MEETING RECAP
Out With the Old and In With the New
By Gregory J. Rediske
Share:PermalinkEmail this Page
Out With the Old and In With the New
Greg Rediski
There are many reasons to feel sorrow at the last meeting of the Whalen regime, but the betting industry will suffer the most, I fear. The weekly wagers about when Jason might or might not make it to the meeting (although he always seemed to make it in a nick of time!) will go by the wayside. But there’s the other side bets. Would-be writer this week, Steve Saalfeld, helpfully sent along the latest line on this week’s wagers:
6:1 odds on the final conch shell blast lasting more than 20 seconds
4:1 odds that Jason will conduct the final meeting in a coconut bra
And the over/under on the horrible puns Jason will improvise is 17.
New Officers and Board
So it is onward and upward with the new officers for 2023-24, beginning tomorrow, July 1, 2023:
President Mary Horn
President-elect: Carl Bronkema
Treasurer: John Lowney
Secretary: Greg Rediske
Directors: Tom George, Barlow Buescher, David Swindale, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, James Osundwa, Bob Martin
And there is a new RI President, of course: R. Gordon McInally from Scotland. The theme: “Create Hope in the World”. More specifically, he hopes to prioritize mental health. In the new ROTARIAN magazine, he quotes the Scottish poet, Robert Burns, in wanting to promote “sense and worth over all the earth”. The article further notes that RI founder Paul Harris’ wife was from Scotland, and after Paul’s death she retired there. And the first Rotary convention outside the U.S. was in Scotland in 1920. Break out the bagpipes and cook up some haggis! With some Scotch, of course. See Barlow for recommendations. On the Scotch, not the haggis.
The Meeting Begins
On the last day of his reign, Jason arrived 7 minutes early! (Wife Gael beat him there by 10 minutes.) SO much happens PRIOR to Jason’s arrival….Steve Mazoff was strong-arming people for donations of money and food for the Little Free Pantry. He collected $384 in “I forgot” money by the end of the day and the largest amount of food ever collected on a Friday. Veronica Bronkema was trying her best to get money for Paul Harris after Steve had wrung everyone dry; leaving Gary Barton to get the $2.00 leavings for the raffle. Jason’s final conk blow went awry due to confetti stuffed in the shell, much to everyone’s dismay. Chris Kimball expressed optimism in the Invocation/Thought for the Day, while Jason himself led us in the Pledge. Ralph Johnson, Rachel Mazoff (the kinder, gentler Mazoff), Eric Quinn, Carole Wier, Rose Stevens and John Magnuson were on Zoom. James, Rob, Tom, Wynn, and Terry did set-up, Walt Richardson was doing photos, and celebrities in the house were AG Tony Camoroda, incoming AG Bill Potter, PDG Greg Horn, and PDG from long, long ago, Gordon Quick. Carolyn and Don Swanson from Parkland/Spanaway Rotary attended, as did guests Jennie Weinand, Bonnie Magnuson, and Connie Behe from Pierce County Libraries, assisting our speaker. Puffins in the house: Heather Burgess (with Puffin in hand), Joel Vranna, and Jacob Cuthbertson. The Sunshine Report was a self-confessed fall with 13 stitches for Bud Montgomery.
Whew! Being a cub reporter is a tough business, taking all that down. But then came the good stuff: Induction of a new member. Or inducement in this case. Jason noted that the last time Gael was induced it produced a baby. He’s hoping to avoid that this time, although he did seal the deal with a kiss. After induction/inducement, Gael reported her long-time gig with Expedia, followed by office duties at Beth O’Connor’s office, while also selling real estate for Harold Allen Realtors/Compass Real Estate. The common theme was sales/travel/customer service. Heather proceeded to let the Puffin fly straight to Gael, who now must keep it from being de-feathered by their spoiled French bulldog, King Louie. Welcome aboard, Gael!! (Mark Edgecomb was expecting a kiss from someone for something….who can tell what Mark is expecting….)
