Newsletter

(05-10-2007 Meeting)

 

Opening

Ward led with the pledge at the River Rat with a great view of the Animas. Like last week, great ambience and lousy acoustics!  

 

Jan Measles was back with a great story forwarded to her by Mike Burns.  The setting was that Trooper Mark Dold had just left the meeting to attend to an accident on West U.S. 160.  The story involves a habitual speeder who attends church with the Trooper that stops him for speeding.  Instead of a ticket, the Trooper writes a note to the speeder reminding him of the frequent consequences of speeding, accidents and death; in this case the Trooper had lost a daughter to an accident caused by a speeder.  The note relates the tragic story and the Trooper tells the speeder to go home and hug his three daughters to remind him that life is precious.  The case for not speeding was made very well.

 

Guests       

  

            Guest (s)                                                                        Sponsor/Host

Paula Pickle                                                                   Emily Spencer

            Dan McCarthy                                                              Tom Crabb      

            Andy TeBrink                                                               Mark Dold

           

Visiting Rotarians

           

Eric Christiansen (22 year member of San Antonio)    Cathy Crum                             

 

New Member Inductions – Jill Carithers was introduced by Jill Wark and her sponsor, Mark Donohue.  Jill is an FLC grad and also worked at FLC in admissions for 9 years.  She currently is the Director of Student Services for Pueblo Community College. Jill has two children and a husband, Aaron, who operates an outfitting business. She is going to make a great member!

 

Announcements

 

Ward Holmes announced past President Tom Galbraith’s return from his winter time sojourn.  Charlie Albert announced that he still needs a driver for the Russian accountant and auditor’s return to Albuquerque on May 26, 2007.  Ward announced a Board of Director’s meeting at 5:30 PM Tuesday, May, 15, 2007.  Joseph very eloquently explained why he was absent at last week’s meeting, thanked the Rotarian’s present for his $100 monthly allowance,  explained how he helped raise $20,000 for youth and  told about being pleased that he has a red cap and gown and not a yellow one.  Happy dollars: Red faced Dick Sullivan is happy to contribute $5 for getting the Susan Sanders’ treatment. Dick also asked for volunteers to help Adaptive Sports Association’s with the upcoming rafting outing for its clients. Chandler Jackson paid for a beautiful day outside looking at the river.    Peter Marshall paid because the Doubletree had Kiwanis on its sign twice but did not mention HNR at all! Don Freemeyer paid for being away and having a few unnamed transgressions while absent. Dick Sullivan paid for the heck-of-a-job Bob Salzer does with his daughter Molly and the other 4Hers. Tom Galbraith paid $100 to the Rotary Foundation because he is happy to be back in town and being in the paper.   Tom will also do a program for us soon on his water adventures. Walter Nowotny paid for his 5th anniversary in the Study Connection. Tom Brossia is happy that he does not look like Dick Sullivan any more.  Joseph paid $.50 for the new French president, $1 for completing eight months of his exchange program and $1 for only having one month to go on his exchange program.  Joseph drew the ticket and Bud Poe had the number but the cards he drew were wrong.

 

 Sgt. of Arms

 

Chandler Jackson fined some for birthdays: Sara Olson, Vern Swanson, Jim Isgar and Judy Heasley.

 

Program

 

     Paula Pickles of the Adoption Exchange gave us a very interesting program on her agency the Adoption Exchange, a non-profit.  Paula walks-the-walk and has two adopted children herself.  She saw a need when she discovered that some children may go through the Foster Family program upwards of 10-23 times.  She told of her experience with the adoption of two of her three children.  It is never easy but the dividends are huge when adoptive parents persevere. There are 775 children in foster homes in Colorado. Paula gave the example of her own strong willed daughter who Paula was told had a noxious personality.  This 23 year old young lady is now a successful teacher.  Paula also left us with some good literature on this fine program.

 

Closing

 

Bud had a couple of jokes for the day.  He led with one about our inexplicable oil shortage that is explained by the fact that all of the U.S. oil is located in 12 states and the Gulf of Mexico; however, all the dipsticks are in Washington D.C.!  Get it???    He saved the best joke for last (according to Bud).  Bud’s better story, according to him, involved a writing assignment for a college class. The professor said the story had to include three topics; religion, sexuality and mystery.  The prof emphasized brevity as being a highly desired quality in good stories.  After grading the papers, the prof could find only one A+ paper.  The nine word paper read, “Good God, I’m pregnant, I wonder who did it?”

 

Respectfully Submitted, Wayne M. Bedor