Rotary's Theme for 2018-19
Centerville Rotary Club Meeting July 19, 2018
The GREETERS:
07/19/2018 Pat Beckel
07/26/2018 Raj Grandhi and Greg Horn
08/02/2018 Sofie Ameloot and Don Overly
08/09/2018 Jeff Senney and Joyce Young
Our official greeter was Pat Beckel with the help of Jim Briggs, our ever-present stand-in
Jeff Senney was not present.
Past President Ron Hollenbeck and President-Elect Chuck King were out promoting our club. At the London, Ohio, Rotary. Ron was promoting the idea of a global grant for the water pumps, while Chuck was at the Miamisburg Rotary, talking about helping with Operation Warm. Ron plans to also go to the Miamisburg Rotary to talk about getting a global grant for the LifePumps.
Here you see Pat on the right, greeting our Showman...errr..Club President Boyd Preston.
You'll understand the showman reference at the end of this bulletin...Both seem to be pocket
men...it's hard to find pockets in women's dresses these days...And notice Boyd's fancy white
shirt...gotten in a fancy resort shop...Presidential, to say the least...
Already inside and ready for lunch, the Overlys are joined by Don Gerhardt and greeted by
Ann Blackburn, our grand membership guru.
And here's our inspirational member of the Day, Rebecca Quinones, who is heading to Washington D.C. for two years during her husband Carlos' deployment as a newly installed colonel in the U.S. Air Force. We were lucky to have Rebecca and Carlos and their daughter Sofia, to be 14 next February, at this meeting. Sofia is going into the eighth grade. She and her mom, and hopefully Carlos, will be coming back to help with the Pancake Breakfast fund-raiser in October. We wish them well and you can see what a splendid family they are in pictures further below. It's Hasta Luego!....See you later alligator....after while crocodile...
Car salesman Butch Spencer had to come in out of the great sunny weather today, but he always seems upbeat and suited for any occasion.
Jim Briggs stood in for Jeff Senney...His handshakes are memorable...and his deep radio voice too, not to mention his flashy socks on occasion.
Here's one of the guys missing today, Ron Hollenbeck, as seen last week.
Here's Jim Briggs greeting our guest Celine O'Neill, Executive Director of the Brunner Literacy Center. She came to receive our check of $1,439 from our Happy Bucks quarterly donations.
Jim Harris is behind her, and it looks like Patrick Beckel's finger is pointing at them, unless
it's Boyd's...The watch owner will know.
Carol Kennard has arrived with camera bag in hand, ready to make our Bulletin grand.
Here's Butch again, this time waiting for more to show up.
There's been a spill of sorts, but it appears to be just some water, though ice cubes scattered
and it sounded like a glass broke, but there didn't appear to be pieces.
Sofia Quinones bridges the age gap here. She's going to be 14 in February. Irene Ullmer is
94 going on 95 this month. Sofia has hugs and time for everyone.
Here John Beals has come in to say his Hasta Luego...and thank them for their service.
Our Sgt.-at-Arms Erich Eggers and Pat Beckel exchange greetings.
Our treasurer Gerry Eastabrooks, a banker herself, coughs up the large check the club plans to present to the receiver of our Happy Bucks.
Here's a better picture of Gerry and President Boyd.
Club secretary Mark Balsan sports glasses for the sunny day.
Mark and Dan Johnson exchange news of the day...or...
The Quinones family gets their von Trapp family farewell...Rebecca and Col. Carlos and Sofia.
Everyone ate a special cupcake in their honor and the club recognized Rebecca with a heavy
round of applause during the meeting. Two years and Sofia will be driving...
And here you see the family again with our friend Arnie Biondo.
Brian Hayes and Jen Gibbs can be seen in this picture.
A room with a view, and all good people.
Our newly installed Vice President Frank Perez gave several announcements about the need
for volunteers. Sign-up sheets for the Boomer Fest at St. Leonard to help with parking, were
on the tables. Volunteers will also be needed to help with the Tour de Gem in Sept., he said.
President Preston hands our guest a check for $1,439 to help at the Brunner Literacy Center.
Executive Director Celine O'Neill thanked the group for the donation from our Happy Bucks,
and said that the center has helped 500 people learn to read this year at the two facilities
they operate, one on Salem Avenue and one on Gettysburg. The program helped one young
man who had been arrested and thought he wouldn't be out of jail for a long time, have a chance to get back into the working world again, she said.
