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The Rotary
Club of Space Center (Houston), Texas, and U.S.A.
Club 2010 District 589
Chartered
August 6, 1964
Stories
Rotary Year
2011-2012
July 11, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John
Lee and Bob Mitchell
A regular meeting of Rotary was held at
the Bay Oaks Country Club and called to order by President
Mike Dennard. Jack Bacon led the singing, the Pledge of Allegiance to the American
Flag was led by Mike Brown, and Lamar Bowles kicked off the
Four Way Test. Carlos Villagomez gave the prayer, and
Bill Lowes introduced visitors and guests. President Dennard
announced that there will be two socials per month and asked
the members to watch the web site for details. There
will be no Rotary Golf this month as it is too hot.
Marilyn Musial announced that there will be a Shrimporee
meeting Tuesday from 5:30-6:30. The Space Center Rotary
Club Foundation Board meeting is set for 7:00 am
tomorrow. Darryl Smith announced that his flying club is
holding an event this weekend to introduce kids to
flying. Adult volunteers are needed to assist.
Past District 5890 Governor Suzi Howe
honored
Dr. Jack Bacon
as a Paul Harris Fellow. President
Dennard reported that one of the activities he will be
focusing on this year is assistance for the homeless through
an agency called Crossroads. A bin will be set up at
each meeting to collect adult clothing to assist the
organization in providing clean clothing for homeless in the
Park Place area.
John Branch introduced Sheryl
Berg, who shared information concerning her trip to
Honduras and the Rotary/Stove Team Partnership. Space
Center Rotary donated $2,000 to the project last year.
In addition to the $3,000 we will be funding this year,
District 5890 has approved a grant for an addition
$2,500. This will help provide 220 new stoves made of
concrete and pumice for the program. In November, the
Rotary/Stove Team from Eugene Oregon will be taking volunteers
to the Honduras to measure the change in home air quality due
to the new stoves. If anyone is interested in coming
along, see Sheryl. The meeting was adjourned by
President Dennard. View the exchange of club
banners while Sheryl was in Honduras.
July 18, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy
Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and Bob Mitchell
President Mike Dennard called the meeting
to order. Dr. Jack Bacon led members singing “Auld Lang
Syne” in honor of the last Shuttle flight. Dennis Dillon
gave the prayer, Rae DeCastro led the Pledge of Allegiance,
and Gary Johnson kicked off the Four Way Test. Rena
Deitrich introduced visitors and guests.
Gary Johnson
announced a Rotary social this Wednesday at South Shore Grill,
followed by ½ price wine at Chelsea’s Wine Bar. RSVP to
Gary. Scott Rainey announced that $15,000 in sponsorship
commitments have already been received for the
Shrimporee. Richard
Meyer was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow plus
one. President Dennard presented a Directors pin to Alan
Wylie. Kippy Caraway and Sheryl Berg assisted President
Dennard in reminding members that we are collected clean, used
adult clothing for the Crossroads at Park Place mission.
Kippy Caraway
introduced speakers Bill Artzberger and Nancy James, who
discussed Business Games for Self Improvement and conducted a
“game storming” exercise. The meeting was adjourned by
President Dennard with a reminder that a regular meeting of
the Club's Board of Directors will be held tomorrow
morning.
July 25, 2011
Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and
Bob Mitchell
A regular meeting of Space Center Rotary
was called to order by President Dennard. Dr. Jack Bacon
led members singing “When You’re Smiling”. The prayer
was given by Carlos Villagomez, Geoff Atwater led the Pledge
of Allegiance to the American Flag, Mike Duckworth kicked off
the Four Way Test, and Johnny White introduced visitors and
guests. President Dennard recognized Kippy Caraway on
the occasion of her twenty-something birthday. Roger
Donnelly was welcomed back after surgery. Roger and Jack
Bacon are coordinating a blood drive. Watch for more
information.
This Saturday at 7:30 is Rotary Day at
Robertson Stadium on the UH campus. A portion of the
proceeds will go to the Helping a Hero Fund. The Floyd
Boze /Paul Harris Dinner is scheduled for February 7
from 6:30 – 9:00 at Bay Oaks Country Club. Past District
5890 Governor Suzi Howe and Dr. Bacon presented Cindy Harreld
with a Paul Harris Fellowship. President Dennard
announced that 2 bins of clothing were delivered to the
Crossroads mission. The mission has a shortage of
clothing right now, and really needs shoes.
John Branch
introduced the speaker, Tom Standish, Executive Vice President
of Centerpointe Energy. Mr. Standish discussed the
applications available via the new electronic features on the
new digital meters. In addition to eliminating the need
for meter readers, the new meters are programmed to
communicate power outages and other equipment
malfunctions. Users will eventually be able to log on to
a web site and get readings of their power usage throughout
the day, as well as turn on or off electric powered services
remotely. Centerpointe Energy is one of the first
utilities in the country to provide this type of
program. Digitizing is expected to be complete in
2015. After a brief question and answer session, the
meeting was adjourned by President Dennard.
Committee
members for the Floyd Boze Dinner are asked to stay for a
brief meeting, and the Shrimporee Committee will meet Tuesday
at 5:30.
August 1, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
A regular meeting of
Space Center Rotary was called to order by President Mike
Dennard. Dr. Jack Bacon led members singing “April
Showers”. President Dennard offered a prize for whoever
could be the first to tell him next week who wrote the song
and when it was published. Carlos Villagomez led the
prayer, Ted Cummings led the Pledge of Allegiance to the
American Flag, and Dave Sincox kicked off the Four Way
Test. Kathy Dooley introduced visitors and guests,
including Suzanne Hird of the Copenhagen International Rotary
Club.
President Dennard reminded members that
it is time to pay your annual membership dues. The
Shrimporee is set for October 15th and tickets are
available. Every member is to be responsible for the
purchase of sale of at least 20 tickets. Tickets
are $15 each. There will be a wine social at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday night at the Allegria Wine Bar on Highway 3 at
Barringer. The District Membership seminar will be held
August 13 at North Shore High School.
Past District
5890 Governor Suzi Howe (left in photo) and Dr. Bacon
presented a Paul Harris Fellowship to Phil
Harris in recognition of his efforts with Rotary
International. Dick Meyer announced that two of our
Rotary Youth Exchange students
will be leaving Friday. Kerry Balden is going to Brazil,
and Sophie Gonsoulin is leaving for Denmark. A check was
presented to each to help with expenses. We will be
welcoming 3 new international students on August 15th.
Dr. Jean Walker
presented the following attendance awards: 1 year; Geoff
Atwater, John Branch, and Bob Taggert. Don Kirchoff
received a 2 year award. Dick Meyer and Marilyn Musial
were recognized for 3 years of perfect attendance. 4
year award winners included Jerrold Dewease, Jon McKinnie, Art
Oswald, and Alan Wylie. Vissett Sun was recognized for 7
years of perfect attendance, Dennis Dillon for 12 years.
Billy Smith and Al Ligrani received perfect attendance awards
for 29 and 31 years respectively.
Scott Rainey announced additional
Shrimporee sponsors. Amoco Federal Credit Union, Gurry
Mechancial, MRI Mechanical, Texas Wealth management, and State
Representative John Davis have all signed on. Scott
reminded members that every penny raised goes back into the
service budget.
John Branch introduced John Lee,
retired NASA engineer and Rotary member. John completed
his Johnson Space Center history presentation, providing many
interesting stories about the growth of the manned space
program. Following his presentation, the meeting was
adjourned by President Dennard.
The August 2011 edition of the Rotarian
had an article
of astronaut Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon. The
article mentioned
Space Center
Rotary.
August 8,
2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
A regular meeting of
Rotary was held at the Bay Oaks Country Club. The
meeting was called to order by President Mike Dennard.
Dr. Jack Bacon led members singing “Give My Regards to
Broadway”. Dennis Dillon gave the prayer, Lamar
Bowles led the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag, and
Roger Donnelly led the Four Way Test. President Dennard
reminded everyone that the District 5890 Membership Seminar
will be this Saturday at North Shore Sr. High in Galena Park
ISD. Jon McKinnie introduced visitors and guests.
Roger Donnelly announced that the Christmas social will be
held December 14th at the Country Club.
Marilyn Musial
announced that there will be a Shrimporee meeting next
Tuesday. President Dennard announced a Board meeting the
same morning. Upcoming Rotary meetings will include
presentations by area Football Coaches, our Assistant Governor
and District Governor. President Dennard reminded
everyone that it’s time to pay annual dues, and Shrimporee
tickets are available for purchase. Each member is
requested to purchase/sell $300 worth of tickets. Dennis
Dillon was recognized for 12 years of perfect
attendance. President Dennard shared a thank you note
from Margaux Montgomery, Director of the Crossroads mission,
and announced that there will be an Endowment Fund meeting
tomorrow at 7 am.
Past District 5890
Governor (PDG) Suzi Howe and Dr. Jack Bacon presented a Paul
Harris Fellowship to Mike
Duckworth and Dennis
Paul. PDG Howe asked all Paul Harris Fellows to
stand and be recognized. Today’s speaker had not
arrived, so Jon McKinnie played a video of the last shuttle
ascent imagery while members enjoyed a brief time of
fellowship. President Dennard announced that former
member Claire Taylor passed away. Claire was also the
first Teacher of the Year for Space Center Rotary. A
memorial service is being held in Allen, Texas. The
meeting was adjourned by President Dennard.
August 15, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John
Lee and Bob Mitchell
View photos of
meeting
A regular meeting of
Space Center Rotary was called to order by President Mike
Dennard. Past President David Coney and his mother Linda
played a lovely duet for cello and piano to open the meeting,
and Linda graced the membership with a piano solo. Jon
McKinnie led the prayer, Steve Owens gave the Pledge of
Allegiance to the American Flag, and Art Oswald kicked off the
Four Way Test. Bob Wren introduced visitors and
guests. There were a large number of visiting Rotarians,
including District Governor Elect Chris Schneider and District
Governor Nominee Bob Gebhardt. A number of past and
present Youth Exchange students were present along with Hope,
a Youth Host Mom.
CCISD Director of Athletics Bill Daws was
present, along with Head Football Coaches Mike Zierlein of
Clear Falls High School, Sam Smith of Clear Lake, and Paul
Lanier from Clear Brook. Guests also included Teri
Fowle’, Associate Vice Chancellor of San Jacinto College, and
Bay Area Citizen Sports Editor Ted Durham. Earl Mauldin
was recognized by Scott Rainey as a Shrimporee sponsor for
this year.
President Dennard reminded members that
there will be a Board meeting tomorrow at 7am, and a
Shrimporee meeting at 5:30pm. He also announced
that Rotary member Rodolfo Gonzales was married last weekend,
so be sure to extend congratulations. Past District 5890
Governor Suzi Howe and Dr. Jack Bacon presented Paul Harris
Fellowships to Linda Coney and Bill Hughes.
Dick Meyer
presented both returning and new Youth Exchange
Representatives. Sydney just returned from France and
Kim is here from France. Corrine spent a year in Brazil,
Julie is from Denmark, Beatriz is from Brazil, Michelle has
returned from Thailand, and Malte is here from Germany.
Corinne and Michelle each thanked Rotary membership for the
opportunity to serve as last years outbound exchange
students. The incoming students were presented with
Rotary name badges, and Malte presented a banner from his home
Rotary organization in Germany.
Dr. Greg Smith,
CCISD Superintendent , introduced Head Football Coaches Mike
Zierlein (Clear Falls), Sam Smith (Clear Lake), and Paul
Lanier (Clear Brook). Each coach spoke briefly about the
expectations for the high school football season before
succumbing to pressure to predict whether Oklahoma, University
of Texas, or Texas A&M would progress the farthest in the
championships this year. After the presentations, the
meeting was adjourned by President Dennard.
August 22, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John
Lee and Bob Mitchell
View photos of
meeting
A regular meeting of the
Space Center Rotary was held at the Bay Oaks Country
Club. Dr. Jack Bacon led members singing “April
Showers”. Carlos Villagomez gave the invocation, Mike
Duckworth led the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag,
Ted Cummings kicked off the Four Way Test, and Tim Kropp
introduced visitors and guest. Wayne Johnson presented a
banner from the San Salvador in Cuscatlan, El Salvador.
Alan Wylie introduced exchange students Beatriz Maziero from
Brazil, and Malte Schmitter from Germany. PDG Suzi Howe,
Dr. Jack Bacon, and Phil Harris presented the Paul Harris
Award to Art Oswald, Delia Stephens, Mike Dennard, and Tim
Kropp.
President Mike Dennard
introduced Margo Montgomery and Sam Burnett from Crossroads at
Park Place. Margo explained that the ministry at
Crossroads is a joint effort by several churches in the Park
Place area. It opened in October of 2001 and focuses on
serving the health, hygiene, and dignity needs of local
homeless. The mission is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays
and provides showers and clean clothing for approximately 300
homeless each week. They are in need of clean used adult
clothing. The mission is also growing fresh vegetables
for their kitchen on land provided by a resident in Kemah.
