Next Meeting

When............ July 28, 2009 at noon

Where.......... The Franklin Hotel

Program...... Canalfest Preview — Jim Donovan

Coming Events

Jul 31–Aug 2.. *****Canalfest*****

Aug 04......... David Lupinski — Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority

Aug 05......... District 7150 Youth Exchange Dinner

Aug 11......... DG Fred Cholet’s Official Visit

Aug 18......... Sandy Jones – Herkimer County Public Health, “It Takes a Man to Be a Dad”

Aug 22......... Arrival of Youth Exchange Student

Aug 25......... Rome Hospital, (Topic Pending)

Sep 01.......... Rome Bowl

Sep 08.......... Lauren Getek, Rome Arts and Community Center

Sep 22.......... Rome Memorial Hospital (Topic Pending)

Sep 25–27.... Annual District Conference at the Desmond Hotel in Albany

Sep 29.......... Jim Brown, “The Future of Rome”

Oct 06.......... Denise Smith, Director of Patient Services at Hospice

Oct 13.......... International Students on ISD

Oct 24.......... International Student Day, Dr. Cantor

Dec 04......... Rome Rotary’s 90^th Anniversary Celebration at The Beeches (PDG Mike Occhipinti)

Attendance: Total Membership: 97. Absent or [Excused or Exempt]: Adamo, Bauer, Bottini, Burch, Burns, Carey, Conway, Coon, Corbett, Costianes, DeSimone, [DiPerna], Fariello, Glasso, Graves, Gray, Haritatos, Henry, Kobernuss, Martin, Mattson, [Mercurio], Midlam, Miller, Moore, Neiley C, Neiley N, O'Hair, Ramineni, Ramos, Reames, Rouillier, Schonewetter Do, Simons J, Simons K, Skogland, Smith, Speicher, Swinney, Taylor, Toukatly, Trela, Tuthill K, Vescio, Weber, [Zaleski].

Guests and Visiting Rotarians: Guests: Mary Chimielwski (Occhipinti); Cathy Reynolds (Geller); Aaron Bahr (Bahr); Rosevelt Kilpatrick (Mooney); David Wood and Jerry McDonald (Herrmann R) Kathy Wood (Herrmann V); and Bruce Melnick (Donovan).

After-Work Meeting 7/16: Rotarians: Bird, Carey, Fay, Graves, Grey, Herrmann WR, Kobernuss, Ramos, Schonewetter De, Schonewetter Do, Townsend, Tuthill K, Tuthill W.

50/50: Guest Rosevelt Kilpatrick won the 50/50 and took the cash. You have to play to win!

Make-ups: Panara (KC Bingo 7/15); Recco (Chamber Mtg 7/16 & Ride the Erie Canal helper 7/16); Butters, Glasso, Graves, Herrmann WR, Kobernuss, Rapke, Schonewetter De (Canalfest 7/16), Donovan (Canalfest 7/18).

Happy Birthday in July to: Ron Casadei (28); Vic DiPerna (31); Joe Fusco (27); Jerry Haritatos (26); Virginia Herrmann (31); Matt Miller (26); Fred Normand (2); Subbarao Ramineni (1); Bob Trowell (17); Bill Tuthill (9); Rock Versace (18); George Waters (4); and Ed ["Coach"] Weed (3).

Anniversaries of Rome Rotary Membership in July: Jim Brown (1989); Debbie Conway (2007); RoAnn Destito (2001); Joe Fusco (2002); Virginia Herrmann (2004); Bob Herrmann (2004); Joan Kahler (1999); Sandi Lockwood (2002); Cheryl Matt (2003); Laura Mead (2007); Matt Miller (1998); Ryan Moore (2006); Tony Picente (2007); Frank Puma (2002); June Sperlik (2002); Phil Trela (1989); and Karin Tuthill (2007).

Quote of the Week: "Often the difference between a successful man and a failure is not one's better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on his ideas, to take a calculated risk and to act." — Dr. Maxwell Maltz, Author of "Psycho-Cybernetics"

Rotary Information

Unusual Make-up Meetings — Which Rotarians have to travel the farthest for a make-up meeting? You are right if you guessed the members of the Rotary Club of Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia, which is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and is the club that is most remote from any other. The southernmost Rotary meeting is that of the Rotary Club of Base Marambio-Antartida in Antarctica. To visit the northernmost club, you must travel to the Rotary Club of Svalbard, Norway, on the Svalbard Island group north of the Norwegian mainland.

It is said that there is a Rotary meeting being held someplace in the world every hour of every day. If you attended one meeting per day, it would take more than 80 years to visit all of the more than 32,000 Rotary clubs in the world, and by that time no doubt, there would be thousands more new clubs to attend.

But today, Rotarians don’t even need to leave their homes to make up meetings. Rotary e-clubs allow you to make up online, 24 hours a day, and join the discussions with Rotarians from every part of the world. [Rotary ABC’s, RI 2006, P. 15]

Thank you to Ava Dorfman

PDG and current Polio plus Chair Mike Occhipinti extended a thank you to Ava Dorfman on behalf of Rome Rotary for her donation to the RI Polio Program in memory of her husband Dr. Milt Dorfman, a Past-President of Rome Rotary. Milt was a radiologist here in Rome and a Rotarian. He passed away suddenly two decades ago. During his time as a Rotarian, he was a Paul Harris Fellow and honored Ava with that recognition making her the first woman to be so recognized in Rome Rotary. “Thank you” Ava for your generous support of the programs of Rotary.

