Rotateller Rotary Club of Owego, NY
Tuesday, August 21, 2007 Gary Williams, Editor

Happiness is a by-product of an effort to make someone else happy. Gretta Brooker Palmer

VISITOR/GUEST:

Jim Ebbers was back from Iowa and he brought his son, Mike who lives in Owego.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jan Rathke

MUSIC:

Carl and Carole (who has a new piano) led us in “The More We Get Together”

FINES:

Paul had everyone fine themselves, which worked out very well

THANKS TO JUDY, OWEGO ROTARY IS GETTING RECOGNITION IN THE MEDIA!

THE PLANTINGS AROUND THE “WELCOME TO OWEGO” SIGNS MAKE A DIFFERENCE THAT I NOTICE EVERY TIME I GO PAST

TASTE OF TIOGA:

Maria announced the program which sounds like something we will all want to attend.

Highlights of the Owego Rotary Club August board meeting:

• Another "invite a new member" meeting will be set up by the Membership Committee soon.
• About 10% of the annual raffle money has been turned in so far.
• The club will pay the cost for members to attend the Foundation and Membership Workshop to be held in Sidney on Saturday September 29th. This includes breakfast and lunch. Sign up with Carolyn Wright. There will be carpooling.
• Owego Rotary will participate in the Tioga Business Show again this year, if the price is as affordable as in past years. The final decision will be made using the computer list serve. The show will be held October 4th.
• We may participate in the Pumpkin Festival if there is support from key club members and the Interact Clubs. Further information will be coming soon.
• Our District Governor, Dave Reynolds, will be coming to visit Owego Rotary on September 11th this year.

REMINDER: If you have not paid your dues yet, please send at least the first quarter payment of $32.

The Foundation Dinner will be held on October 23.

The Club’s Christmas trip this year will be to Lancaster, PA

PLANNING COMMITTEE:

There will be a meeting on September 6, at the Wright’s house starting at 5:00 PM.

YOUTH SERVICES:

Our Club Assembly was a summary of all that is being done under Youth Services. Due to the efforts of a number of people, our Club has done very well in this area for years and has been doing even more and better in recent years with Laura at the head of the committee of Al, Carl, Deb, Maria Dixson, Judy, Matt, Fred Strauss, Tom Westcott, Tim, and Carolyn Wright. While I listened I was both proud and feeling guilty that I don’t contribute more to these efforts and to the students. I hope that those who were not in attendance today will get copies of Laura’s hand-outs.

We will not have a gathering of the students here next year since we are hosting the District Conference in May. There is only so much that we can do. We have two Interact Clubs. Most Clubs in 7170 do not have any.

THE PICNIC WILL BE IN TWO WEEKS!

50/50 Jim Ebbers

Molly Brown: Unraveling the Myth by Kristen Iversen After visiting the Molly Brown house in Denver, I decided to find out more about this very interesting lady. I recommend the book for the story about Margaret Brown and also what it has to say about the time period of her life. Since I am not going to summarize the book, I have included a few excerpts to whet your appetite.

“During a single watch, the Titanic would consume close to 100 tons of coal.” This is why Winston Churchill converted the British Navy to oil prior to WW I. Ships could only fight for 3 days on a full load of coal. (And this started much of the trouble in the Middle East).

“Narrative structures reflect our attempts to make sense out of seemingly nonsensical situations. Yet the way in which we as a culture tell our stories also reflects the fears, phobias, and uppermost concerns of the times, explicitly or implicitly.” “The legends that grew around certain Titanic personalities not only worked to obscure or at least temper the real human tragedy but allowed us to continue to fall back on familiar, conventional stereotypes that obfuscated the substantial social, political, and economic changes that were occurring on both British and American culture.”

“In 1847 a law had been passed in Missouri making it illegal to teach, ‘Negroes’ or ‘mulattos’ to read or write.”

“From Denver it was nearly a full day’s train ride to Leadville, which had suddenly become the fastest-growing city in the country.”

“At that time childbearing – regardless of location – was a potentially life-threatening experience and was particularly perilous in remote mining communities. Twenty-six percent of all women born in Colorado in 1890 were dead by 1910 – a significant percentage dying in childbirth.”

“Only 20% of American women were in the paid labor force, including factory workers, maids, cooks, laundresses, and nurses. Factory work for women generally paid $5 or $6 per week; household help was sometimes paid as low as $2 per week, or room and board only. In Denver around the turn of the century, the average salary for domestic help was $6 to $7 per week plus room and board.”

“Colorado had the highest coal mine fatality rate in the world.”

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