The family of club member Bob Horan, who died unexpectedly on July 4th, has shared the following information about services at Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Parish at 1803 Union Street, Schenectady:
• Calling Hours – Friday, July 8 from 3 to 7 p.m.
• Funeral Services – Saturday, July 9 at 10 a.m.
(Scroll down for earlier story announcing Bob’s passing. And, click here to read his obituary as published in the Times Union, and to sign the guestbook.)
On July 6 in …
1189 -– Richard I, popularly known as “The Lionheart” or, in the Norman French language widely used in parts of England, “Coeur de Lion,” ascends to the English throne. Richard spoke langue d’oïl, a French dialect, and lenga d’òc, a Romance language spoken in southern France and nearby regions. Although he was born in England, where he spent his childhood, before becoming king he lived for most of his adult life in the Duchy of Aquitaine in the southwest of France. Following his accession he spent very little time in England, perhaps as little as six months. Most of his life as king was spent on Crusade, in captivity, or in actively defending his lands in France.
1777 — American forces under General Arthur St. Clair retreat from Fort Ticonderoga on Lake George after it was besieged for five days by British artillery under General John Burgoyne.
1854 –- In Jackson, MI, the first convention of the Republican Party is held.
1885 -– Scientist Louis Pasteur successfully tests his vaccine against rabies on Joseph Meister, a boy who had been bitten by a rabid dog.
1907 -– Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón is born in the Coyoacán district of Mexico City. As Frida Kahlo she will go on to become a legendary Mexican muralist and educator and will be celebrated in the 2002 Selma Hayek motion picture “Frida.”
The Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club is planning to provide a breakfast for the Greenbush YMCA’s “Circle of Champs” kids group next Thursday, July 14.
The portion of the club that usually attends the monthly breakfast meetings hosted at the Y by executive director and club member Shannon Romanowski has volunteered to work the project, but anyone is welcome.
Says Shannon:
“Our YMCA ‘Circle of Champs’ program provides support and fun activities and programs to children who are fighting a life-threatening illness. We also provide families with memberships to the Y and include the families in all champs activities.
“I am suggesting that [the] breakfast be kept simple as the kids will be leaving on a field trip that day by 9:30 a.m. Perhaps assorted bagels, cream cheese, fruit and muffins would work best as the kids could easily carry it with them if they wish to.”
To that end, Shannon is asking for club members to formally sign up to help shop for the breakfast items and go to the Y the morning of the event to help serve and spend some time with the campers.
Please contact Shannon at 477-2570 or by email at sromanowski@cdymca.org as soon as possible if you wish to help.
NOTE: If you’d like to learn a little more about the “Circle of Champs” program, click here.
It took nearly a month for the Times Union to publish our news release and photo, but on Monday, July 4th, we made it onto the newspaper’s website, and today we made it into print in the local news section. Hooray!
On July 5 …
1687 — Isaac Newton publishes his famous multi-volume “Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica.” Among other works, the collection includes Newton’s laws of motion, which formed the foundation of classical mechanics, as well as Newton’s law of universal gravitation.
1811 — Venezuela becomes the first country in South American to declare independence from Spain, which had begun colonizing it in 1522.
1916 — Sisters Adelina and Augusta Van Buren — descendants of President Martin Van Buren of Kinderhook — set out from the Sheepshead Bay race track in New York City en route to making the first successful transcontinental motorcycle tour by two women. They will arrive in San Diego, CA, on September 12, ending a 5,500 mile trek. Both are in the American Motorcycle Association Hall of Fame.
1975 — Arthur Ashe becomes the first black man to win a Wimbledon singles title defeating Jimmy Connors.
1996 –- Dolly the sheep becomes the first mammal cloned from an adult cell. The cloning was performed was by Sir Ian Wilmut, Keith Campbell and colleagues at the Roslin Institute, part of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and the biotechnology company PPL Therapeutics, based nearby. Dolly would live nearly seven years before succumbing to a progressive lung disease.
It is with sadness we report that Bob Horan, who recently resumed his SRC Club membership, passed away suddenly on Monday, July 4th. He had been on vacation with his family at their Adirondacks camp.
Bob, 52, had been superintendent of the Schodack Central School District for the past six years after a decade in other roles there. He was pioneering innovative ways of coping with declining enrollments and financial pressures. In a June interview with the Albany Business Review, he spoke about the changes and challenges in education and his vision for the future locally. It is available here.
Prior to serving the Schodack district, Bob worked in the Mohonasen and Shenendehowa school districts.
The school district issued this statement this morning:
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Bob’s family, who he loved dearly, in this incredibly difficult time. Bob was beloved by all who knew him for his huge heart and tireless passion for creating opportunities for students. No superintendent cared more for students or took greater joy in watching them learn, grow and succeed. He will be greatly missed.”
