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Jay and Susan Show Off the Bookmobile

here was a definite theme of High Achievement and the potential for education to better the lives of others running through today’s meeting. It began with Rotarian and Town Librarian Susan Hansen ducking the still looking spanking new (one year old) Rotary donated Bookmobile under the porte-cochere at the front door and parking the $50,000 beauty where all could admire.

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Joy Bittner, Ambassadorial Scholar, Citizen of the World
 

It continued with brief remarks from Joy Bittner, a guest who the Club sponsored as a Gladys and Bob Dunn Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in 2010. Joy spent a year in Argentina completing a post graduate program in Non Profit Management.  She has since worked for a year in the Dominican Republic and is currently the country director for Faire Collection which works with artisan groups throughout Ecuador, helping them earn fair wages and support their families.

And it concluded with another member of the Club, Superintendent of Schools Nate Quesnel, who gave an enthusiastic and dynamic presentation on the current state of our East Hartford Schools.

Each of these three individuals is bringing his/her own brand of high achievement to the task of improving the lives of those they touch and they make us proud of their Rotary connections.

Gil Wishart started us off today with a thoughtful invocation which gave thanks for another successful Golf Tournament and for the chance to serve others. The meal was stuffed sole with crab dressing, rice and cole slaw. The Empress provided the sugar once again.

Joy Bittner and her proud mom, Jo Ann, were our only guests today and Sue Klock and Anwar Hossein provided the vocal leadership needed to welcome them properly.

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Nate Quesnel Presents State of the Schools Report Card

Sergeant At Arms Dan Firestone first informed us that he most assuredly was not taking his CPA exams last week, having completed that task back in 1964. (This was good news for those of us who avail ourselves of his tax wisdom each year). Then he went on to say that while he was fully prepared to stop “being a nice guy,” the Club was literally “throwing money at him” negating any need to act out of character.

Ned Lynch coughed up the coin for his 56th birthday.  Peter Klock refused to do the same since his birthday is not here until tomorrow but his bride came to his rescue most generously and we sang the appropriate song anyway. Larry Hangland paid for celebrating 50 years of wedded bliss. Nick Cecere paid because his strategy of golfing with a ringer each year paid off Monday. Hope Firestone paid to celebrate the bad aim of those who were using her as a target on Monday. Herb Barall is now an adjunct professor at Manchester Community College. And finally, Art Bradbury has his sixth great grandson, this one named oddly enough – Arthur. Someone is looking for the inheritance.

Lots of kudos and thanks were given out by both the Empress and the Co-Chairs for all the contributions in various ways by so many to make the Golf Tournament another rousing success.  A post mortem will be held next Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.

Among the announcements were these:

  • Board meeting next Monday at 5:30 at the YMCA. All are welcome.
  • Not too late to sign up for the Water Station. Contact Neal Cunningham to do so.
  • Fireside Chats are all set. Any last minute changes or additions go through Bob Wood.
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    Golf Co- Chair Has Reason to be Grateful

     

  • Rachael Buck at CIBA is looking for hosts families for two exchange students – one from China and one from Mexico. Need is immediate and urgent.

Having no shame about winning Monday, Nick Cecere compounded his shameless behavior by pulling his own number to win the raffle for the second week in a row.

Next week our speaker is local clairvoyant Bob Maxim.

And we welcome a new High Gear writer, Susan Hansen.

Be there or be squ