Rose Stevens, one of the hardest working members of this club, was then called to the podium to be awarded the Olson Foundation Award of $500 by John Guardia from Gig Harbor Rotary for her excellent contributions to International Projects. This Foundation was established 15 years ago in Gig Harbor and John said they had numerous nominations but Rose's diligence with her committee "created better health for others by promoting water projects, goat projects and lending a helping hand when needed".
Above: Rose Stevens with the Olson Foundation Award
Her other award from our club was the Russ Klauser Rotarian of the Year award. The amazing service work was honored with the "beautiful one year trophy" and her charming picture! The International Committee she chairs is consistently revealing Service Above Self with their efforts and enthusiasm! Rose was honored to receive the award and said as a child she wanted to make a difference in the world. She loves her committee and is excited for the projects that are coming up that will lift villages from poverty and lack of water. Several grants have already been approved with generous money coming for different clubs to impact the progress with bio-gas, water sanitation, and in Nepal cardiac equipment in Kathmandu that will soon be available. Jason mentioned the Steilacoom Park project is working well here, too.
Several Service Above Self opportunities continue to happen. Steve Saalfeld will be bicycling with 100 riders in Leavenworth during the Courage on Aug. 20 and 21 to raise money for Mary Bridge. Steve's goal is to raise $20,000. Check his website if you wish to donate. Phil Eng and Kendra Riconosciuto are planning picnic dinners. Phil donated $20 for Kendra's help. Connie Coleman-Lacadie had a rough patch with Covid several weeks ago but is great now. She even donated $40 and thanked Rose and Mary Horn for helping with the family club members are supporting, when she wasn't able to. She's now learning to eat again. (Jason says he is testing wine to be sure he is able to taste and smell too!) Mary Horn was so appreciative of the club's generous donations of kitchen supplies, barbeque, furniture, food and the beds for all six in the family she and Rose have been helping, not to mention the family's good luck at winning the new car!!
Please Note that Veronica Bronkema has a meeting on August 19th at 6 pm at the Ram Restaurant for new Rotaract members. Please invite new members who would enjoy learning more about Rotaract.
Above: Justice Mary Yu with Anne Enquist
THE PROGRAM:
So with fines out of the way, it was time to learn about our speaker of the day, Washington Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu. Her program is entitled "The Washington Supreme Court and the Call to Eradicate Racism". Anne Enquist introduced Justice Mary Yu and gave us some interesting facts about her nearly 30 years in the court system. Justice Yu was appointed to the Washington Supreme Court in 2014. She served 14 years before that as a trial court judge presiding over a wide variety of criminal, civil and juvenile cases and presided over hundreds of adoptions and other family law matters. Justice Yu has an extensive record both on and off the bench. Here are some facts you may not know. She is the first in her family to graduate from college. Her mother is from Mexico. Her father is from China. She is the first Asian, Latina, and the first LGBTQ member to serve on the Washington Supreme Court. She is the recipient of numerous awards and in 2014 was voted Judge of the Year by the WA State Association of Justice. Her incredible record of working with youth, inspiring others, being the voice of Social Justice and being awarded consistent recognition nearly every year for 20 plus years and more than 30 awards for her excellent work by fellow judges is quite incredible. Four organizations voted her Judge of the Year! Amazing legacy that keeps on coming.
Justice Yu educated us about the challenge of dealing with racism and the ways that she hopes we can eradicate it. Here are some takeaway comments:
"Most people focus on the US Supreme Court with media attention. On the State Supreme Court, we teach the rule of law. We are getting better at defining the rule of law. The question is....What is the state's role? Watch judges because they will decide the quality of your life. (And we still want you to love us as much as possible.) We have nine justices in WA State Supreme Court with three from Pierce County. Seven are women! Three are women of color. Two are from the LGBTQ community. The more diverse the better! We want to get it right. Who we are shapes our views. Compared to many states, we have diverse justices. Note....28 states have no black justices, 29 states have no Latinos, 47 states have no Native American justices, 20 states have no people of color for justices. Here in WA we are the second most cited court in the nation. Other courts in the US are following our jurisprudence. With Black Lives Matter the focus was on the lack of confidence in the judicial system. We understood the concern and the court sent out a letter to the community to help us address the issues. For 12 months the process continued to invite others to help, learn and share ideas. Pre-trial shackling has been addressed. There needs to be a reason to do so. In Spokane the issue of housing discrimination was addressed. A female student from Gonzaga got the attention of the courts. The court system needs to be activist in their decisions. Activists in pursuit of justice. We get better by working together. And having children learn to read and enjoy reading is a definite goal."
Justice Yu mentioned after a question was raised that she was concerned about walking her dog in Seattle with so much violence and crime there. She knows the problems, but it is not an easy issue with health care and drug addiction on the streets. Their court building—the Temple of Justice-- is getting repaired. Judges are working together but don't always have the info needed for sentencing each defendant. Legislators and courts need to work together to solve major issues. Fortunately, Justice Yu has not been personally threatened....in 22 years!!
A generous round of applause showed the appreciation of Justice Yu's work and her willingness to share with our club.
Above: Rick with rec chip
The Drawing: Rick Selden won big bucks!
‘Til next time, Mary Marlin
Above: Hans with his sponsors and Bob Martin, Youth Exchange Chair
And Puffins were given a welcome back to the club, for sure!
The Health and Wellness report by Eric Warn? Done! All is well and no news is good news.... until... Eric was challenged for being appointed the new Board member of the YMCA! He then generously donated $40.
Joe Quinn is heading up the good times on the golf course on September 1 at Oakbrook, with several tee times, with a contribution of $40 per person for food. We have 18 signed up so far, but there is still room for a few more golfers. You do not need to play golf to join us at the Adriatic Grill for a fine meal at about 5:30 p.m. 18-hole players start between about 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. and the 9-holers start about 3:30 p.m. Pay Joe Quinn for food ASAP so we can give the Adriatic a firm number of “diners.”
Rose Stevens, one of the hardest working members of this club, was then called to the podium to be awarded the Olson Foundation Award of $500 by John Guardia from Gig Harbor Rotary for her excellent contributions to International Projects. This Foundation was established 15 years ago in Gig Harbor and John said they had numerous nominations but Rose's diligence with her committee "created better health for others by promoting water projects, goat projects and lending a helping hand when needed".
Above: Rose Stevens with the Olson Foundation Award
Her other award from our club was the Russ Klauser Rotarian of the Year award. The amazing service work was honored with the "beautiful one year trophy" and her charming picture! The International Committee she chairs is consistently revealing Service Above Self with their efforts and enthusiasm! Rose was honored to receive the award and said as a child she wanted to make a difference in the world. She loves her committee and is excited for the projects that are coming up that will lift villages from poverty and lack of water. Several grants have already been approved with generous money coming for different clubs to impact the progress with bio-gas, water sanitation, and in Nepal cardiac equipment in Kathmandu that will soon be available. Jason mentioned the Steilacoom Park project is working well here, too.
Several Service Above Self opportunities continue to happen. Steve Saalfeld will be bicycling with 100 riders in Leavenworth during the Courage on Aug. 20 and 21 to raise money for Mary Bridge. Steve's goal is to raise $20,000. Check his website if you wish to donate. Phil Eng and Kendra Riconosciuto are planning picnic dinners. Phil donated $20 for Kendra's help. Connie Coleman-Lacadie had a rough patch with Covid several weeks ago but is great now. She even donated $40 and thanked Rose and Mary Horn for helping with the family club members are supporting, when she wasn't able to. She's now learning to eat again. (Jason says he is testing wine to be sure he is able to taste and smell too!) Mary Horn was so appreciative of the club's generous donations of kitchen supplies, barbeque, furniture, food and the beds for all six in the family she and Rose have been helping, not to mention the family's good luck at winning the new car!!
Please Note that Veronica Bronkema has a meeting on August 19th at 6 pm at the Ram Restaurant for new Rotaract members. Please invite new members who would enjoy learning more about Rotaract.
Above: Justice Mary Yu with Anne Enquist
THE PROGRAM:
So with fines out of the way, it was time to learn about our speaker of the day, Washington Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu. Her program is entitled "The Washington Supreme Court and the Call to Eradicate Racism". Anne Enquist introduced Justice Mary Yu and gave us some interesting facts about her nearly 30 years in the court system. Justice Yu was appointed to the Washington Supreme Court in 2014. She served 14 years before that as a trial court judge presiding over a wide variety of criminal, civil and juvenile cases and presided over hundreds of adoptions and other family law matters. Justice Yu has an extensive record both on and off the bench. Here are some facts you may not know. She is the first in her family to graduate from college. Her mother is from Mexico. Her father is from China. She is the first Asian, Latina, and the first LGBTQ member to serve on the Washington Supreme Court. She is the recipient of numerous awards and in 2014 was voted Judge of the Year by the WA State Association of Justice. Her incredible record of working with youth, inspiring others, being the voice of Social Justice and being awarded consistent recognition nearly every year for 20 plus years and more than 30 awards for her excellent work by fellow judges is quite incredible. Four organizations voted her Judge of the Year! Amazing legacy that keeps on coming.
Justice Yu educated us about the challenge of dealing with racism and the ways that she hopes we can eradicate it. Here are some takeaway comments:
"Most people focus on the US Supreme Court with media attention. On the State Supreme Court, we teach the rule of law. We are getting better at defining the rule of law. The question is....What is the state's role? Watch judges because they will decide the quality of your life. (And we still want you to love us as much as possible.) We have nine justices in WA State Supreme Court with three from Pierce County. Seven are women! Three are women of color. Two are from the LGBTQ community. The more diverse the better! We want to get it right. Who we are shapes our views. Compared to many states, we have diverse justices. Note....28 states have no black justices, 29 states have no Latinos, 47 states have no Native American justices, 20 states have no people of color for justices. Here in WA we are the second most cited court in the nation. Other courts in the US are following our jurisprudence. With Black Lives Matter the focus was on the lack of confidence in the judicial system. We understood the concern and the court sent out a letter to the community to help us address the issues. For 12 months the process continued to invite others to help, learn and share ideas. Pre-trial shackling has been addressed. There needs to be a reason to do so. In Spokane the issue of housing discrimination was addressed. A female student from Gonzaga got the attention of the courts. The court system needs to be activist in their decisions. Activists in pursuit of justice. We get better by working together. And having children learn to read and enjoy reading is a definite goal."
Justice Yu mentioned after a question was raised that she was concerned about walking her dog in Seattle with so much violence and crime there. She knows the problems, but it is not an easy issue with health care and drug addiction on the streets. Their court building—the Temple of Justice-- is getting repaired. Judges are working together but don't always have the info needed for sentencing each defendant. Legislators and courts need to work together to solve major issues. Fortunately, Justice Yu has not been personally threatened....in 22 years!!
A generous round of applause showed the appreciation of Justice Yu's work and her willingness to share with our club.
Above: Rick with rec chip
The Drawing: Rick Selden won big bucks!
‘Til next time, Mary Marlin
| Upcoming LR events: 8/20-21 The Courage 9/1 Rotary Golf at Oakbrook 9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain 12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast |
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Rotary Golf Update
Thursday, August 11, 2022 By: Joseph F. QuinnMEMO RE: Rotary golf at Oakbrook September 1, 2022
TO: All members
FROM: JFQ
DATE: August 11, 2022
Update: Tee times have been reserved as follows: 12:27, 12:36, 12:45, and 12:54
Also: Four women want to play nine holes starting about 3:30 p.m
“Registered Players” so far: Rick Selden, Greg Rediske, Troy Wilcox, Joe Quinn
Mark Edgecomb, Bill Potter, Lowell Johnson and Rondi Johnson
Carl Bronkema, Veronica Bronkema, Rob Erb, and Chuck Hellar
Nine-Holers: Sharon Selden, Kris Quinn, Rachel Mazoff and Sue Hellar
16 golfers so far, so we have room for another foursome at 12:54
PAYMENT: Dinner: With tax and gratuity, the great dinner at Adriatic Grill is $40 per person: Two entrees, salad and bread (menu includes Chicken Parmigiana and Salmon Penne). Pay Joe Quinn directly so I can give one check to Adriatic. Dinner at 5:30 p.m. and non-golfers are very welcome. Time to pay!!
Golf: Pay directly at pro shop. $52 for 18 holes and $17 for a cart, plus tax.
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The Rule of Law
Sunday, August 7, 2022 By: Donn IrwinThe Rule of Law
Lakewood Rotary Key for August 5th, 2022
It all began at 12:30 p.m., with the blowing of the conch shell by our esteemed President what’s his name……Jason Whalen (PJW). It is noted that PJW was NOT wearing an aloha shirt on this particular Aloha Friday but rather was clad in slacks, a dress shirt, tie and sport coat. The excuse was that he had some lawyerly business to attend to in court. This writer suspects his attire had more to do with our speaker today…..you be the JUDGE.
The support staff:
Paula Olson on invocation. Featured guest Ralph Lockhart toasted the flag and led us in the Pledge. Rob Erb, Tom George, James Osundwa, Wynn Hoffman and Rick Selden set us up for both the in-person and the Zoom portions of the meeting (forgive me if I missed anyone – it’s a big crew!). John Lowney recorded the money stuff. Donnnnnn Irwin wrote the stuff down and tried to report all of it. Walt Richardson was the “Man with the Camera” (taking over Charles Bronson’s role). Jan Gee was at the $2.00 station and Steve Enquist took our Foundation donations, which amounted to $317.00. (There was no official Sergeant at Arms so this writer is naming Jan Gee for that post during this meeting).
Guests of Rotarians went something like this:
Angela Connelly introduced us to Heather Salvador (a contributor to the book “The Crowded Table”). PP Jim Rooks introduced Josh Nelms and Utomy McLamb. Greg Rediske introduced the aforementioned Ralph Lockhart. Ralph was a Lakewood Rotarian for 35 years and then became the charter President of the East Grays Harbor Rotary Club. Steve Mazoff announced his wife – Ellen. PJW brought our attention to his guests – daughters Olivia and Allison. Veronica Bronkema introduced her guest Yorleny _____, who is slated for membership in Rotary.
PJW the acknowledged the Puffins.
I’m too cheap to buy an Ancestry DNA kit to learn about my relatives. Instead, I posted on Facebook that I won the lottery. That should do it!
Eric Warn was then called upon to give us a health and wellness report. Eric immediately passed the mic to Chuck Hellar to give us an update on Gordy Quick. Gordy is having serious back problems. He had a 3-hour operation on his back and is fighting an infection. Mr. Hellar played the role of Gordy and, in keeping with this annual rite, passed along a zucchini to PJW. Evidently even painful, sore backs won’t stop Gordy’s zukes.
When algebra teachers retire, how do they deal with the aftermath?
Bob Martin was tasked with announcing club and wedding anniversaries – this took up most of the meeting, as there are 14 member anniversaries and 23 (yes 23) wedding anniversaries in the club during August.. NOTE: I haven’t mentioned birthdays yet!
Member anniversary highlights:
Ralph Johnson with 60 and Bob Cammarano with 68 years in Rotary!
Wedding Anniversary highlights (those pikers with less than 50 years not highlighted here):
Bob Zawilski – Marilyn (53)
Paul Wulfestieg – Becky (54)
Chuck Hellar – Sue (55)
Bill Price – Pat (57)
Pat Price – Bill (57)
Gary Fulton – Sheri (58)
Bob Peterson – Robyn (61)
Gordy Quick – Juanita – (70)
Member Birthdays:
Wynn Hoffman, Morris Northcutt, Carole Wier, John Magnuson, Wendy McGowan, John Lowney and Terry Roarke.
PJW called for announcements and the EIC (editor in charge) of the Lakewood Key, Joe Quinn Esq, took the mic to let us know that there is a golf event at Oakbrook Golf Course on Sept 1. You can golf (for $69 plus tax with a cart) and you can dine (for $40 per head) or you can do both (add the two prices together). Play nine or eighteen holes. Contact Quinn to sign up and you can pay him too.
Hello? Is this the newspaper? You published my obituary today!
We did? Uh, um...where are you calling from?
Greg Horn – with coaching from wife Mary-- announced that there were 200 home brewers and 60 Rotarians at Beerstock. Live music and lots of fun, not to mention beer. The event raised over $2,000 for the Rotary Foundation. With matching money from the Gates Foundation and RI, that will mean $8000 for eradication of polio.
John Lowney presented an $8,000 check from our Club to Ellen Mazoff for her to pass on to Partners in Rotary as we continue to support their efforts.
PJW thanked Greg and Mary Horn for their efforts in procuring a vehicle for our adopted family. He also recognized Lakewood Rotarian Lua Prichard for her “Hero Award” for her great work on her Asia Pacific Cultural Center Samoa Cultural Day (week) festivities. Lua spoke a few words and thanked us for our support.
Above: Springbrook LFP
Bob Zawilski was kind enough to send us some photos of the Springbrook Lakewood Free Pantry. He wants us to recognize some of the LFB stewards who live in the neighborhoods and do a lot to keep these pantries looking good and generally take care of those less fortunate. Here we feature Dianne Carroll.
Above: Dianne Carroll
Fines included the following; Jim Bisceglia gave a tribute to his wife for (I think) living with him – it cost him $100. Carl Bronkema paid $20 for his company’s accomplishments. Angela Connelly paid $100 for an upcoming trip with husband Jack to West Point to celebrate a stepping stone graduation for their son who is attending the Academy. Wynn Hoffman paid $100 for his birthday and for an upcoming visit from his two granddaughters. John Lowney is turning 70 but feels 50; ergo he chipped in $50 for PJW’s fine fund. Terry Roarke paid $85 for being 85. PJW called out Bill Potter and announced that Bill is our area’s new Assistant Governor. Bill ponied up $100. (Congratulations Bill and thank you for your contributions to Rotary). Jim Weinand paid for his birthday and a trip to Hawaii - $100. Past President Mark Edgecomb added $20 in honor of Mr. Potter’s new post. Not to be outdone, Past District Governor Greg Horn did the same thing - $20.
Exercise makes you look better naked.
So does tequila. Your choice.
Program: The Rule of Law in Emerging and Aspiring Democracies.
Anne Enquist introduced Judge Jack Nevin (retired).
Above: Judge and Brigadier General Jack Nevin
Jack Nevin is a lawyer, Washington Superior Court judge in Pierce County, Washington, and a visiting professor at Seattle University's School of Law. He was formerly a military lawyer. He is currently a brigadier general in the United States Army Reserves. He is the chief judge of the United States Army Court of Criminal Appeals. Nevin has helped newly formed countries set out their own rules for their judiciaries.
Nevin was chosen by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association to be Washington State's Judge of the Year in 2003. Judge Nevin has a Bachelor’s Degree from WSU, an MBA and JD degree from Gonzaga and has graduated from the Army and Air War College.
Our speaker began his presentation by giving us some background on the rule of law:
Rule of Law – “The restriction of the arbitrary exercise of power by subordinating it to well defined and established laws”
Judge Nevin used a quote from General and then President Dwight Eisenhower to bring home the importance of the rule of law. “The clearest way to show what the rule of law is, is to recall what has happened when there is no rule of law”. He explained that the rule of law (ROL) does not go hand in hand with democracy and that there are two prongs to it – creating institutions and legal codes. Judge Nevin also made it clear that institutions and leaders need to be trusted for this to work. ROL provides the foundation for a free society to believe in an orderly, non-violent means to resolve disputes.
In order to establish ROL in emerging democracies it is necessary to reform institutions, re-write laws, upgrade the legal profession and increase legal access and advocacy.
Judge Nevin stated that the track record for democracies in emerging nations carries an underappreciation for the complexity of the task. He found that working with the norm became subordinate to the creation of structures, institutions and the so called “modernization” of legal codes.
Our speaker closed with a summation of what happens in the absence of ROL: national security suffers, there is a lack of political unity (our enemies love it when we aren’t unified), there is violence in the transfer of power and more reliance on the military.
Judge Nevin then took a couple of questions.
President Jason closed the meeting.
Then there was the raffle ($385) but I didn’t catch who won the drawing but I believe the winner got $5 for their efforts. (Can I get fired for this??)(Yes, you can definitely be fired for this, because the winner was this Editor, who only broke even, as he bought three tickets!)
Next week we have Justice Yu from the WA Supreme Court speaking on the call to eradicate racism.
For those of you who thought I forgot my usual….On this Day in History, … here it is:
Dateline London, August 5th 1305 – William Wallace Executed
1583 - Humphrey Gilbert claims Newfoundland for the British crown, the first English colony in North America and the beginning of the British Empire
1846 - Oregon territory divided between US & Britain at 49th parallel
1861 - President Lincoln signs the first US personal Income Tax into law (3% of incomes over $800)
1884 – Cornerstone for Statue of Liberty laid on Bedloe’s Island (NYC)
1914 - 1st electric traffic light installed in the USA on the corner of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio
1924 – “Little Orphan Annie" comic strip by Harold Gray is 1st published in the New York Daily News
1936 – Jesse Owens wins 200 meter in world record time at the Berlin Olympics (his 3rd Gold Medal)
1957 - "American Bandstand" premieres on network TV (ABC)
1967 - Bobby Gentry releases her only hit "Ode to Billy Joe"
1981 – President Ronald Reagen fires 11,500 striking air traffic controllers
2006 – Warren Moon becomes the first black quarterback to be inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Upcoming LR events:
8/20-21 The Courage
9/1 Rotary Golf at Oakbrook
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Angela Connelly introduced us to Heather Salvador (a contributor to the book “The Crowded Table”). PP Jim Rooks introduced Josh Nelms and Utomy McLamb. Greg Rediske introduced the aforementioned Ralph Lockhart. Ralph was a Lakewood Rotarian for 35 years and then became the charter President of the East Grays Harbor Rotary Club. Steve Mazoff announced his wife – Ellen. PJW brought our attention to his guests – daughters Olivia and Allison. Veronica Bronkema introduced her guest Yorleny _____, who is slated for membership in Rotary.
PJW the acknowledged the Puffins.
I’m too cheap to buy an Ancestry DNA kit to learn about my relatives. Instead, I posted on Facebook that I won the lottery. That should do it!
Eric Warn was then called upon to give us a health and wellness report. Eric immediately passed the mic to Chuck Hellar to give us an update on Gordy Quick. Gordy is having serious back problems. He had a 3-hour operation on his back and is fighting an infection. Mr. Hellar played the role of Gordy and, in keeping with this annual rite, passed along a zucchini to PJW. Evidently even painful, sore backs won’t stop Gordy’s zukes.
When algebra teachers retire, how do they deal with the aftermath?
Bob Martin was tasked with announcing club and wedding anniversaries – this took up most of the meeting, as there are 14 member anniversaries and 23 (yes 23) wedding anniversaries in the club during August.. NOTE: I haven’t mentioned birthdays yet!
Member anniversary highlights:
Ralph Johnson with 60 and Bob Cammarano with 68 years in Rotary!
Wedding Anniversary highlights (those pikers with less than 50 years not highlighted here):
Bob Zawilski – Marilyn (53)
Paul Wulfestieg – Becky (54)
Chuck Hellar – Sue (55)
Bill Price – Pat (57)
Pat Price – Bill (57)
Gary Fulton – Sheri (58)
Bob Peterson – Robyn (61)
Gordy Quick – Juanita – (70)
Member Birthdays:
Wynn Hoffman, Morris Northcutt, Carole Wier, John Magnuson, Wendy McGowan, John Lowney and Terry Roarke.
PJW called for announcements and the EIC (editor in charge) of the Lakewood Key, Joe Quinn Esq, took the mic to let us know that there is a golf event at Oakbrook Golf Course on Sept 1. You can golf (for $69 plus tax with a cart) and you can dine (for $40 per head) or you can do both (add the two prices together). Play nine or eighteen holes. Contact Quinn to sign up and you can pay him too.
Hello? Is this the newspaper? You published my obituary today!
We did? Uh, um...where are you calling from?
Greg Horn – with coaching from wife Mary-- announced that there were 200 home brewers and 60 Rotarians at Beerstock. Live music and lots of fun, not to mention beer. The event raised over $2,000 for the Rotary Foundation. With matching money from the Gates Foundation and RI, that will mean $8000 for eradication of polio.
John Lowney presented an $8,000 check from our Club to Ellen Mazoff for her to pass on to Partners in Rotary as we continue to support their efforts.
PJW thanked Greg and Mary Horn for their efforts in procuring a vehicle for our adopted family. He also recognized Lakewood Rotarian Lua Prichard for her “Hero Award” for her great work on her Asia Pacific Cultural Center Samoa Cultural Day (week) festivities. Lua spoke a few words and thanked us for our support.
Above: Springbrook LFP
Bob Zawilski was kind enough to send us some photos of the Springbrook Lakewood Free Pantry. He wants us to recognize some of the LFB stewards who live in the neighborhoods and do a lot to keep these pantries looking good and generally take care of those less fortunate. Here we feature Dianne Carroll.
Above: Dianne Carroll
Fines included the following; Jim Bisceglia gave a tribute to his wife for (I think) living with him – it cost him $100. Carl Bronkema paid $20 for his company’s accomplishments. Angela Connelly paid $100 for an upcoming trip with husband Jack to West Point to celebrate a stepping stone graduation for their son who is attending the Academy. Wynn Hoffman paid $100 for his birthday and for an upcoming visit from his two granddaughters. John Lowney is turning 70 but feels 50; ergo he chipped in $50 for PJW’s fine fund. Terry Roarke paid $85 for being 85. PJW called out Bill Potter and announced that Bill is our area’s new Assistant Governor. Bill ponied up $100. (Congratulations Bill and thank you for your contributions to Rotary). Jim Weinand paid for his birthday and a trip to Hawaii - $100. Past President Mark Edgecomb added $20 in honor of Mr. Potter’s new post. Not to be outdone, Past District Governor Greg Horn did the same thing - $20.
Exercise makes you look better naked.
So does tequila. Your choice.
Program: The Rule of Law in Emerging and Aspiring Democracies.
Anne Enquist introduced Judge Jack Nevin (retired).
Above: Judge and Brigadier General Jack Nevin
Jack Nevin is a lawyer, Washington Superior Court judge in Pierce County, Washington, and a visiting professor at Seattle University's School of Law. He was formerly a military lawyer. He is currently a brigadier general in the United States Army Reserves. He is the chief judge of the United States Army Court of Criminal Appeals. Nevin has helped newly formed countries set out their own rules for their judiciaries.
Nevin was chosen by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association to be Washington State's Judge of the Year in 2003. Judge Nevin has a Bachelor’s Degree from WSU, an MBA and JD degree from Gonzaga and has graduated from the Army and Air War College.
Our speaker began his presentation by giving us some background on the rule of law:
Rule of Law – “The restriction of the arbitrary exercise of power by subordinating it to well defined and established laws”
Judge Nevin used a quote from General and then President Dwight Eisenhower to bring home the importance of the rule of law. “The clearest way to show what the rule of law is, is to recall what has happened when there is no rule of law”. He explained that the rule of law (ROL) does not go hand in hand with democracy and that there are two prongs to it – creating institutions and legal codes. Judge Nevin also made it clear that institutions and leaders need to be trusted for this to work. ROL provides the foundation for a free society to believe in an orderly, non-violent means to resolve disputes.
In order to establish ROL in emerging democracies it is necessary to reform institutions, re-write laws, upgrade the legal profession and increase legal access and advocacy.
Judge Nevin stated that the track record for democracies in emerging nations carries an underappreciation for the complexity of the task. He found that working with the norm became subordinate to the creation of structures, institutions and the so called “modernization” of legal codes.
Our speaker closed with a summation of what happens in the absence of ROL: national security suffers, there is a lack of political unity (our enemies love it when we aren’t unified), there is violence in the transfer of power and more reliance on the military.
Judge Nevin then took a couple of questions.
President Jason closed the meeting.
Then there was the raffle ($385) but I didn’t catch who won the drawing but I believe the winner got $5 for their efforts. (Can I get fired for this??)(Yes, you can definitely be fired for this, because the winner was this Editor, who only broke even, as he bought three tickets!)
Next week we have Justice Yu from the WA Supreme Court speaking on the call to eradicate racism.
For those of you who thought I forgot my usual….On this Day in History, … here it is:
Dateline London, August 5th 1305 – William Wallace Executed
1583 - Humphrey Gilbert claims Newfoundland for the British crown, the first English colony in North America and the beginning of the British Empire
1846 - Oregon territory divided between US & Britain at 49th parallel
1861 - President Lincoln signs the first US personal Income Tax into law (3% of incomes over $800)
1884 – Cornerstone for Statue of Liberty laid on Bedloe’s Island (NYC)
1914 - 1st electric traffic light installed in the USA on the corner of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio
1924 – “Little Orphan Annie" comic strip by Harold Gray is 1st published in the New York Daily News
1936 – Jesse Owens wins 200 meter in world record time at the Berlin Olympics (his 3rd Gold Medal)
1957 - "American Bandstand" premieres on network TV (ABC)
1967 - Bobby Gentry releases her only hit "Ode to Billy Joe"
1981 – President Ronald Reagen fires 11,500 striking air traffic controllers
2006 – Warren Moon becomes the first black quarterback to be inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Upcoming LR events:
8/20-21 The Courage
9/1 Rotary Golf at Oakbrook
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Read MoreShare
Keeping it Potable
Sunday, July 31, 2022 By: Eric T QuinnKeeping it Potable
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
President Jason Whalen (“Aloha Man” or “AM” for short) rang the meeting to order at 12:30 PM. AM had just gotten out of court but was able to transition quickly to his Hawaiian shirt. Tom George provided our Rotary Moment, which was briefly interrupted by Carole Wier having no sound on Zoom. Tom reminded us to follow the Four Way Test and to consider how small we are in this infinite universe. The Pledge was led by Joe Quinn.
Herein and bolded are seven quotes that indicate why “water is life” according to the Canadian Federation:
“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” — Loren Eiseley
The setup crew was Tom George, James Osundwa, and Rob Erb, who were greatly assisted by Bob Martin and the Seldens, especially Gayle who ran the sound system—for which she has no problem expressing her disdain. Kendra Riconosciuto hosted Zoom. Bob Martin was Sergeant at Arms and manned the Foundation Desk with Eric Warn. Barlow Buscher ran the $2 raffle table. Greg Rediske collected fines. Eric Quinn drafted this bulletin. Phil Eng snapped photographs.
“Water is the driving force of all nature.” — Leonardo da Vinci
We had one visiting Rotarian: Randy Black from Clover Park, who was also our presenter. We had one guest, Yorleny Clapper, hosted by Mary Marlin. Yorleny may be a member of the Club very soon. There were no Puffins in attendance and AM held up a lonely puffin stuffed animal.
As for Health and Wellness, Eric Warn—who was also a greeter for the meeting—reported that Gordon Quick is still having back problems.
“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.” — Lao Tzu
Then Aloha Man asked for announcements:
Greg and Mary Horn reminded us that Beerstock is taking place today as this is written, July 30. There are over 200 different beers on tap—and Greg Horn will take a small sip of each. Tickets are $40 ($35 of which goes to Paul Harris, and to your credit) and there are matching grants being provided by RI. Beerstock is taking place between 2 and 6 PM, so you might be late or truant already. Mary reported that there would be fire dancers at night and music all day.
Above: Bob Martin, the cowboy (photo by Phil Eng)
Bob Martin, playing a German-Hawaiian Cowboy, reported on Youth Exchange. Our incoming Danish student, Hans Bruun, will be arriving on approximately August 12. Mike and Paula Murtha have graciously agreed to be our first host family. We need two more host families! Hans will be attending Lakes High School.
“We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.” — Jacques Yves Cousteau
Phil Eng reported on Fellowship. August 15-19 will be the Picnic Dinners. There are plenty of hosts but we need more guests. Contact Kendra Riconosciuto about that. The Roadster Romp is taking place Sun-Tues, September 11-13. There are approximately eight days left to register and only one cabin left. . Phil is looking for other suggestions for Fellowship opportunities. Monday Night Football is in the works.
Joe Quinn announced that the Oakbrook Golf event will be taking place on September 1, instead of August 25th due to a big tournament there on 8/25. We will tee off about 12:30 to 1:00 p.m and have dinner at about 5:30 p.m. Nine hole players can tee off about 3:30. Open to non-golfers too, the buffet dinner will cost $30 plus tax and gratuity. Notify Joe Quinn if you want to play and/or eat. Quinn will collect your food money (but not golf or cart money, which goes directly to pro shop) and give the Adriatic Grill one check for all diners. Fantastic prizes.
Above: A glimpse of the prizes
Fines: Bob Peterson donated $61 for 61 years of wedded bliss to Robyn. Gayle Selden was so enamored with the amazing work done by the Five Rotarians who Ran her Yard—a popular yearly Auction Item—that she paid an additional $100 fine. She proclaimed that “my yard has never looked so good in all my life.” Don Anderson paid a fine so Aloha Man would pay a fine.
“In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans.” — Kahlil Gibran
THE PROGRAM:
Aloha Man turned the ship toward our presenters, Randy Black and Marshall Meyer from the Lakewood Water District (LWD). Randy thanked the “second best Rotary club” in Lakewood for inviting him. He stated that water demand is the “biggest deal” for the LWD. Water is “all over the news” said Randy. One item for clarification early on: LWD provides water by retail, to the ratepayers within its jurisdiction, and also provides water by wholesale to neighboring cities like Steilacoom and other water purveyors. The usage of water in the LWD’s wholesale areas is “way down.” Randy discussed polyfluoroalkyl substances—PFAS for short—and how those have reached minimal (but problematic) levels in LWD’s water supply. However, there continue to be some issues with communicating whether PFAS may or may not be leaking into LWD-administered aquifers from JBLM. PFAS dissipates over time, but was once used in great volume by fire departments in their firefighting foam, which led to its seepage into local water systems across the nation.
“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.” — Isak Dinesen
Randy and Marshall also discussed infrastructure changes that are happening at LWD, including the addition of monitors of earthquake activity—we need water in those wells and what if an earthquake happens?! Marshall delved into the “meat and potatoes” of LWD and reminded us that LWD is only focused on providing drinking water and therefore does not manage wastewater or stormwater. Lakewood is entirely groundwater-fed. There are four different aquifers within LWD, creatively named A, C, E and G.
Of note is that the three LWD commissioners are all Lakewood Rotarians: Greg Rediske, John Korsmo and Gary Barton. Way to represent Lakewood Rotary, fellas!
“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” — W. H. Auden
Randy and Marshall opened it up for questions. Joe Quinn indicated that his fire-department clients stopped using PFAS foam for firefighting decades ago. Fire Chief Jim Sharp affirmed that West Pierce Fire and Rescue has not used PFAS in over 30 years. PFAS foam was discovered in Clover Creek in addition to LWD wells. Greg Horn made a comment regarding little “icebergs” he saw floating in Lake Steilacoom and inquired as to whether that might be PFAS. Randy and Marshall gave no comment on that. Mark Edgecomb wondered who takes precedence in terms of water supply/payment for that water between retail and wholesale clients. Randy answered that they are treated equally. Ron Irwin mentioned that he was the one that took the pictures of the PFAS cloud on Clover Creek, that was shown in the LWD photos.
Above: Our Presenters (photo by Phil Eng).
Thank you to Randy and Marshall for the thorough and interesting presentation. You can learn more about the LWD here: https://www.lakewoodwater.org/
Who Won the Drawing? Someone won, but only $5.
Upcoming LR events:
8/20-21 The Courage
9/1 Rotary Golf at Oakbrook
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
“Water is the driving force of all nature.” — Leonardo da Vinci
We had one visiting Rotarian: Randy Black from Clover Park, who was also our presenter. We had one guest, Yorleny Clapper, hosted by Mary Marlin. Yorleny may be a member of the Club very soon. There were no Puffins in attendance and AM held up a lonely puffin stuffed animal.
As for Health and Wellness, Eric Warn—who was also a greeter for the meeting—reported that Gordon Quick is still having back problems.
“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.” — Lao Tzu
Then Aloha Man asked for announcements:
Greg and Mary Horn reminded us that Beerstock is taking place today as this is written, July 30. There are over 200 different beers on tap—and Greg Horn will take a small sip of each. Tickets are $40 ($35 of which goes to Paul Harris, and to your credit) and there are matching grants being provided by RI. Beerstock is taking place between 2 and 6 PM, so you might be late or truant already. Mary reported that there would be fire dancers at night and music all day.
Above: Bob Martin, the cowboy (photo by Phil Eng)
Bob Martin, playing a German-Hawaiian Cowboy, reported on Youth Exchange. Our incoming Danish student, Hans Bruun, will be arriving on approximately August 12. Mike and Paula Murtha have graciously agreed to be our first host family. We need two more host families! Hans will be attending Lakes High School.
“We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.” — Jacques Yves Cousteau
Phil Eng reported on Fellowship. August 15-19 will be the Picnic Dinners. There are plenty of hosts but we need more guests. Contact Kendra Riconosciuto about that. The Roadster Romp is taking place Sun-Tues, September 11-13. There are approximately eight days left to register and only one cabin left. . Phil is looking for other suggestions for Fellowship opportunities. Monday Night Football is in the works.
Joe Quinn announced that the Oakbrook Golf event will be taking place on September 1, instead of August 25th due to a big tournament there on 8/25. We will tee off about 12:30 to 1:00 p.m and have dinner at about 5:30 p.m. Nine hole players can tee off about 3:30. Open to non-golfers too, the buffet dinner will cost $30 plus tax and gratuity. Notify Joe Quinn if you want to play and/or eat. Quinn will collect your food money (but not golf or cart money, which goes directly to pro shop) and give the Adriatic Grill one check for all diners. Fantastic prizes.
Above: A glimpse of the prizes
Fines: Bob Peterson donated $61 for 61 years of wedded bliss to Robyn. Gayle Selden was so enamored with the amazing work done by the Five Rotarians who Ran her Yard—a popular yearly Auction Item—that she paid an additional $100 fine. She proclaimed that “my yard has never looked so good in all my life.” Don Anderson paid a fine so Aloha Man would pay a fine.
“In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans.” — Kahlil Gibran
THE PROGRAM:
Aloha Man turned the ship toward our presenters, Randy Black and Marshall Meyer from the Lakewood Water District (LWD). Randy thanked the “second best Rotary club” in Lakewood for inviting him. He stated that water demand is the “biggest deal” for the LWD. Water is “all over the news” said Randy. One item for clarification early on: LWD provides water by retail, to the ratepayers within its jurisdiction, and also provides water by wholesale to neighboring cities like Steilacoom and other water purveyors. The usage of water in the LWD’s wholesale areas is “way down.” Randy discussed polyfluoroalkyl substances—PFAS for short—and how those have reached minimal (but problematic) levels in LWD’s water supply. However, there continue to be some issues with communicating whether PFAS may or may not be leaking into LWD-administered aquifers from JBLM. PFAS dissipates over time, but was once used in great volume by fire departments in their firefighting foam, which led to its seepage into local water systems across the nation.
“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.” — Isak Dinesen
Randy and Marshall also discussed infrastructure changes that are happening at LWD, including the addition of monitors of earthquake activity—we need water in those wells and what if an earthquake happens?! Marshall delved into the “meat and potatoes” of LWD and reminded us that LWD is only focused on providing drinking water and therefore does not manage wastewater or stormwater. Lakewood is entirely groundwater-fed. There are four different aquifers within LWD, creatively named A, C, E and G.
Of note is that the three LWD commissioners are all Lakewood Rotarians: Greg Rediske, John Korsmo and Gary Barton. Way to represent Lakewood Rotary, fellas!
“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” — W. H. Auden
Randy and Marshall opened it up for questions. Joe Quinn indicated that his fire-department clients stopped using PFAS foam for firefighting decades ago. Fire Chief Jim Sharp affirmed that West Pierce Fire and Rescue has not used PFAS in over 30 years. PFAS foam was discovered in Clover Creek in addition to LWD wells. Greg Horn made a comment regarding little “icebergs” he saw floating in Lake Steilacoom and inquired as to whether that might be PFAS. Randy and Marshall gave no comment on that. Mark Edgecomb wondered who takes precedence in terms of water supply/payment for that water between retail and wholesale clients. Randy answered that they are treated equally. Ron Irwin mentioned that he was the one that took the pictures of the PFAS cloud on Clover Creek, that was shown in the LWD photos.
Above: Our Presenters (photo by Phil Eng).
Thank you to Randy and Marshall for the thorough and interesting presentation. You can learn more about the LWD here: https://www.lakewoodwater.org/
Who Won the Drawing? Someone won, but only $5.
Upcoming LR events:
8/20-21 The Courage
9/1 Rotary Golf at Oakbrook
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Read MoreShare
Pearls of Wisdom
Sunday, July 24, 2022 By: Gregory J. RediskePearls of Wisdom
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
There are three purposes to journalism: “To serve as a watchdog over those in power. To convey a sense of wisdom or context to current events. To set the tone for public discourse.” Let us assume for the moment that this Lakewood Rotary bulletin serves the purposes of journalism. Admittedly, this is open to debate…..but assuming we have aspirations of good journalism, it behooves this week’s writer to point out a critical flaw of one in power while conveying wisdom upon our readers, which may of course set the tone for future discussion, aka discourse. Our fresh new President, recently installed and brimming with enthusiasm along with a talent for conk shell blowing, has taken to starting the meetings with a loud “Aloha!”. While not entirely incorrect, neither is this completely correct. Between 6 am and 10 am, the greeting should be “Aloha Kakahiaka”; between 10 and 2, “Aloha Awakea”; between 2 and 6, “Aloha Auinala”; and 6-10 pm, “Aloha Ahiahi.” So technically, President Jason should be greeting us with “Aloha Awakea”. Journalism at its finest. You’re welcome.
Who Did What:
Paul Harris Desk: Chuck Hellar (Last 4 weeks: $580, $335, $392, and today: $85 (?!?))
Ticket Sales: Terry Roarke
Moment of Reflection: Barlow Buescher (always superb, I must say; and in honor of Barlow, retired Presbyterian minister and student of all religions---What did the Buddhist say to the hot dog vendor? Answer: Make me one with everything.)
Pledge: Mike Zaro
Set up: Bob Martin, Rick Selden, James Osundwa, Rob Erb
Fine Registration: John Lowney
Photography: Phil Eng
Visiting Rotarian: From Crossroads: Amy Schmidt (I only heard Schmidt and Crossroads: didn’t observe properly like a good journalist should, so it could have been Geoff Schmidt…..)
Guests of Rotarians: Kevin, who sat by Lowney who subsequently handed him a new member form (he’s a past Rotarian); Steve and Martin, the latter a past Rotary 8 member, guests of Greg Horn; Mubina Rasa, a guest of James Osundwa.
Puffins in the house: Tony Camoroda (aka Assistant Governor), Ryan Kleynhans, Christian Tomlinson, Hank Kerns, Bob Martin, and Veronica Bronkema (via Zoom).
News from the Rotary Kingdom:
Eric Warn: Gordon Quick has a very bad back, possibly from a bacterial infection, requiring surgery. John Magnuson suggested that if Gordy were to pull his rarely-used wallet out of his pants now and then it might help his posture and thus his back.
(Junior Editor’s Note: Gordy has made it his mission to convey his tightness where money is concerned. Reality with his Rotary giving is quite different, but his well-designed image is more fun.)
David Swindale (Board member) : We need a webmaster for our Rotary site. Help!
Joe Quinn: Golf Tourney at Oakbrook/Adriatic Grill coming on Thursday, August 25; $56 for 18 holes now at Oakbrook, but that could change in August somewhat. Non-golfers welcome for dinner after. Those who want to dine “together” should probably try for a tee time around 1:00 p.m. Quinn will try to arrange tee times together in a tight grouping. If you’d like to play only nine holes, let Joe know that. If you’d like to play late (say a 3:00 p.m. start) let him know that too. We have 18 to 20 interested so let us know by email to strongman253@gmail.com ASAP if that date works for you and you want to play or just dine with the golfers afterwards. Sorry for those that said 8/25 does not work but there were other conflict dates too so 8/25 was least bad option. Trying to avoid a Friday golf outing this time as it pulls some away from Rotary meeting. We’ll have prizes for all and some very special awards (collectors’ items) for low gross and low net.
Roving Reporter News:
Mo Sarram recently sent a donation to the Lakewood Community Foundation Fund with this letter:
“Dear fellow Rotarians, Thank you all for your kind words and your birthday card. It is heart warming to remind ourselves that we have good people like you as our friends. Also thank you for Rotary donations to the fund in my name (for my 90th birthday). Times are tough, but we will survive by holding together. Best wishes, M.S.”
(Junior Editor’s note: this comment was hand-written on a prescription order from Mahmood Sarram, M.D., Obstetrician and Gynecologist. Which was printed with a 7-digit phone number (no area code). Waste not, want not!)
And more in honor of Barlow: The hot dog vendor prepares the hot dog and gives it to the monk. The monk pays him and asks for the change. The hot dog vendor says: "Change comes from within”.
Unsung Hero Award:
Jason heads this committee of one which will decide winners of the prestigious honor. This week, there are two awards: for their unflinching dedication to the pursuit of a good time for all members of the club, Jason bestowed the award on Judy Eng, Phil Eng, Rick Selden and Steve Mazoff for their efforts in making the Floating Board Meeting a fabulous event (70 attendees).
Above: A Floating Board pic thanks to Walt Richardson
And the second award went to Greg and Mary Horn, who facilitated the award of a refurbished 2010 Toyota Scion for the family adopted by the Horns and Rose Stevens (and assisted by many in the Club). They won the award of the car based on Mary Horn’s letter to Center Collision, who makes the annual donation. Jason remarked, “If we all do a little, we can accomplish a lot.”
Above: Mary and Greg Horn (file photo)
Fines: (Generous Giving is apparently no longer).
John Caulfield: Yes, the Mayor is aware when the City Manager leaves town. Trip to Cape Cod, $100
Kris Peterson: Long time, no see (or as the sailor who lost his watch at sea said, long sea, no time), $40
Troy Wilcox: Also said he missed us as he missed many meetings lately, $20.
Jim Rooks, wants Jason to beat his fine record, $100
Christian Tomlinson, new President of Rotaract. Rotary fine #1: $75
Ryan Kleynhans, forced support of Christian, $50
James Osundwa, Trip to Kenya with two small children (Shiru got Covid!), $56 (what he won in a golf tournament)
Andrew Neiditz, 1700 miles to Ashland, Sonoma, and places south. $20 (Did you know gas is expensive???)
Above: Paul Pastor, our Speaker
Program:
Introduction #1, Jason: Paul Pastor is a learned and well-read man, devouring newspapers and magazines constantly. And not only that, he has NEVER had a newspaper delivery problem!
Introduction #2: Andrew Neiditz recounted Paul’s 40 years in law enforcement and more than 20 as Pierce County Sheriff (the longest serving sheriff ever in Pierce County). He has numerous graduate degrees, including a PhD. Paul retired one and a half years ago, and is a long-time resident of Lakewood with wife Ann. Paul observed that he is flunking retirement, currently working with the FBI in the improvement of law enforcement leadership. Paul called out the soon-to-retire Mike Zaro for his ethical law enforcement these many years and congratulated all of us for being lucky enough to live in Lakewood.
5 Points to Consider:
Fascinating stuff. Thanks!
Above: Why does the Photographer never get his picture in the news? Because he is always on the other side of the camera. So the Editor decided to use this photo, probably shot by Tanya Richardson!
And finally: the drawing resulted eventually in Mark Edgecomb having #7927, a winner, but only of $5.00.
And the final finally:
On a Maternity Room door:
"Push. Push. Push."
At a Car Dealership:
"The best way to get back on your feet - miss a car payment.”
In a Veterinarian's waiting room:
"Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!”
At the Electric Company:
"We would be delighted if you send in your payment on time.
However, if you don't, YOU will be de-lighted.”
(See: Pearls of Wisdom from our Scribe and Secretary, Greg Rediske)
Upcoming LR events:
7/30 Pints for Polio (at Horns’ water ski lake near Orting)
Some time in August: A Walk at a great Pierce County location (secret) led by the Enquists and/or the Quinns
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Paul Harris Desk: Chuck Hellar (Last 4 weeks: $580, $335, $392, and today: $85 (?!?))
Ticket Sales: Terry Roarke
Moment of Reflection: Barlow Buescher (always superb, I must say; and in honor of Barlow, retired Presbyterian minister and student of all religions---What did the Buddhist say to the hot dog vendor? Answer: Make me one with everything.)
Pledge: Mike Zaro
Set up: Bob Martin, Rick Selden, James Osundwa, Rob Erb
Fine Registration: John Lowney
Photography: Phil Eng
Visiting Rotarian: From Crossroads: Amy Schmidt (I only heard Schmidt and Crossroads: didn’t observe properly like a good journalist should, so it could have been Geoff Schmidt…..)
Guests of Rotarians: Kevin, who sat by Lowney who subsequently handed him a new member form (he’s a past Rotarian); Steve and Martin, the latter a past Rotary 8 member, guests of Greg Horn; Mubina Rasa, a guest of James Osundwa.
Puffins in the house: Tony Camoroda (aka Assistant Governor), Ryan Kleynhans, Christian Tomlinson, Hank Kerns, Bob Martin, and Veronica Bronkema (via Zoom).
News from the Rotary Kingdom:
Eric Warn: Gordon Quick has a very bad back, possibly from a bacterial infection, requiring surgery. John Magnuson suggested that if Gordy were to pull his rarely-used wallet out of his pants now and then it might help his posture and thus his back.
(Junior Editor’s Note: Gordy has made it his mission to convey his tightness where money is concerned. Reality with his Rotary giving is quite different, but his well-designed image is more fun.)
David Swindale (Board member) : We need a webmaster for our Rotary site. Help!
Joe Quinn: Golf Tourney at Oakbrook/Adriatic Grill coming on Thursday, August 25; $56 for 18 holes now at Oakbrook, but that could change in August somewhat. Non-golfers welcome for dinner after. Those who want to dine “together” should probably try for a tee time around 1:00 p.m. Quinn will try to arrange tee times together in a tight grouping. If you’d like to play only nine holes, let Joe know that. If you’d like to play late (say a 3:00 p.m. start) let him know that too. We have 18 to 20 interested so let us know by email to strongman253@gmail.com ASAP if that date works for you and you want to play or just dine with the golfers afterwards. Sorry for those that said 8/25 does not work but there were other conflict dates too so 8/25 was least bad option. Trying to avoid a Friday golf outing this time as it pulls some away from Rotary meeting. We’ll have prizes for all and some very special awards (collectors’ items) for low gross and low net.
Roving Reporter News:
Mo Sarram recently sent a donation to the Lakewood Community Foundation Fund with this letter:
“Dear fellow Rotarians, Thank you all for your kind words and your birthday card. It is heart warming to remind ourselves that we have good people like you as our friends. Also thank you for Rotary donations to the fund in my name (for my 90th birthday). Times are tough, but we will survive by holding together. Best wishes, M.S.”
(Junior Editor’s note: this comment was hand-written on a prescription order from Mahmood Sarram, M.D., Obstetrician and Gynecologist. Which was printed with a 7-digit phone number (no area code). Waste not, want not!)
And more in honor of Barlow: The hot dog vendor prepares the hot dog and gives it to the monk. The monk pays him and asks for the change. The hot dog vendor says: "Change comes from within”.
Unsung Hero Award:
Jason heads this committee of one which will decide winners of the prestigious honor. This week, there are two awards: for their unflinching dedication to the pursuit of a good time for all members of the club, Jason bestowed the award on Judy Eng, Phil Eng, Rick Selden and Steve Mazoff for their efforts in making the Floating Board Meeting a fabulous event (70 attendees).
Above: A Floating Board pic thanks to Walt Richardson
And the second award went to Greg and Mary Horn, who facilitated the award of a refurbished 2010 Toyota Scion for the family adopted by the Horns and Rose Stevens (and assisted by many in the Club). They won the award of the car based on Mary Horn’s letter to Center Collision, who makes the annual donation. Jason remarked, “If we all do a little, we can accomplish a lot.”
Above: Mary and Greg Horn (file photo)
Fines: (Generous Giving is apparently no longer).
John Caulfield: Yes, the Mayor is aware when the City Manager leaves town. Trip to Cape Cod, $100
Kris Peterson: Long time, no see (or as the sailor who lost his watch at sea said, long sea, no time), $40
Troy Wilcox: Also said he missed us as he missed many meetings lately, $20.
Jim Rooks, wants Jason to beat his fine record, $100
Christian Tomlinson, new President of Rotaract. Rotary fine #1: $75
Ryan Kleynhans, forced support of Christian, $50
James Osundwa, Trip to Kenya with two small children (Shiru got Covid!), $56 (what he won in a golf tournament)
Andrew Neiditz, 1700 miles to Ashland, Sonoma, and places south. $20 (Did you know gas is expensive???)
Above: Paul Pastor, our Speaker
Program:
Introduction #1, Jason: Paul Pastor is a learned and well-read man, devouring newspapers and magazines constantly. And not only that, he has NEVER had a newspaper delivery problem!
Introduction #2: Andrew Neiditz recounted Paul’s 40 years in law enforcement and more than 20 as Pierce County Sheriff (the longest serving sheriff ever in Pierce County). He has numerous graduate degrees, including a PhD. Paul retired one and a half years ago, and is a long-time resident of Lakewood with wife Ann. Paul observed that he is flunking retirement, currently working with the FBI in the improvement of law enforcement leadership. Paul called out the soon-to-retire Mike Zaro for his ethical law enforcement these many years and congratulated all of us for being lucky enough to live in Lakewood.
5 Points to Consider:
- Policing is not as good as it needs to be, nor as bad as critics say it is.
- Police work is making complex ethical decisions on the fly under emotional circumstances.
- Police work is not as is portrayed on television and the movies or the news media. There are millions of regular, non-violent police interactions every day. Body cams are excellent, but the violence found on them sometimes is horrific, not sterilized as seen in the movies and on television.
- The United States has an unresolved racial divide. It is embarrassing, but it is a human disorder worldwide. There is racism in the police, just as in business, education, government, etc. It remains a work in progress.
- Our citizenship is what we make of it. Policing works best when there is co-responsibility by citizens for interactions.
- Defining of deviancy is down in the U.S.; personal responsibility is downplayed.
- Funding. Short term threat can result in long term misery. Paul expressed some mea culpa for his decisions in the Covid time: Covid was the #1 cause of death in law enforcement during this period, but a better plan of dealing with a pandemic is necessary to avoid the shut down of the courts and jails. It was a perfect storm, and the results were unfortunate.
- Reforms. Recent so-called reforms have been poorly thought out. Law enforcement management should have been included more.
- Law enforcement must examine itself. Is it accomplishing its vision and mission? Ethical standards must be reaffirmed.
Fascinating stuff. Thanks!
Above: Why does the Photographer never get his picture in the news? Because he is always on the other side of the camera. So the Editor decided to use this photo, probably shot by Tanya Richardson!
And finally: the drawing resulted eventually in Mark Edgecomb having #7927, a winner, but only of $5.00.
And the final finally:
On a Maternity Room door:
"Push. Push. Push."
At a Car Dealership:
"The best way to get back on your feet - miss a car payment.”
In a Veterinarian's waiting room:
"Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!”
At the Electric Company:
"We would be delighted if you send in your payment on time.
However, if you don't, YOU will be de-lighted.”
(See: Pearls of Wisdom from our Scribe and Secretary, Greg Rediske)
Upcoming LR events:
7/30 Pints for Polio (at Horns’ water ski lake near Orting)
Some time in August: A Walk at a great Pierce County location (secret) led by the Enquists and/or the Quinns
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Read MoreShare
Groan!
Sunday, July 17, 2022 By: Wendy Jo McGowanAbove: Non-Rotarian of the Year, Martin Olmos, “borrowed” from West Pierce Fire & Rescue Facebook Page, with President Jason and Fire Chief Jim Sharp
Get Ready to GROAN!
by Wendy McGowan
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
The Gong is Gone! In its place, an enormous conch shell, makes me sit up and take notice that Jason Whalen (bedecked in his flowered garb) is now at the helm.
He welcomed us all and invited Clint Johnson to give the invocation. Jason then asked Don Daniels to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
President Whalen recognized the Set-Up Crew, who each worked to make this meeting happen, and this week consisted of Rob Erb, Bob Martin, Rick Selden and Kendra Riconosciuto. Gayle Selden hosted the Zoomers.
Recorder of fines, our astute treasurer John Lowney, was acknowledged on Zoom. Treasurer Lowney asked, “Why is money called dough?” Answering his own question, he stated, “Because you knead it!” GROAN!!!
Jan Gee filled in for Sergeant at arms and did double duty at the $2 Table. The Foundation Desk was manned by Chuck Hellar. Walt Richardson, our photographer-of-the-day, queried: “How does a photographer get his subjects to smile?” Simply, “He asks them to ‘say cheese.’” GROAN!!!!!
A long list of visiting Rotarians and guests of Rotarians ensued: Becky from Clover Park Rotary, Judy H., Jim U., realtor Yorleny Clapper, and Dick Muri (today’s speaker). Pat Price once again was a guest, helping her husband and member Bill Price and also introducing Harry Cartwright--Bill Price’s 94- year-old uncle. Last-but-not-least Kendra Riconosciuto’s children, Amelia and Sawyer. I apologize for my lack of names and details. For sure, I will not sit in front of the “loud” speaker again.
(Suggestion: All Visiting Rotarians should sign in and the bulletin writer should be provided with the list. As for Guests, maybe those introducing guests could provide a slip of paper to the bull writer, with the name fully spelled. That might help. Or not. The Editor.)
Christian Tomlinson was also recognized as the newly-elected Rotaract chairman.
Announcements were next on the agenda. Rick Selden reminded us that the Floating Board Meeting is this coming Thursday at Holly Hedge. The cost is $20.00. Steaks butchered by John Lowney, yummy side dishes, plenty of wine and boat cruises around Lake Steilacoom will be enjoyed by all. Starts at 4:00 p.m. with dinner served at 6:00 p.m. (or so).
Greg Horn encouraged us to attend a surprise presentation to the family that Mary Horn and Rose Stevens have been helping for the last three years. It is (was) being held at Center Collision at 1111 Center Street in Tacoma on Saturday, July 16th. Mary and Rose entered the family, whose car died-- leaving them with no transportation, in a contest to win a free vehicle. Mary sent out an email earlier this week saying that the family is one of the three finalists. It seems that the owners of Center Collision, Kevin and Debbie House, give away a car every year.
Susan Warner, of Lakewold Gardens, alerted us that Lakewold’s Annual Summer Party is going to be on Sunday, July 24. The details and an entry form were on each table today. Dance instructors will be demonstrating during the event and guests will enjoy dancing into the evening.
Above: Mark Edgecomb gets fined
Fines and Generous Giving followed the many announcements. I didn’t capture all of them, but here is a sample: Don Anderson gave his grandkids a boat and for that he offered $100. Don also donated another $100 now that he is a “past Mayor”. Next, Greg Horn offered $50 for his 1/2-year birthday. Not to be outdone, Past-president, Jim Rooks gave up a twenty dollar bill just for standing up and talking. Another PP, Mark Edgecomb, added another $20 to the pot now that the kids are out of the house. And, Don Daniels offered $50 for a trip to San Diego and a wedding anniversary and an additional $50 to the Paul Harris Foundation.
Above; Dick Muri groaning
Greg Horn held the honor of introducing our speaker, Dick Muri, Mayor of Steilacoom. Muri’s resume is lengthy and impressive. Most of his time on the podium was dedicated to his knowledge of electric/battery-operated cars. He proposed the 12 most-frequently asked questions about such vehicles and answered each in detail. Here are a couple that intrigued me:
Why should we convert from fossil fuel vehicles to electric vehicles? Dick’s answer: It’s not about Climate Change. It’s about fossil fuels being rapidly consumed. It is important for the United States to remain energy independent. We already import oil at a cost of $7 million each day.
Don’t these vehicle batteries often catch fire and cannot be put out? The truth is, according to Mr. Muri, more than 800 United States citizens die from fires in gasoline-operated cars every year. Zero United States citizens die from battery-operated cars in a year.
There were several other positive reasons that Dick gave for buying an all-electric automobile: They are very safe, built much heavier, have a very low maintenance cost and they are never stolen! So many questions ensued from the audience that Mr. Muri had but five minutes to talk about “the-state-of-the-town” of Steilacoom.
Following Dick Muri, the weekly drawing was held. There were two winners this week: Barb Spriggs drew a $5 chip (AGAIN) and Greg Rediske was the winner to be a guest at the July 24th Lakewold Summer Party.
Above: Two drawing winners
“Why did the bulletin writer use so much graph paper, instead of the usual ruled paper?” Answering immediately, she said, “Because she was always plotting something.” GROAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wendy
Upcoming LR events:
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic) 4:00 p.m. start, dinner about 6:00 p.m.