Marilyn Musial reminded
members that Shrimporee tickets need to be picked up.
There is not a Shrimporee meeting tomorrow, but after that the
committee will be meeting weekly. Scott Rainey announced
$27,000 in sponsorships to date, including Amoco Federal
Credit Union, EZ Tax and Accounting, Gurry Mechanical, Johnny
White Insurance, Waldron Schneider, and the City of Nassau
Bay. Slade Lewis of Lewis Jewelers has donated a
beautiful necklace for the raffle. Raffle tickets will
go on sale next week at $10 each, or 6 for $50. Rena
Deitrich will be heading up the raffle.
President Dennard
introduced Assistant District Governor Lisa Faith
Massey. Lisa discussed the theme and goals for the year
and pointed out key District dates. August 31st will be
Rotary night at the Astros. For additional information,
please see the District web site. There being no further
business, the meeting adjourned by President Dennard.
August 30,
2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John
Lee and Bob Mitchell
Photo Gallery
A regular meeting of the
Rotary Club of Space Center was held at Bay Oaks Country
Club. The meeting was called to order by President Mike
Dennard. Dr. Jack Bacon led the song, Carlos Villagomez
gave the prayer, Mike Brown conducted the Pledge of Allegiance
to the American Flag, and Dick Kidder kicked off the Four Way
Test. Mike Duckworth introduced visitors and guests,
including District 5890 Governor (DG) Rhonda Walls Kirby,
Assistant District 5890 Governor (ADG) Lisa Faith Massey,
Judge Holly Williamson, Councilmember Mike Sullivan, and
District E South Sector Manager Allie VanDeventer. Past
District 5890 Governor Suzi Howe, ADG Massey, DG Kirby, Dr.
Bacon and Phil Harris presented Paul Harris Fellowships to
Gary Johnson, Mary Alys Cherry, Geoff Atwater, Olive Murphy
Riker, David Coney, Rafael Lugo, Jon McKinnie, Marilyn Musial,
Dr. Greg Smith, Scott Rainey, Jerrold DeWease, Ted Cummings,
and Rae de Castro.
Marilyn Musial reminded members of the
Shrimporee Committee meeting tomorrow at 5:30. Rena
Dietrich announced that raffle tickets are now
available. Prices are $10 each or 6 for $50.
Wednesday night is Rotary night at the Astros. Members
are encouraged to come to the game.
ADG Lisa Faith Massey
introduced 2011-2012 District 5890 Governor Rhonda Walls
Kirby. DG Kirby discussed this year’s theme “Reach
Within to Embrace Humanity”. She expressed
congratulations for the awesome job done by Space Center
Rotary and discussed highlights from President Bannerjee’s
speech, touching on the topics of Family, Continuity, and
Making a Difference. She asked members to let her know
how the District could support both the Club and the
membership, and reviewed a calendar of upcoming events.
The Rotary
Blood Drive is under way, and a club from India has issued a
challenge to see who collects the most blood. The
District Governor Awards of Excellence were presented, with
the first given to Floyd Boze along with recognition of his
longstanding active membership and role as heartbeat of the
club. Additional honorees are Billy Ray Smith, Kathy
Dooley, John Lee, Bob Mitchell, Rodolfo Gonzalez, Bob Wren,
Jerrold DeWease, John Branch, John Swartout, and Vince
Lipowski. Vince is a founding member of the Club and is
still active.
President Dennard
thanked District Governor Kirby and announced that Space
Center Rotary is contributing $4,000 to the Rotary Foundation
in her honor and in appreciation for her presentation.
The meeting was adjourned by President Dennard.
September 5, 2011
No Club Meeting
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John
Lee and Bob Mitchell
September 12, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographer John Lee
Shrimporee Chair Musial
Photo Gallery
The regular meeting of
Space Center Rotary was called to order by President Mike
Dennard. Sheryl Berg led the singing, Carlos Villagomez
gave the prayer, Bill Hughes led the Pledge of Allegiance to
the American flag, and Don Kirchoff kicked off the Four Way
Test. Mike Brown introduced visitors and guests.
Mike Dennard
announced a trip to the Guerrero clinic in Mexico the
11th-16th. The District Blood Drive is ongoing.
Roger Donnelly is in charge of the Space Center Rotary
drive. Jon McKinnie announced that the District is
hosting a social media workshop October 22nd and the San
Jacinto College, south campus. Gary Johnson announced
that the next social will be Wednesday at the South Shore
Grill in League City.
Dustin
Tracey shared information concerning Camp Be An Angel, a
camp for kids with special needs. This is the 3rd year
that Space Center Rotary has supported the camp.
President Dennard presented Mr. Tracey with a check for
$1,000.
Past
District Governor Suzi
Howe presented Paul Harris awards to Sherry
Bogus, Paul McClarty, Kathy Dooley, Jim Saxe, Billy Ray Smith,
Ken Gurry, Kippy Carraway, Visette Sun, and JB Fox.
President Dennard presented District Governor Service Awards
to Billy Ray Smith and charter member Vince Lipovsky.
Kippy Carraway
recognized those members who have been working on the
Shrimporee for 38 years. Donations are being collected
for live and silent auction items. Judge Louie Ditta and
Commissioner Steve Phelps will serve as auctioneers again this
year. Head Shrimp Marilyn Musical in shrimp costume was
introduced. She reported that in the first year of the
event, the club netted $15,000. The net proceeds were
$7000 in 1974 alone. Last year the Shrimporee and
Springoree combined netted over $80,000. Jerrold Dewease
donated a $100 gift card to Space Center Automotive for
whoever could identify the first member to wear the shrimp
costume (Bill Lowes). The following are committee
chairs: Kippy Caraway (Public Relations), Lamar Bowles
(solicited donations to purchase beer), John Swartwout (ticket
sales), Dr. Greg Smith (silent auction), Rena Deitrich (raffle
ticket sales), and Scott Rainey (sponsorships). Scott
reported that there is $33,000 in committed
sponsorships. Bright Futures Consulting, Hometown Bank,
and One Stop Party Shop have signed up. Jerry Smith
announced that a letter is available for use by members who
wish to solicit donations for the live auction. Art
Oswald and Nancy Malini are in charge of volunteers, and Micki
Czarnack is collecting sweets for baked goods booth.
Marc Schneider’s law firm is once again underwriting the kid’s
activities.
There is no Shrimporee meeting
tomorrow. Next Tuesday there will be both a Board
meeting (morning) and a Shrimporee meeting (afternoon).
There is an Endowment Foundation meeting tomorrow. The
meeting was adjourned by President Dennard.
September 19, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographer John
Lee
A regular meeting of
Space Center Rotary was called to order by President Mike
Dennard. Members joined Dr. Jack Bacon singing “If I Had
a Hammer”. Mike Porterfield gave the prayer, Art Oswald
led the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag, and Mike
Duckworth initiated the Four Way Test. Gary Johnson
introduced visitors and guests, including Assistant Governor
Wayne Hollier.
Dr. Bacon displayed a stove
similar to that being made for the project in Honduras and
recognized Sheryl Berg for her part in getting our chapter
involved in this project. Sheryl reported that the first
$5,000 of the grant money for the project had been received
and a heartfelt thank you has come back from Honduras.
Marilyn Musial reminded members that the Shrimporee is October
15. There will be a committee meeting at 5:30 tomorrow
at the Johnson Space Center Federal Credit Union. Meal
tickets and raffle tickets are on sale at the back of the
room.
Jon
McKinnie reminded members that District 5890 is hosting a
social media workshop October 22. Registration is
online. PDG Suzi Howe presented Owen
Morris with a tribute from the Rotary Foundation for his
support. Suzi invited members to attend a seminar
October 8 to hear Jean Irwin talk about language acquisition
for deaf children. Dr. Bacon, Phil Harris, and Past
President David Coney assisted Past District 5890 Governor
Howe in presenting Paul
Harris Fellowship Multiple Donor Recognitions to Pam
Culpepper, Jack Lister, Becky Reitz, John Lee, Rae De Castro,
Vic Maria, and Belinda Skloss.
John Swartout introduce speaker,
Representative John
Davis, our representative to the State Legislature since
1998. Representative Davis discussed some of the key
bills handled during the regular and special legislative
sessions just ended. President Dennard expressed
appreciation for his presentation, reminded members of the
meetings tomorrow for the Club’s Board and for the Shrimporee
Committee, and welcomed Bill Geissler back. The meeting
was adjourned President Dennard.
September 26, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
A regular meeting of
Space Center Rotary was called to order by President Mike
Dennard. Sheryl Berg led members singing “God Bless
America”. Mike Porterfield gave the prayer, Dick Kidder
led the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag, and Don
Kirchoff presented the Four Way Test. Jerry Smith
introduced visitors and guests.
Marilyn Musial reminded members that
posters for the Shrimporee are in the back. A Committee
meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 5:30. Rena Deitrich
displayed the David Yurman necklace donated for the raffle by
Lewis Jewelers. The necklace is valued at $1200.
John Branch reported that ticket sales to date total
$17,865. Dr. Greg Smith asked that all auction donations
be turned in by next Monday. Jerry Smith (no relation)
is responsible for the live auction – please let him know if
you have anything for the auction. $33,500 has been
received or pledged in sponsorships.
Kim Buttrum of
the League City Rotary announced their Wine and Dine
Fundraiser set for October 7 at South Shore. Dress is
formal. There will be a casino and dancing.
Tickets are $35. League City Rotary donated a pair of
tickets to our chapter. They will be raffled off next
meeting. Dr.
Rosalind Perez received her blue badge from President
Dennard.
Past
District 5890 Governor (PDG) Suzi Howe announced that 10 new
Paul Harris Fellowships have been awarded in the last few
months, along with 24 Plus One awards, 7 Plus Two awards, 1
Plus Three award, 1 Plus Five award, and 1 Plus Six
award. She explained the award process and the use of
recognition points. Forty five people have been topped
to the next level using shared recognition points. Bob
Mitchell was awarded a Plus One Paul Harris
Fellowship. PDG Howe expressed thanks to everyone who
has contributed points.
John Branch introduced Julia
Jiang of The Epoch Times, speaking on the Renaissance of
Chinese Culture and Shen Yun. Ms. Jiang shared the
cultural history of China and discussed the central
concepts. She discussed the genesis and evolution of
Shen Yun Performing Arts, and the Shen Yun role in bringing
back traditional Chinese values. The Shen Yun Classical
Chinese Dance Company will be performing at Jones Hall
December 21 – 27. Rotary members purchasing tickets
should use the promotion code SY23 and a portion of the ticket
proceeds will be donated to Rotary.
President
Dennard reminded members of the Shrimporee meeting, and that
nomination forms for three member candidates are available for
review in the back of the room and then adjourned the
meeting.
October 3, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
See photo gallery
A regular meeting of Space
Center Rotary was held at Bay Oaks Country Club.
The meeting was called to order by President Mike
Dennard. Sheryl Berg led members
singing “Oh What a Beautiful Morning”.
Mike Dennard gave the prayer, Geoff Atwater kicked off
the Four Way Test, and Mike Hess led the Pledge of Allegiance
to the American Flag. Bill Lowes introduced
visitors and guests, including officers of the Clear Lake High
School Interact Club and the school Principal, Debra
Dixon.
District 5890 Governor Elect
Chris Schneider reminded members of the Foundation Seminar
this Saturday in Pasadena. John McKinney announced
that there will be a District Reception this Thursday for
those interested in learning about the District Governor
position. A social media workshop
will beheld October 22nd.
Suzanne Murdock of the Skyline Club announced a brick
sale fundraiser benefitting the Freedom Pavilion Project
sponsored by the Katy Rotary Fund.
The pavilion will be dedicated November 1,
2011.
Marc Schneider introduced the officers of
the Clear Lake High School Interact Club: Elaina Stevenson,
Macy Brinton, Sarah Sheppard, Phillip Lopez, Guy Pennacchi,
and Ryleigh Henderson. Club President Elaina
Stevenson thanked Space Center Rotary for their support.
President Dennard reminded
members to donate their unused Shrimporee tickets for use in
feeding volunteers at the event.
Tickets should be given to Shrimporee Chair Marilyn
Musial. There will be no meeting
next Monday due to the holiday. Since next Monday is also
President Dennard’s birthday, members sang Happy
Birthday. Marilyn Musial announced
that the final Shrimporee Committee meetings will be the next
two Tuesdays at the Johns Space Center Federal Credit
Union. She reviewed the Shrimporee
schedule of events. Kippy Caraway expressed
thanks to Mary Alys Cherry for the Shrimporee article that ran
in the Citizen last week, and reminded members that fliers
were available at the back table.
