Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
593 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY
March 9, 2017

Members Attending (21): Debbie Rodriguez, Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Bill Dowd, Jim Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, Ron Annis, April Dowd, Julius Frankel, Phil Kellerman, Dick Drumm, Terry Brewer, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Carol Orvis, Charlie Foote, Ray Hannan, Monika Annis, Doris Calamaras, Dean Calamaras.

Guests: None.

PROGRAM:  “A Ride Into History on a B-29”

Club member Jim Leyhane, who had a ride on a B-29 aircraft bomber on his “bucket list,” presented a talk and slideshow on a round-trip flight he took from Albany  International Airport that fulfilled that wish.

Jim had a very personal reason for wanting the trip. His father was a cadet trainee as a B-29 crew member in the waning days of World War II and did not get to fly in action. But, when the Korean War broke out he was recalled to the military and served in the role he had been training for some years earlier — as a flight engineer on the crew of a B-29 its crew named “Fifi” — the very plane Jim flew on.

“Fifi” is owned and operated by the Commemorative Air Force, a volunteer organization chartered on September 6, 1961, as a nonprofit Texas corporation dedicated to the restoration and preservation of World War II-era combat aircraft. “Fifi” is one of only two of the approximately 3,900 B-29’s manufactured that still is flying. The planes were designed in 1939 and put into action in 1942, at a cost of $639,000 each.

Jim described the emotions of the flight that looped from the airport in Colonie across western Massachusetts, southern Vermont and Lake George then back to Colonie. And, he said the flight changed his preconceptions that it would be very noisy,  bumpy, and uncomfortable. Conversely, he said, it was relatively smooth at 200 mph and 2,000 feet of elevation. He said only the front and rear of the plane are pressurized because the bomb storage and bomb bays are in the middle.

During World War II, the bulk of the B-29’s were based in the Mariana Islands southeast of Japan. (Today, the Marianas are divided into the U.S. territory of Guam and the U.S. Commonwealth of Northern Marianas.) They flew numerous missions to bomb the Japanese mainland, usually escorted by P-58 Mustang fighter planes. For most of each mission they could fly higher than the Japanese planes were capable of doing, but had to descend to drop their bombs. Losses were heavy, but more planes went down from fires and mechanical problems than from enemy weapons.

Although “Fifi” now has newer Pratt & Whitney engines, it retains much of the original equipment to lend authenticity. In a nod to modern technology, rather than a cumbersome navigational system the “Fifi” crew uses an iPhone and Google that serve just as well or better. In another technological change, Jim pointed out that today’s cameras are so fast that in the videos and still shots used in his presentation the propellers do not appear to  be moving.

In a nice touch to the adventure, Jim said that he paid $1,200 for the flight but later was informed that $990 was tax deductible which, he said, “let me pay for something else on my bucket list.”

Business & Announcements

RONALD McDONALD HOUSE MEALS — Roberto Martinez has scheduled the club to cook a dinner at Ronald McDonald House on Wednesday, May 31. A crew of six is needed for the effort, and we already have three. Anyone who can commit is asked to contact Bill or April Dowd. Roberto said he hopes to bring up at next week’s Third Thursday Breakfast Meeting the possibility of also cooking breakfast at RMH. Terry Brewer already has volunteered to chair such an effort.

SIMULATOR GOLF EVENT — Our Indoor Simulator Golf Tournament is scheduled for this Saturday at Burden Lake Country Club. Two team slots remain available. Anyone interested is asked to contact Murray Forth or Terry Brewer ASAP.

AREA 8 PROJECT — Jack Faddegon, Assistant District Governor for Area 8 of which SRC is a member, is putting together a joint work project for Sunday, May 20, at the Shaker Heritage Society near Albany International Airport. Potential chores include creating a stone fence, installing a new sign, plating flowers, cutting weeds, etc. A picnic lunch would be provided. Debbie Rodriguez said the thought is that six members from each club — SRC, Cohoes, Colonie-Guilderland and Lansingburgh — would create a sufficient group. She said she will share details as they are received so we can ascertain whether we will participate and, if so, line up our volunteers.