A note from President Bob Herrmann

If you wish to support Rotary in its polio eradication effort, go to the Rome Rotary website to the navigation button along the left edge of the page and click on "Support Rotary." This page, http://romerotaryny.org/support.htm, has instructions for upgrading your browser to provide a dime for every sponsored link you visit during web searches.

Side Conversations at the Tuesday Meetings!

Several of our members have taken notice of the growing number and volume of side conversations taking place during the announcements and the speaker. This is rude to the speaker, so please extend the courtesy of respectful listening to our speakers. Thanks folks!

Canalfest

· Canalfest tee-shirts are being ordered this year for anyone interested. They cost $13 (Rotary’s cost, no mark-up) and will be available before Canalfest. See PP Dennis ASAP to see a sample and place an order.

· PP Dennis has 28,000 printed trifold Canalfest schedules that need to go out into the community. Someone is needed to be responsible for the dissemination of the flyers, as well as additional volunteers to make it happen. See PP Dennis.

· The money for duck race sales and any unused tickets that you do not plan to sell are due in to Dave Kobernuss ASAP. The Duck Race is a large part of the Canalfest proceeds, and we need your help to see that these tickets are sold or placed with those who can sell them. Money from Canalfest provides the funding for the many community projects of Rome Rotary. Thank you for your efforts. See Dave with questions.

· PP Greg Mattacola is selling advertising to local businesses as a Canalfest fundraiser. These signs are posted on the Canalfest grounds for the weekend and are $50 each. See PP Greg if you can help!

· The sign-up sheet for Canalfest has lots of openings. There is something for everyone. Check it out and see PP Dennis and let him know your preference!

· Next week Jim Donovan will take the program and give us a Canalfest update. He plans to have some of the representatives from the new attractions at the meeting to explain what they are doing and what they need, including the water ski team, the boat regatta, the new kiddie rides, and others.

· Dan Faldinski still needs volunteers to carry the flag in the Honor America Day Parade on 25 July and to hand out Canalfest flyers. See Dan.

· The Syracuse Symphony Concert at Fort Stanwix will take place on the evening of 25 July. Rotarians are needed to hand out Canalfest flyers. See PP Dennis.

· Canalfest now has a place on the web. Check it out! It is part of www.RomeRotaryNY.org or go directly to the site at www.RomeRotaryNY.org/canal.

Announcements and Events

· Rotary shirts have arrived. Virginia Herrmann will have them at the meetings. Please bring cash or a check to pick up your order.

· Anyone wishing to attend the District 7150 Youth Exchange Dinner on 5 August should contact PP Dennis ASAP for details and reservations.

· Juan Carlos Rincon Moreno, our newest RI Youth Exchange student, will arrive in Rome in August from Venezuela. Host parents are needed to provide a home and family for Juan for several three to four months periods. Please contact Chris or Nancy Neiley, nneiley@aol.com, or 827-4303.

· Don’t forget the Honor America Days Chicken BBQ at the First Presbyterian Church on Wednesday 5 August. See PP Rob Tracy or PAG Dick Kahler for tickets.

Program

Brothers Tonight, We Sing the Chorus Free

(Fundraiser for Polio)

Rock Versace

In 1958 the University of Buffalo Football Team made a courageous decision — a choice made before its time — to refuse an invitation to the Tangerine Bowl because the organizers would not allow them to bring their two black players. For young athletes who were pro-bound and needed the national exposure, it meant sacrifice. For the team, which had worked very hard and won the Lambert Cup that year, it meant bypassing a well deserved opportunity. The decision not to attend was made by the team, and there was no question what their answer would be. The incident went quietly down in history without any recognition of the courageous choice these athletes had made in standing for what was right, and it was soon forgotten by all but a few. The team members remained tightly bonded over the years, staying in touch through phone calls, yearly reunions, and more frequent meetings of those who lived locally.

Rome Rotarian Rocco Versace was a freshman at UB in 1960, and worked as an assistant manager for the football team and sports writer for the Spectrum, the campus newspaper. He became aware of what had happened in 1958, and realized the significance of this event. It disturbed him that few even could recall it as the years passed. In 2006, two years before the 50^th anniversary of the decision, Rocco felt strongly that their story had to be told. He researched it, talked to those involved, took what he learned, and wrote a book entitled Brothers Tonight, We Sing the Chorus Free.

As a result of his efforts, 47,000 people recently gave a five minute standing ovation for these men at a bowl game in Toronto. USPN has covered the story on national TV, “The Game That Was Never Played,” and there is an attempt in progress to make the story into a movie. Recognition long deserved for men, who lived the principles of the “Four Way Test,” has finally come.

Eleven hundred books were sent to UB to be distributed to those who contribute to the UB Sports Program, and Rocco is offering copies of the book for sale to Rotary clubs and to the general public for $10 a copy. The full proceeds from the sale of this book will go to RI Polio Plus, and the decision made by these men over fifty years ago will continue to impact for good.

If you missed the program today, you missed a very special and unique meeting. “Thank you” Rocco for an inspiring and heart-warming presentation.

Editor’s Notes: Contact Rock for copies of his book. Anyone who picked up a book at yesterday’s meeting is reminded to give Rock or PDG Mike a check for $10 made out to “The Rotary Foundation.”

Cindy Roubian, Editor

PP Dennis Schonewetter, Technical Editor