MEETING RECAP
Crazy, Just Crazy
By Gregory J. RediskeSunday, March 5, 2023
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Crazy. Just crazy.
The Lakewood Key for March 3, 2023
It started out normal enough, until precisely 12:02 p.m., when President Whalen himself actually entered the room. 12:02!! Not 12: 27, not 12:23, but 12:02! I let out a shocked “Holy Cow!”, only to be chastised by Tom George for my “swearing”. (It did take me a couple seconds to remember that Tom was born in India….)
Although those many Rotarians who have been waging bets on his arrival were sorely disappointed to have their fun taken away, it was a pleasure to breathe a sigh of relief at his arrival. (How did it get so late so soon, wonders PW usually.) With a full schedule facing him, The Mayor started the meeting a little early with the ceremonial blowing of the conch shell. His first attempt sounded like a flatulent 14-year-old dog. Maybe he was worn out already from his “early” arrival. The second attempt worked much better and we were off and running.
The Helpers: Jan Gee, $2.00 ticket sales; Mark Edgecomb, raffle ticket/money sales acceptance; Steve Enquist, Paul Harris collection; Bob Zawilski, photographer; Chris Kimball, Invocation/Thought for the Day; Steve Enquist, Pledge leading.
Rotarians making up: Linda Disney introduced her guest from a Rotary club somewhere, who did indeed have a name. I turned up my hearing aids at this point. (We think it was a gentleman from the Farm Club, Tacoma 8. Ed.)
Guests: Troy Wilcox introduced his wife Stephanie (eliciting the response from PW about how Troy “married up”); Leanna Albrecht introduced Assistant Superintendent at Clover Park, Dr. Gloria Henderson, Harrison Prep Principal Kevin Rupprecht, and the student of the month’s father, Jimmy Norris.
Sunshine/Sick-lame-lazy/Health and Wellness report: Dave Betz’s broken neck is healing with him in Hawaii. Bob Cammarano is having hip surgery. Bob Lordahl slipped out of a chair at Tobey Jones and is recovering. John Magnuson is still Swedish.
Member Spotlight: Tom George
Tom was born in India (see above!), prematurely it seems, resulting in his being put on a rotisserie to keep him warm and alive. (He later renounced this as an exaggeration.) He attended a Jesuit school founded in 1867. After almost getting into an accident one day, a lawyer approached him and invited him to Rotary. The rest, as they say, is history. Several clubs later, he has found a home with us, and mentors in Rose Stevens and Chris Kimball. He loves working on projects, and reported on the recent installation we helped with in India of a dialysis machine and related equipment ($160K). They do free screening in outlying villages and run the machine nearly non-stop. “Amazing!”, Tom says. Just like Tom. We’re so happy that he survived incubating in a rotisserie.
Paul Harris: Jason and Steve Enquist presented a crystal and pin to Bill and Pat Price to commemorate their achieving Major Donor status ($10K to Paul Harris). Pat thanked her father for encouraging Bill to join our club, after her father was brought into Rotary by the late-great Gene Burgoyne, he of legendary Lakewood Rotary fame.
Student of the Month: Leanna Albrecht introduced Brianna Norris, who is not only an exceptional honor graduate candidate, but a talented musician and artist as well. She sang at the last two 9/11 remembrance events for the City. “Brianna is the embodiment of the HP International Baccalaureate Learner Profile and CPSD Four Pillars of: character, leadership, collaboration, and lifelong learner.” Best of all: she will be accepting scholarships to attend Washington’s finest institution of higher learning, Pacific Lutheran University. Superb!
New Member Induction: Jan Gee served as sponsor for Tyler Parker, inducted effortlessly by President Whalen. I intended to skewer the President/Mayor for not memorizing the 4-Way Test for his inductions, but he apologized before I could do so. So I guess I’ll have to let it go. Tyler was born in 1994, helping bring down our average age single handedly. He and his wife sell real estate, but he has added an additional service to their clients, estate sales and junk clean out. Together, they have six kids, including one born a scant two weeks ago. And so the Puffin finally arrived via Joel Vranna, who gave it to Jacob Cuthbertson (waiting for weeks!), who then gave it to Dick Ferrell (waiting for two weeks!), and finally it came to rest in the hot hands of Tyler. Be kind to him (or her, who can know for sure), Tyler.
