March 13, 2024
Reporter: John Vineyard
Wednesday’s meeting:South Sudanese Partners; Gertrude Noden, coordinator
“Youth Empowerment Tailoring Project”
COLTIVARE and on Zoom
WELCOME & TRADITIONS
NOTE: you can watch previous meetings by going to our YouTube channel!
“Les Six” President Geoff Dunn called the meeting to order and led all attendees in the Four-Way Test. Geoff then took note of the number of days past and to come: 72 days since the beginning of 2024; 6 days to the start of spring; 99 days until summer; and 109 days until the end of the current Rotary year.
Our sole guest was Wendy Hammond, guest of Ivy Stevens-Gupta. And we had one visiting Rotarian: Ed Pasto, guest of Linda Pasto.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
New member Ron Van Ormer cited quotes from four women, in honor of Women’s History Month:
- To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. ~ Audrey Hepburn
- I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose, I would always greet it in a garden. ~ Ruth Stout
- Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat. ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder
- In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. ~ Margaret Atwood
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Geoff Dunn shared that an American Red Cross blood drive was held at the Unitarian church on Thursday, March 14th.
Kelly Buck reminded everyone that she was stepping down from the annual Rotary Road Rally and was concerned about identifying a successor in time to organize the August event. Mary Berens and Jean McPheeters volunteered to pick up this responsibility!- Aly Evans shared that Foodnet/Meals on Wheels is seeking eight Rotarians to volunteer for the May 1st Mac ‘N Cheese Bowl to distribute “I voted” stickers. To volunteer, email aevans@gmail.com. Other volunteers are needed, too, for the 4:30–7 PM event.
- Paul Martin spoke for the Youth Support & Engagement committee, announcing that thank-you cards were passed around for signing to thank the first set of Rotary host families.
- Todd Nau spoke on work at the latest ReUse sorting party; $1,414 value was booked, with $360 of that going to Rotary. He asked for more volunteers for Tuesdays (10 AM–1 PM) and Saturdays (10:30 AM–1:30 PM).
Ravi Walsh for the Membership Engagement & Support committee: We now have an Interact Club forming at the New Roots School; we are also planning to hold an evening Rotary gathering at Northstar Public House (date and time to follow).- Juliet Gibbs is encouraging us to show our Rotary pride and increase Rotary visibility in our community! The club has a limited supply of Rotary decals for sale at $4 each. If you wish to buy one or more, please contact Juliet at jkg46@cornell.edu or let her know at a club meeting. The decals are clear, vinyl static-clings for inside window applications featuring the Rotary Masterbrand Signature logo and measuring 7.5 inches wide by 3.75 inches tall.
Sherrie Negrea introduced a new member of the club: Nancy Goldberg from Trumansburg. Nancy discussed some of her activities with over 50 years working with students; she is happy to be here.
LAST WEEK’S PROGRAM
Mike Brown introduced fellow Rotarian Larry Baum, who spoke about general aviation and the East Hill Flying Club, along with some of his flying exploits.
There has been an Ithaca airport since at least 1916, owned by the Thomas Morse Aircraft Corporation that built airplanes for World War I on South Hill—mainly the Thomas Morse Scout. Other early events were the silent film “A Romance in the Air,” made in Ithaca in 1918, and Amelia Earhart’s visit in 1932. The East Hill Flying Club was founded in 1952 with 8 members; it now has over 150 members and eight instructors. The club’s fleet is dominated by Cessnas (152s and 172s).
Larry said that he began flying in 1974 after purchasing 1/3 of an airplane. Along the way, he joined EHFC. Over the years, he has owned six different planes. He described the changes in general aviation since then and how the technology is entirely different now. With today’s GPS you now know where you are within 10-12 feet—and you know where the other aircraft are as well as where the weather is. You can see rain and convective activity, although turbulence not so much. Flying is now safer!
Larry showed photos of various trips to Alaska, Cuba, Harbor Island in the Bahamas, and other locations, and noted the number and variety of interesting people you meet when you fly. When asked how long it takes to learn to fly, he said that the minimum time would be about three months, while the average is about a year.
Flying in The Bahamas Flying next to Denali
East Hill Flying Club Cessnas
3 photos from Larry Baum
UPCOMING SPEAKERS
03/20 South Sudanese Partners; Gertrude Noden, coordinator, “Youth Empowerment
Tailoring Project”
03/27 Matthew Bull, Baden-Powell Council BSA Executive; Stacy Hall, Taughannock
District Executive, “The Boy Scouts of America: Not Just Boys, But Still
Scouting after 114 Years”
THANK YOU ROTARIANS
Newsletter Reporter: John Vineyard
Program Chair: Mike Brown (March)
Photographer: Mike Brown
Greeter: Heidi Goldstein
Newsletter Editor: Loralyn Light
Setup/Teardown: Steve Johnson, Todd Nau
Cashier/Kettle Watcher: Gary Reinbolt
Audio/Visual Setup: Bez Thomas, Mike Brown
Recording Archive: Paul Martin; click
hereClub Service Facilitator: June Losurdo