Aloha Dollars and Announcements, all rolled into one:
Barlow Buescher reported that while community support is down for Little Free Pantries, need and use are up. He added $50, followed by Greg Horn with $50, Scott Buser with $50 and Angela Connelly with $50.
Rotary On Tap! Connie Coleman-Lacadie and Linda Disney are organizing the next one for July 13th at 6:00 pm, at Zestys (formerly Black Angus).
Barb Spriggs announced the final sign up for the July 16 kayak fundraiser on American Lake and paid $50 for all the fun she’s had during the Jason Reign.
Mary Horn gifted the outgoing president with a wiggling hula dancer for his dashboard.
Bill Potter was thrilled to participate in the installation of the new president at Clover Park Rotary, someone named Sue Potter. He also announced that we will have a booth at Summerfest to sign up Dolly Parton Imagination Library kids and all other things Rotary. Contact Bill if you’d like to join in. $40 from Bill.
Jason accused Clayton DeNault of jumping out of the Duck Dynasty clan. He had the look. Clayton donated $50 for Jason’s year, and $20 to announce the YMCA golf tournament to benefit their Late Night Program for teens.
Everyone swiveled to the back of the room when Bob Martin announced paratroopers dropping from the sky. Really, right then, in American Lake. He also donated $50 for a family get together honoring their upcoming 50th wedding anniversary.
Angela Connelly’s son Peter was given the Superintendent Award at West Point. She gave $100 in honor of Peter and all those who have supported our country’s independence, which we celebrate on the 4th of July.
Donn Irwin and Rob Erb went golfing, cigar smoking, and cribbage playing in Idaho: $20 each.
Jim Bisceglia paid $20 to mark the “shameless” padding of Jason’s membership goal on his last day.
Mary Marlin gave $50 to thank Jason for all the good humor.
Chris Kimball got his car repaired for $23,000, but it’s once again drivable and more powerful than John Magnuson’s car. $20 (Ole says, “It’s not the horsepower in the car that counts.”)
All of which put Jason over the $15K goal for Aloha Giving. Wow.
It turns out the answers to my problems were not at the bottom of this pint of ice cream; but the important thing is that I tried. (Dedicated to the courage of Chris Kimball)
Congratulations to our very own Bob Zawilski who received the very well deserved Rotarian of the Year Award. Among other activities, Bob has been a leader of the District 5020 grants committee and was one of the "founders" of the Little Free Pantry project. Back in the day, he was very active in the local humane society.
The Program:
Anne Enquist introduced our speaker, Gretchen Caserotti, Executive Director of Pierce County Libraries. Anne noted that Gretchen has a whole lot of awards, including Mover and Shaker Award from the Library Association, 2018 Meridian (Idaho) Citizen of the Year, and a bunch more. She came to Pierce County in May of 2022, right about the time of the closing of the Lakewood Library, formerly known as the Tenzler Library. This event forced the system to “turn outward”, embracing mobile services until a plan should emerge. 1500 people were served last month alone, at events like story time at City Hall, a Tyee Park event, and various other events. Adults can get Tech Help and be involved in Book Banter as well as Craft and Create, while families benefited from Story Time and Make It! (crafts). Numerous book giveaways are taking place as well. The really big news: Jason will be the Story Time guy at City Hall on August 1, 10:30 to 11:30. It’s intended for children under 6 and their families, but I’m sure he’d love a bunch of Rotarians to come and listen, too!!
Gretchen revealed for the first time the preliminary plan for the interim library, at the corner of Gravelly Lake Drive and Alfaretta, with about 7,000 sq feet of space. The interior will feel “fresh and light,” “new and clean.” This interim facility has less risk and is timelier than waiting for the final finished product. Current long-term plans will be demolition of the old building on Wildaire and building a new 20-25,000 sq foot building on the site. A board meeting later in the year will address this decision. She knows there is emotion tied to the demolition of the old building, but particularly “what will happen to the Douglas Fir slice?” It weighs nine tons, and is being protected temporarily, until a permanent home is found (in talks with the City). During question time, she said the old building had the roof replaced numerous times, and after one particular inspection it was discovered the leaks had damaged the interior of the structure, making it a hazard.