7/30 Pints for Polio (at Horns’ water ski lake near Orting)
Some time in August: A Walk on the Chambers Creek trails led by the Enquists
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Nominations for Larry Saunders Community Service Award 2022:
Nominations should be sent to Greg Rediske at: gnsrediske@msn.com
OR mailed to PO Box 39578, Lakewood, WA 98496
Past winners include: Diane Formoso, Alan Billingsley, Selden Family, and Lakewood Rotary!
Page 1 of 3
2022 Nomination Form Larry Saunders Service Award
The City of Lakewood, in partnership with Lakewood Community Foundation Fund (LCFF), is accepting nominations for the
2022 LARRY SAUNDERS SERVICE AWARD
to honor a citizen or organization for extraordinary service to community.
PLEASE COMPLETE, scan or copy and return this Nomination Form (or a facsimile), noting any addition or attachment, TO:
gnsrediske@msn.com
Or mail to: PO Box 39578, Lakewood, WA 98496
to arrive before the DEADLINE: 5:00 PM, FRIDAY, SEP 23, 2022.
NOMINEE
FULL NAME ______________________________________________________
(Person or Organization proposed for special recognition)
ADDRESS _______________________________________________________
(Mailing address)
CONTACT _______________________________________________________
(Phone & email address)
NOMINATOR
FULL NAME ______________________________________________________
(Person making nomination)
ADDRESS _______________________________________________________
(Mailing address)
CONTACT _______________________________________________________
(Phone & email address)
RELATIONSHIP TO NOMINEE: ______________________________________
______________________ ________________________
PLEASE SIGN AND CONFIRM DATE SUBMITTED
DEADLINE FOR NOMINATION IS SEPTEMBER 23, 2022
Page 2 of 3
2022 Nomination Form Larry Saunders Service Award
NARRATIVE - TELL US WHY YOU BELIEVE THE SERVICE OF YOUR NOMINEE IS SPECIAL AND DESERVING OF COMMUNITY RECOGNITION:
(Please limit your nomination narrative to 300 words on one page)
You may attach additional information/image if deemed essential to support or complement your NARRATIVE.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
DEADLINE FOR NOMINATION IS SEPTEMBER 23, 2022
Page 3 of 3
2022 Nomination Form Larry Saunders Service Award
The Service Award will be presented at City Hall in January, 2023, together with a Special Grant to a qualified (not-for-profit) organization selected by the Award recipient, also present to receive the Special Grant (#1).
Please provide name and contact information for the qualified Lakewood organization designated to receive the Award's associated Special Grant:
ORGANIZATION __________________________________________________
(Name of qualified organization for the separate Award Grant)
ADDRESS _______________________________________________________
(Mailing address)
QUALIFYING REFERENCE _________________________________________
(EIN or IRS Letter of Determination) (#2)
CONTACT _______________________ ______________________________
(Name) (phone & email address)
COORDINATION Approval and Presentation of the LARRY SAUNDERS SERVICE AWARD is predicated upon reasonable expectation that parties involved will attend and participate, or be represented, at the City Council meeting indicated (above). For purposes of agenda and preparation, related information will be confirmed during the preceding month. It shall be assumed that all parties concerned will be available and respond to timely notice (#2).
ADDITIONAL INFO Please limit attachment(s) to information deemed essential to support the nomination (historical record, news, document, or photo/image useful to fair determination for the Service Award (#3).
THANK YOU For taking the time to help MAKE A DIFFERENCE for Lakewood.
NOTES:
#1. Service Award winner and Special Grant recipient must agree to participate as noted above.
#2. Grant Awardee must be an established 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to provision of a public service and/or benefit within City of Lakewood.
#3. All supplemental materials provided will become part of the Application and may not be returned without specific request.
DEADLINE FOR NOMINATION IS SEPTEMBER 23, 2022
He welcomed us all and invited Clint Johnson to give the invocation. Jason then asked Don Daniels to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
President Whalen recognized the Set-Up Crew, who each worked to make this meeting happen, and this week consisted of Rob Erb, Bob Martin, Rick Selden and Kendra Riconosciuto. Gayle Selden hosted the Zoomers.
Recorder of fines, our astute treasurer John Lowney, was acknowledged on Zoom. Treasurer Lowney asked, “Why is money called dough?” Answering his own question, he stated, “Because you knead it!” GROAN!!!
Jan Gee filled in for Sergeant at arms and did double duty at the $2 Table. The Foundation Desk was manned by Chuck Hellar. Walt Richardson, our photographer-of-the-day, queried: “How does a photographer get his subjects to smile?” Simply, “He asks them to ‘say cheese.’” GROAN!!!!!
A long list of visiting Rotarians and guests of Rotarians ensued: Becky from Clover Park Rotary, Judy H., Jim U., realtor Yorleny Clapper, and Dick Muri (today’s speaker). Pat Price once again was a guest, helping her husband and member Bill Price and also introducing Harry Cartwright--Bill Price’s 94- year-old uncle. Last-but-not-least Kendra Riconosciuto’s children, Amelia and Sawyer. I apologize for my lack of names and details. For sure, I will not sit in front of the “loud” speaker again.
(Suggestion: All Visiting Rotarians should sign in and the bulletin writer should be provided with the list. As for Guests, maybe those introducing guests could provide a slip of paper to the bull writer, with the name fully spelled. That might help. Or not. The Editor.)
Christian Tomlinson was also recognized as the newly-elected Rotaract chairman.
Announcements were next on the agenda. Rick Selden reminded us that the Floating Board Meeting is this coming Thursday at Holly Hedge. The cost is $20.00. Steaks butchered by John Lowney, yummy side dishes, plenty of wine and boat cruises around Lake Steilacoom will be enjoyed by all. Starts at 4:00 p.m. with dinner served at 6:00 p.m. (or so).
Greg Horn encouraged us to attend a surprise presentation to the family that Mary Horn and Rose Stevens have been helping for the last three years. It is (was) being held at Center Collision at 1111 Center Street in Tacoma on Saturday, July 16th. Mary and Rose entered the family, whose car died-- leaving them with no transportation, in a contest to win a free vehicle. Mary sent out an email earlier this week saying that the family is one of the three finalists. It seems that the owners of Center Collision, Kevin and Debbie House, give away a car every year.
Susan Warner, of Lakewold Gardens, alerted us that Lakewold’s Annual Summer Party is going to be on Sunday, July 24. The details and an entry form were on each table today. Dance instructors will be demonstrating during the event and guests will enjoy dancing into the evening.
Above: Mark Edgecomb gets fined
Fines and Generous Giving followed the many announcements. I didn’t capture all of them, but here is a sample: Don Anderson gave his grandkids a boat and for that he offered $100. Don also donated another $100 now that he is a “past Mayor”. Next, Greg Horn offered $50 for his 1/2-year birthday. Not to be outdone, Past-president, Jim Rooks gave up a twenty dollar bill just for standing up and talking. Another PP, Mark Edgecomb, added another $20 to the pot now that the kids are out of the house. And, Don Daniels offered $50 for a trip to San Diego and a wedding anniversary and an additional $50 to the Paul Harris Foundation.
Above; Dick Muri groaning
Greg Horn held the honor of introducing our speaker, Dick Muri, Mayor of Steilacoom. Muri’s resume is lengthy and impressive. Most of his time on the podium was dedicated to his knowledge of electric/battery-operated cars. He proposed the 12 most-frequently asked questions about such vehicles and answered each in detail. Here are a couple that intrigued me:
Why should we convert from fossil fuel vehicles to electric vehicles? Dick’s answer: It’s not about Climate Change. It’s about fossil fuels being rapidly consumed. It is important for the United States to remain energy independent. We already import oil at a cost of $7 million each day.
Don’t these vehicle batteries often catch fire and cannot be put out? The truth is, according to Mr. Muri, more than 800 United States citizens die from fires in gasoline-operated cars every year. Zero United States citizens die from battery-operated cars in a year.
There were several other positive reasons that Dick gave for buying an all-electric automobile: They are very safe, built much heavier, have a very low maintenance cost and they are never stolen! So many questions ensued from the audience that Mr. Muri had but five minutes to talk about “the-state-of-the-town” of Steilacoom.
Following Dick Muri, the weekly drawing was held. There were two winners this week: Barb Spriggs drew a $5 chip (AGAIN) and Greg Rediske was the winner to be a guest at the July 24th Lakewold Summer Party.
Above: Two drawing winners
“Why did the bulletin writer use so much graph paper, instead of the usual ruled paper?” Answering immediately, she said, “Because she was always plotting something.” GROAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wendy
Upcoming LR events:
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic) 4:00 p.m. start, dinner about 6:00 p.m.
7/30 Pints for Polio (at Horns’ water ski lake near Orting)
Some time in August: A Walk on the Chambers Creek trails led by the Enquists
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Nominations for Larry Saunders Community Service Award 2022:
Nominations should be sent to Greg Rediske at: gnsrediske@msn.com
OR mailed to PO Box 39578, Lakewood, WA 98496
Past winners include: Diane Formoso, Alan Billingsley, Selden Family, and Lakewood Rotary!
Page 1 of 3
2022 Nomination Form Larry Saunders Service Award
The City of Lakewood, in partnership with Lakewood Community Foundation Fund (LCFF), is accepting nominations for the
2022 LARRY SAUNDERS SERVICE AWARD
to honor a citizen or organization for extraordinary service to community.
PLEASE COMPLETE, scan or copy and return this Nomination Form (or a facsimile), noting any addition or attachment, TO:
gnsrediske@msn.com
Or mail to: PO Box 39578, Lakewood, WA 98496
to arrive before the DEADLINE: 5:00 PM, FRIDAY, SEP 23, 2022.
NOMINEE
FULL NAME ______________________________________________________
(Person or Organization proposed for special recognition)
ADDRESS _______________________________________________________
(Mailing address)
CONTACT _______________________________________________________
(Phone & email address)
NOMINATOR
FULL NAME ______________________________________________________
(Person making nomination)
ADDRESS _______________________________________________________
(Mailing address)
CONTACT _______________________________________________________
(Phone & email address)
RELATIONSHIP TO NOMINEE: ______________________________________
______________________ ________________________
PLEASE SIGN AND CONFIRM DATE SUBMITTED
DEADLINE FOR NOMINATION IS SEPTEMBER 23, 2022
Page 2 of 3
2022 Nomination Form Larry Saunders Service Award
NARRATIVE - TELL US WHY YOU BELIEVE THE SERVICE OF YOUR NOMINEE IS SPECIAL AND DESERVING OF COMMUNITY RECOGNITION:
(Please limit your nomination narrative to 300 words on one page)
You may attach additional information/image if deemed essential to support or complement your NARRATIVE.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
DEADLINE FOR NOMINATION IS SEPTEMBER 23, 2022
Page 3 of 3
2022 Nomination Form Larry Saunders Service Award
The Service Award will be presented at City Hall in January, 2023, together with a Special Grant to a qualified (not-for-profit) organization selected by the Award recipient, also present to receive the Special Grant (#1).
Please provide name and contact information for the qualified Lakewood organization designated to receive the Award's associated Special Grant:
ORGANIZATION __________________________________________________
(Name of qualified organization for the separate Award Grant)
ADDRESS _______________________________________________________
(Mailing address)
QUALIFYING REFERENCE _________________________________________
(EIN or IRS Letter of Determination) (#2)
CONTACT _______________________ ______________________________
(Name) (phone & email address)
COORDINATION Approval and Presentation of the LARRY SAUNDERS SERVICE AWARD is predicated upon reasonable expectation that parties involved will attend and participate, or be represented, at the City Council meeting indicated (above). For purposes of agenda and preparation, related information will be confirmed during the preceding month. It shall be assumed that all parties concerned will be available and respond to timely notice (#2).
ADDITIONAL INFO Please limit attachment(s) to information deemed essential to support the nomination (historical record, news, document, or photo/image useful to fair determination for the Service Award (#3).
THANK YOU For taking the time to help MAKE A DIFFERENCE for Lakewood.
NOTES:
#1. Service Award winner and Special Grant recipient must agree to participate as noted above.
#2. Grant Awardee must be an established 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to provision of a public service and/or benefit within City of Lakewood.
#3. All supplemental materials provided will become part of the Application and may not be returned without specific request.
|
Lakewood Community Foundation Fund is a fund of Greater Tacoma Community Foundation (GTCF), a 501(c)(3) public charity (Tas ID#91-1007459). Gifts to funds of the GTCF are tax deductible. GTCF has legal control over all funds of the Foundation.
|
DEADLINE FOR NOMINATION IS SEPTEMBER 23, 2022
Read MoreShare
Wonderful Wildlife Area
Sunday, July 10, 2022 By: Paula T. OlsonThe Wonderful Wildlife Center
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
Paula T. Olson
Our new President Jason Whalen timely blew us away opening his second meeting of his tenure. Yep, Aloha Boy likes to blow his shell. Bob Peterson gave a nice invocation and Ed Shannon led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Meeting set up crew included Rick Selden, Tom George, and Rob Erb. Mary Marlin took money for the Foundation, Mark Edgecomb was the Sergeant at Arms and $2 table, John Lowney collected fine money, Gayle Selden womaned the computer, and yours truly took notes for the bulletin. We can’t forget Walt Richardson for taking pictures, this time using a real camera like the old days.
Visiting Rotarians included our speaker, Alan Billingsley from Clover Park Rotary and dignitaries included Tony Camoroda, our Assistant Governor. Puffins in attendance were Lua Pritchard and Dwight Williams. Eric Warn had no Health and Wellness report, good or bad.
Bill Potter of the Major Projects Committee gave us an opportunity to spend up to $6,000 to repair and/or replace the swing set at the playground in Fort Steilacoom Park and to do other repairs such as replacing shingles.. A District grant will be applied for to add to the funding. A motion was made and seconded to approve up to $6,000 for this project. Rick Selden gave more information on this mini-major project. The City of Lakewood redid the play area for little children making it accessible for the disabled. The total cost to redo the entire play area will cost about $1 million. If we do upkeep now, we can hold off that major expense. John Lowney advised that the budget is still a work in progress so exactly how much money we can contribute is still up in the air. Rick stated that we can hold a separate fundraiser for additional money. Calling for a vote, the motion passed unanimously.
Above: Photo showing need for shingles
Above: Treasurer John Lowney
Barb Spriggs announced that the date for the Poker Kayak Run has been changed to August 22nd beginning at 9:00 am. Pick up your card at the American Lake launch, get your treasure and end up at John Korsmo’s house for the BBQ. Aloha Boy used his presidential powers to change the day that board meetings will be held. Now board meetings will be on the third Wednesday of the month. The Floating Board Meeting will be held on July 21st beginning at 4:00 pm. Yes, I am aware that is not the third Wednesday of July but this board meeting is more of a social event with a steak BBQ, boat rides, games and fun for all. The cost is $20 per person, $10 for children under 18 years if anyone has one. Nicole Hancock has her 13-week old baby, Mason Michael, who can get in on his adorable looks for free. John Lowney felt he needed to give a historical perspective on this event and told us that originally this meeting was held on the Sound with large boats and an airplane. Everyone would cruise to Dockton and get roasted, even if it was raining. Everyone had lots of fun. When reasonable Phil Eng got involved, he tamed and expanded it to include families and to do it on Steilacoom Lake. Go to the Holly Hedge site for the steaks. There is room for 68 people so get your reservations in as soon as possible.
Bob Martin talked to us about the Four Way Test. He hails from the Monroe club and they had a banner that had the test on it; each meeting everyone recited it. He talked to Past President Jim Rooks who liked that idea. Bob got this nifty banner that has the test on it large enough to be seen from far and wide. We’ll see what President Whalen wants to do with it, but he promises it will be epic. Stay tuned.
Greg Horn announced birthdays and anniversaries. Starting with Partners Birthdays, Sharon Selden, Jeannine Stephan, Stephanie Williams and Dan Pritchard all have birthdays in July. Rotarian birthdays included Rose Stevens, Phil Eng, Eric Herbel, Sam Hunter, Lowell Johnson, Bud Montgomery, Howard “Skip” Stephan, James Weinand, and Steve Saalfeld all celebrating in July. Happy Birthday to all! Wedding anniversaries included Mike and Kristin Brown (12 years), Linda and Glenn McDermott (14 years), Barlow and Karen Buescher (17 years), Peter and Susan Marsh (23 years), Mike and Debi Zaro (27 years), Don and Lisa Daniels (29 years), Tom and Sharon Sadler (29 years), Greg and Sharon Rediske (33 years), Michael and Karen Lewis (33 years),Gary and Cynthia Barton (39 years) Leon and Marci Titus (43 years), and Steve and Ann Enquist (49 years). Congratulations to all!
Finally, Club Membership anniversaries included Mike Murtha, 2 years, Carole Wier, 2 years, Ron Banner 3 years, Mark Edgecomb, 7 years, Tom George 2 years with Lakewood and 12 years with other clubs, Astrid Arola 18 years, Don Anderson, 32 years, Charles Heberle, 33 years, Joe Quinn 35 years and Tom Sadler with a whopping 46 years as a member of our club. Thanks to all for your loyalty.
President Aloha Boy paid a fine for having a child under 18. The Enquists paid $100 for their years of wedded bliss and getting back from Italy with COVID. Our speaker, Alan Billingsley also celebrated his wedding anniversary with his wife Debbie. Bob Martin kicked in $10 to thank Steve and Anne Enquist for the fabulous Top Gun party. It was a highlight of 2022.
PROGRAM:
Above: Alan Billingsley, our speaker
Turning to our program, Greg Horn introduced our speaker, Alan Billingsley. Alan is a local guy, getting his MBA at University of Washington. He moved into his grandparents’ home in Lakewood with wife Debbie and their four children. He managed the Tacoma Airport on the Gig Harbor peninsula for 15 years as well as Air Gemini. He is on the Parks Board and past President of Clover Park Rotary.
Alan talked about his favorite part of Lakewood, the South Puget Sound Wildlife Area, located on Phillips Road east of Oakbrook. The 100-acre area was originally deeded to the State of Washington in 1933 by an early settler, Andrew Byrd. It started as a game farm and when it was learned that the game was really feeding coyotes, it changed to a conservation area. It has an active fish hatchery and two endangered species are being studied. Part of it is open to the public for biking and walking and is used by 100s of people every day. Alan supplemented his talk with pictures of the area and the two endangered species, the Oregon Spotted Frog and the Western Pond Turtle. Both thrive here and nowhere else so preserving them is important.
The area also has a one-half acre Byrd Cemetery with about 100 settlers resting there. It is in the custody of the Byrd family and the state is trying to identify exactly who is buried there. The area is part prairie land although it has not been well maintained so one of the goals is to return it to its natural state. There are some buildings that were originally pens to keep animals who were injured and needed a safe place to heal but they have fallen into disrepair.
Many organizations work there to repair and maintain the area, such as the Northwest Youth Corps who just finished fixing the indigenous plant garden and placing the foot prints of various animals and birds who live in and around the area into fresh cement. The footprints are located around the picnic table that Lakewood Rotary donated. We also donated two benches for resting and enjoying. Another goal is to put up signs that tell people information about the plants and where to do further research. It’s a great place for student field trips and there are a couple of schools directly across the street from it.
Above: A glimpse of the work done so far
City leaders want to show the state how important the area is to Lakewood to encourage the state’s greater support in maintaining and improving it. A huge project is to get rid of the scotch broom that has invaded. Alan showed pictures of groups filling the backs of trucks with these weeds. Alan said that its seed can last for 50 years so there is talk about doing a couple controlled burns to get rid of it once and for all. Yet another project is to replant the white oak trees (Garry Oaks). These are slow growing and are an important part of the area. The fixed trail has needed repair and looks much nicer as the before and after pictures show. There is also a boardwalk for more fragile areas that need to be maintained.
The fence on Phillips Road is about half finished. It was funded by Rotary groups. Alan showed a picture of Mark Blanchard and Bill Potter doing maintenance work and fixing the part of the fence where someone drove their car through. One other project is to connect the wildlife area to the Chambers Creek trails since the wildlife area is about two blocks from the trail system along the creek. Sidewalks are coming and all of this will be a great example of Rotary at work.
There are community work days twice a year. The next one will be held on October 1st from 9 am to 1 pm. Come join the 40 to 100 people that come and help.
During question and answer period, Alan said goats would not work to eat the scotch broom as it’s one thing they refuse to eat! Nice to know even goats have standards. There is a tree preservation code process in the City of Lakewood that is ongoing to find a balance between placement of trees and cleared areas for homes for people. Finally, restoring the restroom is needed. Hopefully, this is a project that can be shared with the state.
Thanks Alan for a great presentation.
Andy Phillips got his blue badge. Congrats, Andy!
Greg Horn won the raffle and got himself a white chip. Better luck next time.
Above: Greg Horn trying to see red!
Upcoming LR events:
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic)
7/30 Pints for Polio (at Horns’ water ski lake near Orting)
Some time in August: A Walk on the Chambers Creek trails led by the Enquists
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Bill Potter of the Major Projects Committee gave us an opportunity to spend up to $6,000 to repair and/or replace the swing set at the playground in Fort Steilacoom Park and to do other repairs such as replacing shingles.. A District grant will be applied for to add to the funding. A motion was made and seconded to approve up to $6,000 for this project. Rick Selden gave more information on this mini-major project. The City of Lakewood redid the play area for little children making it accessible for the disabled. The total cost to redo the entire play area will cost about $1 million. If we do upkeep now, we can hold off that major expense. John Lowney advised that the budget is still a work in progress so exactly how much money we can contribute is still up in the air. Rick stated that we can hold a separate fundraiser for additional money. Calling for a vote, the motion passed unanimously.
Above: Photo showing need for shingles
Above: Treasurer John Lowney
Barb Spriggs announced that the date for the Poker Kayak Run has been changed to August 22nd beginning at 9:00 am. Pick up your card at the American Lake launch, get your treasure and end up at John Korsmo’s house for the BBQ. Aloha Boy used his presidential powers to change the day that board meetings will be held. Now board meetings will be on the third Wednesday of the month. The Floating Board Meeting will be held on July 21st beginning at 4:00 pm. Yes, I am aware that is not the third Wednesday of July but this board meeting is more of a social event with a steak BBQ, boat rides, games and fun for all. The cost is $20 per person, $10 for children under 18 years if anyone has one. Nicole Hancock has her 13-week old baby, Mason Michael, who can get in on his adorable looks for free. John Lowney felt he needed to give a historical perspective on this event and told us that originally this meeting was held on the Sound with large boats and an airplane. Everyone would cruise to Dockton and get roasted, even if it was raining. Everyone had lots of fun. When reasonable Phil Eng got involved, he tamed and expanded it to include families and to do it on Steilacoom Lake. Go to the Holly Hedge site for the steaks. There is room for 68 people so get your reservations in as soon as possible.
Bob Martin talked to us about the Four Way Test. He hails from the Monroe club and they had a banner that had the test on it; each meeting everyone recited it. He talked to Past President Jim Rooks who liked that idea. Bob got this nifty banner that has the test on it large enough to be seen from far and wide. We’ll see what President Whalen wants to do with it, but he promises it will be epic. Stay tuned.
Greg Horn announced birthdays and anniversaries. Starting with Partners Birthdays, Sharon Selden, Jeannine Stephan, Stephanie Williams and Dan Pritchard all have birthdays in July. Rotarian birthdays included Rose Stevens, Phil Eng, Eric Herbel, Sam Hunter, Lowell Johnson, Bud Montgomery, Howard “Skip” Stephan, James Weinand, and Steve Saalfeld all celebrating in July. Happy Birthday to all! Wedding anniversaries included Mike and Kristin Brown (12 years), Linda and Glenn McDermott (14 years), Barlow and Karen Buescher (17 years), Peter and Susan Marsh (23 years), Mike and Debi Zaro (27 years), Don and Lisa Daniels (29 years), Tom and Sharon Sadler (29 years), Greg and Sharon Rediske (33 years), Michael and Karen Lewis (33 years),Gary and Cynthia Barton (39 years) Leon and Marci Titus (43 years), and Steve and Ann Enquist (49 years). Congratulations to all!
Finally, Club Membership anniversaries included Mike Murtha, 2 years, Carole Wier, 2 years, Ron Banner 3 years, Mark Edgecomb, 7 years, Tom George 2 years with Lakewood and 12 years with other clubs, Astrid Arola 18 years, Don Anderson, 32 years, Charles Heberle, 33 years, Joe Quinn 35 years and Tom Sadler with a whopping 46 years as a member of our club. Thanks to all for your loyalty.
President Aloha Boy paid a fine for having a child under 18. The Enquists paid $100 for their years of wedded bliss and getting back from Italy with COVID. Our speaker, Alan Billingsley also celebrated his wedding anniversary with his wife Debbie. Bob Martin kicked in $10 to thank Steve and Anne Enquist for the fabulous Top Gun party. It was a highlight of 2022.
PROGRAM:
Above: Alan Billingsley, our speaker
Turning to our program, Greg Horn introduced our speaker, Alan Billingsley. Alan is a local guy, getting his MBA at University of Washington. He moved into his grandparents’ home in Lakewood with wife Debbie and their four children. He managed the Tacoma Airport on the Gig Harbor peninsula for 15 years as well as Air Gemini. He is on the Parks Board and past President of Clover Park Rotary.
Alan talked about his favorite part of Lakewood, the South Puget Sound Wildlife Area, located on Phillips Road east of Oakbrook. The 100-acre area was originally deeded to the State of Washington in 1933 by an early settler, Andrew Byrd. It started as a game farm and when it was learned that the game was really feeding coyotes, it changed to a conservation area. It has an active fish hatchery and two endangered species are being studied. Part of it is open to the public for biking and walking and is used by 100s of people every day. Alan supplemented his talk with pictures of the area and the two endangered species, the Oregon Spotted Frog and the Western Pond Turtle. Both thrive here and nowhere else so preserving them is important.
The area also has a one-half acre Byrd Cemetery with about 100 settlers resting there. It is in the custody of the Byrd family and the state is trying to identify exactly who is buried there. The area is part prairie land although it has not been well maintained so one of the goals is to return it to its natural state. There are some buildings that were originally pens to keep animals who were injured and needed a safe place to heal but they have fallen into disrepair.
Many organizations work there to repair and maintain the area, such as the Northwest Youth Corps who just finished fixing the indigenous plant garden and placing the foot prints of various animals and birds who live in and around the area into fresh cement. The footprints are located around the picnic table that Lakewood Rotary donated. We also donated two benches for resting and enjoying. Another goal is to put up signs that tell people information about the plants and where to do further research. It’s a great place for student field trips and there are a couple of schools directly across the street from it.
Above: A glimpse of the work done so far
City leaders want to show the state how important the area is to Lakewood to encourage the state’s greater support in maintaining and improving it. A huge project is to get rid of the scotch broom that has invaded. Alan showed pictures of groups filling the backs of trucks with these weeds. Alan said that its seed can last for 50 years so there is talk about doing a couple controlled burns to get rid of it once and for all. Yet another project is to replant the white oak trees (Garry Oaks). These are slow growing and are an important part of the area. The fixed trail has needed repair and looks much nicer as the before and after pictures show. There is also a boardwalk for more fragile areas that need to be maintained.
The fence on Phillips Road is about half finished. It was funded by Rotary groups. Alan showed a picture of Mark Blanchard and Bill Potter doing maintenance work and fixing the part of the fence where someone drove their car through. One other project is to connect the wildlife area to the Chambers Creek trails since the wildlife area is about two blocks from the trail system along the creek. Sidewalks are coming and all of this will be a great example of Rotary at work.
There are community work days twice a year. The next one will be held on October 1st from 9 am to 1 pm. Come join the 40 to 100 people that come and help.
During question and answer period, Alan said goats would not work to eat the scotch broom as it’s one thing they refuse to eat! Nice to know even goats have standards. There is a tree preservation code process in the City of Lakewood that is ongoing to find a balance between placement of trees and cleared areas for homes for people. Finally, restoring the restroom is needed. Hopefully, this is a project that can be shared with the state.
Thanks Alan for a great presentation.
Andy Phillips got his blue badge. Congrats, Andy!
Greg Horn won the raffle and got himself a white chip. Better luck next time.
Above: Greg Horn trying to see red!
Upcoming LR events:
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic)
7/30 Pints for Polio (at Horns’ water ski lake near Orting)
Some time in August: A Walk on the Chambers Creek trails led by the Enquists
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
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In Depends Day
Sunday, July 3, 2022 By: John W. MagnusonIn Depends Day
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
Our Annual In Depends Holiday Meeting
July 1, 2022
Rotarians, all festive -- red white and blue-- in Depends, The Rotary Club of Lakewood membership set ablaze legal fireworks to celebrate the start of a joyful holiday weekend. Celebrants – obviously well-lubricated for the event – cavorted. Given the strictures of Tacoma Country and Golf Club, a modicum of decorum was urged but the decorum was by no means a hum-drum modicum in the Forum. In short, it was epic sh**! We’ll get back to the bacchanal in a moment but first: evidence of a Cabal?
Above: Some Rotarians cavorted?
Seriously? A Cabal?
Undercover agents working… well, undercover, have uncovered a previously covered plot to centralize governmental authority in Lakewood. For the first time since the wheel was invented in ancient Lakewood, we have a Mayor and Rotary Club President co-locating. Over the years we’ve had Commissars of the Lakewood Water District. We’ve had Fire Chiefs and Fire District Commissars. We’ve had Army generals, a Navy admiral, a USAF general and too many colonels to count. We’ve had lackeys, minions, arsonists, drug peddlers, peons and one stump grinder. We’ve had doctors, dentists, lawyers, solicitors, barristers, attorneys and notary’s public. We’ve had underground housing specialists, above ground housing builders and decorators, men and women executives galore and preachers – lots of preachers. We’ve had architects, engineers, video purveyors, landlords and one prune peddler. BUT, until now we’ve never had a Mayor as President.
Not even the vaunted General Harrison, nor General Doug Richardson, nor Claudia Thomas nor fellow Lakewood Rotarian Don Anderson were ever Rotary club president concurrent with their stints as Mayor of Lakewood. This is by no mean pejorative. No indeedy, we bull-writing scribes universally feel that having President Mayor Jason brings certain savoir-faire to our proceedings. We all agreed it will be a year of flancampulent enormounktidudity! So I was just joshing about the Cabal – there are no plans afoot by the banks in Lakewood to see a NLO (New Lakewood Order) evolve. No Siree – keep your ears and eyes sharpened, focused and peeled for hints of conspiracy theories about consolidation of power though, just to be safe.
The Meeting – Aloha Friday
So what did we learn on Friday July 1st, 2022 – In Depends Holiday weekend at Lakewood Rotary? We learned that it is Aloha Friday! We learned that Scott Buser gave the invocation, calling on a greater power to bless everything our new president, officers and directors will be undertaking. Wow! Anyone think they will really need all that spiritual help? Mary Horn led the pledge of allegiance. Tom George and Rob Erb upset the place and Ole is scribe. Allison Whalen was appointed photographer. Chuck Hellar was Sgt. At Arms and Bud Montgomery manned the foundation table. John Lowney, treasurer, was absent so someone else had to collect money.
Visiting Rotarians were introduced sotto voce. I have no idea who they were or where they were from. Carl Bronkema introduced Christian Tomlinson of Puyallup Rotary and his co-worker Ryan Cleanhands. Puffins stood in Depends and were appreciated. President/Mayor – that’s just too much to type – PM Whalen introduced his wife First Lady Gael and daughter Allison, Lakewood Rotary photographer. Assistant Governor and Puffin Tony Camoroda was introduced. Why is it everyone has such an abundance of titles and honorifics? Past President Doctor Jim Rooks announced very sad news that Lakewood Rotarian and Jim’s close friend Bob Bruback has died. He had a severe case of Covid and took Chemo for a pre-existing condition. Services will be at St. Patrick’s Church on Friday July 8. Mary Hammar has suffered a slight stroke. Our thoughts and prayers go to Bob and Mary, lovely Mary!
Above: New Member Faaluaina (Lua) Pritchard
New (ish) Members
On PM Whalen’s “first day out on the water” he swore-in three new members: Christian Tomlinson, Ryan Cleanhands and Lua Pritchard of the pretty famous Pritchard family! Each gave brief biographical information. I long to learn Ryan’s real last name. Imagine my surprise if it is indeed “Cleanhands?” (Actually Ryan’s last name is Kleynhans, according to Secretary Greg Rediske.) Veronica Bronkema reported on her progress in establishing a Rotaract Club. She is seeking a leadership team to establish and formalize the club. Membership is sought for 18- to 30-year old men and women, young professionals who will be exposed to the work of Rotary in the world and community. Had they been here on this day they would have been exposed to Rotarians in Depends on this our annual In Depends Day celebration.
Above: New Members Christian and Ryan
Fines, Fines and More Fines
PM Jason welcomed Dr. Mo Sarram’s contribution of $90 for his birthday of the same number of years. Mo you look Mahvellus! Jan Gee donated money for having two more great grandchildren. Jim Bisceglia paddled a boat from New Orleans to Memphis! Yeah, right! (Maybe Jim was a stern wheeler? -Ed.) Bob Peterson feted Steve and Ann Enquist for getting Lowe’s to double their contribution they usually give to Rotary. Bob, all you had to do was ask! Information about Bob’s grandson’s, (Carl Peterson’s son) upcoming marriage on Lake Steilacoom had to be pried out. AG Tony forgot the Puffin-- $25. Barb Spriggs hosted a gambler from Kotzebue, Alaska who snuck off with $12,000 in winnings. Barb also won a pittance but she gave $40. PP Mark Edgecomb gave $100 for Covid and a son who married in Tampa. Someone gave $69 in sotto voce – again, no idea who it was!
(Please use the mic for the poor scribes and others listening on Zoom. It was Andrew Neiditz. -Ed.)
PM Jason then cast his net to PP Joe Quinn for a PP pin: $20; Mary Moss for acting as Mayor Pro Tem, Chief Mike Zaro for his retirement coming in February 2023. Rob Erb and Donn Irwin cavorted in Idaho, smoked cigars, drank whiskey, shot skeet and generally behaved badly - $20 – Cheap!!!
Program: PM Jason
The Impact of Mentorship
Life began in Montana for Jason. For his forbears hardships were a way of life but so was perseverance. The Pathfinder Bar is still in Fort Benton, Montana. For those of you who don’t know where Fort Benton is, look up Kotzebue, Alaska on Google Maps. Fort Benton, Montana is on the outskirts. Giuseppe and Henrietta survived and sired a Doctor; actually he wasn’t born a doctor but became one who began a practice in Butte. But a lifetime of non-stop work led to health problems and a less stressful medical career was accomplished. That work meant many moves for his family, including Jason and 3 siblings. Get out your Rand McNally map of western America and start drawing lines with your Sharpie. Start from Butte, go to Oklahoma City, Fort Collins, Colorado, Miles City, Montana, Medford, Oregon, Juneau, Alaska, Nine Mile Falls, Washington. Wow! Aren’t you glad you didn’t have to fill the family car with gas at today’s prices? In Spokane Jason was mentored by a janitor – to be fair he was also a bus driver – to be even more fair he was also a teacher. Another teacher convinced Jason to try debate. He was successful enough to gain a scholarship to Gonzaga University where he furthered his skill at debate and Army ROTC. He mentioned being skilled at spelling Bees including the challenge of spelling ROTC! The Army led to Germany, marriage and Olivia, the first of three Whalen daughters. After the Army service Jason attended Gonzaga Law and upon graduation clerked for Judge Richard Guy. And now, in addition to a career in law, 16 years in city government.
Compiling credit for PM Jason’s accomplished life means giving credit to the mentors he acknowledges: grandparents, parents, janitor, teacher and judge. PM Jason vows that just as in Lakewood, in Rotary, if we see a problem, we’ll fix it! And, in his words – not your scribe’s-- “We’ll do epic shit!”
Above: Jason looking serious
Who Reads This Stuff?
Ole
Secretary Greg Rediske passes this news on to all members of the club.
Resignations:
Mary Covelli Johnson (“it’s not the same without Mick”)
Jay Mayer (moving to Sequim)
John Forkenbrock (health)
Leanna Christian (work)
Joan Strait
Jamie Simons
Upcoming LR events:
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic)
7/30 Pints for Polio (at Horns’ water ski lake near Orting)
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
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A Night of Aloha
Sunday, June 26, 2022 By: Paula T. OlsonA Night of Aloha
Paula T. Olson
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
If anyone were to venture into the Tacoma Country and Golf Club banquet room Saturday evening, they would believe that they had been magically transported to a resort in Hawaii. Thanks to Jan Gee and her team, the room was transformed with straw umbrellas, tiki gods, leis, and table centerpieces of candles and shells. Guests were dressed in their finest Hawaiian garb. It was the Installation Dinner for Lakewood Rotary and a wonderful night.
Above: The lovely Greeters, Mary Marlin and Barb Spriggs
Before dinner, we were treated to a fantastic performance of hula dancing with live Hawaiian music performed by the folks from the Asia Pacific Cultural Center. Jan had contacted Lue Pritchard who made the arrangements. Saving the best for last, we went out onto the patio where we watched a fearless young man do an exciting fire dance. Then we made our way upstairs to dinner.
Above: The entertainment folks from Asia Pacific Cultural Center
When the program started it was MCed by our own Chris Kimball, Barlow Buescher did a very nice invocation and Connie Coleman-Lacadie led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Chris got us warmed up for the evening with some tasteful stories about our new President Jason Whalen. There was the one about the time he was Mayor of Sequim and then one about this cat at Gonzaga running out of gas, and one that had to do with a brick. Somehow none of these seemed to be strongly based in fact but more in pure silliness.
Chuck Hellar presented Martin Olmos with the Bernie Ootkin Non-Rotarian of the Year award. Martin worked with West Pierce Fire and Rescue helping people install smoke alarms in high fire risk areas. Martin’s compassion and empathy with people certainly came through with the stories from Chuck and Jim Sharp. Jim told us that at the end of the rigorous training for fire fighters, they are pinned, to show they are new members of the team. Jim pinned Martin who was quite emotional and grateful for the special acknowledgement. Rose Stevens was recognized as the Russ Klauser Rotarian of the Year, another very well deserved award. Rose was in New York, we woke her up on the phone so she could hear our applause and good wishes. Chuck listed all the ways that Rose works behind the scenes to care for and enrich the world, one project at a time. To make sure we didn’t get Rose mixed up with other members so named, Chris held up a large picture of Rose.
Above: Rotarian of the Year Rose Stevens
Ellen Mazoff gave us an overview of the work of the Partners and how they enjoy fellowship. They have accumulated over $10,000 in the past year. Poor Past President Jim Rooks, stricken by the dread disease, thanked his board of directors and assured us we were in the best of hands with Jason. President Jason presented Jim with a plaque. Greg Rediske, in his official capacity as our Secretary, installed the new board members and the President Elect, Mary Horn, as well as “re-installing” the hard working John Lowney as Treasurer. Joe Quinn was called on to install the “new” Secretary, Greg Rediske, because Greg could not install himself! (Well in his case, he probably could.) Joe threw away the script and talked about what a great Secretary Greg has been. He described Greg as the linchpin, who holds Lakewood Rotary together. Greg then installed Lakewood Mayor Jason Whalen as our next LR President.. When it came time to hear his first official remarks, Jason called on us to serve our community and each other and be the foundation of our city.
Above: Our new President with his First Lady, Gael Whalen
If you missed it this year, mark your calendar to attend next year. It was a lovely evening.
Upcoming LR events:
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic)
7/30 Pints for Polio (at Horns’ water ski lake near Orting)
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
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The Father-Son Bond
Saturday, June 18, 2022 By: Eric T QuinnThe Father-Son Bond
Or “The Bond of a Father and Son and the Father’s bond with Bond”
The meeting of June 17, 2022 was rung to order by a recent winner of the Sound-to-Narrows race in his age group: President Jim Rooks. This was Jim’s last meeting as president, and he has been a great leader for Lakewood Rotary. Thank you, Jim.
Have you heard the term—Juneuary? Well the weather feels more to me like fall than the beginning of summer so I used my favorite Masthead with a Message. The various mastheads with a message that we often use in The Lakewood Key were all (I believe) created for us by Leanna Christian. More about her below. If someone else has those skills and the right software let me know. We need more of those to use in the rotation. The Editor.
There will be no meeting next week because it would have taken place during Past President Mary-Lou Sclair’s funeral. Attend that instead please. She will be missed.
“Bond. James Bond.” —Sean Connery, Dr. No
Chris Kimball gave the Invocation and reminded us that if the world ever needed Rotarians, the time is now. Rick Selden led us in the Pledge.
Making the Meeting happen was Rob Erb and his amazing set up staff. John Lowney recorded fines. Eric Quinn wrote the bulletin. Barlow Buescher staffed the raffle table and also took on the role of Sergeant at Arms. Bud Montgomery served at the Foundation desk. And of course, monitoring Jim’s many gaffes was Greg Rediske.
Jim introduced Tony Camoroda, our assistant District Governor and Lakewood Rotarian. As for visiting Rotarians, Greg Rolsma visited us from Tacoma 8. Howard Svigals, District 5020 Chair of the Rotary Foundation, joined us from Gig Harbor Rotary. And Barlow’s brother Henry, visited us from his Rotary club in Sand Point, Idaho. Guests included Maria Rodriguez and Alberto and Alfonso Gonzales, family members of Veronica and Carl Bronkema. Lisa Williams was another guest.
“I’ll do anything for a woman with a knife.” —Timothy Dalton, Licence to Kill
As for announcements, Jim read a resignation letter from Leanna Christian. Leanna has been an indispensable asset to our Club, and she needs to take some time away to further her schooling and be with family. We know this is not goodbye, Leanna, but we miss you already. Veronica Bronkema, Angela Connelly and Andy Phillips all earned their Blue Badges.
Eric Warn reported from Health and Wellness. He congratulated Joe Quinn and Jim Rooks on their recent accomplishments in the world of fitness. Did we mention that President Jim Rooks won the Sound-to-Narrows in his age group. Jim provided the “bad news” from Health and Wellness. Bob Bruback, chair of Community Concerns, is very close to passing based upon a condition that has been exacerbated by Covid. Let’s keep Bob in our thoughts.
“Pistols at dawn; it’s a little old-fashioned, isn’t it?” —Roger Moore, The Man With the Golden Gun
Howard Svigals from Gig Harbor Rotary awarded a Paul Harris—the Fourth, this writer believes—to Tony Camaroda, who has also become a member of the Paul Harris Society, which is composed of persons that have pledged to give $1,000 annually to the Foundation. Lua Pritchard is set to be inducted as a new member (sponsor: Connie Coleman-Lacadie) but she was unable to attend the meeting.
Steve Saalfeld made an announcement regarding the Courage, taking place August 20-21. He gave a special shout-out to Greg Rediske, Mary Marlin and Barb Spriggs for their help.
Above: Steve Saalfeld wants you…to help with his Courage fundraising.
Chuck Hellar made an announcement from Little Free Pantries. We are in need of some more food items containing protein for the pantries.
Bill Potter informed us that two Saturdays from now, July 2, there will be a food distribution gathering from 9 AM- 12 noon at Clover Park High School—or so this writer believes. The food will be distributed to over 700 military families currently experiencing food shortages.
“The world is not enough.” —Pierce Brosnan, The World Is Not Enough
Incoming Youth Exchange Officer, Bob Martin, reminded us that although we have secured our first host family for the 2022-2023 Exchange year, we need at least two more host families so the Murthas don’t have to do all the hosting. Let Bob or Eric Quinn know that you’ll step up.
Jim was proud to announce that Pat Price has been named as an honorary member. Clover Park Rotary will be hosting a golf tournament on August 6. For more info, look here: https://cloverparkrotary.org/
As for fines and generous giving, Barb Spriggs forked over $25 for her son getting married at the Columbia Gorge. Tom George was recently elected to the Board of Trustees of Bates Technical College and may have paid a fine for that. Rick and Gayle Selden went to Florida to see some family members graduate from college and high school. They paid $100 for the privilege but also gave Jim a Merman and a gator head. Really? Really. Wendy McGowan gave $50 for a grandchild attending university.
Above: Jim Rooks got a laugh out of Rick and Gayle’s gifts.
“Why is it that people who can’t take advice always insist on giving it?” —Daniel Craig, Casino Royale
Above: Carl Bronkema, our Father’s Day Speaker
The Program:
Our Speaker was Carl Bronkema. The program was called Happy Stepfather but Carl feels that is a misnomer. A father is a father, whether he is the biological parent of his children or not. The love of a parent transcends direct blood relations, and the love of a father erases boundaries. Alfonso and Alberto Gonzales are the biological children of Veronica Bronkema, and Carl is their father, not by blood, but by bond. Carl met Veronica, and commensurately, Alfonso and Alberto, in the fall of 2003. Veronica’s family is from Southern Mexico and when Carl and Veronica married, the family made their home in Washington State. Carl showed us their family life in pictures. Their sons excelled in football and baseball, among other sports.
Alberto and Alfonso played a lot of sports in high school and both excelled academically and as student leaders. Alberto spoke to the club about his father: “Carl was the right dad for both of us.” Alfonso joined us from California on Zoom and indicated that Carl “always knew what we needed to succeed.” Alfonso is an aerospace engineer at SpaceX and is on the cusp of meeting Elon Musk, shortly. Carl is a very proud father and a great Rotarian. It is obvious that he and Veronica make a great team and together they raised two wonderful boys (who are now outstanding young men).
He is also a huge James Bond fan, hence the quotes above. Asked which Bond was his all-time favorite, Carl replied that Sean Connery was a fav, but he also liked Roger Moore, but not the latest—Daniel Craig.
Dads everywhere: This Father’s Day, be reminded of your excellence and passion for your children and family. And do not forget their appreciation and love for you. Happy Father’s Day.
Upcoming LR events:
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic)
7/30 Pints for Polio (at Horns’ water ski lake near Orting)
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
“Bond. James Bond.” —Sean Connery, Dr. No
Chris Kimball gave the Invocation and reminded us that if the world ever needed Rotarians, the time is now. Rick Selden led us in the Pledge.
Making the Meeting happen was Rob Erb and his amazing set up staff. John Lowney recorded fines. Eric Quinn wrote the bulletin. Barlow Buescher staffed the raffle table and also took on the role of Sergeant at Arms. Bud Montgomery served at the Foundation desk. And of course, monitoring Jim’s many gaffes was Greg Rediske.
Jim introduced Tony Camoroda, our assistant District Governor and Lakewood Rotarian. As for visiting Rotarians, Greg Rolsma visited us from Tacoma 8. Howard Svigals, District 5020 Chair of the Rotary Foundation, joined us from Gig Harbor Rotary. And Barlow’s brother Henry, visited us from his Rotary club in Sand Point, Idaho. Guests included Maria Rodriguez and Alberto and Alfonso Gonzales, family members of Veronica and Carl Bronkema. Lisa Williams was another guest.
“I’ll do anything for a woman with a knife.” —Timothy Dalton, Licence to Kill
As for announcements, Jim read a resignation letter from Leanna Christian. Leanna has been an indispensable asset to our Club, and she needs to take some time away to further her schooling and be with family. We know this is not goodbye, Leanna, but we miss you already. Veronica Bronkema, Angela Connelly and Andy Phillips all earned their Blue Badges.
Eric Warn reported from Health and Wellness. He congratulated Joe Quinn and Jim Rooks on their recent accomplishments in the world of fitness. Did we mention that President Jim Rooks won the Sound-to-Narrows in his age group. Jim provided the “bad news” from Health and Wellness. Bob Bruback, chair of Community Concerns, is very close to passing based upon a condition that has been exacerbated by Covid. Let’s keep Bob in our thoughts.
“Pistols at dawn; it’s a little old-fashioned, isn’t it?” —Roger Moore, The Man With the Golden Gun
Howard Svigals from Gig Harbor Rotary awarded a Paul Harris—the Fourth, this writer believes—to Tony Camaroda, who has also become a member of the Paul Harris Society, which is composed of persons that have pledged to give $1,000 annually to the Foundation. Lua Pritchard is set to be inducted as a new member (sponsor: Connie Coleman-Lacadie) but she was unable to attend the meeting.
Steve Saalfeld made an announcement regarding the Courage, taking place August 20-21. He gave a special shout-out to Greg Rediske, Mary Marlin and Barb Spriggs for their help.
Above: Steve Saalfeld wants you…to help with his Courage fundraising.
Chuck Hellar made an announcement from Little Free Pantries. We are in need of some more food items containing protein for the pantries.
Bill Potter informed us that two Saturdays from now, July 2, there will be a food distribution gathering from 9 AM- 12 noon at Clover Park High School—or so this writer believes. The food will be distributed to over 700 military families currently experiencing food shortages.
“The world is not enough.” —Pierce Brosnan, The World Is Not Enough
Incoming Youth Exchange Officer, Bob Martin, reminded us that although we have secured our first host family for the 2022-2023 Exchange year, we need at least two more host families so the Murthas don’t have to do all the hosting. Let Bob or Eric Quinn know that you’ll step up.
Jim was proud to announce that Pat Price has been named as an honorary member. Clover Park Rotary will be hosting a golf tournament on August 6. For more info, look here: https://cloverparkrotary.org/
As for fines and generous giving, Barb Spriggs forked over $25 for her son getting married at the Columbia Gorge. Tom George was recently elected to the Board of Trustees of Bates Technical College and may have paid a fine for that. Rick and Gayle Selden went to Florida to see some family members graduate from college and high school. They paid $100 for the privilege but also gave Jim a Merman and a gator head. Really? Really. Wendy McGowan gave $50 for a grandchild attending university.
Above: Jim Rooks got a laugh out of Rick and Gayle’s gifts.
“Why is it that people who can’t take advice always insist on giving it?” —Daniel Craig, Casino Royale
Above: Carl Bronkema, our Father’s Day Speaker
The Program:
Our Speaker was Carl Bronkema. The program was called Happy Stepfather but Carl feels that is a misnomer. A father is a father, whether he is the biological parent of his children or not. The love of a parent transcends direct blood relations, and the love of a father erases boundaries. Alfonso and Alberto Gonzales are the biological children of Veronica Bronkema, and Carl is their father, not by blood, but by bond. Carl met Veronica, and commensurately, Alfonso and Alberto, in the fall of 2003. Veronica’s family is from Southern Mexico and when Carl and Veronica married, the family made their home in Washington State. Carl showed us their family life in pictures. Their sons excelled in football and baseball, among other sports.
Alberto and Alfonso played a lot of sports in high school and both excelled academically and as student leaders. Alberto spoke to the club about his father: “Carl was the right dad for both of us.” Alfonso joined us from California on Zoom and indicated that Carl “always knew what we needed to succeed.” Alfonso is an aerospace engineer at SpaceX and is on the cusp of meeting Elon Musk, shortly. Carl is a very proud father and a great Rotarian. It is obvious that he and Veronica make a great team and together they raised two wonderful boys (who are now outstanding young men).
He is also a huge James Bond fan, hence the quotes above. Asked which Bond was his all-time favorite, Carl replied that Sean Connery was a fav, but he also liked Roger Moore, but not the latest—Daniel Craig.
Dads everywhere: This Father’s Day, be reminded of your excellence and passion for your children and family. And do not forget their appreciation and love for you. Happy Father’s Day.
Upcoming LR events:
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic)
7/30 Pints for Polio (at Horns’ water ski lake near Orting)
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
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Planningpalooza!
Monday, June 13, 2022 By: Paula T. OlsonPlanningpalooza!
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
President Jim started the meeting a whopping five (5) minutes early because he said it was a special meeting in a couple of ways. First, Pres Jim was turning the gavel over to President-Elect and His Honor the Mayor of Lakewood and second because we would be chatting with each other to give input on a strategic plan. A murmur of excitement pulsed through the room. Pres. Jim then called on Bob Hammar to start the meeting with an invocation. Bob Martin led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. And then the gavel was officially passed to PE Jason.
Above: Our PE, Jason Whalen
PE Jason announced that there would be no time for fines or announcements. A groan of disappointment went up! Any pressing announcement should be sent to the Bulletin Writer, Paula Olson, and she would put it in the bulletin. I didn’t get any so there aren’t any. Other people doing their usual fabulous job of meeting setup were Rob Erb and company, Terry Roarke at the $2.00 table and Sergeant at Arms, Bud Montgomery at the Foundation desk, and Walt Richardson manning the camera for photos. Eric Warn was not with us so Jason shared that Bob Bruback was in the hospital ICU with a bad case of COVID. Remember him in your thoughts and prayers.
Visiting Rotarians included Pauline Wantate, the Change Maker President of the Rotary Club of Sunrise in Kampala, Uganda and several members of that club who were visiting family members in the Tacoma-Seattle area. Also with us were friends of James Oswunda - Cedric ? and Joseph ? from a Rotary Club in Nairobi, Kenya. Guests included Gretchen and Connie from the Pierce County Library District, and Shiru Osundwa, wife of James Osundwa. Ms. Wantate commented that she found our meeting very interesting and shared with us some of the projects her club and District 9213 are involved in such as addressing the high maternal mortality rate with the Maternal Child Care Project and also providing menstruation sanitary supplies for girls so they will go to school. Because they don’t have the proper supplies, they are teased at school during their periods and miss a lot of school.
PE Jason then told us how the rest of the meeting was going to go. As background he said that we had all participated in an internet survey about club goals and this session was a deeper, more detailed dive into similar issues. Jason is doing this with Mary Horn, our PE nominee, following Jason’s term of office. They want to have a strategic plan to grow our membership to 150 members within two years. The focus is on both numbers of new members but also diversity. That will take work and participation from all of us and making our club an exciting place for new people to join.
Above: President-Elect Nominee Mary Horn
Jason said to think of this as speed dating. Now I’m not sure if I was the only one who wondered how a long-time married man like Jason knew anything about speed dating but I’m sure he read about it in a book or saw it in a movie. Each table would be equipped with a facilitator who would keep the discussion moving and a scribe to write down all the important stuff said in response to five subject areas. Those areas included Membership, Fellowship, Programs, Community Service, and Fundraising. Each area had several questions to be addressed and the scribe would write the notes on large pieces of paper using specific colors of markers for each area. Since Jason was going to Hawaii tomorrow morning, he didn’t want to see a lot of fooling around at the table. Each area should be discussed for about seven to ten minutes with Mary announcing when to move on to the next topic.
By listening to the buzz in the room, each table jumped in wholeheartedly and those large pieces of paper filled up fast. Jason and Mary promised us that they would take all of those notes and compile them in a document and share them with us.
The rest of the meeting took place discussing the five areas. As we moved from one area to the next, the large pieces of paper were collected and posted on the walls. Jason gave us a little time at the end of the meeting to walk around and read what the different tables thought. It was very nice to have a chance to talk about our club and ways to improve it, ways to share it with new people, and some great ideas about spending time together getting to know each other better and to serve our community, both locally and internationally.
Above: John Korsmo said it was fun!
In case you were wondering, those participating on the Zoom, formed their own “table” and brainstormed too.
Bud Montgomery won the raffle.
Member Spotlight: Someone named Greg suggested that we keep including bios of our members occasionally, so here is another one for the guy who served as scribe at our table today!
Greg Rediske (By Kay Shinn, 1987)
Greg was a September baby….born in 1952…in Tacoma General Hospital. He is a son of Jim Rediske who was an active member of our group for 25 years until his passing some time ago. A lot of us remember him fondly. Greg scooted through Pacific Lutheran University….he served time in the Russ Klauser/Mike McGowan stores for 15 years and now is known as a “Video Consultant”, whatever that is! His firm is Video Management Company. He is interested in such things as baseball, golf, movies, music, among other things. And he takes delight in two sons, Lars aged 6 and Noah aged 5. Greg joined Lakewood Rotary in 1982. He’s been on an assortment of committees, chairman of some. They include Wild Game, Student Exchange and Bulletin and Magazine committees. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.
Update from 1987: Greg married Sharon in 1989 which added two more sons, Shawn and Brandon, and now five grandchildren. He is retired and is the current secretary of the Club and served as club president in 2006-07. He was awarded the Russ Klauser Rotarian of the Year award in 2008-09.
Above: Pic of Greg and Sharon Rediske
Upcoming LR events:
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic)
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
PE Jason announced that there would be no time for fines or announcements. A groan of disappointment went up! Any pressing announcement should be sent to the Bulletin Writer, Paula Olson, and she would put it in the bulletin. I didn’t get any so there aren’t any. Other people doing their usual fabulous job of meeting setup were Rob Erb and company, Terry Roarke at the $2.00 table and Sergeant at Arms, Bud Montgomery at the Foundation desk, and Walt Richardson manning the camera for photos. Eric Warn was not with us so Jason shared that Bob Bruback was in the hospital ICU with a bad case of COVID. Remember him in your thoughts and prayers.
Visiting Rotarians included Pauline Wantate, the Change Maker President of the Rotary Club of Sunrise in Kampala, Uganda and several members of that club who were visiting family members in the Tacoma-Seattle area. Also with us were friends of James Oswunda - Cedric ? and Joseph ? from a Rotary Club in Nairobi, Kenya. Guests included Gretchen and Connie from the Pierce County Library District, and Shiru Osundwa, wife of James Osundwa. Ms. Wantate commented that she found our meeting very interesting and shared with us some of the projects her club and District 9213 are involved in such as addressing the high maternal mortality rate with the Maternal Child Care Project and also providing menstruation sanitary supplies for girls so they will go to school. Because they don’t have the proper supplies, they are teased at school during their periods and miss a lot of school.
PE Jason then told us how the rest of the meeting was going to go. As background he said that we had all participated in an internet survey about club goals and this session was a deeper, more detailed dive into similar issues. Jason is doing this with Mary Horn, our PE nominee, following Jason’s term of office. They want to have a strategic plan to grow our membership to 150 members within two years. The focus is on both numbers of new members but also diversity. That will take work and participation from all of us and making our club an exciting place for new people to join.
Above: President-Elect Nominee Mary Horn
Jason said to think of this as speed dating. Now I’m not sure if I was the only one who wondered how a long-time married man like Jason knew anything about speed dating but I’m sure he read about it in a book or saw it in a movie. Each table would be equipped with a facilitator who would keep the discussion moving and a scribe to write down all the important stuff said in response to five subject areas. Those areas included Membership, Fellowship, Programs, Community Service, and Fundraising. Each area had several questions to be addressed and the scribe would write the notes on large pieces of paper using specific colors of markers for each area. Since Jason was going to Hawaii tomorrow morning, he didn’t want to see a lot of fooling around at the table. Each area should be discussed for about seven to ten minutes with Mary announcing when to move on to the next topic.
By listening to the buzz in the room, each table jumped in wholeheartedly and those large pieces of paper filled up fast. Jason and Mary promised us that they would take all of those notes and compile them in a document and share them with us.
The rest of the meeting took place discussing the five areas. As we moved from one area to the next, the large pieces of paper were collected and posted on the walls. Jason gave us a little time at the end of the meeting to walk around and read what the different tables thought. It was very nice to have a chance to talk about our club and ways to improve it, ways to share it with new people, and some great ideas about spending time together getting to know each other better and to serve our community, both locally and internationally.
Above: John Korsmo said it was fun!
In case you were wondering, those participating on the Zoom, formed their own “table” and brainstormed too.
Bud Montgomery won the raffle.
Member Spotlight: Someone named Greg suggested that we keep including bios of our members occasionally, so here is another one for the guy who served as scribe at our table today!
Greg Rediske (By Kay Shinn, 1987)
Greg was a September baby….born in 1952…in Tacoma General Hospital. He is a son of Jim Rediske who was an active member of our group for 25 years until his passing some time ago. A lot of us remember him fondly. Greg scooted through Pacific Lutheran University….he served time in the Russ Klauser/Mike McGowan stores for 15 years and now is known as a “Video Consultant”, whatever that is! His firm is Video Management Company. He is interested in such things as baseball, golf, movies, music, among other things. And he takes delight in two sons, Lars aged 6 and Noah aged 5. Greg joined Lakewood Rotary in 1982. He’s been on an assortment of committees, chairman of some. They include Wild Game, Student Exchange and Bulletin and Magazine committees. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.
Update from 1987: Greg married Sharon in 1989 which added two more sons, Shawn and Brandon, and now five grandchildren. He is retired and is the current secretary of the Club and served as club president in 2006-07. He was awarded the Russ Klauser Rotarian of the Year award in 2008-09.
Above: Pic of Greg and Sharon Rediske
Upcoming LR events:
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic)
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Read MoreShare
June is Here!
Saturday, June 4, 2022 By: Mary MarlinJune has arrived.