The Centerville Rotary Club met at the Clubhouse at Yankee Trace at noon. Club President Boyd Preston led the Pledge of Allegiance; Ray Merz gave the prayer, and Brian Hayes led the singing of God Bless America.
The guests at this week's meeting included: Dottie Overly; Retired Col. Cassie Barlow, our speaker of the day; U.S.A.F. Col. Carlos Quinones, and daughter Sofia Quinones; Celine O'Neill. executive director of the Brunner Literacy Center.
Our newly elected president Boyd Preston presided over the meeting.
Announcements:
President Preston recognized the contributions of our member Rebecca Quinones, voted Rotarian of the Year by club members at the end of last year. Her daughter Sofia helped with the Pancake Breakfast along with Rebecca, and Rebecca helped with the Centerville Interact Club and the House of Bread and the Puerto Rican hurricane relief effort to gather needed items for families in Puerto Rico, which the U.S. Air Force transported to the island. Boyd said when the House of Bread said they had no milk for the children and needed such things as peanut butter and jelly, Rebecca said, --no problem-- and turned to social media and the club to gather the needed items. They got over 200 jars of peanut butter, 90 jars of jelly, apple sauce and other needed items, with Pat Beckel offering his office and Bill's Donut Shop in Centerville offering collection sites after Rebecca's garage was full.
Frank Perez spoke about the Boomer Fest at St. Leonard Aug. 11 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at last week's meeting giving more details. The all-day community festival features free music and entertainment inspired by the Baby Boomer era. Live entertainment includes Outside the Box, Corky's Old Time Rock & Roll Band, Ohio-State Alumni Marching Band (2-3:15 p.m.), Eddie Osborne, Kent Rader, comedian, Soul Express (with former members of the Dayton Daily News playing), The Fries Band (8-10 p.m.)
There will be food vendors, craft beer, arts and crafts vendors, exhibitors, a free kids area, and tethered Hot Air Balloon Rides.
President Preston noted that World Polio Day is Oct. 24, two days after our Pancake Breakfast Fund-raiser at Centerville High School on Oct. 22. He said they are looking for ways for the club to celebrate World Polio Day. At the Board Meeting Monday the board decided to support a Woodbourne Library fund-raiser coming up.
President Preston asked Brian Hayes to explain a bit about our goal for Operation Warm this year.
Brian said they set $7,500 as a goal because they do not know if they will get any extra grants or anonymous donors to up the ante this year as last.
He said he might try to twist the arms of some anonymous donors, but that "we can't count on the grant gift."
At the last meeting President Preston reminded members of the Sept. 12 District meeting at Normandy Church, which will start at 5:30 p.m. It's a good opportunity to meet with other club members and see what they are doing, he said.
He also noted that the Rotary District's Dragon's Night is Aug. 18 and that tickets need to be purchased by Aug. 10, if not before they are sold out. Our District Governor sent out ticket information to members this week.
Tickets cost just $10 and include a hat and seat, with $5 of the price going back to the Rotary Foundation.
Our Sgt.-at-Arms Erich Eggers and our Treasurer Gerry Eastabrooks helped with the Happy Bucks this week.
HAPPY BUCKS: The Happy Bucks this quarter go to Operation Warm, and Brian Hayes said our goal is to buy 375 coats, which will cost $7,500.
Our Sgt.-at-Arms Erich Eggers started off the Happy Bucks, giving $10 for half a coat, and $20 for his Monday birthday.
Gerry Eastabrooks gave a Happy $20 for heading to the Outer Banks Friday.
Kim Senft-Paras gave for her birthday last Friday.
Carol Kennard gave, and Wayne Davis gave $10, and John Beals gave for Sally's birthday, which they didn't sing for last week, he said...So they did this week.
Dan Johnson gave for a coat, honoring Rebecca Quinones and Sofia, her daughter, for their service and coming back in October to help again with the Pancake Breakfast.
Jim Harris gave $10 for half a coat.
Lee Hieronymus gave $5 to tell a story true or fake news?...about how he and Ann Blackburn were at the Montgomery County Fair together, under the tent together, and that they honored him with saying it was Hieronymus Day at the Fair...And everyone guffawed and said...Reallly?...
President Boyd Preston gave for a coat, noting that he looks forward to Rebecca coming back as a member of our club in two years.
Brian Hayes gave for a coat and said something about hoping the Quinones appreciate Washington D.C....not sure in what way he meant.
Jen Gibbs gave and then Ann Blackburn gave $5, saying "I went to the fair by myself." And everyone looked around the room and laughed, as Lee did too.
