| A Flash from the Past Rotary Flashes of 10-29-2002 ROTARY FLASHES GREENSBURG ROTARY CLUB NO. 250 – CHARTERED OCTOBER 4, 1916 Volume 74, No. 18……………………………………………..October 29, 2002 Inside This Issue Wise and Otherwise Next Meeting’s Program Listing Our Weekly Meeting and Birthday listings Announcements WISE AND OTHERWISE "Children often make parents feel old and grandparents feel young." (Salada tea bag) TODAY’S INVOCATION was given by Dick McNeel. Dick asked God to teach us to be fair to all concerned and asked that we may be allowed to continue to serve others. SERGEANT AT ARMS Report - (Mark Barnhart) - We had two visiting Rotarians: Doug Komandt from the Delmont-Salem Rotary Club and Tim Murphy from the St Clair-Bethel Rotary Club. We had two guests of members: Kirstin Miller hosted by Ivana and Steve Wilder with Frank VanHorn. Today’s attendance was 60. This included 55 members, 2 visiting Rotarians, 2 guests of members and Ivana. MAKE-UPS – Bill Taylor (Connellsville Club), Guy Davis (twice at the Latrobe Club) and Elinore McMahan (twice at the Hempfield Township club). ANNOUNCEMENTS: WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBER – Chris Agarwal was inducted into the Club today by his sponsor, Jeff Malloy. We look forward to working with Chris in our common pursuit of serving others through Rotary. Welcome Chris. A DIFFERENT KIND OF WELCOME – Elizabeth Dickson, a tiny beautiful girl, born last week to John and Linda Dickson. Reports say all are doing fine. Pradeep Kumar is transferring his Rotary membership to the Murrysville-Export Club. Pradeep enjoys Rotary very much and it is more convenient for him to attend an evening meeting. It was nice to have Pradeep as a member. On November 12 we will elect members to the Board of Directors for the 2003-2004 Rotary Year. A Nominating Committee consisting of Chuck Strobel, Ed Nemanic, Jeff Malloy and Bob Wilson will place a slate of nominations to the general membership. Of course nominations WILL BE ACCEPTED FROM THE FLOOR!! PLEASE MARK THESE DATES IN YOUR CALENDARS – December 6th, we will be on "kettle duty" for the Salvation Army at the Shop N Save behind the Westmoreland Mall. Carl Rossman is in charge of this project. Upcoming programs: Bill Barger hosted the Birthday Table. He recognized our 6 friends with birthdays in October by doing some research into "Behind the Name". Kevin Metsger "handsome child", Joe Biss "advisor", Ken Rutter "writer", Cy Woverton "far sighted", Jeff Long "in a noble profession" and Debra Hepler "married to a minister". We attempted to sing the best we could. Happy Birthday to you. Mini-autobiography – Linda Thomas was originally from Coraopolis. She attended the Cornell High School which was located on Neville Island. She graduated second in her class. She told us about her family being very interested in music. She had thoughts about entering the medical field to possibly become a nurse. She then ended up in the direction of Consumer Economics. She graduated college early due to her internship with the Heinz Company. For a short time she did some claims work for an insurance company. She took a job at a family owned food business and worked in product development. She said that she knows a lot about cooking and food and advised us "don't eat turkey hot dogs". After the company was bought out several times she moved on to Kaufman's Department Store, where one day she waited on Jerri Holts, a former member of this Club who was a manager at Mellon Bank. She was offered a job at Mellon where she moved up from a part time teller, to assistant manager, and finally to her current position as manager at the Barclay office of the now Citizens Bank. Linda is married to Norman, a physical education teacher. She and Norman have two children, Christopher and Candice. THIS MONTH’S BIRTHDAYS: November's Birthdays THURSDAY FRIDAY
Rotary Flashes of 10-22-2002
WISE AND OTHERWISE "Slight not what's near while aiming for what's far." TODAY’S INVOCATION was given by Guy Davis. Guy asked the Lord God to direct our thoughts and actions to the truth, and guide us to serve Him. SERGEANT AT ARMS Report - (John Hanna) - We had two visiting Rotarians: PDG Stephanie Urchick from the Canonsburg Houston Rotary Club and Dana Gould from the Blairsville Club. We had two guests of members: Rick Magidson with John Hanna and Phil Ness with Bill Courtney. MAKE-UPS – None reported. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Past District Governor Stephanie Urchick thanked us for the outstanding financial support our Club made in the ongoing effort to eradicate polio in the world. It was mentioned that donations are still being received. An amount in excess of $14,000.00 has been given by our Club. Stephanie presented each of us with a token of her appreciation. President Ed was presented a special lapel pin. Member Resignation – Dave Cullis is moving to Ohio where he will continue in the legal field. Dave has been a member of our Club since 1980. We will miss you and wish you all the best in your new venture. On November 12 we will elect members to the Board of Directors for the 2003-2004 Rotary Year. A Nominating Committee consisting of Chuck Strobel, Ed Nemanic, Jeff Malloy and Bob Wilson will place a slate of nominations to the general membership. Of course nominations WILL BE ACCEPTED FROM THE FLOOR!! Rotary International is sponsoring a MasterCard program. As of this date, 18,000 cards have been issued and more than $1 million has been sent to the Rotary Foundation as a percentage of purchases made on these cards. See Past District Governor Bill Kern for further details. Cathy Daversa announced A Free Home Buying Workshop on Saturday, November 9 at 10:00 a.m. in the Westmoreland Human Opportunities Building at 203 S. Maple Avenue in Greensburg. This Workshop is aimed at first time home buyers. Dennis Cremonese, President of the Westmoreland Trust, spoke to us about its mission to redevelop community assets and to manage them into the future. The Trust currently manages four properties: The Greensburg Garden and Civic Center, The Train Station, the Stark-James property and the Palace Theatre. It was mentioned that although these properties are in Greensburg, the Trust can and will look for others outside of Greensburg, because it is the "Westmoreland Trust". Dennis advised that the Civic Center has undergone 1st floor renovations and is near completion. The Train Station was a 3.4 million dollar renovation. The Trust is the landlord. He stated that the new look creates a much more positive atmosphere than earlier days when travelers would come and go from the station. The Stark-James building was donated to the Trust in 1996. It will be undergoing a 2.5 million dollar renovation beginning in the first week of November. Completion is scheduled for next May or June. It will be a mixed-use facility. One tenant will be the Westmoreland County Historical Society. The Palace provides quality entertainment with a 1,300 plus seat venue. The Trust purchased the Palace in 1990. It will need more renovation to improve the restroom facilities and also the marquis sign. The sign removal, repairs and replacement could cost from $250,000 to $500,000. While the Trust presents only 6 to 8 shows a year, the other 65 or so shows are presented by other promoters. The Palace draws people from DC, New York and Ohio. Bus charter tours enjoy the Palace and entertainment while they help bring revenues to our community. An email list, currently with over 1,000 names to date, is a great way to have information sent to you about upcoming events at the Palace. Please see Dennis if you wish your email address to be added. THURSDAY FRIDAY
Rotary Flashes of 10-15-2002
WISE AND OTHERWISE "Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity." TODAY’S INVOCATION was given by Will Brown. "Dear Lord: Thank you for this beautiful autumn day and for the fellowship of Rotary worldwide. We pray for effective solutions to the problems of the world and, specifically, Iraq. Please guide our leaders in the decisions that lie ahead. We pray for an end to terrorism. We pray for the capture of the perpetrator of the sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C. area before any more lives are lost. Finally, we pray for people we know who are dealing with serious health problems. We ask your blessings. Amen.” MAKE-UPS – Elinore McMahon at the Hempfield Club and Ed Meadows at the Jeannette Club. ANNOUNCEMENTS: We have been invited by the Jeannette Rotary Club to take part in a dedication at McKee Stadium on Sunday, October 20 at 3:00 p.m. The dedication will be to memorialize Past District Governor Larry Dallabetta. Rotary International is sponsoring a MasterCard program. As of this date, 18,000 cards have been issued and more than $1 million has been sent to the Rotary Foundation as a percentage of purchases made on these cards. See Past District Governor Bill Kern for further details. Cathy Daversa announced A Free Home Buying Workshop on Saturday, November 9 at 10:00 a.m. in the Westmoreland Human Opportunities Building at 203 S. Maple Avenue in Greensburg. This Workshop is aimed at first time home buyers. MEMBERSHIP PROPOSAL – Ramkrishna “Kris” Agarwal, District Sales Coordinator for AFLAC. His office is as 35 West Pittsburgh Street in Greensburg. Kris resides in McMurray with his wife Claire. He has been proposed by Jeff Malloy. Any objections must be presented in writing to the Secretary within 7 days. Upcoming future programs OUR WEEKLY MEETING Morrie Brand in introducing today’s program noted two important cultural