Dr. Greg Smith reminded members that they are still
accepting donations for the silent auction.
He also recognized Clear Lake High School Principal
Debra Dixon and the Interact Club for their commitment to
community service, noting that Clear Creek Independent School
District has approximately 800 homeless students in the
district. Alan Wylie announced that
he was willing to pick up live auction donations.
Micki Czarnik reminded members to bring cookies and
cakes for the sweets booth. Scott Rainey announced that
ICON Bank, via Ralph Kramer, has signed up as a Shrimporee
sponsor. Cash sponsorships now total
$34,500. John Branch announced over $19,000 in ticket
sales. Marilyn Musial reminded
members that raffle tickets will be for sale at the
Shrimporee.
The League City Rotary Wine
& Dine event will be October 7 at South Shore Harbor.
President Dennard has tickets if you are
interested.
John Branch introduced Dr.
Dorothea Lehman, Professor of Psychology and Director of the
Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities at the
University of Houston Clear Lake.
The Center is one of the major beneficiaries of the
Shrimporee. Dr. Lehman discussed the
history of the Center. The Center supports
research in autism and developmental disabilities, trains
current and future professionals in the field, and provides
services to children with developmental disabilities.
President
Dennard reminded members of the wine tasting social at Chelsea
Wine Bar Wednesday night and then adjourned the
meeting.
October
10, 2011 Club Meeting Review
No Club Meeting
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
October
17, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
See Photo Gallery
A regular meeting of
Space Center Rotary was called to order by President Mike
Dennard. Sheryl Berg led members singing “Oh What a
Beautiful Morning”. Carlos Villagomez gave the prayer,
Micki Czarnack led the Pledge of Allegiance to the American
Flag, and Darryl Smith kicked off the Four Way Test.
Billy Ray Smith introduced visitors and guests.
Marilyn Musial
thanked everyone for their help with the Shrimporee.
Final numbers are due to her by Sunday. Past District
5890 Governor (PDG) Suzi Howe and Mike
Cornett introduced new members Nancy Anderson and Terri
Fowle. Nancy is owner of Bay Area Elite
Properties. Terri is Associate Vice Chancellor of
Marketing for San Jacinto College. Introductions were
assisted by Lt. Governor Jon McKinnie and Mike Cornett.
PDG Howe and Past President David Coney presented Paul Harris
Plus awards to Bob Taggert, Art Wood, Alan Wylie, and Johnny
White. PDG Howe reminded members that next week is the
Polio Plus Society Dinner. Past Rotary International
President and current Rotary Foundation Chair Bill Boyd will
be speaking.
Scott Rainey recognized additional
Shrimporee sponsorships from Lexus and Ameriprise. Total
cash sponsors for the Shrimporee are at $36,500. Lt.
Governor McKinnie reminded members of the social media
workshop schedule for Saturday at San Jacinto College.
Alan Wylie announced that the student/parent meetings to
discuss Rotary Exchange are October 24 and 25th at Clear Lake
United Methodist Church. Art Oswald reminded members
that the Paul Harris/Floyd Boze dinner will be February 7th at
Bay Oaks Country Club. Rotary Golf will be this Thursday
at Timber Creek.
John Swartwout introduced speaker Brian
Rinehart, Airport Manager for Ellington Field. Mr.
Rinehart reviewed the airport history, physical plant,
community activities and development plans. Development plans
include Coast Guard regional headquarters, relocation of the
Lone Star Flight Museum, space port certification, and an air
cargo facility as a result of the Port expansion in
anticipation of the 2014 Panama Canal expansion.
President Dennard
reminded members that there is a Board meeting tomorrow and a
Shrimporee wrap up meeting a week from tomorrow at 5:30 and
then adjourned the meeting.
October
24, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John
Lee and Bob Mitchell
See Photo Gallery
Jon McKinnie reported
that the social media workshop held on Saturday was full and
there is a waiting list for the next one. A District
social is set for November 4 at the Swinging Door
Restaurant. See the District web site for details.
Scott Rainey announced that our club has a Facebook
page. President Dennard asked members to watch for
information about the new club locater software in the
Rotarian magazine. Alan Wylie reminded members that the
Youth Exchange Program information meetings will be tonight
and tomorrow at 7:00 at Clear Lake United Methodist Church.
PDG Suzi Howe
announced that today is World Polio Day. She recapped
Rotary efforts in the world wide eradication of polio, and
asked that each member donate at least $20 to the
effort. Based on a study published last year,
eradication of polio within the next few years will yield an
estimated $40-$50 billion in economic benefits through
2035. The same study estimated that allowing polio to
rebound could result in more than 10 million paralyzed
children over the next 40 years. Donations can be made
on line at rotary.org.
Past President David Coney presented a
Paul Harris Plus award to Bill Geisler. Marilyn Musial
gave an update on funds raised by the Shrimporee.
Preliminary numbers indicated that the event grossed over
$90,000, and netted over $70,000. She recognized the
many members who headed different groups and committees, and
thanked Mary Alys Cherry for the wonderful write-up in the
Citizen. Those members still holding yard signs or
ticket money are asked to turn them in as soon as
possible. Scott Rainey announced that Stan Galanski is
donating the $200 winnings from the bet with Scott over the
Oklahoma game to Shrimporee. Scott is also presenting
$200 to the Polio fund in recognition of Texas Tech beating
OU.
John
Swartwout introduced today’s speaker; Bob Stokes, President of
the Galveston Bay Foundation. The Foundation is
dedicated to preserving, protecting and enhancing the natural
resources of Galveston Bay. Their target areas are
advocacy, conservation, education and research.
Community events sponsored by the Foundation include Bay Day,
Bike Around the Bay, the Boater Waste Education Campaign,
Habitat Restoration, and Marsh Mania. See their web site
at www.galvbay.org for
additional information. President Dennard thanked
Mr. Stokes for his presentation and adjourned the
meeting.
October
31, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographer Bob
Mitchell
A regular meeting of
Space Center Rotary was called to order by President Mike
Dennard. Dr. Jack Bacon led members singing “The Eyes of
Texas Are Upon You”. Carlos Villagomez gave the prayer,
Jerrold Dewease led the Pledge of Allegiance to the American
Flag, and Geoff Atwater kicked off the Four Way Test.
Johnny White introduced visitors and guests.
President
Dennard read a note
from and Margo Montgomery, Volunteer Director of Cross Roads,
and a letter
from Dr. Staples of the University of Houston at Clear Lake,
both thanking the Club for its generous contributions to
them. They were this year’s primary beneficiaries and
received the donations at the Shrimporee.
Marilyn Musial
thanked everyone for their help with the Shrimporee and noted
a preliminary net income of about $71,000. Past District
5890 Governor (PDG) Suzi Howe and Dr. Jack Bacon presented Rena
Deitrich (right) with a Paul Harris
Fellowship. Art Oswald reminded members that the Paul
Harris/Floyd Boze dinner will be February 7th at Bay Oaks
Country Club and Roger Donnelly of the Christmas party at the
Bay Oaks Country Club on December 14. Rotary Golf will
be this Thursday at Evergreen.
Scott Rainey introduced his primary care
doctor, Dr.
Donna Sue Dolle. Dr. Dolle is a board-certified
internal medicine physician in the Clear Lake Area,
specifically Nassau Bay. After completing her internal
medicine training, she worked in her own “traditional”
practice for 14 years. She became increasingly
frustrated with the ability to provide excellent,
patient-centered, personalized healthcare in the current
healthcare climate.
The current climate rewards volume and
not quality and compassion. It does not reward spending extra
time with patients and their loved ones. Current
healthcare also mandates practicing to clinical guidelines,
which means physicians are encouraged to treat the median
patient, rather than the actual patient they have in the
office. The many state and federal regulations also occupy an
increasing amount of a physician’s time, taking precious time
away from the physician-patient relationship. It has become
very difficult for physicians to run their own practice.
Thus, more and more physicians are either quitting practice
early or seeking the umbrella of a larger healthcare group or
hospital-owned practice. Physician practices, like many
other services, are no longer “mom and pop shops”.
Dr. Dolle cited
many issues that contribute to the shortage of primary
practice physicians; costs up and reimbusrsemtnet down, debt
for a medical student is about $162,000, exponentially
increase in paper work caused by regulations, complex computer
systems, concern over privacy of personal health records, and
burdensome reporting requirements. She is a strong
advocate of a healthy life style and periodic health
screenings.
So, in April of 2011, Dr. Dolle changed
her practice. Now she truly has a “private practice.”
She no longer bills commercial insurance and Medicare for her
services. She is paid directly by the patient for her
services. This puts her back in the role as personal
physician and allows for truly personalized healthcare for her
patients. She still strives to help her patients best
utilize their various forms of healthcare insurance and
benefits, and she practices cost-effective
medicine. She then had a question and answer
session.
President Dennard reminded members to be
carefully tonight and watch out for the trickatreaters and
then adjourned the meeting.
November 7, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographer John
Lee
A regular meeting of
Space Center Rotary was called to order by President Mike
Dennard. President Dennard asked all military veterans
to stand and be recognized. Roger Donnelly announced
that a dinner will be held Thursday night at Bay Oaks Country
Club, with one half of the dinner price going to a fund for
Wounded Veterans. John Lee just returned from his WWII
Fighter Group Reunion. President Dennard recently
attended his Flight Training Class Reunion.
Dr. Jack Bacon
led members singing “God Bless America”. Carlos
Villagomez gave the invocation, John Lee kicked off the Pledge
of Allegiance to the American Flag, and Rae DeCastro led the
Four Way Test. Bill Lowes introduced visitors and
guests, including District 5890 Governor Elect (DGE) Chris
Schneider, students and sponsor from the Clear Lake High
School Interact Club, and our Rotary Exchange Student from
Denmark.
Gary
Johnson announced that the annual Christmas party will be held
December 14 at Bay Oaks Country Club. Cost is $32.
DGE Schneider reminded members that the District Conference is
scheduled for May 31-June 2 at Horseshoe Bay. You can
register online. The search has started for a candidate
for District 5890 Governor in 2014. District 5890
Governor Nominee Bob Gebhardt is in the hospital due to a
heart condition. President Dennard announced that there
will be an Endowment meeting at 7 am tomorrow. The next
Board meeting will be held a week from tomorrow.
John Swartwout
introduced Dr. Larry
Price, Deputy Program Manager for the Orion Multi-purpose
Crew Vehicle at Lockheed Martin Space Systems. Dr. Price
discussed the purpose and major components of the vehicle,
noting that it is a safe, producible, affordable project for
deep space exploration. The Orion is intended to extend
United States human space flight leadership in space
exploration beyond low earth orbit. The first orbital
test flights are scheduled for 2013/2014.
President
Dennard reminded members once again of upcoming
meetings. Art Oswald announced that there will be a
meeting of the Committee for the Floyd Boze/Paul Harris Dinner
after the Rotary meeting today. The meeting was
adjourned by President Dennard.
November 14, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographer Bob
Mitchell
A regular meeting of
Space Center Rotary was called to order by President Mike
Dennard. Dr. Jack Bacon led members singing “Waltzing
Matilda”. Carlos Villagomez gave the invocation, Bob
Wren led the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag, and
Lamar Bowles led the Four Way Test. Phil Sandlin
introduced visitors and guests.
Dick
Meyer announced that November is Model Railroad
Month. A Garden Railroad Open House will be held
November 20 from 2-5 pm at 18515 Point Lookout Drive in Nassau
Bay. Roger Donnelly reminded members that the annual
Christmas dinner will be December 14th. Dinner choices
are steak, chicken, or vegetarian. Mike announced that
we would be meeting with Seabrook Rotary in honor of their
20th anniversary and a Board meeting tomorrow at 7 am.
Past District
5890 Governor Suzi Howe issued a Paul Harris donation
challenge. Slade
Lewis (right) and Glen
Langford (left) were recognized as Paul Harris
Fellows. President Dennard announced that the Bay Oaks
Country Club has agreed to install a new sound system.
John Swartwood
introduced Dr.
David Calendar, President of University of Texas Medical
Branch (UTMB). UTMB is the oldest medical school in
Texas, has a $1.7 billion budget, and 12,000 employees
statewide. The university’s primary focus is defining
the future of health care through education and
research. The university has 4 schools, 3 institutes, 26
degree programs, and almost 3000 students. They host the
only national lab at a university and work with the Defense
Department. They hope to be able to double enrollments
within the next 10 years. The school is considered a
pioneer in medical and nursing education. Dr. Calendar
discussed the impact of Hurricane Ike on the university,
expansion to multiple locations, building and remodeling
plans. He noted that the population in Texas is expected
to increase 16% by 2020, and that we already have a shortage
of physicians and nurses in this area. The UTMB target
area population is projected to grow by 25%. Dr.
Calendar answered questions and noted that it costs $1 million
to educate one student over 4 years of medical school.