Announcements: Roadster Romp, August 20-22, per Phil Eng. Phil also announced the permanent end to the Courage bike ride, per Mary Bridge Hospital.
Capri, Clover Park Rotary’s fundraiser, March 17 at McGavick.
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One movie fundraiser, July 23 (go to our website).
Money, Money, Money….Going to good stuff: Jan Gee’s Community Concerns Committee asked for the approval of $2700 for the Lakewood YMCA’s foster kids program. Passed unanimously.
Rose Stevens’ World Community Service Committee asked for $2000 for education tools (audio/visual, sports, painting, trash bins) for Nepal. Passed unanimously.
Wine a Little Event: Angela Connelly announced a recent meeting with the caterer, Gallucci’s, at McGavick, while working on a progressive dinner on American Lake for an auction item. Stephanie Wilcox and the Partners are gathering commitments for desserts for their famous Dessert Dash. They need wine barrels, Italian dinner decorations, and will be doing centerpieces. Gayle Selden harkened back to the risqué days of the Wild Game Dinner by tossing a stuffed rooster, also known by another name, which references male genitalia, at President Whalen. She also announced an auction item donated by Diamond Designs Unlimited, diamond jewelry valued at $3000. The event is March 24. Set up begins at 11 am, followed by the Rotary meeting, followed by more set up until it’s done. It will be “all hands on deck” for set up and take down, so set aside the time now. Buy a table! Invite friends! Invite enemies, if they have money!
Blue Badges: Linda Disney, Dick Ferrell and Jacob Cuthbertson all got ‘em! Only $5.
Program:
Rose Stevens introduced Toby Roberts, Executive Director at the Lakewood YMCA since 8/22/22. Toby recounted the history of the YMCA. It started in London in 1844 with an evangelical mission. Boston was the site of the first American YMCA, and Baltimore built the first new building dedicated to the Y. By 1891, the evangelical teaching had gone away in favor of sporting activities, emphasizing “spirit, mind, body.” Tacoma got its first YMCA in 1883, with the first building coming in 1906. The pool there was located in one of the top floors, which wasn’t ideal. By the 1960s, George Weyerhaeuser and Bill Philip, and Eugene, Oregon’s John Morgan began envisioning more, and 1977 saw the building of the Pearl Street location (100,000 sq ft). It filled up immediately. The Lakewood Y started in 1992, thanks in large part to the $100K in seed money put up by us, Lakewood Rotary. Ours is a smaller Y, but still boasts 10,000 members. 700 kids participate in gymnastics, 900 in swimming, and 230 foster kids benefit with free or reduced memberships. Toby proclaimed that exercise leads to relationships, and recounted the story of William, a 40-year-old veteran with a traumatic brain injury, and Brian, a 70-year-old donor. Circumstances led them to become basketball buddies, despite the disparities of health and wealth. Covid depleted the Y’s financial resources, and several programs have not bounced back as yet. They have 11 full time employees, vs. 25 before Covid. But they’re coming back to form!
Drawing: Pat Price, she of Major Donor fame, earned the right to get the red chip, but graciously picked white instead, $5.00.
Care to know what some of your hard-earned Rotary money is going to? Community Concerns has given away $25,600 to the following:
Build a bike donation and giveaway
Career Path
Caring for Kids
City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
Clare’s Closet (St Clare Hospital)
Family Renewal Shelter
Lakewood Arts Festival
Lakewood First Lions
Lakewood Sister Cities
Mary Bridge Children’s Christmas Fund
Multi-Cultural Coalition
STEP/Support the Enlisted Project
West Pierce Cares
West Pierce Fire Christmas project
YMCA Foster Care program
YMCA On the Fly (and that is just in this Rotary year).
And if you go to a Scandinavian bakery, you could Finnish a Swedish Danish.
Scandinavians who only eat plants are called Nor-vegan.
During WWII, Scandinavian countries communicated amongst themselves with Norse Code.
