Nearly 70 members attended this week’s Zoom meeting. The social hour discussion included the following topics:

• How to pronounce the name “Avrakotos.”
• End Polio Now and the “pints to polio fundraising event.
• Other assorted fundraising events.
• Rappelling down buildings.

We also welcomed new member Spencer Symington to the club.

Lori took control of the meeting at 12:30 pm, and as always, admonished us all to mute ourselves, check in via chat, and make sure our little squares have our proper names. After brief salutation from President Susan, Tom Strode launched into the Star-Spangled Banner.

Rosemary Rowney’s inspiration cautioned us against missed opportunities. She urged us to not miss our opportunity to eradicate polio. Joanne Pierson’s musical interlude was a stirring rendition by the West L.A. Children’s Choir of Michael Jackson’s Heal the World.

After the musical interlude, Susan gave a remembrance of U-M Professor Emeritus Mal Lowther, a long-time member of our club, who passed away on October 7. He was a multiple Paul Harris Fellow and was awarded Emeritus status in 2015. Mal earned a PhD in education in 1961. His teaching and research focus was on curriculum theory in the area of higher and adult education. He retired in 1995.  Mal volunteered for years in the Ann Arbor schools as a student mentor and was also a peer counselor with Mended Hearts at the UM Hospital. He also tutored recent immigrants in English as a Second Language and in Sarasota, FL, where he and his wife, Joan Stark, spent winters, he taught a course for caregivers. A memorial service for Mal is tentatively planned for the afternoon of Nov. 19 at Nie Funeral Home on Carpenter Road. A moment of silence followed.

After a couple of announcements, Susan handed the virtual gavel to Joanne Peirson, immediate past president, to announce the slate of officer nominees for next year. They are:

• President: Mark Ouimet
• Secretary: Kathy Waugh
• Treasurer: Steve Pierce
• Directors:
  • Mary Avrakotos, Club Outreach
  • Jennifer Fike, Public Image
  • John Sepp, Youth Achievement
• Mark Foster, President-elect

Susan then reported that the board voted to admit six new members, including Eric Macke, Ellen Putney Moore, Spencer Symington, Mehmet Onder, Miriam Perry, Carlos Valderrama, and Brian Stenger (son of former president Len Stenger). Welcome, all!

After the announcement of this year’s virtual district gala, Rosemarie Rowney introduced some Rotary visitors and then Neil McBeth, our speaker. Neil is is past District 6400 Governor and now serves Rotary International as an End Polio Now Zone Coordinator.

Neil updated us on the progress that the End Polio Now program is making. As of October 21, 2021, there were only 2 cases of wild polio virus infections, one in Pakistan and one in Afghanistan. Since the program began in the 1980s, Rotarians have donated more than $1.1 billion, and the program has vaccinated more than 3 billion (yes billion) children.

The current plan is to interrupt transmission of wild poliovirus type 1 by 2023 and to certify the eradication of polio by 2026. Of course, to do this will require funds. Neil described how much is needed and the plans for reaching that amount.

We really are this close! Let’s stick with this and see it through.