President Mark rang in the last meeting of 2023 at 12:30. Tom Strode played our national anthem. Peg Talburtt read Edgar Guest’s poem “A Friend’s Greeting”. Joanne and Kathy Waugh stood in for Don Duquette and lead us in “Let There Be Peace On Earth”.

President Mark thanked the people who make the meetings run smoothly. Ben Bolen read a long list of birthdays for all Rotarians until we meet again on Jan 3, 2024.  Phil Klintworth was honored for 40 years of Rotary service. President Mark’s jokes limped out of 2023.

Dennis Burke offered New Year’s Resolutions on behalf of the Environmental Action Group. They will have bins for recycled electronics and plastics at the next several meetings.

Joanne Pierson announced that our offer to Catherine “Cat” Meyer to become our new Administrator has been accepted. Cat has a  long and impressive employment history.

Roy More shared pictures of Cocktails Among the Christmas Trees, a party to enjoy the fabulous Christmas Tree display prepared every year by Victoria Buckler. She and Bob offered the evening as part of the Golf and Pickleball Outing. The display was breathtaking, and the hors d’oeuvres prepared by the Auction Committee were plenty for dinner. The GPO event raises money to fund our club’s activities in the community.

The Veterans Hygiene project was a great success, with 25 Rotarians packing the personal care kits in half the allotted time. The Veterans appreciate the thoughtful gestures.

President Mark reminded us that Community Service Assessment dues are due by the end of this month.

President Mark also listed the few times lunch is free so people will know if they eat, they have to pay. Starting in January it will be mandatory to pay via credit card.

Notes from the Program

Our member, Captain Scott Bunnay, talked about the Naval ROTC program at Michigan. The program trains students to become officers in the navy and marine corps and includes students from Michigan and Eastern. Scott emphasized that it is the sailors doing the day to day work who make the force effective, not the officers. He presented a map showing the location of the naval bases and fleets around the world, noting that most of the work is projecting power, not fighting.

Scott listed the many ROTC scholarships that are available to interested students, noting that they can pay for up to four years undergraduate education. The time commitment of midshipmen is five to ten hours a week, much less than that expected of a varsity athlete. The program included some physical training, naval science classes and labs, drills, and leadership training. The program at Michigan is small which allows the faculty to really care about student success.

The next meeting is January10, 2024 and the speaker will be Patrick Smith, Director of Camping at North Star Reach.

President Mark closed the meeting with recitation of the Four Way Test.