EASTER BASKET PROJECT —Today was the first dropoff date for donations to our Circles 0f Mercy Easter basket project. Remaining dropoff dates are next week’s (March 16) breakfast and dinner meetings and the dinner meetings of March 23 and 30. A shopping list of needed items was emailed earlier to all members and also is available on the club website. Columbia High School is running a parallel effort and has been provided with 20 baskets plus clear wrap and plastic grass materials. Len Leonidas’ Scouts will use the club’s donations to assemble and deliver a separate collection of baskets to Circles of Mercy.

POLIO DOCUMENTARY VIDEO —Roberto reported on the progress of the polio education video that began shooting this week. Click here for details.

SAVE THE DATES — Our second recycling/shredding day will be held at Wainschaf Associates on Saturday, April 29. … The District Conference will be held in Lake George on Friday, May 5, through Sunday, May 7. Registration details are available on the District website.

ROTARY HOME COOKING — Terry Brewer has asked for a headcount ASAP for everyone who plans to attend “A Rotary Cocktail Party” at his residence from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 25. Rotarians and family are welcome. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served. Cost is $10 per person. … “An Agave Experience,” a guided tasting of tequilas and Mexican-inspired tapas, will be hosted by the Dowds at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at $35 per person. They currently have four seats remaining.

TWO MEETINGS NEXT WEEK: Jeff Simons, the new superintendent of the East Greenbush Central School District, will speak on the upcoming capital budget referendum at the 7 a.m. Third Thursday breakfast meeting at the Greenbush YMCA. Then, at the 6:15 p.m. dinner meeting at Quigley’s, Sarah Stangl of the Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island will speak on refugee resettlement in the U.S.

Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
593 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY
March 2, 2017

UPDATED THROUGHOUT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Today marked the 57th  birthday of our club, chartered on March 2, 1960. Hooray for us!

Members Attending (14): Debbie Rodriguez, Bill Dowd, Jim Leyhane, Becky Raymond, Phil Kellerman, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Ray Hannan, Carol Orvis, Carole Spencer, Dean Calamaras, Roberto Martinez, Dick Drumm, Stewart Wagner.

Guests (2): Steve Williams, Barbara O’Connor.

PROGRAM: “Bangladesh Pediatric Cataract Surgery”

President Debbie Rodriguez introduced Steve Williams, a member of the Granville Rotary Club in Washington County.

Steve, a retired chemical engineer whose career took him to postings not only in the U.S., but the UK, Canada, and the Netherlands, is working on obtaining a Rotary Global Grant in support of the “Bangladesh Pediatric Cataract Surgery” project.

It is the third international project Steve has worked on since joining Rotary. Previously, he worked on a clean water project for Honduras, then an eye health project to benefit Bangladesh, the smallest and poorest country on the Indian subcontinent.

To obtain a Global Grant, there must be partnerships between one or more Rotary clubs in the country benefiting and one or more clubs elsewhere, and the nature of the project must be sustainable  (i.e., demonstrating an immediate impact, providing specialized training to help the beneficiary area continue the work, and some form of ongoing financial support).

Steve described the workings of the Islamia Eye Hospital in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, a country with large numbers of persons suffering from vision maladies that he last visited in 2011. The previous project, carried out in conjuncti0n with the Dhaka West Rotary Club and the Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa Rotary Club in 2010, supported an extensive screening program that resulted in 560 cataract operations being performed.

If the current effort is successful, the Global Grant will support the purchase of a state-of-the-art optical cataract instrument for the eye hospital to replace the current outmoded sonar imaging technology; cataract surgeries on at least 150 children, and the training of eye specialists in the new technology to be able to continue the program.

Steve said that although much of the $50,000 needed to obtain the grant has been raised,  an additional $6,500 still is needed and District clubs are being solicited for aid. The SRC Board of Directors will discuss the matter at its meeting following the regular dinner meeting on March 9.