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
And June has arrived! Did you know that June 21st or 22nd will be the longest day of the year? And you thought that 2021 was the longest year ever! Well, we're halfway through 2022 so bring on the fun! Jim Rooks, our esteemed president, gonged (is that a word?) the meeting to order and welcomed all members and guests to our lovely, harmonious and food-filled meeting place. He then requested that Jan Gee give our invocation which she thoughtfully did. Carl Bronkema led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Kudos were given to Rob Erb and his amazing assistants Tom George, Kendra Riconosciuto, Terry Roarke and Bob Martin. Greg Rediske took note of fines. Greg Horn and Chuck Hellar were at the raffle table. Bud Montgomery accepted Foundation offers and Yours Truly attempted to keep track of the meeting as the Bulletin will be read soon by all....maybe. Walt Richardson was diligent getting pictures too.
Christian Tomlinson from Puyallup is in Puyallup Rotary and he came to visit our club and is even going to join!! Welcome, Christian! Barlow Buescher brought a guest, Eric Spitzer from Corvallis. Ron Banner, our speaker of the day, introduced Carol Jacobs, the VP of the Clover Park School Board. Puffins were then asked to stand to a round of applause. Our Puffins are Connie Coleman-Lacadie, Anthony Veliz, Bob Martin, Andy Phillips, Angela Connelly, Dwight Williams, Linda McDermott, Veronica Bronkema, Hank Kerns, Julie White and Tony Camoroda. Oh, and Sam Hunter was given a generous applause for coming to the meeting.
Above: Don Daniels, one man world community service committee
President Jim then asked fellow Rotarian Don Daniels to tell us about his charitable contributions to numerous cities across the world and how he has managed with fellow Rotarians to make such a difference for those living in places many people have never visited. Don said he had had so much pleasure the last 25 years meeting Rotarians around the world and being able to make a difference in the places he's traveled. Several Rotary projects were mentioned. In Mazatlan, Mexico necessary medical supplies were made available. In Morocco purified water was made available just as in Ecuador as citizens were taught to change dirt to beneficial soil. Deaf children were educated with sign language before starting school rather than being left behind. In Tahiti a project was set up to address the need for students with disabilities. In Tulum sewing machines were made and could be sold to keep the project going. Water fountains were purified and ended the need for Coke that children drank because of polluted water. Eventually, the plastic was also used to keep that water available, so the trash was no longer trash but a necessary item for water availability. Rotary members also set up new curriculums in schools like music, yoga, painting, and drama to name a few. Rotary now goes inland to villages along with the Red Cross to help with dental issues, among other needed services. Don said the Rotary Wheel is everywhere. Students even greet the Rotarians with music as they visit. A video also shared a thankful member who works at a school and how different she said things now are for her students as well as for the staff. And the Rotary staff is growing! Please contact Don Daniels if you want to contribute to World Community Service. Well done, Don! Not stopping soon either. You set the bar high for Service Above Self!
Health and Wellness:
Eric Warn gave the health and wellness report. Carole Wier appreciated the flowers the club sent recently and she is looking forward to coming back to meetings. Gary Barton's son's memorial will be (was) held on Saturday at 10:30. On a different note, Greg Rediske revealed a story about Barlow Buescher and the day at the park when they were there together with their dogs. Apparently, the dogs became agitated and somehow Barlow was knocked down and had to wait awhile to help his back. Plenty of spectators were apparently available and two women RN's came to his rescue. Greg marveled at Barlow's "style" as he requested the three of them needed to "pause" and recover. Might have meant that the "paws" need recovering? (Greg's take on the event! Good thing he paid $20 for storytelling!!)
Above: Greg Rediske, storyteller
Greg Horn then gave the latest info on birthdays and anniversaries with help from Bob Martin. Here are the facts:
Anniversaries:
Mary Jo Copland...21years
Ron Banner...24
Jay Mayer...30
Joan Strait...32
Jason Whalen...35
Joe Quinn...54
Ed Shannon...56
Steve Mazoff...57
Bob Lordahl...63
Bob Hammar ...65
and Duncan Cook...66!! Well done, team!!
Birthdays:
James Guerrero...June 1
Leanna Albrecht...June 2
Astrid Arola...June 2
Don Anderson...June 3
Kim Prentice...June 7
Paula Olson...June 9
Connie Coleman- Lacadie...June 15
Jason Whalen...June 18
Chris Kimball...June 19
Mo Sarram...June 20
Andrew Neiditz...June 21
Eric Warn...June 23
Mike Murtha...June 24
Don Daniels...June 25
Jan Gee...June 29
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL!!
Announcements....
Anne Enquist, with her cool Top Gun T-Shirt, then reminded MANY people to be seated at the Lakewood Theatre at 3:55 on June 5th after checking in with Steve, and then attend a delicious barbeque and drinks at their house. Park near their house across the street at Lakewold Gardens. Thanks were given to Mazoffs, Barb Spriggs, the Wilcox team, the Selden family, the Pres, Eric Quinn and Donna and Andy Phillips. Jan Gee reminded others to register for the Installation Dinner on our website or check with John Lowney for info.
Also, the DUES ARE DUE!! (REMINDER)
The Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and Jan Gee invite you to meet the candidates on June 9th from 5:30-7:30, June 10th from 5:30-7:40, and June 11th from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon at First Baptist Church at 5400 112th Street SW in Lakewood. Bring your questions and suggestions for candidates! Jan then generously donated $50. Kendra Riconosciuto mentioned that the opportunity for a tenth or eleventh grader to participate in RYLA from June 8th to the 11 would be welcomed. One student is not able to come to the YMCA Camp in Longbranch so another space is available. Make a note that Revive Yoga is also taking donations for the Little Free Pantry. Next week Jason Whalen, the soon-to-be-president, will be heading up the meeting regarding new ideas for strategic planning. Bring your ideas!
Rotaract Committee will be headed now by Veronica Bronkema and members will meet downstairs after the regular meeting today. Mary Horn reminded us that the Beer Festival is back and it's super easy to sign up (said Bill Potter) so just do it.
More Generous Giving?
Fortunately, there was little time for fines (hey, that rhymes), so people took a breath, as needed.
Above: Ron Banner
PROGRAM: Then Anthony Veliz generously introduced our speaker of the day, Ron Banner, the Superintendent of the Clover Park School District. Here are some of the adjectives he mentioned about Ron....committed to his students and staff, respectful of others, empathetic to the difficulties that arise, amazing person to know, and Anthony was honored and impacted by Ron and appreciates how the community is impacted by his leadership. Ron, then, with his charming sense of humor, came to the front of the room and looking concerned said, "So I was looking for that person he was talking about! And, by the way, if you have questions about anything I talk about feel free to ask our helpful mayor!" With that, Ron then gave us current information regarding Clover Park School District. Here are a few statistics that you will find interesting. The district has almost 12,000 students, a diverse population, 65.9% in poverty, 448 homeless, 16.6% Special Ed., 14.5% English language learners, nearly 10% mobility rate (some military, other reasons as well), and 33% of families are military. With Covid difficulties many challenges were and are evident. The efforts were to minimize exposure, work with labor and industry and change every day if needed, look for the "best/worst deal" to solve problems, follow protocols, remember it's better together to make things happen, (sound like Rotary?) ,tighten down the hatches, make Zoom available, get computers and outlets to families that don't have access, extend day science and early literacy tutoring, and celebrate the 94% graduation rate for continuously enrolled students. Some tough issues are the 4th and 5th graders and 9th graders with transition efforts. Social emotional health issues are difficult to manage and major efforts are being made to assist students who have negatively been impacted by so much isolation. Connection to health resources is paramount and ongoing.
Partnerships and teams are making it easier and faster to get help. The military helps too. Money helps with some answers and the school board hopefully will be giving approval for needed funds. The good news is that financially the audit this year went well. Six students earned ACT 6 Scholarships. Nine students earned Boeing summer internships. Harrison Prep and Lakes have been identified as The Region's Best Schools and Open Door has earned National Accreditation. Free Meals are available for students throughout the year, the summer and Break Bags are contributed by local charities. Mr. Banner is a man who follows his heart and believes that "We are going to strive for the kids" as "Lakewood Comes Together". He acknowledged...."We've done pretty good." The applause at the end of his speech affirmed it!
Above: And look who won the Drawing!
The ticket number for the raffle was then called. YES.......Ron Banner got the $5.00. He earned it and much more!! ‘til next time.....yours truly, Mary Marlin
Upcoming LR events:
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic)
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Above: Don Daniels, one man world community service committee
President Jim then asked fellow Rotarian Don Daniels to tell us about his charitable contributions to numerous cities across the world and how he has managed with fellow Rotarians to make such a difference for those living in places many people have never visited. Don said he had had so much pleasure the last 25 years meeting Rotarians around the world and being able to make a difference in the places he's traveled. Several Rotary projects were mentioned. In Mazatlan, Mexico necessary medical supplies were made available. In Morocco purified water was made available just as in Ecuador as citizens were taught to change dirt to beneficial soil. Deaf children were educated with sign language before starting school rather than being left behind. In Tahiti a project was set up to address the need for students with disabilities. In Tulum sewing machines were made and could be sold to keep the project going. Water fountains were purified and ended the need for Coke that children drank because of polluted water. Eventually, the plastic was also used to keep that water available, so the trash was no longer trash but a necessary item for water availability. Rotary members also set up new curriculums in schools like music, yoga, painting, and drama to name a few. Rotary now goes inland to villages along with the Red Cross to help with dental issues, among other needed services. Don said the Rotary Wheel is everywhere. Students even greet the Rotarians with music as they visit. A video also shared a thankful member who works at a school and how different she said things now are for her students as well as for the staff. And the Rotary staff is growing! Please contact Don Daniels if you want to contribute to World Community Service. Well done, Don! Not stopping soon either. You set the bar high for Service Above Self!
Health and Wellness:
Eric Warn gave the health and wellness report. Carole Wier appreciated the flowers the club sent recently and she is looking forward to coming back to meetings. Gary Barton's son's memorial will be (was) held on Saturday at 10:30. On a different note, Greg Rediske revealed a story about Barlow Buescher and the day at the park when they were there together with their dogs. Apparently, the dogs became agitated and somehow Barlow was knocked down and had to wait awhile to help his back. Plenty of spectators were apparently available and two women RN's came to his rescue. Greg marveled at Barlow's "style" as he requested the three of them needed to "pause" and recover. Might have meant that the "paws" need recovering? (Greg's take on the event! Good thing he paid $20 for storytelling!!)
Above: Greg Rediske, storyteller
Greg Horn then gave the latest info on birthdays and anniversaries with help from Bob Martin. Here are the facts:
Anniversaries:
Mary Jo Copland...21years
Ron Banner...24
Jay Mayer...30
Joan Strait...32
Jason Whalen...35
Joe Quinn...54
Ed Shannon...56
Steve Mazoff...57
Bob Lordahl...63
Bob Hammar ...65
and Duncan Cook...66!! Well done, team!!
Birthdays:
James Guerrero...June 1
Leanna Albrecht...June 2
Astrid Arola...June 2
Don Anderson...June 3
Kim Prentice...June 7
Paula Olson...June 9
Connie Coleman- Lacadie...June 15
Jason Whalen...June 18
Chris Kimball...June 19
Mo Sarram...June 20
Andrew Neiditz...June 21
Eric Warn...June 23
Mike Murtha...June 24
Don Daniels...June 25
Jan Gee...June 29
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL!!
Announcements....
Anne Enquist, with her cool Top Gun T-Shirt, then reminded MANY people to be seated at the Lakewood Theatre at 3:55 on June 5th after checking in with Steve, and then attend a delicious barbeque and drinks at their house. Park near their house across the street at Lakewold Gardens. Thanks were given to Mazoffs, Barb Spriggs, the Wilcox team, the Selden family, the Pres, Eric Quinn and Donna and Andy Phillips. Jan Gee reminded others to register for the Installation Dinner on our website or check with John Lowney for info.
Also, the DUES ARE DUE!! (REMINDER)
The Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and Jan Gee invite you to meet the candidates on June 9th from 5:30-7:30, June 10th from 5:30-7:40, and June 11th from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon at First Baptist Church at 5400 112th Street SW in Lakewood. Bring your questions and suggestions for candidates! Jan then generously donated $50. Kendra Riconosciuto mentioned that the opportunity for a tenth or eleventh grader to participate in RYLA from June 8th to the 11 would be welcomed. One student is not able to come to the YMCA Camp in Longbranch so another space is available. Make a note that Revive Yoga is also taking donations for the Little Free Pantry. Next week Jason Whalen, the soon-to-be-president, will be heading up the meeting regarding new ideas for strategic planning. Bring your ideas!
Rotaract Committee will be headed now by Veronica Bronkema and members will meet downstairs after the regular meeting today. Mary Horn reminded us that the Beer Festival is back and it's super easy to sign up (said Bill Potter) so just do it.
More Generous Giving?
Fortunately, there was little time for fines (hey, that rhymes), so people took a breath, as needed.
Above: Ron Banner
PROGRAM: Then Anthony Veliz generously introduced our speaker of the day, Ron Banner, the Superintendent of the Clover Park School District. Here are some of the adjectives he mentioned about Ron....committed to his students and staff, respectful of others, empathetic to the difficulties that arise, amazing person to know, and Anthony was honored and impacted by Ron and appreciates how the community is impacted by his leadership. Ron, then, with his charming sense of humor, came to the front of the room and looking concerned said, "So I was looking for that person he was talking about! And, by the way, if you have questions about anything I talk about feel free to ask our helpful mayor!" With that, Ron then gave us current information regarding Clover Park School District. Here are a few statistics that you will find interesting. The district has almost 12,000 students, a diverse population, 65.9% in poverty, 448 homeless, 16.6% Special Ed., 14.5% English language learners, nearly 10% mobility rate (some military, other reasons as well), and 33% of families are military. With Covid difficulties many challenges were and are evident. The efforts were to minimize exposure, work with labor and industry and change every day if needed, look for the "best/worst deal" to solve problems, follow protocols, remember it's better together to make things happen, (sound like Rotary?) ,tighten down the hatches, make Zoom available, get computers and outlets to families that don't have access, extend day science and early literacy tutoring, and celebrate the 94% graduation rate for continuously enrolled students. Some tough issues are the 4th and 5th graders and 9th graders with transition efforts. Social emotional health issues are difficult to manage and major efforts are being made to assist students who have negatively been impacted by so much isolation. Connection to health resources is paramount and ongoing.
Partnerships and teams are making it easier and faster to get help. The military helps too. Money helps with some answers and the school board hopefully will be giving approval for needed funds. The good news is that financially the audit this year went well. Six students earned ACT 6 Scholarships. Nine students earned Boeing summer internships. Harrison Prep and Lakes have been identified as The Region's Best Schools and Open Door has earned National Accreditation. Free Meals are available for students throughout the year, the summer and Break Bags are contributed by local charities. Mr. Banner is a man who follows his heart and believes that "We are going to strive for the kids" as "Lakewood Comes Together". He acknowledged...."We've done pretty good." The applause at the end of his speech affirmed it!
Above: And look who won the Drawing!
The ticket number for the raffle was then called. YES.......Ron Banner got the $5.00. He earned it and much more!! ‘til next time.....yours truly, Mary Marlin
Upcoming LR events:
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic)
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
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More Bull?
Saturday, May 28, 2022 By: Wendy Jo McGowanMore bull?
The Lakewood Key
by Wendy McGowan (please read this to the very end)
Following in the footsteps of the esteemed Bull Writer, John W. Magnuson, I’ll endeavor to “give you just the facts, ma’am (or man)” along with a dribble (or did she mean drivel?) or two of entertainment. In last week’s bulletin John W. enlightened us with his apocalyptic (I checked with Roget…for certain, that is a real word. Even Webster agreed!) Mt. St. Helens eruption tale. I’m still not clear what that day-in-history had to do with the May 20th (seeing that Mt. St. Helens blew its top on May 18) Lakewood Rotary meeting, but Ole did provide an ‘explosive’ history lesson. We didn’t expect anything less.
Knock! Knock! Who’s there? Philip. Phllip who? Philip your water bottle before your long hike up Mt. St. Helens.
On to current events….
Today’s meeting was called to order promptly at 12:30 p.m. by none other than the Honorable President James Rooks, with the help of his handy “gong”. Paula Olson, on Zoom, gave a heartfelt invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Bob Martin.
President Jim thanked the Set-Up Crew for their knowledge and diligence: Rob Erb headed the crew, followed by Tom George, Bob Martin, Terry Roarke, Dave Swindale, and Rick Selden. Learning the ropes, Gayle Selden acknowledged that overseeing the Auction was a snap compared to getting a grasp on how to operate this technical Zoom stuff.
Due to “technical difficulties” the Crew tried, but failed, to provide a video at this point in the meeting, entitled “Those who served but are no longer with us”. A tad later in the meeting the Crew found success. Faces familiar to all of us, along with a younger version of these same fine men in uniform many years before, heard “a quiet enveloping the room”. With a tear or two, I was taken back with the familiar images of Harold Carlson, Jim Early, Jud Bordman, Jack Gamble, Spiro Damis, Ward Fletcher, Bob Gee, Paul Guy, Al Hagen, Don Jacobson, Ed Janay, Ed John, Russ Klauser, Mike McGowan, James Russell, Larry Saunders, Jim Schultz, John Simmons, Richard Simmons, Norm Tremaine and Ted Wier. These men served their country, their community, and their Rotary club, giving their all.
Following the introduction of the Setup Crew, the president noted that Eric Warn manned the Foundation Desk, Chuck Hellar oversaw the $2.00 Table and served as Sergeant at Arms as well, Greg Rediske jumped into the shoes of Treasurer John Lowney (who is lazing somewhere in the San Juans) and gathered the fines, and Walt Richardson did duty with his trusty camera and provided pics for this bulletin.
Above: Marissa Terry, Ambassadorial Scholar
A guest of a Rotarian, Marissa Terry, was introduced. Marissa is from Lakewood, and attended school at Charles Wright Academy and at Bellarmine High. She graduated from Louisiana State University in international studies and sustainable development. Marissa received two Ambassadorial Scholarships. She will further her studies in Belfast, Northern Ireland this fall.
Eric Warn then gave us the Health and Wellness Report. Here are the available details for the memorials of:
Gary Barton’s son: Sunday, June 4
Mary Lou Sclair: Friday, June 24 1:00 p.m. Christ Lutheran Church
Eric went on to report on the health of Bob Zawilski. Bob had lower G.I. surgery at St. Joseph’s Hospital. The surgery required an exorbitant number of blood transfusions. He is now home resting. Bob said the blood bank has a huge need for plasma right now and asked if any Rotarians could give blood. He then made this most generous offer or offers: “There are two different approaches…both of them intended to increase the amount of blood donations. The first is for Lakewood Rotarians who donate blood, but who have not yet achieved their first Paul Harris. For them, I have asked Stephen Enquist to manage my points to get them to their first Paul Harris level--$1,000.00. The second approach works like this: I will make a contribution to the club’s Rotary Foundation Polio Plus account of $100 for each Lakewood Rotarian donating blood…up to a cap of $10,000.”
The Puffins were then recognized. You learn something new at every Rotary gathering. Several weeks ago, at a Friday meeting, I was sitting at a table with Steve Saalfeld. President Jim asked the Puffins to stand. I stood up, but Steve (who has been a Puffin classmate of mine for the last 11 or 12 months) remained seated. Steve said he thought he was already a full-fledged Rotarian, no longer a plebe. Now, I was confused. This needed clarification! So, I texted my trusty mentor, John Lowney. Steve was right. After one year, you are no longer a Puffin, but become a member. I, too, am now a full-fledged member. Glad we cleared that up!!!
President Rooks then introduced Greg Horn who enumerated the many May birthdays: John Caulfield (May 27), Duncan Cook (May 1), Rob Erb (May 12), Bob Hammar (May 5), Charles Heberle (May 25), Bob Lordahl (May 10), Bill Price (May 1), Sally Porter Smith (May 8), John Warner (May 30), Julie White (May 7), and Bob Martin (May 9).
Only one Partner birthday was announced: Pam Lowney (May 12).
Greg went on to tell us about the LR member May anniversaries: Yours Truly - 1 year, Jamie Lynn Simons - 1 year, Monica Cordell - 2 years, Gary Barton - 3 years, Anne Enquist - 4 years, Troy Wilcox - 7 years, James Osundwa – 7 years, Clayton DeNault – 10 years, Jim Sharp – 12 years, Gayle Selden – 15 years, Bill Potter – 18 years, Tony Camoroda – 21 years, Jay Mayer – 22 years, Phil Eng – 28 years, and Gary Fulton – 38 years.
Greg noted two wedding anniversaries occurred in May: Dan and Leah Livingston, 24 years on May 2 and Jim and Jennie Weinand, 45 years on May 29.
Knock! Knock! Who’s there? Who. Who who? Is there an owl in here?
Announcements: Greg Horn filled in for his well-organized wife, Mary, with an announcement about “Summer fun at the ski lake.” Greg asked, “Do you like to drink beer?” (Silly question.) On Saturday, July 30 at their place in Orting, beginning at 1:00 p.m. (or 2:00 p.m.…Greg was unsure) they will have more than 200 home brews to taste (the key word here is: taste). To end the day, at 9:00 p.m., the Fire Dancers will perform. Your donation will go to the Rotary Foundation toward the eradication of polio.
Another announcement we can “pat ourselves on the back” for: The total amount donated to help Ukrainian student, Anastasia Lemesh: $2,580.00! Thank you, President Jim for this information. And, thank you Lakewood Rotarians. We can only imagine her anguish. Our wishes go with this monetary help.
Above: The hard working Sally Porter Smith
Sally Porter Smith had two noteworthy announcements. First, Veronica Bronkema has volunteered to become our club’s first Rotaract Chairman. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Rotaract, it is a group of people, 18 years +, who gather to exchange ideas with leaders from the community, develop leadership and professional skills, and have fun, along the way, through service. Their slogan is “The future of Rotary is Rotaract” and the name originated from Rotary in Action. Our committee’s first meeting is next week. Veronica is the perfect person to head up this endeavor as she, too, was a Rotaract participant. Hooray and thank you, Veronica.
Sally also reported a few tidbits to me about the results from last Saturday’s auction. Our net was $62,000. Hooray, again! The Partners who produced fabulous Sip ‘n’ See charcuterie boards, sold an additional $705 of extra wine and platters that were not on order before closing on Saturday afternoon. Great job, Partners! Everything was yummy. Please let us know the final numbers. I asked Sally about any outstanding bids. She did say that Steve Mazoff’s birdhouse brought 165% of value. Another nice job, Steve. Everyone, please let Sally know about any bidding wars or humorous stories coming out of the auction.
Then came the time for Fines and Generous Giving. Bill Potter jumped up in praise for his daughter’s graduation from Davidson College in North Carolina. The best part: she graduated Summa Cum Laude! Great achievement! Rob Erb also helped fill the pot: for a recent trip and for not being able to handle today’s “technical difficulties”. Sorry, I didn’t get the $$$ amounts for either.
Knock! Knock! Who’s there? Who. Who writes these silly jokes?
THE PROGRAM
Above: Dr. Joyce Loveday of CPTC
Barlow Buescher introduced our speaker, Dr. Joyce Loveday. Dr. Loveday has served Clover Park Technical College in the position of Interim President since June 1, 2016; however, she has been an integral part of the college community since 2002, serving in a wide variety of roles.
Dr. Loveday holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wheaton College, a Master of Business Administration from Idaho State University, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Education from Oregon State University with an emphasis in Community College Leadership. She’s actively engaged in the community as past president of Clover Park Rotary, member of Lakewood’s Promise and board member for the Lakewood Area Support Alliance (LASA).
Dr. Loveday reacquainted us with the college’s three campuses: the Lakewood Campus, the South Hill Campus, and the campus at Purdy Women’s Prison. She stated the college campuses offer 40 different programs.
She spoke at length about the effects of the pandemic on the college, when in 2019 it transitioned from on-campus learning to teaching via Zoom. She admitted, “It was a real challenge,” explaining that a great majority of teaching at any community college comes from a “hands-on approach”. She gave a few examples of how students created “labs” in their own homes that replicate on-campus labs. With a return to the campuses, Dr. Loveday stated that CPTC successfully met the challenges of Covid with the use of masks, distancing, and the use of Plexiglass panels where appropriate.
She noted that several accomplishments had been made during these last two years: the Beacon Award (a math award) was conferred upon the college, two new Bachelor’s degrees were established, and the college’s Accreditation cycle was met. It was heartening to know our community has in its midst this fine center of learning.
Above: Can you see the white chip Wendy is holding?
Guess who was the winner of the daily drawing? Correct! This meeting’s scribe! Incidentally, I pulled one red and one white chip together. I was only awarded the white one, in case you were wondering.
Knock! Knock! Who’s there? Wendy. Wendy who? Wendy’s door is open… I don’t need to knock. (sighhhh! I’ll never hear the end of this from Ole).
I would like to add a personal note: If you are reading this bulletin on Memorial Day, please hop in your car and drive past the front of Clover Park High School. Our own, Ron Banner, has invited us to honor Memorial Day with the school’s Annual Arlington Project tradition. 7,000 markers now adorn the front lawn of the school in the style of Arlington National Cemetery, each placed by a student to acknowledge a fallen soldier from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Fourteen years later, the tradition continues. You can take a self-tour and read the names of the fallen. Leave a flower, if you wish.
I look for this tradition every year on this day. I have been to Arlington several times, but the Clover Park High School exhibit always reminds me of Normandy, France. If you’ve never been to the beaches and fields of Normandy, it should be No. 1 on your “bucket list.” Several years ago, I stood with my husband, Mike, as tears streamed down his cheeks. The endless markers remind us that freedom should never be taken for granted, nor taken from us by another.
Wendy
Upcoming LR events:
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic)
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
LATE BREAKING NEWS:
Kendra Riconosciuto and Andrew Kruse are asking for your help for our RYLA student. Amber Petty needs a ride to and from the RYLA gathering, which this year is being held at the YMCA’s Camp Colman, located at 20016 Bay Road SW, Longbranch, WA 98351. Amber needs to be dropped off on June 8th at noon and be picked back up at 11:00 a.m. on June 11th. Our Youth Protection Officer says this would be considered “casual contact” with a young person, and the volunteer driver need not be a vetted Rotary volunteer. However, he recommends that the “rule of three” be observed, i.e. the driver should always be accompanied by another adult for your own protection and that of the young person. Perfect for a husband and wife team who wants to visit the scenic Key Peninsula. Combine it with a trip to Penrose Point State Park, just down the road past Key Center. The drivers on June 8 and June 11 do not need to be the same persons. In the spirit of Rotary, and to support our RYLA student, we desperately need one or more volunteer drivers on these dates!
Today’s meeting was called to order promptly at 12:30 p.m. by none other than the Honorable President James Rooks, with the help of his handy “gong”. Paula Olson, on Zoom, gave a heartfelt invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Bob Martin.
President Jim thanked the Set-Up Crew for their knowledge and diligence: Rob Erb headed the crew, followed by Tom George, Bob Martin, Terry Roarke, Dave Swindale, and Rick Selden. Learning the ropes, Gayle Selden acknowledged that overseeing the Auction was a snap compared to getting a grasp on how to operate this technical Zoom stuff.
Due to “technical difficulties” the Crew tried, but failed, to provide a video at this point in the meeting, entitled “Those who served but are no longer with us”. A tad later in the meeting the Crew found success. Faces familiar to all of us, along with a younger version of these same fine men in uniform many years before, heard “a quiet enveloping the room”. With a tear or two, I was taken back with the familiar images of Harold Carlson, Jim Early, Jud Bordman, Jack Gamble, Spiro Damis, Ward Fletcher, Bob Gee, Paul Guy, Al Hagen, Don Jacobson, Ed Janay, Ed John, Russ Klauser, Mike McGowan, James Russell, Larry Saunders, Jim Schultz, John Simmons, Richard Simmons, Norm Tremaine and Ted Wier. These men served their country, their community, and their Rotary club, giving their all.
Following the introduction of the Setup Crew, the president noted that Eric Warn manned the Foundation Desk, Chuck Hellar oversaw the $2.00 Table and served as Sergeant at Arms as well, Greg Rediske jumped into the shoes of Treasurer John Lowney (who is lazing somewhere in the San Juans) and gathered the fines, and Walt Richardson did duty with his trusty camera and provided pics for this bulletin.
Above: Marissa Terry, Ambassadorial Scholar
A guest of a Rotarian, Marissa Terry, was introduced. Marissa is from Lakewood, and attended school at Charles Wright Academy and at Bellarmine High. She graduated from Louisiana State University in international studies and sustainable development. Marissa received two Ambassadorial Scholarships. She will further her studies in Belfast, Northern Ireland this fall.
Eric Warn then gave us the Health and Wellness Report. Here are the available details for the memorials of:
Gary Barton’s son: Sunday, June 4
Mary Lou Sclair: Friday, June 24 1:00 p.m. Christ Lutheran Church
Eric went on to report on the health of Bob Zawilski. Bob had lower G.I. surgery at St. Joseph’s Hospital. The surgery required an exorbitant number of blood transfusions. He is now home resting. Bob said the blood bank has a huge need for plasma right now and asked if any Rotarians could give blood. He then made this most generous offer or offers: “There are two different approaches…both of them intended to increase the amount of blood donations. The first is for Lakewood Rotarians who donate blood, but who have not yet achieved their first Paul Harris. For them, I have asked Stephen Enquist to manage my points to get them to their first Paul Harris level--$1,000.00. The second approach works like this: I will make a contribution to the club’s Rotary Foundation Polio Plus account of $100 for each Lakewood Rotarian donating blood…up to a cap of $10,000.”
The Puffins were then recognized. You learn something new at every Rotary gathering. Several weeks ago, at a Friday meeting, I was sitting at a table with Steve Saalfeld. President Jim asked the Puffins to stand. I stood up, but Steve (who has been a Puffin classmate of mine for the last 11 or 12 months) remained seated. Steve said he thought he was already a full-fledged Rotarian, no longer a plebe. Now, I was confused. This needed clarification! So, I texted my trusty mentor, John Lowney. Steve was right. After one year, you are no longer a Puffin, but become a member. I, too, am now a full-fledged member. Glad we cleared that up!!!
President Rooks then introduced Greg Horn who enumerated the many May birthdays: John Caulfield (May 27), Duncan Cook (May 1), Rob Erb (May 12), Bob Hammar (May 5), Charles Heberle (May 25), Bob Lordahl (May 10), Bill Price (May 1), Sally Porter Smith (May 8), John Warner (May 30), Julie White (May 7), and Bob Martin (May 9).
Only one Partner birthday was announced: Pam Lowney (May 12).
Greg went on to tell us about the LR member May anniversaries: Yours Truly - 1 year, Jamie Lynn Simons - 1 year, Monica Cordell - 2 years, Gary Barton - 3 years, Anne Enquist - 4 years, Troy Wilcox - 7 years, James Osundwa – 7 years, Clayton DeNault – 10 years, Jim Sharp – 12 years, Gayle Selden – 15 years, Bill Potter – 18 years, Tony Camoroda – 21 years, Jay Mayer – 22 years, Phil Eng – 28 years, and Gary Fulton – 38 years.
Greg noted two wedding anniversaries occurred in May: Dan and Leah Livingston, 24 years on May 2 and Jim and Jennie Weinand, 45 years on May 29.
Knock! Knock! Who’s there? Who. Who who? Is there an owl in here?
Announcements: Greg Horn filled in for his well-organized wife, Mary, with an announcement about “Summer fun at the ski lake.” Greg asked, “Do you like to drink beer?” (Silly question.) On Saturday, July 30 at their place in Orting, beginning at 1:00 p.m. (or 2:00 p.m.…Greg was unsure) they will have more than 200 home brews to taste (the key word here is: taste). To end the day, at 9:00 p.m., the Fire Dancers will perform. Your donation will go to the Rotary Foundation toward the eradication of polio.
Another announcement we can “pat ourselves on the back” for: The total amount donated to help Ukrainian student, Anastasia Lemesh: $2,580.00! Thank you, President Jim for this information. And, thank you Lakewood Rotarians. We can only imagine her anguish. Our wishes go with this monetary help.
Above: The hard working Sally Porter Smith
Sally Porter Smith had two noteworthy announcements. First, Veronica Bronkema has volunteered to become our club’s first Rotaract Chairman. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Rotaract, it is a group of people, 18 years +, who gather to exchange ideas with leaders from the community, develop leadership and professional skills, and have fun, along the way, through service. Their slogan is “The future of Rotary is Rotaract” and the name originated from Rotary in Action. Our committee’s first meeting is next week. Veronica is the perfect person to head up this endeavor as she, too, was a Rotaract participant. Hooray and thank you, Veronica.
Sally also reported a few tidbits to me about the results from last Saturday’s auction. Our net was $62,000. Hooray, again! The Partners who produced fabulous Sip ‘n’ See charcuterie boards, sold an additional $705 of extra wine and platters that were not on order before closing on Saturday afternoon. Great job, Partners! Everything was yummy. Please let us know the final numbers. I asked Sally about any outstanding bids. She did say that Steve Mazoff’s birdhouse brought 165% of value. Another nice job, Steve. Everyone, please let Sally know about any bidding wars or humorous stories coming out of the auction.
Then came the time for Fines and Generous Giving. Bill Potter jumped up in praise for his daughter’s graduation from Davidson College in North Carolina. The best part: she graduated Summa Cum Laude! Great achievement! Rob Erb also helped fill the pot: for a recent trip and for not being able to handle today’s “technical difficulties”. Sorry, I didn’t get the $$$ amounts for either.
Knock! Knock! Who’s there? Who. Who writes these silly jokes?
THE PROGRAM
Above: Dr. Joyce Loveday of CPTC
Barlow Buescher introduced our speaker, Dr. Joyce Loveday. Dr. Loveday has served Clover Park Technical College in the position of Interim President since June 1, 2016; however, she has been an integral part of the college community since 2002, serving in a wide variety of roles.
Dr. Loveday holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wheaton College, a Master of Business Administration from Idaho State University, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Education from Oregon State University with an emphasis in Community College Leadership. She’s actively engaged in the community as past president of Clover Park Rotary, member of Lakewood’s Promise and board member for the Lakewood Area Support Alliance (LASA).
Dr. Loveday reacquainted us with the college’s three campuses: the Lakewood Campus, the South Hill Campus, and the campus at Purdy Women’s Prison. She stated the college campuses offer 40 different programs.
She spoke at length about the effects of the pandemic on the college, when in 2019 it transitioned from on-campus learning to teaching via Zoom. She admitted, “It was a real challenge,” explaining that a great majority of teaching at any community college comes from a “hands-on approach”. She gave a few examples of how students created “labs” in their own homes that replicate on-campus labs. With a return to the campuses, Dr. Loveday stated that CPTC successfully met the challenges of Covid with the use of masks, distancing, and the use of Plexiglass panels where appropriate.
She noted that several accomplishments had been made during these last two years: the Beacon Award (a math award) was conferred upon the college, two new Bachelor’s degrees were established, and the college’s Accreditation cycle was met. It was heartening to know our community has in its midst this fine center of learning.
Above: Can you see the white chip Wendy is holding?
Guess who was the winner of the daily drawing? Correct! This meeting’s scribe! Incidentally, I pulled one red and one white chip together. I was only awarded the white one, in case you were wondering.
Knock! Knock! Who’s there? Wendy. Wendy who? Wendy’s door is open… I don’t need to knock. (sighhhh! I’ll never hear the end of this from Ole).
I would like to add a personal note: If you are reading this bulletin on Memorial Day, please hop in your car and drive past the front of Clover Park High School. Our own, Ron Banner, has invited us to honor Memorial Day with the school’s Annual Arlington Project tradition. 7,000 markers now adorn the front lawn of the school in the style of Arlington National Cemetery, each placed by a student to acknowledge a fallen soldier from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Fourteen years later, the tradition continues. You can take a self-tour and read the names of the fallen. Leave a flower, if you wish.
I look for this tradition every year on this day. I have been to Arlington several times, but the Clover Park High School exhibit always reminds me of Normandy, France. If you’ve never been to the beaches and fields of Normandy, it should be No. 1 on your “bucket list.” Several years ago, I stood with my husband, Mike, as tears streamed down his cheeks. The endless markers remind us that freedom should never be taken for granted, nor taken from us by another.
Wendy
Upcoming LR events:
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic)
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
LATE BREAKING NEWS:
Kendra Riconosciuto and Andrew Kruse are asking for your help for our RYLA student. Amber Petty needs a ride to and from the RYLA gathering, which this year is being held at the YMCA’s Camp Colman, located at 20016 Bay Road SW, Longbranch, WA 98351. Amber needs to be dropped off on June 8th at noon and be picked back up at 11:00 a.m. on June 11th. Our Youth Protection Officer says this would be considered “casual contact” with a young person, and the volunteer driver need not be a vetted Rotary volunteer. However, he recommends that the “rule of three” be observed, i.e. the driver should always be accompanied by another adult for your own protection and that of the young person. Perfect for a husband and wife team who wants to visit the scenic Key Peninsula. Combine it with a trip to Penrose Point State Park, just down the road past Key Center. The drivers on June 8 and June 11 do not need to be the same persons. In the spirit of Rotary, and to support our RYLA student, we desperately need one or more volunteer drivers on these dates!
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Where Were You?
Saturday, May 21, 2022 By: John W. MagnusonWhere were you?
The Lakewood Key
Where were you on Sunday May 18, 1980?
Our family was in Richland attending a professional association meeting. It was the final day and a grand breakfast buffet was planned. A friend and I decided to go for a run along the Columbia River. We no sooner left the parking lot, when the sun was blotted out by dark grey upside-down clouds. “Certainly, this is the apocalypse,” said my Roman Catholic friend who knows about such things. Not that we Methodists don’t know, but we – Methodists – don’t believe for one minute apocalyptic events begin in eastern Washington; California, more likely and Hollywood for sure!
Normally decisive people turned befuddled. Parents began asking their pre-teen kids for advice. Belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped cream sat soppily, untouched at the buffet. Many families decided to go back to Seattle over Snoqualmie Pass. Unfortunately for them their motors clogged with ash from the Mt. St. Helens eruption and they all convened in Vantage. A knot of us looked at a saner but slower route south over the Umatilla Bridge into Oregon and Highway 84 toward Portland.
So, what does this have to do with the Lakewood Rotary Club meeting on Friday May 20, 2022? Would the meeting turn into a bellwether day as that day 42 years ago did? Said meeting got off to a grand start with all the bell ringing, invocation, Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. All the usual super suspects participated in the tasks associated with making the meeting happen. This epistle and the associated photos are by the same folks who bring the bulletin to you from time to time. I could name all the Rotarians who make President Jim look good for you, or trust that you know who they are?
Above: Partners hard at work preparing charcuterie
An impressive group whom you should really get to know are the Puffins: Rachel Mazoff, Steve Saalfeld, Jamie Simons, James Oswunda, Wendy McGowan, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, Anthony Veliz, Bob Martin, Andy Phillips, Angela Connelly, Dwight Williams, Linda McDermott, Veronica Bronkema and Hank Kerns. Puffins, if you were there, please raise your hands as (if) you read this.
President Jim had the distinct honor of introducing our newest member, Assistant Governor Tony Camoroda. Tony gracefully thanked President Jim then accepted the Puffin from Hank Kerns.
Above: Tony Camoroda, ADG and now a member of Lakewood Rotary
Photo by Phil Eng.
We took some time to memorialize wonderful Past President Mary Lou Sclair. PP Gayle Selden eulogized our diminutive Leprechaun and her “I’ve got a secret” grin. The wife of PDG Dave Sclair and mother of PP Ben Sclair, Mary Lou wanted a place where her grand kids could go for a swing in a park. That kernel of an idea became the Playground at Fort Steilacoom. Ahh me; passages. She was a lovely person.
Above: PP Mary Lou Sclair (archive photo)
Along the lines of Sunshine, Eric Warn remarked on Carole Wier’s struggles of late. Rose Stevens reported that Bob Zawilski is hospitalized at the moment. Keep our Rotarian friends in your thoughts and prayers. Eric Quinn reported on the upcoming year of our exchange student Hans Bruun of Denmark. He will be staying with Mike and Paula Murtha. The last time we had an exchange student from Denmark it was a memorable stay with wonderful Victor. Now Victor has a lovely sailboat and an even lovelier Anna. That’s all you’re getting on that nugget.
Angela Connelly touted her new book and praised Kathryn Hedrick, a contributor. The book is about non-profit organizations. President Jim announced Peter Marsh’s heirloom tomato starts would be available beginning next week. Check Your Farmer’s Almanac to see on which day of the Lunar Calendar to plant them. PJ reminded all to bring food for the Little Pantries next week. Veronica Bronkema is doing some preliminary work on the establishment of a Rotaract Club. Rotaract is a great opportunity for building leadership and mentorship skills as well as farming future Rotarians.
Above: Veronika Bronkema, photo by Phil Eng
Check with the www.lakewoodrotary.com website for dates and times about the Installation Luau for incoming President Jason Whalen. Information is also available about the Floating Board meeting picnic and the Reeder Roadster Romp. Speaking of Jason, he ventured to Victoria BC to the DC. PE JW reported that PJ wasn’t at the DC.
(So many abbreviations, we almost had to abbreviate this bulletin. Not.)
Steve Enquist awarded Bill and Pat Price the highest Paul Harris level of Foundation giving – 3 Rubies. Congratulations to Bill and Pat. Pat also announced that they are selling their real estate company founded by her parents in 1960. PP Chris Kimball made the Looooonnngggg awaited announcement that the Pantera is back. He then claimed that it has more horsepower than my vehicle. I now boast an electric assist bicycle that may just eclipse his claim!
Court Commissioner Clint Johnson showed a brief video of a car driven into the barge owned by Johnsons, Whalens and Mazoffs. Having been a former part owner of said barge, I enquired as to how much the collision damages improved said barge. Strange, I didn’t hear the answer, and all 3 of them are lawyers! Then PP John Lowney announced that said barge had also recently been improved in condition by flipping while on the trailer being towed. The place that “improved Kimball’s Pantera” has some open space for repairs, if any are necessary. That space is available for the next 7 years, by the way.
The Auction is now open for business!
And Sally Porter Smith says get busy bidding!
Above: The Partners were hard at work at Ellen Mazoff’s house
PP Gayle led with thanks doled to the many helpers it takes to put on such an event, virtual though it is. Kendra Riconsciuto took the auction live and online. The site is:
Lakewoodrotary.maxgiving.bid
Featured events are the Kayak poker run on American Lake by Barb Spriggs. The Horn Family pickleball and beer event. Wine tasting at Whalen’s. Bud Montgomery submitted a beautiful handcrafted wooden bowl and PP Joe Quinn entered as auctioneer. Dave Swindale stole it for $65 at a live auction right during the meeting!
where are you- bid on these:
Above: 5 items you need to bid on tonight!
Past Governor Greg Horn proceeded to tell us all how simple and easy and elementary it is to put the Dacdb.com doodad on your cell phone. He began by asking how many of us had a phone when we were in our cells, or something like that. But it’s really quite easy: log on to lakewoodrotary.com. Type dacdb.com into the inquiry space. Go to the App Store and search for dacdb.com. When you find that, take the 594 Sound Transit bus from Lakewood Towne Center to SeaTac International Airport. When you get to the airport, create a 12 digit alpha numeric Saanskrit polyglot password and exchange it for return fare on the 594 bus returning to Lakewood Towne Center. Memorize the driver’s name and… and….well, you know how simple this all is. Give it a go!
The patron in the bar asked the bartender, “What’s the wifi password?” Bartender replied, “You have to buy a drink first.” “Hmmm, okay, I’ll have a Coke.” Ordered the customer. Bartender asked, “Pepsi okay?”
Who Reads This Stuff? Ole
Upcoming LR events:
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic)
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
So, what does this have to do with the Lakewood Rotary Club meeting on Friday May 20, 2022? Would the meeting turn into a bellwether day as that day 42 years ago did? Said meeting got off to a grand start with all the bell ringing, invocation, Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. All the usual super suspects participated in the tasks associated with making the meeting happen. This epistle and the associated photos are by the same folks who bring the bulletin to you from time to time. I could name all the Rotarians who make President Jim look good for you, or trust that you know who they are?
Above: Partners hard at work preparing charcuterie
An impressive group whom you should really get to know are the Puffins: Rachel Mazoff, Steve Saalfeld, Jamie Simons, James Oswunda, Wendy McGowan, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, Anthony Veliz, Bob Martin, Andy Phillips, Angela Connelly, Dwight Williams, Linda McDermott, Veronica Bronkema and Hank Kerns. Puffins, if you were there, please raise your hands as (if) you read this.
President Jim had the distinct honor of introducing our newest member, Assistant Governor Tony Camoroda. Tony gracefully thanked President Jim then accepted the Puffin from Hank Kerns.
Above: Tony Camoroda, ADG and now a member of Lakewood Rotary
Photo by Phil Eng.
We took some time to memorialize wonderful Past President Mary Lou Sclair. PP Gayle Selden eulogized our diminutive Leprechaun and her “I’ve got a secret” grin. The wife of PDG Dave Sclair and mother of PP Ben Sclair, Mary Lou wanted a place where her grand kids could go for a swing in a park. That kernel of an idea became the Playground at Fort Steilacoom. Ahh me; passages. She was a lovely person.
Above: PP Mary Lou Sclair (archive photo)
Along the lines of Sunshine, Eric Warn remarked on Carole Wier’s struggles of late. Rose Stevens reported that Bob Zawilski is hospitalized at the moment. Keep our Rotarian friends in your thoughts and prayers. Eric Quinn reported on the upcoming year of our exchange student Hans Bruun of Denmark. He will be staying with Mike and Paula Murtha. The last time we had an exchange student from Denmark it was a memorable stay with wonderful Victor. Now Victor has a lovely sailboat and an even lovelier Anna. That’s all you’re getting on that nugget.
Angela Connelly touted her new book and praised Kathryn Hedrick, a contributor. The book is about non-profit organizations. President Jim announced Peter Marsh’s heirloom tomato starts would be available beginning next week. Check Your Farmer’s Almanac to see on which day of the Lunar Calendar to plant them. PJ reminded all to bring food for the Little Pantries next week. Veronica Bronkema is doing some preliminary work on the establishment of a Rotaract Club. Rotaract is a great opportunity for building leadership and mentorship skills as well as farming future Rotarians.
Above: Veronika Bronkema, photo by Phil Eng
Check with the www.lakewoodrotary.com website for dates and times about the Installation Luau for incoming President Jason Whalen. Information is also available about the Floating Board meeting picnic and the Reeder Roadster Romp. Speaking of Jason, he ventured to Victoria BC to the DC. PE JW reported that PJ wasn’t at the DC.
(So many abbreviations, we almost had to abbreviate this bulletin. Not.)
Steve Enquist awarded Bill and Pat Price the highest Paul Harris level of Foundation giving – 3 Rubies. Congratulations to Bill and Pat. Pat also announced that they are selling their real estate company founded by her parents in 1960. PP Chris Kimball made the Looooonnngggg awaited announcement that the Pantera is back. He then claimed that it has more horsepower than my vehicle. I now boast an electric assist bicycle that may just eclipse his claim!
Court Commissioner Clint Johnson showed a brief video of a car driven into the barge owned by Johnsons, Whalens and Mazoffs. Having been a former part owner of said barge, I enquired as to how much the collision damages improved said barge. Strange, I didn’t hear the answer, and all 3 of them are lawyers! Then PP John Lowney announced that said barge had also recently been improved in condition by flipping while on the trailer being towed. The place that “improved Kimball’s Pantera” has some open space for repairs, if any are necessary. That space is available for the next 7 years, by the way.
The Auction is now open for business!
And Sally Porter Smith says get busy bidding!
Above: The Partners were hard at work at Ellen Mazoff’s house
PP Gayle led with thanks doled to the many helpers it takes to put on such an event, virtual though it is. Kendra Riconsciuto took the auction live and online. The site is:
Lakewoodrotary.maxgiving.bid
Featured events are the Kayak poker run on American Lake by Barb Spriggs. The Horn Family pickleball and beer event. Wine tasting at Whalen’s. Bud Montgomery submitted a beautiful handcrafted wooden bowl and PP Joe Quinn entered as auctioneer. Dave Swindale stole it for $65 at a live auction right during the meeting!
where are you- bid on these:
Above: 5 items you need to bid on tonight!
Past Governor Greg Horn proceeded to tell us all how simple and easy and elementary it is to put the Dacdb.com doodad on your cell phone. He began by asking how many of us had a phone when we were in our cells, or something like that. But it’s really quite easy: log on to lakewoodrotary.com. Type dacdb.com into the inquiry space. Go to the App Store and search for dacdb.com. When you find that, take the 594 Sound Transit bus from Lakewood Towne Center to SeaTac International Airport. When you get to the airport, create a 12 digit alpha numeric Saanskrit polyglot password and exchange it for return fare on the 594 bus returning to Lakewood Towne Center. Memorize the driver’s name and… and….well, you know how simple this all is. Give it a go!
The patron in the bar asked the bartender, “What’s the wifi password?” Bartender replied, “You have to buy a drink first.” “Hmmm, okay, I’ll have a Coke.” Ordered the customer. Bartender asked, “Pepsi okay?”
Who Reads This Stuff? Ole
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
7/21 Floating Board Meeting (picnic)
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Read MoreShare
Graduation Celebration
Sunday, May 15, 2022 By: Gayle SeldenGraduation Celebration!
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
The Friday the 13th meeting of the Rotary Club of Lakewood was called to order by President Jim Rooks.
Invocation was completed by Tom George; the pledge was led by Wendy McGowan.
Rob Erb introduced his set up crew of Tom George, James Osundwa and Kendra Riconosciuto. Rob later paid $20 to add Rick Selden and Bob Martin to that list.
Visiting Rotarians included Heidi Wachter from Clover Park Rotary and Ardel Samdal from Parkland-Spanaway Rotary Club.
Ardel was at our meeting to promote Parkland-Spanaway’s in-person auction being held June 11th at Marymount Event center in Spanaway. The theme is Route 66 and tickets are $60. Head to Parkland-Spanaway Rotary Club (psrotaryclub.org) for more info and to buy tickets.
Guests included Mike McGowan Educational Incentive Award Winner Students’ special guests (Parent, Family Member, Friend). Also in the room were special school district guests: our own Ron Banner, Clover Park School District Superintendent; Kathy Weight, Steilacoom Historical School District Superintendent; Rene McCord, CPHS Assistant Principal (future CPHS Principal); Kevin Rupprecht, Harrison Preparatory School Principal; Karen Mauer-Smith, Lakes High School Principal; and Mike Miller, Steilacoom High School Principal.
Jim Sharp brought frequent guest Ryan McGrady (aka McFauci) from West Pierce Fire and Rescue.
President Rooks then took a moment to talk about last week’s program speaker-- Anastasiia Lemesh-- the Ukrainian international student at Pierce College. Jim passed the hat to have members help with her tuition at Pierce. $1,790 was raised at the meeting.
For the Health and Wellness Report we learned that Jayne Shannon (wife of Ed) had some abdominal surgery as part of a cancer treatment. Ed just finished up cancer treatments and now Jayne begins. Please add them to your prayers and well wishes.
Gayle Selden and Kendra Riconosciuto then spoke about our Virtual Auction taking place next week.
Above: Kendra spoke enthusiastically!
The auction starts Friday the 20th, immediately following our regularly scheduled meeting and heads into Saturday the 21st. As a celebration we are having Sip and See-- a virtual Zoom Party. The Partners are making Charcuterie with a dessert selection and a bottle of wine to enjoy. Those who have purchased will be picking up on the 21st from 1:30-3:30 at Fusion Salon and Spa (7509 Custer Road). If you are unsure about purchase or have questions email Stephanie Wilcox at stephw4680@comcast.net.
Next week, during meeting time we are going to help you navigate the auction website and teach you how to like and share on Facebook and via your email. Bring your tablets, laptops or other portable electronic devices that access the world wide web.
The auction would not be possible without our amazing sponsors: Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, Multicare, Ameriprise Financial, Carl Bronkema/Farmers Insurance, Christopher Kimball Financial Services, Ed Selden Carpet One, James Weinand and Associates, Korsmo Construction, Ledger Square Law, On Point Dispute Resolution, Quinn & Quinn, PS, RMS Financial Services, Reames Realty and many members who have made a financial donation. Thank you all! (Apologies to any sponsors we missed!)
Above: Notice the pen as Gayle served as scribe today and cheerleader for the Auction at the same time.
President Rooks then donned his Fines and Generous Giving hat. Don Daniels watched his oldest granddaughter graduate from WSU. He gave props to the Cougs in the room for outlasting evenings at THE COUG. $100. Rick Selden also watched his Granddaughter graduate from the University of Florida (Go Gators! Said Alum President Rooks!). Veronica Selden graduated Summa Cum Laude (that’s highest honors) with a Zoology degree with a Botany minor. He paid $100. Gayle Selden matched as she was the super proud Aunt. Rick forgot to pay for Grandson Max’s State Discus showing but will grab that next month when he attends his High School Graduation.
Peter Marsh paid $50, as his daughter Abby got an outstanding teacher award at Georgetown University. Don Anderson bought a new boat to waterski with the Grandkids. Andy Phillips paid $100 as he just returned from a Camino de Santiago walk. PP Mark Edgecomb paid $20 as Nicola is currently on that same walk in Spain. Tom George paid an unknown fine as his Granddaughter graduated from the womb 2 weeks ago! Jim Sharp paid $50 in order to stop Don Anderson from telling Ed Trobaugh that the West Pierce ladder truck that saved a Parachutist dangling in a tree at the VA damaged the lawn at the VA golf course. Dwight Williams paid his very first Lakewood Rotary fine of $20 for warm rain in Hawaii.
OUR PROGRAM: THE MIKE MCGOWAN EDUCATIONAL INCENTIVE AWARDS:
Kim Prentice then came to the podium to announce our scholarship recipients. First, she thanked Chuck Hellar, Leanna Albrecht, Donn Irwin and Barb Spriggs for their help on the committee. She also gave background on Mike and Wendy McGowan and their process of helping students achieve their educational goals and helping in the college selection process.
Mike was named Lakewood Rotary’s Rotarian of the Year in 1990 and spearheaded Lakewood Rotary’s partnership with Clover Park School District and fundraising to develop an International Baccalaureate Program in the district. The Mike McGowan Educational Incentive Award recognizes awardees for their hard work, involvement in school and community.
Above: The Honorees with President Jim Rooks
Honorees included:
Ardel was at our meeting to promote Parkland-Spanaway’s in-person auction being held June 11th at Marymount Event center in Spanaway. The theme is Route 66 and tickets are $60. Head to Parkland-Spanaway Rotary Club (psrotaryclub.org) for more info and to buy tickets.
Guests included Mike McGowan Educational Incentive Award Winner Students’ special guests (Parent, Family Member, Friend). Also in the room were special school district guests: our own Ron Banner, Clover Park School District Superintendent; Kathy Weight, Steilacoom Historical School District Superintendent; Rene McCord, CPHS Assistant Principal (future CPHS Principal); Kevin Rupprecht, Harrison Preparatory School Principal; Karen Mauer-Smith, Lakes High School Principal; and Mike Miller, Steilacoom High School Principal.
Jim Sharp brought frequent guest Ryan McGrady (aka McFauci) from West Pierce Fire and Rescue.
President Rooks then took a moment to talk about last week’s program speaker-- Anastasiia Lemesh-- the Ukrainian international student at Pierce College. Jim passed the hat to have members help with her tuition at Pierce. $1,790 was raised at the meeting.
For the Health and Wellness Report we learned that Jayne Shannon (wife of Ed) had some abdominal surgery as part of a cancer treatment. Ed just finished up cancer treatments and now Jayne begins. Please add them to your prayers and well wishes.
Gayle Selden and Kendra Riconosciuto then spoke about our Virtual Auction taking place next week.
Above: Kendra spoke enthusiastically!
The auction starts Friday the 20th, immediately following our regularly scheduled meeting and heads into Saturday the 21st. As a celebration we are having Sip and See-- a virtual Zoom Party. The Partners are making Charcuterie with a dessert selection and a bottle of wine to enjoy. Those who have purchased will be picking up on the 21st from 1:30-3:30 at Fusion Salon and Spa (7509 Custer Road). If you are unsure about purchase or have questions email Stephanie Wilcox at stephw4680@comcast.net.
Next week, during meeting time we are going to help you navigate the auction website and teach you how to like and share on Facebook and via your email. Bring your tablets, laptops or other portable electronic devices that access the world wide web.
The auction would not be possible without our amazing sponsors: Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, Multicare, Ameriprise Financial, Carl Bronkema/Farmers Insurance, Christopher Kimball Financial Services, Ed Selden Carpet One, James Weinand and Associates, Korsmo Construction, Ledger Square Law, On Point Dispute Resolution, Quinn & Quinn, PS, RMS Financial Services, Reames Realty and many members who have made a financial donation. Thank you all! (Apologies to any sponsors we missed!)
Above: Notice the pen as Gayle served as scribe today and cheerleader for the Auction at the same time.
President Rooks then donned his Fines and Generous Giving hat. Don Daniels watched his oldest granddaughter graduate from WSU. He gave props to the Cougs in the room for outlasting evenings at THE COUG. $100. Rick Selden also watched his Granddaughter graduate from the University of Florida (Go Gators! Said Alum President Rooks!). Veronica Selden graduated Summa Cum Laude (that’s highest honors) with a Zoology degree with a Botany minor. He paid $100. Gayle Selden matched as she was the super proud Aunt. Rick forgot to pay for Grandson Max’s State Discus showing but will grab that next month when he attends his High School Graduation.
Peter Marsh paid $50, as his daughter Abby got an outstanding teacher award at Georgetown University. Don Anderson bought a new boat to waterski with the Grandkids. Andy Phillips paid $100 as he just returned from a Camino de Santiago walk. PP Mark Edgecomb paid $20 as Nicola is currently on that same walk in Spain. Tom George paid an unknown fine as his Granddaughter graduated from the womb 2 weeks ago! Jim Sharp paid $50 in order to stop Don Anderson from telling Ed Trobaugh that the West Pierce ladder truck that saved a Parachutist dangling in a tree at the VA damaged the lawn at the VA golf course. Dwight Williams paid his very first Lakewood Rotary fine of $20 for warm rain in Hawaii.
OUR PROGRAM: THE MIKE MCGOWAN EDUCATIONAL INCENTIVE AWARDS:
Kim Prentice then came to the podium to announce our scholarship recipients. First, she thanked Chuck Hellar, Leanna Albrecht, Donn Irwin and Barb Spriggs for their help on the committee. She also gave background on Mike and Wendy McGowan and their process of helping students achieve their educational goals and helping in the college selection process.
Mike was named Lakewood Rotary’s Rotarian of the Year in 1990 and spearheaded Lakewood Rotary’s partnership with Clover Park School District and fundraising to develop an International Baccalaureate Program in the district. The Mike McGowan Educational Incentive Award recognizes awardees for their hard work, involvement in school and community.
Above: The Honorees with President Jim Rooks
Honorees included:
- Karole -Anne Alviso from Harrison Prep
- Nevaeh Canley from Clover Park
- Cannon Combs from Lakes
- Cole Miller from Lakes
- Alex Ruppe from Steilacoom High
- Haley Rusbuldt from Steilacoom High (and Pierce College AA Graduate)(Running Start)
- Shailyn Schaefer from Harrison Prep
- John Simpson from Harrison Prep
- Phoenix Schumacher-Tucker from Harrison Prep
- Kevyn Gordon was unable to attend but he is headed from Lakes to St Martin’s University.
Wendy McGowan then gave us a talk on dreams. She shared stories from Hoda Kotb-- journey for children and following her friend’s advice “When you have a dream you have to say it out loud. Say it to whoever will listen. Speak It! Once it is out there, you will realize you are committed, it is real and you can’t give up on it.” She shared Mike’s story about working in a grocery store and deciding that one day he was going to own one. Eventually he owned nine. He gave a lot of students (and his daughters) this advice: believe in yourself, stay focused, work hard, continue your education and don’t forget to have fun along the way. Wendy also reminded the students that they are not alone, as life is a journey taken together.
A great celebration of so many graduates!
Hank Kerns was the lucky one chosen to pull a chip for the raffle. He ended with $5.
Upcoming Important Rotary Dates:
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Read MoreShare
Ukraine - A Nation in Pain
Sunday, May 8, 2022 By: Donn IrwinUkraine – A Nation in Pain
“Ukraine was never a part of Russia and never will be”- Anastasia Lemesh
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
Like no other Rotary meeting I’ve ever attended – ever! Your scribe.
12:32 Welcome and Ring the Bell: Welcome fellow Rotarians
Invocation: Chris Kimball
Pledge of Allegiance: Phil Eng
Making the Meeting happen: Rob Erb and his amazing set up staff – James Osundwa, Tom George and Terry Roarke
Recording of fines: John Lowney. Bulletin writer: Donn Irwin
$2 Table and Sgt. at Arms: Greg Horn – not! Jan Gee took over for the PDG. Jan and Mary Marlin helped out with the mics as well.
