Rotary Log for September 28, 2017
by Richard Greulich
Past President Dave Underhill made his first official visit as our District Governor. President Ben remarked that it was our largest crowd to greet a District Governor since Mort Schmidt served. That was back in 1992. Dave did not disappoint the multitudes!
Preliminaries were brief. President Ben led the pledge. No knees were bent. Apparently the NFL will need to look elsewhere for new recruits. Greeter Stan Cross tested us. Al Lantinen led in song. Dave Holden gave a nice invocation.
Tony Delyani donated four UNH football tickets. Walter Liff auctioned them off to a resident of his casino table.
Several guests were in attendance. No names were recorded. Your scribe was too busy attending to his honey-mustard chicken and marinated steak tips. Did we mention how delicious the lunch meal was?
Eleven Rotarian birthdays were noted. Their years of service ranged from one (Kevin Schultz) to 57 years (Art Cole).
Further announcements ensued. Joanie Dickinson is still looking for two volunteers to assist her with the Interact program. Cathy Nickerson thanked those Rotarians who helped at the recent Richie McFarland Touch-A-Truck event. Colleen Westcott heralded the next Rotary Fellowship gathering. Meet at the Atlantic Grill on Tuesday, October 3 at 5:30! Please RSVP to Colleen.
How do you introduce a guest speaker whom everyone already knows? Well, if you are as resourceful as President Ben, you quickly state the obvious. Then you focus on illuminating the unknown.
The obvious: Past President Dave Underhill served office in the 2013-2014 term. He has been a member of our club for 10 years. Before that, he belonged to a Vermont Rotary Club. His service is well known and appreciated.
The unknown: A new District Governor visits all the local clubs in the territory. On July 21, 2017, Dave and his wife, Linda, began their whirlwind tour. They visited 40 clubs in 57 days! The club meetings varied, but most were accompanied by a breakfast, lunch or dinner. According to President Ben’s calculations, the Underhill’s ingested a total of 54,380 Rotarian calories on their tour!
The crowd having been prepped, District Governor Dave Underhill stepped up to the microphone amid a standing ovation. He looked resplendent. Later he explained that he was wearing his official Governor’s jacket with all his various service pins.
For the next 20 minutes Dave was the Dave we have known, appreciated, admired and loved. His talk was knowledgeable about current Rotary activities. It embraced future opportunities, full of hope and infectious with enthusiasm. Dave focused on four topics.
1. Pyramid of Peace.
There are five elements of Rotary’s service activities. In broad terms they involve improvements in disease, clean water, maternal/child health, literacy and community development. Hopefully these build a pyramid culminating in the accomplishment of peace among peoples.
Every Rotary Club is engaged in a myriad of activities. Most of our members concentrate their energy and attention on these projects. Dave detailed how each of our own club’s activities fit into and support Rotary’s over-arching goals.
2. The Challenging Aspect of Maintaining Membership
With self-deprecatory humor, Dave remarked that in the three years since his presidency membership has exploded. Some 39 new folks have joined. But the constant ebb and flow of attrition has resulted in a net gain of 18. The point being that to maintain membership levels requires each of us to become Rotary ambassadors. Dave further notes that the best way to introduce people to Rotary is through our service projects.
3. Rotary Foundation Bequests
Dave advocates that a Rotary Foundation bequest be included in each member’s will. He also added that he hopes the Foundation wouldn’t be cashing in those bequests anytime soon!
4. Hurricane Relief
Rotary’s hurricane relief efforts are still in the early stages. Rotary concentrates on medium-term recovery projects. Reliance is placed on the local clubs identifying the real needs.
Dave concluded his talk by showcasing a new scroll hanging on the wall behind the podium. It was emblazoned with the title “Home Club Banner for the District Governor.” Our club will proudly display this scroll for the duration of Dave’s term.
As thanks, President Ben presented Dave with a bucket of cheese followed up by the promise of a year’s supply! And, of course, Dave received a treasured Portsmouth Rotary Club pen.
Respectfully submitted, Richard Greulich
