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History Home Page
Space Center Rotary 
  
 

President Maria
     
Vita
of  
President
    
Victor G.Maria   

President Maria's
Family    

Officers
  

Transfer of the Presidential Gavel from President Hesson to President Maria (Past District 589 Governor Floyd Boze also present)

 

President Maria is the only president to date that had a bagpipe played during his inauguration by Jimmy Mitchell dressed in a Scottish kilt.  Read write up from June 28, 1993 Blastoff. 


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History
of
The Rotary Club of Space Center (Houston), Texas, and U.S.A.
 Rotary International District 5890 (589)
Club 2010
for 
Rotary Year 1993-1994

     President 
      Victor G. Maria

Chartered August 6, 1964

Thirty years of serving the local and world communities with a passion for “Service Above Self”

 Officers
President Elect
David Taylor
Secretary
Lamar D. Bowles
Treasurer
Bill  Lowes
 Sergeant at Arms
Donnie Johnson

Directors
Huey Barnett
Ron Blilie
 Mike Dennard
Clay Fulcher
Bill Geissler
Dick Gregg, Jr.
Mike Porterfield
Bill Taylor
Johnny White

Were we successful? Yes!!



Words by President Maria

I want to express my sincere thanks to the members of the Space Center Rotary Club for giving me the opportunity to experience the wonders of being the president of this Rotary Club. It has been a great honor being president of one of the, if not the, greatest rotary Club in the world. For me it has been a terrific year. I am not saying it was always fun, nor has it always been easy, but it sure was different, interesting and a true challenge.  Read the entire article by President Maria.
 

History

President Maria sent a letter to District 5890 Governor Weseman summarizing the
accomplishments and activities of the Club which provided a good overview of events for his tenure.  Also the July 19, 1993 Blastoff had an interesting and heart felt article by President Maria titled "HOW DID I GET HERE" that related his feelings about Rotary and the Club.  View a  photo gallery consisting of miscellaneous pictures, some before and some after his tenure as president, of Maria and his wife Norma.

The Club continued to meet at the Nassau Bay Hilton each Monday at noon with interesting programs from guest speakers and several programs regarding the Club’s activities, Mary Wylie was the Program Committee Chair.   Ray Graham and
Jerome Bourgeois led  the members in songs and the members shared in saying the pledge to the U. S. flag and prayer.  Golf under the leadership of David Murphy was a favorite fellowship activity.
More fellowship was provided with Rotary Nite at  the Astros including with the youngsters from Hope Village,  Rotary at the Rodeo,   other fun outings with the Hope Village youngsters, and a Christmas party. 

Fourteen of the Club's  former presidents were on the roster.  A former District 589  Governor, Floyd Boze 1981-1982, and a charter member, Vince Lipovsky, attended the weekly club meetings and Frank Morgan, Bev Steadman, and Charles Whynot were on the roster. It was an emotional moment was when the Club recognized these charter members for thirty years of loyal membership.  The Club’s membership at the end of the Rotary year was  169
members based on information in the history folder.  A pictured Club directory was produced in December 1993.  There was one Club Board of Director meeting minutes.   There was a listing of the avenues of service committees and committee chairs.

The amount of  
donations given to service projects  was $22,600 based on information in the Blastoffs and information sent to District Governor Weseman on the accomplishments of the Club. The amount of monies made from the fund raisers since the first recorded fund raiser in 1968 is estimated $502,268.  The only other financial data was the adjusted administrative and service budgets with no date.  

There were 19 (out a possible 23) issues of the Club’s newsletters,
Blastoff, that can be located.  The   Club Programs and Special Events  listing contained  15 programs.   The newsletters contained a variety of interesting items such as notes on the Club’s programs with write-ups and pictures; future programs; make-up opportunities; Shrimporee; general information about the Club, District, and Rotary International; and promoting fundraisers sponsors and promoting worth while events.  Gene Oley was the editor, production Robert Frost and Bill Geissler, and Dennis Dillon,"Mac" Balfe, Carver Shivers, and Vince Lipovsky photographers (photo of staff).   Photos were taken for many events and programs and used in the Blastoff and the media. The newsletter was standard size, glossy off white in color, with a black header.  Most of the newsletters consisted of several pages.