Foundation Desk: Jim Weinand
Monitoring This President’s Gaffes: No one
Photographer: Phil Eng
Introduction of Visiting Rotarians and Guests of Rotarians: Mary Horn introduced District 5020 Trainer Marnee Obendorf. Mary also introduced her daughter-in-law, Debbie Horn. Scott Adams of Clover Park Rotary introduced himself plus a guest of his – Peter Cook. Duncan’s son Peter will be presenting a program on the Titanic at the Lakewood Historical Society May 10th at 6:00PM and will do a Rotary program for us eventually.
Health and Wellness Report: Eric Warn – Everything is good.
Steve Mazoff: Harrison Preparatory School – Steve asked Wendy McGowan to stand and then let us all know that the International Baccalaureate program at Harrison Prep was started due to the efforts of Mike McGowan and that the school is ranked #1 in Pierce County and 8th in the state. If Mike was involved then, so was Wendy. Steve thanked Wendy for the McGowan’s efforts with the school. He also mentioned the Next Step program that Mike McGowan promoted strongly here at Lakewood Rotary and in which many LR folks mentored high school students who are reportedly now doctors and otherwise successful.
Above: Steve Mazoff gesticulating. Photo credit to Phil Eng
Auction: Gayle Selden was goofing off in Florida so Sally Porter Smith gave us an update on the auction. The auction opens on 5/20 and closes on 5/21. Sally let us know that we really, really need more auction items and that the deadline for procurement has been extended to Wednesday 5/11.
President Jim (PJ) reminded us that the auction is our ONLY fund raiser.
Announcements: PJ - Community work day at South Puget Sound Wildlife area Saturday May 7. Will be installing benches commemorating Ted Wier and Ward Fletcher.
Above: A Walt Richardson photo of some of the partygoers
Steve Enquist came forward and reminded the club at large that nominations are still needed for the Russ Klauser and Bernie Ootkin Awards for Rotarian and non-Rotarian of the Year, respectively. (We Lakewood Key scribes love the word respectively, right Ole?) Steve also recognized Jason Whalen for his second Paul Harris Award. Thank you Jason!
Jan Gee let us all know that District 5020 has raised $260,000 for Ukraine. She also let us know that the District Annual Meeting is Monday. Get in touch with her for more info. Jan also announced with a funny slide of Jason Whalen’s bobblehead that the Installation Dinner will be held at TCGC.
PJ showed us all a screen shot of the announcement for this year’s Rotary Installation Dinner. June 25th at the Country Club. Hawaiian theme, so whip out your best aloha shirts and get them to the cleaners. Cocktails at 5:30, and, for those still capable of eating after an hour and a half of cocktails, dinner will be served at 7:00PM.
Above: The screenshot that Jan Gee sent to the Key
Fines and Generous Giving: Mr. Hammar announced that his birthdays now start with the number 9. Past Pres Chris Kimball made several announcements (it was almost as if he were still Pres) – made Top of the Table again, new car that goes faster than Ole’s and his business has been recognized as the best office in Lakewood.
All this cost him $300, with $200 of it going to the Rotary Foundation. Thank you PP Chris!!
Donna Phillips announced that she took a cruise – and paid dearly for it. Tested positive for covid and had to go through quarantine for 11 days – ugh.
Kim Prentice spent a month in SoCal and Steve Saalfeld paid for announcing that he has a son graduating.
Program: Anastasia Lemesh: International Ukrainian Student at Pierce College: Reflections on what is happening in Ukraine. Our program speaker was introduced by Connie Coleman-Lacadie.
Above: Anastasia Lemesh of Ukraine. Photo by Phil.
NOTE: During her presentation Anastasia showed us photos and slides that you do not see on TV. What we saw and heard from her stunned us all. On no fewer than four occasions Anastasia stated that she had “no words” for what she was reporting to us.
What follows here is an attempt to summarize her talk. Anastasia has been in the USA for 4 months. She is here to get an education.
The Ukrainian flag has two colors -gold for wheat and blue for peace.
In 1994 Ukraine signed the Budapest Memorandum – it is not working now. (If you don’t know what the Memorandum is, do yourself a favor and go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Memorandum). As part of that agreement, Ukraine gave up all nuclear weaponry.
This war actually started in 2014 in the Donbas region.
At 5:00 a.m. on 2/23/22 Kyiv was bombed.
Anastasia confessed that she really respects President Zelensky although that wasn’t always so. He was a former comedian and she wasn’t impressed. That has changed.
She showed us a picture of an 80-year-old man trying to join the Ukrainian military – to help protect his grandchildren.
The Red Cross reported that “evacuation route prepared by Russian military was full of mines.”
A quote in a newspaper stated that the “humanitarian corridor” prepared by Russia for civilians from Mariupol was full of mines – not even the Nazis did this.
Anastasia was adamant that all of Russia is to blame for this – not just Putin.
Her dad is in the Ukrainian military. She has lost 2 of her best friends (19-year-old male friend shot dead by the Russian army). Another girl friend has had both of her legs blown off and is trying to recover.
Like many young people, she has had plans for her life but doesn’t know what her future is going to be like.
In EYP (European Youth Parliament), she states that Ukraine is not afraid of Russia but fears that the international community will be silent about the war crimes and devastation the Russian soldiers are causing. Anastasia put up a slide that broke out the number of war crimes – astonishing:
There were images/videos of babies and other small children with blood-soaked garments, blood smeared faces and holes on their chests while people were trying to revive them.
Anastasia thanked us and America for the help we have given, and are giving. She also said here is how we can help: Donate money. Sign petitions. Email politicians. Boycott Russian goods.
Throughout this presentation our speaker’s voice trembled at times but she never cracked; she gave us a remarkably coherent and extremely frightening picture of what is happening to her family, her friends, and her country.
She stands about five feet tall and is probably 19 or 20 years old.
A long, heartfelt standing ovation ended her presentation.
President Jim canceled the drawing and called the meeting over because like the rest of us, he was shaken by what he had just witnessed. Stunned silence followed the closing as a room full of Rotarians contemplated what they had just seen and heard.
Below is my “normal nonsense” that I include in most of the Lakewood Keys that I write. Since I had already “researched” the stuff I’ve included it. Read it if you wish.
On this day in history…
Some of today’s noted birthday boys and girls: Willie Mays turns 91, Bob Seger 77 and George Clooney is now 61. Orson Welles, Sigmund Freud and Rudolph Valentino also share this day as their day of birth.
Baseball minutia: On this day back in 1915 Babe Ruth had three hits, including his first major league home run. Oh, and he was also the pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. Ironically, he hit the homer off of Jack Warhop who was pitching for the New York Yankees at the Polo Grounds
In 1982, Gaylord Perry, pitching for the Seattle Mariners in the Kingdom, recorded his 300th major league pitching victory. At the time he was only the 15th big league pitcher to reach that plateau.
878 – Battle of Edington: Alfred the Great and his West Saxon army defeat the Viking army of Guthrum the Old.
5/13-14 District Conference in beautiful and historic Victoria, B.C.
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction (Get Busy and Procure!)
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
1937 – The Hindenburg airship explodes at Lakehurst New Jersey
Recording of fines: John Lowney. Bulletin writer: Donn Irwin
$2 Table and Sgt. at Arms: Greg Horn – not! Jan Gee took over for the PDG. Jan and Mary Marlin helped out with the mics as well.
Foundation Desk: Jim Weinand
Monitoring This President’s Gaffes: No one
Photographer: Phil Eng
Introduction of Visiting Rotarians and Guests of Rotarians: Mary Horn introduced District 5020 Trainer Marnee Obendorf. Mary also introduced her daughter-in-law, Debbie Horn. Scott Adams of Clover Park Rotary introduced himself plus a guest of his – Peter Cook. Duncan’s son Peter will be presenting a program on the Titanic at the Lakewood Historical Society May 10th at 6:00PM and will do a Rotary program for us eventually.
Health and Wellness Report: Eric Warn – Everything is good.
Steve Mazoff: Harrison Preparatory School – Steve asked Wendy McGowan to stand and then let us all know that the International Baccalaureate program at Harrison Prep was started due to the efforts of Mike McGowan and that the school is ranked #1 in Pierce County and 8th in the state. If Mike was involved then, so was Wendy. Steve thanked Wendy for the McGowan’s efforts with the school. He also mentioned the Next Step program that Mike McGowan promoted strongly here at Lakewood Rotary and in which many LR folks mentored high school students who are reportedly now doctors and otherwise successful.
Above: Steve Mazoff gesticulating. Photo credit to Phil Eng
Auction: Gayle Selden was goofing off in Florida so Sally Porter Smith gave us an update on the auction. The auction opens on 5/20 and closes on 5/21. Sally let us know that we really, really need more auction items and that the deadline for procurement has been extended to Wednesday 5/11.
President Jim (PJ) reminded us that the auction is our ONLY fund raiser.
Announcements: PJ - Community work day at South Puget Sound Wildlife area Saturday May 7. Will be installing benches commemorating Ted Wier and Ward Fletcher.
Above: A Walt Richardson photo of some of the partygoers
Steve Enquist came forward and reminded the club at large that nominations are still needed for the Russ Klauser and Bernie Ootkin Awards for Rotarian and non-Rotarian of the Year, respectively. (We Lakewood Key scribes love the word respectively, right Ole?) Steve also recognized Jason Whalen for his second Paul Harris Award. Thank you Jason!
Jan Gee let us all know that District 5020 has raised $260,000 for Ukraine. She also let us know that the District Annual Meeting is Monday. Get in touch with her for more info. Jan also announced with a funny slide of Jason Whalen’s bobblehead that the Installation Dinner will be held at TCGC.
PJ showed us all a screen shot of the announcement for this year’s Rotary Installation Dinner. June 25th at the Country Club. Hawaiian theme, so whip out your best aloha shirts and get them to the cleaners. Cocktails at 5:30, and, for those still capable of eating after an hour and a half of cocktails, dinner will be served at 7:00PM.
Above: The screenshot that Jan Gee sent to the Key
Fines and Generous Giving: Mr. Hammar announced that his birthdays now start with the number 9. Past Pres Chris Kimball made several announcements (it was almost as if he were still Pres) – made Top of the Table again, new car that goes faster than Ole’s and his business has been recognized as the best office in Lakewood.
All this cost him $300, with $200 of it going to the Rotary Foundation. Thank you PP Chris!!
Donna Phillips announced that she took a cruise – and paid dearly for it. Tested positive for covid and had to go through quarantine for 11 days – ugh.
Kim Prentice spent a month in SoCal and Steve Saalfeld paid for announcing that he has a son graduating.
Program: Anastasia Lemesh: International Ukrainian Student at Pierce College: Reflections on what is happening in Ukraine. Our program speaker was introduced by Connie Coleman-Lacadie.
Above: Anastasia Lemesh of Ukraine. Photo by Phil.
NOTE: During her presentation Anastasia showed us photos and slides that you do not see on TV. What we saw and heard from her stunned us all. On no fewer than four occasions Anastasia stated that she had “no words” for what she was reporting to us.
What follows here is an attempt to summarize her talk. Anastasia has been in the USA for 4 months. She is here to get an education.
The Ukrainian flag has two colors -gold for wheat and blue for peace.
In 1994 Ukraine signed the Budapest Memorandum – it is not working now. (If you don’t know what the Memorandum is, do yourself a favor and go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Memorandum). As part of that agreement, Ukraine gave up all nuclear weaponry.
This war actually started in 2014 in the Donbas region.
At 5:00 a.m. on 2/23/22 Kyiv was bombed.
Anastasia confessed that she really respects President Zelensky although that wasn’t always so. He was a former comedian and she wasn’t impressed. That has changed.
She showed us a picture of an 80-year-old man trying to join the Ukrainian military – to help protect his grandchildren.
The Red Cross reported that “evacuation route prepared by Russian military was full of mines.”
A quote in a newspaper stated that the “humanitarian corridor” prepared by Russia for civilians from Mariupol was full of mines – not even the Nazis did this.
Anastasia was adamant that all of Russia is to blame for this – not just Putin.
Her dad is in the Ukrainian military. She has lost 2 of her best friends (19-year-old male friend shot dead by the Russian army). Another girl friend has had both of her legs blown off and is trying to recover.
Like many young people, she has had plans for her life but doesn’t know what her future is going to be like.
In EYP (European Youth Parliament), she states that Ukraine is not afraid of Russia but fears that the international community will be silent about the war crimes and devastation the Russian soldiers are causing. Anastasia put up a slide that broke out the number of war crimes – astonishing:
- Eleven Russian soldiers raping and then gutting a 9-year-old girl – carving a “Z” into when they were done.
- Russian soldiers raping a young boy in front of the boy’s mother.
- Images of people shot dead in the streets with hands tied behind their backs.
- A burned-out car with burnt bodies lying next to it as Russian soldiers attempt to cover up what they did before they left by burning the evidence.
There were images/videos of babies and other small children with blood-soaked garments, blood smeared faces and holes on their chests while people were trying to revive them.
Anastasia thanked us and America for the help we have given, and are giving. She also said here is how we can help: Donate money. Sign petitions. Email politicians. Boycott Russian goods.
Throughout this presentation our speaker’s voice trembled at times but she never cracked; she gave us a remarkably coherent and extremely frightening picture of what is happening to her family, her friends, and her country.
She stands about five feet tall and is probably 19 or 20 years old.
A long, heartfelt standing ovation ended her presentation.
President Jim canceled the drawing and called the meeting over because like the rest of us, he was shaken by what he had just witnessed. Stunned silence followed the closing as a room full of Rotarians contemplated what they had just seen and heard.
Below is my “normal nonsense” that I include in most of the Lakewood Keys that I write. Since I had already “researched” the stuff I’ve included it. Read it if you wish.
On this day in history…
Some of today’s noted birthday boys and girls: Willie Mays turns 91, Bob Seger 77 and George Clooney is now 61. Orson Welles, Sigmund Freud and Rudolph Valentino also share this day as their day of birth.
Baseball minutia: On this day back in 1915 Babe Ruth had three hits, including his first major league home run. Oh, and he was also the pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. Ironically, he hit the homer off of Jack Warhop who was pitching for the New York Yankees at the Polo Grounds
In 1982, Gaylord Perry, pitching for the Seattle Mariners in the Kingdom, recorded his 300th major league pitching victory. At the time he was only the 15th big league pitcher to reach that plateau.
878 – Battle of Edington: Alfred the Great and his West Saxon army defeat the Viking army of Guthrum the Old.
1527 - Spanish and German Imperial troops sack Rome, ending the Renaissance
1626 – Looking for a real estate bargain? Try this: Dutch colonist Peter Minuit organizes the purchase of Manhattan Island from Native Americans for 60 guilders worth of goods, believed to have been Canarsee Indians of the Lenape
1837 – John Deere creates his steel plough in Grand Detour IL
1840 – The first adhesive postage stamp was, called the Black Penny, was used in Great Britain
1864 – General Sherman begins his march to Atlanta and the sea Upcoming LR events:1626 – Looking for a real estate bargain? Try this: Dutch colonist Peter Minuit organizes the purchase of Manhattan Island from Native Americans for 60 guilders worth of goods, believed to have been Canarsee Indians of the Lenape
1837 – John Deere creates his steel plough in Grand Detour IL
1840 – The first adhesive postage stamp was, called the Black Penny, was used in Great Britain
5/13-14 District Conference in beautiful and historic Victoria, B.C.
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction (Get Busy and Procure!)
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
1941 – Joseph Stalin becomes Premier of the Soviet Union
1944 – KJR AM swaps call signs with KOMO
1987 – Gary Hart denies affair with Donna Rice
1994 – Nelson Mandela confirmed as winner in South Africa’s first post-apartheid election
1944 – KJR AM swaps call signs with KOMO
1987 – Gary Hart denies affair with Donna Rice
1994 – Nelson Mandela confirmed as winner in South Africa’s first post-apartheid election
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Wild Game Dinner Upgraded
Saturday, April 30, 2022 By: Gregory J. RediskeThe Wild Game Dinner: Upgraded
THE LAKEWOOD KEY for April 29, 2022
It was November 13, 1970, and Lakewood Rotarians (all men then) decided to volunteer their fish catch, shot ducks and deer, and whatever they happened to run over to serve up a “Wild Game Dinner”. The only thing wilder than the game was the group of men being….well, wild. Booze does that sometimes. That first event raised a negative $270, as it was intended as a social event. Subsequent years raised money because they figured they should. It became the Sportsman’s Dinner in 1995 with the admission of women (and some class), subsequently becoming the Sportsman’s Dinner and Auction, and now, The Lakewood Rotary Auction.
Above: The fundraiser through the years.
As you can see from the graph, it has seen a dramatic increase in dollar production. The question before us all right now is: will this continue?!? To paraphrase Smokey the Bear, “Only YOU can make it happen!”
Above: Smokey wants you to procure!
But more on this urgent need later. With 60 people in the house or online, President Jim rose with the conviction of a man in charge, our fearless leader, and declared the meeting open at 12:28 p.m. on Friday, April 29, 2022, aka Pot Roast Day at Lakewood Rotary. He so proclaimed the meeting open early to make up for his being two minutes late last week, which puts him back to even for the year for those keeping track. Thanks went out to:
One visiting Rotarian from Clover Park, Scott Adams, and one guest, former (and hopefully future) member Jon Calder (retiring in two weeks!). Eric Warn was called upon for a Wellness Report, which was all good, but we nearly had an injury when uber-competitive Greg Horn tried to beat Mary Marlin to Eric with the mic and threw it wildly into the rapidly dispersing crowd. No serious injuries were reported to have occurred.
Announcements:
--Steve Enquist presented a check for $1000 from Community Concerns to Scott Adams of West Pierce Cares. Scott thanked us for the money and also for previous support for the AED defibrillator program (one is at Ft. Steilacoom Park now).
--Bill Potter asked for Rotarian workers to help with the project at the South Sound Wildlife Refuge on Phillips Road on Saturday, May 7. This is a great time to involve your children and grandchildren in community service!
THE AUCTION:
--Anne Enquist and Eric Quinn rallied the crowd to support the aforementioned Lakewood Rotary Auction on May 21, online only. They said PLEASE….
1. Procure!! Deadline is May 7. One week away. Checks welcome
2. Sponsor! $500 to $5000. $5000 gets you naming rights. A bargain, considering what T-Mobile paid for the Mariners’ ballpark ($87.5 million).
3. Hold an Auction Party! Ideally, this would begin with the Sip and See event. We MUST get non-Rotarians involved in the auction bidding and the Sip and See fun. Eric will be the MC for Sip and See, which costs a mere $50/person for wine and a charcuterie plate. Deadline for sign up on Sip and See is May 14. Sign up for this, and auction registration, at www.lakewoodrotary.com, “Get Involved” (at the top of the screen)
Above: Mary Marlin modeling the Diamond Designs gems
Photo: By Walt Richardson
Meanwhile, Mary Marlin was modeling a $1600 bracelet while Connie Coleman-Lacadie modeled a fancy scarf made by Rachel Mazoff (it’s a really fancy scarf….maybe they called it an ascot, like the subject guy wore in “You’re So Vain”? Good reporting is hard to find).
Remember what Smokey the Bear said, “No ones goes there anymore, it’s too crowded”. Oh wait, that was Yogi Berra. Smokey said, sort of, “Only YOU can make it happen!” We are here to serve the community, and that is done by our financial support. Please help. We take checks, cash, money orders, credit cards, bitcoin…..Just help.
--Speaking of credit cards, John Lowney took us on the long, lonely road of our online credit card woes. But fear not! John has persevered, and the system is now active. Give money to Lakewood Rotary to your heart’s content. Go to lakewoodrotary.com, “Make a Payment”.
--Steve Saalfeld announced that 828 Consulting is looking for volunteers to help Clover Park school students with career counseling (using your field of endeavor). Also, he is riding The Courage, and needs our financial support. And here is the link if you want to support Steve’s ride: https://support.multicare.org/site/TR/Courage/General?px=1153134&pg=personal&fr_id=1290
(Hopefullly, that will work.)
--Barb Spriggs is offering a Poker Run for the Auction, on American Lake on August 13. $50 buy-in with a new kayak as first prize, a life vest for second, and a $50 gift card for third.
Generous Giving:
Joe Quinn won ANOTHER gold medal, and he showed it off hanging over his singlet (“put the jacket back on!” was the cry….) $50
Above: Eric Quinn: “You are so embarrassing.”
Jim Weinand bought a new car, perhaps in honor of his upcoming 45th wedding anniversary. Or maybe because it is now after April 15. He gave a bunch, but unknown to the writer.
David Swindale was only standing to go work on the speaker’s Powerpoint, but he was instead forced into a fine, so he came up with a camping trip near Pt. Townsend, $20. The lesson: be careful when you stand up.
Program:
Former mayor Don Anderson introduced our own Lakewood Rotarian, Police Chief Mike Zaro. (Did you know that Mike was terribly disappointed to not be at the end of our roster, as he normally is for such lists? Yes, Bob Zawilski beat him by one “w”). Mike is a graduate of WSU, where like most Cougars he developed some expertise on the mixing of hops and barley. He joined the Pierce County Sheriffs in 1994, moving to Lakewood with Larry Saunders in 2004. He went from detective to Sgt to Police Chief (2015). He has attended the FBI academy as well as receiving his Master of Administrative Leadership. He has two daughters, the last of whom is graduating from WSU shortly, prompting a $100 self-imposed fine in honor of no more tuition payments. Mike noted that crime in Lakewood has been on a more-or-less steep and steady decline since becoming a city but has increased during the pandemic. Part of this has to do with the new restrictions on police procedure imposed by the State Legislature. Some of the overreach (mostly mental health procedures) was fixed in this last session, but much more needs to be accomplished. Property crimes have been the driver (as usual) for the increases in the last couple of years, though last quarter showed a significant drop. Vehicle theft has been way up as well, with Ford trucks joining the perennial favorite, Honda sedans. He said the property crime and car theft increases are seen statewide. After the legislative changes, a flood of retirements and resignations occurred, 20 in all between June and December of 2021, out of a total force of 90. It takes about a year to get a new hire trained and ready for work, but they have a great new class coming on board. The new recruits have energized the department in many ways. Despite the recent crime increases, Mike said that Lakewood remains “a safe community.” In the question period he noted that being homeless is not a crime. There are some restrictions on public camping, but private property camping becomes a police matter only when the property owner complains. Our homeless problem is dwarfed by Parkland and Tacoma in this area. The law changes, including the high threshold for “probable cause”, came about because legislators didn’t consult with law enforcement before enacting these laws. They are listening more now. The pursuit restrictions are the biggest source of frustration for his officers. After the presentation, he noted that they are in the middle of a 90-day test of body cameras (they have about 15 being tested now, so far so good. They have cameras on all the cars as well). Great presentation!
Above: Chief Mike Zaro
Drawing: Hank Kerns had #7315, which sadly returned a mere $5 with the white chip selection.
From the Ole Archives, with slight changes:
What is a party game played by two Swedes? One Swede goes into a box and the other tries to guess which Swede it is.
And: What does it say on the bottom of a Swedish beer bottle? Open at other end.
Upcoming LR events:
5/13-14 District Conference in beautiful and historic Victoria, B.C.
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction (Get Busy and Procure!)
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
As you can see from the graph, it has seen a dramatic increase in dollar production. The question before us all right now is: will this continue?!? To paraphrase Smokey the Bear, “Only YOU can make it happen!”
Above: Smokey wants you to procure!
But more on this urgent need later. With 60 people in the house or online, President Jim rose with the conviction of a man in charge, our fearless leader, and declared the meeting open at 12:28 p.m. on Friday, April 29, 2022, aka Pot Roast Day at Lakewood Rotary. He so proclaimed the meeting open early to make up for his being two minutes late last week, which puts him back to even for the year for those keeping track. Thanks went out to:
- Auction workers and pantry food takers: Rose Stevens, Connie Coleman-Lacadie and Veronica Bronkema
- Paul Harris table: Jim Weinand
- Sgt At Arms and ticket seller: Barlow Buescher (with assistance from Greg Horn and Mary Marlin on the microphones)
- Photographer: Walt Richardson
- Puffins: James Osundwa, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, Veronica Bronkema, Hank Kerns, Dwight Williams
- Set up: Rob Erb, David Swindale, Terry Roarke, James Osundwa, Mary Marlin, Greg Horn
- Invocation: Bob Peterson and The Pledge: Mark Blanchard
One visiting Rotarian from Clover Park, Scott Adams, and one guest, former (and hopefully future) member Jon Calder (retiring in two weeks!). Eric Warn was called upon for a Wellness Report, which was all good, but we nearly had an injury when uber-competitive Greg Horn tried to beat Mary Marlin to Eric with the mic and threw it wildly into the rapidly dispersing crowd. No serious injuries were reported to have occurred.
Announcements:
--Steve Enquist presented a check for $1000 from Community Concerns to Scott Adams of West Pierce Cares. Scott thanked us for the money and also for previous support for the AED defibrillator program (one is at Ft. Steilacoom Park now).
--Bill Potter asked for Rotarian workers to help with the project at the South Sound Wildlife Refuge on Phillips Road on Saturday, May 7. This is a great time to involve your children and grandchildren in community service!
THE AUCTION:
--Anne Enquist and Eric Quinn rallied the crowd to support the aforementioned Lakewood Rotary Auction on May 21, online only. They said PLEASE….
1. Procure!! Deadline is May 7. One week away. Checks welcome
2. Sponsor! $500 to $5000. $5000 gets you naming rights. A bargain, considering what T-Mobile paid for the Mariners’ ballpark ($87.5 million).
3. Hold an Auction Party! Ideally, this would begin with the Sip and See event. We MUST get non-Rotarians involved in the auction bidding and the Sip and See fun. Eric will be the MC for Sip and See, which costs a mere $50/person for wine and a charcuterie plate. Deadline for sign up on Sip and See is May 14. Sign up for this, and auction registration, at www.lakewoodrotary.com, “Get Involved” (at the top of the screen)
Above: Mary Marlin modeling the Diamond Designs gems
Photo: By Walt Richardson
Meanwhile, Mary Marlin was modeling a $1600 bracelet while Connie Coleman-Lacadie modeled a fancy scarf made by Rachel Mazoff (it’s a really fancy scarf….maybe they called it an ascot, like the subject guy wore in “You’re So Vain”? Good reporting is hard to find).
Remember what Smokey the Bear said, “No ones goes there anymore, it’s too crowded”. Oh wait, that was Yogi Berra. Smokey said, sort of, “Only YOU can make it happen!” We are here to serve the community, and that is done by our financial support. Please help. We take checks, cash, money orders, credit cards, bitcoin…..Just help.
--Speaking of credit cards, John Lowney took us on the long, lonely road of our online credit card woes. But fear not! John has persevered, and the system is now active. Give money to Lakewood Rotary to your heart’s content. Go to lakewoodrotary.com, “Make a Payment”.
--Steve Saalfeld announced that 828 Consulting is looking for volunteers to help Clover Park school students with career counseling (using your field of endeavor). Also, he is riding The Courage, and needs our financial support. And here is the link if you want to support Steve’s ride: https://support.multicare.org/site/TR/Courage/General?px=1153134&pg=personal&fr_id=1290
(Hopefullly, that will work.)
--Barb Spriggs is offering a Poker Run for the Auction, on American Lake on August 13. $50 buy-in with a new kayak as first prize, a life vest for second, and a $50 gift card for third.
Generous Giving:
Joe Quinn won ANOTHER gold medal, and he showed it off hanging over his singlet (“put the jacket back on!” was the cry….) $50
Above: Eric Quinn: “You are so embarrassing.”
Jim Weinand bought a new car, perhaps in honor of his upcoming 45th wedding anniversary. Or maybe because it is now after April 15. He gave a bunch, but unknown to the writer.
David Swindale was only standing to go work on the speaker’s Powerpoint, but he was instead forced into a fine, so he came up with a camping trip near Pt. Townsend, $20. The lesson: be careful when you stand up.
Program:
Former mayor Don Anderson introduced our own Lakewood Rotarian, Police Chief Mike Zaro. (Did you know that Mike was terribly disappointed to not be at the end of our roster, as he normally is for such lists? Yes, Bob Zawilski beat him by one “w”). Mike is a graduate of WSU, where like most Cougars he developed some expertise on the mixing of hops and barley. He joined the Pierce County Sheriffs in 1994, moving to Lakewood with Larry Saunders in 2004. He went from detective to Sgt to Police Chief (2015). He has attended the FBI academy as well as receiving his Master of Administrative Leadership. He has two daughters, the last of whom is graduating from WSU shortly, prompting a $100 self-imposed fine in honor of no more tuition payments. Mike noted that crime in Lakewood has been on a more-or-less steep and steady decline since becoming a city but has increased during the pandemic. Part of this has to do with the new restrictions on police procedure imposed by the State Legislature. Some of the overreach (mostly mental health procedures) was fixed in this last session, but much more needs to be accomplished. Property crimes have been the driver (as usual) for the increases in the last couple of years, though last quarter showed a significant drop. Vehicle theft has been way up as well, with Ford trucks joining the perennial favorite, Honda sedans. He said the property crime and car theft increases are seen statewide. After the legislative changes, a flood of retirements and resignations occurred, 20 in all between June and December of 2021, out of a total force of 90. It takes about a year to get a new hire trained and ready for work, but they have a great new class coming on board. The new recruits have energized the department in many ways. Despite the recent crime increases, Mike said that Lakewood remains “a safe community.” In the question period he noted that being homeless is not a crime. There are some restrictions on public camping, but private property camping becomes a police matter only when the property owner complains. Our homeless problem is dwarfed by Parkland and Tacoma in this area. The law changes, including the high threshold for “probable cause”, came about because legislators didn’t consult with law enforcement before enacting these laws. They are listening more now. The pursuit restrictions are the biggest source of frustration for his officers. After the presentation, he noted that they are in the middle of a 90-day test of body cameras (they have about 15 being tested now, so far so good. They have cameras on all the cars as well). Great presentation!
Above: Chief Mike Zaro
Drawing: Hank Kerns had #7315, which sadly returned a mere $5 with the white chip selection.
From the Ole Archives, with slight changes:
What is a party game played by two Swedes? One Swede goes into a box and the other tries to guess which Swede it is.
And: What does it say on the bottom of a Swedish beer bottle? Open at other end.
Upcoming LR events:
5/13-14 District Conference in beautiful and historic Victoria, B.C.
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction (Get Busy and Procure!)
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Read MoreShare
Earth Day
Sunday, April 24, 2022 By: Mary MarlinWelcome to Earth Day
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
For April 22, 2022
Welcome to Earth Day…and what better place to celebrate than at Tacoma Country
and Golf Club with intelligent, fun-loving humans who treasure every Friday for a get-together to share the good. Yes, the view of the beautiful lake, delicious food and energetic members all made the day very special. Jim Rooks, our esteemed president, called the meeting to order two minutes after 1:30 p.m (i.e. two minutes late!) and the fun meeting began (I was told to mention that by a person who shall not be named).
The invocation was given by Scott Buser. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by a loyal member. Rob Erb with his great staff consisting of James Osundwa, Tom George, Dave Swindale, and maybe others I forgot, busily got things organized before the meeting began. John Lowney was smiling due to his opportunity to receive fines… from others. Chuck Hellar was Sergeant-at-Arms. Jim Weinand served at the Foundation Desk Mary Marlin wrote numerous notes for the Bulletin. Walt Richardson was our talented photographer and Greg Rediske monitored the President’s gaffes. Our sole guest today was Pat Price, Bill’s wife. Julie White was given a warm welcome back to the Club. And the Puffins were recognized: Rachel Mazoff, Steve Saalfeld, Jamie Simons, James Osundwa, Wendy McGowan, Angela Connelly, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, Anthony Veliz, Bob Martin, Andy Phillips, Dwight Williams, Linda McDermott, and Veronica Bronkema.
Eric Warn had a difficult health report. It was sad to hear that Vaughn Hoffman has passed away. Gayle Selden worked often with Vaughn and said he was a hard worker. When Larry Saunders passed away, Vaughn stepped in immediately to help with the auction. He was President of Federal Way Rotary and a risk management expert, according to Gayle. The President then suggested a moment of silence to honor Vaughn and his dedication to the Club.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Jason Whalen then mentioned the opportunity to participate in Parks Appreciation Day by volunteering time and maybe shovels to “spiff up” Fort Steilacoom Park and refresh the pavilion that so many in Rotary helped make happen. So many events have been held there, from weddings to concerts. Having it ready for summer events will make it even more special. The day to come and help is….past…but guess what, here is a write up about it, submitted to the Lakewood Key by Greg Rediske and a photo of the participants submitted to us by Jim Rooks. Teamwork all around.
Above: The work crew did their thing on April 23rd.
A roving reporter filed this Saturday report: A stalwart crew of Lakewood Rotarians followed Foreman Don Daniels’ every wish and desire (command?) while beautifying the pavilion at Fort Steilacoom Park on Saturday. Besides Boss Daniels, others working included Jason Whalen, Mary Moss, Jim Rooks, Steve Mazoff, Gred Rediske, Dave Coleman, and Gordy Quick. Dr. Quick kept the Lakewood Rotary tradition of having at least one 90-year old at the work party, ably following the late Richard Simmons. Five South Tacoma Rotarians also joined in the effort. Thanks to all who attended!
AUCTION PREP: Gayle Selden mentioned that procurement forms filled out and ready are needed for the auction which is getting closer and closer to happening in May. All forms need to be in within two weeks. Let’s make this auction the best ever.
COMMUNITY CONCERNS: Steve Enquist then requested club approval for a $2500 grant for the Family Renewal Shelter and also said the committee approved a $1000 donation to West Pierce Cares. The Bylaws require gifts of $2000 or more to be approved by the general membership so a vote was held on the FRS donation and it was approved unanimously.
FOUNDATION: Steve then presented, while he was up at the podium anyway, a 4th Paul Harris award to Donn Irwin and an 8th Paul Harris to Bill Price.
Puffin Connie Coleman-Lacadie received her blue badge at the bargain price of $5.
ROTARIAN OF THE YEAR: Steve also asked the members to think of a Rotarian deserving of the Rotarian of the Year award; that needs to be decided soon.
GENEROUS GIVING etc.: President Jim then warned of possible fines that might be “awarded.” Eric Quinn outed his own father! Okay, he mentioned that Joe Quinn won one or more gold medals at the National Masters Weightlifting Championships in Salt Lake City. Well done, Joe, now pay a big fine. At least $50.
Eric then showed us how to register for the online auction. Seemed a little tricky, but Gayle assured us, “It will work perfectly for you.” She also encouraged folks to sign up for the Sip and See--an opportunity to sip wine and see what is offered at the auction. Fun coming soon!
Jan Gee donated something for going to Palm Springs last week. Jim Bisceglia donated $50 for moving from Old Town to a condo in Ruston. Steve Enquist generously donated $50 in honor of Vaughn Hoffman. Oh, and we noted that the Klan opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico on the invitation sheet for the auction might really be better with the Clan! Duly noted. Anne Enquist and several others have been working hard on eight (count ‘em…8!) Little Free Pantries. Apparently, four are doing great and are self-sustaining, but four others need help with food supplies. The board has decided to set up a donation time on the fourth Friday of every month, for members to bring items such as soap and toothpaste, and food such as tuna, soup, pasta, or maybe something else that is healthy!
Mary Horn will be sending out a new survey for input about our Strategic Planning effort. Over 50% of the members have.answered her first survey, so information is definitely being shared. Getting new members and being inclusive are consistent goals for many clubs. One way to participate is to volunteer to help with the Special Olympics at Mt. Tahoma and/or in Federal Way. Let Jim Rooks know if you’d like to volunteer.
Above: Our Speaker, Paul Bucich
Photo by Walt Richardson
THE PROGRAM: Our speaker today was Paul Bucich, the Lakewood Public Works Director. Jason Whalen introduced him by asking the audience if they were annoyed by drones or cursed while driving roundabouts. At that point, our speaker headed for the door! Fortunately, he had a smile on his face. As he re-entered the room, Jason gave us some history of Paul’s exceptional work and the cities he is very familiar with. Paul has worked in Tacoma, Federal Way, Bellevue, Lake Tapps, and he now lives and works in Lakewood. He is the Public Works Engineering Director/Transportation in the City of Lakewood. He has supervised a myriad of projects. Here are a few of them that he and his team are working on currently or have made better: roads, signs, drainage issues, pavement repairs, chip seal program, guardrail repairs, right of way permits, traffic control, street light repairs, signal repairs, school zone issues, speed issues, speed bumps, roundabouts, bike lanes, emergency vehicle access to transportation safely, road design, bridge replacement, and I’m sure the list is even longer.
Paul then began to get more specific about the issues facing Lakewood. His sense of humor helps him to navigate the many issues he encounters every day. He mentioned that “I build. Someone else makes it look pretty.” His biggest issue is dealing with flooding issues that could compromise I-5. The issue has many people concerned and they are addressing it. He mentioned several specific areas of concern including Gravelly Lake Drive issues, grants needed, design projects, etc. He mentioned that the city received thousands of dollars for the Complete Street Award. For Lakewood residents, it was helpful to know there is somebody listening and attending to these issues. After a few questions were answered, Paul was bid farewell to warm applause.
THE DRAWING: Ron Irwin won the lofty sum of $5.
Upcoming LR events:
5/13-14 District Conference in beautiful and historic Victoria, B.C.
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction (Get Busy and Procure!)
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Eric Warn had a difficult health report. It was sad to hear that Vaughn Hoffman has passed away. Gayle Selden worked often with Vaughn and said he was a hard worker. When Larry Saunders passed away, Vaughn stepped in immediately to help with the auction. He was President of Federal Way Rotary and a risk management expert, according to Gayle. The President then suggested a moment of silence to honor Vaughn and his dedication to the Club.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Jason Whalen then mentioned the opportunity to participate in Parks Appreciation Day by volunteering time and maybe shovels to “spiff up” Fort Steilacoom Park and refresh the pavilion that so many in Rotary helped make happen. So many events have been held there, from weddings to concerts. Having it ready for summer events will make it even more special. The day to come and help is….past…but guess what, here is a write up about it, submitted to the Lakewood Key by Greg Rediske and a photo of the participants submitted to us by Jim Rooks. Teamwork all around.
Above: The work crew did their thing on April 23rd.
A roving reporter filed this Saturday report: A stalwart crew of Lakewood Rotarians followed Foreman Don Daniels’ every wish and desire (command?) while beautifying the pavilion at Fort Steilacoom Park on Saturday. Besides Boss Daniels, others working included Jason Whalen, Mary Moss, Jim Rooks, Steve Mazoff, Gred Rediske, Dave Coleman, and Gordy Quick. Dr. Quick kept the Lakewood Rotary tradition of having at least one 90-year old at the work party, ably following the late Richard Simmons. Five South Tacoma Rotarians also joined in the effort. Thanks to all who attended!
AUCTION PREP: Gayle Selden mentioned that procurement forms filled out and ready are needed for the auction which is getting closer and closer to happening in May. All forms need to be in within two weeks. Let’s make this auction the best ever.
COMMUNITY CONCERNS: Steve Enquist then requested club approval for a $2500 grant for the Family Renewal Shelter and also said the committee approved a $1000 donation to West Pierce Cares. The Bylaws require gifts of $2000 or more to be approved by the general membership so a vote was held on the FRS donation and it was approved unanimously.
FOUNDATION: Steve then presented, while he was up at the podium anyway, a 4th Paul Harris award to Donn Irwin and an 8th Paul Harris to Bill Price.
Puffin Connie Coleman-Lacadie received her blue badge at the bargain price of $5.
ROTARIAN OF THE YEAR: Steve also asked the members to think of a Rotarian deserving of the Rotarian of the Year award; that needs to be decided soon.
GENEROUS GIVING etc.: President Jim then warned of possible fines that might be “awarded.” Eric Quinn outed his own father! Okay, he mentioned that Joe Quinn won one or more gold medals at the National Masters Weightlifting Championships in Salt Lake City. Well done, Joe, now pay a big fine. At least $50.
Eric then showed us how to register for the online auction. Seemed a little tricky, but Gayle assured us, “It will work perfectly for you.” She also encouraged folks to sign up for the Sip and See--an opportunity to sip wine and see what is offered at the auction. Fun coming soon!
Jan Gee donated something for going to Palm Springs last week. Jim Bisceglia donated $50 for moving from Old Town to a condo in Ruston. Steve Enquist generously donated $50 in honor of Vaughn Hoffman. Oh, and we noted that the Klan opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico on the invitation sheet for the auction might really be better with the Clan! Duly noted. Anne Enquist and several others have been working hard on eight (count ‘em…8!) Little Free Pantries. Apparently, four are doing great and are self-sustaining, but four others need help with food supplies. The board has decided to set up a donation time on the fourth Friday of every month, for members to bring items such as soap and toothpaste, and food such as tuna, soup, pasta, or maybe something else that is healthy!
Mary Horn will be sending out a new survey for input about our Strategic Planning effort. Over 50% of the members have.answered her first survey, so information is definitely being shared. Getting new members and being inclusive are consistent goals for many clubs. One way to participate is to volunteer to help with the Special Olympics at Mt. Tahoma and/or in Federal Way. Let Jim Rooks know if you’d like to volunteer.
Above: Our Speaker, Paul Bucich
Photo by Walt Richardson
THE PROGRAM: Our speaker today was Paul Bucich, the Lakewood Public Works Director. Jason Whalen introduced him by asking the audience if they were annoyed by drones or cursed while driving roundabouts. At that point, our speaker headed for the door! Fortunately, he had a smile on his face. As he re-entered the room, Jason gave us some history of Paul’s exceptional work and the cities he is very familiar with. Paul has worked in Tacoma, Federal Way, Bellevue, Lake Tapps, and he now lives and works in Lakewood. He is the Public Works Engineering Director/Transportation in the City of Lakewood. He has supervised a myriad of projects. Here are a few of them that he and his team are working on currently or have made better: roads, signs, drainage issues, pavement repairs, chip seal program, guardrail repairs, right of way permits, traffic control, street light repairs, signal repairs, school zone issues, speed issues, speed bumps, roundabouts, bike lanes, emergency vehicle access to transportation safely, road design, bridge replacement, and I’m sure the list is even longer.
Paul then began to get more specific about the issues facing Lakewood. His sense of humor helps him to navigate the many issues he encounters every day. He mentioned that “I build. Someone else makes it look pretty.” His biggest issue is dealing with flooding issues that could compromise I-5. The issue has many people concerned and they are addressing it. He mentioned several specific areas of concern including Gravelly Lake Drive issues, grants needed, design projects, etc. He mentioned that the city received thousands of dollars for the Complete Street Award. For Lakewood residents, it was helpful to know there is somebody listening and attending to these issues. After a few questions were answered, Paul was bid farewell to warm applause.
THE DRAWING: Ron Irwin won the lofty sum of $5.
Upcoming LR events:
5/13-14 District Conference in beautiful and historic Victoria, B.C.
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction (Get Busy and Procure!)
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Read MoreShare
A Good Friday
Monday, April 18, 2022 By: Paula T. OlsonA Good Friday at Lakewood Rotary
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
By Paula T. Olson
This meeting started on a very auspicious and religious day. For Christians, it was Good Friday, the day of the passion and death of Jesus. For Jewish people, it was nearly the beginning of Passover, starting at sunset. For Muslim people, it was the middle of Ramadan. And for the CPAs and accountants amongst us, it was the old Tax Day. Somehow they managed to get three more days to get those returns in. And their clients are most grateful.
So the ringing of the bell by Pres. Rooks started this meeting on time. Well, according to my watch it was 97 seconds late but I’m sure my watch was wrong. Andrew Kruse led us in a nice invocation and Jim Bisceglia led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Pres. Jim acknowledged the usual setup crew led by Rob Erb who was also getting trained to operate the zoom machine. He was assisted by James Osundwa, Terry Roarke, Rick Selden, and Gayle Selden. Recording the fines was the usual John Lowney, writing the bulletin was yours truly Paula Olson, Terry Roarke manned the $2 table and functioned as Sergeant at Arms, Mary Marlin womaned the Foundation desk, Walt Richardson was the official photographer, and with the easiest job of all, Greg Rediske, monitoring the presidential gaffes.
Visiting Rotarians included our speaker, Becky Newton, President-Elect of the Clover Park Rotary Club. Guests were Bill Price’s wife, Pat, Stephanie Wilcox, President of the Partners, and Angela Connelly introduced her guests as Amy Fallen and Terry Scott. All were welcomed. Puffins in attendance (and since my neck was not swiveling well, I might miss one or two of you – my apologies!) were Angela Connelly, James Osundwa, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, and Linda McDermott.
Eric Warn did our health and wellness report and thanked all for the glasses, especially Jim and Connie. John Warner was present with us on zoom (welcome back, John! So glad to see you up and about) and Vaughn Hoffman is having issues so send him good vibes. Pres Jim proudly announced that he will bring in two pairs of glasses because he had more successful surgery on his eyes, giving him amazing vision and no need for glasses. (You know, those doctors give us lawyers a hard time when they treat us because they are afraid we’ll sue them. Can you imagine how a doctor treating a doctor must feel? I know, just a random thought.) But we are glad Jim is free from the tyranny of glasses.
Announcements started off by Pres Elect Jason Whalen on zoom inviting us to work at Fort Steilacoom Park doing clean up and other duties as assigned on Saturday, April 23rd from 9 am to noon. Send Jason an email for any details and to sign up or any thoughts you might want to pass his way. Jason and Mary Horn also talked a little bit about the strategic planning survey, giving us updated participant numbers as 62. We’re getting one last reminder and our input is critical to help our leaders design the future of our club. Jim stated that one member gave an outstanding comment but of course, his lips were sealed as to who it was and what he/she said. So fill out the survey and send it back for Pete’s sake. Actually for Rotary’s sake.
Sally Smith, Gayle Selden, Rick Selden and Stephanie Wilcox gave us a little pep talk about the upcoming auction. Like get those procurement items in ASAP! They detailed what has to happen AFTER you give them and that takes time. The deadline is May 7th. I repeat, May 7, 2022. The Sip and See is going to happen as part of the auction with tickets going for $50 for one person, $100 for two people, and you can get the idea about how much three or more will cost. The lucky ticket holders will get a fabulous charcuterie plate designed and plated by the Partners including a salami rose fashioned by Stephanie, a full bottle of red or white wine, four sampler desserts including a lemon bar, a chocolate cookie, homemade almond roca, and a surprise. OMG, I just want the desserts and the wine. That sounds fabulous! There are three ways to get your tickets: 1) corner John Lowney, Wendy McGowan, or Connie Coleman-Lacadie at the club; 2) after Saturday afternoon, buy them on line at Maxgiving.com; or 3) send one of these good folks an email stating the number of people and arrange to send your money. The Sip and See will start on zoom at 5:00 pm on May 21st hosted by Eric Quinn, who will appear by zoom as well, clearly trying to avoid any physical contact by any aggrieved guest. Rick Selden then threatened to bring the hammer if more items didn’t show up asap. He also highlighted the pros of auction by zoom, especially the fact that you don’t have to be fully dressed, but best make the top part presentable. He promised lots of fun and strongly encouraged group parties. In closing, he roused the membership by shouting: “Let’s light the fire and burn those tires!!” Pres Jim threw in his $2.00 by saying that he sampled the charcuterie plate at a meeting and said it was tasty and beautiful and a not-to-be-missed experience.
Pres Jim then announced there will be plenty of time for fines and generous giving. Jason Whalen led us off with giving $50 because some other member who has white hair and works as a judge snitched on him about a private meeting in a far away place where Jason was reportedly trolling jewelry stores. Jason called on the other unknown member to match his donation. And we’re still waiting for his/her identity, not like we don’t know who it is. Andrew Kruse gave $20 to celebrate his promotion as the City Life Director of Youth for Christ. Bill Potter gave $20 to promote his flyers advertising an event at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club celebrating Women in Business. Angela Connelly gave $100 to celebrate two things: Joe Quinn’s participation in the National Masters in Weightlifting in Salt Lake City. We’ll be with him in spirit. And celebrating a Military Child - son, Peter, starting West Point in June. Congrats to Peter and Mom and Dad. Pres Jim also gave $20 because he literally ran into Peter and brother Luke on Saturdays. Peter Marsh reported on his second booster shot and pain free arm with $20. Ed Shannon kicked in $100 to celebrate his 39th and final radiation treatment for prostate cancer on Tuesday. That is such wonderful news, Ed! Don Anderson reported a great time with family by giving his last $20. Barb Spriggs and Mary Marlin went to Maui and Oahu and brought Jim back a couple of presents: a map and flowers, a shot glass with a gray whale for use with dark rum, a key chain with his name on it, and a coaster with turtles on it to keep his drink safe. These gifts were to celebrate his successful eye surgeries. They also donated $25. Chuck Hellar took his wife, Sue, to Vero Beach in Florida for three and a half months and he had $24 left to give. Whew, that was quite the session of generous giving, Club!
THE PROGRAM: John Caulfield introduced our speaker, Becky Newton, Lakewood’s Economic Development Manager. Becky has an impressive resume of involvement in economic development on many levels. John called her the “tip of the spear” for economic development. She’s a UW grad and spent about seven years with the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance in Research and Communications and has been with Lakewood since October 2011 for economic development. Becky is also a volunteer with Parks and Recreation and is the President-Elect for Clover Park Rotary.
Becky started her presentation by notifiying us of a great event at her club on Friday, April 29th from 6 pm to 10 pm called CPRI (Clover Park Rotary Invitational) at McGavick Center and catered by Carr’s Resturant. Lots of fun for all with cash prizes up to $1,000. Also on May 6th Clover Park Rotary is sponsoring a cleanup party at the Wildlife Area on Phillips Road from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. She donated $20 for her advertisment.
As Becky started talking business development, a quiet respectful pall went over the club as all of the business owners, bankers, insurance brokers, CPAs and accountants went into the zone. Becky illustrated her talk with lots of great graphics with lots of numbers showing the amazing growth of Lakewood in the past five years. Becky emphasized that economic development is everyone’s issue and requires a team effort and partnership. At the end of 2021, Lakewood supported about 5,000 businesses of which 1,100 were home based and about 2,000 had commercial locations. Lakewood is proud of its high growth of retail and trade, healthcare and construction businesses. Compared to the nation, Lakewood shows a 1.6% increase in jobs. While Lakewood lost jobs since the pandemic as everyone else has, about half of them have been recovered. Lakewood has outpaced Tacoma and Pierce County and it’s important to not only retain those jobs but keep growing.
Speaking of permitting, Lakewood has seen a recent increase. In 2020-2021 there has been a growth of about $160 million in warehouse and commercial development. There are three important aspects to economic growth. First, to attract new businesses, Becky touts location close to I-5 and connection to the Port of Tacoma. Second, Lakewood has policies and programs to support intrastate connection. Some of those policies and programs include the Rental House Safety program, the Dangerous/Nuisance Abatement program, Colonial Place, Parks, Festivals and Gateways, including JBLM, the North Clear Zone, Tillicum Place, Climate Change, and the appropriate distribution of CARES money to businesses, fewer fees for businesses, and the 100 million for infrastructure improvement.
Some of the goals for Lakewood development include working on the strategic plan, growth management and fulfillment of the City Council goal for a dynamic and robust economy. Some city-wide plans include working on business retention and expansion as well as identifying barriers and opportunities. Also, Becky believes that media is an important tool for the promotion and recruitment, including developing good websites.
Looking at some of the focuses, the international area of downtown needs a cleanup to make it a special place to visit and shop, expand existing stores and start new ones. There are about 88% minority-owned businesses. Another example is in Springbrook which is in a floodplain. The city wants to mitigate risks of flooding in areas such as 123rd and the gravel pit. The city wants to support the military with housing and create better opportunities for development. Along with Springbrook, the North Clear Zone and Tillicum, the city is exploring the deferral of taxes and elimination of capital gains taxes to attract and retain businesses. In Tillicum, Habitat for Humanity has lots of projects ongoing as well as development of Harry Todd Park. In Lake City, there is already a nice business district that the city wants to enhance.
In the downtown area, the city hopes to make it more of a retail center. A survey yielded information about what the public needs to shop there. Since 2014 there has been an increase of customers shopping at those businesses. A plan developed in October 2019 includes partnership with KITE Realty to build a park and a new City Hall. Catapult Adventure Park is also in the offing as well as other plans to improve the urban area with residential and commercial units. There are four container sites for cleanup of downtown. The Pierce County Library system hopes to build a new library with branches in Tillicum with the policies developed by its advisory committee.
There are a lot of mixed use projects going on, including Craft Theory, BBQ Pete’s and Brew Pub. In the Lakewood Station District there is a 30-acre redevelopment around 108th and the railroad crossing. There is a townhome project with 65 units coming as well as more multi- family projects in various stages. In the Woodbrook Business Park, which is a 188-acre park, new industrial owners are coming, with distribution and warehouse development including parking. Becky talked about the history of these areas.
In her closing slides, she showed lists of new businesses in the last couple of years with 10 or more employees and more established businesses expanding. But she showed a long list of prospective businesses in the works. All told, Lakewood’s economic development appears to be in very good hands with a good productive future.
Questions from members included what about the QFC building? Becky agreed it’s a problem that is now in litigation. The primary dispute is that the owner wanted to improve the building and the city wanted the building demolished. The issue is going to trial later this year and hopefully a resolution will be found. Another question was where and how Becky looks for new businesses. She said she has partnerships with other agencies within the state and Pierce County. She looks to brokers to tell her who is looking at Lakewood and then she follows up if they decide not to locate to Lakewood.
We all thanked Becky for a very informative and interesting presentation.
John Caufield won the drawing but did not get the pot. Sorry John. Better luck next time.
Upcoming LR events:
4/23 Cleanup in the park
5/13-14 District Conference in beautiful and historic Victoria, B.C.
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Visiting Rotarians included our speaker, Becky Newton, President-Elect of the Clover Park Rotary Club. Guests were Bill Price’s wife, Pat, Stephanie Wilcox, President of the Partners, and Angela Connelly introduced her guests as Amy Fallen and Terry Scott. All were welcomed. Puffins in attendance (and since my neck was not swiveling well, I might miss one or two of you – my apologies!) were Angela Connelly, James Osundwa, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, and Linda McDermott.
Eric Warn did our health and wellness report and thanked all for the glasses, especially Jim and Connie. John Warner was present with us on zoom (welcome back, John! So glad to see you up and about) and Vaughn Hoffman is having issues so send him good vibes. Pres Jim proudly announced that he will bring in two pairs of glasses because he had more successful surgery on his eyes, giving him amazing vision and no need for glasses. (You know, those doctors give us lawyers a hard time when they treat us because they are afraid we’ll sue them. Can you imagine how a doctor treating a doctor must feel? I know, just a random thought.) But we are glad Jim is free from the tyranny of glasses.
Announcements started off by Pres Elect Jason Whalen on zoom inviting us to work at Fort Steilacoom Park doing clean up and other duties as assigned on Saturday, April 23rd from 9 am to noon. Send Jason an email for any details and to sign up or any thoughts you might want to pass his way. Jason and Mary Horn also talked a little bit about the strategic planning survey, giving us updated participant numbers as 62. We’re getting one last reminder and our input is critical to help our leaders design the future of our club. Jim stated that one member gave an outstanding comment but of course, his lips were sealed as to who it was and what he/she said. So fill out the survey and send it back for Pete’s sake. Actually for Rotary’s sake.
Sally Smith, Gayle Selden, Rick Selden and Stephanie Wilcox gave us a little pep talk about the upcoming auction. Like get those procurement items in ASAP! They detailed what has to happen AFTER you give them and that takes time. The deadline is May 7th. I repeat, May 7, 2022. The Sip and See is going to happen as part of the auction with tickets going for $50 for one person, $100 for two people, and you can get the idea about how much three or more will cost. The lucky ticket holders will get a fabulous charcuterie plate designed and plated by the Partners including a salami rose fashioned by Stephanie, a full bottle of red or white wine, four sampler desserts including a lemon bar, a chocolate cookie, homemade almond roca, and a surprise. OMG, I just want the desserts and the wine. That sounds fabulous! There are three ways to get your tickets: 1) corner John Lowney, Wendy McGowan, or Connie Coleman-Lacadie at the club; 2) after Saturday afternoon, buy them on line at Maxgiving.com; or 3) send one of these good folks an email stating the number of people and arrange to send your money. The Sip and See will start on zoom at 5:00 pm on May 21st hosted by Eric Quinn, who will appear by zoom as well, clearly trying to avoid any physical contact by any aggrieved guest. Rick Selden then threatened to bring the hammer if more items didn’t show up asap. He also highlighted the pros of auction by zoom, especially the fact that you don’t have to be fully dressed, but best make the top part presentable. He promised lots of fun and strongly encouraged group parties. In closing, he roused the membership by shouting: “Let’s light the fire and burn those tires!!” Pres Jim threw in his $2.00 by saying that he sampled the charcuterie plate at a meeting and said it was tasty and beautiful and a not-to-be-missed experience.
Pres Jim then announced there will be plenty of time for fines and generous giving. Jason Whalen led us off with giving $50 because some other member who has white hair and works as a judge snitched on him about a private meeting in a far away place where Jason was reportedly trolling jewelry stores. Jason called on the other unknown member to match his donation. And we’re still waiting for his/her identity, not like we don’t know who it is. Andrew Kruse gave $20 to celebrate his promotion as the City Life Director of Youth for Christ. Bill Potter gave $20 to promote his flyers advertising an event at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club celebrating Women in Business. Angela Connelly gave $100 to celebrate two things: Joe Quinn’s participation in the National Masters in Weightlifting in Salt Lake City. We’ll be with him in spirit. And celebrating a Military Child - son, Peter, starting West Point in June. Congrats to Peter and Mom and Dad. Pres Jim also gave $20 because he literally ran into Peter and brother Luke on Saturdays. Peter Marsh reported on his second booster shot and pain free arm with $20. Ed Shannon kicked in $100 to celebrate his 39th and final radiation treatment for prostate cancer on Tuesday. That is such wonderful news, Ed! Don Anderson reported a great time with family by giving his last $20. Barb Spriggs and Mary Marlin went to Maui and Oahu and brought Jim back a couple of presents: a map and flowers, a shot glass with a gray whale for use with dark rum, a key chain with his name on it, and a coaster with turtles on it to keep his drink safe. These gifts were to celebrate his successful eye surgeries. They also donated $25. Chuck Hellar took his wife, Sue, to Vero Beach in Florida for three and a half months and he had $24 left to give. Whew, that was quite the session of generous giving, Club!
THE PROGRAM: John Caulfield introduced our speaker, Becky Newton, Lakewood’s Economic Development Manager. Becky has an impressive resume of involvement in economic development on many levels. John called her the “tip of the spear” for economic development. She’s a UW grad and spent about seven years with the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance in Research and Communications and has been with Lakewood since October 2011 for economic development. Becky is also a volunteer with Parks and Recreation and is the President-Elect for Clover Park Rotary.
Becky started her presentation by notifiying us of a great event at her club on Friday, April 29th from 6 pm to 10 pm called CPRI (Clover Park Rotary Invitational) at McGavick Center and catered by Carr’s Resturant. Lots of fun for all with cash prizes up to $1,000. Also on May 6th Clover Park Rotary is sponsoring a cleanup party at the Wildlife Area on Phillips Road from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. She donated $20 for her advertisment.
As Becky started talking business development, a quiet respectful pall went over the club as all of the business owners, bankers, insurance brokers, CPAs and accountants went into the zone. Becky illustrated her talk with lots of great graphics with lots of numbers showing the amazing growth of Lakewood in the past five years. Becky emphasized that economic development is everyone’s issue and requires a team effort and partnership. At the end of 2021, Lakewood supported about 5,000 businesses of which 1,100 were home based and about 2,000 had commercial locations. Lakewood is proud of its high growth of retail and trade, healthcare and construction businesses. Compared to the nation, Lakewood shows a 1.6% increase in jobs. While Lakewood lost jobs since the pandemic as everyone else has, about half of them have been recovered. Lakewood has outpaced Tacoma and Pierce County and it’s important to not only retain those jobs but keep growing.
Speaking of permitting, Lakewood has seen a recent increase. In 2020-2021 there has been a growth of about $160 million in warehouse and commercial development. There are three important aspects to economic growth. First, to attract new businesses, Becky touts location close to I-5 and connection to the Port of Tacoma. Second, Lakewood has policies and programs to support intrastate connection. Some of those policies and programs include the Rental House Safety program, the Dangerous/Nuisance Abatement program, Colonial Place, Parks, Festivals and Gateways, including JBLM, the North Clear Zone, Tillicum Place, Climate Change, and the appropriate distribution of CARES money to businesses, fewer fees for businesses, and the 100 million for infrastructure improvement.