Before announcing the raffle winner, Jason got in one last pun for the road: “That Doug Fir tree: 9 tons! Can you believe it! Stumped me, too!!” And then he called out #3259, which was held by Bob Peterson, who got white and $5.00. Last but not least: a standing “O” for our fearless (former) leader. Welcome to the helm, Queen Mary!!
And lastly, for good measure:
Ole asked God why he made Lena so nice and round. “So you would love her.” But why did you make her so stupid? “So she would love you.”
Lena asked Ole why he was wearing wet pants. “It said wash and wear on the label”
Upcoming Events:
July – Maternal & Child Health Month
July 1st – Beginning of Rotary Fiscal Year
July 13th – Rotary on Tap at Zesty’s – 6:00 pm
July 16th – Kayak Poker Run on American Lake – contact Barb Spriggs
July 23rd – Mission Impossible Movie – contact Anne & Steve Enquist
July 25th – Lakewood Rotary Board Meeting – TC&GC – 5:30 p.m.
July 28th – Regular meeting will be at Fort Steilacoom Park at the Pavilion starting at 11:30 – bring family, especially grandkids for fun & games
August – Membership & New Club Development Month
August 3rd – Floating Board Meeting (club barbecue & boat cruises on Steilacoom Lake) – at Holly Hedge Estates – family & friends welcome
August 5th – Beer Stock at Ski Park Lake (also known as Pints for Polio) – see Greg Horn for details
August 5th – Rotary International President – Gordon McInally – function at Murano Hotel in Tacoma – evening
August 9th – Rainiers Tailgate BBQ & Game – contact Mary Horn
August 20th – 22nd – Annual Reeder Roaster Romp
August 22nd – Lakewood Rotary Board Meeting – TC&GC – 5:30 p.m.
Greg Rediski
There are many reasons to feel sorrow at the last meeting of the Whalen regime, but the betting industry will suffer the most, I fear. The weekly wagers about when Jason might or might not make it to the meeting (although he always seemed to make it in a nick of time!) will go by the wayside. But there’s the other side bets. Would-be writer this week, Steve Saalfeld, helpfully sent along the latest line on this week’s wagers:
6:1 odds on the final conch shell blast lasting more than 20 seconds
4:1 odds that Jason will conduct the final meeting in a coconut bra
And the over/under on the horrible puns Jason will improvise is 17.
New Officers and Board
So it is onward and upward with the new officers for 2023-24, beginning tomorrow, July 1, 2023:
President Mary Horn
President-elect: Carl Bronkema
Treasurer: John Lowney
Secretary: Greg Rediske
Directors: Tom George, Barlow Buescher, David Swindale, Connie Coleman-Lacadie, James Osundwa, Bob Martin
And there is a new RI President, of course: R. Gordon McInally from Scotland. The theme: “Create Hope in the World”. More specifically, he hopes to prioritize mental health. In the new ROTARIAN magazine, he quotes the Scottish poet, Robert Burns, in wanting to promote “sense and worth over all the earth”. The article further notes that RI founder Paul Harris’ wife was from Scotland, and after Paul’s death she retired there. And the first Rotary convention outside the U.S. was in Scotland in 1920. Break out the bagpipes and cook up some haggis! With some Scotch, of course. See Barlow for recommendations. On the Scotch, not the haggis.
