Rotary Log July 30, 2020
Resident Quipmeister President Jon began with a characteristic comic rejoinder.
“I’m Jon Flagg and welcome to the only Rotary club in the world where we are led by one Flagg,” he offered, “and salute another one.”
Gretchen Greene, this year's recipient of the Jeremy Alex Scholarship. did a nice delivery of the National Anthem. John Rice followed with another simple, yet sublime, invocation.
We were saddened to hear that Linda Clapp recently lost her husband.
There were several announcements, proving that not even a corona virus can slow our club down. Marie Brownell gave an update on October’s Golf Tournament at the Pease course. She asked interested Rotarians to reach out to her to help. In particular, a number of sponsors are needed.
A hands-on project is in the development phase. This time the leader is a constant presence at these kinds of projects, the indominable Mark Lorusso!
Ted Alex wants us to know that he has scheduled two charters on the Alexandria. August 5th will be a fishing trip for six and on August 12th he’ll host a scenic cruise around the Isles of Shoals for eight. Both are on a first-come basis for the low, low Rotary price of $35 per person. That doesn’t even cover the cost of fuel.
Jon’s features
My job in Rotary
This week’s interview featured Club Secretary Lindsey. The Secretary’s job is a demanding one. Lindsey brings to the task great organizational skills and the capacity to maintain patience despite the idiosyncrasies of the President in charge. Lindsey sends out communications, handles agenda and meeting minutes, tracks attendance, and takes on a myriad of other loose ends. Lindsey subtly reminded us who is really in charge.
Meet this Rotarian
This is another new, and well-received feature of Jon’s year. Today he interviewed Nicole Clark. Meet Nicole yourself by logging on to the Zoom recording, which you will find in the weekly club bulletin.
The Historical Minute
Ian offered up another well-researched piece of Rotary history, this the story behind the Four-Way Test. Who knew that the Test was created in 1932 by a Herbert Taylor? Or that Taylor was hired to rescue a company from bankruptcy in the throes of the Great Depression? And that it was originally a Seven-Way Test?
Today’s Speaker- Jim Splaine Assistant Mayor
Councilor Splaine offered up a bit of Rotary history himself. He first addressed our club in 1970, when he was the youngest serving member on the Council. Today, some 50 years hence, he is the oldest, but certainly looking or sounding no worse for wear.
The issues 50 years ago sound familiar today. There were needs for a downtown post office and plans to improve Prescott Park. Further, Portsmouth needed to increase housing stock, provide more parking and address pothole repair.
Today the Covid19 crisis looms large. Mr. Splaine spoke about the newly formed Citizens Response Task Force. He further praised two of its members present on this Zoom meeting- John Tabor and James Petersen.
To date, task force subcommittees have tackled ways to support our struggling hospitality industry. They have launched initiatives to make city streets accessible for outdoor dining and shopping. Another effort underway is the creation of Pop-Up NH, an outdoor venue at the Bridge Street parking lot. That group hopes to host a smorgasbord of food and beverage, merchandise, and entertainment purveyors.
Finally, a third sub-committee has been formed to advise the city on the health ramifications of the virus. Some suggestions include wearing of face masks, social distancing, and tracking of positive cases. All these efforts are supported financially by Federal funding under the CARES Act.
Assistant Mayor Splaine is very interested in how Portsmouth citizens would like the Council to address this health crisis, which is not expected to go away soon. He can be reached at 727-466-3546.
Respectfully submitted, Neal Ouellett
Photos by Don Chick