Some of the goals for Lakewood development include working on the strategic plan, growth management and fulfillment of the City Council goal for a dynamic and robust economy. Some city-wide plans include working on business retention and expansion as well as identifying barriers and opportunities. Also, Becky believes that media is an important tool for the promotion and recruitment, including developing good websites.
Looking at some of the focuses, the international area of downtown needs a cleanup to make it a special place to visit and shop, expand existing stores and start new ones. There are about 88% minority-owned businesses. Another example is in Springbrook which is in a floodplain. The city wants to mitigate risks of flooding in areas such as 123rd and the gravel pit. The city wants to support the military with housing and create better opportunities for development. Along with Springbrook, the North Clear Zone and Tillicum, the city is exploring the deferral of taxes and elimination of capital gains taxes to attract and retain businesses. In Tillicum, Habitat for Humanity has lots of projects ongoing as well as development of Harry Todd Park. In Lake City, there is already a nice business district that the city wants to enhance.
In the downtown area, the city hopes to make it more of a retail center. A survey yielded information about what the public needs to shop there. Since 2014 there has been an increase of customers shopping at those businesses. A plan developed in October 2019 includes partnership with KITE Realty to build a park and a new City Hall. Catapult Adventure Park is also in the offing as well as other plans to improve the urban area with residential and commercial units. There are four container sites for cleanup of downtown. The Pierce County Library system hopes to build a new library with branches in Tillicum with the policies developed by its advisory committee.
There are a lot of mixed use projects going on, including Craft Theory, BBQ Pete’s and Brew Pub. In the Lakewood Station District there is a 30-acre redevelopment around 108th and the railroad crossing. There is a townhome project with 65 units coming as well as more multi- family projects in various stages. In the Woodbrook Business Park, which is a 188-acre park, new industrial owners are coming, with distribution and warehouse development including parking. Becky talked about the history of these areas.
In her closing slides, she showed lists of new businesses in the last couple of years with 10 or more employees and more established businesses expanding. But she showed a long list of prospective businesses in the works. All told, Lakewood’s economic development appears to be in very good hands with a good productive future.
Questions from members included what about the QFC building? Becky agreed it’s a problem that is now in litigation. The primary dispute is that the owner wanted to improve the building and the city wanted the building demolished. The issue is going to trial later this year and hopefully a resolution will be found. Another question was where and how Becky looks for new businesses. She said she has partnerships with other agencies within the state and Pierce County. She looks to brokers to tell her who is looking at Lakewood and then she follows up if they decide not to locate to Lakewood.
We all thanked Becky for a very informative and interesting presentation.
John Caufield won the drawing but did not get the pot. Sorry John. Better luck next time.
Upcoming LR events:
4/23 Cleanup in the park
5/13-14 District Conference in beautiful and historic Victoria, B.C.
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
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District Conference 5020
Sunday, April 10, 2022 By: Joseph F. QuinnA LAKEWOOD KEY extra edition regarding DISTRICT CONFERENCE
Lakewood Rotary President Nominee Mary Horn and her spouse, What’s His Name, I mean Past District Governor Greg Horn want to remind you that the Rotary District 5020 District Conference is going to be held on May 13-14, 2022 in beautiful and historic Victoria, B.C.
Above: The double decker buses with Parliament in the background
If you have never been to District Conference (or even if you have) you gotta go because it is fun and very educational about Rotary (ahem….Puffins!).
If you have never been to Victoria, you gotta go because it is a great city for tourism as you can tell from the pictures attached to this story.
Above: That harbor ambiance!
Upcoming LR events:
5/13-14 District Conference in Victoria, B.C.
Above: You can go have tea at the Empress (the one in the background in this photo)
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Above: And did we mention: there will be fun people there, including Canadians!
If you have never been to Victoria, you gotta go because it is a great city for tourism as you can tell from the pictures attached to this story.
Above: That harbor ambiance!
Upcoming LR events:
5/13-14 District Conference in Victoria, B.C.
Above: You can go have tea at the Empress (the one in the background in this photo)
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Above: And did we mention: there will be fun people there, including Canadians!
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LakewooLd Parks
Friday, April 8, 2022 By: Eric T QuinnWe Love Our Parks!
THE LAKEWOOD KEY for April 8, 2022
President Jim Rooks (PJ) rang the hybrid meeting to order at 12:30 PM. Dave Coleman gave the invocation, and paid special attention to promoting peace in the Ukraine. Hank Kerns led us in the Pledge.
Making the Meeting happen: Rob Erb thanked his amazing set-up crew including James Osundwa, Duncan Cook, Terry Roarke, Kendra Riconosciuto and others who stepped up.
John Lowney collected fines.
Jan Gee is the sergeant at arms and running the raffle desk.
Eric Warn collected RI Foundation money.
Walt Richardson is the photographer.
Mary Moss introduced Visiting Rotarians: Judge Mansfield from Rotary 8 and Patti Belle from the Lakewood City Council. Pat Price attended with husband Bill Price.
PJ recognized the Puffins:
Carl Bronkema, Rachel Mazoff, Steve Saalfeld
Jamie Simons, James Osundwa, Wendy McGowan, Connie Coleman-
Lacadie, Anthony Veliz, Bob Martin, Andy Phillips, Angela Connelly, Linda McDermott and Dwight Williams
PJ asked if a Puffin was willing to act as Greeter Coordinator, so that we can organize an effective Greeter program again.
Eric Warn gave the health and wellness report. Dave Betz had a heart attack recently while in the hospital. He then had a heart attack a few days later due to blood clots from Covid. John Forkenbrock is doing well.
Jason Whalen announced that Parks Appreciation Day will take place Saturday, April 23 at Fort Steilacoom Park. There will be a Fellowship event organized around this.
Mary Horn discussed the Lakewood Rotary Strategic Plan survey. If you did not get the email about that Mary has hard copies.
Gayle Selden gave an announcement about the Auction. Recently Gayle went to the Little Free Pantry at LASA. She saw a woman and her child get food from the pantry and go sit at a picnic table and eat what they obtained from the pantry. This exemplifies the needs of our community. We meet that need by giving of our time and money The virtual auction—our one and only fundraiser—will take place on May 21. We have over $20,000 in sponsorships already! But what we really need to work on is procurement. She mentioned how the Indian dinner, donated by Tom George was very popular. We need to procure experiences, so think about those things. Anne Enquist talked about the Top Gun event that will be taking place on June 5 at 3:55 PM at the AMC Theater in the Lakewood Town Center. Tickets are $65.00 per person. About 55 tickets have already been sold and they have room for 75. Sally Smith discussed some of the cool procurements we have received.
Above: Rick Selden says “Get out there and procure.” (Actually Gayle said it, but it’s all in the family, right?)
Register for the event and purchase tickets to Sip and See and the Top Gun event here:
https://lakewoodrotary.maxgiving.bid/about-us
Ukraine help: Rose Stevens gave an update on the $7,800, which has been raised by the Club; District 5020 has raised $150,000 toward the disaster relief fund for the Ukraine.
PJ then moved on to fines and generous giving.
Above: Our Treasurer John Lowney
John Lowney offered $40 but PJ refused it! That may have been a Lakewood Rotary first, but it went unnoticed. David Swindale went to Oahu and gave $20.00 for the privilege. Rick and Sharon Selden went to Arizona recently and he pledged a Greenleaf-- $20.00-- for that. Bill Potter forked over $50.00 for a trip to Nashville courtesy of First Citizens Bank—he received many awards so was feeling very generous.
Above: Bill Potter felt magnanimous
John Caulfield introduced our speaker, Mary Dodsworth, the Parks and Recreation (“Parks”) Director of the City of Lakewood. Mary has been in public service for over 35 years. Mary and her team are responsible for maintaining over 600 acres of parks and open space. She creates fun and diverse programs, and is a firm believer in Parks and Recreation. She is a graduate of Central Washington University. She loves playing sports and travelling the world.
Mary thanked the Club for inviting her. She noted that this Club has been around since long before the City of Lakewood was a City. She provided the annual report on what is going on with Parks.
Here are some big things that happened in 2021:
[A huge hailstorm hit at the Tacoma Country Club during Mary’s talk but our indomitable Parks Director just talked louder and louder so she could be heard. She is not a quitter!]
Above: Mary Dodsworth (not a quitter)
Coming soon:
Mary discussed partnerships with the Nisqually Tribe, which is crucial to the improvement of the parks.
In terms of special events, Mary talked about the Reel Life film festival and the MLK virtual event. Mary reminded us that Parks Appreciation Day is coming right up on April 23. She also discussed many Youth and Family outdoor education events that are being planned. This summer, we will be utilizing the Colonial Plaza for a variety of events that include dancing. The Lakewood Farmers Market is coming back. It takes place on Tuesday nights at Fort Steilacoom Park. Mary reminded us of the other cool events that have taken place recently, including the trucks day and the tree lighting.
Learn more about all of the great things that are happening with Parks and the City of Lakewood at its website: cityoflakewood.us
Mary closed by discussing the importance of a vibrant community. She opened it up for questions and there were many.
The Drawing: There was one….I think…but it was not the big one!
Upcoming LR events:
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
PJ recognized the Puffins:
Carl Bronkema, Rachel Mazoff, Steve Saalfeld
Jamie Simons, James Osundwa, Wendy McGowan, Connie Coleman-
Lacadie, Anthony Veliz, Bob Martin, Andy Phillips, Angela Connelly, Linda McDermott and Dwight Williams
PJ asked if a Puffin was willing to act as Greeter Coordinator, so that we can organize an effective Greeter program again.
Eric Warn gave the health and wellness report. Dave Betz had a heart attack recently while in the hospital. He then had a heart attack a few days later due to blood clots from Covid. John Forkenbrock is doing well.
Jason Whalen announced that Parks Appreciation Day will take place Saturday, April 23 at Fort Steilacoom Park. There will be a Fellowship event organized around this.
Mary Horn discussed the Lakewood Rotary Strategic Plan survey. If you did not get the email about that Mary has hard copies.
Gayle Selden gave an announcement about the Auction. Recently Gayle went to the Little Free Pantry at LASA. She saw a woman and her child get food from the pantry and go sit at a picnic table and eat what they obtained from the pantry. This exemplifies the needs of our community. We meet that need by giving of our time and money The virtual auction—our one and only fundraiser—will take place on May 21. We have over $20,000 in sponsorships already! But what we really need to work on is procurement. She mentioned how the Indian dinner, donated by Tom George was very popular. We need to procure experiences, so think about those things. Anne Enquist talked about the Top Gun event that will be taking place on June 5 at 3:55 PM at the AMC Theater in the Lakewood Town Center. Tickets are $65.00 per person. About 55 tickets have already been sold and they have room for 75. Sally Smith discussed some of the cool procurements we have received.
Above: Rick Selden says “Get out there and procure.” (Actually Gayle said it, but it’s all in the family, right?)
Register for the event and purchase tickets to Sip and See and the Top Gun event here:
https://lakewoodrotary.maxgiving.bid/about-us
Ukraine help: Rose Stevens gave an update on the $7,800, which has been raised by the Club; District 5020 has raised $150,000 toward the disaster relief fund for the Ukraine.
PJ then moved on to fines and generous giving.
Above: Our Treasurer John Lowney
John Lowney offered $40 but PJ refused it! That may have been a Lakewood Rotary first, but it went unnoticed. David Swindale went to Oahu and gave $20.00 for the privilege. Rick and Sharon Selden went to Arizona recently and he pledged a Greenleaf-- $20.00-- for that. Bill Potter forked over $50.00 for a trip to Nashville courtesy of First Citizens Bank—he received many awards so was feeling very generous.
Above: Bill Potter felt magnanimous
John Caulfield introduced our speaker, Mary Dodsworth, the Parks and Recreation (“Parks”) Director of the City of Lakewood. Mary has been in public service for over 35 years. Mary and her team are responsible for maintaining over 600 acres of parks and open space. She creates fun and diverse programs, and is a firm believer in Parks and Recreation. She is a graduate of Central Washington University. She loves playing sports and travelling the world.
Mary thanked the Club for inviting her. She noted that this Club has been around since long before the City of Lakewood was a City. She provided the annual report on what is going on with Parks.
Here are some big things that happened in 2021:
- The playground at Fort Steilacoom Park has been updated to support all abilities;
- A warming kitchen and restrooms were added at the Pavilion at that park;
- The Harry Todd park in Tillicum has seen some waterfront improvements;
- Angle Lane South at Fort Steilacoom Park has been substantially improved;
- The Chambers Creek Canyon bridge is up-and-running! The bridge connects Lakewood to University Place. It is a great way to connect our communities;
[A huge hailstorm hit at the Tacoma Country Club during Mary’s talk but our indomitable Parks Director just talked louder and louder so she could be heard. She is not a quitter!]
Above: Mary Dodsworth (not a quitter)
Coming soon:
- There will be a series of improvements to Springbrook Park, including but not limited to bike paths;
- There have been changes to the American Lake Park, which right now include a new playground; and there are more exciting changes to come. A new entry plaza and sign will be completed. ADA accessibility at the park is of paramount concern. Everyone is welcome to get to the shoreline and play.
- Wards Lake Park is another important space. The City is looking at purchasing land to improve Wards Lake Park. Planned improvements include but are not limited to a loop trail and dog park.
- There are also planned changes to Edgewater, Oakbrook and Primley Parks. Improving playgrounds is a major priority for Parks.
- Another plan is to improve gateways and park signs, which is a major component of welcoming the public to the space.
- Improvements to the parks at Pierce College.
- We are working on a barn restoration project at Fort Steilacoom Park
Mary discussed partnerships with the Nisqually Tribe, which is crucial to the improvement of the parks.
In terms of special events, Mary talked about the Reel Life film festival and the MLK virtual event. Mary reminded us that Parks Appreciation Day is coming right up on April 23. She also discussed many Youth and Family outdoor education events that are being planned. This summer, we will be utilizing the Colonial Plaza for a variety of events that include dancing. The Lakewood Farmers Market is coming back. It takes place on Tuesday nights at Fort Steilacoom Park. Mary reminded us of the other cool events that have taken place recently, including the trucks day and the tree lighting.
Learn more about all of the great things that are happening with Parks and the City of Lakewood at its website: cityoflakewood.us
Mary closed by discussing the importance of a vibrant community. She opened it up for questions and there were many.
The Drawing: There was one….I think…but it was not the big one!
Upcoming LR events:
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Read MoreShare
It's All Bull!
Sunday, April 3, 2022 By: Wendy Jo McGowanIt’s All Bull!
THE LAKEWOOD KEY for April Fool’s Day 2022
by Wendy McGowan
I didn’t think this assignment came with a byline, but I’ll accept it… graciously. My kinfolk, especially brother, father and grandfather (all astute newspapermen) will be proud.
Fortified with the holy tomes of William Strunk, E.B. White, Noah Webster, Peter Mark Roget and, of course my buddy, Google, I begin this hallowed journey of the Bull Writers. Joining the likes of Hemingway, Shakespeare, Dickens, Faulkner and Agatha Christie it’s not, but much to Ole’s anxiety, I will give it my all. Ole, I am counting on you to not fall asleep of sheer boredom. Boring or not, a little dose of the King’s English doesn’t hurt anyone. That, I am sure of. (Might that be a dangling preposition? Oh, well.)
Speaking of kings, King James…(er, that’s the name of another holy tome)…ahem, King James Rooks, with a gold crown atop his head, began this April Fool’s meeting right on the stroke of 12:30 p.m. with the help of the gong. Somehow, I find myself giggling at the vision of Dr. Rooks wearing a crown on his shiny noggin.
Forgetting the podium mic was active, the president was heard mumbling, “Who needs a day for the fools. I’m surrounded by them all year.” April Fools!
No fool he, President Rooks began the meeting by asking Bob Hammar to give the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Don Daniels.
Our trusty set-up crew, consisting of Rob Erb, James Osundwa, Terry Roarke, Bob Martin and Dave Swindale, were then thanked by President Jim for pulling it off once again. The president went on to acknowledge Steve Enquist for taking charge of the Foundation desk, Gary Barton for doing double-duty as sergeant-at-arms and overseer of the raffle ticket sales, Treasurer John Lowney for recording the fines, and Secretary Greg Rediske for keeping him in line. Additionally, President Jim thanked our photographer, Walt Richardson, and scribe, Wendy McGowan, for making sure this day was duly recorded.
The Puffins, James Osundwa, Veronica Bronkema, Andy Phillips, Anthony Veliz, Steve Saalfeld, Hank Kerns, Dwight Williams, Linda McDermott, Bob Martin and “yours truly” were then invited to stand.
Local architect, Jim Merritt, was a welcomed guest. And Jason Whalen introduced Brad Johnson and Avery Champagne.
Eric Warn normally provided a Health and Wellness Report at this point in the meeting, but Eric was traveling. We were, however, apprised that Dave Betz had suffered a heart attack. All send our very best Dave for your speedy recovery.
A couple of pranksters broke into the local police station and stole all the lavatory equipment. Chief Mike Zaro was quoted by a reporter as saying:“We have nothing to go on.” April Fool!
Greg Horn took the mic and enumerated the many member April birthdays: Dan Livingston, Leon Titus and Bill White, all April 8; Dave Betz April 12; Mary Covelli Johnson April 18; Donn Irwin April 19; Jerry Williams April 21; and Mark Edgecomb April 28.
Greg continued with Partner birthdays: Stephanie Wilcox (partner of Troy) April 6, Brandee Sharp (partner of Jim) April 10, and Carol Bisceglia (partner of Jim) April 18.
Several members are celebrating their anniversary in Rotary: Steve Saalfeld 1 year in our club, plus 5 years in a previous club; Barb Spriggs 6 years, Kim Prentice 16 years; Chris Kimball 12 years in Lakewood Rotary plus 9 years in a previous club; and Joan Strait 31 years.
And, to top it off, several of our members and their partners share their anniversaries this month: Troy and Stephanie Wilcox 22 years on April 2; Kim and Tom Prentice 24 years on April 4; Bill and Sue Potter 28 years on April 28; Connie Coleman-Lacadie and Michael 31 years on April 30; Donn and Debbie Irwin 37 years on April 27; Rob and Vickie Erb 45 years on April 9; and Bob and Stacia Cammarano 67 years on April 16. Wowie!
President Jim asked for any announcements. Jason Whalen spoke of our 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Survey and asked the members to look for it in their email.
Rose Stevens gave us an update on the Ukrainian student attending Pierce College. The exchange student’s name is Anna. She is interested in law and business administration. Outside of the classroom, Anna is a member of the track team and is a community volunteer. We are looking to form a network with another organization to assist Anna with the cost of her coming classes at Pierce.
Cheerleader, Gayle Selden, provided an update on The Auction which is being held virtually on Saturday, May 21. To date, $20,000.00 has been committed in sponsorships, but Gayle encouraged every member to gather procurements in the next couple of weeks.
Above: Cheerleader Gayle
To access Auction procurement forms and/or sponsorship forms, just sign on to http://www.lakewoodrotary.com, go to Get Involved (at the top), and down to 2022 Auction. Thanks to Leanna Christian, no password is required.
And, then came President Jim’s favorite part of the meeting: Fines and Generous Giving. He called on John Lowney to give us the lowdown on the recent Ski Trip to Sunriver. Participants included John and Pam Lowney, Phil and Judy Eng, Greg and Sharon Rediske, Steve and Anne Enquist, Joe and Kris Quinn, Rick and Sharon Selden, Steve and Ellen Mazoff, Jan Reeder and Jack, Sally Saunders, and Jan Gee.
A few Rotarians actually got in a couple of snowy ski runs, but apparently the highlight of the trip was the annual ping pong tournament. The ultimate winner among the male players was John himself, and not to be outdone, John’s wife, Pam, beat out the other women. Fun was had by all.
THE PROGRAM:
“There’s something funny going on! The Art of Clowning.” Jan Gee was invited to the podium to introduce today’s speakers. Before the guest speakers appeared, Jan enlightened us with tidbits of her “other life.” Following a 40-year career in Olympia representing the retail and grocery industries, Jan began an under-cover identity for the ensuing 15 years. She became Cupcake the Clown.
Jan admitted that those were the most joyous years of her life. She loved every smile she found on the face of a child with cancer or the happiness she brought to severely developmentally disabled adults. But, most of all, Jan delighted in serving with her fellow clowns. She let us in on her secret: “Clowns care.”
She introduced us to two of her favorite clowns: Donald Cormier, who is Teeny the Clown and Terry Cormier who is Lil’ Britches. Donald and Terry spend most of their time today volunteering at social service and community events. In addition, they train new and upcoming clowns.
Donald “played the straight man” today as he took us through the centuries of clowning: from ancient Greece in 1560, to Shakespeare, through the Elizabethan Era, and to the more recent years of Charlie Chaplin, Red Skelton, Emmett Kelly, Bozo the Clown, J.P. Patches and Ronald McDonald. Throughout Donald’s history lesson, “Lil’ Britches” enjoyed teasing Donald with her array of props, much to our delight.
Above: Lil’ Britches with prop
For many years clowns only entertained large audiences in places like the Roman colosseums and the “Big Top”. However, during the 1960s clowns became popular at children’s birthday parties. Following that, in the 1980s clowns were encouraged to appear in hospitals and the like.
Donald introduced us to many types of clowns: Jesters, magicians, white-faced clowns, tramps, harlequins, and hobos. Teeny the Clown and Lil’ Britches are known as August (pronounced “agus”) Clowns.
The program was enlightening! And was most appropriate on this day of April Fools.
Why do eggs like April Fool’s Day? They love practical yokes! (Oh, Ole, where do you get these tidbits? Groan!!!)
Dave Reames was the unlucky one to pull a white chip. No foolin’!
Upcoming LR events:
5/21 Lakewood RotaryAuction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Forgetting the podium mic was active, the president was heard mumbling, “Who needs a day for the fools. I’m surrounded by them all year.” April Fools!
No fool he, President Rooks began the meeting by asking Bob Hammar to give the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Don Daniels.
Our trusty set-up crew, consisting of Rob Erb, James Osundwa, Terry Roarke, Bob Martin and Dave Swindale, were then thanked by President Jim for pulling it off once again. The president went on to acknowledge Steve Enquist for taking charge of the Foundation desk, Gary Barton for doing double-duty as sergeant-at-arms and overseer of the raffle ticket sales, Treasurer John Lowney for recording the fines, and Secretary Greg Rediske for keeping him in line. Additionally, President Jim thanked our photographer, Walt Richardson, and scribe, Wendy McGowan, for making sure this day was duly recorded.
The Puffins, James Osundwa, Veronica Bronkema, Andy Phillips, Anthony Veliz, Steve Saalfeld, Hank Kerns, Dwight Williams, Linda McDermott, Bob Martin and “yours truly” were then invited to stand.
Local architect, Jim Merritt, was a welcomed guest. And Jason Whalen introduced Brad Johnson and Avery Champagne.
Eric Warn normally provided a Health and Wellness Report at this point in the meeting, but Eric was traveling. We were, however, apprised that Dave Betz had suffered a heart attack. All send our very best Dave for your speedy recovery.
A couple of pranksters broke into the local police station and stole all the lavatory equipment. Chief Mike Zaro was quoted by a reporter as saying:“We have nothing to go on.” April Fool!
Greg Horn took the mic and enumerated the many member April birthdays: Dan Livingston, Leon Titus and Bill White, all April 8; Dave Betz April 12; Mary Covelli Johnson April 18; Donn Irwin April 19; Jerry Williams April 21; and Mark Edgecomb April 28.
Greg continued with Partner birthdays: Stephanie Wilcox (partner of Troy) April 6, Brandee Sharp (partner of Jim) April 10, and Carol Bisceglia (partner of Jim) April 18.
Several members are celebrating their anniversary in Rotary: Steve Saalfeld 1 year in our club, plus 5 years in a previous club; Barb Spriggs 6 years, Kim Prentice 16 years; Chris Kimball 12 years in Lakewood Rotary plus 9 years in a previous club; and Joan Strait 31 years.
And, to top it off, several of our members and their partners share their anniversaries this month: Troy and Stephanie Wilcox 22 years on April 2; Kim and Tom Prentice 24 years on April 4; Bill and Sue Potter 28 years on April 28; Connie Coleman-Lacadie and Michael 31 years on April 30; Donn and Debbie Irwin 37 years on April 27; Rob and Vickie Erb 45 years on April 9; and Bob and Stacia Cammarano 67 years on April 16. Wowie!
President Jim asked for any announcements. Jason Whalen spoke of our 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Survey and asked the members to look for it in their email.
Rose Stevens gave us an update on the Ukrainian student attending Pierce College. The exchange student’s name is Anna. She is interested in law and business administration. Outside of the classroom, Anna is a member of the track team and is a community volunteer. We are looking to form a network with another organization to assist Anna with the cost of her coming classes at Pierce.
Cheerleader, Gayle Selden, provided an update on The Auction which is being held virtually on Saturday, May 21. To date, $20,000.00 has been committed in sponsorships, but Gayle encouraged every member to gather procurements in the next couple of weeks.
Above: Cheerleader Gayle
To access Auction procurement forms and/or sponsorship forms, just sign on to http://www.lakewoodrotary.com, go to Get Involved (at the top), and down to 2022 Auction. Thanks to Leanna Christian, no password is required.
And, then came President Jim’s favorite part of the meeting: Fines and Generous Giving. He called on John Lowney to give us the lowdown on the recent Ski Trip to Sunriver. Participants included John and Pam Lowney, Phil and Judy Eng, Greg and Sharon Rediske, Steve and Anne Enquist, Joe and Kris Quinn, Rick and Sharon Selden, Steve and Ellen Mazoff, Jan Reeder and Jack, Sally Saunders, and Jan Gee.
A few Rotarians actually got in a couple of snowy ski runs, but apparently the highlight of the trip was the annual ping pong tournament. The ultimate winner among the male players was John himself, and not to be outdone, John’s wife, Pam, beat out the other women. Fun was had by all.
THE PROGRAM:
“There’s something funny going on! The Art of Clowning.” Jan Gee was invited to the podium to introduce today’s speakers. Before the guest speakers appeared, Jan enlightened us with tidbits of her “other life.” Following a 40-year career in Olympia representing the retail and grocery industries, Jan began an under-cover identity for the ensuing 15 years. She became Cupcake the Clown.
Jan admitted that those were the most joyous years of her life. She loved every smile she found on the face of a child with cancer or the happiness she brought to severely developmentally disabled adults. But, most of all, Jan delighted in serving with her fellow clowns. She let us in on her secret: “Clowns care.”
She introduced us to two of her favorite clowns: Donald Cormier, who is Teeny the Clown and Terry Cormier who is Lil’ Britches. Donald and Terry spend most of their time today volunteering at social service and community events. In addition, they train new and upcoming clowns.
Donald “played the straight man” today as he took us through the centuries of clowning: from ancient Greece in 1560, to Shakespeare, through the Elizabethan Era, and to the more recent years of Charlie Chaplin, Red Skelton, Emmett Kelly, Bozo the Clown, J.P. Patches and Ronald McDonald. Throughout Donald’s history lesson, “Lil’ Britches” enjoyed teasing Donald with her array of props, much to our delight.
Above: Lil’ Britches with prop
For many years clowns only entertained large audiences in places like the Roman colosseums and the “Big Top”. However, during the 1960s clowns became popular at children’s birthday parties. Following that, in the 1980s clowns were encouraged to appear in hospitals and the like.
Donald introduced us to many types of clowns: Jesters, magicians, white-faced clowns, tramps, harlequins, and hobos. Teeny the Clown and Lil’ Britches are known as August (pronounced “agus”) Clowns.
The program was enlightening! And was most appropriate on this day of April Fools.
Why do eggs like April Fool’s Day? They love practical yokes! (Oh, Ole, where do you get these tidbits? Groan!!!)
Dave Reames was the unlucky one to pull a white chip. No foolin’!
Upcoming LR events:
5/21 Lakewood RotaryAuction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Read MoreShare
Onward and Upward
Friday, March 25, 2022 By: John W. MagnusonThe Lakewood Key for
March 25, 2022
Onward and upward
In order to truncate this “key” you will not encounter big words. Nope, you’ll not be confused by words such as “etymology” or “entomology.” Frankly, it really bugs me that most people can’t distinguish the difference in these words!
12:30 Welcome and Ring the Bell, Invocation by Paula Olson and – Ye Gods! What was that caterwauling? Lakewood Rotary set Canadian-American relations back a notch by singing our respective national anthems.
Speaking of international relations, did you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as the Irish do in Ireland? With green beer and soda bread, cabbage and corned beef? I hope you left enough room for the celebration of Sprengidagur Day as is custom in Iceland where you eat buns, salted meat and peas until nearly bursting. The reason I ask is that Iceland is only one sea away from Ireland.
Now where were we…? Oh 12:32
If I rattle off a list of names, will you be able to discern the important functions of these Rotarians? I bet you can: Rob Erb, Tom George, James Osundwa, Rick Selden, Terry Roark, Bob Martin, Leanna Christian and Kendra Riconosciuto.
Next up: John Lowney, Ole, Greg Horn, Steve Enquist, Gary Fulton and Walt Richardson.
One minute later: AD Tony Camoroda introduced DG Lorna Curtis. President Jim introduced visiting Rotarian Mario Zink from Kent, I believe I heard. PP Phil Eng introduced Judy Eng from California.
Quick quiz at 12:35 – (see how we’re just zipping along here?)
Who are these VIP’s? Rachel Mazoff, Steve Saalfeld, Jamie Simons, James Osundwa, Wendy McGowan, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, Tony Veliz, Bob Martin, Andy Phillips, Angela Connelly, Dwight Williams, Linda McDermott, Veronica Bronkema and Hank Kerns. Please submit your answer using the attached BlueBook not later than next Friday at 12:30 PM to President Jim Rooks.
Speaking of education, Secretary Greg Rediske has been taking drum lessons from PP Chris Kimball. Chris gave Greg one of his old drums to practice on, but it is broken. Greg says you just can’t beat it.
Health and Wellness with Eric Warn: John Forkenbrock is seriously ill. Sorry to hear that old neighbor! John Warner was hospitalized but is on the mend.
12:38 With Steve Enquist and DG Lorna Curtis; quiz time again. I’ll give you the name and a number and you complete another BlueBook on what the number signifies. Mary Marlin – 2, Barb Spriggs – 4, Rob Erb – 5, Sally Smith – 7, Don Anderson – 8, John Caulfield – 8, Gary Fulton promoted to Major (hint, hint.) I don’t want to give any more clues so I made them opaque. I had to look up the definition of opaque but it wasn’t very clear.
Above: Paul Harris Fellows with the DG
12:40 Rob Erb introduced Linda Collins and Tammy Golden of JBLM Family Scholarship Fund and presented a check for Lakewood Rotary’s support of their efforts. They provide educational access to children and spouses of military families. They have awarded $193,750 to 149 recipients for their higher education. Wow! That is impressive. Kudos.
12:45 President Jim and PP Rose Stevens updated Ukrainian support efforts and began collecting spare change from the gathered. More later.
PP Rick Selden updated the club on progress towards the upcoming Auction. He named sponsors and donors so fast I couldn’t get them, but suffice to say it was a long list of generosity. We have collected $11,000 on our way to a goal of $25,000. Rick graciously gave a nod to second generation Rotarian John Korsmo of Korsmo Construction. When John was apprenticing for his Dad, he had a fear of over-engineered buildings. It was diagnosed as a complex complex complex.
12:55 PG Greg Horn announced that Rotary Grant Scholarship awardee from Lakewood, Marissa Terry, had her scholarship doubled by RI. It totals $30,000 for her studies in Ireland. Greg also awarded PP Mark Edgecomb a RI Presidential Citation for his leadership in 2021. Well done Mark-- under the most difficult of circumstances!
Mark and Jim Weinand are our busy CPA’s at this time of year. Can you imagine those tax returns with all that money going to Washington DC? You do realize that “Theirs is The IRS” don’t you? I’m sure Jim and Mark have had their fill of math puns. They probably make them number.
1:00 on the bean! John Caulfield introduced our very own and Lakewood’s very own Chief Jim Sharp. Jim has 36 years with the Fire Service and 10 years as West Pierce Chief.
Above: Jim Sharp, the West Pierce Fire Chief
We had some technical difficulties but the highlights included the fact that personal health calls are way up, year over year. They have 5 aid cars dedicated to critical care immediate response. (If I have that number wrong, my apologies.)
There is now one small truck available 12 hours per day. The small vehicle is essentially everything but a fire vehicle. It is smaller, quicker, more efficient and utilizes a crew of 2 or 3.
Much of what the crews deal with involves discerning cause versus symptoms. The symptom manifests as a result of little, no, or wrong foods resulting in health crises. Cause versus symptom. Another cause: no gasoline or no vehicle. The individual can’t get to food or other necessities that results in a call to 911. Often there is no family support. Often no money. The district has set up a plan called Connect Care. An experienced Nurse staffs it. Contact may start with a 911 call. The program begins with community resources – of which there are a plentitude. But it takes knowing how and where to access them. That access is followed by a referral and education. Many times that solves the symptom because it corrects the causal issue.
The population of those in need is growing dramatically. The elderly, the lonely, those with mental health issues, the abused, the homeless, those with critical medical needs management, and so forth.
What lies ahead for the fire district? More new hires – 21 so far in 2022. A 2nd Battalion Chief. New Station #32. New Logistics Center. New Training Tower and drill ground. 2023 Operations Levy and Bond. A plan for the next 20 years.
Jim mentioned their cooperation with law enforcement and the need for many on his team to be detective skilled. He didn’t go so far as to imply that Fire Fighters would be armed. Many police have voiced concern that the guns they have been issued do not have a trouble-shooting section in their manuals. And, for example, the Fire District did not respond to the 911 call about the break-in at the Apple store. Police are looking for iWitnesses. Sorry to have missed the Q & A as there was no sound.
What’s with the pre-meeting fellowship being replaced by PowerPoint on a loop? One time round is enough. Ten times round is too much. Bring back the fellowship. Once is enough to remember all that the Lakewood Foundation does. Keep in mind the Memory Foam Mattress. Sometimes it wishes it could just forget!
Above: We like our ADG, Tony Camoroda, but only $5 worth
Who Reads This Stuff,
Ole
President Jim announced that more than $7100 was raised for Ukrainian support.
Calendar of Upcoming LR Events: (if you have an item send it to me—Joe Quinn, Editor)
3/27-31 Sunriver Rotary Ski Trip (sold out)
3/28 Break Bag Delivery on a Monday
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Now where were we…? Oh 12:32
If I rattle off a list of names, will you be able to discern the important functions of these Rotarians? I bet you can: Rob Erb, Tom George, James Osundwa, Rick Selden, Terry Roark, Bob Martin, Leanna Christian and Kendra Riconosciuto.
Next up: John Lowney, Ole, Greg Horn, Steve Enquist, Gary Fulton and Walt Richardson.
One minute later: AD Tony Camoroda introduced DG Lorna Curtis. President Jim introduced visiting Rotarian Mario Zink from Kent, I believe I heard. PP Phil Eng introduced Judy Eng from California.
Quick quiz at 12:35 – (see how we’re just zipping along here?)
Who are these VIP’s? Rachel Mazoff, Steve Saalfeld, Jamie Simons, James Osundwa, Wendy McGowan, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, Tony Veliz, Bob Martin, Andy Phillips, Angela Connelly, Dwight Williams, Linda McDermott, Veronica Bronkema and Hank Kerns. Please submit your answer using the attached BlueBook not later than next Friday at 12:30 PM to President Jim Rooks.
Speaking of education, Secretary Greg Rediske has been taking drum lessons from PP Chris Kimball. Chris gave Greg one of his old drums to practice on, but it is broken. Greg says you just can’t beat it.
Health and Wellness with Eric Warn: John Forkenbrock is seriously ill. Sorry to hear that old neighbor! John Warner was hospitalized but is on the mend.
12:38 With Steve Enquist and DG Lorna Curtis; quiz time again. I’ll give you the name and a number and you complete another BlueBook on what the number signifies. Mary Marlin – 2, Barb Spriggs – 4, Rob Erb – 5, Sally Smith – 7, Don Anderson – 8, John Caulfield – 8, Gary Fulton promoted to Major (hint, hint.) I don’t want to give any more clues so I made them opaque. I had to look up the definition of opaque but it wasn’t very clear.
Above: Paul Harris Fellows with the DG
12:40 Rob Erb introduced Linda Collins and Tammy Golden of JBLM Family Scholarship Fund and presented a check for Lakewood Rotary’s support of their efforts. They provide educational access to children and spouses of military families. They have awarded $193,750 to 149 recipients for their higher education. Wow! That is impressive. Kudos.
12:45 President Jim and PP Rose Stevens updated Ukrainian support efforts and began collecting spare change from the gathered. More later.
PP Rick Selden updated the club on progress towards the upcoming Auction. He named sponsors and donors so fast I couldn’t get them, but suffice to say it was a long list of generosity. We have collected $11,000 on our way to a goal of $25,000. Rick graciously gave a nod to second generation Rotarian John Korsmo of Korsmo Construction. When John was apprenticing for his Dad, he had a fear of over-engineered buildings. It was diagnosed as a complex complex complex.
12:55 PG Greg Horn announced that Rotary Grant Scholarship awardee from Lakewood, Marissa Terry, had her scholarship doubled by RI. It totals $30,000 for her studies in Ireland. Greg also awarded PP Mark Edgecomb a RI Presidential Citation for his leadership in 2021. Well done Mark-- under the most difficult of circumstances!
Mark and Jim Weinand are our busy CPA’s at this time of year. Can you imagine those tax returns with all that money going to Washington DC? You do realize that “Theirs is The IRS” don’t you? I’m sure Jim and Mark have had their fill of math puns. They probably make them number.
1:00 on the bean! John Caulfield introduced our very own and Lakewood’s very own Chief Jim Sharp. Jim has 36 years with the Fire Service and 10 years as West Pierce Chief.
Above: Jim Sharp, the West Pierce Fire Chief
We had some technical difficulties but the highlights included the fact that personal health calls are way up, year over year. They have 5 aid cars dedicated to critical care immediate response. (If I have that number wrong, my apologies.)
There is now one small truck available 12 hours per day. The small vehicle is essentially everything but a fire vehicle. It is smaller, quicker, more efficient and utilizes a crew of 2 or 3.
Much of what the crews deal with involves discerning cause versus symptoms. The symptom manifests as a result of little, no, or wrong foods resulting in health crises. Cause versus symptom. Another cause: no gasoline or no vehicle. The individual can’t get to food or other necessities that results in a call to 911. Often there is no family support. Often no money. The district has set up a plan called Connect Care. An experienced Nurse staffs it. Contact may start with a 911 call. The program begins with community resources – of which there are a plentitude. But it takes knowing how and where to access them. That access is followed by a referral and education. Many times that solves the symptom because it corrects the causal issue.
The population of those in need is growing dramatically. The elderly, the lonely, those with mental health issues, the abused, the homeless, those with critical medical needs management, and so forth.
What lies ahead for the fire district? More new hires – 21 so far in 2022. A 2nd Battalion Chief. New Station #32. New Logistics Center. New Training Tower and drill ground. 2023 Operations Levy and Bond. A plan for the next 20 years.
Jim mentioned their cooperation with law enforcement and the need for many on his team to be detective skilled. He didn’t go so far as to imply that Fire Fighters would be armed. Many police have voiced concern that the guns they have been issued do not have a trouble-shooting section in their manuals. And, for example, the Fire District did not respond to the 911 call about the break-in at the Apple store. Police are looking for iWitnesses. Sorry to have missed the Q & A as there was no sound.
What’s with the pre-meeting fellowship being replaced by PowerPoint on a loop? One time round is enough. Ten times round is too much. Bring back the fellowship. Once is enough to remember all that the Lakewood Foundation does. Keep in mind the Memory Foam Mattress. Sometimes it wishes it could just forget!
Above: We like our ADG, Tony Camoroda, but only $5 worth
Who Reads This Stuff,
Ole
President Jim announced that more than $7100 was raised for Ukrainian support.
Calendar of Upcoming LR Events: (if you have an item send it to me—Joe Quinn, Editor)
3/27-31 Sunriver Rotary Ski Trip (sold out)
3/28 Break Bag Delivery on a Monday
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Read MoreShare
Homelessness in Pierce County
Sunday, March 20, 2022 By: Donn IrwinHomelessness in PC
The Lakewood Key for March 18,2022
Housing will never solve homelessness but community will.
President Rooks started the meeting at exactly 12:30 p.m. Clint Johnson invoked us. Past President (PP) Mark Edgecomb led us in the Pledge. Current President Jim Rooks (PJR) took the microphone and commanded PP Mark to return to the podium in order to present him with his PP Rotary Badge (more about this later)
Those that I could detect that were in attendance via Zoom were: Carole Wier, Gary Barton, Wynn Hoffman, Phil Eng, Eric Quinn, Ole (John Magnificenton), Leanna Christian and Nicole Hancock.
On this day in history:
1325 - According to legend, Tenochtitlan is founded on this date on an island in what was then Lake Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico
Acknowledgements for those that make the meetings happen:
The Rob Erb Construction and Deconstruction crew: Tom George, James Osundwa, Rick Selden, Terry Roarke, Bob Martin, Leanna Christian and Kendra Riconosciuto.
Fine money man – John Lowney. The person on the typewriter – Donn Irwin. Barlow Buescher did the work on the $2.00 raffle table and doubled as the Sgt at Arms.
Greg Rediske was charged with the difficult task of minding the President’s gaffes (isn’t that called Public Relations?). Walt “The Man with the Camera” Richardson took pictures.
Greetings were done by, well, nobody. My anonymous source did inform me that Wendy McGowan and Hank Kerns were at the front desk...mostly learning about the auction from Sally but there was no “official” greeter.
PJR called Steve Enquist to the mic to make a Community Concerns grant announcement for Lakewood Sister Cities and the Firefighters Association Christmas Project. Connie Coleman-Lacadie accepted the $900.00 award for the Sister Cities and West Pierce Fire (WPF) Head Honcho Jim Sharp accepted the $$ for the Firefighters. This boys and girls is your Auction money put to work!
On this day in…
1532 - English parliament bans payments by English church to Rome
PJR then opened up the floor for announcing guests with Mr. Sharp leading off the action by introducing some of the staff at West Pierce Fire. Ryan McGrady is the Asst Chief of EMS (also known to WPF as Mr. McFauci due to his Covid policy responsibilities) and Karen Gilbert of WPF’s new Connected Care program. Next up was Jason Whalen who introduced Avery Champagne. Avery is a new chiropractor in town. Last but not least, former District Governor Greg Horn introduced Deb Horn, Mary and Greg’s daughter-in-law.
Eric Warn once again thanked the body at large for eyeglass donations and he reminded us of Mick Johnson’s upcoming memorial service on March 26th at the Country Club from 2-5 PM.
1662 – Paris, France -The first public bus service begins.
Above: Anne Enquist-a top gun
Announcements:
Anne Enquist came to the podium to chat about this year’s Dinner and a Movie for the Auction. The new Top Gun will be the film. June 5th is the date. Lakewood AMC and the Enquist’s place are the locations. The movie starts at 3:55PM (yes, there will be popcorn) with a BBQ after the movie. I leave it up to the reader to figure out where the movie is and where the BBQ will happen. Tickets are $65.00 each. John Lowney offered to process the payments through Square or you can go to a website called https://lakewoodrotary.maxgiving.bid/about-us. Best hurry if you are interested as the maximum capacity is 70 and, at the time of the announcement, there were 35 tickets spoken for.
PJR let us know that there are updated printed copies of our roster available at the front table.
1766 – Britain repeals the Stamp Act
Rose Stevens made an announcement about helping the Ukrainians. If you want to help you can donate some money. Said money will be paying for health exams and medical supplies for Ukrainian refugees coming into Poland. PJR followed up Rose’s announcement with one of his own about District Governor Lorna Curtis’s visit next week. PJR made it known that he will be asking for donations for Ukraine at our next meeting.
1850 – Henry Wells and William Fargo form American Express
The Fines and Generous Giving hat went on and the money began rolling in. Jim Sharp was up again (I think he was tired after our meeting as he was up and down a lot). Jim bragged on, and paid for, some of his Firefighters. 1200 firefighters from around the world converged on the Columbia Tower in Seattle to participate in a fundraiser by climbing up the stairs of the building to the 69th floor. Did I mention that the participants were wearing a full set of gear during the climb? This is a timed event. One of the male firefighters from WPF came in 3rd, while one of the WPF female firefighters came in 1st of the women participating. WPF came in third overall. Rose Stevens came back from a trip to Hawaii with Mary Horn bearing gifts for PJR. After some serious investigative reporting this scribe found out that the trip was ostensibly a Rotary trip; however, it was difficult to pry the facts out of my source because, evidently, Las Vegas isn’t the only location where things that happen there, stay there. I believe there was actually a meeting or two that Mary and Rose attended. I didn’t catch Phil Eng’s reason for paying a fine but, heck, he’s in Palm Springs so that’s enough reason right there. Gary Barton ponied up money because he was elected to the Board of the Association of Water and Sewer Districts – congrats to Gary and thank you for the $$. PP Mark Edgecomb got up to pay for several things: 34th wedding anniversary, an upcoming birthday, missing PJR’s Puffin Roast and for his “raking Greg Rediske over the coals” about not having gotten his PP badge (remember the beginning of this epistle when PJR gave him his badge)? This writer is wondering how PP Mark likes his crow cooked. Kudos to Mark for ‘fessing up and paying a fine.
James Osundwa paid for a trip south of the border as did Clint Johnson. Clint also paid a fine for his wife having a new job (CPSD I believe), his grandkids being good and a new/used EV. Eric Quinn tossed $40.00 into the fine pot for his birthday and a trip to Orcas Island.
Above: Poor Gsa Gsa Gabor!
And here is some terrible financial history news – 1994 – Zsa Zsa Gabor files for bankruptcy
THE PROGRAM: Strategies for Addressing Homelessness in Pierce County.
Don Anderson introduced our speaker, Steve O’Ban. Don let it be known that both he and Mr. O’Ban had run for political office against an opponent that was a convicted felon…. both of them lost (Only in America). Mr. O’Ban began his remarks by stating that he lost to the aforementioned felon opponent by fewer votes that did Mr. Anderson. He then got into the program.
Steve stated that there has been a lot of money spent to solve the homeless problem and it is still not fixed. We need a different approach. As a preamble to his next point, Mr. O’Ban stated that he has spoken to lots and lots of parents that have children that are homeless for many reasons but often it is either drugs, mental illness or both. His notion is that if you see a homeless person and then imagine if that person was your child, what would you like the government to do to help that person? The answer – respond with compassion and a willingness to help.
Of the homeless population 20% don’t want to stay homeless (they are homeless due to domestic violence, job loss etc). 20% are actually preying on the other homeless (drugs/human trafficking) and 60% are chronically homeless. Of this group many of them may not have had a drug problem before they became homeless but have developed one due to their situation. Chronic homelessness is defined by being homeless for over a year.
In Pierce County there are about 1600 homeless with 600 housing units available for them. We are short about 1,000 units and the services that go with them. Steve then told us about a program that started in Austin, Texas called Community First. This program started out with a food truck delivering food to the homeless and grew into several more food trucks and eventually became a whole master planned community covering 51 acres. Tiny houses, wood, auto and iron working shops along with community centers and named/signed streets are all part of the community. The shops provide an avenue for the community members with skills to make money doing what they love to do.
There are three basic rules for the community: Pay rent, be a good neighbor, and obey the rules (don’t break the law). The whole notion of this program is that homelessness isn’t a housing problem; it is a human problem. People need a place where they can build back relationships after usually being shunned by their friends and families. Housing will never solve homelessness but community will. Pierce County now has 22 million dollars set aside for land acquisition and design to build its own “community first.” This is still not enough so the County is looking for in-kind services, money and an experienced provider to run the project and do a feasibility study. The goal is to have a firm proposal by October of 2022.
More famous and infamous events about this day in history:
1931 – The first electric shavers go on sale
1942 – President Franklin Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9102 creating the War Relocation Authority which oversaw the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.
1959 – Hawaii becomes a State
1965 – Poppin’ Fresh Pillsbury Dough Boy introduced
Above: Poor Gsa Gsa Gabor!
And here is some terrible financial history news – 1994 – Zsa Zsa Gabor files for bankruptcy
Rob Erb won the drawing – white chip, five bucks. He broke even.
Some dumb jokes to close us out for this week:
Me: Alexa, remind me to go to the gym.
Alexa: I have added gin to your shopping list.
Me: Close enough.
Eye doctor: Your results just came back.
Me: Can I see them?
Eye doctor: Probably not.
Have a great week and prepare yourself for next week’s version of your “Key” ……brush up on your Swedish\Norwegian so you will better understand it. He won’t know I’ve mentioned this as he doesn’t read this stuff anyway.
Calendar of Upcoming LR Events:
3/27-31 Sunriver Rotary Ski Trip (sold out)
3/28 Break Bag Delivery on a Monday
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
1325 - According to legend, Tenochtitlan is founded on this date on an island in what was then Lake Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico
Acknowledgements for those that make the meetings happen:
The Rob Erb Construction and Deconstruction crew: Tom George, James Osundwa, Rick Selden, Terry Roarke, Bob Martin, Leanna Christian and Kendra Riconosciuto.
Fine money man – John Lowney. The person on the typewriter – Donn Irwin. Barlow Buescher did the work on the $2.00 raffle table and doubled as the Sgt at Arms.
Greg Rediske was charged with the difficult task of minding the President’s gaffes (isn’t that called Public Relations?). Walt “The Man with the Camera” Richardson took pictures.
Greetings were done by, well, nobody. My anonymous source did inform me that Wendy McGowan and Hank Kerns were at the front desk...mostly learning about the auction from Sally but there was no “official” greeter.
PJR called Steve Enquist to the mic to make a Community Concerns grant announcement for Lakewood Sister Cities and the Firefighters Association Christmas Project. Connie Coleman-Lacadie accepted the $900.00 award for the Sister Cities and West Pierce Fire (WPF) Head Honcho Jim Sharp accepted the $$ for the Firefighters. This boys and girls is your Auction money put to work!
On this day in…
1532 - English parliament bans payments by English church to Rome
PJR then opened up the floor for announcing guests with Mr. Sharp leading off the action by introducing some of the staff at West Pierce Fire. Ryan McGrady is the Asst Chief of EMS (also known to WPF as Mr. McFauci due to his Covid policy responsibilities) and Karen Gilbert of WPF’s new Connected Care program. Next up was Jason Whalen who introduced Avery Champagne. Avery is a new chiropractor in town. Last but not least, former District Governor Greg Horn introduced Deb Horn, Mary and Greg’s daughter-in-law.
Eric Warn once again thanked the body at large for eyeglass donations and he reminded us of Mick Johnson’s upcoming memorial service on March 26th at the Country Club from 2-5 PM.
1662 – Paris, France -The first public bus service begins.
Above: Anne Enquist-a top gun
Announcements:
Anne Enquist came to the podium to chat about this year’s Dinner and a Movie for the Auction. The new Top Gun will be the film. June 5th is the date. Lakewood AMC and the Enquist’s place are the locations. The movie starts at 3:55PM (yes, there will be popcorn) with a BBQ after the movie. I leave it up to the reader to figure out where the movie is and where the BBQ will happen. Tickets are $65.00 each. John Lowney offered to process the payments through Square or you can go to a website called https://lakewoodrotary.maxgiving.bid/about-us. Best hurry if you are interested as the maximum capacity is 70 and, at the time of the announcement, there were 35 tickets spoken for.
PJR let us know that there are updated printed copies of our roster available at the front table.
1766 – Britain repeals the Stamp Act
Rose Stevens made an announcement about helping the Ukrainians. If you want to help you can donate some money. Said money will be paying for health exams and medical supplies for Ukrainian refugees coming into Poland. PJR followed up Rose’s announcement with one of his own about District Governor Lorna Curtis’s visit next week. PJR made it known that he will be asking for donations for Ukraine at our next meeting.
1850 – Henry Wells and William Fargo form American Express
The Fines and Generous Giving hat went on and the money began rolling in. Jim Sharp was up again (I think he was tired after our meeting as he was up and down a lot). Jim bragged on, and paid for, some of his Firefighters. 1200 firefighters from around the world converged on the Columbia Tower in Seattle to participate in a fundraiser by climbing up the stairs of the building to the 69th floor. Did I mention that the participants were wearing a full set of gear during the climb? This is a timed event. One of the male firefighters from WPF came in 3rd, while one of the WPF female firefighters came in 1st of the women participating. WPF came in third overall. Rose Stevens came back from a trip to Hawaii with Mary Horn bearing gifts for PJR. After some serious investigative reporting this scribe found out that the trip was ostensibly a Rotary trip; however, it was difficult to pry the facts out of my source because, evidently, Las Vegas isn’t the only location where things that happen there, stay there. I believe there was actually a meeting or two that Mary and Rose attended. I didn’t catch Phil Eng’s reason for paying a fine but, heck, he’s in Palm Springs so that’s enough reason right there. Gary Barton ponied up money because he was elected to the Board of the Association of Water and Sewer Districts – congrats to Gary and thank you for the $$. PP Mark Edgecomb got up to pay for several things: 34th wedding anniversary, an upcoming birthday, missing PJR’s Puffin Roast and for his “raking Greg Rediske over the coals” about not having gotten his PP badge (remember the beginning of this epistle when PJR gave him his badge)? This writer is wondering how PP Mark likes his crow cooked. Kudos to Mark for ‘fessing up and paying a fine.
James Osundwa paid for a trip south of the border as did Clint Johnson. Clint also paid a fine for his wife having a new job (CPSD I believe), his grandkids being good and a new/used EV. Eric Quinn tossed $40.00 into the fine pot for his birthday and a trip to Orcas Island.
Above: Poor Gsa Gsa Gabor!
And here is some terrible financial history news – 1994 – Zsa Zsa Gabor files for bankruptcy
THE PROGRAM: Strategies for Addressing Homelessness in Pierce County.
Don Anderson introduced our speaker, Steve O’Ban. Don let it be known that both he and Mr. O’Ban had run for political office against an opponent that was a convicted felon…. both of them lost (Only in America). Mr. O’Ban began his remarks by stating that he lost to the aforementioned felon opponent by fewer votes that did Mr. Anderson. He then got into the program.
Steve stated that there has been a lot of money spent to solve the homeless problem and it is still not fixed. We need a different approach. As a preamble to his next point, Mr. O’Ban stated that he has spoken to lots and lots of parents that have children that are homeless for many reasons but often it is either drugs, mental illness or both. His notion is that if you see a homeless person and then imagine if that person was your child, what would you like the government to do to help that person? The answer – respond with compassion and a willingness to help.
Of the homeless population 20% don’t want to stay homeless (they are homeless due to domestic violence, job loss etc). 20% are actually preying on the other homeless (drugs/human trafficking) and 60% are chronically homeless. Of this group many of them may not have had a drug problem before they became homeless but have developed one due to their situation. Chronic homelessness is defined by being homeless for over a year.
In Pierce County there are about 1600 homeless with 600 housing units available for them. We are short about 1,000 units and the services that go with them. Steve then told us about a program that started in Austin, Texas called Community First. This program started out with a food truck delivering food to the homeless and grew into several more food trucks and eventually became a whole master planned community covering 51 acres. Tiny houses, wood, auto and iron working shops along with community centers and named/signed streets are all part of the community. The shops provide an avenue for the community members with skills to make money doing what they love to do.
There are three basic rules for the community: Pay rent, be a good neighbor, and obey the rules (don’t break the law). The whole notion of this program is that homelessness isn’t a housing problem; it is a human problem. People need a place where they can build back relationships after usually being shunned by their friends and families. Housing will never solve homelessness but community will. Pierce County now has 22 million dollars set aside for land acquisition and design to build its own “community first.” This is still not enough so the County is looking for in-kind services, money and an experienced provider to run the project and do a feasibility study. The goal is to have a firm proposal by October of 2022.
More famous and infamous events about this day in history:
1931 – The first electric shavers go on sale
1942 – President Franklin Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9102 creating the War Relocation Authority which oversaw the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.
1959 – Hawaii becomes a State
1965 – Poppin’ Fresh Pillsbury Dough Boy introduced
Above: Poor Gsa Gsa Gabor!
And here is some terrible financial history news – 1994 – Zsa Zsa Gabor files for bankruptcy
Rob Erb won the drawing – white chip, five bucks. He broke even.
Some dumb jokes to close us out for this week:
Me: Alexa, remind me to go to the gym.
Alexa: I have added gin to your shopping list.
Me: Close enough.
Eye doctor: Your results just came back.
Me: Can I see them?
Eye doctor: Probably not.
Have a great week and prepare yourself for next week’s version of your “Key” ……brush up on your Swedish\Norwegian so you will better understand it. He won’t know I’ve mentioned this as he doesn’t read this stuff anyway.
Calendar of Upcoming LR Events:
3/27-31 Sunriver Rotary Ski Trip (sold out)
3/28 Break Bag Delivery on a Monday
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Read MoreShare
Old Fogies Rule
Monday, March 14, 2022 By: Gregory J. RediskeOld Fogies Rule!
The Lakewood Key for March 11, 2022
Recently at a program committee meeting, President-elect Whalen paid a curious homage to me. He said that it is a good thing to get input from old-timers: meaning me, Greg, in this case. Old-timer?!? I don’t think I look like an “old-timer”. As long as the light is quite dim anyway. And I don’t feel like an “old-timer” either. Not counting the pain getting out of bed in the morning, bending down, or exiting a chair. And it’s not like people are calling me at 9 p.m. and immediately asking if I’m still awake. Yet. But if he thinks I’m an old-timer, then by golly, I might as well act the part, and write the part. So here we go as I bite the bullet and strike while the iron is hot to give you an old fogie’s version of the bulletin. According to Jason, I’m long in the tooth, but I haven’t kicked the bucket yet!
We’d mostly finished another square meal at the Club when President Jim got us going balls to the wall with the invocation from Jan Gee, who advocated for living our lives with Service Above Self and asking for mercy for those in Ukraine. Past President (long, long ago) Dave Coleman led us in the Pledge, with Steve Enquist running the Paul Harris table ($799!) and Terry Roarke selling raffle tickets (including one winning ticket). Connie Coleman-Lacadie was our greeter today; she must not be an “old-timer” because I heard nary a “howdy” or “see you later alligator”. Walt Richardson snapped pictures with that gigantic camera of his. Jumping Jehosophat, that thing has a long lens. Rob Erb dolloped major praise on the work of his committee, especially Tom George and Kendra Riconosciuto.
Announcements:
--Eric Warn, Health and Wellness: Mick Johnson’s celebration of life service is at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club, March 26, 2-5 p.m. Mary hopes all can attend. President Rooks will be the MC. Eric also thanked Bill Potter and Ron Irwin for glasses to recycle. Eric is beginning to get more glasses than Carter’s got pills, I tell ya.
--Gayle Selden: #1: Break bag delivery, March 28, 9:15 am. Be there or be square.
#2: Club Auction, May 21. Multicare and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health are sponsors so far. The auction committee is taking a “kinder and gentler” approach, with teams being cooperative groups. Kinder and Gentler might turn much nastier as we get closer to the event. Wake up and smell the coffee and get going, folks.
#3: Puyallup-South Hill has a new fundraiser, a cornhole tournament at the Fairgrounds. A team for Lakewood Rotary???
--Rose Stevens: Bob Zawilski and Rose are conducting tours of the eight Little Free Pantries. Call either one to set up your guided tour.
--President Jim: The District Governor will be making an informal second visit to us, March 25. Her big push is raising money for Ukrainians. Rose Stevens has some contacts as well, so stay tuned for ways that you can give. Think big. Also, My Rotary (www.ri.org) has ways to give as well.
New Member:
Welcome, Hank Kerns! Hank is not new to Rotary: former member at West Seattle, and Past President at Covington. Hank has taken over from Ron Messenger at New Tacoma Cemetery. He started in Rotary very early, as an exchange student to Guatemala. It’s gonna be a beautiful thing having Hank on board, I predict. The only fly in the ointment was that Veronica Bronkema forgot to bring the Puffin! This after being told in no uncertain terms to bring it to each meeting. She was heard to say, “Heavens to Murgatroyd! And fiddlesticks! And this is a fine kettle of fish!”, or words to that effect.
Above: New Member Hank Kerns wins raffle right out of the box!