The average medical student graduates with about $100,000 in
debt.
President Dennard reminded members of the
Board meeting at 7 am tomorrow and adjourned the meeting.
November 21, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John
Lee and Bob Mitchell
The regular weekly
meeting was called to order by club President Mike
Dennard. Carlos Villagomez provided the prayer.
Gary Johnson led the club in the pledge to the flag and
reminded the members of the club Christmas party scheduled for
December 14th. Billy Smith introduced the visitors in
attendance. Samy
Wassef (right) from Worcester, England was visiting and
presented our club with his club's banner. President
Dennard presented Mr. Wassef with a banner from Space Center
Rotary Club.
President Mike put out a
request for winter clothes, blankets, sleeping bags and other
winter items which are needed at Crossroads. Members
should bring the items to the weekly club meetings and he will
collect. Past District 5890 Governor Suzi Howe reminded
members that the matching grant is still available for the
Rotary Foundation. If you give $500, the grant will
contribute another $500 toward the next Paul Harris Fellow
level.
Program Chairman John
Swartwout introduced the guest speaker, Mr.
Reagan Sirmons of the FCA Corporation where he is Chairman
of their investment group. His presentation centered
around an economists view of the current recession and he
explained that we currently are in the stage of what he called
a “balance sheet recession” which means that there is large
money supply however businesses are keeping their cash and not
reinvesting into their business or adding new employees.
The intent of the speaker was to stimulate the thought process
and inform so that people could come to their own
conclusions.
The meeting was
adjourned by President Dennard.
November 28, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike Dennard.
Sheryl Berg led the group in singing “Oh Christmas Tree” and
Carlos Villagomez provided the prayer. Rena Deitrich led
the club in the pledge to the U. S. flag, and Billy Smith the
4-Wat Test, and Bob Mitchell introduced the visitors in
attendance. Gary Johnson reminded the members of the
club Christmas party scheduled for December 14th at a cost of
$32 with a choice of steak, fish, or vegetables. President
Dennard reminded the members that the Club will meet at UHCL
in the Bayou Building. Parking is across the street from
the building and Ted Cummings will provide tokens to pay the
parking fee. Past District 5890 Governor Suzi Howe and
Past President David Coney presented a Paul Harris Fellow to
Dr. Rosiland Perez.
Program Chairman John Swartwout
introduced the guest speaker, Dr. George
Guillen, Executive Director, Environmental Institute of
Houston (EIH), University of Houston-Clear Lake. The
mission of EIH is to help people in the Houston region
participate more effectively in environmental improvement; and
obtain and disseminate information and technology from
research supported by EIH in critical areas including
pollution prevention, natural resource conservation, public
policy, and societal issues. The Institute was
established in 1991 with the support and input of over 120
community leaders, scientists, and environmental
agencies. It is assisted in its mission and operation by
the advisory board; and receives funding support from
agencies, corporations, foundations, and individuals.
EIH offers
research, consultation, workshops, technical assistance,
internships; supports and conducts research on a variety of
environmental topics; and supports and offers formal
environmental education programs through college courses
taught by staff, technical workshops, in-service teacher
workshops, internships to high school students, graduate
research assistantships, and academic training
programs. The Insitute is conducting or has
conducted projects such as National Wetlands Conditions
Assessment, Highland Bayou Monitoring Project, Diamondback
Terrapin Assessment Project, Blue Crab Growth study, Clean
Rivers Program: Stream Monitoring 2004 - present, and Mercury
Food Web Study. November 1, 2011 EIH working in
partnership with and through funding from the Galveston Bay
Estuary Program, created wetlands
at UH-Clear Lake to improve water quality before the water
enters Horsepen Bayou. Dr. Guillen took questions form
the floor for about 10 minutes.
The meeting was adjourned by President
Dennard.
December 5,
2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John
Lee and Billy Smiith
Meeting in photos
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike Dennard at the
UHCL Bayou Building. Sheryl Berg and Dr. Jack Bacon led
the group in singing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas”
and Jerrold Dewease provided the prayer. Rena
Deitrich led the club in the pledge to the U. S. flag,
and Kippy Caraway the 4-Way Test. Dr. Wayne
Young introduced the visitors in attendance.
State Representative John Davis and Mary Ann Shallberg,
Executive Assistant to the UHCL President were guests.
Elaina Stephenson, President of the Clear Lake High School
Interact Club, Macy Brinton, Vice President, and Megan
Brinton, Rotarian of the Month were also present.
President Dennard reminded the members of the club Christmas
party on December 14th; there will be a tie contest and
the exchanging of gifts to be valued at $20 each.
The Clear Creek
High School Choir provided beautiful music of the
season. The meeting was adjourned by President
Dennard.
December 12,
2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter John Branch
Photographer John
Lee
Meeting in photos
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike
Dennard. Sheryl
Berg, David Coney, and Dr. Jack Bacon led the group
in singing "Silent Night” and Jerrold
Dewease provided the prayer. J. B. Fox led the club
in the pledge to the U. S. flag and Dr. Jean Walker
the 4-Way Test. Rena Deitrich introduced the
visitors in attendance. President Dennard reminded all
of the Christmas party this Wednesday, the Space Center Rotary
Club Endowment Foundation meeting tomorrow at 7 am, the RNASA
Committee on December 15th, and the Floyd Boze/Paul Harris
dinner on February 7, 2012, He also noted the Rotary
Youth Exchange Committee and the Club Board would meet after
the Club meeting. Collections will be taken up next week
for gifts for the wait staff at the Bay Oaks Country
Club. Bob MItchell is out of the hospital and doing
well.
Dr. Greg
Smith, Superintendent of the Clear Creek Independent
School District (CCISD), introduced the 6 finalists
for the high school academic scholarships. They
were Macy Brinton – Clear Lake, Scott Burger– Clear
Lake, Vinamrata Singal – Clear Lake, Katherine Bischouf
– Clear Brook, Rochelle Brannon – Clear Brook, and Ellen
Zhou – Clear Brook. Each received a $1,500 cash
scholarship. Belinda Skloss was the selection committee
chair and J. B. Fox, Lou Gaigher, and Mike Cornett committee
members.
"On behalf of the Board of Trustees and
our staff, I hope as businessmen and women you feel you are
getting a strong return on your investment as we graduate more
than 2,200 students every year prepared for college and the
workforce" noted Dr. Smith at the conclusion of the
presentation. He mentioned that there were 35
National Merit Scholars this year, the Clear Horizons program
which allows students to take college credit courses and
finish high school with a associates degree from San Jacinto
College, the new technology specialty program at Clear Falls
High School, and the InvenTeams which stresses innovation.
Read more
about the accomplishments of the CCISD by Dr. Smith
and view a video
taken at Clear Falls High School Biotechnology
Lab.
The
meeting was adjourned by President Dennard.
December 19,
2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
Club Assemby Review
December 26, 2011 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
No Club Meeting
January 2,
2012 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
No Club Meeting
January 9,
2012 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike
Dennard. Sheryl
Berg led the group in song and Carlos
Villagomez provided the prayer. Owen Morris
led the club in the pledge to the U. S. flag
and Mike Brown the 4-Way Test. Ken
Gurry introduced the visitors in attendance.
President Dennard reminded all of the Space Center Rotary
Club Endowment Foundation meeting tomorrow at 7 am and the
Rotary Youth Exchange Committee would meet after the Club
meeting. Art Oswald noted the Floyd Boze/Paul Harris
dinner on February 7, and Jon Mckinnie the DIstrict
Conference and the Rotary Internationl Convention.
Dr. Jack Bacon stated that Rotarians would be
recognized at Friday at the Clear Lake High School basketball
game (Rotary night). President Glenn
Royal of the Seabroook Rotary Club brought brouchures
on the 20th anniverary of his Club.
Club Rotarian Philip
Harris, a ShelterBox USA Ambassador, presented ShelterBox,
(slide
presentation) a premier international aid
organization that provides emergency shelter and life-saving
equipment following disasters such as earthquake, volcano,
flood, hurricane, cyclone, tsunami or conflict.
More than 11 years ago, ShelterBox
founder, Tom Henderson asked himself what his family would
need to survive if they lost their home. His question became a
quest to provide a compact, universal tool kit to families
displaced by disasters. ShelterBox would afford dignity,
self-sufficiency and most importantly, human survival in the
chaotic weeks following an earthquake, tsunami, landslide,
flood or other disaster.
The top priority of many aid
organizations is to provide food, water and medical care to
help people survive the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
Without protection from the elements, survivors are at a
higher risk as they await nourishment or medical attention. We
recognized that little or no assistance was given in terms of
proper shelter to help them through the first few days, weeks
and months as they tried to rebuild their lives. In response,
ShelterBox developed a solution to help disaster survivors
during the critical period following a disaster but preceding
reconstruction.
Each box
supplies an extended family with a tent and life-saving
equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless.
The contents are tailored depending on the nature and location
of the disaster, with great care taken sourcing every item to
ensure it is robust enough to be of lasting value.
January 16, 2012 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
No Club Meeting
January 23,
2012 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
The regular Club weekly meeting was
called to order by President Mike Dennard. Carlos
Villagomez made the invocation, Mike Brown led the club in the
pledge to the U. S. flag and Marilyn
Musial the 4-Way Test. David Sincox and
Suzi Howe introduced the visitors in attendance.
President Dennard reminded all of the Floyd Boze/Paul Harris
dinner on February 7and the all club meeting on February 9 at
the Crowne Plaza Hotel at the Reliant Center with VIP
Reception 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm, General Reception with Cash Bar
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm and dinner from 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm.
The Paul Harris/Floyd Boze Dinner will be the February 6 Club
meeting at the Bay Oaks Country Club, tickets are $35
each. District 5890 Governor Elect Chris Schneider,
District 5890 Governor Nominee Bob Gebhard,
Assistant District 5890 Governor Lisa Faith Massey, Valter
Stivanir from Brazil,
and Syed
Mahmad of the Rotary Club of DHAKA BURJGANA
Bangladesh were guests. Terri
(left) Forle' and Nancy Mallini
(center) received Paul Harris Fellows.
President Mike Dennard presented
Dinah Matthews (center) and Janis Blizzard of Clear Lake High
School (CLHS) 2012 Project Graduation a $1,000 from the Space
Center Rotary Club at the regular Club meeting January 23,
2012 at Bay Oaks Country Club
Program
Chair, John Swartwout introduced program speaker Wayne
Beaumier, District 5890 Assistant Governor and past president
of the Rotary Club of Bear Creek-Copperfield.
Beaumier discussed the Disaster Aid International
program. Disaster Aid International (Australia,
Canada, USA and UK & Ireland) are committed to rebuilding
shattered lives by delivering vital emergency shelter, water
and light solutions to those who have lost everything in a
natural or other disaster. The organization provides three
basic: SkyJuice Foundation, Solar-Gem, and
LifeBox. Read more in brochure.
SkyJuice
Foundation
As many as 5,000 children a
day die as a result of water borne diseases. Contaminated
water is responsible for harbouring life threatening diseases
such as -cholera, typhoid, dysentery and bacteria.
Disaster Aid International is proud to be partnering with the
SkyJuice Foundation to provide a long term water solution in
our suite of emergency relief products. Producing up to
10,000 litres of clean drinking water a day, we ensure
survivors of disasters have access to clean water as they
rebuild their lives.
Solar-Gem
In any
disaster the essential services of electricity and
communications can be the first to be lost and last to be
restored. Safety and security are paramount for survivors -the
Solar-Gem lighting system brings that safety and security for
children and women in a camp by providing light. It also
provides support to our DARTs (Disaster Aid Response Teams) as
they now have the ability to communicate with the homeoffice.
Whether it be lighting a camp, a school or hospital using our
innovative tents, bringing light to survivors is paramount to
their safety.
LifeBox
LifeBox
is filled with 75 items of tools, clothing, babycare/hygiene
items, toys and six LifeStraws to assist survivors in a
disaster. Dependent upon the area of the disaster,
LifeBox can provide additional items such as medical supplies,
toiletries nappies etc. LifeBox is the oldest Rotary
approved 'emergency box' with 36 years' experience in
delivering disaster relief to survivors.
President
Dennard noted that a standup Board meeting was to follow the
Club meeting and then adjourned the meeting.
January 30, 2012 Club
Meeting Review
Reporter Kathy Dooley
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike
Dennard. Mike Dennard made the
invocation, Gary Johnson led the club in the
pledge to the U. S. flag and Darryl Smith the
4-Way Test. Dr. Jack Bacon introduced the
visitors in attendance. President Dennard reminded all
of the Floyd Boze/Paul Harris dinner on February 7 and the all
club meeting on February 9 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at the
Reliant Center with VIP Reception 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm, General
Reception with Cash Bar 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm and dinner from 7:30
pm - 10:00 pm. The Paul Harris/Floyd Boze Dinner will be
the February 6 Club meeting at the Bay Oaks Country
Club. Philip
Harris (right) received his blue badge.