The 20th Shrimporee, chaired by
Bill Taylor,  was held on September 18, 1993 at the Landolt Pavilion Clear Lake Park Seabrook, Texas. There were the 7th annual Shrimporee Golf Championship held on August 30 at South Shore Harbor Country Club headed by  Tedd Olkowski  and the  5K Fun Run  put together by Mary Allen Wylie, in addition to the auction and all the good food. It turned out to be a great event yielding $20,000. The auctioneers, sponsors, and the auction items can be viewed in the September 13  Blastoff.  Read more information and concerns about the Shrimporee.   Each year of the golf tournament, a  wooden monkey trophy was presented to  the winner of the Golf Tournament.  This year President Maria won the trophy.  View photo gallery.

The first spring fundraiser, Jamboree, was held May 21, 1994 at the Landolt Pavilion, Clear Lake Park Seabrook, Texas.  The only source of information other than a notice in the newsletter was a
poster and a ticket.  It was noted that it was  non-stop entertainment with different kinds of music, food, drink, rides, a charity raffle, and a silent auction.  The event was from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm with adult ticket costing $3.  Three photos were in the June 13 Blastoff.  Over $3,000 net  was raised by the event.

Thanks to Space Center Rotary, students in the Bridgeport Communities in Schools Program had transportation to important meetings and events. With generous donations of $7,000 from the Club and $10,000 from the Assistant League of the Bay Area, Bridgeport purchased a 1992, 15 passenger
Ford van from McRee Ford.  The Club has always played an important role in the successes of Bridgeport. During President Billy Weseman's term of office, Bridgeport was selected as the primary beneficiary of that years Shrimporee. This helped Bridgeport get started. During the following years the youth committee has provide much needed support.  Also, many Rotarians have become tutors and mentors in the Bridgeport program. Read more in the August 16 Blastoff "ON THE ROAD AGAIN".

Six
teachers from 43 nominations  representing 18 schools in the Clear Creek Independent School District received Certificates of Excellence Awards in a Club meeting on May 9.  Vickie M. Smith, Space Center Intermediate, received the Teacher of the Year Award.  Janet Barksdale, Space Center Intermediate; Berth "Bert" Campbell, John F. Ward Elementary; Gwendolyn Cash, Clear Creek High School; Janine M. Morrell, Clear View High School; and Sherry A. Roach, Gifted and Talented Program were the other winners.  This was the fourth year for the award.  View photo gallery of newspaper articles.

The Club sponsored a Police Officer of the Year award and recognized four runner ups.  This was the second year for the Police Officer Award. 

