ROTARY CLUB OF NORWICH
MAY 27th, 2020
THE RONE
Presiding: President Mike Cooney
Invocation: Joel Etra
Fellowship: Barry Shead
Birthdays: None
Anniversaries: Probably!
Guests: No guests
Barry was subbing for Laura Hobart. In honor of the scheduled Space X launch from Cape Kennedy, Barry gave an interesting fellowship on inventions from NASA for the space program that we now all enjoy in our everyday lives. Just some of the inventions from NASA include artificial limbs and robotics, insulin pumps, dust busters, Lasik surgery, freeze dried foods, solar cells, wireless headsets, camera phones, memory foam, portable computers, LED lights and the computer mouse.
Announcements:
President Mike Cooney had the following announcements:
*Mark your calendar! Rotary Golf Tournament will be September 2nd!
*An outdoor meeting might be scheduled in June. Stay tuned for information.
*Mail in dues to P.O. Box 19, Bozrah, CT 06334 or pay online at Rotary webpage.
*Happy Dollars committee is looking for deserving families or individuals to support.
*If you know of anyone who would be a good speaker at one of our Rotary Zoom Meetings contact Mary Richardson. Speakers can be done virtual.
*No Show Gala information as well as payment info for dues and Happy Dollars is up on the Rotary Webpage.
Happy Dollars: Andy Grant
Andy kicked things off with $20.00 if Rich Pascal would tell his Colonel Sanders story.
Rich Pascal told the story of his grandfather who was a chicken wholesaler in the Washington DC metro area and a gentleman came in looking to buy chicken cut into 9 pieces instead of the customary 8 pieces. No other supplier would accommodate him except Rich’s grandfather. As things ended up that was a wise decision as the customer was Kentucky Fried Chicken and Rich’s grandfather got the business from them for the entire DC and Maryland area. Huge account indeed! It pays to listen to your customer. His grandfather said the first ring on the phone is for you, the second ring will be for you competition!
Mike Cooney took a hike with his family to honor is father on the 6th anniversary of his father’s death. Mike is also sorry the Little League season will be cancelled this season.
Bob Reed gave as he’s happy his gout is better in his left foot!
Kathryn Tracy is happy to be trying out her new inflatable paddle board!
Gary Young gave $20.00 as he’s happy to be filling up his gas tank in his car for only $1.39 a gallon at the local Stop & Shop! He also is happy to have received his Stimulus money in the form of a debit card at long last! He also is getting yard work done, playing tennis and golf during the pandemic!
Jim Daly gave to report that a young millennial in the Stop & Shop scolded him for standing too close to her! He thought he was 6 feet away, so he moved another inch just to make sure!
Keith Caplet gave thanking for the good weather and getting out to ride his bike on the bike trails for 15 to 18 miles a day!
Suzy Hurlbert gave $10.00 for the good weather and being able to play tennis!
Bill Champagne gave $20.00 for freeze dried Ice Cream! He was happy to photograph his 7 year old grandson wearing a coonskin cap. Also, he emailed Andy Grant to look up the Mayor of Charleston who spoke at a conference he attended and the theme was “Look for the Truth” based on slavery. 30 to 40 percent of slaves came in through Charleston.
Nancy Gentes gave for the healthcare workers on the frontlines. She was at the lab and the technician who she was dealing with vented to her about how tired she was and how difficult things have been over the past weeks. Nancy lended a sympathetic ear and let this person vent.
Barry Shead gave a sad dollar that a good friend, Judy Davio, from ARC died over the Memorial Day weekend
Ray Baribeault was happy to have received a $9.49 check in the mail from his auto insurance company for a pandemic rebate on his insurance! Ray is also celebrating his 31st year at his law firm!
Joel Etra was happy to be joining the meeting if only by computer!
Mike Matera gave as he was happy to get his house stained.
Suki Lagrito informed the club that our sponsored Rotary Exchange student will be coming back to the US.
Mary Richardson had a unhappy $10.00 that she sustained a black eye while working in her garden after tripping on some garden hose!
Auction: No Auction this week!
Lottery: No Lottery.
Program: Mike Cooney hosted an impromptu game of “What’s my Line” with the theme being previous jobs. Bill Champagne was first up and after 10 questions no one guessed he collected garbage at Yale while in high school. Second up was Mike Cooney himself and we had to guess what celebrity he had met. After some serious questioning it was determined he had met the famous hockey legend Bobby Orr!
Jim Daly led the virtual attendees in the 4 way test!
President Mike Cooney ended the meeting at 1:04pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Bob Reed – RONE Reporter