Rebecca Quinones gave for two coats, noting that she wanted to pay for the coats up front since she won't be here for two years of coat collection money. She thanked the club for all the help in the collections she made for the House of Bread and Puerto Rico and she said she appreciated the member's enthusiasm for service in so many ways.
Arnie Biondo gave and Butch Spencer gave for Operation Warm.
Pat Beckel gave $5 for Ann, and for the Rotary.com web site and for a coat in honor of Rebecca's husband Col. Carlos Quinones and daughter Sofia, who were the ones sweating and lifting and hauling when he came by to see the work...(Tongue in cheek, no doubt), he said,... and after all the hard work, Rebecca would swing by.
Carl Gill gave for a coat and for being a Rotarian...just initiated last week...
The club then sang Happy Birthday.
This Week's Speaker: Retired Colonel Cassie Barlow, speaking about a book she co-wrote called Saluting Our Grandmas: Women of World War II.
Our Vice President Frank Perez introduced Ret. Colonel Barlow, pictured below.
Frank gave a brief background on Women Veterans in Ohio:
He said: More than 67,000 women veterans reside in Ohio. They have served with distinction in every war in a variety of capacities. In the 1980s, military specialties previously closed to women were opened, putting women service members much closer to direct combat. Their roles further expanded during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Today, women service members are directly engaged in the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently 9.4 percent of our military members are women, and it is projected that by 2043 the figures will grow to 16.3 percent.
Frank said Ret. Colonel Barlow is a veteran of 26 years in the USAF. She is one of a handful
of women who has commanded at multiple levels of the Air Force.
He said she was the Wing Commander for the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
She led 5,000 men and women in the management of what is a small city, hospital, and two runways.
She currently is Chief Operating Officer at Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education. She is also a devoted Ohio's Hospice of Dayton Veteran Volunteer.
It was noted that the main character of the book, Pauline Norfleet Hill, passed away in 2015 and was a patient of Hospice of Dayton.
Pauline served in the Navy's WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service}program.
Pauline was the mother of the book's co-author, Sue Hill Norrod, whose mother and father both served in WWII. Norrod was her mother's guardian on an honor flight trip for veterans, Ret. Col. Barlow said.
The book can be purchased through Amazon, the Air Force Museum, Carrilon Park, and Barnes and Noble, Ret. Col. Barlow said.
She said writing a book had always been on her bucket list. She didn't know it would be this book, she said, but as a commander at Wright-Patt she had the opportunity to go into the schools and one day when she went to a school she saw the students flying unmanned aerial vehicles out back. She noted that the young women were excited about flying. Then she talked with their adviser, and her co-author Sue Hill Norrod showed her pictures of her mother, Pauline Norfleet Hill, who grew up in Dayton and became a Navy WAVE, and eventually became the main character of their book. She said there was a book called Saluting Our Grandfathers, Men of WWII, so it was about time the women were also recognized.
She showed a picture of the Memphis Belle, which first came to Dayton in 1943 to raise morale and support for the war effort. She said the Dayton community was very supportive of the war effort. Companies like Frigidaire and Delco helped raise money. They advertised for women workers and rationing became a way or raising morale. The slides below show some of the local activity and rationing going on.
Pauline's brothers joined the Navy and she joined the WAVES, who had boot camp in New
York City. That was where the USO shows came through, so they got to see and hear all the stars
of the day, Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, etc., before going overseas, Ret. Col. Barlow said.
At the Naval Air Station:
The last pictures shown were of Pauline going on the Honor Flight. She had not wanted to go as only men were being so honored at the time, Ret. Colonel Barlow said, but her daughter convinced her to go with an uncle.
Ret. Colonel Barlow said the first honor flight was in Dayton. She learned a lot about Dayton's aviation history and also learned that her grandmother was one of those Rosie the Riveters during the war, helping build the airplane bodies for the military. The humble midwesterners don't often brag about their past help in the war, and many don't know the great effort provided by those who served back then, she said. She's hoping to spread the word a bit more.
The following pictures were taken after the meeting, when Hasta Luego was wished by all to the Quinones family.
And
And look at this great duo...both with their bright eyes glowing for a future of delights to come.
Kim Senft-Paras, head of our local libraries, has been a great role model for Sofia and those
at Centerville High School who have gotten to know her.
President Boyd Preston took to the podium for the meeting close, stating: "As we end our show..,"laughing, as our grand showman quickly changed show, to meeting....
The meeting was closed with the reciting of the Rotary Four-Way Test.
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