Held at Quigley’s Restaurant
573 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY 12061

Members Attending (15): Andy Leyhane, Jim Leyhane. Pat Bailey, Phil Kellerman, Bill Dowd,  Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Debbie Rodriguez, Peter Berry, Terry Brewer. Geoff Brewer, Ray Hannan, Dick Drumm, Robert Martinez, Charlie Foote.

Guests (1): Betty Brewer.

MEETING NOTES: President Andy greeted attendees. … Medical update: Terry Brewer returned this evening, recuperating well from knee replacement surgery. Murray Forth, who last week underwent the same procedure, is expected to return in a few weeks. … Project coordinator Debbie Brown reported that 106 baskets were delivered to Circles of Mercy for the organization’s annual Easter baskets drive for needy kids. Our partners this year providing a combination of donations, packaging, and delivering the baskets were the Greenbush YMCA, Cub Scout Pack 253, and the Danes Rotaract club. Thanks to them and to all SRC members and friends who donated basket items. … Jim Leyhane shared information on Rotary shirts available from Dawn Vavala and her Night Owl Marketing company. They come in 18 different colors and several different styles. See Jim if interested. …

A little more than $200 was raised at the most recent Rotary Home Cooking dinner, hosted by Dean and Doris Calamaras. This was the second event in the series, but we have no others on the schedule. Anyone who would like to create and host an event for May or June is asked to contact President Andy ASAP with details of theme and date. … Members were reminded to save the date of Saturday, May 18, for our next Recycling & Shredding Day (click on the link for details), a major fundraiser for youth scholarships and other community service efforts. Next week we will circulate a signup sheet for volunteers for the event. It’s a fun few hours for any who wish to participate, and a easy way to be involved in community service. …

Terry, who is the District Membership Committee lead, reiterated that he and Bill Dowd are working with Past District Governor Fred Daniels to help facilitate the resurrection of the Troy club that folded several years ago, leaving SRC as the lone Rotary club in Rensselaer County. Several options have been presented, including folding any interested Troy people into the existing Hudson Shores club (Watervliet, Green Island, etc.), or recreating a standalone Troy club with SRC as its sponsor. …. Phil Kellerman reminded everyone of the benefit concert scheduled for Thursday, May 9, at Quigley’s to benefit the Oley Foundation, a national nonprofit that provides education, advocacy, and networking opportunities to people living on home IV nutrition and/or tube feeding. The hour-long concert will feature music from a new CD titled “One Step Forward.” That week only, the club dinner will be held from 5:45 to 6:15 p.m., with the concert at 6:30.  Go here for more details. … Next Thursday, April 25, we’ll hold the 5th annual Great North American Whizbang Trivia Test (click on the link for details). Guests are welcome to this event which has had a different winner each year. This year’s winner will receive a copy of the “Jeopardy” all-time champ’s book, “Ken Jennings’s Trivia Almanac: 8,888 Questions In 365 Days.”

PROGRAM: Bill Dowd, who is working on a collection of his original short stories based largely on travels during more than four decades of journalism, read four of the stories to the audience.

They included, “Headed South In North America, and Vice Versa,” a trip to the Canadian border and to Mexico; “Into the Sort-of Rain Forest,” a strange interlude with wild boars and beer on the Caribbean island of St. Croix; “Times Are Tough In Bunker Hill,” antiquing and haggling in the West Virginia panhandle portion of the Shenendoah Valley, and, “A Lemon Frock and a Cold Wadadli,” a journey to a steel drum concert on the former British island colony on Antigua with an ephemeral  visitor.