The Club withdrew its pledge of $100,000 made in February 1991  in support of a community center.  In a letter dated May 24, 1993, President Hesson (Rotary Year 1992-1993) responded to a letter from Commissioner
Fonteno: "Your letter to me dated March 17, 1993, was presented to our board of directors for discussion and, in light of the unforeseen complications and uncertainty of timing for this project, the Board has decided to suspend any further fund raising activities for the Center. While we will certainly consider this project again, when the problems have been solved, Space Center Rotary Club must withdraw it previous pledge of $100,000.00 and be relieved of this obligation. Because our budgeting is annual, it is difficult to sustain financial commitments that extend beyond the term of one president."  Read the entire letter.  As a result of the letter, the senior citizens who had been actively raising money for the center and who worked with the Club  on a raffle in 1992, became upset because they thought the Club had reneged on its commitment to donate the money from the raffle (over $11,000) to the community center.  Letters were received from Bay Area Sunshine Club, "The Mainstreamers", and the   National Association of Retired Federal Employees  regarding the $11,000.  President Maria responded to the letters stating that a meeting was scheduled August 27 at the Nassau Bay City Hall to discuss the issue.  In President Maria's own words "It was not until I met with members of the Senior Citizens Clubs on August 27, 1993 at the Nassau Bay City Hall that I realized the level of animosity the Senior Citizens had against the Rotary Club over this matter."  He summarized the project from approval in 1991 to  October 10, 1993  the date of the writing of the summary.  President Maria again summarized the events in a letter to Commissioner Fonteno dated December 21, 1993.  Read entire letter.  He clearly enumerated the following actions:
"On December 7, 1993 the Space Center Rotary Club Board of Directors raised the question about the Club's position concerning the proposed Clear Lake/ Bay Area Community Center. In response, the following was submitted as a summary of actions taken by the Space Center Rotary Club and the office of County Commissioner Jim Fonteno since early 1993.
a. On  March  17,  1993  Commissioner  Fonteno  canceled the  initial agreement  between  Space  Center  Rotary  Club  and  Commissioner  Fonteno concerning the Community Center project.
b. Commissioner Fonteno agreed that when he has specific information about when and where the Community Center is to be built, he will then submit a new proposal for the consideration of the Space Center Rotary Club Board of Directors.
c. The Space Center Rotary Club has deposited the eleven thousand seven hundred eighty dollars and fifty-three cents ($11,780.53), raised through a car raffle, in the Club's Endowment Foundation account.
d. The above funds will remain in the Endowment Fund account and can only be removed from this account by the approval of the Space Center Rotary Club's Board of Directors.
e. Commissioner Jim Fonteno had no objection to the above handling of the funds raised.
f. The Space Center Rotary Club plans to take no further action in this matter until it hears from Commissioner Fonteno."
(Note from Historian 2009:  See photos of the
Center, the major contributors, and the Space Center Rotary nameplate taken in October 2010).
 
The most emotional event of the year was the formal dedication of the Space Center Rotary Club memorial marker at Cap Landolt Park. Many family members of deceased Space Center Rotarians were in attendance and expressed their heartfelt appreciation to the club for holding this event. The first formal memorial dedication service for the deceased members was held at the deceased member
monument at the "Cap" Landolt Pavilion in Clear Lake Park.  The service was held during a regular Club meeting April 25 and families of  the deceased members named on the monument were invited to attend.  Read more in the May 16 Blastoff , MEMORIAL DEDICATION SERVICE.

Hilmar Zeissig was invited to Evanston, Illinois by The Rotary Foundation as a consultant for drafting Rotary’s new GSE guidelines.  He was also  District 5890 GSE Chairman.

The Club was actively involved in the "Project Free Enterprise" .  Rotarians from Poland came to the Club to get a first hand look at how we operate in the U.S.A.  View a photo of the Club's   The Freedom Team   celebrating their successful visit to Poland.  visit to Poland.  "Dr. Taylor is definitely an idea man, who not only conceives and develops those ideas but is successful in having his rotary club adopt and pursue those programs to their proper conclusion" was the quote from Lucy Eisenhower in regard to The Freedoms Foundation At Valley Forge  award to Club member Dr. David Taylor.  Read more in an article  from the November 15 Blastoff and view the program.  Read request for information on seminar.

The Career Development Committee initiated a pilot project involving Clear View Alternative High School formerly at-risk students with careers.  If the programs successful, other high schools in the area will be added.  Committee members introduced Vocational Internship Program, VIP, students to the community through visits to local businesses, industries, professional organizations; and attendance at Space Center Rotary Club meetings and functions.  This program not only served as a tremendous incentive for as risk students to complete high school, but it also helped them become productive citizens.  Read more in the March 21 Blastoff,  ROTARIANS HELP STUDENTS WITH CAREERS.  A banquet was held May 9 at Space Center Intermediate to recognize these students' success in staying in school. overcoming their problems, and earning an diploma.  Matt Deskins, Tracey Parker, and Truong Ngo, who attained VIP status, each received $400.  Read more in the May 16 Blastoff, ROTARIANS SPONSOR BANQUET.