Generous Giving:
After greeting all the Zoomers (Carole Wier, Don Daniels, Mary Horn, Barlow Buescher, Chuck Hellar, David Swindale, Leanna Christian, Wynn Hoffman, Nicole Hancock), Jim “thanked” his favorite Alaska bush pilot, Barb Spriggs, for his fining hat, and got right to it:
The Program:
Anne Enquist introduced a former colleague from Seattle University, John McKay. A Seattle native, John was appointed by George W. Bush to be US Attorney for Western Washington in 2001 but was forced out a few years later in a political purge. He taught ethics and leadership at Seattle U, retiring in 2021; meaning he’s busy doing many, many other things. He did human rights training in Palestine from 2013-2015.
In 2019, John was sent to join the State Department in Dubai, where twenty Afghan government ministers would be meeting for three days. The assignment was to determine responsibility for ownership of a database of people investigated by the United States in Afghanistan. He discovered that there was no plan, other than this basic desire for resolution of the problem. John called the State Department person in charge “disputatious”, and well-known as a bully. No help. John expressed his desire to the assembled Afghans for them to become servant leaders. He suggested that the database should be cloud based and co-owned by them all. This was not received well, but eventually was agreed upon, with all signing off. John’s point: if those 20 from Afghanistan could accept servant leadership, then why can’t we all. Interactions need respect, humility, and empathy if we want to have a brighter future. As for the ministers: several are likely dead or under house arrest. He concluded by saying that the Afghan fall was likely a failure of US policy, dating back for several administrations.
(My comment: Anne Enquist brings excellent speakers to Lakewood Rotary.)
Above: Our speaker and former US Attorney John McKay (All photos thanks to Walt Richardson)
The Drawing: After just seeding the pot with the $250 minimum after the recent win by Steve Enquist, new member Hank Kerns hit the jackpot: red chip! I believe I heard Hank declare, “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!!” And just like that, he was in like Flynn.
It’s almost warm enough to golf, so here you go to finish up this wild goose chase of a tale. Rest assured, it all came straight from the horse’s mouth. Or some other part of the anatomy…..
An Old Golfer was hitting his ball from near a water hazard and his club fell into the water.
When he cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, "Why are you crying?"
The golfer replied that his club had fallen into the water and he needed the club to have a chance to win the tournament and supplement his meager pension.
The Lord went down into the water and reappeared with a golden club.
"Is this your club?" the Lord asked.
The golfer replied, "No."
The Lord again went down and came up with a silver club.
"Is this your club?" the Lord asked.
Again, the golfer replied, "No." The Lord went down again and came up with an old iron club. "Is this your club?" the Lord asked.
The golfer replied, "Yes, that’s it!"
The Lord was pleased with the golfer's honesty and gave him all three clubs to keep, and the golfer won his tournament and went home happy.
Sometime later, the golfer was walking with his wife along the water hazard, and she fell into the lake.
When he cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked him, "Why are you crying?"
"Oh, Lord, my woman has fallen into the water!"
The Lord went into the water and reappeared with Kate Upton. "Is this your woman?" the Lord asked.
"Yes," cried the golfer.
The Lord was furious. "You lied! That is an untruth!"
The golfer replied, "Oh, forgive me Lord. It is a misunderstanding. You see, if I had said 'No' to Kate Upton, you would have come up with Jennifer Aniston. Then if I said 'No' to her, you would have come up with my woman. Had I then said 'Yes,' you would have given me all three. And Lord, I am an old man not able to take care of all three women in a way that they deserve... so that's why I said 'Yes' to Kate Upton.”
And God was pleased. The moral of this story is:
If a golfer ever tells a lie, it is for a good and honorable reason and only out of consideration for others.
Calendar of Upcoming LR Events: (if you have an item send it to me—Joe Quinn, Editor)
3/27-31 Sunriver Rotary Ski Trip (sold out)
3/28 Break Bag Delivery on a Monday
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Announcements:
--Eric Warn, Health and Wellness: Mick Johnson’s celebration of life service is at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club, March 26, 2-5 p.m. Mary hopes all can attend. President Rooks will be the MC. Eric also thanked Bill Potter and Ron Irwin for glasses to recycle. Eric is beginning to get more glasses than Carter’s got pills, I tell ya.
--Gayle Selden: #1: Break bag delivery, March 28, 9:15 am. Be there or be square.
#2: Club Auction, May 21. Multicare and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health are sponsors so far. The auction committee is taking a “kinder and gentler” approach, with teams being cooperative groups. Kinder and Gentler might turn much nastier as we get closer to the event. Wake up and smell the coffee and get going, folks.
#3: Puyallup-South Hill has a new fundraiser, a cornhole tournament at the Fairgrounds. A team for Lakewood Rotary???
--Rose Stevens: Bob Zawilski and Rose are conducting tours of the eight Little Free Pantries. Call either one to set up your guided tour.
--President Jim: The District Governor will be making an informal second visit to us, March 25. Her big push is raising money for Ukrainians. Rose Stevens has some contacts as well, so stay tuned for ways that you can give. Think big. Also, My Rotary (www.ri.org) has ways to give as well.
New Member:
Welcome, Hank Kerns! Hank is not new to Rotary: former member at West Seattle, and Past President at Covington. Hank has taken over from Ron Messenger at New Tacoma Cemetery. He started in Rotary very early, as an exchange student to Guatemala. It’s gonna be a beautiful thing having Hank on board, I predict. The only fly in the ointment was that Veronica Bronkema forgot to bring the Puffin! This after being told in no uncertain terms to bring it to each meeting. She was heard to say, “Heavens to Murgatroyd! And fiddlesticks! And this is a fine kettle of fish!”, or words to that effect.
Above: New Member Hank Kerns wins raffle right out of the box!
Generous Giving:
After greeting all the Zoomers (Carole Wier, Don Daniels, Mary Horn, Barlow Buescher, Chuck Hellar, David Swindale, Leanna Christian, Wynn Hoffman, Nicole Hancock), Jim “thanked” his favorite Alaska bush pilot, Barb Spriggs, for his fining hat, and got right to it:
- Don Anderson went on a DC visit with 200 of his closest friends and got elected to a board (helping our military) for his efforts. He was the recipient of a free meal at the Four Seasons from his mentor of several decades. $20, I think.
- Wendy McGowan went to LA to attend the bat mitzvah of her youngest granddaughter, $20.
- Barb Spriggs, the aforementioned bush pilot made a return trip, all the way to the Arctic Circle. Not a flawless trip: she kind of had to scold Alaska Airlines to straighten up and fly right, but it was worth $50 to our club.
The Program:
Anne Enquist introduced a former colleague from Seattle University, John McKay. A Seattle native, John was appointed by George W. Bush to be US Attorney for Western Washington in 2001 but was forced out a few years later in a political purge. He taught ethics and leadership at Seattle U, retiring in 2021; meaning he’s busy doing many, many other things. He did human rights training in Palestine from 2013-2015.
In 2019, John was sent to join the State Department in Dubai, where twenty Afghan government ministers would be meeting for three days. The assignment was to determine responsibility for ownership of a database of people investigated by the United States in Afghanistan. He discovered that there was no plan, other than this basic desire for resolution of the problem. John called the State Department person in charge “disputatious”, and well-known as a bully. No help. John expressed his desire to the assembled Afghans for them to become servant leaders. He suggested that the database should be cloud based and co-owned by them all. This was not received well, but eventually was agreed upon, with all signing off. John’s point: if those 20 from Afghanistan could accept servant leadership, then why can’t we all. Interactions need respect, humility, and empathy if we want to have a brighter future. As for the ministers: several are likely dead or under house arrest. He concluded by saying that the Afghan fall was likely a failure of US policy, dating back for several administrations.
(My comment: Anne Enquist brings excellent speakers to Lakewood Rotary.)
Above: Our speaker and former US Attorney John McKay (All photos thanks to Walt Richardson)
The Drawing: After just seeding the pot with the $250 minimum after the recent win by Steve Enquist, new member Hank Kerns hit the jackpot: red chip! I believe I heard Hank declare, “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!!” And just like that, he was in like Flynn.
It’s almost warm enough to golf, so here you go to finish up this wild goose chase of a tale. Rest assured, it all came straight from the horse’s mouth. Or some other part of the anatomy…..
An Old Golfer was hitting his ball from near a water hazard and his club fell into the water.
When he cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, "Why are you crying?"
The golfer replied that his club had fallen into the water and he needed the club to have a chance to win the tournament and supplement his meager pension.
The Lord went down into the water and reappeared with a golden club.
"Is this your club?" the Lord asked.
The golfer replied, "No."
The Lord again went down and came up with a silver club.
"Is this your club?" the Lord asked.
Again, the golfer replied, "No." The Lord went down again and came up with an old iron club. "Is this your club?" the Lord asked.
The golfer replied, "Yes, that’s it!"
The Lord was pleased with the golfer's honesty and gave him all three clubs to keep, and the golfer won his tournament and went home happy.
Sometime later, the golfer was walking with his wife along the water hazard, and she fell into the lake.
When he cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked him, "Why are you crying?"
"Oh, Lord, my woman has fallen into the water!"
The Lord went into the water and reappeared with Kate Upton. "Is this your woman?" the Lord asked.
"Yes," cried the golfer.
The Lord was furious. "You lied! That is an untruth!"
The golfer replied, "Oh, forgive me Lord. It is a misunderstanding. You see, if I had said 'No' to Kate Upton, you would have come up with Jennifer Aniston. Then if I said 'No' to her, you would have come up with my woman. Had I then said 'Yes,' you would have given me all three. And Lord, I am an old man not able to take care of all three women in a way that they deserve... so that's why I said 'Yes' to Kate Upton.”
And God was pleased. The moral of this story is:
If a golfer ever tells a lie, it is for a good and honorable reason and only out of consideration for others.
Calendar of Upcoming LR Events: (if you have an item send it to me—Joe Quinn, Editor)
3/27-31 Sunriver Rotary Ski Trip (sold out)
3/28 Break Bag Delivery on a Monday
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Read MoreShare
Nobody's Perfict!
Monday, March 7, 2022 By: Gayle SeldenNobody’s Perfict!
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
The March 5th meeting of the Rotary Club of Lakewood was called to order by President Jim Rooks. Barlow Buescher got us started with a reminder on the 4-way test and with a hope that we strive to be the best people we can. The pledge was led by Bob Martin.
President Rooks called on Charles Heberle for some insight into the Ukraine invasion by Russian forces. Charles lived in Russia for years teaching democracy. He also works on the Russian Friendship exchange for Rotary. He said this has been building for 30 years with the expansion of NATO toward Russia. There has been a difficult relationship with Russia since George W. Bush was President. Russia does not maintain its infrastructure well and has old tanks and equipment.
SETUP CREW:
The amazing setup crew was thanked! Rob Erb, James Osundwa, Rick Selden, Tom George (who showed up to set up and then left for a meeting--what dedication), Kendra Riconosciuto (who has super-labeled all the cords for easy setup and take down), Terry Roarke and new crew members Bob Martin and Dave Swindale.
President Jim thanked John Lowney for tabulating the fines, Jan Gee for staffing the raffle table and Sergeant at Arms, Gary Fulton for working the Foundation desk and Angela Connelly for working as the Greeter. Walt Richardson was the meeting photographer and Gayle Selden was the scribe.
Guests included Ron Irwin’s nephew Eric Borgert. Angela Connelly introduced Aubriana Harps, an intern with Tacoma Safe. Greg and Mary Horn had Grandson Asa on Zoom.
President Rooks announced the nomination committee recommended Carl Bronkema to replace Bob Bruback’s vacated board seat. The assembled Rotarians expressed their agreement.
Puffins were asked to stand and the other members were reminded to get to know our newer members.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS:
Eric Warn didn’t have much to add in the Health and Wellness report. But President Rooks encouraged us all to exercise and highlighted some members’ exercise activities. Eric Warn is into Water Aerobics and wants some gentlemen to join him! Our own President is a gym rat, bull editor Joe Quinn is a world class weightlifter, Walt Richardson is a cyclist, Gary Barton skates and plays hockey, Donna Phillips is a rowing machine maniac, Clayton DeNault is an avid hair brusher (‘er kayaker), and Bob Zawilski is a walker. President Jim says walking is good. Get active Lakewood Rotary! Doctor’s orders.
COMMUNITY CONCERNS:
Above: Rick Selden now
Rick Selden brought forth a couple projects from the Community Concerns committee. First was a proposal for $2500 donation to Caring for Kids. That proposal was moved, seconded and voted in the affirmative. Community Concerns is also giving the Lakewood Sister Cities Association $900 to bring dancers and entertainment to Summerfest. This request didn’t need a vote from the membership but Rick wanted all to know a new member, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, brought this to the committee. Please bring your ideas to support the community to this committee of Lakewood Rotary! There was a motion to give $2000 to Clare’s Closet at St Clare Hospital. This project, originally conceived by the hospital employees, provides clothing and other necessary items to patients when they are discharged. That was moved, seconded and passed as well. Great work Community Concerns team!
Above: Rick in 1987 (always smiling)
Greg Horn introduced Birthdays and Anniversaries and he kinda confused them so I thought I’d make a game out of it. Nobody’s perfect, not even Greg.
Match the Lakewood Rotary Member with their Birthday below:
Match the Member to their Partner and their wedding anniversary:
Congrats also to our Rotary Anniversaries:
Wait, that is incorrect on Magnuson as he was a member back in the olden days when pictures were taken in black and white. Maybe the math is just the cumulative total of time he has been telling Lakewood Rotary Ole and Sven stories.
Eric Borgert gave us a presentation on the Lakewood Arts Commission. He shared the signal box wraps that have been appearing all over town. Local business Print Northwest has been a major supporter of that project. He also shared a plan for a sculpture by John Fleming of Seattle at Motor Avenue and invited us to contribute to the sculpture by writing what Lakewood means to us. If you missed the opportunity, write out what this community means to you and scan it to smartinez@cityoflakewood.us.
Above: Eric Borgert
THE ROTARY FOUNDATION AND MICK JOHNSON:
Steve Enquist sent a note to the club: “Last week we were all shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Mick Johnson. Mick has been a dedicated Rotarian for as long as most of us can remember, and he was also one of our past presidents. In addition, Mick was an incredible supporter of the Rotary Foundation. In 2004, Mick reached the Major Donor Level 1 ($10,000) and his generosity to the Foundation has continued even after achieving this level. In fact, when he passed, he was close to reaching Level 2 ($25,000). Last week I was the lucky person to pull the red chip out of the bag and won $300+. It seems fitting to me that a great way to honor Mick’s memory and his decades of generosity to the Foundation would be to put the raffle winnings into the Foundation in Mick’s memory. I hope others will join me in honoring and remembering Mick.” Join Steve by donating online or at the desk at the meeting Friday. Jim Rooks pledged $50 immediately.
THE PROGRAM: Port of Tacoma
Above: An aerial view
Jan Gee introduced Kristin Ang, Port of Tacoma Commissioner since 2019. Kristin was born in Manila, the Philippines, but grew up in the Tacoma area. (She actually attended St. Charles Borromeo grade school; her sister Jessica was in the same class there as Eric Quinn! The Ed.) She earned a bachelor’s degree from UPS and a law degree from Cornell. However, Kristin didn’t end up making it to the meeting. (Nobody’s perfect.) But I think we were lucky to have Leslie Barstowe speak instead. Leslie is a Rotarian from Southcenter and works for the Port and its commissioners. She was a fantastic substitute speaker.
Above: Leslie
Leslie gave us a picture of the Port of Tacoma. Washington State is very trade-dependent; we import and export goods very evenly. The Port of Tacoma has been around for 103 years and currently directly supports 42,000 jobs.
Leslie shared the $76 million dollar Wapato Creek restoration project. In this project the Port and the Puyallup Tribe are trying to restore wetlands for salmon and other fish and wildlife. She shared pictures of a lot of dirt being moved and a very small fish already returning.
2005 saw the Port of Seattle and the Port of Tacoma join forces to help compete against the Port of Vancouver and other Canadian West Coast ports. It’s called the Northwest Seaport Alliance. One of the Alliance projects was to add huge cranes to unload the big ships. Tacoma has some installed now and Seattle is getting some installed in Terminal Five.
Leslie also talked about the current supply chain issue. In Los Angeles they had 80 ships waiting to come into port to unload. In Seattle they had 14 ships waiting to unload but in Tacoma the biggest number of ships waiting was three. However, once the container was unloaded it often had nowhere to go so right now there is a lot of property around the Port with containers just sitting on them, waiting for a truck driver to come and get them. Most products that come to Tacoma are headed to Chicago; the railroad system there has been having issues as well. This supply chain backlog may take quite some time to fix. I foresee many new 2021 refrigerators on clearance in 2024. I’m still waiting for mine.
Puffin Dwight Williams won the drawing and pulled a white chip worth $5.
The answer to the Birthday, Wedding anniversary, and Rotary anniversary jumble is to draw a straight line from left side to the right side. I didn’t mix them up. I was too worried a member might call their partner the wrong name and celebrate on the wrong day. It would be mayhem and it would all be Greg Horn’s fault. Nobody’s perfect.
Calendar of Upcoming LR Events: (if you have an item send it to me—Joe Quinn, Editor)
3/27-31 Sunriver Rotary Ski Trip (sold out)
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
The amazing setup crew was thanked! Rob Erb, James Osundwa, Rick Selden, Tom George (who showed up to set up and then left for a meeting--what dedication), Kendra Riconosciuto (who has super-labeled all the cords for easy setup and take down), Terry Roarke and new crew members Bob Martin and Dave Swindale.
President Jim thanked John Lowney for tabulating the fines, Jan Gee for staffing the raffle table and Sergeant at Arms, Gary Fulton for working the Foundation desk and Angela Connelly for working as the Greeter. Walt Richardson was the meeting photographer and Gayle Selden was the scribe.
Guests included Ron Irwin’s nephew Eric Borgert. Angela Connelly introduced Aubriana Harps, an intern with Tacoma Safe. Greg and Mary Horn had Grandson Asa on Zoom.
President Rooks announced the nomination committee recommended Carl Bronkema to replace Bob Bruback’s vacated board seat. The assembled Rotarians expressed their agreement.
Puffins were asked to stand and the other members were reminded to get to know our newer members.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS:
Eric Warn didn’t have much to add in the Health and Wellness report. But President Rooks encouraged us all to exercise and highlighted some members’ exercise activities. Eric Warn is into Water Aerobics and wants some gentlemen to join him! Our own President is a gym rat, bull editor Joe Quinn is a world class weightlifter, Walt Richardson is a cyclist, Gary Barton skates and plays hockey, Donna Phillips is a rowing machine maniac, Clayton DeNault is an avid hair brusher (‘er kayaker), and Bob Zawilski is a walker. President Jim says walking is good. Get active Lakewood Rotary! Doctor’s orders.
COMMUNITY CONCERNS:
Above: Rick Selden now
Rick Selden brought forth a couple projects from the Community Concerns committee. First was a proposal for $2500 donation to Caring for Kids. That proposal was moved, seconded and voted in the affirmative. Community Concerns is also giving the Lakewood Sister Cities Association $900 to bring dancers and entertainment to Summerfest. This request didn’t need a vote from the membership but Rick wanted all to know a new member, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, brought this to the committee. Please bring your ideas to support the community to this committee of Lakewood Rotary! There was a motion to give $2000 to Clare’s Closet at St Clare Hospital. This project, originally conceived by the hospital employees, provides clothing and other necessary items to patients when they are discharged. That was moved, seconded and passed as well. Great work Community Concerns team!
Above: Rick in 1987 (always smiling)
Greg Horn introduced Birthdays and Anniversaries and he kinda confused them so I thought I’d make a game out of it. Nobody’s perfect, not even Greg.
Match the Lakewood Rotary Member with their Birthday below:
| Banner, Ron (RON) | 28-Mar |
| Easter, Chris (CHRIS) | 5-Mar |
| Hoffman, Vaughn W. (VAUGHN) | 25-Mar |
| Lewis, Michael A. (MICHAEL) | 11-Mar |
| Marsh, Peter K (PETER) | 30-Mar |
| Quinn, Eric T (ERIC) | 11-Mar |
| Richardson, L Walter (WALT) | 26-Mar |
| Riconosciuto, Kendra Leeann (KENDRA) | 8-Mar |
| Strait, Joan (JOAN) | 31-Mar |
| Swindale, David (DAVID) | 20-Mar |
| Bronkema, Veronica (VERONICA) | 22-Mar |
| Kerns, Henry (HANK) | 11-Mar |
Match the Member to their Partner and their wedding anniversary:
| Murtha, Michael (MIKE) | Paula | 15-Mar | 6 |
| Guerrero, James R. (JAMES) | Susan | 1-Mar | 26 |
| Johnson, Lowell (LOWELL) | Rondi | 14-Mar | 30 |
| Edgecomb, Mark Edward (MARK) | Nicola | 5-Mar | 34 |
| Coleman, David (DAVID) | Joyce | 29-Mar | 53 |
Congrats also to our Rotary Anniversaries:
| Montgomery, Edward R. (BUD) | 3/1/1988 | 34 |
| Rooks, John James Jr.(JIM) | 3/1/1990 | 32 |
| Hyde, Charles H. III(CHARLIE) | 3/1/1993 | 29 |
| Horn, Gregory S. (GREG) | 3/1/1996 | 26 |
| Wulfestieg, Paul C. (PAUL) | 3/26/1999 | 23 |
| Lewis, Michael A. (MICHAEL) | 3/26/1999 | 23 |
| Northcutt, Morris (MORRIS) | 3/17/2006 | 16 |
| Enquist, Stephen T. (STEVE) | 3/12/2010 | 12 |
| Forkenbrock, John R (JOHN) | 3/13/2015 | 7 |
| Magnuson, John W. (JOHN) | 3/1/2019 | 3 |
| Mazoff, Rachel (RACHEL) | 3/5/2021 | 1 |
Wait, that is incorrect on Magnuson as he was a member back in the olden days when pictures were taken in black and white. Maybe the math is just the cumulative total of time he has been telling Lakewood Rotary Ole and Sven stories.
Eric Borgert gave us a presentation on the Lakewood Arts Commission. He shared the signal box wraps that have been appearing all over town. Local business Print Northwest has been a major supporter of that project. He also shared a plan for a sculpture by John Fleming of Seattle at Motor Avenue and invited us to contribute to the sculpture by writing what Lakewood means to us. If you missed the opportunity, write out what this community means to you and scan it to smartinez@cityoflakewood.us.
Above: Eric Borgert
THE ROTARY FOUNDATION AND MICK JOHNSON:
Steve Enquist sent a note to the club: “Last week we were all shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Mick Johnson. Mick has been a dedicated Rotarian for as long as most of us can remember, and he was also one of our past presidents. In addition, Mick was an incredible supporter of the Rotary Foundation. In 2004, Mick reached the Major Donor Level 1 ($10,000) and his generosity to the Foundation has continued even after achieving this level. In fact, when he passed, he was close to reaching Level 2 ($25,000). Last week I was the lucky person to pull the red chip out of the bag and won $300+. It seems fitting to me that a great way to honor Mick’s memory and his decades of generosity to the Foundation would be to put the raffle winnings into the Foundation in Mick’s memory. I hope others will join me in honoring and remembering Mick.” Join Steve by donating online or at the desk at the meeting Friday. Jim Rooks pledged $50 immediately.
THE PROGRAM: Port of Tacoma
Above: An aerial view
Jan Gee introduced Kristin Ang, Port of Tacoma Commissioner since 2019. Kristin was born in Manila, the Philippines, but grew up in the Tacoma area. (She actually attended St. Charles Borromeo grade school; her sister Jessica was in the same class there as Eric Quinn! The Ed.) She earned a bachelor’s degree from UPS and a law degree from Cornell. However, Kristin didn’t end up making it to the meeting. (Nobody’s perfect.) But I think we were lucky to have Leslie Barstowe speak instead. Leslie is a Rotarian from Southcenter and works for the Port and its commissioners. She was a fantastic substitute speaker.
Above: Leslie
Leslie gave us a picture of the Port of Tacoma. Washington State is very trade-dependent; we import and export goods very evenly. The Port of Tacoma has been around for 103 years and currently directly supports 42,000 jobs.
Leslie shared the $76 million dollar Wapato Creek restoration project. In this project the Port and the Puyallup Tribe are trying to restore wetlands for salmon and other fish and wildlife. She shared pictures of a lot of dirt being moved and a very small fish already returning.
2005 saw the Port of Seattle and the Port of Tacoma join forces to help compete against the Port of Vancouver and other Canadian West Coast ports. It’s called the Northwest Seaport Alliance. One of the Alliance projects was to add huge cranes to unload the big ships. Tacoma has some installed now and Seattle is getting some installed in Terminal Five.
Leslie also talked about the current supply chain issue. In Los Angeles they had 80 ships waiting to come into port to unload. In Seattle they had 14 ships waiting to unload but in Tacoma the biggest number of ships waiting was three. However, once the container was unloaded it often had nowhere to go so right now there is a lot of property around the Port with containers just sitting on them, waiting for a truck driver to come and get them. Most products that come to Tacoma are headed to Chicago; the railroad system there has been having issues as well. This supply chain backlog may take quite some time to fix. I foresee many new 2021 refrigerators on clearance in 2024. I’m still waiting for mine.
Puffin Dwight Williams won the drawing and pulled a white chip worth $5.
The answer to the Birthday, Wedding anniversary, and Rotary anniversary jumble is to draw a straight line from left side to the right side. I didn’t mix them up. I was too worried a member might call their partner the wrong name and celebrate on the wrong day. It would be mayhem and it would all be Greg Horn’s fault. Nobody’s perfect.
Calendar of Upcoming LR Events: (if you have an item send it to me—Joe Quinn, Editor)
3/27-31 Sunriver Rotary Ski Trip (sold out)
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
Read MoreShare
A Day of Special Significance
Sunday, February 27, 2022 By: Eric T QuinnA Day of Special Significance
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
President Jim Rooks (PJR) rang the meeting to order at 12:30 PM.
Tom George gave our invocation, citing to three principles: truth, peace and honesty. In his invocation, he asked that we let these tenets, and the Four-Way Test of Rotary, guide us in our everyday life.
Greg Rediske led us in the Pledge, which took special significance given the state of affairs in the Ukraine.
As for those who made our meeting happen, in the absence of Rob Erb, James Osundwa completed the setup with the help of Duncan Cook and Terry Roarke. John Lowney collected fines. Eric Quinn wrote the bulletin from Zoom and implored participants at least twice to use the microphones so he could accurately (and somewhat adequately) record the meeting. Greg Horn sold raffle tickets and Mary Marlin was at the Foundation desk. Andy Phillips was our greeter. Bob Hammar staffed the Rotary Store.
Eric Warn provided the health and wellness report. Two Lakewood Rotary members have passed recently: Mick Johnson and Larry Banks
PJR and other members of the club lauded Mick as a man of special significance. He had been a member since 1986. Mick was a prominent member of the business community and a wonderful man. Rick Selden informed us that Mick started his business as a carpet cleaning company in the 1970’s. He was one of the founding members of the Abbey Carpet group. Rick mentioned that Mick believed in healthy competition and stated, quite humbly, that “You don’t mind losing a job to a fellow like that.” Mick lived his faith, although he came to it later in life. We will miss you, Mick. Indeed, here is a short bio (and picture) of Mick, originally written by Kay Shinn in 1987 and updated by Greg Rediske one or two years ago.
Mick Johnson (By Kay Shinn, 1987)
His name is really “Michael”, but nobody knows that….he’s gotta be “Mick.” Mick is one of our new breed of members. He hasn’t been with us very long, but he’s been busy! He was born in Tacoma during April of 1944, attended Clover Park High School and Central Washington College. His wife is Cynthia and up to now they have one child, a son, Christopher. (And if anyone reads any hidden meaning in that last sentence, it is intentional!) Mick is the President of Abbey Carpet, which is located at 8615 South Tacoma Way (well, it was then). He is a heckova good golfer, all year round, and he skis when the time is right. He has been active with our new member Puffins, and he is now on our program committee.
Update from 1987: Mick served as president of our club in 2010-11. He has been a stalwart on the Paul Harris Committee for decades. If something needs doing, Mick is there, always. Mick is still working at his Abbey Carpet store with his wife Mary Covelli Johnson (married in 1998), as he nears 78 years old.
Above: Mick Johnson in 1987
PJR expressed that Lary Banks was an excellent Rotarian. He was a chiropractor in the Lakewood area.
As for Announcements:
Above: Puffin Bob Martin and his wife Sue, on a day of special significance
As for guests, Bob Martin introduced wife Sue, who enjoyed 50% of his first PHA. Duncan Cook’s son Peter was also with us. On May 6th, Peter will be our Program Speaker, about the Titanic. There were some other guests, we think, but they were introduced without the use of a microphone and the bulletin writer was on Zoom. Alas. We think one was named Hank, who is Ron Messenger’s successor as Director of the New Tacoma Cemetery, and we think he should be a LR Rotarian, don’t you?
There were further announcements. From PJR: There will be discussions at the Board meeting, pertaining to the Club’s COVID policy. The present policy is that non-vaccinated members cannot attend in-person meetings. PJR encouraged members to contact a Director with their thoughts on this prior to the next BOD meeting on March 17.
The Pierce County Rotary Presidents discussed an Earth Day Celebration. There will be a cleanup and picnic at Fort Steilacoom Park. From President-Elect Jason Whalen: This will be a great way to celebrate Earth Day and Parks Appreciation Day on the same weekend. Earth Day is April 23.
May 21 is the date of the Auction—the committee is working on a projected launch date for the Maxgiving website, as we are doing another virtual auction this year.
Mary Marlin was speaking with Sally Smith, who has done so much for the Auction in the past. We have a lot of Puffins who have not had much opportunity to help with the Auction. There is a meeting next Friday, about how members can help out with the Auction. This will occur immediately after the regular meeting, 1:30 to 2:30 PM.
Generous Giving: (not all of which were captured because of microphone “malfunctions”)
Above: Debbie Moore
Barlow Buescher introduced Debbie Moore, which commenced the program on Partners for Work, an organization of special significance. This has been a District 5030 project since 2008, and has resulted in approximately 140 jobs for individuals with disabilities. Debbie Moore has a long history of assisting individuals with disabilities with their career goals. Debbie has some amazing stories. Barlow stated that Debbie “reminds him to be human.” Debbie thanked Barlow for his introduction. Debbie has been the coordinator for District 5030 in this area since 2010. She can say wholeheartedly that Partners for Work is making outstanding changes in King County. Sky Chafee introduced Margaret Connor, but not before we learned more about him. Sky Chafee is the director of Morningside, an employment provider. Learn more about Morningside here: https://www.morningsideservices.com/
Morningside partners with local employers to enact a School to Work program for young adults with disabilities. Once Morningside helps the individual obtain a job, they then receive job coaching. This is truly a “beginning to end” transition program.
Margaret Connor then spoke a bit more about Partners For Work. She shared a success story regarding Soleil, a beneficiary of the Transition team led by Margaret. Soleil now has a job doing amazing cleaning and sanitization work at Chuck E. Cheese. She loves her job and Chuck E. Cheese loves her.
Margaret is from New York and she advised us that we would “hear that and we would see that.”
Margaret shared some inspirational videos of three young adults who have succeeded in the work they obtained through Partners for Work (and through their own grit and determination): Amy, Casey and Lexi.
Margaret implored us to develop an understanding and an open mind in helping individuals with disabilities in finding work. Margaret mentioned to everyone that her contact information is available and she is available for questions. And learn more about Partners for Work here: https://www.gowise.org/what-we-do/partners-for-work/
And finally, for the Drawing: There were 16 White and One Red chip. Steve Enquist drew the RED chip! But alas, our Zoom bulletin writer did not hear how much Steve won. Actually, no one said how much it was but it was a lot more than $5.
Above: Steve Enquist and a look of disbelief!
(All candid photos thanks to Walt Richardson)
Thus ended a day of special significance. Another note of special significance: Please do your online shopping at Amazon Smile, so a portion of your purchase can be allocated to Lakewood Rotary.
And do not forget these days of special significance to all Lakewood Rotarians:
Calendar of Upcoming LR Events: (if you have an item send it to me—Joe Quinn, Editor)
3/27-31 Sunriver Rotary Ski Trip (sold out)
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
PJR and other members of the club lauded Mick as a man of special significance. He had been a member since 1986. Mick was a prominent member of the business community and a wonderful man. Rick Selden informed us that Mick started his business as a carpet cleaning company in the 1970’s. He was one of the founding members of the Abbey Carpet group. Rick mentioned that Mick believed in healthy competition and stated, quite humbly, that “You don’t mind losing a job to a fellow like that.” Mick lived his faith, although he came to it later in life. We will miss you, Mick. Indeed, here is a short bio (and picture) of Mick, originally written by Kay Shinn in 1987 and updated by Greg Rediske one or two years ago.
Mick Johnson (By Kay Shinn, 1987)
His name is really “Michael”, but nobody knows that….he’s gotta be “Mick.” Mick is one of our new breed of members. He hasn’t been with us very long, but he’s been busy! He was born in Tacoma during April of 1944, attended Clover Park High School and Central Washington College. His wife is Cynthia and up to now they have one child, a son, Christopher. (And if anyone reads any hidden meaning in that last sentence, it is intentional!) Mick is the President of Abbey Carpet, which is located at 8615 South Tacoma Way (well, it was then). He is a heckova good golfer, all year round, and he skis when the time is right. He has been active with our new member Puffins, and he is now on our program committee.
Update from 1987: Mick served as president of our club in 2010-11. He has been a stalwart on the Paul Harris Committee for decades. If something needs doing, Mick is there, always. Mick is still working at his Abbey Carpet store with his wife Mary Covelli Johnson (married in 1998), as he nears 78 years old.
Above: Mick Johnson in 1987
PJR expressed that Lary Banks was an excellent Rotarian. He was a chiropractor in the Lakewood area.
As for Announcements:
- Rob Erb was absent, but he sought approval from the Club for the Military Appreciation Committee, for a $2000 grant to the Lewis McChord Family Scholarships. These scholarships provide support to children of military families. A motion was made, seconded and passed unanimously.
- Steve Enquist spoke about the Rotary Foundation. Three Paul Harris awards (PHA) were issued today, a day of special significance. Bob Martin received his first Paul Harris, presented by his wife Sue. Duncan Cook earned his fourth PHA. Gayle Selden also received a PHA by signing up on Rotary Direct. This is Gayle’s fourth PHA. Steve pointed out that 40% of the Lakewood Rotary membership has given at least $25.00 for the Rotary Year (Eric believes he heard this). A gift of $100 to the Paul Harris Annual Fund will get you listed as a sustaining member
- All Puffins stood up and were applauded.
- Dwight Williams received his blue badge. He gave John Lowney $5.00 for the privilege
Above: Puffin Bob Martin and his wife Sue, on a day of special significance
As for guests, Bob Martin introduced wife Sue, who enjoyed 50% of his first PHA. Duncan Cook’s son Peter was also with us. On May 6th, Peter will be our Program Speaker, about the Titanic. There were some other guests, we think, but they were introduced without the use of a microphone and the bulletin writer was on Zoom. Alas. We think one was named Hank, who is Ron Messenger’s successor as Director of the New Tacoma Cemetery, and we think he should be a LR Rotarian, don’t you?
There were further announcements. From PJR: There will be discussions at the Board meeting, pertaining to the Club’s COVID policy. The present policy is that non-vaccinated members cannot attend in-person meetings. PJR encouraged members to contact a Director with their thoughts on this prior to the next BOD meeting on March 17.
The Pierce County Rotary Presidents discussed an Earth Day Celebration. There will be a cleanup and picnic at Fort Steilacoom Park. From President-Elect Jason Whalen: This will be a great way to celebrate Earth Day and Parks Appreciation Day on the same weekend. Earth Day is April 23.
May 21 is the date of the Auction—the committee is working on a projected launch date for the Maxgiving website, as we are doing another virtual auction this year.
Mary Marlin was speaking with Sally Smith, who has done so much for the Auction in the past. We have a lot of Puffins who have not had much opportunity to help with the Auction. There is a meeting next Friday, about how members can help out with the Auction. This will occur immediately after the regular meeting, 1:30 to 2:30 PM.
Generous Giving: (not all of which were captured because of microphone “malfunctions”)
- Don Daniels went to Phoenix and Mexico for a month. He gave $50 for the fine budget and $50 to the Foundation.
- Scott Buser: Quality grandparent time down in Long Beach CA. $100.
- Andrew Neiditz and his wife took a short trip to Palm Springs and Scottsdale AZ. $25.00
- Sally Smith: Thanked Mary Marlin for recruiting. She added one thing: She will be in person next week for the meeting after the regular meeting. Sally gave $25.00.
- Jim Rooks put in $20.00 in honor of the Foundation
- Joe Quinn: $20 for trip to Lake Tahoe to see grandkids
- PROGRAM
Above: Debbie Moore
Barlow Buescher introduced Debbie Moore, which commenced the program on Partners for Work, an organization of special significance. This has been a District 5030 project since 2008, and has resulted in approximately 140 jobs for individuals with disabilities. Debbie Moore has a long history of assisting individuals with disabilities with their career goals. Debbie has some amazing stories. Barlow stated that Debbie “reminds him to be human.” Debbie thanked Barlow for his introduction. Debbie has been the coordinator for District 5030 in this area since 2010. She can say wholeheartedly that Partners for Work is making outstanding changes in King County. Sky Chafee introduced Margaret Connor, but not before we learned more about him. Sky Chafee is the director of Morningside, an employment provider. Learn more about Morningside here: https://www.morningsideservices.com/
Morningside partners with local employers to enact a School to Work program for young adults with disabilities. Once Morningside helps the individual obtain a job, they then receive job coaching. This is truly a “beginning to end” transition program.
Margaret Connor then spoke a bit more about Partners For Work. She shared a success story regarding Soleil, a beneficiary of the Transition team led by Margaret. Soleil now has a job doing amazing cleaning and sanitization work at Chuck E. Cheese. She loves her job and Chuck E. Cheese loves her.
Margaret is from New York and she advised us that we would “hear that and we would see that.”
Margaret shared some inspirational videos of three young adults who have succeeded in the work they obtained through Partners for Work (and through their own grit and determination): Amy, Casey and Lexi.
Margaret implored us to develop an understanding and an open mind in helping individuals with disabilities in finding work. Margaret mentioned to everyone that her contact information is available and she is available for questions. And learn more about Partners for Work here: https://www.gowise.org/what-we-do/partners-for-work/
And finally, for the Drawing: There were 16 White and One Red chip. Steve Enquist drew the RED chip! But alas, our Zoom bulletin writer did not hear how much Steve won. Actually, no one said how much it was but it was a lot more than $5.
Above: Steve Enquist and a look of disbelief!
(All candid photos thanks to Walt Richardson)
Thus ended a day of special significance. Another note of special significance: Please do your online shopping at Amazon Smile, so a portion of your purchase can be allocated to Lakewood Rotary.
And do not forget these days of special significance to all Lakewood Rotarians:
Calendar of Upcoming LR Events: (if you have an item send it to me—Joe Quinn, Editor)
3/27-31 Sunriver Rotary Ski Trip (sold out)
5/21 Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/20-21 The Courage
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
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A Fort Steilacoom Friday
Monday, February 21, 2022 By: Paula T. OlsonA Fort Steilacoom Friday
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
Paula T. Olson
Friday, February 18, 2022 started like any other day and Lakewood Rotary’s meeting did as well. President Rooks rang the bell promptly and Bob Peterson gave the invocation. Wendy McGowan did a fine job of leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance. President Rooks congratulated Rob Erb and his fine team of meeting organizers: Tom George, James Osundwa, Rick Selden, Bob Martin and Kendra Riconosciuto for another excellent job. John Lowney had his hand out for all fines, Paula Olson took furious notes for the Bulletin, Barlow Buescher manned the $2.00 table and served as Sgt at Arms, and Eric Warn collected money at the Foundation desk. We’re not sure what this means but President Rooks said it, so we dutifully wrote it down: Greg Rediske monitored the Presidential gaffes (looking the term up was a fascinating experience I recommend to all but in the interest of decorum the definition will not be repeated here) and Mary Marlin, the new and official coordinator of Greeters had Bob Martin and Veronica Bronkema out there warmly shaking hands of members when they came in.
Alas, no visiting Rotarians and no guests. It is with sadness that President Rooks announced the resignation of Bob Bruback because of a medical issue. Steve Enquist will temporarily fill Bob’s role as the Chair of the Community Concerns Committee until a permanent chair can be found. Puffins in attendance included James Osundwa, Wendy McGowan, Bob Martin, Andy Phillips, and Veronica Bronkema.
Above; Our Newest Puffin, Veronica Bronkema
Next, a solemn passing and answer to an oft-expressed request. Yes, Veronica Bronkema repeatedly asked, “Where’s the bird? Where’s the bird?” Lest you think she means something different, she was asking where her Puffin was. Eric Warn presented her with the bird and explained the basics of puffin care. If she had any questions, husband Carl Bronkema could help out. Eric stayed up at the podium to ask members to go the distance. He is collecting eye glasses for Lakewood First Lions and is often told by Rotary members of the many pairs of eye glasses lying around the house. Eric pleaded with members to “put them in the car.” Then, on Friday around noon, “take them out of the car,” and “bring them to him.” Everyone got that? Eric reminded members that the glasses can’t get here on their own. They need transportation. President Rooks demonstrated what old eye glasses look like by modeling his old aviator glasses.
President Rooks announced the announcements. Mick Johnson is in need of our thoughts and prayers as he is suffering from dementia and is bed ridden. Since Sally Porter Smith, Rotarian Extraordinaire moved to Seattle, Greg Horn is subbing in as Chair of the Program Committee. He knows he can’t fill her shoes but he’s going to give it a huge try. President Rooks read us a thank you card from the family that Rose Stevens introduced us to. It was our pleasure! Next Gayle Selden got up to announce yet another Auction. Seems like we just got done with our last auction. It’s a virtual event to be held on May 21st. Gayle said the committee can’t do it without our procurement and support. Then Gayle went rogue. She said that the Auction Committee needed new members to get fresh and new ideas. Guess all of us old members can see the handwriting on the wall. We are being replaced! She’ll probably keep a couple of us around but you youngsters better step up. She also said that we have our first auction sponsor: Multicare for $1,000, thanks to Steve Saalfeld.
President Rooks said the IT group that does the hybrid meetings is getting burned out and need a new influx of assistants. He promised it would be easy and no formal education was required. In fact, Jim said that when Kendra was showing him how to set up the board meeting, he actually kinda sorta figured it out. Jim also says that the tooth fairy is real too. If the hybrid process involves more than two clicks, it’s totally over my head. But it’s time for the rest of you to show your techie skills and get over there and help run the zoom thingy
.
Generous Giving:
President Jim donned his lion hunting hat as he went in search of prey for fines and donations. First up was Terry Roarke with $20 for his two weeks in Hawaii. He said he would have given more but the Hawaiians took the rest of his money. Likely story. Rob Erb gave $20 for his assistant. Jim Rooks kicked in to honor Kendra Riconosciuto for her help at the board meeting.
The Program:
Above: Andrew Neiditz
Andrew Neiditz introduced our speaker, Walter Neary, who is Lakewood’s historian. Walter has written two books on Lakewood’s history. As Board President of the Historic Fort Steilacoom Association, and member of the Lakewood Historical Society, he helped establish the Lakewood Historical Museum, and was the first Chair of the Landmarks and Heritage Advisory Board for the City of Lakewood. For financial support, he is a Manager of the UW School of Medicine. But it seemed like Walter has another claim to fame, which was only hinted at. Apparently he was partially responsible for naming Andrew Neiditz as the first Lakewood City Manager after the brawl and food fight. Sorry folks, I can’t give you more details but it sounded like a fun time.
Walter talked to us about the history of Fort Steilacoom, that little area on the grounds of Western State Hospital. Originally, the area of the fort was 640 acres and it was the first institution in Washington. It has been shadowed and protected by Western State and is bordered by Pierce College, Fort Steilacoom Park, and Oakbrook. Walter’s dream is reinventing Fort Steilacoom so that more people visit and understand its history. He urged members to join the Historical Fort Steilacoom Association for a nominal fee and get the latest events.
Steilacoom is a Native American word for a flower. The Nisqually Tribe originally lived on the land that became the fort until about the 1840s. In 1840 the British came and created a farm bringing 80 settlers from Canada. One of those settlers was John Flett, who returned and became a businessman in what would become Lakewood. The farm was not a success due to the rocks and gravel in the soil. The last farm left in 1849.
The US Army came next and erected buildings including officers’ quarters. These became the first fort in Puget Sound and Lt. August Kautz was in charge. Since the land belonged to the British, the Army paid rent of $50 a year. Some wives came but not daughters because of the Germans and the Irish who were considered unsavory for them. There was some intermarriage between the soldiers and the natives, including Lt. Kautz. There are about 50 descendants of Lt. Kautz in the Nisqually Tribe.
Above: Walter Neary, our speaker and historian
Beginning in the 1850s, the Native Americans were getting more unhappy about getting squeezed out by settlers and the Indians were forced to move to Fox Island, a place too small for them. A war finally broke out between the settlers and the natives.. The settlers took refuge in the fort. A group from Oregon came with the intent of finishing the conflict once and for all. The culmination of the conflict was the hanging of Chief Leschi after a trial where he was falsely accused of murder. He was jailed at Fort Steilacoom and his brother was murdered there as well. (He was officially exonerated in 2004.) Lt. Kautz testified on Chief Leschi’s behalf. Lt. Kautz later became a general. The natives were pretty much decimated as more Europeans came with diseases, making it easier to take their land.
The fort was finally abandoned and Western State Hospital was built. The chapel of the fort was the first women’s ward for the hospital The building comprising the fort fell into ruins and would have been completely deteriorated but for the hard work and dedication of a group of volunteers called the Historic Fort Steilacoom Association. They started in the late 1970s and renovated the buildings amid lots of politics and naysayers. They started having events there to highlight the history of the fort and surrounding area. Because the buildings were the oldest buildings in Washington, it was hugely important to the volunteers to preserve them.
The relationship between Western State Hospital and Fort Steilacoom is unusual. It had to cooperate with the city and the area became a historic district. The hospital has always provided security for the fort and gave ready access to the volunteers.
There has been confusion between the Town of Steilacoom and Fort Steilacoom but they are very different entities. In 1996, Lakewood was incorporated as a city. As one of the founders of the City of Lakewood, Walter told the story that there was another Lakewood up north around Bellingham. The Post Office wouldn’t put Lakewood on addresses, instead requiring Lakewood Center as the designation. Andrew was responsible for getting the sign for Lakewood taken down around Marysville, finally putting an end to the confusion.
Thank you, Walter, for a snapshot of the interesting history of the fort. I know I, for one, will want to visit as soon as possible to learn more.
Donnnnnn Irwin won the raffle but not the $500 cash. Sorry, Donnnnn, better luck next time.
Above; Our Newest Puffin, Veronica Bronkema
Next, a solemn passing and answer to an oft-expressed request. Yes, Veronica Bronkema repeatedly asked, “Where’s the bird? Where’s the bird?” Lest you think she means something different, she was asking where her Puffin was. Eric Warn presented her with the bird and explained the basics of puffin care. If she had any questions, husband Carl Bronkema could help out. Eric stayed up at the podium to ask members to go the distance. He is collecting eye glasses for Lakewood First Lions and is often told by Rotary members of the many pairs of eye glasses lying around the house. Eric pleaded with members to “put them in the car.” Then, on Friday around noon, “take them out of the car,” and “bring them to him.” Everyone got that? Eric reminded members that the glasses can’t get here on their own. They need transportation. President Rooks demonstrated what old eye glasses look like by modeling his old aviator glasses.
President Rooks announced the announcements. Mick Johnson is in need of our thoughts and prayers as he is suffering from dementia and is bed ridden. Since Sally Porter Smith, Rotarian Extraordinaire moved to Seattle, Greg Horn is subbing in as Chair of the Program Committee. He knows he can’t fill her shoes but he’s going to give it a huge try. President Rooks read us a thank you card from the family that Rose Stevens introduced us to. It was our pleasure! Next Gayle Selden got up to announce yet another Auction. Seems like we just got done with our last auction. It’s a virtual event to be held on May 21st. Gayle said the committee can’t do it without our procurement and support. Then Gayle went rogue. She said that the Auction Committee needed new members to get fresh and new ideas. Guess all of us old members can see the handwriting on the wall. We are being replaced! She’ll probably keep a couple of us around but you youngsters better step up. She also said that we have our first auction sponsor: Multicare for $1,000, thanks to Steve Saalfeld.
President Rooks said the IT group that does the hybrid meetings is getting burned out and need a new influx of assistants. He promised it would be easy and no formal education was required. In fact, Jim said that when Kendra was showing him how to set up the board meeting, he actually kinda sorta figured it out. Jim also says that the tooth fairy is real too. If the hybrid process involves more than two clicks, it’s totally over my head. But it’s time for the rest of you to show your techie skills and get over there and help run the zoom thingy
.
Generous Giving:
President Jim donned his lion hunting hat as he went in search of prey for fines and donations. First up was Terry Roarke with $20 for his two weeks in Hawaii. He said he would have given more but the Hawaiians took the rest of his money. Likely story. Rob Erb gave $20 for his assistant. Jim Rooks kicked in to honor Kendra Riconosciuto for her help at the board meeting.
The Program:
Above: Andrew Neiditz
Andrew Neiditz introduced our speaker, Walter Neary, who is Lakewood’s historian. Walter has written two books on Lakewood’s history. As Board President of the Historic Fort Steilacoom Association, and member of the Lakewood Historical Society, he helped establish the Lakewood Historical Museum, and was the first Chair of the Landmarks and Heritage Advisory Board for the City of Lakewood. For financial support, he is a Manager of the UW School of Medicine. But it seemed like Walter has another claim to fame, which was only hinted at. Apparently he was partially responsible for naming Andrew Neiditz as the first Lakewood City Manager after the brawl and food fight. Sorry folks, I can’t give you more details but it sounded like a fun time.
Walter talked to us about the history of Fort Steilacoom, that little area on the grounds of Western State Hospital. Originally, the area of the fort was 640 acres and it was the first institution in Washington. It has been shadowed and protected by Western State and is bordered by Pierce College, Fort Steilacoom Park, and Oakbrook. Walter’s dream is reinventing Fort Steilacoom so that more people visit and understand its history. He urged members to join the Historical Fort Steilacoom Association for a nominal fee and get the latest events.
Steilacoom is a Native American word for a flower. The Nisqually Tribe originally lived on the land that became the fort until about the 1840s. In 1840 the British came and created a farm bringing 80 settlers from Canada. One of those settlers was John Flett, who returned and became a businessman in what would become Lakewood. The farm was not a success due to the rocks and gravel in the soil. The last farm left in 1849.
The US Army came next and erected buildings including officers’ quarters. These became the first fort in Puget Sound and Lt. August Kautz was in charge. Since the land belonged to the British, the Army paid rent of $50 a year. Some wives came but not daughters because of the Germans and the Irish who were considered unsavory for them. There was some intermarriage between the soldiers and the natives, including Lt. Kautz. There are about 50 descendants of Lt. Kautz in the Nisqually Tribe.
Above: Walter Neary, our speaker and historian
Beginning in the 1850s, the Native Americans were getting more unhappy about getting squeezed out by settlers and the Indians were forced to move to Fox Island, a place too small for them. A war finally broke out between the settlers and the natives.. The settlers took refuge in the fort. A group from Oregon came with the intent of finishing the conflict once and for all. The culmination of the conflict was the hanging of Chief Leschi after a trial where he was falsely accused of murder. He was jailed at Fort Steilacoom and his brother was murdered there as well. (He was officially exonerated in 2004.) Lt. Kautz testified on Chief Leschi’s behalf. Lt. Kautz later became a general. The natives were pretty much decimated as more Europeans came with diseases, making it easier to take their land.
The fort was finally abandoned and Western State Hospital was built. The chapel of the fort was the first women’s ward for the hospital The building comprising the fort fell into ruins and would have been completely deteriorated but for the hard work and dedication of a group of volunteers called the Historic Fort Steilacoom Association. They started in the late 1970s and renovated the buildings amid lots of politics and naysayers. They started having events there to highlight the history of the fort and surrounding area. Because the buildings were the oldest buildings in Washington, it was hugely important to the volunteers to preserve them.
The relationship between Western State Hospital and Fort Steilacoom is unusual. It had to cooperate with the city and the area became a historic district. The hospital has always provided security for the fort and gave ready access to the volunteers.
There has been confusion between the Town of Steilacoom and Fort Steilacoom but they are very different entities. In 1996, Lakewood was incorporated as a city. As one of the founders of the City of Lakewood, Walter told the story that there was another Lakewood up north around Bellingham. The Post Office wouldn’t put Lakewood on addresses, instead requiring Lakewood Center as the designation. Andrew was responsible for getting the sign for Lakewood taken down around Marysville, finally putting an end to the confusion.
Thank you, Walter, for a snapshot of the interesting history of the fort. I know I, for one, will want to visit as soon as possible to learn more.
Donnnnnn Irwin won the raffle but not the $500 cash. Sorry, Donnnnn, better luck next time.
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A Fine Day it Will Be
Sunday, February 13, 2022 By: Mary MarlinA Fine Day it Will Be
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
Welcome, Lakewood Rotarians!! And what a fine day it will be when we can fist bump, shake hands, rub elbows or catch a quick hug for the first time in weeks!! Yes, welcome to the new normal! And speaking of normal....the bell chimed at 12:30 and Jim Rooks took the reins to begin our Friday meeting.
He welcomed all and soon Scott Buser gave the invocation and Bob Peterson led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Cheerful greeters, Wendy McGowan, James Osundwa, and Dwight Williams were at the front desk encouraging all to enjoy the meeting and have a great day. (By the way, it worked!) Making the meeting work were Rob Erb, Tom George, James Osundwa, Rick Selden, Terry Roarke, Bob Martin, Leanna Christian and Kendra Riconosciuto. Quite the team that makes it all happen....every week! John Lowney, of course, was waiting for the fines to be paid, Greg Horn was Sergeant at Arms and the raffle encourager, Steve Enquist managed the Foundation donations, Greg Rediske monitored the president's limited gaffes and yours truly took minutes and somehow volunteered to schedule greeters.
| Welcome, Lakewood Rotarians!! And what a fine day it will be when we can fist bump, shake hands, rub elbows or catch a quick hug for the first time in weeks!! Yes, welcome to the new normal! And speaking of normal....the bell chimed at 12:30 and Jim Rooks took the reins to begin our Friday meeting. He welcomed all and soon Scott Buser gave the invocation and Bob Peterson led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Cheerful greeters, Wendy McGowan, James Osundwa, and Dwight Williams were at the front desk encouraging all to enjoy the meeting and have a great day. (By the way, it worked!) Making the meeting work were Rob Erb, Tom George, James Osundwa, Rick Selden, Terry Roarke, Bob Martin, Leanna Christian and Kendra Riconosciuto. Quite the team that makes it all happen....every week! John Lowney, of course, was waiting for the fines to be paid, Greg Horn was Sergeant at Arms and the raffle encourager, Steve Enquist managed the Foundation donations, Greg Rediske monitored the president's limited gaffes and yours truly took minutes and somehow volunteered to schedule greeters. Visiting Rotarians and Guests: Pres. Rooks welcomed Mick McDaniel from Tacoma South Rotary Club. Gael Whalen, Jason Whalen's wife, was welcomed as well. Mary Moss introduced her friend and Council Member, Patti Belle....not to be confused with Patti La Belle, so I've heard. The Puffins who were up and ready for action were: Steve Saalfeld, James Osundwa, Wendy McGowan, Bob Martin, Andy Phillips, Dwight Williams, and Linda McDermott. Health & Wellness: Eric Warn, regarding the health of members, mentioned that Wynn Hoffman's son had passed away. Difficult news to hear. Connie Coleman-Lacadie's husband is recovering from surgery. Eric also mentioned that he is collecting eyeglasses for the Lakewood Lions so don't throw yours away. Good news then arrived with Greg Horn who gave a Rotary Theme Banner to Jim Rooks for serving all of us in the club so well. Eradicating polio has been our focus; last year we donated $1500 toward the cause. Greg then thanked the club for their efforts to support eradication of this awful disease. Induction of Another Puffin: Veronica Bronkema, sponsored by her husband Carl, was then asked to come to the podium. (Carl was still looking for the puffin!) Becoming a new enthusiastic member, Veronica was introduced to the pledge, the 4-way test, and shared some information about her life. She grew up in Mexico with Rotaract, has been married to Carl for almost two decades, has two sons, went to UW, and is now an administrator with the Dept. of Labor and Industries. She also serves on the Board at the Credit Union and is very excited to become a member of Lakewood Rotary. She now has the Red Badge, information about the club, a Rotary pin and, of course, the invoice. Jim assured her that he gave her the "family rate". Above: Latest Puffin: Veronica Bronkema Rose Stevens then introduced Mick McDaniel from Tacoma South Rotary Club. His club has been instrumental in assisting India with a much needed computer device called the Unplugged Hub. It works like a modem and disk drive when plugged in, but can become a hotspot for 50 computers for schools when unplugged. Several training levels are available for kids and also Microsoft and English as a second language information is also available. People in India have an average salary of about $1.25 a day. We can do at least 100 times as much with our money through projects in India. Check out the Rotary Magazine for more information. Then Mick congratulated Lakewood members for helping India with much needed computer help with our $2000 donation. Paul Harris Awards: Steve Enquist then presented Paul Harris awards to James Osundwa, his first....Peter Marsh, his first....and Ed Shannon, his 6th. Just so you know, Mary Horn received her 7th, 8th and 9th Paul Harris awards recently and as of today both Mary and Greg Horn, as a couple, have given a total of $25,000 to the Rotary Foundation!!! This means they now have a second Major Donor award, a crystal with their name on it, a diamond pin for each of them, and a pendant (that Mary immediately claimed). Lakewood Rotary now has 98 Paul Harris fellows!!! As a club we have given $1.3 + million. Well done, team!!! Above: A Puffin and PH Fellow, James Osundwa! Little Free Pantry: Jim then gave kudos to the Little Free Pantry committee for such an outstanding job and some of the hardest workers he has seen. Applause deserved. Fines and Generous Giving: Then came fines, with Carl Bronkema giving $100 for turning 58, for being able to play in the PGA Pro Am Tournament recently, and for having the love of his life and his partner in crime in the Lakewood Rotary club with him. (He should get an award for just that!! Just sayin') Steve Saalfeld's oldest son is now an engineer in training and has a job in Portland. Not sure what Steve paid as a fine, but, hey, his son now has a job. And Steve has his address! Sally Smith is 70% protected from bad Covid bugs and donated $100 while being so grateful for those who supported her. The Program: Jason Whalen, our Mayor of Lakewood, then introduced John Caulfield, the City Manager of the City of Lakewood. Jason smiled when he said it was one employee he could bother. John has had many leadership roles...Mountlake Terrace City Manager, Mr. Everything at City of University Place, Federal Way financial guru, Army Ranger in the 2nd Battalion at Fort Lewis, several Boards he has served on, and now serving Lakewood with honor. John received his Masters degree at Seattle Univ. and his bachelor’s degree at Boston University, where, rumor has it, he was a member of the same class as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Above: City Manager John Caulfield So here are some of the events happening in Lakewood. John mentioned that in the last two years, the city has shown inspiration, perseverance and resilience because of the challenges of Covid-19, and the finances have been the best in decades. The City has never been stronger....outstanding employees, no drawdown in services even with the three-headed monsters of: Pandemic, Supply Chain, and Inflation. Several areas of interest are parks, streets, youth programs, and JBLM cooperation. Also being addressed through the Federal Cares Act funds are issues such as rent, utilities, child care, landlords and businesses. $7.2 million is addressing homelessness, education, equity, and emergency shelters, with cooperation from Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Clubs, Communities in Schools and other organizations. John discussed military matters, tribal relations, Safe City Projects, and how the City is addressing the needs of first responders, health care workers, Police Academy, and more. Soon the police will all have body cameras; the police cars already have cameras, which helps to build assurance within the community that we are all working together to de-escalate and solve problems. John mentioned that Police Chief Mike Zaro is definitely helping to make it all happen. Last year in 2021 there was $159 million worth of new construction! This is an amount that often takes 30 years! Public policy changes are paying off. Housing is a definite immediate focus. Fourteen agencies are working together to address housing needs. Woodbrook Business Park is a major business plus. The freeway access to and from Thorne Lane has helped a lot. One manufacturing firm may soon bring in 800 employees, earning at least $100,000 a year. Lakewood Landing is receiving millions in investment. National and international districts are continuously improving. Downtown Central Park and new libraries plus a senior community center are also coming. A major focus is also on the Natural Environment. Thirty-five initiatives are in the works. With the possibility of a damaging flood from Clover Creek in the future, attention must be paid to the solutions now! Tree preservation, streets and sidewalks, gutters and curbs always need attention. Sound Transit has given $44 million through 2030 to address improvements. Parks at American Lake and Fort Steilacoom are being given $18 million for improvements. Also, get ready for the "fun stuff"....Summerfest on July 9th, Farmer's Market, Saturday Street Festivals, Kids fishing, Senior Activities, Clubs, Sports, and Tractor Tree Lighting. Lakewood is on it! We thank you, John Caulfield, and support all your efforts for making so many changes and your "Our glass is half full" attitude. With that, President Jim, hit the chime. The raffle ticket holder was Dwight Williams, but he didn't win the big one, by pulling out only a white chip Till next time.......yours truly, Mary Marlin Calendar of Upcoming LR Events: (if you have an item send it to Joe Quinn) 3/27-31 Sunriver Rotary Ski Trip (sold out) ? Lakewood Rotary Auction 6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet 7/21 Floating Board Meeting at Holly Hedge 8/27-28 The Courage (tentative date: unconfirmed) 9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain 12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast Reminder: Tacoma Country and Golf Club Dress Code Main Clubhouse: Golf Attire and denim will be allowed in all areas of the club, but no rips or tears will be accepted No pool attire No T-shirts, mock neck acceptable for men No hats for men inside No athletic wear including hooded/college sweatshirts |
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Resolutions and Other Disasters
Saturday, February 5, 2022 By: John W. MagnusonResolutions and Other Disasters
February (how many of us still say Feb-yew-airy) 4, 2022
Broken Resolutions
It has only been 5 weeks since you made those New Year’s resolutions. I know, it seems like an eternity, right? Just for the sake of curiosity – and no one is going to see your answer; it will just be between you and me – how much weight did you gain before you decided to not lose weight?