Program Chair,
John Swartwout introduced program speaker Mary
Sue Anton, author of the book "New Madrid a
Misissippi River Town in History and Legend". Anton
discussed researching, writing, finding a publisher, and
marketing a book. She highlighted the 1811-12
earthquake, 1927 flood, famous people affiliated with New
Madrid, and other historical facts which were noted in the slide
presentation.
President Dennard then adjourned the
meeting.
February 6, 2012 Club
Meeting Review
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
Club meeting was held
February 7 at the Paul Harris/Floyd Boze
Dinner
Paul Harris/Floyd Boze Dinner
February 7, 2012
Photo of
District Governors with caption
Photo of Floyd
Boze's Family with caption
Photo Gallery by Pam
Culpepper
Photo
Gallery by John
Lee
Photo Gallery
by Bob Mitchell
The largest gathering of past district
5890 (previously 589) governors in recent years took place
February 7 at the third annual Paul Harris/ Floyd Boze Dinner
at the Bay Oaks Country Club, Houston Texas. Over 100
guests and Club members (39 members and 26 spouses) paid honor
to Floyd (with
granddaughter) on his 94th birthday and was briefed on
the work being done by The Rotary Foundation and The Rotary
Club of Space Center Endowment Foundation.
President Dennard noted at the next
regular Club meeting: “It was a first rate event and that Art Oswald
almost single handily put it together and made it happen; and
his appreciation to Art and those who assisted him.” One
highlight of the dinner was the beautifully decorated and
delicious 3 foot by 3 foot cake with the
Rotary emblem and the profile of Floyd as part of the
decoration.
President Dennard
(center) and Roger Donnelly (left) each
received a Paul Harris Fellows Plus recognizing them for their
multi $1000 contributions to The Rotary Foundation.
Thirteen past
district governors and one spouse of a deceased district
governor, District Governor Rhonda Walls Kerby, District
Governor Elect Christopher Schneider, and District Governor
Rotary Year 2014-15 Lisa Faith Massey were present (photo). Floyd’s family
joined him for the celebration as well.
Scott Rainey
(left) did his
usual great job as Master of Ceremonies. Andy Smallwood,
past district governor and Rotary International Director
Elect, was the key note speaker and gave a brief state of
Rotary address and noted the contributions Floyd had made to
Rotary since his becoming a member in 1948. Floyd joined
the Space Center Rotary Club in 1973 and was District 589
Governor in Rotary Year 1981-82.
All in all it was a great evening, great
food and wonderful Rotary fellowship. See Program for
information about Paul Harris, Floyd Boze, and a brief history
of the Rotary Club of Space Center.
President Dennard received a
Thank You note from Ann Beatty, Floyd’s daughter,
expressing her gratitude for the dinner and expressing to the
members how much Rotary means to Floyd and how they make him
feel so “special”. Read the entire
note.
February 13, 2012 Club Meeting Review
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
The regular Club weekly meeting was
called to order by President Mike Dennard. Carlos
Villagomez made the invocation, Micki Czarnik led the club in
the pledge to the U. S. flag, Sheryl Berg
(right) led in song, and Ted Cummings the 4-Way
Test. Rae DeCastro introduced the visitors in
attendance. President Dennard noted the Floyd Boze/Paul
Harris dinner was first rate, well attended (over hundred
persons in attendance), was the largest gathering of past
District 5890 (589) Governors (17) in a long time, and that
Art Oswald had done an outstanding job of putting it all
together and making everything come out good; the Rotary
Club of Space Center Endowment Foundation will meet at 7 am
tomorrow; and the District 5890 Conference will be at the
Horse Shoe Bay Resort May 31 - June 2. He presented
Delia Stephens a 5 year perfect attendance pin and Sherry Bogus her
blue badge. Bob Taggart, chair of the Springoree, stated
that the event would be May 17 at the Nassau Bay Hilton, and
Jon McKinnie noted that the All Club meeting last Thursday had
490 in attendance with the Club being well
represented.
John
Branch introduced the program speaker a board-certified
cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, Dr. Cesar Nahas.
He is currently practicing at Clear Lake Regional
Medical Center where he has been successful in expanding and
enhancing their cardiac program. Dr. Nahas is also on
clinical teaching staff at Baylor College of Medicine.
He has developed special expertise in off pump coronary artery
bypass and mitral valve repair.
Dr. Nahas is with the Texas Surgical
Associates which is affiliated with Clear Lake Regional
Medical Center. Texas Surgical Associates has
successfully taken world-class heart surgery beyond the
medical center hospitals and extended it to more accessible
locations throughout Greater Houston such as the Clear Lake
Regional Medical Center (CLRMC). Now patients in
suburban areas who require the highest levels of medical care
and surgical intervention can have convenient access to
prominent physicians, the most innovative technology and
top-notch personnel. Since its formation in July 1997,
Texas Surgical Associates physicians have performed more than
10,000 cardiovascular and thoracic procedures annually - more
than any other group of cardiovascular surgeons in the Houston
area.
He
gave brief history of the cardiac program at Clear Lake
Regional Medical Center and the constant evolving technology
in the cardiovascular health care. Of particular
significance are the vascular catheterization
procedures. Due to the advancing technology in vascular
catheterization, open heart surgeries have decreased from
about 25% of the procedures performed in 1998 to only 4% in
2011. Also this technique can be used for replacing
aneurysms and now to repair valves in the heart, with recovery
time just days instead of weeks. Dr. Nahas noted the
number of Catheterization Lab procedures were about an average
of 3000 per year at CLRMC comparable to that of the medical
center hospitals. He also said there were 31% off pump
CAB’s, 34% on pump CAB’s, and 34% valves open heart cases in
2011. He pointed out that the CLRMC was the only
complete cardiovascular facility south of the Medical Center
and perform about 95% of the work that is done at the medical
center hospitals. He noted that they did not do heart
replacements at CLRMC.
Dr. Nahas also noted the need to
physically expand the heart and vascular facility located in
the CLRMC. In 2007 a new hospital, the Heart &
Vascular Hospital, located across the street from the main
building was built. The $100 million facility expanded
CLRMC’s space by 225,000 square feet, and included three
cardiovascular (CV) operating rooms, four catheterization
labs, a 23-bed pre- and post-recovery area for catheterization
lab and OR patients, and an eight-bed Cardiovascular Critical
Care unit. It also has 60 private inpatient telemetry
rooms, a 14-bed Coronary Care Unit, an eight-bed Chest Pain
Unit, Cardiac Rehab area, an Echocardiogram, EKG and Nuclear
Medicine area, and a high-tech auditorium.
President
Dennard then adjourned the meeting.
February 20, 2012 Club Meeting
Review
Reporter Alice May-Sexton
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
No
Club Meeting
February 27, 2012 Club Meeting
Review
Reporter Alice May-Sexton
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike Dennard.
Carlos Villagomez made the invocation, Constable Phil Sandlin
led the Club in the pledge to the U. S. flag, Sheryl
Berg and Dr. Jack Bacon led in song, and Darryl Smith the
4-Way Test. Slade Lewis introduced the visitors in
attendance. President Dennard presented Past District
5890 Governor and Past Club President Suzi Howe and Belinda
Skloss with 18 and 12 years perfect attendance pins
respectively; reminded the members that the District
5890 Conference will be at the Horse Shoe Bay Resort May 31 -
June 2; that Past President David Coney had raffle ($5000
travel voucher) tickets which benefits the Rotary Foundation
for $10 each; and there will be a standup Board meeting
and a Rotary Youth Exchange Committee following the Club
meeting.
President Dennard presented Rosemary
Lengefeld Community Executive Director EA Smith Family
YMCA of Greater Houston with a check for $1,000 noting the
good work that the YMCA does for the youth.
John Swartwout
introduced Valerie
Revilla, Rodeo season ticket holders and volunteer on the
Speakers' Committee. Valerie is a Houston Livestock Show
and Rodeo Lifetime Member and has been a volunteer with the
Rodeo since 2007. She graduated from Milby High School
and went on to receive her BBA in Administrative Services
Management from the University of Houston. Valerie gave a
brief history of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (Show)
noting that it started in 1930 as a livestock show. The
name was changed to its present one in 1961. In an
effort to appeal it to a wider audience, music was added to
the venue. A variety of well known artists including
Elvis have made it a premier entertainment event. The
latest electronic communications smart phone apps are use to
keep people informed of the schedule of events, directions,
and transportation and parking options. The event starts
with a roundup wagon train ride, a downtown parade and a
Bar-B-Que cook off which was a record breaker this year.
The event requires 26,000 volunteers with about 100 committees
such as Go Texan, Go Texan, Black Heritage, Armed Forces, Feed
Store, and Carnival and rides.
Scholarships are the main
program. Since its beginning in 1932, the Show has
committed approximately $283 million to scholarships,
research, endowments, calf scramble participants, junior show
exhibitors, School Art participants, and other educational and
youth programs. The scholarships are $4,000 per year
renewed for four years. All recipients of the
scholarships must demonstrate academic potential,
citizenship/leadership and financial need, and they must
attend a Texas college or university. Of the $283
million, the Show has committed more than $165 million in
direct educational program support, since the first
scholarship was awarded in 1957. A million dollars has
been given to the Houston Independent School District (HISD)
for the APPOLO program and $500K for its literacy program. The
International Wine Competition is a private judging event held
in November each year, and determines which wines will be
featured at the Roundup & Best Bites Competition.
For the 2012 competition, 2,454 wines from 736 wineries were
judged, all vying for the prestigious title of Grand Champion
Best of Show. Wines are auction for scholarships.
President
Dennard adjourned the meeting.
March 5, 2012
Club Meeting Review
Reporter Alice May-Sexton
Photographers
John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike Dennard.
Carlos Villagomez made the invocation, Rena Dietrich led the
Club in the pledge to the U. S. flag, Dr. Jack Bacon led in
song, and Bill Hughes the 4-Way Test. Jerry Smith
introduced the visitors in attendance. President Dennard
encouraged the members when they did spring cleaning to bring
unused but wearable clothes and shoes to the Club for Cross
Roads at Park Place, and that a Springoree planning committee
meeting would be after the Club meeting. Past District
5890 Governor and Past Club President Suzi Howe and Dr. Jack
Bacon presented Nancy
Anderson with a Paul Harris Fellow. Past Club
President Jon McKinnie reminded the Club members of the
trip to Nicaragua next week for a week; the President-Elect
Training (PETS) March 22-25; the Club Leadership Training
(District Assembly) - May 19; to join District 5890 Group for
Rotary International 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand - May 6-9; and
the District Conference May 31 - June 2 2012, at the
outstanding Horseshoe Bay Resort - Marriott in Horseshoe Bay /
Marble Falls, TX. Past District Governor Bill and
wife Sue Hornsby were special guest.
“I Owe
$16,000 on my credit cards,
my condo’s
in foreclosure,
and I turn 7 on
Friday”
John Swartwout
introduced Jeff
Hutchinson, Senior Director of Bright Solutions, LLC and
member of Galleria Area Rotary Club who spoke on Identity
Theft (IDT). The Federal Trade Commission reports that
identity theft has been the NUMBER ONE consumer complaint for
eleven consecutive years. The types of identity theft
are Credit/Financial (17% of all IDT), Criminal/Arrest;
IRS/SS/work; Drivers License; Medical (fastest growing IDT);
and Minors. 541 Million identities of Americans have
been reported lost or stolen since January 2005. There
are currently over 27,000 NEW identity theft victims EVERY DAY
and over 400,000 dead people opened bank accounts last
year. 25% of victims of new accounts and other frauds
did not discover the misuse of information for at least six
months after it was started. 65% of IDT victims had
arrest warrants issued against them. Only 17% of
identity theft deals with credit. The average dollar
amount charged in identity theft is $92,893. The time
taken by the victim to restore identity is between
140 and 600 hours. The fastest growing area of
identity theft is MEDICAL. Unfortunately Child
Identity Theft is impossible to prevent. Children should
not have a credit report, and fraud alerts cannot be placed on
a report that does not exist. Identity theft is poised
to increase by a factor of 20 over the next two years.
3.5 million children in the US have already fallen victim to
IDT. Jeff noted that changing times equals changing
needs: Life insurance came about in 1735, automotive insurance
in 1898, major medical in 1929, home owners insurance in 1950,
and now identity theft shield in 2005. He said there
were several types of services, Monitoring Plans,
Reimbursement Benefits, Fraud Alert Services, and Restoration
- Services vs. Benefits/Insurance. He then took
questions. See slide
presentation without embedded video.
President
Dennard adjourned the meeting.
March 12,
2012 Club Meeting Review
Reporter John Branch
Photographer Bob Mitchell
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike Dennard.