The Club was treated to a tour of Australia by the 1994 Group Study Exchange team.   This team of men and women from Australia presented a highly professional pictorial visit to their homeland. Each member, in turn, spoke with great fondness of their memories and personal experiences. From Wombats to Kiwi, we shared a bit of their lives.  Picture and more information in the May 16 
Blastoff.

The Club hosted the annual International Youth weekend on April 7-10, 1994.  Over 80 young people from 19 different countries attended, including inbound students, American outbound students, and other American students interested in learning about youth exchange.  Countries represented at the banquet were: USA, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, Hungary, Turkey, Rumania, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Philippines, South. Africa, and Morocco. Read more in the April 25
Blastoff, INTERNATIONAL YOUTH BANQUET. View picture of Alan Wylie and Mary Allen Wylie with two exchange students.   President Maria's noted in his letter to the District 5890 Governor Weseman the following activities:
   Travel to Tulsa for seven State Exchange Conference
   Support trip to East Texas to expose exchange students to small town USA.
   Sponsor and furnish $100 per month to Exchange Student from Holland.
This was the 9th year which the Club was actively involved with the International Youth Exchange Program.  Alan Wylie was Chairman of District 5890 Long Term International Youth Exchange.

The Club continued (second year) the Three Wishes for Christmas program which fulfilled Christmas wishes for children in the protective service of Harris and Brazoria Counties. These wishes were for youngsters up to 18 years of age, who are in special homes and institutions.  These children are not in Children Protective Services' care for things that they have done but for abuse or neglect, done to them by parents and others.  This year the Club purchased 12 bicycles for this program. Just imagine the happiness of these children when they awoke on Christmas morning to find their name on one of these bicycles.  A
note by President Maria discusses the program in more detail.  See a photo journey
on bikes that cover from 1992-2003.

The Club was actively involved with Hope Village, an organization which provided a resident and meanful work for the mentally challenged.  Their primary work was making ceramics.  President Maria and his wife Norma received a
certificate of Honorary Membership to Hope Village Parent’s Group for their involvement with the Village.  They often would carry lunch to the Village, eat with residents, and just spend time with them.  They had many parties with them and even helped take them to Rotary Night Out at the Astros.  An article in the June 14, 1993 Blastoff relates how the Space Center Women of Rotary started giving birthday parties to the residents.  President Maria related a story as how he was visiting the village and saw one of the rest room’s door taped up to prevent a person from entering.  He inquired about it and found that the commode was not working.  Being frugal, he sought a good used one, and found it.  The problem was that it had no seat.  Knowing that the Club’s members were like him and someone probably had a good seat in the garage at home, he solicited help.  Sure enough Terry Hesson had a seat, a Texas Longhorn seat.  In fact Terry gave President Maria 2 seats which he installed on both of the commodes.  You can see President Maria in deep thought on how to install the seat.  View a photo gallery  of pictures of the residents and President Maria and Norma.  

The November 15 Blastoff has an article on the C.L.E.A.R. (Clean Living, Encouragement, and Responsibility) program which kicked off Red Ribbon week at the Club meeting November 8.  Rotarians first heard about the C.L.E.A.R. program in February 1991 when Brad Bailey, Ryan Mossman, and Sean Granere (view photo) were just starting C.L.E.A.R.  and spoke to the Club members about the program.

An Interact Club was formed at Clear View Alternative High School. This was the first year in action for the Clear View Club and it turned out to be a wonderful club. The club was originally the idea of Ten Hernandez who passed the idea on to Tim Kropp, chairman of the Space Center Rotary Interact Committee. Bill Davidson was Rotary sponsor and Joe Coen the faculty sponsor.  Read more in the December 20, Blastoff, INTERACT.

An 
write up in the October 18, Blastoff  was about Luis Rodriguez, one of the patients selected by the Club's sister club in Mexico City (Aeropuerto Rotary Club) to have corrective procedures performed under the World Heath Committee program. This is the 10th year of the program.  