BUSINESS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

COMMUNITY CELEBRATION — Our inaugural event honoring students and adults involved in community service in various segments of the community (education, Scouting, first responders, business, etc.) held at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant in North Greenbush this week drew more than 150 people. Thanks to numerous sponsorships purchased by club members and local businesses, we expect to clear in excess of $5,000 for the club  treasury to support our community service work. A special thank-you was endorsed by the meeting attendees  for club Vice President John Sawchuk for conceiving the event, with strong support from Murray Forth, Terry Brewer and Jim Leyhane. It is projected that we will hold a similar event next year, although perhaps at a larger venue because of demand for seating.

RONALD McDONALD COOKING — For the second consecutive year, we are planning to provide both a dinner and a breakfast for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Albany while a family member is receiving  treatment nearby at the Albany Medical Center Hospital. Bill Dowd again will coordinate a dinner effort beginning at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 31. A breakfast date, again to be coordinated by Terry Brewer, is to be selected.

POLIO FILM — Roberto Martinez reported that shooting will begin next week on the polio educational video our club is preparing for a debut at the District Conference in May in Lake Placid. At the behest of Terry Brewer and Jim Butterworth, the video will be shot and edited by the CASDA production team at no cost to the club. It will be narrated by District Governor John Mucha.

EASTER BASKETS — The club again is working with the Circles of Mercy family aid organization to provide Easter baskets for needy children ages 1 through 12. Bill Dowd, who is coordinating the effort, said he has received agreement from both Len Leonidas and John Sawchuck that, respectively, the Tiger Scouts and Columbia High School will participate in making our effort a robust one. Bill said he will email all SRC members with a preferred shopping list, since the baskets will contain more than candies — personal hygiene item, school supplies, etc. — and a schedule for donations and deliveries.

FOUNDATION T-SHIRT FUNDRAISER — Dawn Vavala, our purveyor of Rotary-embossed clothing and other items, reports that $5,100 was raised through the sale of  special “Rotary Serves Humanity” T-shirts for the Rotary Foundation, and that the SRC club was the District’s No. 1 purchaser of shirts, thanks to a core group of club members who purchased 46 shirts.

COCKTAIL PARTY — Please let host Terry Brewer know ASAP if you plan to attend “A Rotary Cocktail Party” at his residence from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 25. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served. Cost is $10, and guests are both welcome and encouraged to this event conceived to let longtime and newer Rotarians get to know each other better.

ROTARY HOME COOKING — The Dowds will host “An Agave Experience” at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 8. It will include a guided tasting of upscale tequilas and mezcals not usually available in this country, accompanied by Mexican-inspired tapas. Reservations ($35) are limited to 12 guests on a first come-first served basis. Please contact Bill or April ASAP if interested in participating. Proceeds will go to the club treasury to support community service projects.

INDOOR GOLF EVENT — Registration for this Saturday’s indoor simulator golf tournament at Burden Lake Country Club organized by Murray Forth and Terry Brewer is nearly full. Anyone interested in last-minute reservations should check the club website for details.

FFFF INITIATIVE — Becky Raymond announced that the club  has received an invitation to attend a reception at the British Consulate in New York City honoring the Freedom From  Fistula Foundation (FFFF) on Monday, March 20. Our club’s efforts to obtain  funding for the Foundation was the reason for the invitation. While Becky, who with Debbie Rodriguez is spearheading our effort, cannot attend, she asked that anyone wishing to represent the club contact her ASAP.

GIFT OF LIFE UPDATE — Jim Leyhane reported that CDPHP has pledged $10,000 toward the cost of a mid-April cardiac surgery procedure at Albany Medical Center Hospital for a child from Bolivia. The sponsoring Gift of Life will supply the other $10,000. That means GOL will have enabled such surgeries this year at AMCH, Columbia Presbyterian in New York City, at the Portland (ME) Medical Center, and in Boston.

NEXT MEETING — 6:15 p.m. Thursday, March 9, at Quigley’s. Jim Leyhane will speak on “A Flight Into History On a B-29.”