The Meeting Begins
On the last day of his reign, Jason arrived 7 minutes early! (Wife Gael beat him there by 10 minutes.) SO much happens PRIOR to Jason’s arrival….Steve Mazoff was strong-arming people for donations of money and food for the Little Free Pantry. He collected $384 in “I forgot” money by the end of the day and the largest amount of food ever collected on a Friday. Veronica Bronkema was trying her best to get money for Paul Harris after Steve had wrung everyone dry; leaving Gary Barton to get the $2.00 leavings for the raffle. Jason’s final conk blow went awry due to confetti stuffed in the shell, much to everyone’s dismay. Chris Kimball expressed optimism in the Invocation/Thought for the Day, while Jason himself led us in the Pledge. Ralph Johnson, Rachel Mazoff (the kinder, gentler Mazoff), Eric Quinn, Carole Wier, Rose Stevens and John Magnuson were on Zoom. James, Rob, Tom, Wynn, and Terry did set-up, Walt Richardson was doing photos, and celebrities in the house were AG Tony Camoroda, incoming AG Bill Potter, PDG Greg Horn, and PDG from long, long ago, Gordon Quick. Carolyn and Don Swanson from Parkland/Spanaway Rotary attended, as did guests Jennie Weinand, Bonnie Magnuson, and Connie Behe from Pierce County Libraries, assisting our speaker. Puffins in the house: Heather Burgess (with Puffin in hand), Joel Vranna, and Jacob Cuthbertson. The Sunshine Report was a self-confessed fall with 13 stitches for Bud Montgomery.
Whew! Being a cub reporter is a tough business, taking all that down. But then came the good stuff: Induction of a new member. Or inducement in this case. Jason noted that the last time Gael was induced it produced a baby. He’s hoping to avoid that this time, although he did seal the deal with a kiss. After induction/inducement, Gael reported her long-time gig with Expedia, followed by office duties at Beth O’Connor’s office, while also selling real estate for Harold Allen Realtors/Compass Real Estate. The common theme was sales/travel/customer service. Heather proceeded to let the Puffin fly straight to Gael, who now must keep it from being de-feathered by their spoiled French bulldog, King Louie. Welcome aboard, Gael!! (Mark Edgecomb was expecting a kiss from someone for something….who can tell what Mark is expecting….)
Aloha Dollars and Announcements, all rolled into one:
Barlow Buescher reported that while community support is down for Little Free Pantries, need and use are up. He added $50, followed by Greg Horn with $50, Scott Buser with $50 and Angela Connelly with $50.
Rotary On Tap! Connie Coleman-Lacadie and Linda Disney are organizing the next one for July 13th at 6:00 pm, at Zestys (formerly Black Angus).
Barb Spriggs announced the final sign up for the July 16 kayak fundraiser on American Lake and paid $50 for all the fun she’s had during the Jason Reign.
Mary Horn gifted the outgoing president with a wiggling hula dancer for his dashboard.
Bill Potter was thrilled to participate in the installation of the new president at Clover Park Rotary, someone named Sue Potter. He also announced that we will have a booth at Summerfest to sign up Dolly Parton Imagination Library kids and all other things Rotary. Contact Bill if you’d like to join in. $40 from Bill.
Jason accused Clayton DeNault of jumping out of the Duck Dynasty clan. He had the look. Clayton donated $50 for Jason’s year, and $20 to announce the YMCA golf tournament to benefit their Late Night Program for teens.
Everyone swiveled to the back of the room when Bob Martin announced paratroopers dropping from the sky. Really, right then, in American Lake. He also donated $50 for a family get together honoring their upcoming 50th wedding anniversary.
Angela Connelly’s son Peter was given the Superintendent Award at West Point. She gave $100 in honor of Peter and all those who have supported our country’s independence, which we celebrate on the 4th of July.
Donn Irwin and Rob Erb went golfing, cigar smoking, and cribbage playing in Idaho: $20 each.
Jim Bisceglia paid $20 to mark the “shameless” padding of Jason’s membership goal on his last day.
Mary Marlin gave $50 to thank Jason for all the good humor.
Chris Kimball got his car repaired for $23,000, but it’s once again drivable and more powerful than John Magnuson’s car. $20 (Ole says, “It’s not the horsepower in the car that counts.”)
All of which put Jason over the $15K goal for Aloha Giving. Wow.