Also: Pray with me. John Magnuson is still Swedish.
The Lakewood Key for March 3, 2023
It started out normal enough, until precisely 12:02 p.m., when President Whalen himself actually entered the room. 12:02!! Not 12: 27, not 12:23, but 12:02! I let out a shocked “Holy Cow!”, only to be chastised by Tom George for my “swearing”. (It did take me a couple seconds to remember that Tom was born in India….)
Although those many Rotarians who have been waging bets on his arrival were sorely disappointed to have their fun taken away, it was a pleasure to breathe a sigh of relief at his arrival. (How did it get so late so soon, wonders PW usually.) With a full schedule facing him, The Mayor started the meeting a little early with the ceremonial blowing of the conch shell. His first attempt sounded like a flatulent 14-year-old dog. Maybe he was worn out already from his “early” arrival. The second attempt worked much better and we were off and running.
The Helpers: Jan Gee, $2.00 ticket sales; Mark Edgecomb, raffle ticket/money sales acceptance; Steve Enquist, Paul Harris collection; Bob Zawilski, photographer; Chris Kimball, Invocation/Thought for the Day; Steve Enquist, Pledge leading.
Rotarians making up: Linda Disney introduced her guest from a Rotary club somewhere, who did indeed have a name. I turned up my hearing aids at this point. (We think it was a gentleman from the Farm Club, Tacoma 8. Ed.)
Guests: Troy Wilcox introduced his wife Stephanie (eliciting the response from PW about how Troy “married up”); Leanna Albrecht introduced Assistant Superintendent at Clover Park, Dr. Gloria Henderson, Harrison Prep Principal Kevin Rupprecht, and the student of the month’s father, Jimmy Norris.
Sunshine/Sick-lame-lazy/Health and Wellness report: Dave Betz’s broken neck is healing with him in Hawaii. Bob Cammarano is having hip surgery. Bob Lordahl slipped out of a chair at Tobey Jones and is recovering. John Magnuson is still Swedish.
Member Spotlight: Tom George
Tom was born in India (see above!), prematurely it seems, resulting in his being put on a rotisserie to keep him warm and alive. (He later renounced this as an exaggeration.) He attended a Jesuit school founded in 1867. After almost getting into an accident one day, a lawyer approached him and invited him to Rotary. The rest, as they say, is history. Several clubs later, he has found a home with us, and mentors in Rose Stevens and Chris Kimball. He loves working on projects, and reported on the recent installation we helped with in India of a dialysis machine and related equipment ($160K). They do free screening in outlying villages and run the machine nearly non-stop. “Amazing!”, Tom says. Just like Tom. We’re so happy that he survived incubating in a rotisserie.
Paul Harris: Jason and Steve Enquist presented a crystal and pin to Bill and Pat Price to commemorate their achieving Major Donor status ($10K to Paul Harris). Pat thanked her father for encouraging Bill to join our club, after her father was brought into Rotary by the late-great Gene Burgoyne, he of legendary Lakewood Rotary fame.
Student of the Month: Leanna Albrecht introduced Brianna Norris, who is not only an exceptional honor graduate candidate, but a talented musician and artist as well. She sang at the last two 9/11 remembrance events for the City. “Brianna is the embodiment of the HP International Baccalaureate Learner Profile and CPSD Four Pillars of: character, leadership, collaboration, and lifelong learner.” Best of all: she will be accepting scholarships to attend Washington’s finest institution of higher learning, Pacific Lutheran University. Superb!
New Member Induction: Jan Gee served as sponsor for Tyler Parker, inducted effortlessly by President Whalen. I intended to skewer the President/Mayor for not memorizing the 4-Way Test for his inductions, but he apologized before I could do so. So I guess I’ll have to let it go. Tyler was born in 1994, helping bring down our average age single handedly. He and his wife sell real estate, but he has added an additional service to their clients, estate sales and junk clean out. Together, they have six kids, including one born a scant two weeks ago. And so the Puffin finally arrived via Joel Vranna, who gave it to Jacob Cuthbertson (waiting for weeks!), who then gave it to Dick Ferrell (waiting for two weeks!), and finally it came to rest in the hot hands of Tyler. Be kind to him (or her, who can know for sure), Tyler.
