Are you a Twitter user? If so, following @SRCRotaryNY will give you a shot at a quick link for stories, announcements, etc., posted on the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club’s website.
The accompanying illustration shows you just part of the many items previewed on our Twitter page. Of course, you also can get to the website via the club’s Facebook page, or the “old fashioned” way of going to it at http://SRCrotary.org if you prefer.
You also can get another service that will keep you continually updated on what we’ve posted. That’s by going to the website and registering to follow the site, which will send you a quick email each time something new is posted.
The whole idea of utilizing all these avenues of communication is to keep all of us in the loop and, thereby, able to participate in our many public service and social activities.
Not many holidays have multiple names. True, if you say them in different languages they do, but not when they’re all in English.
We speak here of the upcoming July 4th. Or, the Fourth of July. Or, Independence Day. Internationally, it also is known as the National Day of the United States. That’s four.
School children are taught that July 4, 1776, is when we declared our independence from England. Technically, perhaps, but that actually was done two days earlier when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution that had been proposed the month before by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, declaring the United States independent from the rule of Great Britain.
Congress then turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, the written statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. It debated and revised the wording of the Declaration, finally approving it on Thursday, July 4, the day that became one of celebration and commemoration.
That isn’t exactly what all the Founding Fathers had in mind at the time. On July 3, John Adams had written to his wife, Abigail (underlining for emphasis):
“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”
While we enjoy our picnics, fireworks, parades, and games, let’s take a moment to reflect on the tremendous achievement that was wrought 240 years ago this weekend.
1698 — English inventor and engineer Thomas Savery is granted the first patent for a steam engine. However, he will not develop a commercially viable engine until the early 1700s.
1776 — The Second Continental Congress, representing Great Britain’s 13 American colonies, votes to approve a resolution of independence from Britain that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia.
1823 — Brazil, the largest country in South Anerica, emerges as an independent nation after the final defeat of the Portugese crown loyalists in the province of Bahia.
1881 — Lawyer/preacher Charles Julius Guiteau, a disgruntled federal job seeker, shoots President James Garfield at the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, DC. Garfield will linger until dying on September 19 from an infection caused by the bullet wound.
1964 — President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 meant to prohibit segregation in public places.
Today is the start of our 2nd annual “School Supplies Drive” that we told you about last week.
We’d appreciate it if everyone throughout the club would at least in some small way take part in purchasing and donating school supplies for needy kids in the Rensselaer City School District where more than one-third of the students live at or below the national poverty line.
Donations may be brought to any of our next six (6) events, and given to project coordinator Bill Dowd for delivery. A checklist of preferred items (for high school and pre-school students only) is provided below.
If for some reason you don’t plan to attend any of the next six club events, please let Bill know and he will make arrangements to personally pick up your donations. We don’t want anyone to miss the opportunity to participate in the project.
Such a drive is in keeping with one of Rotary’s six stated areas of concentration: Improving basic education and literacy.
Here is the checklist:
• pencils (regular lead #2 and color)
• pencil sharpener
• erasers (for pencils)
• pens (black or blue)
• markers (dry erase and color)
• pocket folders (assorted colors)
• 3-ring binders (in 2” and 3” sizes)
• loose leaf paper (college ruled)
• graph pape
• spiral subject notebooks (1, 3 and 5 subject in college ruled)
• subject dividers
• plastic zipper pencil cases/boxes
• 3”x5” index cards
• highlighters (yellow)
• rulers (regular with metric)
• Kleenex or other brand) tissues
• hand sanitizer (small bottles)
• Post-It notes
• backpacks (no rollers/wheels)
• Spanish-English dictionaries
• flash drives (1 to 4gb sizes)
• scientific calculators
Thanks, as always, for your generosity to others less fortunate than us.
The summer calendar is full! We’ve added a waterside August 4 event to our “Summer Casual Schedule” of events, giving us eight consecutive Thursdays full of a variety of family-friendly activities.
Next up is a pool party and cookout co-hosted by Jim Leyhane and Andy Leyhane at Jim’s residence in East Greenbush on Thursday, July 7. If you don’t have his address, simply use your password to go to the website’s “Membership Contact Data” to get it.
A procedural note:
Bill Dowd is coordinating attendance at all of these events. Please let him know directly if you plan to attend, and how many guests you plan to bring. Please do NOT send notes or make calls to other people and assume your RSVP will be passed along. We have had several instances of people using the wrong way to respond, resulting in some confusion over the correct headcount.
We’ll never turn anyone away, but we do like to make it as easy on our hosts and event coordinators as we can.
You can put your information on the signup sheet that is circulated each week, or simply RSVP to Bill’s weekly emails that ask you for the same info.
1770 — Lexell’s Comet passes closer to the Earth than any other comet in recorded history to that time, approaching within 0.0146 astronomical units (1,357,154.79 miles).
1863 -– The Battle of Gettysburg begins in the vicinity of the Adams County, PA, town during the Civil War.
1908 — “SOS” is adopted as the international distress signal.
1933 — Aviator Wiley Post becomes the first person to fly solo around the world, traveling 15,596 miles in 7 days, 18 hours, 45 minutes.
1963 — ZIP codes (the acronym for Zone Improvement Plan) are introduced nationwide. The delivery designation program of five digits supplanted a system of numbers for major cities that the U.S. Post Office had introduced in 1943. (An additional voluntary set of figures — the five digits followed by a hyphen and four more digits — was introduced in 1983.)
Presidential Changeover Forth Residence East Greenbush June 30, 2016
Members Attending (20): Terry Brewer, Debbie Rodriguez, Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Bill Dowd, Jim Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, David Taylor, Ray Hannan, Charlie Foote, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Marco Koshykar, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Carole Spencer, Melissa Bill, Dick Drumm, Phil Kellerman.