Carlos Villagomez made the invocation, Dick Kidder led the
Club in the pledge to the U. S. flag, Dr. Jack Bacon and
Sheryl Berg led in song, and Mike Duckworth the 4-Way
Test. Rena Dietrich introduced the visitors.
President Dennard reminded the members of the Club Leadership
Training (District Assembly) May 19 and Bob Taggart noted that
the Springoree is May 17 at the Nassau Bay Hilton starting at
6:30. Chris Schneider District 5890 Governor Elect
encouraged the members to attend the District 5890 Conference
May 31 - June 2, 2012 at the Horseshoe Bay Resort - Marriott
in Horseshoe Bay / Marble Falls, TX, and introduced a Rotary
Fellowship Team from Portugal: Raymond, Aude and Francoise
Parfai; Elodie Teutscher; and Volker and Julie
Biebesheimer. Raymond Parfait, Almancil International
Rotary Club, and President Dennard exchanged club flags.
Past District 5890
Governor and Past Club President Suzi Howe and Past Club
President David Coney presented Bill
Geissler with a Paul Harris plus Fellow. District
5890 Governor Nominee Bob Gebhard assisted District 5890
Governor Elect Chris Schneider in presenting new member Rosemary
Lengefeld to the members.
John Swartwout
introduced Rabbi
Jack Segal, Author of the book, You Can’t Live on Hope
Alone but You Can’t Live Without It. Rabbi Segal gave
some excerpts from his latest book which was on a positive
attitude, the key to good health and a happy life. Rabbi
Segal gave several real life examples of hope. One was
on four groups of persons who were to have heart
surgery. The bottom line was that those who wanted to
get the surgery over and get back to work recovered lived
longer and were at a much higher percentage than those who
thought they may die. He also related the history of the
Jewish people going back to 600 BC noting that regardless of
the attempts to destroy and/or exile the Jews, the Jewish
people always had hope. He noted that whenever the Jews
were exiled from a country, the economy of that county
declined significantly. He gave a couple of more
examples one being a of a person who was stranded on an island
not giving up hope even though the circumstances for survival
was almost nil. He had his book to sell after the
meeting.
President Dennard
adjourned the meeting.
March 19, 2012 Club
Meeting Review
Reporter Alice May-Sexton
Photographers
John Lee and Bob Mitchell
Just
Photos
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike Dennard. Scott
Rainey made the invocation, J. B. Fox led the Club in the
pledge to the U. S. of America flag, President Dennard led in
song, and Lamar Bowles the 4-Way Test. Constable Phil Sandlin
introduced the visitors. President Dennard reminded the
members of the Club that the Springoree is May 17 at the
Nassau Bay Hilton starting at 6:30 and encouraged the members
to attend the District 5890 Conference May 31 - June 2, 2012
at the Horseshoe Bay Resort - Marriott in Horseshoe Bay /
Marble Falls, TX. Past President David Coney offered
raffle tickets at $20 each for The Rotary Foundation. Past
President and District 5890 Governor Suzie Howe presented Art
Oswald with a Benefactor pin and Micki
Czarnik (right) a Paul Harris Fellow plus pin.
Rodolfo Gonzalez noted that Captain Michael Coats, USN (Ret.),
will receive the National Space Trophy on April 27 at the
Houston Hyatt Regency. Nancy Anderson called for silent and
live auction items for the Springoree. Cindy Harreld noted
that the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce will have a crawfish
fest this weekend from 11am to 8pm at the Landolt Pavilion at
Clear Lake Park. Volunteers are needed.
John Branch introduced
Dr.
Dion McInnis, professor at University of Houston at Clear
Lake who spoke on photography using a slide presentation
titled “The Seeing, Not the Taking”. He is the Owner of
Dion McInnis Photography (1977-1994), freelance business
providing commercial, portrait, public relations and fine art
work in the Houston area and currently teaches at Houston
Center for Photography.
The essence of McInnis
talk was said in a poem “Owning Pride” which he wrote
apparently in 1962 regarding Christmas. The real gift
was the priceless moment in time caught forever in a
photograph. The poem says:
“Wrapped, enclosed, covered, So no one
could see, Was a very special present, Under the '62 Christmas
tree, The family didn't see it, When I opened the wrap, Or
pulled the camera out, Or grabbed the camera's strap, No one
saw the real gift, That came Christmas day, To the six-year
old child, Who saw things his own way, The gift came weeks
later, When photographs arrived, "That's what I saw," I said
then, And since then, I've been alive.” McInnis
encouraged the members to “Think of the tips for
photographers…and apply it to the moments of the day.”
Seeing is enhanced by the five senses where ever you are, use
them to broaden and enlighten the vision. He noted “Ways
to Focus on Seeing, Not Taking are: ...To see better, close
your eyes...To see better, read...To see better, write”.
He showed some very interesting and descriptive B & W
photographs noting that what he has learned over the years as
a photographer applies to life: Not Just for Photographers:
Seeing, not the taking…in life; Do we see, hear, smell, taste
and feel? Do we encourage one to illuminate and inspire the
other? and Think of the tips for photographers…and apply it to
the moments of the day”. He also writes: “Listen to
Life: Wisdom in Life’s Stories”—the book and the newsletter
and “Daddin’: The Verb of Being a Dad”
President
Dennard noted that the Board would meet tomorrow at 7am at Bay
Oaks Country Club and then he adjourned the meeting.
March 26, 2012 Club
Meeting Review
Reporter Alice May-Sexton
Photographers
John Lee and Bob Mitchell
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike Dennard. Ken
Gurry made the invocation, J. B. Fox led the Club in the
pledge to the U. S. of America flag, Dr. Jack Bacon led in
song, and Dr. Ted Cummings the 4-Way Test. Gary Johnson
introduced the visitors. President Dennard encouraged the
members to attend the District 5890 Conference May 31 - June
2, 2012 at the Horseshoe Bay Resort - Marriott in Horseshoe
Bay / Marble Falls, TX. He also presented Nancy Anderson
(center left) and Keith Owen (center right) with their "blue
badge”. Dr. Peter Wuenschel, Executive Director of
Community in Schools Bay Area (right), received a $2,000
donation from the Club presented by President Dennard.
Dick Meyers
opened the program with remarks about the Rotary Exchange
Program noting that 8000 students are participating in the
program carrying international understanding and peace
throughout the world. He also said that the Rotary Club
of Space Center was among the few clubs who sponsor more than
one student and that the Club also has two outbound students;
Kerry Baldwin in Brazil and Sophie Gonsoulin in Denmark.
The inbound students gave a presentation about their homeland
and their experiences in America. The students were Julie
Ahrendt Jorgensen (counselor Alice Sexton) from Denmark,
Malte
Schmittler (counselor Philip Harris) from Germany, and Beatriz
Maziero (Bea) (counselor Alan Wylie) from Brazil. They
answered questions after their presentations.
President
Dennard adjourned the meeting.
April 2, 2012 Club
Meeting Review
Reporter Alice May-Sexton
Photographers
John Lee and Bob Mitchell
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike Dennard. Carlos
Villagomez made the invocation, Dick Kidder led the Club in
the pledge to the U. S. of America flag, Dr. Jack Bacon led in
song, and Don Kirchoff the 4-Way Test. Mike Duckworth
introduced the visitors. District 5890 Governor Elect Chris
Schneider encouraged the members to attend the District 5890
Conference May 31 - June 2, 2012 at the Horseshoe Bay Resort -
Marriott in Horseshoe Bay / Marble Falls, TX and the Rotary
International 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand. Bob Taggart and
Nancy Anderson reminded the members of the Springoree (raffle
prize) May 17. Johnny
White handed out a flyer and spoke briefly on hurricane
preparedness. President Dennard thanked those who attended the
breakfast held by and at University of Houston at Clear Lake
March 29. The Club was named a Community
Partner by UHCL for the donation to the autism center.
Past District 5890 Governor and Club President Suzi Howe
presented John
Davis a Paul Harris Plus pin.
James
Schroeder, Senior Project Manager, for HDR Engineering,
Inc., gave a slide presentation on METRO HOT Lanes and the
light Rail System. The HOV lanes system was started in
1979 with one lane using pylons, bus and vanpool to the Kathy
managed lanes on I-10 using electronic bill boards and gates
in 2010. Interstates 45N, 45S, 10W, and US 290, 59N and
59S now have HOV lanes. Schroeder stated that METRO was
putting in HOT lanes to better use under–utilized HOV’s.
HOT means High Occupancy Toll Lane which is a High Occupancy
Vehicle (HOV) Lane with available capacity that can be used by
Single Occupant Vehicles (SOV) for a toll. The extensive
available (SOV) capacity during the “off peak” hours will be
better utilized. HOT lanes came about due to the
advances in technology which provides administrated control at
reduced costs. Two hundred cameras have been
added. Key elements are automated reversible gate
operations and tolling systems. The tag system is
interoperable with other systems such as the Texas Turnpike
Authority. The project schedule is IH-45S February 2012;
US-59S. Q2/3 2012; IH-45N, Q3/201; US-290, Q4/2012; and
US-59N, Q1/2013. The light rail system is scheduled to
open the following three lines currently under construction in
Spring 2014: East End Corridor, North Corridor, and Southeast
Corridor. The University Line in environmental review
process. The status of the Galveston – Houston Mobility
Corridor is: City of Galveston sponsoring the Alternatives
Analysis and Conceptual Engineering work with the FTA, looking
at Commuter Rail, Bus Rapid Transit, TSM, may be an
“evolutionary” approach. Mr. Schroeder took questions
and then President adjourned the meeting.
April 9, 2012 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Alice May-Sexton
Photographer John Lee
The regular Club weekly meeting was
called to order by President Mike Dennard. Carlos
Villagomez made the invocation, John Swartwout led the Club in
the pledge to the U. S. of America flag, Dr. Jack Bacon led in
song, and Bill Lowes the 4-Way Test. Billy Smith
introduced the visitors. President Dennard encouraged
the members to attend the District 5890 Conference May 31 -
June 2, 2012 at the Horseshoe Bay Resort - Marriott in
Horseshoe Bay / Marble Falls, TX; that the Rotary
International 2012 was in Bangkok, Thailand and President
Elect Musial and spouse Wayne will be attending: and that the
Space Center Rotary Club Endowment Foundation would meet
tomorrow at 7 am at the Bay Oaks Country Club. Bob
Taggart reminded the members of the Springoree May 17.
Rodolfo Gonzalez noted that Captain Michael Coats, USN (Ret.),
will receive the National Space Trophy on April 27 at the
Houston Hyatt Regency. President Dennard welcome new
member Jason
Wingate (center) to the Club past President and
District 5890 Governor Suzie Howe presented him with a Red
Badge and a frameable copy of the Four-Way Test.
President Dennard noted that the May 21
Club meeting would be at the South Shore Habour Convention
Center for the Excellence in Education program.
John Swartwout introduced Paul
P. Rachmanides, author of his autobiography titled To
Persist and Never Give Up. His talk can be summarized by
his personal biographical writeup which follows: This is the story of a man from Greece
and the journey that would eventually take him to the USA, the
country of his dreams. Paul P. Rachmanides was born on
November 19, 1949 in Dikea, Eyros, Greece. Paul's early
life on the farm and the strict rules of his father, helped
establish principles for the future. After graduating
from high school in June of 1967, Paul served honorably in the
Greek Special Forces as a Second Lieutenant and graduated from
both the Ranger and Jump schools. Paul set his mind on
acquiring a student VISA and would make it to the United
States on August 23, 1971. Without knowing a word of
English or anyone, he received a Masters Degree from
Thunderbird, the School of Global Management through
perseverance and dedication. He worked for CBS Records
International in Europe as an Executive Trainee for one year
before resigning so he could return to his dream country, the
USA. Paul felt his dream of living in America slipping
away, but he would struggle but also succeed in
returning. For the next twenty years Paul experiences
his own Odyssey, desperately trying to build the life he wants
for himself. On January 18, 2001, Paul founded State
Inspection of Kingwood. He was profitable by the fourth
month of operation and never looked back. Today he
continues to be a very successful small business
owner.
Paul gave some principles he has learned
during life, one being the four most important words are “It
can be done” if you want it bad enough and work for it.
There are no short cuts to success. “Those who give up
don’t realize how close they are to success” he quoted from
Thomas Edison. Also he quoted success is “1% inspiration
and 99% perspiration”. He noted two concepts that were
the core of his autobiography, (1) discover the purpose for
life – the purpose of life is worth living for and gives us
meaning; and (2) importance of pursuing the American
Dream. America allows you to grow, develop – you are
only limited by your imagination. American dream is not
the little cottage with a picket fence, it is in the heart, in
the mind, not defined by boundaries - it is the exploration of
the mind. He thanked the members for making America a
magnet to draw people like him to her and to allow him to
“Pursue the American Dream”. Paul took questions and
President Dennard adjourned the meeting.