Announcements: Roadster Romp, August 20-22, per Phil Eng. Phil also announced the permanent end to the Courage bike ride, per Mary Bridge Hospital.
Capri, Clover Park Rotary’s fundraiser, March 17 at McGavick.
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One movie fundraiser, July 23 (go to our website).
Money, Money, Money….Going to good stuff: Jan Gee’s Community Concerns Committee asked for the approval of $2700 for the Lakewood YMCA’s foster kids program. Passed unanimously.
Rose Stevens’ World Community Service Committee asked for $2000 for education tools (audio/visual, sports, painting, trash bins) for Nepal. Passed unanimously.
Wine a Little Event: Angela Connelly announced a recent meeting with the caterer, Gallucci’s, at McGavick, while working on a progressive dinner on American Lake for an auction item. Stephanie Wilcox and the Partners are gathering commitments for desserts for their famous Dessert Dash. They need wine barrels, Italian dinner decorations, and will be doing centerpieces. Gayle Selden harkened back to the risqué days of the Wild Game Dinner by tossing a stuffed rooster, also known by another name, which references male genitalia, at President Whalen. She also announced an auction item donated by Diamond Designs Unlimited, diamond jewelry valued at $3000. The event is March 24. Set up begins at 11 am, followed by the Rotary meeting, followed by more set up until it’s done. It will be “all hands on deck” for set up and take down, so set aside the time now. Buy a table! Invite friends! Invite enemies, if they have money!
Blue Badges: Linda Disney, Dick Ferrell and Jacob Cuthbertson all got ‘em! Only $5.
Program:
Rose Stevens introduced Toby Roberts, Executive Director at the Lakewood YMCA since 8/22/22. Toby recounted the history of the YMCA. It started in London in 1844 with an evangelical mission. Boston was the site of the first American YMCA, and Baltimore built the first new building dedicated to the Y. By 1891, the evangelical teaching had gone away in favor of sporting activities, emphasizing “spirit, mind, body.” Tacoma got its first YMCA in 1883, with the first building coming in 1906. The pool there was located in one of the top floors, which wasn’t ideal. By the 1960s, George Weyerhaeuser and Bill Philip, and Eugene, Oregon’s John Morgan began envisioning more, and 1977 saw the building of the Pearl Street location (100,000 sq ft). It filled up immediately. The Lakewood Y started in 1992, thanks in large part to the $100K in seed money put up by us, Lakewood Rotary. Ours is a smaller Y, but still boasts 10,000 members. 700 kids participate in gymnastics, 900 in swimming, and 230 foster kids benefit with free or reduced memberships. Toby proclaimed that exercise leads to relationships, and recounted the story of William, a 40-year-old veteran with a traumatic brain injury, and Brian, a 70-year-old donor. Circumstances led them to become basketball buddies, despite the disparities of health and wealth. Covid depleted the Y’s financial resources, and several programs have not bounced back as yet. They have 11 full time employees, vs. 25 before Covid. But they’re coming back to form!
Drawing: Pat Price, she of Major Donor fame, earned the right to get the red chip, but graciously picked white instead, $5.00.
Care to know what some of your hard-earned Rotary money is going to? Community Concerns has given away $25,600 to the following:
Build a bike donation and giveaway
Career Path
Caring for Kids
City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
Clare’s Closet (St Clare Hospital)
Family Renewal Shelter
Lakewood Arts Festival
Lakewood First Lions
Lakewood Sister Cities
Mary Bridge Children’s Christmas Fund
Multi-Cultural Coalition
STEP/Support the Enlisted Project
West Pierce Cares
West Pierce Fire Christmas project
YMCA Foster Care program
YMCA On the Fly (and that is just in this Rotary year).
And if you go to a Scandinavian bakery, you could Finnish a Swedish Danish.
Scandinavians who only eat plants are called Nor-vegan.
During WWII, Scandinavian countries communicated amongst themselves with Norse Code.
Also: Pray with me. John Magnuson is still Swedish.
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