The Meeting Began
We’ll address a few more irresolute resolutions if the meeting starts to drag. But in the meantime, President Jim called all the gathered to order. Andrew Kruse remarked he tested positive for COVID and still gave a stirring invocation. He credited Booker T. Washington with a quote that, “Character is power.” Also that we as Rotarians should incorporate character, integrity and loyalty in our service. Dr. Rooks led the Pledge of Allegiance. It’s nice that President Jim remembered to thank Kendra Riconsiuto, John Lowney, Ole and Greg Rediske for their help.
Broken Resolutions – v 1
Speaking of resolutions, President Jim Rooks is compiling a list of Lakewood Rotarians who pledged to take-up running; he being an avid long distance runner. Past President Rick Selden decided that an invigorating 10-mile run would be a great way to start off the New Year. He made it 2 miles before realizing his mistake, called UBER and returned home. So much for that resolution but in so doing he actually satisfied another pledge – to travel more by car.
The Meeting Bustled On
There were no visitors and same number of guests. Wendy McGowan, Dwight Williams and Connie Coleman-Lacadie comprised the Puffins present. The Sunshine Report by Eric Warn told of Wynn Hoffman’s son with severe cancer. Ron Irwin’s lovely wife Liz is recovering from serious cancer surgery and will be undergoing radiation treatments. Some may remember the ever-smiling face of Dr. Lary Banks who recently died. We all welcomed John Warner back from his heart valve surgery. It is rumored Ralph Johnson underwent the same procedure recently. Knowing those two, I bet they negotiated a “Two-fer.”
Rotary Spotlight: (Taken from Rotary bios written by member Kay Shinn in 1987)
John E. Warner (By Kay Shinn, 1987)
Ohio can almost claim John, but Michigan won out! He was born in Morenci, Michigan, which is right on the border of Ohio, near Toledo. The year was 1928. He got his BA, and did post-graduate studies in Pharmacy, at the University of Michigan (Go Blue, sez John during football season). John was fortunate in finding a gal named Marian, who married him and presented him with two daughters and two sons. They are Lee Anne, Elizabeth, John Jr., and Chris. The Warners came to our area from their previous home in Bay City, located at the base of Michigan’s thumb. John got out of school in 1951, and immediately got involved in the Korean War for a couple of years. He works (1987) for Abbott Labs, with headquarters in Chicago. He contacts druggists, doctors and hospitals in our area. He finds time to do some traveling and does some (limited) golfing, fishing and skiing. John is on the board of the Children’s Home Society and belongs to the national and state pharmaceutical associations. He has been a member of our board, has been on the student exchange committee, is now vice chair of Community Social Concerns and is a Paul Harris sustaining member.
Update from 1987: John is now retired and fast on his way to 94 years old. Marian passed away a few years ago, while John revels in the successes of his children. Which is good for Lakewood Rotary, because he is quick to fine himself for those successes. He recently had a major heart event, with a major surgery of the “how do they do that?” variety, and is back to excellent, no doubt with his proverbial smile.
Foregoing bio provided by Greg Rediske, Club Secretary Extraordinaire
Above: John Warner
Broken Resolutions – v 2
Secretary Greg Rediske told me that one of his resolutions was simply to just be a better person. When I asked, “Greg, how much better could you possibly be?” He replied, “I know. It’s kind of like my favorite song by Mac Davis – Its Hard to be Humble when You’re Perfect in Every Way.” Thus breaking one of his resolutions – to show more humility.
The Meeting Steamed Forth
Reports of Lakewood Rotary activity show that this club is just about perfect in everything it does. PDG Greg Horn rattled off the rosters of birthdays; club anniversaries and wedding anniversaries so quickly I broke the tip of my of my Dixon Ticonderoga #2 and may have missed some but here are the ones I caught. Dave Reames, Gary Barton, Mary Moss, Mary Marlin, Carl Bronkema, and maybe “Wheels” Barlow Buescher and Anne Enquist all had birthdays. Rotary anniversaries approximated: Andrew Kruse - 4 years, Kendra Riconsiuto – 4 years, Eric Quinn – 4 years, Eric Warn – 6 years, Donnnn Irwin – 9 years or maybe 42 years, Kris Peterson – 12 years, Jim Weinand – 10 years, Dan Livingston – 16 years, Mo Sarram – 35 years, Dave Coleman – more than 1 and fewer than 100 years. Marital anniversaries: The Northcutts – 18 years, The Easters – 23 years, The Georges were either 37 or 39 years, but that doesn’t seem like anything to quibble over, The Roarkes – 44 years, The Phillipses– 53 years and The Sarrams – 62 years.
The Meeting, More
President Jim introduced Rose Stevens who reported that a MOU has been prepared for the installation of 1000 water tanks in what I believe is Brazil. For clarification on this matter please contact Rose. Jim further reported that Rotary Peace Fellowships are available. Contact Jim or the RI website for more information.
Broken Resolutions - v 3
I have a cousin who drinks too much. I am talking about alcohol here, kids. I spoke with him at Christmas and the subject of the New Year came up. He surprised me by saying he intended to travel more and cut back on his drinking. I congratulated him on sound choices, but was somewhat skeptical. I just heard from him and his first stop on his travels was to Boring, Oregon. I asked him why Boring. He replied, “Indeed, why Boring. The onliest reason I went to Boring is because it is next to a town named Moderation and I can drink all I want in Moderation.”
The Meeting Surged
Generous Giving turned out much better on this day than those of you buying BitCoins! “Wheels” Barlow Buescher gave $67 for a birthday and $33 to round up for a puppy he and Karen saved and adopted out. John Warner still believes his Alma Mater, Michigan, can beat Ohio State in football - $100. I didn’t have the heart to tell him it is now Parcheesi season. Mary Marlin overstated her birthday years by donating $50. Tom George insists he’s been married for 37 and gave $37 that he says proves the matter. Sally Porter Smith gave $50 for luck so she can enroll in an immunology study. That must work because Steve Mazoff, Barb Spriggs and Anne Enquist all ponied up on her behalf. Jan Gee appeased the Arizona weather gods with $20. Phil Eng praised John Lowney’s skills in helping him for $20.
Broken Resolutions – v 4
Lakewood Rotarian Morris Northcutt is known for his mastery of the Trumpet. His recording – Tonada, available on Amazon, shows his genius. Little known is the pledge he made to explore new musical worlds. Apparently he has tired of being a prodigy of Cornet music and resolved to twitch the limits of his prodigious talent and try to master the Kazoo. It saddens me to learn we’ll no longer be able to enjoy his dulcet melodies on the golden bell. Hopefully he’ll fail miserably on the Kazoo, not that I wish him ill.
Broken Resolution – v 5
Past President Chris Kimball loves cars. Well, he loves Vickie and their sons more, but cars come in a close second. Well, to be clear, he loves drums more than cars but not as much as he loves Vickie and their sons. And, well, he also loves being a financial advisor. He kind of loves being a financial advisor more that cars but not as much as he loves drums. And Vickie and their sons. Anyway, Chris doesn’t like compasses. And maps. And GPS directions. Actually Chris doesn’t like not knowing where he is in terms of geography. So; one of Chris’s New Years resolutions was to learn where he is. Make that, where he is all the time. That means Chris has to learn all manner of things about cardinal directions. You know; ordinary stuff like: north, east, west and south. Also more complex stuff like left and right, up and down, here and there, etc. However, on his first outing in his Micro-Mini Doodad car, after vowing to understand where he was, is and will be, he hasn’t been seen. So much for that resolution. When asked about Chris’s absence, Vickie queried, “He’s gone?”
The Meeting Drove Off A Cliff In A Hurricane And Volcanic Eruption!
Just kidding. But what if it had? Would you have known what to do, whom to call, what paperwork to complete? I thought not! Andrew Neiditz introduced our speaker, Bill Lokey. Suffice to say, Bill has been involved in Emergency Management and Recovery for more than 40 years. Such work has taken him from Washington State to Washington DC, the Northridge Earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, Antarctica, Oklahoma City – and more.
Above: Power Point via Zoom
Bill began his remarks by stating that we don’t prepare well for disasters. Most progress is made in retrospect. What began as Civil Defense has now morphed into FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency. For your evening reading pleasure Bill recommends you bone-up on38.52 RCW and 43.06 RCW and any follow-on Executive Orders all as regards Washington State.
He separated planning into needs as differentiated by accidents, emergencies and disasters. All may present differently and he emphasized how complex each could be without clear lines of communications, responsibilities, convergences, media relationships, etc. Bill did an excellent job of pointing out how total confusion could result were it not for organizational clarity.
Public education, responder training, planning ability, possible need for improvisation all are routes to better handling of emergency situations. He pointed to a youthful understanding of the need to protect oneself by exposing one’s “butt.” To elaborating on who is responsible for coffee and donuts. I think I got that part right?
Bill closed with the question, “What can you do?” I answered, “Play guitar and ukulele,” but apparently that wasn’t the answer he was looking for. Obviously the answer goes back to Boy Scout Troop 460, led by Phil Smart, Scoutmaster and famous Rotarian – Be Prepared. And he cleverly remarked, “Ten minutes before the party is no time to be learning how to dance.”
Another wonderful program brought to you 50 times per year by The Rotary Club of Lakewood – in case anyone asks. And several Rotarians asked Bill cogent questions for which he had concise and authoritative answers.
Above: Beautiful but a disaster waiting to happen? Ed.
Broken Resolutions – v 6
Lakewood Rotarian – let’s call her “Marlene” - told me in strictest confidence that she is addicted to Twitter, Snapchat, Gonzo, Facebook and Beezer. She made a resolution to cut back on social media computer usage, but that didn’t last one week. She apparently went into a catatonic state when she discovered she couldn’t remember her fourteen digits, alphanumeric, symbol, upper and lower case password while trying to sneak back into Gonzo. She forgot to disable her computer’s camera, and ALEXA and SIRI filmed her as she ran screaming from her home office. She was taken down by some Microsoft goons in blue scrubs– IN HER OWN HOUSE! After taking some prescribed doses of Diazepam she is now on solid ground. Counseling made her realize she was hallucinating. Self-hypnosis, meditation and Yoga enable her to deal with the “weaning” process. I met with her at Burs for breakfast this morning to talk about her progress. Between sips of her second double Vodka Martini she said life is good again and she is cured of compulsive computer usage. Let’s hear it for “Marlene!”
Who Reads This Stuff?
Ole
Calendar of Upcoming LR Events: (if you have an item send it to Joe Quinn)
3/27-31 Sunriver Rotary Ski Trip (sold out)
? Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/27-28 The Courage (tentative date: unconfirmed)
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
We’ll address a few more irresolute resolutions if the meeting starts to drag. But in the meantime, President Jim called all the gathered to order. Andrew Kruse remarked he tested positive for COVID and still gave a stirring invocation. He credited Booker T. Washington with a quote that, “Character is power.” Also that we as Rotarians should incorporate character, integrity and loyalty in our service. Dr. Rooks led the Pledge of Allegiance. It’s nice that President Jim remembered to thank Kendra Riconsiuto, John Lowney, Ole and Greg Rediske for their help.
Broken Resolutions – v 1
Speaking of resolutions, President Jim Rooks is compiling a list of Lakewood Rotarians who pledged to take-up running; he being an avid long distance runner. Past President Rick Selden decided that an invigorating 10-mile run would be a great way to start off the New Year. He made it 2 miles before realizing his mistake, called UBER and returned home. So much for that resolution but in so doing he actually satisfied another pledge – to travel more by car.
The Meeting Bustled On
There were no visitors and same number of guests. Wendy McGowan, Dwight Williams and Connie Coleman-Lacadie comprised the Puffins present. The Sunshine Report by Eric Warn told of Wynn Hoffman’s son with severe cancer. Ron Irwin’s lovely wife Liz is recovering from serious cancer surgery and will be undergoing radiation treatments. Some may remember the ever-smiling face of Dr. Lary Banks who recently died. We all welcomed John Warner back from his heart valve surgery. It is rumored Ralph Johnson underwent the same procedure recently. Knowing those two, I bet they negotiated a “Two-fer.”
Rotary Spotlight: (Taken from Rotary bios written by member Kay Shinn in 1987)
John E. Warner (By Kay Shinn, 1987)
Ohio can almost claim John, but Michigan won out! He was born in Morenci, Michigan, which is right on the border of Ohio, near Toledo. The year was 1928. He got his BA, and did post-graduate studies in Pharmacy, at the University of Michigan (Go Blue, sez John during football season). John was fortunate in finding a gal named Marian, who married him and presented him with two daughters and two sons. They are Lee Anne, Elizabeth, John Jr., and Chris. The Warners came to our area from their previous home in Bay City, located at the base of Michigan’s thumb. John got out of school in 1951, and immediately got involved in the Korean War for a couple of years. He works (1987) for Abbott Labs, with headquarters in Chicago. He contacts druggists, doctors and hospitals in our area. He finds time to do some traveling and does some (limited) golfing, fishing and skiing. John is on the board of the Children’s Home Society and belongs to the national and state pharmaceutical associations. He has been a member of our board, has been on the student exchange committee, is now vice chair of Community Social Concerns and is a Paul Harris sustaining member.
Update from 1987: John is now retired and fast on his way to 94 years old. Marian passed away a few years ago, while John revels in the successes of his children. Which is good for Lakewood Rotary, because he is quick to fine himself for those successes. He recently had a major heart event, with a major surgery of the “how do they do that?” variety, and is back to excellent, no doubt with his proverbial smile.
Foregoing bio provided by Greg Rediske, Club Secretary Extraordinaire
Above: John Warner
Broken Resolutions – v 2
Secretary Greg Rediske told me that one of his resolutions was simply to just be a better person. When I asked, “Greg, how much better could you possibly be?” He replied, “I know. It’s kind of like my favorite song by Mac Davis – Its Hard to be Humble when You’re Perfect in Every Way.” Thus breaking one of his resolutions – to show more humility.
The Meeting Steamed Forth
Reports of Lakewood Rotary activity show that this club is just about perfect in everything it does. PDG Greg Horn rattled off the rosters of birthdays; club anniversaries and wedding anniversaries so quickly I broke the tip of my of my Dixon Ticonderoga #2 and may have missed some but here are the ones I caught. Dave Reames, Gary Barton, Mary Moss, Mary Marlin, Carl Bronkema, and maybe “Wheels” Barlow Buescher and Anne Enquist all had birthdays. Rotary anniversaries approximated: Andrew Kruse - 4 years, Kendra Riconsiuto – 4 years, Eric Quinn – 4 years, Eric Warn – 6 years, Donnnn Irwin – 9 years or maybe 42 years, Kris Peterson – 12 years, Jim Weinand – 10 years, Dan Livingston – 16 years, Mo Sarram – 35 years, Dave Coleman – more than 1 and fewer than 100 years. Marital anniversaries: The Northcutts – 18 years, The Easters – 23 years, The Georges were either 37 or 39 years, but that doesn’t seem like anything to quibble over, The Roarkes – 44 years, The Phillipses– 53 years and The Sarrams – 62 years.
The Meeting, More
President Jim introduced Rose Stevens who reported that a MOU has been prepared for the installation of 1000 water tanks in what I believe is Brazil. For clarification on this matter please contact Rose. Jim further reported that Rotary Peace Fellowships are available. Contact Jim or the RI website for more information.
Broken Resolutions - v 3
I have a cousin who drinks too much. I am talking about alcohol here, kids. I spoke with him at Christmas and the subject of the New Year came up. He surprised me by saying he intended to travel more and cut back on his drinking. I congratulated him on sound choices, but was somewhat skeptical. I just heard from him and his first stop on his travels was to Boring, Oregon. I asked him why Boring. He replied, “Indeed, why Boring. The onliest reason I went to Boring is because it is next to a town named Moderation and I can drink all I want in Moderation.”
The Meeting Surged
Generous Giving turned out much better on this day than those of you buying BitCoins! “Wheels” Barlow Buescher gave $67 for a birthday and $33 to round up for a puppy he and Karen saved and adopted out. John Warner still believes his Alma Mater, Michigan, can beat Ohio State in football - $100. I didn’t have the heart to tell him it is now Parcheesi season. Mary Marlin overstated her birthday years by donating $50. Tom George insists he’s been married for 37 and gave $37 that he says proves the matter. Sally Porter Smith gave $50 for luck so she can enroll in an immunology study. That must work because Steve Mazoff, Barb Spriggs and Anne Enquist all ponied up on her behalf. Jan Gee appeased the Arizona weather gods with $20. Phil Eng praised John Lowney’s skills in helping him for $20.
Broken Resolutions – v 4
Lakewood Rotarian Morris Northcutt is known for his mastery of the Trumpet. His recording – Tonada, available on Amazon, shows his genius. Little known is the pledge he made to explore new musical worlds. Apparently he has tired of being a prodigy of Cornet music and resolved to twitch the limits of his prodigious talent and try to master the Kazoo. It saddens me to learn we’ll no longer be able to enjoy his dulcet melodies on the golden bell. Hopefully he’ll fail miserably on the Kazoo, not that I wish him ill.
Broken Resolution – v 5
Past President Chris Kimball loves cars. Well, he loves Vickie and their sons more, but cars come in a close second. Well, to be clear, he loves drums more than cars but not as much as he loves Vickie and their sons. And, well, he also loves being a financial advisor. He kind of loves being a financial advisor more that cars but not as much as he loves drums. And Vickie and their sons. Anyway, Chris doesn’t like compasses. And maps. And GPS directions. Actually Chris doesn’t like not knowing where he is in terms of geography. So; one of Chris’s New Years resolutions was to learn where he is. Make that, where he is all the time. That means Chris has to learn all manner of things about cardinal directions. You know; ordinary stuff like: north, east, west and south. Also more complex stuff like left and right, up and down, here and there, etc. However, on his first outing in his Micro-Mini Doodad car, after vowing to understand where he was, is and will be, he hasn’t been seen. So much for that resolution. When asked about Chris’s absence, Vickie queried, “He’s gone?”
The Meeting Drove Off A Cliff In A Hurricane And Volcanic Eruption!
Just kidding. But what if it had? Would you have known what to do, whom to call, what paperwork to complete? I thought not! Andrew Neiditz introduced our speaker, Bill Lokey. Suffice to say, Bill has been involved in Emergency Management and Recovery for more than 40 years. Such work has taken him from Washington State to Washington DC, the Northridge Earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, Antarctica, Oklahoma City – and more.
Above: Power Point via Zoom
Bill began his remarks by stating that we don’t prepare well for disasters. Most progress is made in retrospect. What began as Civil Defense has now morphed into FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency. For your evening reading pleasure Bill recommends you bone-up on38.52 RCW and 43.06 RCW and any follow-on Executive Orders all as regards Washington State.
He separated planning into needs as differentiated by accidents, emergencies and disasters. All may present differently and he emphasized how complex each could be without clear lines of communications, responsibilities, convergences, media relationships, etc. Bill did an excellent job of pointing out how total confusion could result were it not for organizational clarity.
Public education, responder training, planning ability, possible need for improvisation all are routes to better handling of emergency situations. He pointed to a youthful understanding of the need to protect oneself by exposing one’s “butt.” To elaborating on who is responsible for coffee and donuts. I think I got that part right?
Bill closed with the question, “What can you do?” I answered, “Play guitar and ukulele,” but apparently that wasn’t the answer he was looking for. Obviously the answer goes back to Boy Scout Troop 460, led by Phil Smart, Scoutmaster and famous Rotarian – Be Prepared. And he cleverly remarked, “Ten minutes before the party is no time to be learning how to dance.”
Another wonderful program brought to you 50 times per year by The Rotary Club of Lakewood – in case anyone asks. And several Rotarians asked Bill cogent questions for which he had concise and authoritative answers.
Above: Beautiful but a disaster waiting to happen? Ed.
Broken Resolutions – v 6
Lakewood Rotarian – let’s call her “Marlene” - told me in strictest confidence that she is addicted to Twitter, Snapchat, Gonzo, Facebook and Beezer. She made a resolution to cut back on social media computer usage, but that didn’t last one week. She apparently went into a catatonic state when she discovered she couldn’t remember her fourteen digits, alphanumeric, symbol, upper and lower case password while trying to sneak back into Gonzo. She forgot to disable her computer’s camera, and ALEXA and SIRI filmed her as she ran screaming from her home office. She was taken down by some Microsoft goons in blue scrubs– IN HER OWN HOUSE! After taking some prescribed doses of Diazepam she is now on solid ground. Counseling made her realize she was hallucinating. Self-hypnosis, meditation and Yoga enable her to deal with the “weaning” process. I met with her at Burs for breakfast this morning to talk about her progress. Between sips of her second double Vodka Martini she said life is good again and she is cured of compulsive computer usage. Let’s hear it for “Marlene!”
Who Reads This Stuff?
Ole
Calendar of Upcoming LR Events: (if you have an item send it to Joe Quinn)
3/27-31 Sunriver Rotary Ski Trip (sold out)
? Lakewood Rotary Auction
6/25 Rotary Installation Banquet
8/27-28 The Courage (tentative date: unconfirmed)
9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain
12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast
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History and Biographies
Saturday, January 29, 2022 By: Gregory J. RediskeHistory and Biographies
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
Jim Rooks “rang the bell” to start this meeting of Lakewood Rotary, exactly 65 years, 9 months and 3 days since the chartering of our club on April 25, 1956. 24,019 days. By that date, 44 of our 126 members had not been born yet. That’s a lot of history right there, all recorded week in and week out by your fastidious bulletin-writing historians. Emblazoned on the door of our bulletin-writers’ press room are two quotes: “History is a set of lies agreed upon.” (Napoleon), and “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” (Winston Churchill). Personally, I have lobbied for the removal of the Bonaparte inscription simply because he is also the guy who wrote “Women are nothing but machines for producing children.” But the darned thing is engraved above the door, so…
140 words so far and having said nothing of note about our meeting of January 28 might be noteworthy but for the volumes of bulletins that have gone before. Even so, a point should be made, and that is that this heavily researched edition of the Lakewood Key (the official name of our weekly bulletin) contains some biographies reproduced from 1987. They were written by the late-great Kay Shinn who was 83 at the time. Some may remember Elan Shinn Real Estate from the 1970s, Kay’s wife. Kay decided to write brief bios of all the members of Lakewood Rotary, and did so. Most are no longer alive, but a bunch still are! So not only will you get the storytelling of today’s meeting which will itself lapse into history in 20 or 30 years by definition, you’ll also get honest to goodness stories that have already aged into history! And of course, the program will give us a history lesson as well. We shall make you smart, and historically wise!
If anyone is still reading this (to mimic The Great Ole of Lakewood Key fame), it will now be noted that President Rooks did indeed start this meeting, something over 3200 meetings after the first in 1956, with the invocation of Bob Hammar, the flag presentation by Leanna Christian, and leading of the Pledge by President Jim. All via Zoom, of course, for the next to last time as a 100% Zoom. Back to the Club on February 11, with the Zoom option always available. Prior to that, discussion included Carole Wier’s plan to relocate back here where it’s not so cold, Jim Bisceglia’s struggling remodel, while Bill Potter was representing all of us by having lunch at the Country Club.
Puffins in the house: James Osundwa, Wendy McGowan, Bob Martin, and Dwight Williams.
Mahmoud (Mo) Sarram by Kay Shinn, 1987
Mo is one of our newer members. He has been with us for about a year or so. He was born in 1932 in Iran and received his medical education at the University of Freiburg in West Germany. He says that a most important step in his life and in the lives of his family was their immigration to the United States. Mo practices obstetrics and gynecology in his office at 7424 Bridgeport Way SW. His wife is named Ferie (Fereshteh), and they have 3 children, all students. They are Manya, 24; Shahrzad, 23; and Ali, 18. Mo enjoys his work, but he also has fun doing such things as hiking, reading, and boning up on such topics as religion and philosophy. (Hey, that sounds downright brainy!) In Rotary, Mo has worked in the area of international service and is now Vice Chairman of the World Community Service Committee.
(Update since 1987: Mo is retired and has been chair of the World Affairs Seminar committee for many years. He has written a book, Transplanted: A Memoir of Faith and Vision for American Muslims. An excellent book.)
Above: Mo Sarram
Foundation Report: Steve Enquist reported that in the first six months, $11,145 has been collected for the Paul Harris Foundation, and $13,110 was sent to RI. We have 98 Paul Harris Fellows and 13 major donors. Eight Lakewood Rotarians make automated deposits which aren’t included in the yearly total. All time contribution by Lakewood Rotary: $1,305,599.
As mentioned previously, the Board of Directors decided to implement a 4% charge for online credit card payments to cover the expense from each transaction. As that relates to Paul Harris charges: A payment of $100 will cost the donor $104; but as the CC convenience fee for this charge is just 3.6%, not the charged 4%, approximately 40 cents will be added to the donation to Paul Harris, for a total credited donation of $100.40. Got that?!? (We wordsmithing bulletin writers are not particularly strong on math, so we announce this formula with trepidation as to its accuracy. We’re better at big words.)
Rose Stevens requested approval of $2000 out of the World Community Service committee for a grant through Tacoma South for a student training center in northern India. Passed unanimously.
Announcements from Jim:
--District Conference is May 13-14 in Victoria, with hotel arrangements at the Grand Pacific. Home hospitality is available one night and Jim promises a great time will be had by all. Sign up at www.rotary5020.org.
--Starting February 11, Puffin greeters will be re-engaged, starting with Jim Rooks and his crop of Puffins that he recently sponsored. It will be good to get back to this friendly routine: say Hi to President Jim and the new members as you arrive!
John Magnuson by Kay Shinn, 1987
Here is another of our bright-eyed eager-beavers, itching to take over from us jaded, jagged has-beens (or never weres!). John is only 47 years old but is apparently cutting a swath! He was born in Seattle and received his degree at the U of W. His wife is named Bonnie, and they have three children: Stacia, Erik, and Kyle. They live on Interlaaken Drive SW. John heads up Magnuson Management Inc. (real estate management) with offices at 10107 South Tacoma Way and in Bellevue. He is a senior vice president of the Institute of Real Estate Management, National Organization; member of Home Builders, Building Owners and Management Association. John enjoys boating, swimming, and travel. And he was on the U.S. Pan American Games rowing team in 1963. He was a charter member of Fife-Milton Rotary Club and has been on our major project selection committee. He is now vice chairman of our group study exchange committee.
(Update since 1987: John took his company public several years ago and is now retired. He is a Past President of Lakewood Rotary (2001-02), a Russ Klauser Rotarian of the Year (2013-14), and was co-chair of the playground project at Ft. Steilacoom. He has taken up the ukulele and guitar, while continuing to attempt to tell a good Scandinavian joke or two.)
Above: John Magnuson
Fines, or Generous Giving, depending on how you look at it:
--Joe Quinn (and Kris) just welcomed Asher, their 4th and possibly final grandchild. He was 7 lb. 1 oz and 20”, and worth $100 to the fine budget. He also celebrated his 76th birthday.
--Nicole Hancock announced her new baby boy, destined to arrive on or about April 6, several weeks ago on Facebook. But the real, real announcement is when it is made to Lakewood Rotary. Look out world!
--David Swindale returned from Hawaii, again, and paid $100 for his Kona trip, a helicopter ride over a volcano and snorkeling with Manta rays.
--Bob Martin made a free announcement/greeting that he sat next to Jane Pryor, our outstanding member from 1997 to 2007, at a meeting of Seattle #4, where Jane is now a member. Howdy, Jane!
Dave Covey (By Kay Shinn, 1987)
You should see the biography form this guy turned in! His wife, Florence, did part of the work and it’s hard to tell who’s doing what to who! Dave was born in 1943 (at the Bremerton Naval Shipyard, according to Flo’s neat insert). He graduated from the UW in 1967 after earning letters in Frosh baseball and 3 years as a crew man. (He pulled much harder than Rotarian John Magnuson did, according to another of Flo’s ad lib inserts). Dave and Florence are parents of Angie (17) and Boen (5). They started their Business Interiors Northwest in 1982 in their basement. Now they have three locations and hire 28 people. As the company name indicates, they do interior planning for commercial customers. Dave works up a sweat running, skiing, biking, slo-pitch softball…and some golf-betting with Joe Ghilarducci. Dave had an adventurous background: he homesteaded in Alaska; farmed in Montana; graduated from Air Force Navigation School; served in Vietnam; was a crew coach; taught school; and etc. Dave has been with us since 1983 and he’s been busy. For example: Pancake Breakfast ticket chairman, softball coach during our winning and losing years; wild game dinner prize project; project selection committee; and etc.
Update from 1987: Dave founded the MFLF (Mighty Fine Liberation Front) during the reign of Dennis Shade, whose Mighty Fine was $50. Dave’s group insisted on a reduction to $17.95, which Dave still invokes. He was club president in 2002-03 and Russ Klauser Rotarian of the Year in 2009-10. Dave is dealing with Parkinson’s and has been extremely active in helping fellow sufferers of that disease with spinning and boxing workouts.
Above: Dave Covey, then and later
Program:
“I am big and tough and rough and rugged and not afraid to die because my heart is pure and extra smart and extra good looking and God’s gift to women”. So Barlow Buescher’s dad would say about him to his friends, so that’s probably all we need to know about Barlow. But just for completeness-sake, Greg Rediske added that Barlow worked at processing cow hides and remelting aluminum in between graduating from Whitworth and later the Princeton Theological Seminary, where he got his Master of Divinity. His career started in West Virginia, but he soon migrated here to serve as minister at Lakewood Presbyterian for 30 years, while simultaneously teaching at Pierce and St. Martins, primarily Sociology, from Intro to Social Theory. He is married to Karen Johnson and lives next door to Greg Rediske, not actually Barlow’s decision as he was already there when Greg moved in. His Irish Setter Earnest is Maisy’s best friend (Greg’s dog), as inquiring minds want to know.
Barlow first spoke of his immense pride at teaching the military all over the world at Pierce. (In Saturday’s Suburban Times, it was announced that the Council of College and Military Educators (CCME) name Pierce College the recipient of the 2022 Institution Award in recognition of its significant contributions to the cause of military education. Barlow says it is not the first time they have received this prestigious award.) Barlow took us on a journey of 7000 years, starting with subsistence farming that dominated the world then. At that time, 60% of children didn’t live long enough to procreate. Many families didn’t even name their children for a few years, given the expectation of early death. “Death was a part of life.” Families needed about 5 births per woman to maintain a stable population. As the death rate collapsed over time, a surplus of people forced the move off the farm to the village. (All the while, Barlow was showing off his unique drawing skills on charts, inspiring Greg Horn to “chat” that it reminded him of Dave Covey’s pie charts.) This movement grew rapidly over a century and a half in the United States, and the same movement is now happening in India, Southeast Asia, China and elsewhere: only much faster. Fast forward to now, and people want stuff. Leading to globalization. Leading to pollution; and climate change. Climate refugees will be a real thing by the end of this century, continuing change and innovation.
Jim Rooks recommended his book club subject, “Unsettled” by Steven Koonin on this subject. And with that, the entire Rotary Club can now apply for one college credit at Pierce College. Thanks, Barlow!!
And finally, there is no drawing, again. Zoom is like that. But there is the subject of corporate mergers to investigate. The last few years have seen many, many such mergers. Here are two we’d like to see come about (originally in the August, 1988 Lakewood Key):
If Yale Lock, Mary Tyler Moore Enterprises, Fuller Brush and WR Grace Chemical merged, you could name it Yale-Mary-Fuller-Grace.
And if K-Mart, Sarah Lee and Sarah Coventry merged, they would of course be K-Sarah-Sarah.
Any complaints, take it up with the Editor.
If anyone is still reading this (to mimic The Great Ole of Lakewood Key fame), it will now be noted that President Rooks did indeed start this meeting, something over 3200 meetings after the first in 1956, with the invocation of Bob Hammar, the flag presentation by Leanna Christian, and leading of the Pledge by President Jim. All via Zoom, of course, for the next to last time as a 100% Zoom. Back to the Club on February 11, with the Zoom option always available. Prior to that, discussion included Carole Wier’s plan to relocate back here where it’s not so cold, Jim Bisceglia’s struggling remodel, while Bill Potter was representing all of us by having lunch at the Country Club.
Puffins in the house: James Osundwa, Wendy McGowan, Bob Martin, and Dwight Williams.
Mahmoud (Mo) Sarram by Kay Shinn, 1987
Mo is one of our newer members. He has been with us for about a year or so. He was born in 1932 in Iran and received his medical education at the University of Freiburg in West Germany. He says that a most important step in his life and in the lives of his family was their immigration to the United States. Mo practices obstetrics and gynecology in his office at 7424 Bridgeport Way SW. His wife is named Ferie (Fereshteh), and they have 3 children, all students. They are Manya, 24; Shahrzad, 23; and Ali, 18. Mo enjoys his work, but he also has fun doing such things as hiking, reading, and boning up on such topics as religion and philosophy. (Hey, that sounds downright brainy!) In Rotary, Mo has worked in the area of international service and is now Vice Chairman of the World Community Service Committee.
(Update since 1987: Mo is retired and has been chair of the World Affairs Seminar committee for many years. He has written a book, Transplanted: A Memoir of Faith and Vision for American Muslims. An excellent book.)
Above: Mo Sarram
Foundation Report: Steve Enquist reported that in the first six months, $11,145 has been collected for the Paul Harris Foundation, and $13,110 was sent to RI. We have 98 Paul Harris Fellows and 13 major donors. Eight Lakewood Rotarians make automated deposits which aren’t included in the yearly total. All time contribution by Lakewood Rotary: $1,305,599.
As mentioned previously, the Board of Directors decided to implement a 4% charge for online credit card payments to cover the expense from each transaction. As that relates to Paul Harris charges: A payment of $100 will cost the donor $104; but as the CC convenience fee for this charge is just 3.6%, not the charged 4%, approximately 40 cents will be added to the donation to Paul Harris, for a total credited donation of $100.40. Got that?!? (We wordsmithing bulletin writers are not particularly strong on math, so we announce this formula with trepidation as to its accuracy. We’re better at big words.)
Rose Stevens requested approval of $2000 out of the World Community Service committee for a grant through Tacoma South for a student training center in northern India. Passed unanimously.
Announcements from Jim:
--District Conference is May 13-14 in Victoria, with hotel arrangements at the Grand Pacific. Home hospitality is available one night and Jim promises a great time will be had by all. Sign up at www.rotary5020.org.
--Starting February 11, Puffin greeters will be re-engaged, starting with Jim Rooks and his crop of Puffins that he recently sponsored. It will be good to get back to this friendly routine: say Hi to President Jim and the new members as you arrive!
John Magnuson by Kay Shinn, 1987
Here is another of our bright-eyed eager-beavers, itching to take over from us jaded, jagged has-beens (or never weres!). John is only 47 years old but is apparently cutting a swath! He was born in Seattle and received his degree at the U of W. His wife is named Bonnie, and they have three children: Stacia, Erik, and Kyle. They live on Interlaaken Drive SW. John heads up Magnuson Management Inc. (real estate management) with offices at 10107 South Tacoma Way and in Bellevue. He is a senior vice president of the Institute of Real Estate Management, National Organization; member of Home Builders, Building Owners and Management Association. John enjoys boating, swimming, and travel. And he was on the U.S. Pan American Games rowing team in 1963. He was a charter member of Fife-Milton Rotary Club and has been on our major project selection committee. He is now vice chairman of our group study exchange committee.
(Update since 1987: John took his company public several years ago and is now retired. He is a Past President of Lakewood Rotary (2001-02), a Russ Klauser Rotarian of the Year (2013-14), and was co-chair of the playground project at Ft. Steilacoom. He has taken up the ukulele and guitar, while continuing to attempt to tell a good Scandinavian joke or two.)
Above: John Magnuson
Fines, or Generous Giving, depending on how you look at it:
--Joe Quinn (and Kris) just welcomed Asher, their 4th and possibly final grandchild. He was 7 lb. 1 oz and 20”, and worth $100 to the fine budget. He also celebrated his 76th birthday.
--Nicole Hancock announced her new baby boy, destined to arrive on or about April 6, several weeks ago on Facebook. But the real, real announcement is when it is made to Lakewood Rotary. Look out world!
--David Swindale returned from Hawaii, again, and paid $100 for his Kona trip, a helicopter ride over a volcano and snorkeling with Manta rays.
--Bob Martin made a free announcement/greeting that he sat next to Jane Pryor, our outstanding member from 1997 to 2007, at a meeting of Seattle #4, where Jane is now a member. Howdy, Jane!
Dave Covey (By Kay Shinn, 1987)
You should see the biography form this guy turned in! His wife, Florence, did part of the work and it’s hard to tell who’s doing what to who! Dave was born in 1943 (at the Bremerton Naval Shipyard, according to Flo’s neat insert). He graduated from the UW in 1967 after earning letters in Frosh baseball and 3 years as a crew man. (He pulled much harder than Rotarian John Magnuson did, according to another of Flo’s ad lib inserts). Dave and Florence are parents of Angie (17) and Boen (5). They started their Business Interiors Northwest in 1982 in their basement. Now they have three locations and hire 28 people. As the company name indicates, they do interior planning for commercial customers. Dave works up a sweat running, skiing, biking, slo-pitch softball…and some golf-betting with Joe Ghilarducci. Dave had an adventurous background: he homesteaded in Alaska; farmed in Montana; graduated from Air Force Navigation School; served in Vietnam; was a crew coach; taught school; and etc. Dave has been with us since 1983 and he’s been busy. For example: Pancake Breakfast ticket chairman, softball coach during our winning and losing years; wild game dinner prize project; project selection committee; and etc.
Update from 1987: Dave founded the MFLF (Mighty Fine Liberation Front) during the reign of Dennis Shade, whose Mighty Fine was $50. Dave’s group insisted on a reduction to $17.95, which Dave still invokes. He was club president in 2002-03 and Russ Klauser Rotarian of the Year in 2009-10. Dave is dealing with Parkinson’s and has been extremely active in helping fellow sufferers of that disease with spinning and boxing workouts.
Above: Dave Covey, then and later
Program:
“I am big and tough and rough and rugged and not afraid to die because my heart is pure and extra smart and extra good looking and God’s gift to women”. So Barlow Buescher’s dad would say about him to his friends, so that’s probably all we need to know about Barlow. But just for completeness-sake, Greg Rediske added that Barlow worked at processing cow hides and remelting aluminum in between graduating from Whitworth and later the Princeton Theological Seminary, where he got his Master of Divinity. His career started in West Virginia, but he soon migrated here to serve as minister at Lakewood Presbyterian for 30 years, while simultaneously teaching at Pierce and St. Martins, primarily Sociology, from Intro to Social Theory. He is married to Karen Johnson and lives next door to Greg Rediske, not actually Barlow’s decision as he was already there when Greg moved in. His Irish Setter Earnest is Maisy’s best friend (Greg’s dog), as inquiring minds want to know.
Barlow first spoke of his immense pride at teaching the military all over the world at Pierce. (In Saturday’s Suburban Times, it was announced that the Council of College and Military Educators (CCME) name Pierce College the recipient of the 2022 Institution Award in recognition of its significant contributions to the cause of military education. Barlow says it is not the first time they have received this prestigious award.) Barlow took us on a journey of 7000 years, starting with subsistence farming that dominated the world then. At that time, 60% of children didn’t live long enough to procreate. Many families didn’t even name their children for a few years, given the expectation of early death. “Death was a part of life.” Families needed about 5 births per woman to maintain a stable population. As the death rate collapsed over time, a surplus of people forced the move off the farm to the village. (All the while, Barlow was showing off his unique drawing skills on charts, inspiring Greg Horn to “chat” that it reminded him of Dave Covey’s pie charts.) This movement grew rapidly over a century and a half in the United States, and the same movement is now happening in India, Southeast Asia, China and elsewhere: only much faster. Fast forward to now, and people want stuff. Leading to globalization. Leading to pollution; and climate change. Climate refugees will be a real thing by the end of this century, continuing change and innovation.
Jim Rooks recommended his book club subject, “Unsettled” by Steven Koonin on this subject. And with that, the entire Rotary Club can now apply for one college credit at Pierce College. Thanks, Barlow!!
And finally, there is no drawing, again. Zoom is like that. But there is the subject of corporate mergers to investigate. The last few years have seen many, many such mergers. Here are two we’d like to see come about (originally in the August, 1988 Lakewood Key):
If Yale Lock, Mary Tyler Moore Enterprises, Fuller Brush and WR Grace Chemical merged, you could name it Yale-Mary-Fuller-Grace.
And if K-Mart, Sarah Lee and Sarah Coventry merged, they would of course be K-Sarah-Sarah.
Any complaints, take it up with the Editor.
Read MoreShare
AI: Making Magic Mundane
Sunday, January 23, 2022 By: Donn IrwinAI – Making Magic Mundane
THE LAKEWOOD KEY for January 21,2022
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
1)a branch of computer science dealing with the simulation of intelligent behavior in computers
2) the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior
In the beginning President Jim called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m; however, there was some pre-game chatter among the Zooming members of the Lakewood Rotary tribe. Some of the chatter went like this:
Greg R. mentioned that the Board meeting went long and that President Jim wasn’t happy about it, but lots of stuff had to get done.
Ron Banner was thanked for all of the things that he does. Greg R. wanted to know how Ron was dealing with the Covid situation. Mr. Banner was very diplomatic while giving us some insight in dealing with all of the regulations.
On this day in history….
In 1677 the first medical publication in America (pamphlet on smallpox) was published in Boston
Carole Wier shared that she was experiencing a heat wave in Minnesota. When she got up this morning it was 3 degrees but the thermometer had since climbed all the way up to 13 degrees as of the time of our meeting. (For her I believe it was 2:30PM.)
Gayle Selden publicly apologized to PP Bill Potter for joking him in the last Club Bulletin. Bill allowed that it was fine and recognition of any kind is great for PPs.
1813 - Spaniard Don Francisco de Paula y Marin plants coffee in Hawaii - first record of coffee growing in Hawaii.
Now back to our meeting:
President Jim called the meeting to order promptly at 12:30 p.m and immediately went mute……I’ll leave that alone. After coming back on President Jim noted that Andrew Kruse was slated to do the invocation but wasn’t in attendance. The Pres looked for Barlow Buescher and couldn’t find him either so he gave the invocation himself (gotta love a guy that will just take charge). It was obvious that Pres Jim is a preacher’s son. The Pres followed up the invocation by leading us in the pledge of allegiance. He then explained that, at the last Board meeting, the Board discussed the fees that the credit card companies charge and that, in the near future there will be a “convenience” fee charged by LR for using credit cards to pay for our various fines, donations etc.
1899 - Opel manufactures its first automobile
Making the Meeting happen: Co-Host: Leanna Christian
Recording of fines: John Lowney
Bulletin Writer: Donn Irwin
Foundation Desk: Please mail in contributions or go online
Monitoring This President’s Gaffes: Greg Rediske
Puffins attending: Wendy McGowan, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, Angela Connelly, James Osundwa.
No guests of Rotarians were noted.
Health and Wellness: Eric Warn shared that he had spoken with John Forkenbrock and that he is dealing with skin cancer but doing okay.
1908 - "Sullivan Ordinance" is passed in NYC, making it illegal for a woman to smoke in public places. It was vetoed 2 weeks later by Mayor George B. McClellan Jr.
John Lowney was called upon to let us know that somehow a donation for the Emergency Food Network had been promised for last year but had not been paid. John then asked for a motion from the group to authorize a $2000.00 payment to EFN. The motion was stated, a second was recognized and the motion passed unanimously.
President Jim then called upon Rose Stevens to talk about the Little Food Pantry project. Rose stated that they are looking for drop off points for donations. Rose asked that Lakewood Rotary members with businesses consider being a drop off point but that she would take any suggestions. Contact Rose or Bob Zawilski.
Above: Typical LFP
1915 - Kiwanis International founded in Detroit
Angela Connelly then alerted all of us to a Business Summit being put on by Tacoma Safe. So, if you wish to attend, the Summit is Wednesday 1/26 at America’s Car Museum. The summit is about having Tacoma be a safe city but it actually is a county-wide event. The Mayor of Tacoma along with the Pierce County Executive and four Council members are slated to be there. For more information contact Angela.
Oops – at this point it was noted by someone that, unbeknownst to him, Carl Bronkema’s wife Veronica was actually in attendance as a guest. Our President asked if her application for membership was in the pipeline yet. Carl confessed that it was still on his desk.
Anne Enquist had mentioned to President Jim that Amazon has a program called Amazon Smile that allows for donations to charitable organizations when we buy things. Leanna Christian walked us through the process of signing up for the program. Greg Rediske shared that last year the club received about $350.00 of “free” money. Just go to https://www.smile.amazon.com.
And get the app. It is really easy to just designate LR as your preferred charity.
1935 -12.0" (30.5 cm) of rain falls at Quinault Ranger Station, a Washington state record.
Eric Quinn, our Youth Exchange guy, is looking for hosts as the program is being ramped back up. NOTE: Families and anyone that lives in the home will have to show proof of vaccination against Covid.
1934 -Parisian baker and "student of medieval life" Henri Littière appears in court charged with forcing his adulterous wife Juliette to wear a chastity belt. Having committed the same offence in 1932, he was sentenced to three months in prison and fined 50 francs for cruelty to his wife.
Mary Marlin announced that there is a Zoom meeting that John Korsmo has set up regarding mentoring. The meeting is on January 27th. Give Mary a call for details and/or suggestions for mentors and mentees.
President Jim opened the floor for any questions we had for member Ron Banner – the Superintendent of Clover Park School District.
Above; Ron Banner
Our President asked how the basketball team was doing and Ron said that the activity is keeping the kids engaged and active through this pandemic. Ron also noted that the coaches and players are tested for Covid three times a week.
GR: Where are you with subs?
RB: If you have a four-year degree you can apply – they need teachers! They also need bus drivers.
MH: What’s happening with new boundaries.
RB: The school boundaries haven’t changed (although he is in discussions with Bethel School District over a small area that is in question) but the voting districts can change due to redistricting following the census. This is known as reapportionment, and is based on the constitutional principle of “one person, one vote”. The school district has a consultant working on the reapportionment process.
AE: What percentage of the staff is fully vaccinated?
RB: About 99%. Those that are exempt get tested once a week. The “fully vaccinated” definition does NOT include the booster at this time.
Fines and Generous Giving – Dr. Ralph Johnson – yesterday was my 94th birthday. The good doctor paid $100.00 for the privilege. Leanna Christian had a “milestone birthday” (she didn’t mention which one) and a getaway weekend. She rounded up her fine to $50.00 to cover for the trip. (You do the math as to her age.)
1994 - Dow Jones passes 3900 (record 3,914.20).
Picked up by this writer on “Chat” during the Zoom meeting: Rumor has it that John Warner will be coming back from the East Coast on 2/2.
Program: Artificial Intelligence and its relationship with medical research.
Above: Tom George (great to see our Puffins being so active)
Tom George gave an extensive introduction of our speaker, Robin Abraham, Ph.D. Mr. Abraham is the Director of Applied Science, Program Management & Engineering at Microsoft.
Dr. Abraham shared that he has taken inspiration from a book entitled “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry”. (This writer admits that this particular title is NOT on his list of must reads – mainly because I wouldn’t understand most of it.) Our speaker also shared that AI (artificial intelligence) is the most important thing that humanity is working on.
The program focused on AI and medicine but Dr. Abraham made the point that AI takes the magical and turns it into the mundane. Think back when we marveled at asking a computer a question like “who is x” and boom – you had an answer. You didn’t have to find a reference book or even take a trip to the library! We were all amazed. Now it is totally accepted AND EXPECTED for our computers to do that for us. As a friend of mine mentioned….at one time a flushing toilet was an amazing thing.
Our speaker then talked about unsupervised learning, detecting patterns or similarities and reinforcement learning (learning from trial and error that is driven by a reward system).
The key ingredient in all of this is big data plus MASSIVE computing capabilities. (The number of transistors on a microchip doubles every two years.) With more data there is less trial and error.
Dr. Abraham went into several projects he is working on – Drug formulation and the inner eye.
He described some of the processes that they go through such as asking why a formulation failed, will it work if I tweak it and which experiences can I avoid. All of this allows AI to get to a working formula in less time than the old trial and error methods. This means quicker discovery, less time to market and getting the drug to those that need it quicker and for a cheaper cost.
Several questions were asked and answered. The speaker made it known that Microsoft does NOT look at an individual’s data…. (thankfully).
President Jim thanked Mr. Abraham for a very interesting program and adjourned the meeting. (This writer won’t mention at what time the meeting was adjourned, because of the President’s opening comments, but the time was not 1:30 p.m.)
1921 Agatha Christie publishes her first novel “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” introducing the character Hercule Poirot.
If you were born on January 21st you might like to know that you share a birthday with Rasputin, Gary Locke (Seattle), Paul Allen (Seattle), Geena Davis, Telly Savalas, Benny Hill, Christian Dior, Stonewall Jackson, and Jack Nicklaus. Oh, I almost forgot: also Oscar Wendall Magnuson in Two Harbors, Minnesota in 1904.
Be sure to tune in next week when our program will be –
In 1677 the first medical publication in America (pamphlet on smallpox) was published in Boston
Carole Wier shared that she was experiencing a heat wave in Minnesota. When she got up this morning it was 3 degrees but the thermometer had since climbed all the way up to 13 degrees as of the time of our meeting. (For her I believe it was 2:30PM.)
Gayle Selden publicly apologized to PP Bill Potter for joking him in the last Club Bulletin. Bill allowed that it was fine and recognition of any kind is great for PPs.
1813 - Spaniard Don Francisco de Paula y Marin plants coffee in Hawaii - first record of coffee growing in Hawaii.
Now back to our meeting:
President Jim called the meeting to order promptly at 12:30 p.m and immediately went mute……I’ll leave that alone. After coming back on President Jim noted that Andrew Kruse was slated to do the invocation but wasn’t in attendance. The Pres looked for Barlow Buescher and couldn’t find him either so he gave the invocation himself (gotta love a guy that will just take charge). It was obvious that Pres Jim is a preacher’s son. The Pres followed up the invocation by leading us in the pledge of allegiance. He then explained that, at the last Board meeting, the Board discussed the fees that the credit card companies charge and that, in the near future there will be a “convenience” fee charged by LR for using credit cards to pay for our various fines, donations etc.
1899 - Opel manufactures its first automobile
Making the Meeting happen: Co-Host: Leanna Christian
Recording of fines: John Lowney
Bulletin Writer: Donn Irwin
Foundation Desk: Please mail in contributions or go online
Monitoring This President’s Gaffes: Greg Rediske
Puffins attending: Wendy McGowan, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, Angela Connelly, James Osundwa.
No guests of Rotarians were noted.
Health and Wellness: Eric Warn shared that he had spoken with John Forkenbrock and that he is dealing with skin cancer but doing okay.
1908 - "Sullivan Ordinance" is passed in NYC, making it illegal for a woman to smoke in public places. It was vetoed 2 weeks later by Mayor George B. McClellan Jr.
John Lowney was called upon to let us know that somehow a donation for the Emergency Food Network had been promised for last year but had not been paid. John then asked for a motion from the group to authorize a $2000.00 payment to EFN. The motion was stated, a second was recognized and the motion passed unanimously.
President Jim then called upon Rose Stevens to talk about the Little Food Pantry project. Rose stated that they are looking for drop off points for donations. Rose asked that Lakewood Rotary members with businesses consider being a drop off point but that she would take any suggestions. Contact Rose or Bob Zawilski.
Above: Typical LFP
1915 - Kiwanis International founded in Detroit
Angela Connelly then alerted all of us to a Business Summit being put on by Tacoma Safe. So, if you wish to attend, the Summit is Wednesday 1/26 at America’s Car Museum. The summit is about having Tacoma be a safe city but it actually is a county-wide event. The Mayor of Tacoma along with the Pierce County Executive and four Council members are slated to be there. For more information contact Angela.
Oops – at this point it was noted by someone that, unbeknownst to him, Carl Bronkema’s wife Veronica was actually in attendance as a guest. Our President asked if her application for membership was in the pipeline yet. Carl confessed that it was still on his desk.
Anne Enquist had mentioned to President Jim that Amazon has a program called Amazon Smile that allows for donations to charitable organizations when we buy things. Leanna Christian walked us through the process of signing up for the program. Greg Rediske shared that last year the club received about $350.00 of “free” money. Just go to https://www.smile.amazon.com.
And get the app. It is really easy to just designate LR as your preferred charity.
1935 -12.0" (30.5 cm) of rain falls at Quinault Ranger Station, a Washington state record.
Eric Quinn, our Youth Exchange guy, is looking for hosts as the program is being ramped back up. NOTE: Families and anyone that lives in the home will have to show proof of vaccination against Covid.
1934 -Parisian baker and "student of medieval life" Henri Littière appears in court charged with forcing his adulterous wife Juliette to wear a chastity belt. Having committed the same offence in 1932, he was sentenced to three months in prison and fined 50 francs for cruelty to his wife.
Mary Marlin announced that there is a Zoom meeting that John Korsmo has set up regarding mentoring. The meeting is on January 27th. Give Mary a call for details and/or suggestions for mentors and mentees.
President Jim opened the floor for any questions we had for member Ron Banner – the Superintendent of Clover Park School District.
Above; Ron Banner
Our President asked how the basketball team was doing and Ron said that the activity is keeping the kids engaged and active through this pandemic. Ron also noted that the coaches and players are tested for Covid three times a week.
GR: Where are you with subs?
RB: If you have a four-year degree you can apply – they need teachers! They also need bus drivers.
MH: What’s happening with new boundaries.
RB: The school boundaries haven’t changed (although he is in discussions with Bethel School District over a small area that is in question) but the voting districts can change due to redistricting following the census. This is known as reapportionment, and is based on the constitutional principle of “one person, one vote”. The school district has a consultant working on the reapportionment process.
AE: What percentage of the staff is fully vaccinated?
RB: About 99%. Those that are exempt get tested once a week. The “fully vaccinated” definition does NOT include the booster at this time.
Fines and Generous Giving – Dr. Ralph Johnson – yesterday was my 94th birthday. The good doctor paid $100.00 for the privilege. Leanna Christian had a “milestone birthday” (she didn’t mention which one) and a getaway weekend. She rounded up her fine to $50.00 to cover for the trip. (You do the math as to her age.)
1994 - Dow Jones passes 3900 (record 3,914.20).
Picked up by this writer on “Chat” during the Zoom meeting: Rumor has it that John Warner will be coming back from the East Coast on 2/2.
Program: Artificial Intelligence and its relationship with medical research.
Above: Tom George (great to see our Puffins being so active)
Tom George gave an extensive introduction of our speaker, Robin Abraham, Ph.D. Mr. Abraham is the Director of Applied Science, Program Management & Engineering at Microsoft.
Dr. Abraham shared that he has taken inspiration from a book entitled “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry”. (This writer admits that this particular title is NOT on his list of must reads – mainly because I wouldn’t understand most of it.) Our speaker also shared that AI (artificial intelligence) is the most important thing that humanity is working on.
The program focused on AI and medicine but Dr. Abraham made the point that AI takes the magical and turns it into the mundane. Think back when we marveled at asking a computer a question like “who is x” and boom – you had an answer. You didn’t have to find a reference book or even take a trip to the library! We were all amazed. Now it is totally accepted AND EXPECTED for our computers to do that for us. As a friend of mine mentioned….at one time a flushing toilet was an amazing thing.
Our speaker then talked about unsupervised learning, detecting patterns or similarities and reinforcement learning (learning from trial and error that is driven by a reward system).
The key ingredient in all of this is big data plus MASSIVE computing capabilities. (The number of transistors on a microchip doubles every two years.) With more data there is less trial and error.
Dr. Abraham went into several projects he is working on – Drug formulation and the inner eye.
He described some of the processes that they go through such as asking why a formulation failed, will it work if I tweak it and which experiences can I avoid. All of this allows AI to get to a working formula in less time than the old trial and error methods. This means quicker discovery, less time to market and getting the drug to those that need it quicker and for a cheaper cost.
Several questions were asked and answered. The speaker made it known that Microsoft does NOT look at an individual’s data…. (thankfully).
President Jim thanked Mr. Abraham for a very interesting program and adjourned the meeting. (This writer won’t mention at what time the meeting was adjourned, because of the President’s opening comments, but the time was not 1:30 p.m.)
1921 Agatha Christie publishes her first novel “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” introducing the character Hercule Poirot.
If you were born on January 21st you might like to know that you share a birthday with Rasputin, Gary Locke (Seattle), Paul Allen (Seattle), Geena Davis, Telly Savalas, Benny Hill, Christian Dior, Stonewall Jackson, and Jack Nicklaus. Oh, I almost forgot: also Oscar Wendall Magnuson in Two Harbors, Minnesota in 1904.
Be sure to tune in next week when our program will be –
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Never Forget a Birthday
Monday, January 17, 2022 By: Gayle SeldenNever Forget a Birthday!
THE LAKEWOOD KEY FOR January 14, 2022
It was the January 14th meeting and the Lakewood Rotary club was separated into the Zoom Brady Brunch squares. Before the meeting there were a lot of greetings to those members who we hadn’t seen in awhile including Ralph Johnson and Mo Sarram. Also joining at meeting time was Dave Covey. Yay for Zoom.
President Jim Rooks called the meeting to order at 12:30 welcoming all. Dave Coleman gave the invocation and Kendra Riconosciuto led our pledge. Jim thanked Kendra for helping on the Zoom, John Lowney for the collecting of fines, Gayle Selden for being kind during bulletin writing and Greg Rediske for helping with everything else. There were no visiting Rotarians but Veronica Bronkema joined us. Lots of Puffins in the house including our two new puffins-- Dwight Williams and Linda McDermott.
Our Health and Wellness report included a big welcome to Dr. Ralph Johnson who has spent the last seven months dealing with some serious health issues. He finally returned home Christmas Eve from his Mayo Clinic stay and is doing well. Mo Sarram also talked about how good he is doing and how much Rotary connections have meant to him.
Above: Greg Horn is (almost) always fun!
Greg Horn started Birthdays and Anniversaries reminding members of their partner’s birthdays. Those birthdays include Sharon Rediske, Lisa Daniels, Casey Loiland, Marilyn Zawilski and Marci Titus. It was at this point in time Bill Potter complained in the chat that his Birthday was forgotten. But Greg was just getting to the wedding anniversaries. Celebrations for John and Linda Forkenbrock (50 years); Phil and Judy Eng (37 years); Jim and Penny Rooks (33 years); Mick and Mary Johnson (24 years). Bill continued to complain about his Birthday being missed in the chat! But Greg was just to Rotary Anniversaries—Jessica James, Carl Bronkema, Barlow Buescher, Bill Allen, Rob Erb, Bob Hammar, John Caulfield, Cheri Loiland, Dave Reames, Jason Whalen, Dave Betz, James Guerrero, Leon Titus and Jim Bisceglia all had one of those. Finally, Greg got to member Birthdays and he recognized Gary Fulton, Stephen Enquist, Linda McDermott, Mike Brown, Clayton DeNault, Leanna Christian, Himself, Steve Mazoff, Ralph Johnson, Jim Bisceglia, Troy Wilcox, Donna Phillips, Cheri Loiland, Joe Quinn and Jessica James. He totally missed mentioning Bill Potter who had a Birthday the DAY before! And Bill knew Greg missed it before he had actually missed it. Was there a glitch in the Matrix? Is Bill Potter from the future? Or can Bill influence the future with thought? And if either of those are true why is Bill using those powers for Birthday recognition? I hope Bill chooses in this Birthday year to use his superpowers for the greater good. Anyway, Happy Birthday Bill.
