Rotary Log, for October 12, 2017
Could not have been a more beautiful autumn day. What made it even more beautiful were the bright, shining faces at the check-in table. They do an outstanding job, week in and week out. They are also the first sense of Rotary you get for the day. Thank you all who work the greeting table!
New member Maddie was today’s greeter and with her greeting, the Rotary meeting just kept getting better! The prayer was given, eloquently, by Dave Holden.
Your scribe could not write fast enough to keep up with all the announcements. But here's a shot: Priscilla is looking for turkey cookers (she cannot be talking about Thanksgiving already, can she??)...
District governor Dave announced that The 2018 Rotary Summit is at the Mount Washington Hotel May 4-6, 2018... Check out the club runner app on your smart phone to get your Rotary contacts directly on your phone... Sara Treacy seeks soup kitchen volunteers for Tuesday, October 31...
Neal announced the upcoming poetry hoot, so get your poems ready. They are looking for some original stuff!
Our esteemed Emperor (as he has privately indicated he would like to be addressed) experienced a first. He got to present his initial Paul Harris Fellow to one of the most deserving guys in the club. We learned a lot (maybe too much) about our newest Paul Harris Fellow. For example, he used to work in a "gentleman's club.” He was also employed at a 24 hour convenience store, was a Patrick Dempsey stand in and likes to skydive. Our Emperor pointed out, "his extreme good looks make him irresistible."
No, the newest Paul Harris fellow is not John Lyons. Don't get ahead of yourself. Our newest Paul Harris Fellow has been on a whole host of volunteer organizations. Some of these include the Rockingham Planning Commission, Share Our Strength organization and Big Brother/Big Sister. As a Rotarian he is a "do-er” with a passion for contributing substantially to community betterment. Our newest Paul Harris Fellow, as you have probably already guessed, is Leo Gagnon.
“All of it is true,” Leo said as he accepted the honor “Especially the good looks".
"You do things not expecting recognition,” he added, “but it's nice to get it."
Congratulations to the most deserving newest Paul Harris Fellow!
THE PROGRAM
Our speakers were introduced by fellow Rotarian and Plymouth State University alum Wayne Semprini. They were Dr. Donald Birx, President of the university and Dr. Robyn Parker, Dean of the Business School.
Plymouth State University has embarked on a new mission. The school endeavors to break down barriers between inside the University and the World outside. They do this through seven “integrated clusters” representing the core strengths of the University and the New England region. Integrated clusters pull together the unique strengths across disciplines from the community, the University, and regional businesses and nonprofits. They complement core competencies within the university and sectors of global opportunity.
On June 6, 2017, the Wall Street Journal gave PSU prestigious recognition. The University was listed among the top schools in America for students to learn key critical thinking skills. Skills that prepare them to enter careers as leaders in their chosen field. The front page story detailed how US colleges need to teach their students how to think.
According to the article and the statistics cited in the story, Plymouth State University ranks number one for critical thinking improvement. The June 6 report says that Plymouth far outpaces well known public institutions. This list includes schools like the University of Kentucky, the University of Texas, Ohio State University and The Citadel.
Impressive program and impressive University. We are fortunate to have such an institution in our state.
Respectfully submitted by Jonathan M Flagg
Photos by Sara Treacy