President Maria and his wife Norma sponsored and were host for a young Palestinian girl who was severely burned and who received treatment by Dr. Fustok at the St. John's Hospital in the City of Nassau Bay, Texas.  Her name was Narimann Farrah.  The Maria's have keep in touch with her since she came to the United States in April 8, 1991 when she underwent reconstructive surgery. (Note: Historian 2009.  The Maria's continued in touch in 2009.  View a  
photo gallery   of her starting at the age of 5 through about 2009.  The Maria's also received a Christmas card  in about 2005 from Narimann). A very comprehensive article by Lisa Barley tells the story of Narimann, the injury, and how she was brought in contact with President Maria and Norma.  President Maria initiated the process by contacting   Steve Sosebee at that time an American free lance writer who covered the West Bank and Gaza Strip in Israel.

It was a very cold day in November when President Maria and Bill Yarbrough went to a ranch in outside of Houston to get 50 geese.  They were to be given to the Interfaith Caring Ministries for Thanksgiving.  Upon arriving, only about half of the 50 geese had been killed, so the rancher went off, shot the remaining geese and bought them back to the ranch.  Originally the cleaning and packaging of the geese was to be done at local catholic Church, but plans changed and the geese were cleaned outside a meat market on Kirby Road in Seabrook.  What President Maria remembered most about the day that it was very cold.  After President Maria and Bill Yarbrough cleaned the geese, the meat market cut them up and packaged them for delivery to Interfaith Caring Ministries.  Visit the occasion in
photos.

The Club awarded Drug Essay Scholarships to three high school seniors.  Read more in the June 13   Blastoff,   This was the 6th year for the drug essay program.

Several activities noted by President Maria in his letter to District 5890 Governor Weseman on the accomplishments of the Club were as follows: donated $5,000 to the Bay Area Turning Point, a new facility in the area to help and house battered women; assisted "Hope Village" in selling their ceramics; worked with the children of "Hope Village" at least weekly, brought them gifts and goodies, and took  them to functions; and collected and donated a large amount of eye glasses for the District 5890 eye program in Mexico;and  initiated a drive to get as many members as possible to fill out cards to become organ donors. In preparation of the program, Dr. Michael Debakey, world renowned heart specialists, and a  heart transplant recipient spoke to the Club.  The Club also initiated a program to record the blood type of each member in case of a need for a specific blood type.  The Club collected bath toiletries from their travels and provided them to Bay Area Turning Point.   Gene Oley worked with the manager of Linen N Things to get overstocked, damaged, and discontinued items which were given to Saint Bernadette Catholic Church for distribution to the community.

President Maria and his wife Norma visited the sister Club of Aeropuerto, Mexico City, Mexico and exchanged plans and ideas.  View a picture of President Maria and wife Norma and  the equipment furnished by the Women of Rotary in the Aero Puerto Rotary Club in Mexico City.  View photos of the Maria's trip to Mexico.

The Club added  17   Paul Harris Fellows    bringing the total to 194 since the first recorded Paul Harris Fellow in 1973.

The 85nd Rotary International Convention was held at Taipel, Taiwan June 12-15, 1994.  There were 31,161 in attendance.  President Elect David Taylor from Space Center Rotary Club, Houston attended.

District 5890  Conference was  held May 12-14, 1994 in Lafayette, Louisiana.  The Cover for the conference's program and words  in the program from Governor Weseman can be viewed by clicking on the underlined words.

The Rotary National Award for Space Achievement (RNASA) Foundation presented Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge with the 1994 National Space Trophy at the 8th annual stellar banquet held at the Hyatt Regency Houston, Texas.  The front cover of the 1994 Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Program can be viewed by clicking on 1994 RNASA Program .  The names of the members of the 1994 RNASA Foundation  can be viewed by clicking on 1994 RNASA Foundation .  The real RNASA Board can be seen in this photo.

President Maria's closing
remarks.

President Maria  approved the history for Rotary 1993-94 and it was placed in archives October 2010. 

 




 


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