events taking place in Greensburg this coming week. First there is the Westmoreland Choral Society Concert on Sunday, October 20 in the First Presbyterian Church in Greensburg and on Thursday, October 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ferguson Theater at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg the Westmoreland County Historical Society will present another in the St. Clair Lecture Series, this presentation will deal with Early Transportation in Westmoreland County. Today’s program was presented by Fellow Rotarian Chris Rizik. Chris is with Stage Right! which was formed in 1998, mainly as a school starting with 12 students and currently has 173 students involved. Chris wanted to share with us the “business end” of the theatre. Planning for a productions starts about a year in advance. A show must be selected, the “rights” must be obtained and a place to perform must be secured. Stage Right! did a community survey to see that type of shows the community would like to have performed in the community. This current season is committed to musicals. The “rights” or “royalties” are based on the size of the potential audience and the number of performances. This is all done through a clearing house that makes sure that there is no duplication of shows within 50 miles or within 30 days. As with any business, the first step to success, is the development a budget. Actors are unionized and typically actors receive $275 to $300 per week plus their hospitalization and union dues. As far as the “nuts and bolts” go, only two companies in the United States deal with “flying” and large props are usually rented. The cost to design a model and draw a set by a professional can cost between $3,000 and $5,000. The cost for the lighting designer who also handles the pyrotechnics and fog is between $2,000 and $3,000. The Director, Choreographer, Producer and Musical Director would receive about $1,500 for each production. The total cost for a production ranges between $25,000 and $50,000 depending on the needs of each production. At the conclusion of the program, Chris introduced Renata Marino who is starring in the current production of Little Shop of Horrors. Renata treated us to a song from the musical. THURSDAY FRIDAY
Rotary Flashes of 10-08-2002
WISE AND OTHERWISE "Originality is the art of remembering what you heard, but forgetting where you heard it." TODAY’S INVOCATION was given by James Boggs. "We ask, Lord, that You would bless us indeed, and enlarge our territory such that we can in turn enlarge the territory of our fellow human beings. We ask that You keep Your hands in our daily lives, and that You continue to guide us, such that we will do only good deeds. We ask these and all other blessings in Your name. Amen." Today’s attendance was 66. This included 59 members, 3 guests of members and 4 students. MAKE-UPS – Dave Robinson at the Youngwood/New Stanton Club, Pradeep Kumar at the Murrysville/Export Club (twice), Guy Davis at the Latrobe Club and Cy Wolverton at the Conemaugh Township Club. Upcoming future programs OUR WEEKLY MEETING Morrie Brand talked to us today about the arts and the Westmoreland Symphony. Morrie said that in 1962, John F. Kennedy said that more people attended the symphony than attended professional baseball games. In 1994, that was still true. He commented that only 2 or 3% of the area's population are active participates in the arts. There is a connection between leadership abilities and participation in the arts. Regarding classical music, it is everywhere, although it is not always recognized by everyone. It is on TV, at Disney World and at the movie theatres. Classical music is used "when words cannot be found." It is time tested and different from pop music or jazz. Think of Christmas, the Fourth of July, graduations, weddings, anniversaries and funerals. Morrie said that sports, the law and politics are "win-lose" situations, music is "win-win" since the art's general first mission is the truth. Regarding the Westmoreland Symphony, it have been around since 1969. The current budget is $450,000.00. There are 5 Classical and 2 Pops symphonies each year. There is also hands on experience for kids through the Youth Orchestra and the Young Artist Competition. There are other programs designed to enhance the appreciation of classical music. There will be free tickets given to music students from the area high schools and reduced ticket prices for others who will accompany these music students to the performances. There is a five year plan in place to increase tickets sales and also get the word out about classical music. Opening night is this Saturday, October 12th at 8:00 PM. Morrie said that our Club will be invited to a February 15th performance. THIS MONTH’S BIRTHDAYS: THURSDAY FRIDAY
|