Above: You gotta love it! Potter was laughing all the way to the bank with his friends.
Greg Horn then threw in $77 in recognition of his Birthday. Steve Enquist followed with $74.
President Rooks then called on John Lowney. John Lowney proposed on behalf of John Korsmo and the Puffins to utilize their collected funds from the Roast. It was moved, seconded and passed to send $1700 to Emergency Food Network and $500 to Caring for Kids. Good fundraising Puffins!
President Rooks then announced that we are planning on sending students to the World Affairs Seminar at Carroll University in Wisconsin June 18-24. This seminar is open to Juniors and Seniors in High School. Lakewood Rotary has sent a couple students every year; we pay airfare and for the weeklong stay at the college. The student and family are responsible for the student’s spending money. This program brings in students for lectures and work in a specific field. We encourage Lakewood Rotarians to send their own children, grandchildren or their friends to the seminar. It is a great way to see a glimpse of college life. If interested see John Lowney, whose grandchildren have attended the World Affairs Seminar and gotten a lot out of it. If we send in registrations in February there is an early bird discount so don’t delay.
Fines and Generous Giving started with $50 from Terry Roarke for a breakthrough asymptomatic Covid case. Jason Whalen took Bruce Dammeier’s challenge on and paid $50 for being Lakewood’s newest mayor and $50 for being Covid Positive (he added a dammit at the end). Mary Moss added a Greenleaf ($20) for being Deputy Mayor. Rick Selden gave $20 to honor Ralph Johnson. Gayle Selden added $20 for a quick trip to Tucson. Andrew Neiditz paid a fine for enjoying our meeting during 85 degree weather in Puerto Vallarta. Andrew also sent congratulations to Jason and Mary for leading his favorite city. Anne Enquist paid $26 to round up Steve’s fine to $100 including their trip to Scottsdale. James Osundwa paid $40 for a Disneyland adventure with the family and an extra $20 in honor of Jason and Mary. Steve Mazoff paid $79 for his Birthday. President Rooks fined himself $50-- a combo of 33 years with Penny and appreciation for Jason Whalen and Mary Moss.
Above: County Council Member Jani Hitchen
Our Program:
Mary Moss introduced Pierce County Council member Jani Hitchen. Jani is the district 6 representative to the Pierce County council. District 6 includes Lakewood, University Place, Steilacoom, Anderson and Ketron Island, Parkland and Dupont. Before she was council member she was a teacher including time at Lochburn in the Clover Park District. She is the mother to three and resides in Parkland.
Jani highlighted some programs that have helped the community with housing solutions including a Tacoma, Pierce County and Lakewood combined program Aspen Court which is the converted Comfort Inn that is currently housing those who are homeless. Jani also talked about the budgeting process that was just completed and highlighted a $30,000 grant to Springbrook Connections. The council has also given money to behavior health, expanding affordable housing, increasing broadband internet, sewer and water projects, small business grants and community clean-up programs.
Above: The Budget Slide
Jani opened up the floor for questions and answers. She invites all to send thoughts or questions to jani.hitchen@piercecountywa.gov or on the socials @cmjanihitchen.
Next week we are back on Zoom with Robin Abraham from Microsoft.
Above: Greg Horn is (almost) always fun!
Greg Horn started Birthdays and Anniversaries reminding members of their partner’s birthdays. Those birthdays include Sharon Rediske, Lisa Daniels, Casey Loiland, Marilyn Zawilski and Marci Titus. It was at this point in time Bill Potter complained in the chat that his Birthday was forgotten. But Greg was just getting to the wedding anniversaries. Celebrations for John and Linda Forkenbrock (50 years); Phil and Judy Eng (37 years); Jim and Penny Rooks (33 years); Mick and Mary Johnson (24 years). Bill continued to complain about his Birthday being missed in the chat! But Greg was just to Rotary Anniversaries—Jessica James, Carl Bronkema, Barlow Buescher, Bill Allen, Rob Erb, Bob Hammar, John Caulfield, Cheri Loiland, Dave Reames, Jason Whalen, Dave Betz, James Guerrero, Leon Titus and Jim Bisceglia all had one of those. Finally, Greg got to member Birthdays and he recognized Gary Fulton, Stephen Enquist, Linda McDermott, Mike Brown, Clayton DeNault, Leanna Christian, Himself, Steve Mazoff, Ralph Johnson, Jim Bisceglia, Troy Wilcox, Donna Phillips, Cheri Loiland, Joe Quinn and Jessica James. He totally missed mentioning Bill Potter who had a Birthday the DAY before! And Bill knew Greg missed it before he had actually missed it. Was there a glitch in the Matrix? Is Bill Potter from the future? Or can Bill influence the future with thought? And if either of those are true why is Bill using those powers for Birthday recognition? I hope Bill chooses in this Birthday year to use his superpowers for the greater good. Anyway, Happy Birthday Bill.
Above: You gotta love it! Potter was laughing all the way to the bank with his friends.
Greg Horn then threw in $77 in recognition of his Birthday. Steve Enquist followed with $74.
President Rooks then called on John Lowney. John Lowney proposed on behalf of John Korsmo and the Puffins to utilize their collected funds from the Roast. It was moved, seconded and passed to send $1700 to Emergency Food Network and $500 to Caring for Kids. Good fundraising Puffins!
President Rooks then announced that we are planning on sending students to the World Affairs Seminar at Carroll University in Wisconsin June 18-24. This seminar is open to Juniors and Seniors in High School. Lakewood Rotary has sent a couple students every year; we pay airfare and for the weeklong stay at the college. The student and family are responsible for the student’s spending money. This program brings in students for lectures and work in a specific field. We encourage Lakewood Rotarians to send their own children, grandchildren or their friends to the seminar. It is a great way to see a glimpse of college life. If interested see John Lowney, whose grandchildren have attended the World Affairs Seminar and gotten a lot out of it. If we send in registrations in February there is an early bird discount so don’t delay.
Fines and Generous Giving started with $50 from Terry Roarke for a breakthrough asymptomatic Covid case. Jason Whalen took Bruce Dammeier’s challenge on and paid $50 for being Lakewood’s newest mayor and $50 for being Covid Positive (he added a dammit at the end). Mary Moss added a Greenleaf ($20) for being Deputy Mayor. Rick Selden gave $20 to honor Ralph Johnson. Gayle Selden added $20 for a quick trip to Tucson. Andrew Neiditz paid a fine for enjoying our meeting during 85 degree weather in Puerto Vallarta. Andrew also sent congratulations to Jason and Mary for leading his favorite city. Anne Enquist paid $26 to round up Steve’s fine to $100 including their trip to Scottsdale. James Osundwa paid $40 for a Disneyland adventure with the family and an extra $20 in honor of Jason and Mary. Steve Mazoff paid $79 for his Birthday. President Rooks fined himself $50-- a combo of 33 years with Penny and appreciation for Jason Whalen and Mary Moss.
Above: County Council Member Jani Hitchen
Our Program:
Mary Moss introduced Pierce County Council member Jani Hitchen. Jani is the district 6 representative to the Pierce County council. District 6 includes Lakewood, University Place, Steilacoom, Anderson and Ketron Island, Parkland and Dupont. Before she was council member she was a teacher including time at Lochburn in the Clover Park District. She is the mother to three and resides in Parkland.
Jani highlighted some programs that have helped the community with housing solutions including a Tacoma, Pierce County and Lakewood combined program Aspen Court which is the converted Comfort Inn that is currently housing those who are homeless. Jani also talked about the budgeting process that was just completed and highlighted a $30,000 grant to Springbrook Connections. The council has also given money to behavior health, expanding affordable housing, increasing broadband internet, sewer and water projects, small business grants and community clean-up programs.
Above: The Budget Slide
Jani opened up the floor for questions and answers. She invites all to send thoughts or questions to jani.hitchen@piercecountywa.gov or on the socials @cmjanihitchen.
Next week we are back on Zoom with Robin Abraham from Microsoft.
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Back to Zooming
Sunday, January 9, 2022 By: Eric T QuinnBack to Zooming
THE LAKEWOOD KEY for January 7 2022 meeting
President Jim Rooks (PJ) rang the virtual meeting to order at 12:30 PM. Paula Olson gave the invocation. PJ led us in the Pledge.
Making the Meeting happen: Rob Erb and his tremendous set-up crew have their time off until we get back to our in-person meetings on February 11. Leanna Christian once again played the virtual co-host. John Lowney recorded fines. Eric Quinn played the scribe. Monitoring PJ’s Gaffes: Greg Rediske. (Note: Is he called PJ cuz he led the Zoom meeting while wearing his pajamas?)
From Rodney Dangerfield: “My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.”
As for the Foundation Desk: Please Mail in or pay online any contributions until we are back in person, thank you!
Assistant District Governor Tony Camoroda was our one visiting Rotarian.
We had one guest, Marisa Terry, the Club’s proposed candidate for a Global Grant Scholarship.
PJ recognized the Puffins:
Carl Bronkema, Rachel Mazoff, Steve Saalfeld
Jamie Simons, James Osundwa, Wendy McGowan, Connie Coleman-
Lacadie, Anthony Veliz, Bob Martin, Andy Phillips, Angela Connelly, and soon-to-be new members Linda McDermott and Dwight Williams
As to the Health and Wellness Report, Eric Warn was not present so PJ gave a report. John Warner is recovering well from surgery.
Above: John Warner….Get well soon!
Assistant District Governor Tony Camoroda gave a Presidential Citation to Past-President Mark Edgecomb. Mark gave special thanks to Greg Rediske for his assistance in helping him establish goals for the Club. He also thanked the Lakewood Rotary Board and the entire membership for a successful year. Mark was an outstanding Past President and remains an outstanding member.
Above: Mark Edgecomb got kisses and a Presidential Citation
Speaking of individuals, Rodney Dangerfield once said: “When I was born the doctor came out to the waiting room and said to my father, ‘I’m very sorry. We did everything we could…but he pulled through.’”
Bob Bruback gave an announcement on behalf of the Community Concerns Committee. The CCC want to give a $2,500.00 donation to Communities in Schools in Lakewood. This organization serves a variety of students, including many that are in the midst of poverty, in assisting them through the issues that they are facing. Rick Selden made the motion to make the $2,500.00 donation, and a second was made. The motion carried unanimously.
PJ introduced two new members: Dwight Williams (Sponsor: Phil Eng) and Linda McDermott (Sponsor: Leanna Christian). He reminded them to follow the Four Way Test: Is it the Truth? Is it Fair to All Concerned? Will it build good will and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? They of course were handed the standard packet including an invoice for their dues. (Actually, I think Greg Rediske went above and beyond and brought them all the stuff at their homes!)
Dwight thanked the Club for welcoming him. He appreciates the community focus. Dwight grew up in Pittsburgh. He served in the Army and was commissioned. Then he was stationed at Fort Lewis, and he has since lived in Washington for over 40 years. He and his wife have two children. Dwight has been active in various community organizations. Welcome to you, Dwight!
Linda is very excited to be a member of Rotary. Linda has been associated with the military in one form or another for most of her life. Her father was in the military and her husband is a West Point grad. Linda and her husband have two girls and one boy. She has served on the Board of Directors for Lakeview Light and Power and a variety of other community organizations. Welcome to you, Linda!
Greg and Mary Horn introduced the Club’s candidate for a Global Grant Scholarship, Marisa Terry. Marisa went to Charles Wright and Bellarmine. She is currently a senior at LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She will be going to Queens University in Belfast, Ireland, next year. Marisa thanked everyone for welcoming her. She is finishing up her degree in International Relations and Environmental Studies. She wishes to have a service-oriented career. Greg and Mary said they are extremely proud of Marisa.
Tom George discussed the India Mammography Project. The Club has been working on this project under the guidance of Rose Stevens, Mark Edgecomb and Tom. We have been working on this project for approximately a year. The mammography machine was recently delivered to the hospital in India. John Lowney had a question about the project. As Club Treasurer, John indicated that the Club has a balance of $6,600 that has been earmarked for the India project, and he wished to know the plan for spending that. Tom stated that the donor is willing to part with the money so it can be allocated to another water project. Problem solved!
As for Fines and Generous Giving, Carl Bronkema gave $25.00 for his alma mater, Baylor, kicking Ole Miss’s butt in football.
Speaking of kicking butt, Rodney Dangerfield had a dog: “Some dog I got too. We call him Egypt because he leaves a pyramid in every room.”
The Program:
Above: Photo of Bruce Dammeier, Pierce County Executive
President-Elect and Lakewood Mayor Jason Whalen introduced Bruce Dammeier, the Pierce County Executive. Bruce was elected to State Senate in 2012 and served there through 2016. He became the Pierce County Executive in November 2016 and was just elected to a second term. He is a small business owner located in Lakewood—Printers Northwest. Jason reminded us that of course, Lakewood has no B&O tax, so Bruce is a wise businessman. Bruce is a member of Rotary #8 in Tacoma. He has served on the Boards of Goodwill Industries and a variety of other community organizations.
Bruce thanked Mayor Whalen for the introduction. He asked whether Jason had to pay a fine as a new mayor. He also noticed a variety of familiar faces in the virtual crowd. Bruce loves his job. The last few months have been pretty dynamic given the snow and the record-low temperatures. Another issue that we have had to address is the number of unhoused individuals that needed to be relocated to temporary shelter.
There has also been a huge COVID testing spike arising out of concern with the Omicron variant. The testing site at the old emissions testing location has been running strong for the last nine months, and there is a new testing site on the Washington State fairgrounds. Omicron is different in how transmissible it is, as Bruce is sure we are all aware of. The emergency departments in a variety of hospitals are understaffed and very busy. And this is not unique to hospitals. It is an issue in a variety of sectors and industries. Although Omicron is not necessarily deadly, it is putting a lot of people on the sidelines. The hope is that Omicron will peak in mid-to-late January. Bruce reminded us that the best course is to get vaccinated and boosted.
Pierce County’s two-year budget was just passed. There are a lot of positive things going on in Pierce County right now, specifically with respect to collaborative partnerships. Bruce stated that one of the best partners that Pierce County has is the City of Lakewood, which steps up to the plate regularly. The City of Lakewood was highly involved in the South Sound Housing Affordability Partnership with Pierce County, which we discuss further below. Bruce understands the importance of economic opportunity. The Pierce County BIPOC Business Accelerator promotes entrepreneurship among people of color in our community. More info on that here: https://www.pcba.biz/
Additionally, as we all know, housing prices in Pierce County have skyrocketed. We are working on ways to address that, which include but are not limited to providing for many other forms of housing. We are particularly focused on housing for the elderly and the unhoused. The South Sound Housing Affordability Partnership is made up of 14 government agencies, which again, Lakewood and Pierce County are a part of. We need more public-private partnerships. We need a private solution to delivering an affordable house. More information on the South Sound Housing Affordability Partnership here: https://www.piercecountywa.gov/7052/South-Sound-Housing-Affordability-Partne
Then there is the issue of homelessness. This is very significant in our community. The current solutions are not working. As Bruce put it so well, Pierce County does not believe in the approach of “enabling people to live in squalor.” We must take a comprehensive, transformational and restorative approach. There are a lot of people that want to help, but they have to believe that their money or other giving will actually direct people to the right path.
Bruce closed his presentation by saying that Pierce County persevered and benefited economically despite the Covid crisis. He then opened it up to questions.
Jason Whalen asked about the testing center at the emissions site being closed indefinitely. When can we expect something else to open up? Bruce indicated that, generally, the emissions site was testing 200 to 500 people a day. But last Sunday, 1700 people were tested on that site. This is creating traffic congestion and impacts to local business. So Pierce County is pivoting and is opening testing sites in Spanaway Lake Park, hopefully on Monday, and another testing site exists at the Washington State Fairgrounds.
Bill Potter inquired how the Club may become more involved in Human Services. Bruce informed Bill that Steve O’Ban is the person to speak with about this as he is the guru in human services at the County Executive’s office..
Rick Selden commended Pierce County’s efforts in working toward solutions on affordable housing and homelessness.
Steve Saalfeld had a question about homelessness. He wanted to express that a lack of education plays a major role in homelessness. He inquired about how education may play a role in combating homelessness. Bruce again stated that the Community First Village in Austin, Texas provides a great model for integrating members of the community. That is a key part—community engagement and education—in combating homelessness. More on Community First Village here: https://mlf.org/community-first/
David Swindale inquired about a recent policy brief from the Governor recommending legislation that mandates affordable housing in the form of precluding single-family residential zoning. Bruce stated that he had a meeting about that this morning in order to address this potential new mandate. The Governor’s policy brief is located here:
https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/Homelessness_PolicyBrief_Dec14.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Thank you, Executive Dammeier for a thoughtful and engaging presentation. We value your experience and contributions to the community.
And in closing, Rodney Dangerfield lamented his upbringing: “I remember the time I was kidnapped and they sent back a piece of my finger to my father. He said he wanted more proof.”
Above: Rodney Dangerfield
Assistant District Governor Tony Camoroda was our one visiting Rotarian.
We had one guest, Marisa Terry, the Club’s proposed candidate for a Global Grant Scholarship.
PJ recognized the Puffins:
Carl Bronkema, Rachel Mazoff, Steve Saalfeld
Jamie Simons, James Osundwa, Wendy McGowan, Connie Coleman-
Lacadie, Anthony Veliz, Bob Martin, Andy Phillips, Angela Connelly, and soon-to-be new members Linda McDermott and Dwight Williams
As to the Health and Wellness Report, Eric Warn was not present so PJ gave a report. John Warner is recovering well from surgery.
Above: John Warner….Get well soon!
Assistant District Governor Tony Camoroda gave a Presidential Citation to Past-President Mark Edgecomb. Mark gave special thanks to Greg Rediske for his assistance in helping him establish goals for the Club. He also thanked the Lakewood Rotary Board and the entire membership for a successful year. Mark was an outstanding Past President and remains an outstanding member.
Above: Mark Edgecomb got kisses and a Presidential Citation
Speaking of individuals, Rodney Dangerfield once said: “When I was born the doctor came out to the waiting room and said to my father, ‘I’m very sorry. We did everything we could…but he pulled through.’”
Bob Bruback gave an announcement on behalf of the Community Concerns Committee. The CCC want to give a $2,500.00 donation to Communities in Schools in Lakewood. This organization serves a variety of students, including many that are in the midst of poverty, in assisting them through the issues that they are facing. Rick Selden made the motion to make the $2,500.00 donation, and a second was made. The motion carried unanimously.
PJ introduced two new members: Dwight Williams (Sponsor: Phil Eng) and Linda McDermott (Sponsor: Leanna Christian). He reminded them to follow the Four Way Test: Is it the Truth? Is it Fair to All Concerned? Will it build good will and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? They of course were handed the standard packet including an invoice for their dues. (Actually, I think Greg Rediske went above and beyond and brought them all the stuff at their homes!)
Dwight thanked the Club for welcoming him. He appreciates the community focus. Dwight grew up in Pittsburgh. He served in the Army and was commissioned. Then he was stationed at Fort Lewis, and he has since lived in Washington for over 40 years. He and his wife have two children. Dwight has been active in various community organizations. Welcome to you, Dwight!
Linda is very excited to be a member of Rotary. Linda has been associated with the military in one form or another for most of her life. Her father was in the military and her husband is a West Point grad. Linda and her husband have two girls and one boy. She has served on the Board of Directors for Lakeview Light and Power and a variety of other community organizations. Welcome to you, Linda!
Greg and Mary Horn introduced the Club’s candidate for a Global Grant Scholarship, Marisa Terry. Marisa went to Charles Wright and Bellarmine. She is currently a senior at LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She will be going to Queens University in Belfast, Ireland, next year. Marisa thanked everyone for welcoming her. She is finishing up her degree in International Relations and Environmental Studies. She wishes to have a service-oriented career. Greg and Mary said they are extremely proud of Marisa.
Tom George discussed the India Mammography Project. The Club has been working on this project under the guidance of Rose Stevens, Mark Edgecomb and Tom. We have been working on this project for approximately a year. The mammography machine was recently delivered to the hospital in India. John Lowney had a question about the project. As Club Treasurer, John indicated that the Club has a balance of $6,600 that has been earmarked for the India project, and he wished to know the plan for spending that. Tom stated that the donor is willing to part with the money so it can be allocated to another water project. Problem solved!
As for Fines and Generous Giving, Carl Bronkema gave $25.00 for his alma mater, Baylor, kicking Ole Miss’s butt in football.
Speaking of kicking butt, Rodney Dangerfield had a dog: “Some dog I got too. We call him Egypt because he leaves a pyramid in every room.”
The Program:
Above: Photo of Bruce Dammeier, Pierce County Executive
President-Elect and Lakewood Mayor Jason Whalen introduced Bruce Dammeier, the Pierce County Executive. Bruce was elected to State Senate in 2012 and served there through 2016. He became the Pierce County Executive in November 2016 and was just elected to a second term. He is a small business owner located in Lakewood—Printers Northwest. Jason reminded us that of course, Lakewood has no B&O tax, so Bruce is a wise businessman. Bruce is a member of Rotary #8 in Tacoma. He has served on the Boards of Goodwill Industries and a variety of other community organizations.
Bruce thanked Mayor Whalen for the introduction. He asked whether Jason had to pay a fine as a new mayor. He also noticed a variety of familiar faces in the virtual crowd. Bruce loves his job. The last few months have been pretty dynamic given the snow and the record-low temperatures. Another issue that we have had to address is the number of unhoused individuals that needed to be relocated to temporary shelter.
There has also been a huge COVID testing spike arising out of concern with the Omicron variant. The testing site at the old emissions testing location has been running strong for the last nine months, and there is a new testing site on the Washington State fairgrounds. Omicron is different in how transmissible it is, as Bruce is sure we are all aware of. The emergency departments in a variety of hospitals are understaffed and very busy. And this is not unique to hospitals. It is an issue in a variety of sectors and industries. Although Omicron is not necessarily deadly, it is putting a lot of people on the sidelines. The hope is that Omicron will peak in mid-to-late January. Bruce reminded us that the best course is to get vaccinated and boosted.
Pierce County’s two-year budget was just passed. There are a lot of positive things going on in Pierce County right now, specifically with respect to collaborative partnerships. Bruce stated that one of the best partners that Pierce County has is the City of Lakewood, which steps up to the plate regularly. The City of Lakewood was highly involved in the South Sound Housing Affordability Partnership with Pierce County, which we discuss further below. Bruce understands the importance of economic opportunity. The Pierce County BIPOC Business Accelerator promotes entrepreneurship among people of color in our community. More info on that here: https://www.pcba.biz/
Additionally, as we all know, housing prices in Pierce County have skyrocketed. We are working on ways to address that, which include but are not limited to providing for many other forms of housing. We are particularly focused on housing for the elderly and the unhoused. The South Sound Housing Affordability Partnership is made up of 14 government agencies, which again, Lakewood and Pierce County are a part of. We need more public-private partnerships. We need a private solution to delivering an affordable house. More information on the South Sound Housing Affordability Partnership here: https://www.piercecountywa.gov/7052/South-Sound-Housing-Affordability-Partne
Then there is the issue of homelessness. This is very significant in our community. The current solutions are not working. As Bruce put it so well, Pierce County does not believe in the approach of “enabling people to live in squalor.” We must take a comprehensive, transformational and restorative approach. There are a lot of people that want to help, but they have to believe that their money or other giving will actually direct people to the right path.
Bruce closed his presentation by saying that Pierce County persevered and benefited economically despite the Covid crisis. He then opened it up to questions.
Jason Whalen asked about the testing center at the emissions site being closed indefinitely. When can we expect something else to open up? Bruce indicated that, generally, the emissions site was testing 200 to 500 people a day. But last Sunday, 1700 people were tested on that site. This is creating traffic congestion and impacts to local business. So Pierce County is pivoting and is opening testing sites in Spanaway Lake Park, hopefully on Monday, and another testing site exists at the Washington State Fairgrounds.
Bill Potter inquired how the Club may become more involved in Human Services. Bruce informed Bill that Steve O’Ban is the person to speak with about this as he is the guru in human services at the County Executive’s office..
Rick Selden commended Pierce County’s efforts in working toward solutions on affordable housing and homelessness.
Steve Saalfeld had a question about homelessness. He wanted to express that a lack of education plays a major role in homelessness. He inquired about how education may play a role in combating homelessness. Bruce again stated that the Community First Village in Austin, Texas provides a great model for integrating members of the community. That is a key part—community engagement and education—in combating homelessness. More on Community First Village here: https://mlf.org/community-first/
David Swindale inquired about a recent policy brief from the Governor recommending legislation that mandates affordable housing in the form of precluding single-family residential zoning. Bruce stated that he had a meeting about that this morning in order to address this potential new mandate. The Governor’s policy brief is located here:
https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/Homelessness_PolicyBrief_Dec14.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Thank you, Executive Dammeier for a thoughtful and engaging presentation. We value your experience and contributions to the community.
And in closing, Rodney Dangerfield lamented his upbringing: “I remember the time I was kidnapped and they sent back a piece of my finger to my father. He said he wanted more proof.”
Above: Rodney Dangerfield
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2021 The Rotary Year in Review
Sunday, December 26, 2021 By: Joseph F. QuinnLakewood Rotary Year in Review by Joe Quinn
December 30, 2021
The First Quarter:
The second half of President Mark Edgecomb’s year started in full-Zoom fashion in January of 2021. Lakewood Rotary’s first Little Free Pantry was unveiled. A program on Lakewold Gardens was featured. Major Donors Rose Stevens and Phil Eng were honored for reaching the $10,000 level of giving to the Rotary Foundation. Puffin James Osundwa asked, “What are Puffins exactly?” Well that set off a paroxysm of explanations and photos! A Valentine’s Eve Zoom Party was announced…so many new traditions have been born during this Covid-19 pandemic. There were 60 attendees at one Zoom meeting that Mark managed masterfully, with the help of Leanna Christian. A move away from Clubrunner to DACdb was announced by Mary Horn. The Treasurer and the Bulletin Editor were noticed to be cringing but it worked out OK, eventually. The online auction prep started in February and one program featured Domino’s Pizza, soon to be a major sponsor. Fellowship included hikes to stay outdoors together during Covid. The second LFP was started. We got a thank you from Wreaths Across America, one of hundreds of small to medium gifts LR makes all year long, such as the Break Bags. Our very own DG Greg Horn reported that over 400 attended the District 5020 training. At Lakewood Rotary, it was announced that over $6000 was raised for Rotary Foundation…in one week!!
Above: Some pictorial highlights of Quarter #1. All composite photos made by Walt Richardson who helped the Editor select the best ones.
The Second Quarter (almost halftime):
In April, we had our DG visit, all the way from Lake Steilacoom. Greg Horn reported that 5020 has 993 clubs and about 4400 members—the biggest international district in the RI world. Spring Fling game night was announced as a smaller fundraiser to support the LR projects and budget. We ultimately raised about $7695 on this unique game night. Sweat equity work included a work party at the South Sound Wildlife Park (the game refuge on Chambers Creek). As another fundraiser LR Rotarians paid or pledged money to see our President Mark and President-Elect Jim Rooks jump into Steilacoom Lake on a date to be announced. When it finally happened, at the Mazoff=Whalen compound on the lake, new President-Elect-Elect Jason Whalen would join them. The Little Free Pantries are meanwhile popping up all over Lakewood! The Auction grew closer and Sip by Sip was born…a wine tasting and pre-auction event dreamed up by Steve and Anne Enquist. That fundraiser within a fundraiser added some more oomph to the Auction when it happened in June. Education Incentive Awards (former known as scholarships) were given to deserving local high school students at one (still) virtual meeting. Think that was about $10,000 or more. In the pre-meeting gathering it was announced that President Mark had Covid-19 but he survived to finish his reign in style. A virtual District Conference was announced for June. In June we held our first-ever online auction and the take was reported at more than $80,000 so it was more successful than we could have hoped. Thanks were given to Nicole Hancock and Eric Quinn, co-leaders of the committee who said that many, many more needed to be thanked. Sponsors galore were named at varying levels so the costs of the auction were more than covered by sponsorships. Domino’s Pizza gave so much that they are featured in a free ad in every bulletin of LR through next June! The Installation was held in-person at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club for our first time together in countless months. Yay! Goodbye to Mark Edgecomb was fondly conveyed and a warm welcome was given to President Jim Rooks. John Magnuson wrote a nice summary in the bulletin of the 2021-2021 year at LR…worth re-reading. How about that awesome stable of writers of our Lakewood Key, led by Ole and by Greg Rediske, according to Donn Irwin and others who follow very well. We finished June with about 5 LFPs, thanks to the likes of Mark Blanchard and John Lowney who do the physical building and Bob Zawilski, Rose Stevens and Sally Porter Smity who were so instrumental in getting this program going. Bob went over to a Gig Harbor Rotary club and spoke about it; they immediately committed to build four LFPs over there.
Above: Second Quarter highlights photos
Quarter #3: A New Reign Begins!
Little Free Pantries 5 and 6 have been installed by July. An in-person Board meeting was held at Tacoma Country & Golf Club. Usually not newsworthy but this has been nonexistent during the pandemic. A hailstorm erupted during one July meeting. No, not ice pellets. It was just LR Rotarians going crazy to donate big to the Lakewood Community Foundation in honor of the late Ward Fletcher who was a huge contributor to the RI Foundation. We celebrated an old LR tradition this month with a Floating Board Meeting—an in-person party on the party boats of Lake Steilacoom. At the Floating Board picnic we honored Greg Horn and his Chief of Staff—Mary Horn—for this great and challenging year as District Governor of District 5020. August included great fellowship events including the Reeder Roadster Romp, which took us past the Winlock Egg and we ended up in Cannon Beach. Memorable. A club assembly was highlighted by the RI Foundation report from Steve Enquist. We are up to $1,275,000 as a club in our all-time giving and can boast 96 Paul Harris Fellows,19 Benefactors, 8 Bequest Society members and 13 Major Donors. Our RI Foundation giving in the recently completed Rotary year exceeded $50,000 when one includes the Annual Fund, Polio Plus, the endowment and our club contributions to global grants. It is a LR priority for sure. August also so the club’s interest in a Peanut Butter Challenge, which involved collecting peanut butter at grocery stores and then giving to the food bank. Then, in late August, it finally happened! We were back at the Country Club on a Friday at noon for an in-person Rotary meeting for the first time since March of 2020. Unbelievable. The only new wrinkle was that we also had a Zoom component with about a dozen members and guests attending virtually—a so-called hybrid meeting. A different and interesting program featured our very own Morris Northcutt and his escapades across the world playing his trumpet and making fine music. One September program featured Past President Ben Sclair (whose Mom was also a LR President) who spoke about his family’s love of airplanes and flying them. September saw the induction of at least one new member—something we have excelled at in 2021 for some unknown reason. More on that in the fourth quarter.
Above: One more composite photo.
The Final Quarter—it was a doozy.
Kendra Riconosciuto reported that altogether more than 2000 jars of peanut butter were collected in our two-day drive. Not bad! We will again support the South Tacoma Rotary’s Putt Putt tourney and fundraiser at Harkness Furniture in October. The work party at the South Sound Wildlife area went very well. New District Governor Lorna Curtis motivated us during her DG visit this month and even helped induct yet another new Puffin into Lakewood Rotary. Community Concerns Committee led us in giving $2000 to the Making a Difference Foundation, along with $900 to the Lakewood Art Festival and $100 to the Hope Sparks Family Services, which helps families dealing with behavioral and emotional issues. A most interesting program was delivered by Andrew Siegel, a Seattle U. Law School professor who Anne Enquist wrangled into speaking to us about the current U.S. Supreme Court. Programs this year are truly being done by committee as several members stepped up to garner several programs each to make the Program Chair’s job a bit easier. In November, the Bulletin Committee had a rare glitch as we had no writer in attendance; in true LR fashion, Greg Rediske and Gayle Selden both stepped up to co-write a most extraordinary bulletin. A few items got reported twice we think but make no mistake: Mary Horn was awarded her 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Paul Harris awards. That has to be the most PH awards awarded to one awardee at one sitting, at least in our club. November saw a lot of good work by LR Rotarians too. We were getting ready for the bike distribution at Christmas time again, so the Community Concerns Committee got us to pony up $2000 for the Waste Connection Build a Bike program, which is where get about 40 bikes annually to give out Rose Stevens said a special food collection was done at City Hall during the last days of the election cycle and two vans worth of food were collected by LR working with Lakewood Lions. December festivities started with the Lakewood Rotary Partners sponsoring the annual Christmas Party at the club, featuring dancing and other festivities. Things really felt pretty normal, even though we know they are not with the pandemic raging still. All of the December Puffin and LR giving projects are starting to heat up as is preparation for the always fun Tom & Jerry party and Presidential Roast that all enjoy…well all but one Rotarian enjoys it. At the second December meeting the LFP committee and our Treasurer John Lowney updated us on the finances of the LFP. With a $10,000 grant from the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation and more than $3200 in member contributions, the LFP “balance” in the bank is healthy. John said it cost about $300 in materials alone to build one pantry, not to mention his hours and those of Mark Blanchard to install them. Hopefully, they get reimbursed for out-of-pocket costs at least. One of the year’s final highlights was of course the Roast of the President –Dr. Jim Rooks—on December 17th. The Roast and the Tom & Jerry’s did not disappoint. Amidst the merriment a lot was raised for LR good causes. Speaking of which, the next day a lot of us volunteered for either Break Bag distribution (for Communities in Schools) or bike distribution. Some, like maybe Greg Rediske, did both gigs the same day. Great job by our legions of Puffins in organizing the roasting of the president. This crop of Puffins is one of the largest I have ever seen in more than thirty (30) years in Lakewood Rotary. It was a very good year in some hard times; we cannot thank every one of you herein, but we have to mention the strong leadership of Mark Edgecomb our 2020-21 President, and the very fine first half of a Rotary year by our current Big Kahuna Jim Rooks.
Above: Oh what the heck—one more.
And some individual photos too.
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The Roast Photopalooza!
Sunday, December 19, 2021 By: Joseph F. QuinnThe Roast Photopalooza! This is not the Lakewood Key for the December 17, 2021 meeting--the Roast of President Jim Rooks. Hopefully, you will see that later this evening. In this Unbulletin, we include only the fantastic photographs taken by Walt Richardson and Phil Eng, our duo of photographers who documented key events, key players, and other shenanigans that took place at Lakewood Rotary on Friday.
Above: The first composite photo ever used in the Lakewood Key, by Walt Richardson--A good summary of the event.
Above: The Tom & Jerry Team, ready to tend bar and start the merriment! Photo by Walt.
Above: One of the merry revelers, a veteran Rotarian, Duncan Cook after Gayle gave him a drink.
Phil Eng photo.
Above: The Puffins at work on a skit about Jim Rooks' medical practice as an ENT doc. At least we think that is what they were up to. Phil Eng photo.
Above: The Puffins closed it out with Have Yourself a Merry Christmas. Photo by Phil Eng.
Great job on this event Puffins. Hope someone kept good track of Jim Rooks' huge fine.
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Rooks Roasted!
Sunday, December 19, 2021 By: Paula T. OlsonThe Roasting of Doctor James Rooks
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
It’s the Friday before Christmas and all through the room, everyone was stirring, hot Toddies and rum. The children were all learning at school with hopes that their grandparents would safely get home. The Annual LR Tom & Jerry Party and Roast of the President.
Okay enough of that.
Above: So here he is: the Guest of Honor, President Jim Rooks by Walt Richardson photo.
At 12:30 p.m. promptly the Roasting of President Jim began! Before the official start, the Puffins instructed us to write something nice about Jim on a tongue depressor. Now, I understand the term “roast” means “to criticize or reprimand severely” or to subject the guest of honor to good-natured ridicule. And frankly, it was more like a slow cook than a roast. Where were the stories of Jim playing pranks, getting sent to the principal’s office or yelled at by the medical director? Where were the disgruntled ex-girlfriends? The neighbors complaining about code violations at the Rooks’ house? Either Jim is truly the nice guy we know him to be or the Puffins were paid off in a spectacular fashion.
Puffin Steve Saalfeld was at the helm of the meeting. Puffin Bob Martin led with what he hoped would pass for a prayer. He asked the Lord for forgiveness for the untruthful, ridiculous and awful things they would do to Pres. Jim and that lots of fines would be paid for the good of the community. Since no one was designated to lead the Pledge of Allegiance, we all did it together. Then with the Top Gun theme song playing, the Puffin meeting takeover was complete and Jim entered the danger zone. And of course the usual disclaimer: any mistake was the fault of the Puffin Committee, not the Puffins themselves.
This writer has a little disclaimer of her own. Tom and Jerrys were served at lunch per our tradition. This drink contains rum and/or brandy. These drinks were started in the 1820’s by Pierce Egan who was promoting his play entitled “Life in London” with two main characters, Tom and Jerry. Thus two types of alcoholic beverages. Paula had one T & J. Okay, two T & Js but the second one only because of the peer pressure. (Well, maybe she had three…The Editor says read on and decide for yourself.) Alcohol can cause brain cells to shrink, causing a person taking notes at a meeting to produce unreadable, indecipherable scribbling. Therefore, any mistakes are the result of Editor Joe Quinn trying to remember what the heck Paula was writing about. This meets the Four-Way Test, except that Quinn was tending bar and tippling a bit on the side as you can see in photos. A $20 fine was paid for the grievous omission.
President Jim Rooks grew up in Florida and to keep Jim in his seat, Kyle the Alligator (well, it wasn’t a real alligator but it was scary) was displayed to keep an eye on Jim. Meeting set up was done by Rob Erb, James Osundwa, Rick Selden and Kendra Riconosciuto and Paula Olson writing every little thing down for prosperity and the bulletin. Fines were going to Communities in Schools, Emergency Food Network, and Caring for Kids. Cash, plastic, and IOUs were accepted. We had someone visiting on Zoom and Assistant Governor Tony Camoroda was in the room. Guests included Olivia Whalen, daughter of Jason Whalen who heard there was free booze, Jennie Weinand, wife of Jim Weinand, Leanna Christian’s son Alexander, Pam Lowney, John’s wife, and Sharon Rediske, Greg’s wife. Rick Selden introduced Kris Quinn, Joe’s wife, who although seated right next to Kris, was confused about if he had brought her or left her home. See what I mean about the tippling Irishman.
Puffins then offered quite the deal. Pay $100 up front and you got full immunity. Less protection for less money was also offered. Greg Horn paid $50 and was later shamed into upping it to $75, along with Mary Horn matching him, Jim Weinand paid $100 as did Jason Whalen. Bob Martin then paraded in poor President Jim for the disgraceful duty of honoring him. Getting deeper into Jim’s past, he graduated from the University of Florida, then University of Miami Medical School. Then back to University of Florida for his ENT residency. For those of you who are acronym challenged, that means Ear, Nose and Throat, President Jim’s specialty. He stayed there for two years on staff. He then joined the U. S. Air Force in 1969 and did a year in Vietnam. He was assigned to a fighter squadron as a flight surgeon and flew 44 missions so he could understand what his patients experienced so he could be a better surgeon. This was all why he was wearing a commemorative hat and jacket. Jim said that some people have thought that the hat means he served in World War II, which apparently gives Jim some concern as he really doesn’t look that old. Jim was then fined $10 for making the jacket look better than on Tom Cruise. Back to Jim’s life. He practiced medicine in Florida for a time and then came to Washington State in 2014. He retired at the age of 73, which is more disturbing than thinking he served in WWII because he looks so darn young.
Eric Warn on behalf of the Health and Wellness Committee (heretofore called the Sunshine Committee) asked everyone to bring in their old glasses to donate to the Lakewood Lions. Mary Horn announced that John Warner had suffered a heart attack on the east coast while visiting with his son. He is in the hospital for a time and would love emails and notes. Bill Potter tried to get serious with his announcements that break bags needed to be delivered as well as 40 bikes on Saturday morning. He needed 7-10 drivers to do the deeds. Email Bill if you can help.
Above: Bill spoke and it was done: The Bike Build distribution day. Photo thanks to Bill P.
Then he announced the slate of officers for next year: Mary Horn – President Elect, Greg Rediske – Secretary; John Lowney – Treasurer; and Dave Swindale, Tom George and Barlow Buescher – New Trustees. A motion to approve the slate was made and seconded and all voted in favor. No dissenters. Anne Enquist asked for approval to spend $2,000 for the stove team. Moved, seconded and unanimous approval. Mary Horn and Rose Stevens accepted a quilt from the patients at Western State Hospital in appreciation of Lakewood Rotary. It was auctioned off at an impromptu live auction and Puffin Angela Connelly got it for $200.
Because the bulletin should be informing and educational, a group of puffins are called either a colony, a puffinry, a circus, a burrow, a gathering, or an improbability. For real. I looked it up. (Huh? I thought it was a Puffoonery – Ed.) In the case of Lakewood Rotary, our Puffins are better known as An Improbability. They are:
Angela Connelly (sponsored by Jim Rooks) who was impressed by the number of members Jim has sponsored and fined every member $5.00 who was not sponsored by Jim.
Bob Martin was sponsored by Greg and Mary Horn, who installed his deck but left off four bolts. Bob fined them for $5 per bolt as they were small bolts.
Rachel Mazoff, sponsored NOT by her father, Steve Mazoff, who got double fined but by President Jim Rooks. Rachel was set to work editing policies by Jim Rooks when he was President of some medical committee or at Multicare. Something about $10 for documents and $20 for photo editing.
Wendy McGowan was sponsored by John Lowney who she knew when he was only 15 years old; that is probably when he started working for her late husband and famed LR Rotarian, Mike McGowan. John, who is our Treasurer, needed to be fined lots of money, like $500 which John said needed a formal disbursement request. Not so fast, John!
Andy Phillips was also sponsored by Jim Rooks who fined him only $20 because he was getting to be a poor man. Andy has known Jim for years as a neighbor and friend. There was some rowdiness on the Fourth of July but this reporter was taking a sip of T & J and can’t read her notes.
James Osundwa was sponsored by Mark Edgecomb. Barlow kicked in $20, in sympathy for James as his sponsor was not here today.
Anthony Veliz, also sponsored by guess who—Jim Rooks. He met Jim at the Lakewood Multicultural Coalition. The two ended up in the men’s room at the same time, and as all men do, started chatting about Rotary, while standing next to each other at the urinals. He told Anthony he really, really should join Lakewood Rotary. Apparently Jim displayed some urgency (about the membership, not the other) and Anthony could think of nothing else to do but say “yes.” The two men shook on it and here Anthony is. Jim got fined $100 for disturbing the peace. (Yes, this is a true story. Seems our Jim isn’t perfect and us women should be glad we won’t be hanging out with Jim Rooks in the men’s room. But as you can see from the number of Puffins sponsored by Jim Rooks, he never steps recruiting, literally everywhere!)
Carl Bronkema who was appearing from a rockery in Florida was not sponsored by Jim Rooks. Jason Whalen was his sponsor and they met at a wine club where there was some funny business resulting in Jason being cut off at the next party and fined $150 for creating a problem. Oh no, I guess it was a fine of $10 per wine club, so Jason is a member of 15 wine clubs!?
Steve Saalfeld was sponsored by Tanya Winsky, who is no longer a member. So Steve said that everyone was fined $2.00 for not retaining Tanya as a member. Huh? Yes, we all had to pony up $2 each and place it in the middle of the table.
Then Jim was led out with a medical team wearing these really big ears, that would be great in a horror movie. Angela Connelly said that we would go even deeper into Jim’s background. She called Jim a “Renaissance Man” for all the different roles he’s played in life. His Florida hat was replaced with a golf club. Then we saw a very informative video of Jim in Florida. He was a fifth generation Floridian.
The medical team said the ears made them good listeners even though they were red and infected. Which does the good doctor Jim recommend – medicine or tubes? Next patient was afflicted with a dripping nose that included worms, delicious worms as it turns out. Doc Jim recommended that he shave his beard and come back in six months. Next patient had a painful voice. Doc Rooks donned some gloves and went in deep to see what was causing the problem. Out he pulled a fish and recommended that Bob Martin chew his food more. Next came out an oyster on the half shell with a mother of pearl. Doc Jim recommended that he not eat the shell.
The last hat put on President Jim was a Santa hat, the best hat of all. This means that Jim is a man of service, giving of himself with hope, love and cheer. The Improbability gathered around Jim and we sang “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” The meeting closed with enthusiastic applause, ringing with love for President Jim Rooks. Ron Irwin won the drawing but didn’t win the pot.
Above: Didn’t the Puffins do a great job? Photo by Phil Eng.
Happy Holidays to all. Don’t come December 24th or December31st unless you want to sit and eat lunch alone as no meetings until January 7, 2022. Happy New Year, Everyone! And do not forget we will not be meeting at Tacoma Country and Golf Club during the entire month of January. All meetings will be via Zoom so look for those invitations from Dr. Rooks.
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The Lull Before the Storm
Saturday, December 11, 2021 By: Mary MarlinThe Lull Before the Storm.
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
Today it is… the Friday before the Tom and Jerry hydration opportunity, which arrives next week! Yes, the lull before the storm! Yes, one more week for President Jim Rooks to celebrate leading the team to victory in 2021. Simply being able to show up healthy is a mega-step in the right direction! Next week with the Puffin Roast, much will be celebrated!
Today we stood happily as the chime caught our attention. Tom George led the invocation and expressed appreciation for our individual differences that when joined together lead to our opportunities to assist others toward our common goals. President Jim admitted he forgot to ask a member to lead us in the Pledge, so he generously and thoughtfully did it himself.
Those assisting today were Rob Erb, James Osundwa, Tom George, Rick Selden and Gayle Selden with the set up. John Lowney smiled as he was designated the fine collector. Mary Marlin and Phil Eng were the Bulletin writer and photographer, respectively. Terry Roarke was the Sergeant at Arms. Bill Allen documented Foundation donations ($375 collected today) and Greg Rediske was officially in charge of monitoring the President's unlikely gaffes.
President Rooks then asked if there were any visitors. Ed Shannon introduced his wife, Jayne. Duke Paulson was introduced by Angela Connelly who would like to encourage Duke to join. Jason Whalen introduced Dwight Williams, who is considering Rotary. Those at his table could be heard encouraging him to join. Maria Tobin, who works with our speaker, was acknowledged and appreciated. Ellen Mazoff and Carole Wier were given kudos for zooming with us today. Puffins Wendy McGowan, Angela Connelly, Andy Phillips, James Osundwa, Bob Martin, Carl Bronkema, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, Rachel Mazoff, Steve Saalfeld, Jamie Simons and Anthony Veliz were applauded for their efforts as Puffins. We'll know more of their talents next Friday at the Puffin Roast of President Rooks.
CLUB BUSINESS: Rob Erb mentioned a $2500 grant from the Military Appreciation Appreciation committee, which was approved by unanimous consent, as required for all grants of $2000 or more, according to our Bylaws.
HEALTHE AND WELLNESS (formerly Sunshine): Eric Warn was asked about members’ health and wellness. Unfortunately, Bill Price is now home but still not well and cannot see a specialist for nearly two to three months. Eric mentioned that he would also like good news about the health of our members as well as those who may need our kind thoughts.
LITTLE FREE PANTRIES: Bob Zawilski and John Lowney then gave information about the Little Free Pantries and the club’s financing of the eight pantries. To date $3,540 has been donated by members and a $10, 000 grant was received from the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation. $4400 has been spent so far to build the pantries and to provide food. The balance in that LFP “account” is now $9050. John was given kudos for building some pantries and when asked, John said that it may cost from $250 to $330 just for the materials to build a pantry and could take approximately 8 hours to complete. He thanked Mark Blanchard for setting the posts on which the LFPs are built. Shortages of lumber can also be a concern. All in all, pantries are getting done and staying stocked. Several clubs have helped with repairs and painting. Suggestions for helping include giving protein items, telling others about how they can help, holding food drives and also helping stock the pantries with hygiene supplies.
SUPPORT A FAMILY: Mary Horn and Rose Stevens have been assisting a family of 6 for a few years now. They admit this is not a Rotary club charity, but a personal one. Check Mary's email for specific donations for the children in the family and for monetary donations that will help beyond the holidays.
BREAK BAGS: Bill Potter encouraged members to help with Break Bags on Dec. 18th as well as with the bike deliveries, especially on base the same day.
NEW OFFICERS: Bill also mentioned as head of the nominating committee for next year that the slate of new officers is set. David Swindale, Tom George and Barlow Buescher will be incoming board members. John Lowney will be Treasurer. Greg Rediske will continue as Secretary and Mary Horn will be President Elect-Elect, and taking the office of President in July 2023. Welcome all!! Congratulations or condolences?
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES: Greg Horn then reminded us of Birthdays and Anniversaries. Here are the birthdays: Scott Buser, Dec. 16/John Forkenbrock, Dec. 25!/Chuck Hellar, Dec. 18...best gift was going to Istanbul and Athens on a cruise/Bob Peterson, Dec. 4/Jim Sharp, Dec. 28/Paul Wulfestieg, Dec. 31/ and Anthony Veliz, Dec. 8! Partner Birthdays: Nicola Edgecomb on Dec. 24, Sue Hellar on Dec. 30 and Jayne Shannon on Dec 27th. Here are the years that our members have been in the club: Mary Horn-5, Paula Olson-5, Peter Marsh-6, Wynn Hoffman-13, Sally Smith-14, Andrew Neiditz-16, Terry Roarke-20, John Korsmo-31, Jerry Williams-32, David Covey-38, Bob Lordahl-47, and John Warner wins with 49 years in the club! Wedding Anniversaries include: Clint Johnson with Sharlynn for 2 years, Eric Quinn and Johanah for 4 years, James Osundwa and Shiru for 6 years, Carl Bronkema and Veronica for 18 years, David Swindale and Mary for 29 years and Vaughn Hoffman and his wife Connie have been married for 55 years! Congratulations to all!!
GENEROUS GIVING: Then came the opportunity for Generous Giving, i.e. Fines! David Swindale gave Bill Potter a colorful rugby shirt Bill had admired when he was President. Go New Zealand!!Chuck Hellar gave a thank you and shout out to John Lowney for fixing a Little Free Pantry at a moment's notice. Wendy McGowan donated $100 for the special news that her daughter is now the managing director of Goldman Sachs in Los Angeles! She's also been traveling to Chicago and Los Angeles. Barlow Buescher donated $100 as a thank you to John Lowney and a tribute to his new pup...Lumpy? (not yet named) and to Barb Spriggs for the auction item of Donatello's in San Francisco, which Barlow and his wife enjoyed greatly.
THE PROGRAM:
And now for our speaker of the day, Colonel Bill Adamson of the South Sound Military and Communities Partnership! John Caulfield, by Zoom, then introduced Colonel Adamson by mentioning that he is a highly decorated officer....combat officer...that recently completed his duties at the Pentagon. He was a lead on developing armaments that would protect troops and vehicles from IED attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan. His current job is to promote relationships on both sides of the fence between military facilities and communities. He actually taught high school, played on the Montreal Expos baseball team and theirTriple A baseball team in Colorado. With that, the applause resounded.
Colonel Adamson then told us of his job with the South Sound Military and Communities Partnership. Here are the facts. The intent of SSMCP is to improve and formalize collaboration between the military and the community leaders. There are legislative priorities and policy decisions. The value of having this Partnership is that there is a Great American Defense Community. Benefits are marketing opportunities, advocating shared legislative agenda, improving awareness for all, connecting networks of elected officials and military professionals. A focus on a Growth Coordination Plan to especially address health care, transportation and how the foundation will better build collaboration between the military and local communities is essential. Land use is a big factor in conversations and decision making. JBLM's economic impact is 34, 000 jobs statewide and 25,500 in just the South Sound. Ft. Lewis and McChord are rapidly growing, therefore, the need is to better coordinate Dept. of Defense and local government decisions. One particular concern is the I-5 corridor as it traverses the Nisqually River Delta. Environmental studies are essential to determine the impact of climate change and the variables that will affect salmon habitat and Nisqually tribal fishing. The facts are that the tribe used to fish 8 months a year. Now they can only fish 8 days a year because of weather issues and climate change. Sea levels are rising, storms are more devastating, and commerce is suffering. If I-5 is impacted severely, as it will be reported to be even more in the next several years, transportation will be greatly affected as dire as the recent train derailment north of Nisqually. Road changes need to be made to be back up systems when commerce will be affected. Money, collaboration, information, deliberation, habitat, history and potential crises all need to be brought to the table and discussed.
Just north of the landing zone at McChord, currently 21 active businesses are in a North Clear Zone which is supposed to have no people in it. Property needs to be cleared. Thirty two acquisition projects are now critical to success. Nine thousand people come and go at Joint Base Lewis McChord year to year. How do we make this all work??? A good question! And thank you ,Colonel Adamson, for working toward solutions with legislators and community leaders and sharing your successes and concerns. We hope to hear more in the future!
With that, President Jim thanked our speaker, dinged the bell and offered a possibility of winning the raffle to Ed Shannon. Okay, next time, Ed! Five dollars will have to do And the meeting was adjourned!
Yours truly, Mary Marlin
President Rooks then asked if there were any visitors. Ed Shannon introduced his wife, Jayne. Duke Paulson was introduced by Angela Connelly who would like to encourage Duke to join. Jason Whalen introduced Dwight Williams, who is considering Rotary. Those at his table could be heard encouraging him to join. Maria Tobin, who works with our speaker, was acknowledged and appreciated. Ellen Mazoff and Carole Wier were given kudos for zooming with us today. Puffins Wendy McGowan, Angela Connelly, Andy Phillips, James Osundwa, Bob Martin, Carl Bronkema, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, Rachel Mazoff, Steve Saalfeld, Jamie Simons and Anthony Veliz were applauded for their efforts as Puffins. We'll know more of their talents next Friday at the Puffin Roast of President Rooks.
CLUB BUSINESS: Rob Erb mentioned a $2500 grant from the Military Appreciation Appreciation committee, which was approved by unanimous consent, as required for all grants of $2000 or more, according to our Bylaws.
HEALTHE AND WELLNESS (formerly Sunshine): Eric Warn was asked about members’ health and wellness. Unfortunately, Bill Price is now home but still not well and cannot see a specialist for nearly two to three months. Eric mentioned that he would also like good news about the health of our members as well as those who may need our kind thoughts.
LITTLE FREE PANTRIES: Bob Zawilski and John Lowney then gave information about the Little Free Pantries and the club’s financing of the eight pantries. To date $3,540 has been donated by members and a $10, 000 grant was received from the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation. $4400 has been spent so far to build the pantries and to provide food. The balance in that LFP “account” is now $9050. John was given kudos for building some pantries and when asked, John said that it may cost from $250 to $330 just for the materials to build a pantry and could take approximately 8 hours to complete. He thanked Mark Blanchard for setting the posts on which the LFPs are built. Shortages of lumber can also be a concern. All in all, pantries are getting done and staying stocked. Several clubs have helped with repairs and painting. Suggestions for helping include giving protein items, telling others about how they can help, holding food drives and also helping stock the pantries with hygiene supplies.
SUPPORT A FAMILY: Mary Horn and Rose Stevens have been assisting a family of 6 for a few years now. They admit this is not a Rotary club charity, but a personal one. Check Mary's email for specific donations for the children in the family and for monetary donations that will help beyond the holidays.
BREAK BAGS: Bill Potter encouraged members to help with Break Bags on Dec. 18th as well as with the bike deliveries, especially on base the same day.
NEW OFFICERS: Bill also mentioned as head of the nominating committee for next year that the slate of new officers is set. David Swindale, Tom George and Barlow Buescher will be incoming board members. John Lowney will be Treasurer. Greg Rediske will continue as Secretary and Mary Horn will be President Elect-Elect, and taking the office of President in July 2023. Welcome all!! Congratulations or condolences?
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES: Greg Horn then reminded us of Birthdays and Anniversaries. Here are the birthdays: Scott Buser, Dec. 16/John Forkenbrock, Dec. 25!/Chuck Hellar, Dec. 18...best gift was going to Istanbul and Athens on a cruise/Bob Peterson, Dec. 4/Jim Sharp, Dec. 28/Paul Wulfestieg, Dec. 31/ and Anthony Veliz, Dec. 8! Partner Birthdays: Nicola Edgecomb on Dec. 24, Sue Hellar on Dec. 30 and Jayne Shannon on Dec 27th. Here are the years that our members have been in the club: Mary Horn-5, Paula Olson-5, Peter Marsh-6, Wynn Hoffman-13, Sally Smith-14, Andrew Neiditz-16, Terry Roarke-20, John Korsmo-31, Jerry Williams-32, David Covey-38, Bob Lordahl-47, and John Warner wins with 49 years in the club! Wedding Anniversaries include: Clint Johnson with Sharlynn for 2 years, Eric Quinn and Johanah for 4 years, James Osundwa and Shiru for 6 years, Carl Bronkema and Veronica for 18 years, David Swindale and Mary for 29 years and Vaughn Hoffman and his wife Connie have been married for 55 years! Congratulations to all!!
GENEROUS GIVING: Then came the opportunity for Generous Giving, i.e. Fines! David Swindale gave Bill Potter a colorful rugby shirt Bill had admired when he was President. Go New Zealand!!Chuck Hellar gave a thank you and shout out to John Lowney for fixing a Little Free Pantry at a moment's notice. Wendy McGowan donated $100 for the special news that her daughter is now the managing director of Goldman Sachs in Los Angeles! She's also been traveling to Chicago and Los Angeles. Barlow Buescher donated $100 as a thank you to John Lowney and a tribute to his new pup...Lumpy? (not yet named) and to Barb Spriggs for the auction item of Donatello's in San Francisco, which Barlow and his wife enjoyed greatly.
THE PROGRAM:
And now for our speaker of the day, Colonel Bill Adamson of the South Sound Military and Communities Partnership! John Caulfield, by Zoom, then introduced Colonel Adamson by mentioning that he is a highly decorated officer....combat officer...that recently completed his duties at the Pentagon. He was a lead on developing armaments that would protect troops and vehicles from IED attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan. His current job is to promote relationships on both sides of the fence between military facilities and communities. He actually taught high school, played on the Montreal Expos baseball team and theirTriple A baseball team in Colorado. With that, the applause resounded.
Colonel Adamson then told us of his job with the South Sound Military and Communities Partnership. Here are the facts. The intent of SSMCP is to improve and formalize collaboration between the military and the community leaders. There are legislative priorities and policy decisions. The value of having this Partnership is that there is a Great American Defense Community. Benefits are marketing opportunities, advocating shared legislative agenda, improving awareness for all, connecting networks of elected officials and military professionals. A focus on a Growth Coordination Plan to especially address health care, transportation and how the foundation will better build collaboration between the military and local communities is essential. Land use is a big factor in conversations and decision making. JBLM's economic impact is 34, 000 jobs statewide and 25,500 in just the South Sound. Ft. Lewis and McChord are rapidly growing, therefore, the need is to better coordinate Dept. of Defense and local government decisions. One particular concern is the I-5 corridor as it traverses the Nisqually River Delta. Environmental studies are essential to determine the impact of climate change and the variables that will affect salmon habitat and Nisqually tribal fishing. The facts are that the tribe used to fish 8 months a year. Now they can only fish 8 days a year because of weather issues and climate change. Sea levels are rising, storms are more devastating, and commerce is suffering. If I-5 is impacted severely, as it will be reported to be even more in the next several years, transportation will be greatly affected as dire as the recent train derailment north of Nisqually. Road changes need to be made to be back up systems when commerce will be affected. Money, collaboration, information, deliberation, habitat, history and potential crises all need to be brought to the table and discussed.
Just north of the landing zone at McChord, currently 21 active businesses are in a North Clear Zone which is supposed to have no people in it. Property needs to be cleared. Thirty two acquisition projects are now critical to success. Nine thousand people come and go at Joint Base Lewis McChord year to year. How do we make this all work??? A good question! And thank you ,Colonel Adamson, for working toward solutions with legislators and community leaders and sharing your successes and concerns. We hope to hear more in the future!
With that, President Jim thanked our speaker, dinged the bell and offered a possibility of winning the raffle to Ed Shannon. Okay, next time, Ed! Five dollars will have to do And the meeting was adjourned!
Yours truly, Mary Marlin
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Lakewood Rotary is Dancing
Sunday, December 5, 2021 By: Gregory J. RediskeLakewood Rotary is Dancing!
THE LAKEWOOD KEY