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Rotary Log for Meeting of July 13, 2007 By Madeline Warren Photos by Sara Treacy President Ben opened the first of many meetings to come in his administration. Guests and visiting Rotarians were welcomed; among them was Sam Asano, inventor of the fax machine. (No kidding—he did!) Also on hand was Chase Hagman with the Concord Coalition and Peg Millar’s grandson, William. What better way is there to start a Rotary meeting than a good gamble? Walter Liff auctioned off four Red Sox tickets donated by the very generous District Governor Dave Underhill. All proceeds will be donated to the Foundation. Congratulations to Steve Knize who won the auction. Go Sox! Weekly announcements. Dave Holden announced there will be a speakers’ committee meeting this week. Susan Gold shared all the exciting updates the communication committee has added to the website. Among the changes are an updated executive board list, committee list, and Rotary in the news tab. Thanks communication committee! Bill Hurley told us all about the great things Crutches 4 Africa has been doing lately. A special thanks goes out to John Bohenko and the City of Portsmouth for their help. The committee has been making trips to Biddeford to deliver the donated medical supplies. Recently, seven wheelchairs were donated to the program, two of which were needed locally. It is wonderful to see Crutches 4 Africa helping local residents as well as the international community. Read the press release written by Susan Gold about Crutches 4 Africa on our website. Also, thank you to Joe Cunningham who organized everything in the distribution trailer. Bill reminded us that all donations are tax deductible. There is a list of drop off locations on the website. Lastly, the Crutches 4 Africa needs more committee members. The Salvation Army team is also looking for more members. Last week the team served 50 residents stuffed peppers and pulled pork. Sounds delicious! Justin Finn may not be the inventor of the fax machine, but he did invent a bad joke last week! All that aside, the Cross Country 5k Race and one mile track event is happening at Portsmouth High School on August 3rd. Thank you to our sponsors who generated $9,000 dollars. Dennis Moulton reminds us we still need volunteers for the race. President Ben and Joanie Dickinson then gave away very special recognitions to two deserving individuals. Joanie presented Portsmouth High School teacher and Interact advisor Doreen George with a “Distinguished Service Award.” Doreen George, known to Interact students as “Mama G,” was caught by utter surprise and gratitude. “These students are amazing,” Doreen said. “I am blessed to have them in my life”. Holding back tears, Joanie then surprised former Interact student Colleen McDonough with a Paul Harris award. Colleen graduated PHS in June. She has been a member of Interact all four years and served on the Executive Board for three. This year Colleen served as the club’s president. She has volunteered for everything from Christmas tree sales to the monthly soup kitchen. “We wouldn’t be Interact without Rotary,” Colleen said. Both she and Doreen received standing ovations. Guest Speaker. Dave Holden introduced this week’s guest speaker, N.H. Representative Robert Renny Cushing. Representative Cushing spoke about the history of the New Hampshire State House. On June 2, 2019, the venerable building will celebrating its 200th birthday. Interestingly, the State House used to be in Portsmouth located in what is now Market Square. In 1808 the State House needed to move inland for fear of intruders coming by sea. The proposed move prompted a bidding war between several New Hampshire towns. Concord was ultimately chosen as the best place. The new State House cost a whopping $82,000 dollars to build. The stone from which it is made came from Concord’s Rattlesnake Hill. It was cut by prisoners. “The building may be anchored in history but it is still very much alive” Renny said. July 18th, 2018 will mark the bi-centennial celebration of the 1818 construction and the “toast to the eagle.” New Hampshire may have been one of the last states to build a state house but it is here to stay. Renny also spoke about getting younger generations involved by creating an essay contest for kids. Tours of the State House are available for anyone seeking more information about its history and legacy. Next week’s program will be Mr. Matt Mayberry. He will be speaking about mental illness and its impact on society and veterans. Have a wonderful week! Respectfully submitted, Madeline Warren |