April 16, 2012 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Alice May-Sexton
Photographers John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
The regular Club weekly meeting was
called to order by President Mike Dennard. Darryl
Smith made the invocation, Nancy Anderson led
the Club in the pledge to the U. S. of America flag, Dr. Jack
Bacon led in song. Alan Wylie introduced the
visitors. President Dennard encouraged the members to
attend the District 5890 Conference May 31 - June 2, 2012 at
the Horseshoe Bay Resort - Marriott in Horseshoe Bay / Marble
Falls, TX; that the Rotary International 2012 was in Bangkok,
Thailand and President Elect Musial and spouse Wayne will be
attending: and that the Space Center Rotary Club Endowment
Foundation would meet tomorrow at 7 am at the Bay Oaks Country
Club. Bob Taggart reminded the members of the Springoree
May 17. Rodolfo Gonzalez noted that Captain Michael
Coats, USN (Ret.), will receive the National Space Trophy on
April 27 at the Houston Hyatt Regency.
President Dennard
noted that the May 21 Club meeting would be at the South Shore
Habour Convention Center for the Excellence in Education
program.
John
Swartwout introduced Tara
Henderson, with Court Approved Special Advocaters (CASA)
for children. She presented a slide talk on: How you can
make a difference in a child’s life...? A CASA is a
volunteer who: is appointed by the court to advocate on behalf
of an abused or neglected child, gives a child a voice in the
court process, helps to achieve a safe and permanent home for
the child, and collaborates with TDFPS (Texas Dept of Family
& Protective Services), attorneys, foster parents and
other professionals involved. Only one half of the
children in foster care system in Galveston County had a
CASA. Our goal is: A CASA for every child -- We need
your help; the children of Galveston County need your
help. How does CASA help? Some of the services
are: gathering information, reviewing records; having
dialogues with people in the child’s life; and appearing in
court to advocate for the child's best interests and providing
testimony. CASA Volunteers are “…the glue that connects the pieces in a
complicated child welfare system.” Who are CASA
Volunteers? People from every walk of life: all
cultures, all ethnic backgrounds, various professions, and
various educational backgrounds. The CASA requirements
are: be 21 years old or older, be willing to complete
necessary background checks, provide references and
participate in an interview, complete a minimum of 30 hours of
pre-service training, be available for court appearances, with
advance notice, and be willing to commit to the CASA program
for at least 1 year. If anyone is interested or need
more information, please contact Shamika Alexander at
409-443-0509.
President Dennard noted that Charter
Member Vince Lipovsky was in Regency Rehab Hospital and would
love to have visitors, and then adjourned the meeting.
April 23, 2012 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Alice May-Sexton
Photographers John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike
Dennard. Carlos Villagomez made the
invocation, Rae DeCastro led the Club in the pledge to
the U. S. of America flag, John Nugent led in the four-way
test. John Branch introduced the visitors. President
Dennard encouraged the members to attend the District
5890 Conference May 31 - June 2, 2012 at the Horseshoe Bay
Resort - Marriott in Horseshoe Bay / Marble Falls, TX;
District 5890 Club Leadership Training May 19th, 2012 at
Memorial High School. Bob Taggart reminded the members of the Springoree
May 17. Past President Mike Hernandez gave a brief
history of the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement
(RNASA) Foundation and presented several Club members
with RNASA pins for their participation in the
Foundation. Captain Michael Coats, USN (Ret.), will
receive the National Space Trophy on April 27 at the Houston
Hyatt Regency. District 5890 Governor Elect Chris
Schneider presented Art
Oswald (left) with a Rotary Benefactor
Certificate.
John Swartwout introduced the
program with a few words about Rotary the classification
process. The founders of Rotary wanted to create a
special niche for their membership. They wanted the Club
to be a cross section of the business community.
Membership was open to people from “all useful
occupations”. In order to prevent the Club from evolving
into “guilds” of all attorneys, bankers, etc. Thus the
membership classification was created. The Rotarian
greeting of “what’s your classification” is similar to “what’s
your sign”, but what does that mean? The membership
committee is tasked with creating unique classifications to
enable the Club to admit good people. They sometimes get
very creative. For example, my former club had many
members from UTMB. In order to make a placement for me
as the Administrator of the SBI they classified me as
Institute Administrator/Burn. Recently when Past
District 5890 Governor Suzie Howe was inducting a new member
she admonished him to sit at a different table in order to
meet all of us.
The new
members were, Jason Wingate, Rosemary Lengefeld, and Nancy
Anderson. I will call on Nancy and the Jason and then
Rosemary. They each presented a vita on their
professional careers and collectively answered questions;
then President Dennard adjourned the meeting.
April 30, 2012 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Alice May-Sexton
Photographers John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike Dennard. Carlos
Villagomez made the invocation, Owen Morris led the Club in
the pledge to the U. S. of America flag, Dr. Jack Bacon led in
song, and Phil Sandlin led the Four-Way Test. Billy Smith
introduced the visitors. See some of our most important
visitors.
President Dennard encouraged the members to attend the
District 5890 Conference May 31 - June 2, 2012 at the
Horseshoe Bay Resort - Marriott in Horseshoe Bay / Marble
Falls, TX; and the District 5890 Club Leadership Training May
19th, 2012 at Memorial High School. David Coney reminded
the members to purchase the Rotary International Foundation
raffle tickets, and Ralph Kramer reminded the members of the
Springoree May 17. President Dennard complimented
Rodolfo Gonzalez on an outstanding Rotary National Award for
Space Achievement event. See information in the
newspaper, The Bay Area Citizen: photos,
article
1, article
2.
Club past President and District 5890
Governor Suzi Howe and past club President David Coney
presented Scott Rainey with a Paul Harris Fellow Plus
pin. President Dennard presented Angela
Cason (left), Secretary with Engineers Without Borders,
with a check for $1,000. President Dennard noted that
the Group Study Exchange program would possibly be phasing
out.
Dr
Jack Bacon made a passion presentation regarding Engineers
Without Borders (EWB) and their efforts, and his personally,
in Rwanda, Africa, and specifically the L’Esperance children’s
orphanage in the Mugonero region. He opened with some
general comments and then presented the rest of the program
with a slide
presentation which has good annotations. Lastly he
showed some apparatus
which was being used for economic development of the
area. The background information from the EWB web site
which follows reflects much of what Dr. Bacon presented.
The Johnson Space Center
(JSC)/South Houston Professional chapter of Engineers Without
Borders-USA has been working in Rwanda since 2005 on water
treatment, water provisioning, and energy provisioning
appropriate technologies in the Mugonero region. After
installing a water treatment system at the L’Esperance
children’s orphanage in the summer of 2007, the team has
focused its efforts to help the orphanage reach economic
sustainability through the processing and sale of dried
fruit. An initial fruit drying assessment trip in 2008
provided additional information and important lessons learned,
which have led to different prototypes being investigated by
EWB-JSC chapter members. As part of the implementation
effort, a solar dehydration prototype system was installed and
tested, which the orphanage director will ultimately assess
for feasibility and appropriateness for full scale operation
at the orphanage. The orphanage comes under managerial
and financial control of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and
its on-site director is Mr. Victor Monroy, a horticulturist
originally from Guatemala. In 2007 Mr. Monroy asked
EWB-JSC to assist in developing infrastructure for a vast
agricultural project he was initiating, called the Orchard
Project, which would allow the orphanage to become
economically self-sufficient by selling highest quality
premium produce in the developed world. Drip irrigation, water
storage, food processing, sterile facilities, water
management, waste management, packaging, food storage pre- and
post-processing, and improved energy infrastructure are all
necessary features of this endeavor. Fruit drying is on the
critical path to success of this project because (1) the
orphanage lacks sufficient electricity to refrigerate the
fresh produce, (2) transportation to the markets is not
possible on a schedule to keep fruit from spoiling, and (3)
roads follow 26 kilometers of exceptionally tortuous dirt
paths that would bruise whole produce. In addition, at this
point in the development of the Orchard Project, a means of
drying fruit is a crucial remaining hurdle to finding a buyer
for the fruit.
He requested that the
Club consider EWB for donations next year.
President Dennard
reminded the members that the May 21 Club meeting would be at
the South Shore Harbor Convention Center and Dr. Greg Smith
had the tickets for $25. President
Dennard then adjourned the meeting.
May 7, 2012
Club Meeting Review
Reporter Alice May-Sexton
Photographers John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike Dennard. Carlos
Villagomez made the invocation, Bob Mitchell led the
Club in the pledge to the U. S. of America flag, Sheryl
Berg led in song, and Rosialnd Perez led the
Four-Way Test. Ralph Krammer introduced the
visitors. District 5890 Governor Elect Chris
Schneider encouraged the members to attend the District
5890 Conference May 31 - June 2, 2012 at the Horseshoe Bay
Resort - Marriott in Horseshoe Bay / Marble Falls, TX; and the
District 5890 Club Leadership Training May 19th, 2012 at
Memorial High School. Club past President and District 5890
Governor Suzi
Howe and District 5890 Governor Elect Chris
Schneider presented Kippy
Caraway, Sherry Bogus, Dick Meyer and J B
Fox (center) with Paul Harris Fellow Plus
pins. President Dennard noted that the Space Center
Rotary Club Endowment Foundation will meet Tuesday 7 am
at the Bay Area Country Club. Ralph
Krammer (right) reminded the members of the
Springoree May 17. See raffle prize.
President
Dennard presented checks for $2,000 each to Maria
Longnecker (right), Development Director, Bay Area
Turning Point and Susan Bailey
(right), Communications and Special Events Coordinator,
Interfaith Caring Ministries.
John Swartwout introduced Alison
Putman, LCSW Executive Director of Resolve It, a local
non-profit, based in Kemah, Texas designed to reduce juvenile
delinquency, school drop- out. Its mission is to provide
intervention and support to at-risk youth, while encouraging
the development of personal accountability. Putman
provide a brief history of the organization which she
established in 1999 and for 5 years was the only person in the
organization. She wrote 28 competitive federal and state
grants, 22 foundation grants since 2003, and received $2.6
million in grants funds over 15 years. Now Resolve It
has 4 therapists, a grant manager, financial coordinator, all
serving 250-300 kids every year. There is almost no
staff turnover because staff is professional women who work
part time working out her own schedule. Resolve It
provides serves in four areas: Elementary Prevention Programs,
Anger Control Training, Girls Circle, and Moral Development
Training. She noted that it costs society from $188,086
to $297,188 for a high school dropout which is prevention
opportunities for Resolve It. Much of the work has been
involved with delinquency prevention with boys in the juvenile
justice system. The initial focus was on anger
management programs but soon found that the basic problem was
lack of moral character. This resulted in launching
Moral Development Training with both boys and girls.
This program not only uses group therapy but Equine Assisted
Psychotherapy. Resolve It has programs both in Harris
and Galveston Counties. It began to focus more on
Galveston county working with girls in the Juvenile justice
system. Escaping abuse at home is the number one reason
a girl lands in juvenile detention and drugs is number
2. Child victims are more likely to become teen mothers,
runaways, use drugs and become child abusers. The first
VOCA grant was awarded in September 2011 to provide therapy
services to primary and secondary child victims.
We at Resolve It like to
think like Benjamin Franklin and invest in this "ounce of
prevention", rather than in a pound of cure. Resolve It's
programs offer kids the tools to help them turn their lives
around before they are in too deep. I am no longer willing to
"miss another prevention
opportunity". What about you?
Where can you make a difference in the life of a young person
standing at the Gateway to the rest of their life?
Putman took questions and then President Dennard adjourned the
meeting.
May 14, 2012 Club Meeting Review
Reporter Alice May-Sexton
Photographers John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
Just
Photos
of Club Meeting
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike Dennard. Carlos
Villagomez made the invocation, Micki Czarnik led
the Club in the pledge to the U. S. of America flag, Sheryl
Berg led in song, and Dr. John Wilson led the Four-Way
Test. Mike Cornett introduced the
visitors. President Dennard encouraged the members
to attend the District 5890 Conference May 31 - June 2, 2012
at the Horseshoe Bay Resort - Marriott in Horseshoe Bay /
Marble Falls, TX; and the District 5890 Club Leadership
Training May 19th, 2012 at Memorial High School. He
also noted that the Space Center Rotary Board of
Directors will meet Tuesday 7 am at the Bay Area Country
Club. He noted
further that the regular Club Monday meeting on 21 May is
going to be at South Shore Harbour Resort and the program will
be the Rotary/CCISD Teacher of the Year Awards. The
meeting will begin at 11:30 a.m. to accommodate the program
activities. Bob Taggart reminded the members of
the Springoree May 17.