Guests (11+): Maggie Forth, Jeremy Forth, Kara Leyhane, Deb Dewey, Betty Brewer, Lois Hannan, Mary Drumm, Craig Forth, Amanda Forth, Alice Senrick, Lauren Koshykar, and a gaggle of kids.
PRESIDENTIAL CHANGEOVER
Terry Brewer passes the president’s gavel to Debbie Rodriguez as officers Pat Bailey (secretary), Roberto Martinez (president-elect), and Murray Forth (treasurer) provide the backup scenery.
It’s official. Today is the beginning of the new 2016-17 Rotary Year, and the gavel has been passed.
At our annual “Presidential Changeover” dinner, held Thursday evening at the Forth residence, Terry Brewer turned over the presidency to Debbie Rodriguez.
In addition, Roberto Martinez now is president-elect, and John Sawchuk vice president. Treasurer Murray Forth and Secretary Pat Bailey returned to their offices, and carryover at-large board members Jim Leyhane, Bill Dowd, and Jim Butterworth have been joined by Andy Leyane and Ron Annis on an expanded board.
We had a turnout of 31 adults — including five members inducted this year — and a gaggle of kids, the latter of whom took advantage of the pool and play area. Hosts Maggie and Murray Forth provided the basics of the picnic, with guests supplementing with appetizers and desserts. The club extended its thanks to the Forths for once again hosting a signature club event.
On his last day as president, Terry presented a variety of awards to club members. Earlier, he had presented Murray with an award at the District Conference for his ongoing service. On Thursday, he did the same with separate awards for April Dowd and Bill Dowd. Awards were presented in absentia to A.J. Amato for his youth work and Shannon Romanowski for her work with the new breakfast meeting group.
Attendees were reminded of two ongoing efforts:
The 2nd annual “School Supplies Drive” will begin on Friday, July 1, with Bill Dowd again coordinating the push to collect items for needy students in the Rensselaer City School District. Members have been emailed about the push, and full details are on the website.
Our “Summer Casual Schedule” of events will begin next Thursday, July 7, with a cookout and pool party at Jim Leyhane’s residence. Check the website calendar for other events and details.
Here are some other scenes from the “Presidential Changeover” event:
April Dowd receives the Gift of Life Leadership Award.Bill Dowd receives an award for his ongoing website and social media efforts.Murray Forth displays an embossed decanter President’s Award.This table pays rapt attention to the awards presentations.Kara Leyhane sends son Alistair into orbit — sort of.The goodie table gets plenty of attention.Abbondanza!Jim in a lighter moment.Itty-Bitty and friend.
A casual chat by a placid fountain.Carole Spencer and part of the Koshykar clan.Papa Craig Forth playing lifeguard.Mama Amanda Forth accompanied by the SRC Rotary Club president for 2038.Pat and Debbie chat with guest Alice Senrick (right).Yes, Peter is a happy man. A future Navy SEAL Team in training.A perfect 10 for style!Terry with the Rotary-emblazoned jacket and golf ball he received as “parting gifts.”
Welcome to July 2016. What’s the big deal, you may say? The month comes around every year.
Ah, but not THIS sort of July. Check the calendar and you’ll notice something different. It has five Fridays, five Saturdays, and five Sundays. For those of you who live for the weekends, soak it in. This occurence comes around only once every 823 years!
Today, of course, is Canada Day, our northern neighbor’s official birthday, and Monday will be our own Fourth of July. But, they are not the only special days in July. Try these on for size:
2nd — World UFO Day
4th — National Country Music Day; Sidewalk Egg Frying Day
6th — International Kissing Day
8th — National Blueberry Day
10th — Teddy Bear Picnic Day
15th — Tapioca Pudding Day; Cow Appreciation Day
20th — National Lollipop Day
21st — National Junk Food Day
23rd — National Hot Dog Day
24th — Parent’s Day (fourth Sunday in July)
26th — Aunt and Uncle Day
28th — National Milk Chocolate Day
29th — National Lasagna Day
30th — National Cheesecake Day
And, the 30th is a perfect day for Rotarians. It is the International Day of Friendship.
1559 — During a jousting match, a splinter of wood from the shattered lance of Count Gabriel de Lorges pierces the eye of King Henry II of France, mortally wounding him. From his deathbed, Henry absolves De Lorges of any blame.
1859 — French acrobat Charles Blondin crosses Niagara Falls on a tightrope.
1906 — The Congress of the United States passes the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act.
1937 — The world’s first emergency telephone number, 999, is introduced in London.
1997 — The United Kingdom transfers sovereignty over Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China.
1613 — In London, the original Globe Theater, among whose owners is William Shakespeare, burns to the ground. It will be rebuilt on the same site in 1614.
1767 — The British Parliament approves the Townshend Revenue Acts, imposing import duties on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea shipped to America. (Colonists bitterly protested, prompting Parliament to repeal the duties on all goods, except tea, in 1770.)
1776 –- Father Francisco Palou founds Mission San Francisco de Asis in Alta California. It eventually will grow to be the modern city of San Francisco.
1889 — Hyde Park and several other Illinois townships vote to be annexed by Chicago, forming the largest United States city in area and second largest in population.
1928 — Pilot Albert Hegenberger and co-pilot Lester Maitland accomplish the first nonstop flight from California to Hawaii, flying the modified transport Bird of Paradise.
Are you a Twitter user? If so, following @SRCRotaryNY will give you a shot at a quick link for stories, announcements, etc., posted on the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club’s website.
Not many holidays have multiple names. True, if you say them in different languages they do, but not when they’re all in English.
Today is the start of our 2nd annual “School Supplies Drive” that we told you about last week.
Presidential Changeover
Welcome to July 2016. What’s the big deal, you may say? The month comes around every year.
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 