It turns out the answers to my problems were not at the bottom of this pint of ice cream; but the important thing is that I tried. (Dedicated to the courage of Chris Kimball)
Congratulations to our very own Bob Zawilski who received the very well deserved Rotarian of the Year Award. Among other activities, Bob has been a leader of the District 5020 grants committee and was one of the "founders" of the Little Free Pantry project. Back in the day, he was very active in the local humane society.
The Program:
Anne Enquist introduced our speaker, Gretchen Caserotti, Executive Director of Pierce County Libraries. Anne noted that Gretchen has a whole lot of awards, including Mover and Shaker Award from the Library Association, 2018 Meridian (Idaho) Citizen of the Year, and a bunch more. She came to Pierce County in May of 2022, right about the time of the closing of the Lakewood Library, formerly known as the Tenzler Library. This event forced the system to “turn outward”, embracing mobile services until a plan should emerge. 1500 people were served last month alone, at events like story time at City Hall, a Tyee Park event, and various other events. Adults can get Tech Help and be involved in Book Banter as well as Craft and Create, while families benefited from Story Time and Make It! (crafts). Numerous book giveaways are taking place as well. The really big news: Jason will be the Story Time guy at City Hall on August 1, 10:30 to 11:30. It’s intended for children under 6 and their families, but I’m sure he’d love a bunch of Rotarians to come and listen, too!!
Gretchen revealed for the first time the preliminary plan for the interim library, at the corner of Gravelly Lake Drive and Alfaretta, with about 7,000 sq feet of space. The interior will feel “fresh and light,” “new and clean.” This interim facility has less risk and is timelier than waiting for the final finished product. Current long-term plans will be demolition of the old building on Wildaire and building a new 20-25,000 sq foot building on the site. A board meeting later in the year will address this decision. She knows there is emotion tied to the demolition of the old building, but particularly “what will happen to the Douglas Fir slice?” It weighs nine tons, and is being protected temporarily, until a permanent home is found (in talks with the City). During question time, she said the old building had the roof replaced numerous times, and after one particular inspection it was discovered the leaks had damaged the interior of the structure, making it a hazard.
Before announcing the raffle winner, Jason got in one last pun for the road: “That Doug Fir tree: 9 tons! Can you believe it! Stumped me, too!!” And then he called out #3259, which was held by Bob Peterson, who got white and $5.00. Last but not least: a standing “O” for our fearless (former) leader. Welcome to the helm, Queen Mary!!
And lastly, for good measure:
Ole asked God why he made Lena so nice and round. “So you would love her.” But why did you make her so stupid? “So she would love you.”
Lena asked Ole why he was wearing wet pants. “It said wash and wear on the label”
Upcoming Events:
July – Maternal & Child Health Month
July 1st – Beginning of Rotary Fiscal Year
July 13th – Rotary on Tap at Zesty’s – 6:00 pm
July 16th – Kayak Poker Run on American Lake – contact Barb Spriggs
July 23rd – Mission Impossible Movie – contact Anne & Steve Enquist
July 25th – Lakewood Rotary Board Meeting – TC&GC – 5:30 p.m.
July 28th – Regular meeting will be at Fort Steilacoom Park at the Pavilion starting at 11:30 – bring family, especially grandkids for fun & games
August – Membership & New Club Development Month
August 3rd – Floating Board Meeting (club barbecue & boat cruises on Steilacoom Lake) – at Holly Hedge Estates – family & friends welcome
August 5th – Beer Stock at Ski Park Lake (also known as Pints for Polio) – see Greg Horn for details
August 5th – Rotary International President – Gordon McInally – function at Murano Hotel in Tacoma – evening
August 9th – Rainiers Tailgate BBQ & Game – contact Mary Horn
August 20th – 22nd – Annual Reeder Roaster Romp
August 22nd – Lakewood Rotary Board Meeting – TC&GC – 5:30 p.m.
Sponsors