John Swartwout introduced Captain
Joe Kent with Over 30 years experience fishing inshore and
offshore Galveston; IGFA Certified Captain; U.S. Coast Guard
OUPV Captains License; U.S. Coast Guard Master's License; and
Fishing columnist for Galveston Daily News, Bay Area Houston
Magazine and Saltwater Texas Fishing News. He served as
officer and director of various organizations including
Shriners Orthopedic Hospital in Houston, Galveston Symphony
Orchestra, and Galveston County Mediation Board. He was
a fishing Guide for over 11 years concentrating in Galveston
area fishing.
Captain Kent stated that the primary
reason for the decrease in Texas fishing is the loss of
wetlands. Wetlands are our most threatened and valuable
coastal resources. Approximately 98% of all commercial
finfish and shellfish are dependent upon the wetlands either
as part of their life cycle or as part of their food
chain. This does not take into account the role of the
wetlands as part of the life cycles of water fowl and other
creatures. Following WWII the rate of wetlands loss in
this country was in the order of 300,000 acres per year.
In Texas alone, nearly half of our wetlands had been
destroyed, either naturally or by human intervention by the
mid 1980’s. This trend was curbed when the Clean Water
Act was passed and when state agencies began to regulate
wetlands use. Louisiana, which currently loses over 8000
acres of wetlands annually, has the most aggressive wetlands
restoration program. Texas is just beginning to
undertake wetlands restoration projects.
While there are a number
of culprits to the loss of wetlands, including greenhouse
issues, hurricanes, floods, droughts, subsidence, tidal cycles
and nutrients, one that is becoming more of an issue each year
is burning marshlands to rid unwanted vegetation. Yes,
it does get rid of unwanted vegetation, unfriendly plants, and
allows young growth such as Olney Bulrush that feeds many
birds. However, it also causes erosion and destroys the
nest of many varieties of birds and other animals.
The barrier islands are
the number one protectorate of the wetlands. With the
subsidence and loss of dunes and other beneficial features,
they are offering increasingly less protection. The number one
enemy of the wetlands is humans. This is due to
pollutants entering streams and rivers through runoffs and
intentional dumping, along with increased presence of
sportsmen and naturists. Wetlands are vanishing at an
alarming rate, in part because humans have eliminated the
wetlands’ ability to migrate landward under the constant
pressure of rising sea levels. Land development into
subdivisions has been the big culprit here.
What is being done to
slow down this process and to restore this vital ally?
The National Marine Fisheries Service, along with the Texas
General Land Office, the Galveston Bay Foundation, Army Corps
of Engineers and many volunteers have launched a campaign to
protect and restore our wetlands. It will be a long and
hard battle, but one that we must fight to save this valuable
resource. This is a good start; however, all sportsmen
are going to have to realize the importance of the wetlands
and become proactive in reducing the culprits that are
destroying our environment. It is an issue impacting the
survival of our coastal fishing.
Captain Kent noted that
redfish and trout caught cannot be sold commercially; flounder
limits have bounced back; off shore red snapper stocks have
fallen; tarpin making a comeback; and tiger shrimp kills
smaller shrimp depleting the food chain.
Captain Kent
answered questions and President Dennard adjourned the
meeting.
May 21, 2012 Club Meeting
Review
Reporter Jerrold Dewease
Photographers John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
The regular Club meeting
was held at the South Shore Harbour Convention Center honoring
outstanding teachers in the Clear Creek Independent School
District School (CCISD) under the Excellence In Education
Program . "The strength and talent of our teaching
workforce is what makes the Clear Creek School District
an exceptional place to learn, work and live..... The teachers
we are honoring today represent our commitment to our
children. They are the best in their craft. You will quickly
realize they truly love what they do every day." noted
Dr. Greg Smith at the fourth annual Excellence in Education Program. The Rotary
Clubs of Space Center, League City, and Seabrook; and the
Clear Creek Independent School District hosted the fourth
Rotary/CCISD Teacher of the Year Awards on May 21st at the
South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center (this was the
22nd year for the Excellence in Education Award for the Club).
The Convention Center was filled with about 275 teachers,
their families and friends, and Rotarians. The Westbrook
Intermediate Orchestra entertained the group before the
program began and played the National Anthem at the
presentation of the U. S. and Texas flags. Marilyn Musial,
President Elect Rotary Club of Space Center, opened the
meeting; Scott Rainey, Treasurer Rotary Club of Space Center,
gave the innovation; and the Clear Lake High School Color
Guard presented the U. S. and Texas flags. Officers of the
Seabrook and League City Rotary Clubs lead in the Four Way
Test and gave a brief history of Rotary International. All the
recipients were recognized before the six finalists were
named.
Dr. Greg Smith (right), Superintendent of
CCISD, began the program by making a few remarks and introducing the six finalists : Mary (Dee Dee) Payne,
North Pointe Elementary; Nicola Clemmer, Creekside
Intermediate; Annamary Given, Mossman Elementary; Edna Meeks,
Clear Creek High; Todd Parsons, Clear Falls High; and Jennifer
Foley, Walter Hall Elementary. From these finalists Jennifer Foley (left), Walter Hall
Elementary; and Nicola Clemmer (center), Creekside
Intermediate were named the Elementary and Secondary Teachers
of the Year respectively. Read artice in The Bay Citizen. Each
finalist received a plaque of appreciation and $500 each. The
Teachers of the Year received an additional $500. Read more
about the selection and award process.
May 28, 2012
No Club Meeting
June 4, 2012
Club Meeting Review
Reporter Jerrold Dewease
Photographer Bob Mitchell
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike Dennard.
Carlos Villagomez made the invocation, Mary Alys Cherry led
the Club in the pledge to the U. S. of America flag, Dr. Jack
Bacon led in song, and Rae DeCastro led the Four-Way
Test. Sherry Bogus introduced the visitors. President
Dennard noted that the District 5890 Conference May 31 - June
2, 2012 at the Horseshoe Bay Resort - Marriott in Horseshoe
Bay / Marble Falls, TX was well planned and very
informative. He recognized Kippy Caraway for her efforts
in the event. He also noted that the first Shrimporee
meeting for 2012 will be Tuesday at the 5 pm at the JSC
Federal Credit. Past District 5890 Governor and Past
Club President Suzi Howe and Dr. Jack Bacon presented Bill
Dusenbury (right) with a Paul Harris Fellow
Plus. President of the Space Center Rotary Endowment
Foundation, Bob Wren, presented Bob
Richmond (left with Floyd Boze center) with a Floyd Boze
Fellowship.
John Swartwout introduced Dr.
Jay Morton, a professional speaker, singer, musician and
pastor who has motivated and inspired people with the mantra,
"You Are More Than You Think You Are." He has served as
keynote speaker for civic organizations, companies, hospitals,
school districts, universities, churches, employee events and
corporate gatherings. His singing and playing the guitar
provide a special dimension to his presentation. Dr.
Horton focused on attitude and how it affected a person’s
potential and health. He noted you should be positive
about your circumstances and control your attitude or it will
control you. If you don’t control your attitude you
can’t be all you can be. He gave several examples of how
to handle situations and your attitudes. He summed up
the talk as to continue to grew mentally, that attitude is a
choice, minimize stress in your life, and negativity is
contagious. President Dennard thanked Dr. Horton and
adjourned the meeting.
June 11, 2012 Club
Meeting Review
Reporter Jerrold
Dewease
Photographer Bob Mitchell
The The regular Club
weekly meeting was called to order by President Elect Marilyn
Musial. Art Wood made the invocation, ?????? led the
Club in the pledge to the U. S. of America flag, Dr. Jack
Bacon led in song, and Mike Brown led the Four-Way Test.
She also noted the Space Center Rotary Endowment Foundation
would meet tomorrow at 7 am at the Bay Oaks Country
Club. Walter
Branson, who has been involved with the Guerrero Clinic in
Chihuahua, Mexico since the 1980’s through District 5890, gave
a brief update on the activities at the Clinic.
President Elect presented Branson and Dr. Clariday with a check
for $1,000 for the Guerrero Clinic. Dick Meyer (see
photo) with the help of Dennis Paul, John Nugent, Sarah Otto
to Sweden, Emily Norman to Belgium, and John Branch
introduced the two outbound Rotary exchange students for
Rotary Year 2012-13. Scott Rainey reminded the
membership that the annual Club dues were due and already had
several sponosrs for the Shrimporee. Jon McKinnie noted
that District 5890 Govenor Chris
Schneider was present after just being inaguared on June
10.
Kippy
Caraway introduced speaker Leonard
Waterworth Executive Director of the Port of Houston
Authority. He began his talk with some history about the
area noting what was done 100 years ago established the
foundation for the area’s growth today such as pioneers
Jessie Jones, Tom Ball, and M.D. Anderson; the Spindle Top oil
find in Beaumont, and the creation of the Panama Canal.
The Port of
Houston is a 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and
private facilities located just a few hours by ship from the
Gulf of Mexico. The port is consistently ranked 1st in
the United States in foreign waterborne tonnage; 1st in U.S.
imports; 2nd in U.S. export tonnage and 2nd in the U.S. in
total tonnage. It is made up of the public terminals
owned, managed and leased by the Port of Houston Authority,
and the 150-plus private industrial companies along the
52-mile long Houston Ship Channel. Each year, more than
200 million tons of cargo move through the Port of Houston,
carried by more than 7,700 vessels and 150,000 barge calls.
As one of the
world’s busiest ports, the Port of Houston is a large and
vibrant component of the regional economy. A 2012 study by
Martin Associates says ship channel-related businesses
contribute 1,026,820 jobs throughout Texas, up from more than
785,000 jobs cited in a 2007 study. This activity helped
generate more than $178.5 billion in statewide economic
impact, up from nearly $118 billion. Additionally, more
than $4.5 billion in state and local tax revenues are
generated by business activities related to the port, up from
$3.7 billion.
The Port of Houston has been instrumental
in the city of Houston's development as a center of
international trade. It is home to a $15 billion
petrochemical complex, the largest in the nation and second
largest in the world, by 2020 it will become a net exporter of
energy.
Waterworth took questions and President
Elect adjourned the meeting.
June 18, 2012
Club Assembly
Reporter Alice
May-Sexton
Photographers John Lee
and Bob Mitchell
Just
Photos
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike Dennard.
Carlos Villagomez made the invocation, John Lee led the Club
in the pledge to the U. S. of America flag, Dr. Jack Bacon led
in song, and Bill Lowes led the Four-Way Test. Billy
Smith introduced the visitors. President Dennard made
several announcements: the Club’s Board will meet at 7 am
Tuesday at the Bay Oaks Country Club; the Shrimporee planning
meeting is at 5 pm at the JSC FCU Tuesday; the Club’s dues are
due; "FREE WINE TASTING" will be held at Chelsea's Wine Bar,
located at 4106 NASA Parkway, El Largo, TX June 27th, from
6-9pm; and the District 5890 Outreach is collecting useable
digital devices, bring to club meeting. Darryl Smith
asked for volunteers for volunteers for The Flying Eagles
July 11.
President Dennard presented his Rotary
year review and acknowledged his appreciation for the efforts
throughout the year by many of the Club members. Read
his presentation.
June 25, 2012
Club Meeting Review
Reporter Alice May-Sexton
Photographers John Lee and Bob
Mitchell
Rotary Year Officers
and Board of Directors
Just photos
of meeting
President Dennard's
Farewell Remarks
The regular Club weekly
meeting was called to order by President Mike Dennard.
Carlos Villagomez made the invocation, Scott Rainey led the
Club in the pledge to the U. S. of America flag, Sheryl
Berg and Carlos Villagomez led in song, and Sheryl Berg
the Four-Way Test. President Elect Marilyn Musial
introduced the visitors. President Dennard reminded the
Club of the collection of digital devices and to continue to
bring clothing for Cross Road. Beatriz
Maziero inbound student from Brazil said farewell with
"You can take the girl out of Texas but you can't take the
Texas out of the girl."
There were many other visitors attending
the inauguration of new officers and directors. Bob
Gebhard District 5890 Governor Nominee; Lisa Faith Massey
District 5890 Assistant Governor; Judy Harwell District 5890
Sergeant-at-Arms; Marilyn Musial’s daughter, son-in-law,
grandson and granddaughter; and former Club President
(1971-72) Bob
Scott in addition to many other friends and coworkers.
Bob
Gebhard hosted the ceremonies with the help of Lisa
Faith Massey (center). The following induction
took place: President, Marilyn Musial; President Elect,
Sheryl Berg; Secretary, Scott Rainey; Treasurer, Kippy
Caraway; Sergeant at Arms, John Branch; and directors, Bill
Hughes, Darryl Smith, Dennis Paul, John Swartwout, Marc
Schneider, Nancy Mallini, Paul McLarty, Phil Sandlin, and
Steve Owens. Marilyn Musial presented President Dennard
with a plaque
of appreciation and his wife
Beth (right) with a bouquet of flowers.
President-Elect Musial made a few remarks and then President
Dennard bid the Club farewell and adjourned his final meeting
of Rotary Year 2011-12.
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