We were back on the stage at Chrysler Hall this past Tuesday when President Sigur rang the bell right on time and we were off to enjoy a great meeting! Despite the fact that we had no song books at hand, Jim Clary did an admirable job of getting us through “R-O-T-A-R-Y” and the first verse of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”. We sounded pretty good, without books, under Jim’s direction.
School of the week: Jaycox Elementary School
There was no Visitation Report although it was mentioned that Ann Baldwin suffered a fall. We hope to have more information next week. Will King handled the Introduction of Guests which included Beth Boomer and Ed Lilly’s had guest from France. District Governor Stephen Beer was in attendance and we were honored to have him with us.
Introduction of New Member: John Padgett was called on to introduce our newest Rotarian, Walter Socyzk. Walt is a retired U.S. Air force Colonel and has traveled extensively during his career. He is currently working with the consulting firm of Whitney Bradley & Brown. He also mentioned that April 21 (our meeting date) also happened to be his wedding anniversary. So happy Anniversary Walt - - and welcome to The Rotary Club of Norfolk!
District Governor Stephen Beer then took the microphone to bestow the “Club Builder Award” on none other than John Padgett! The award is given to a Rotarian for making an extraordinary effort to build his or her Club. John was recognized for recruiting 9 Rotarians, all of whom are still active in the Club. We offer our Club’s sincerest thanks to John for his outstanding contributions and for helping to make The Rotary Club of Norfolk, the very best it can be!
Sally Hartman then spoke on the importance of EREY! It has been our Club’s goal to adhere to Rotary International’s goal of having Every Rotarian contribute to the Rotary Foundation Every Year (EREY). She stated that 79 members have contributed so far this year and encourage all of us to contribute if we haven’t already. We are looking for 100% participation, no matter the amount of the donation.
And then there were a few fines:
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Michael Desplaines anted up for competing in the Crossfit Competitions where he took home 3rd place in the Men’s Novice Division! Congratulation Michael!!
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Bob Powell paid cash in honor (and with some relief) that his daughter has finally secured a paying job!
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John Searing paid in honor of completing yet another Half Ironman and did well. How many does that make now, John??
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Sally Hartman paid up to acknowledge her speaking at the Great Bridge Rotary Club and telling us about their Rotary Rumble - - which is a motorcycle rally that has something to do with drinking wine and playing corn hole??
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Mark Johnson paid up in honor of his support of the YWCA’s “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” program which promotes awareness of sexual violence against women. He noted that he wore ladies shoes with 3 & ½ inch heels and – NO – they were not his wife’s shoes either!
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Win Lewis also paid some money and told the Club about President Sigur’s upcoming book which is the history of Christ & St. Luke’s Church.
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Lois Kercher will soon complete the Citizen’s Police Academy.
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Chip Vogan paid in honor of his son, who is attending Hampden Sydney, and who was just inducted into a literary society.
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Jim Baker anted up in honor of his and Pat’s 40th wedding anniversary on April 11th. Congratulations Jim!!
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And Lisa Chandler paid in order to brag about her drive down California’s coast highway (Route 1) in a 1981 Dauphine RV - - mentioned something about camping at Big Sur (Lisa should have been fined twice for rubbing it in).
The program: The Vice President in Charge of Programs is Bryce Burton. Cynthia Carter-West, who was serving as the Rotarian of the Day, is the Marketing and Public Relations Director for the Virginia Arts Festival. She joined our Club in 2008 and serves on the Social Committee. She introduced Scott Jackson, Director of the Virginia International Tattoo who, in turn, introduced our guest speaker, Capt. Fraser Clark, who serves with the Canadian Air Force.
Fraser, who comes from a family with a musical heritage, started out by providing us with a little history of military music and relayed its importance on the battlefield. His instrument is the Scottish Bagpipe (his Dad was a Scottish immigrant) and he plays it well.
He served with the Canadian Air Force in Afghanistan in 2008 and related several stories regarding his service there with other NATO forces. He stated that military service and musical service are very much intertwined and he discussed how troops wake up to music; go to breakfast with music and how playing for a fallen comrade was a piper’s toughest lament.
This is his 5th visit to our Tattoo. Early in his talk, he serenaded us with the “Happy Birthday Song” in honor of our Club’s recent centennial. He stated that, “music defines who I am” and noted that he has been playing since the age of nine. He has traveled quite a bit in his Air Force career and, “met a lot of wonderful people.” He then continued to play for us with a beautiful rendition of, “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary”, followed by “Black Donald’s March” and finally, “Pachelbel’s Canon”. He stated that, “music is culture and culture is music. Music gives back to the community - - and helps keep kids off the streets.” In addition to his musical contribution to the Canadian Air Force, Fraser also serves as a Public Information Officer - - so he tends to be busy! His final musical selection came at the request from a member of our Club and that was for him to play the Canadian National Anthem. We all stood as he played and the sentiment was the same on every face - - it was the best we have ever heard anyone play “O Canada”.
Next Week’s Program: Virginia Marine Police - - “Keeping Our Waterways Safe”.
Have a great week everybody!!
