Prefatory remarks and observations:
Following President Mary’s call to order and the pledge of allegiance, Joel provided us with an eloquent invocation. Nancy Gentes offered a fellowship with numerous references to important events for December 02, including the censure of Senator Joseph McCarthy, the first artificial heart implant, and the founding of the United Arab Emirates. Nancy did not mention the invention of the harmonica in as much as it was not invented on December 02. Nancy ended her oration with a series of puns that rivaled those submitted by Ray Baribeault!
Announcements:
Anna thanked the club for the support of the science and sailing program, and Madonna Place was equally grateful for the club’s support. A heartfelt thank you was received from Joceline St. Pierre for its support during her hospitalization. President Mary invited club members to sign up for the Salvation Army kettle duty. Mary also invited members to volunteer for the Tommy Toy Fund, between December 14-16. She will follow up with an e-mail with further details. Those who are interested should contact Jim Konrad. With Jim’s departure from the club, the nominating committee must also meet to designate a candidate for the club’s presidency.
Happy Dollars:
A jovial Barry Shead was thankful for his daughter’s recent visit and the high quality of the lunch provided by Rodney. (This next contribution was a bit garbled on my end so I apologize in advance for any misrepresentations, dissemblings, or misidentifications promoted by my recollections.) Susy said-I think- that her son was moving to South Korea. The remaining transmission consisted of static and a muffler commercial. Andy Grant is expecting a second grandchild and shared his recollections of Katey Stone, coach of the Women’s National Hockey Team. She led them to a gold medal in the 2013 World Championships and was the head coach of Team USA in Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Olympic Games. Team USA earned the silver medal, falling to Team Canada in the gold medal game. Bill Champagne unsuccessfully implored the club to desist from singing in observance of his birthday, quoted James Baldwin, and reminded everyone of the Norwich Race Equity Committee’s program on Wednesday, December 9 at 6:00 p.m. President Mary was uncertain of the day due to a missed alarm but deduced that it was in fact Wednesday. Annah reported that NFA’s Giving Tuesday results were very good and introduced her new dog. Nancy was happy to see Joel in good form.
Auction
Barry offered a bag of highly sought after ARC cookies. Following fevered bidding, a duel involving butter knives and napkins employed as tourniquets, Gary Young emerged as the winning bidder.
Lottery with Susy
A queue of noteworthies selected from the deck, searching for the elusive ace of spades:
Rodney-No!, Joel-No! Gary-No. A group sigh following this triumvirate of unsuccessful selections caused loose papers and other detritus to scatter across the room.
Program
Michael Kunkel, Regional Recruiter for the Peace Corps discussed the convergences between their mission and Rotary. he described the corps as a catalyst for grassroots international development and cultural exchange provided by volunteers who use their energy, ingenuity, and skills to work towards reducing inequality and creating opportunities in communities around the world. It is a two-year commitment and programs are available in 60+ countries. Sectors include education, health, agriculture, environment, youth development, and community economic development.
An acapella version of the 4-Way Test concluded the meeting.