State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia called his death a “heartbreaking loss” for the school district and the entire statewide schools community, saying:
“Bob was a passionate educator who always thought of the future of his students. He tackled each day with his optimistic approach, seeing opportunities where others might see problems. In my personal dealings with Bob, I found he was a true leader and wonderfully kind person. He will be greatly missed.”
Bob is survived by his wife and three adult childrene. We will post details on services when they become available, or you can check the school district website for updates.
The first dropoff date for this year’s “School Supplies Drive” is our Thursday pool party cookout at Jim Leyhane’s residence in East Greenbush.
You’ve been given all the details of the effort multiple times, plus details are on the club website if you somehow inexplicably missed them.
This is a simple, low-key way to make Rotary’s presence known in the community. We ask your help in making it work. The fate of the effort is up to you.
On July 4 in …
1776 — The United States Declaration of Independence from Great Britain is adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia. Delegates from 12 of the 13 Colonies were present when the Congress convened. Georgia had not participated in the First Continental Congress and did not initially send delegates to the Second Continental Congress.
1802 — The United States Military Academy opens at West Point, NY, in Orange County opens.
1826 –- Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, dies the same day as John Adams, second president of the United States. It is the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
1827 -– Slavery is abolished in New York State. The state had passed a law in 1799 calling for gradual abolition. After that date, children born to slave mothers were free, but were required to work for the mother’s master for an extended period as indentured servants into their late 20s. Existing slaves kept their status. All remaining slaves are freed on this date.
1918 -– Bolshevik revolutionaries kill Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family.
We hope everyone had a wonderful and inspiring celebration of our nation’s 240th birthday today.
And now, on to our SRC “Summer Casual Schedule” of family-oriented events.
As we all know, first up is a pool party at 6 p.m. this Thursday, co-hosted by Jim and Andy Leyhane at Jim’s East Greenbush residence. (If you need his address, check the “Member Contact Page” on the club website. Everyone was given the page password some time ago.)
Chef Jim will be cooking barbecued boneless chicken breasts and providing the usual beverages. Beer connoisseur Andy will be holding a tasting of craft beers you may not have experienced. And, the pool is open for kids and adults alike.
Each member is asked to bring a dish to serve six — those with surnames A-K an appetizer, those with surnames L-Z a dessert.
We have heard from some members whether they will be joining us, but there still are 25 Rotarians who have not yet responded at all. We need to know your intentions no later than Tuesday evening, including whether you are bringing guests. PLEASE DO SO ONLY BY RESPONDING TO THIS EMAIL.
Here’s what we have so far:
WILL ATTEND
Jim Leyhane
Andy Leyhane and 3 guests
Pat Bailey
Melissa Bill and one guest
April Dowd
Bill Dowd
Geoff Brewer
Terry Brewer and guest
Dick Drumm and guest
Roberto Martinez
Ray Hannan and guest
Debbie Rodriguez
David Taylor
REGRETS
Carole Spencer
Becky Raymond
Monika Annis
Ron Annis
RESPONSES STILL NEEDED
Debbie Brown
Peter Brown
Murray Forth
Marko Koshykar
Rommel Tolentino
Len Leonidas
Stewart Wagner
Jim Butterworth
Mike Dewey
Michael Bennett
John Sawchuk
Josh Wainman
Phil Kellerman
Julius Frankel
Charlie Foote
Dean Calamaras
Doris Calamaras
Bob Horan
A.J. Amato
Carol Orvis
Jim McHugh
Jim Mendrysa
Rob Mangold
Shannon Romanowski
Matt Smith
Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to seeing many of you and family members and friends on Thursday.
As you know, our 2nd annual “School Supplies Drive” began Friday. Please bring whatever you have purchased or otherwise acquired so far to this Thursday’s cookout at Jim Leyhane’s residence, the first drop-off opportunity.
(If by some crazy fluke you’re not aware of any of the emails, Facebook postings, Tweets, verbal announcements at meetings, or website postings about the project, please go to the club website and scroll down to see the details of the effort and the shopping lists.)
We’re hoping to do even better than we did last year, which should be assured, considering our membership has grown by 50% since then. The recipients will be pre-school and high school students in the Rensselaer City School District, where more than one-third of the students live at or below the federal poverty level. (Other grades will be served by other programs.)
If you won’t be attending and/or contributing at Thursday’s event, you have another few weeks after that. If for some reason you don’t plan to join us for any of our activities before August 21, the contribution deadline, please let Bill Dowd know and he’ll personally come to your home or place of work to pick up your contributions.
Please don’t miss this opportunity to help fulfill one of Rotary’s six stated areas of concentration: “Improving basic education and literacy.”
Thank you as always for your generosity.
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 