Soundings (5/26/15)

Posted by G. Stowe Talbot 
on May 26, 2015
 
Flag Salute & Invocation by Doug Wight
 
Visiting Rotarians: None
 
Guests: Yvonne Goldsmith, Michael Tilley (PakMail), Nicole Burdock (Waddell and Reed)
 
Next week meeting & tour at Bellingham Cold Storage (BCS) 12-1:30pm.  Please go to 2825 Roeder Avenue, park across the street from the main gate at 12:00 or a few minutes before.  We will shuttle people into the facility, have lunch, talk about BCS, then walk the facility.
 
Student of the Month:  Karline Scheffer (mom Katarina Scheffer). Her Squalicum HS Counselor is Arimis Johnson. Karline is an honor student, coached middle schoolers in gymnastics, member of the interact club, leadership in orchestra, active in church and very diverse volunteer work.  She will be attending WWU to major in English to prepare to be a teacher. Her charity of choice was Brigadoon Youth & Service Dog Programs.
 
Calendar 
 
June 2nd lunch meeting and tour at Bellingham Cold Storage;
June 6-9 RI World Convention in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
June 30: Evening meeting at Northwood Hall “Changing of the Guard” dinner.
June: Bellingham Bells Baseball with Nick Caples (date TBA)
July 2, 5:30pm at Bellwether Hotel, Meeting of Past Presidents.
July 10: Terry Brown hosts Rotario dinner
July 16: Crab Feed at Vartanyan Estate Winery (1628 Huntley Road)
July 26: Brewers by the Bay
August 8: Gordon Plume’s Rotario Dinner.
 
 
Bucks in the Bay
  • Eddie Hansen for trip to Disneyworld with family;
  • Phil X Hageman Food Bank is substantially complete! Now officially retired from Pearson Construction, heading to Kona next week!
  • John Templeton kudos to all the volunteers in the S2S Parade and the competition, great for Bellingham and Whatcom!
  • Mike Werner closed on sale of his former house on Lake Samish, and closed on a his new house on Samish Hill.
  • Bryant Engebretson trip to Okanagan with some Napa wine industry people, was interrogated by customs officials at the border returning with few cases of wine;
  • Bill Geyer with several relatives soon shipping out to the military;
  • Mark Turner will be in Yakima for son’s wedding this coming weekend;
  • Mike Hammes update and thank you everyone for the successful international service fundraising ($14K raised last week!) fully funding the overseas portion of our commitments.
  • Anna Williams great S2S weather thanks for the volunteers at S2S, 84 kegs of beer were consumed, Bham police ran the beer garden success!
  • Aaron Lemperes went to NASCAR racing on East Coast;
  • Marilyn Olson interviewed the Squalicum seniors, five scholarships were awarded!
  • Stan Dyer missed meetings, he and Carrie took Amtrak starlight to LA, then took train home again!
Sergeant at Arms by Flo Simon.
Fines for Bob Becker, Curt Smith, Eddie, and some others.
 
Long Program 
Post Commander James Desterhouse talked about the local VFW Post 1585 which he runs.  James served in Iraq 2003-4 as part of first response team and computer specialist. Then returned after duty to Fort Lewis, then took the post here in Bellingham.  James joined the military after high school, trained at Fort Benning, then came out to WA State in the Striker Battalion.  His specialty was basically as a computer geek for the military.  See the Facebook page for VFW Post 1585 here:  http://www.bellinghambayrotary.com/#sthash.tiXaBcKf.dpuf 
James volunteers for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and many other youth organizations.  They keep a handle on the local vet issues, individually and as group.
His mission is also to change the face of the VFW to be more representative of younger vets.  Four years ago the local VFW almost closed its doors, but funding and volunteers have improved and the post is now going strong. Anna Williams volunteers a bartender at VFW. Current membership is about 340 paid active members.
 
Respectfully submitted, 
Stowe Talbot