World Polio Day is celebrated each year on October 24. It was established by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Dr. Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis.

One of the early pioneers in polio research was our own Dr. Martha Lepow, who will be a special guest at this week’s SRC dinner meeting when we mark the 7th annual World Polio Day. Everyone is invited to stay after the meeting to view a Rotary live-streaming presentation on the polio fight.

Martha Lipson Lepow, professor emerita of pediatrics at Albany Medical College, is considered the nation’s most senior pediatric infectious disease expert. You can read an interview with her online, and you can see her interview in our History of Polio” video. She will speak at Thursday’s meeting along with SRC member John Justino, director of the Center for Global Health and clinical associate professor in the UAlbany School of Public Health.

The menu for this week will feature chicken Marsala, chef’s choice of sides, antipasto salad, bread, dessert, and beverages. As always, the cash bar is available.

If you would like to join us but are not on the list below, please make a point of emailing dinner coordinator Debbie Brown at mdbrown@nycap.rr.com no later than Tuesday evening so we can be sure there is a seat at the table for you. And, as always, guests are welcome.

Already on the “yes” list:

Pat Bailey
Terry Brewer
Debbie Brown
Peter Brown
Bill Dowd
Dick Drumm
Murray Forth
Ray Hannan
John Justino
Phil Kellerman
Martha Lepow
Andy Leyhane
Jim Leyhane
Kevin Leyhane
Carol Orvis
Wells Packard
Becky Raymond