The meeting was called to order by Pres. Eric Bubb shortly after noon. He began by reporting that he was just informed that President-elect nominee Jared Campbell was part of the group that left on the last flight out of the old Kansas City International terminals and was on the first flight returning to our new terminal.
Next up was a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a very thoughtful invocation by Jessica Stewart and a group sing-song of the Birthday Song, led by vocalist Tom Woolwine and his trusty piano player, Carl Bolte.
After Club guests were welcomed, we noted Club anniversaries for Evie Craig, 20 years; Lisa Hickok, 8 years; and Leslie Gasser, 8 years.
Pres. B. reported that Carl DiCapo recently had a fall and after a stay in the hospital, he will be moving soon to an assisted living facility. If you'd like to reach out to him, you can use his current address in the membership directory, and correspondence will be forwarded to him. He'd love to hear from you.
Pres. B. introduced our newest member, Cara Hu. She works in the software investments field. Her parents live in China. She’s an accomplished runner, having recently completed 2 marathons. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, and had experience with the Rotary and Rotaract Clubs there. (Sounds like some of that Rotary DNA there..)
Announcements included:
No meeting on March 9, join a lunch and learn at the Black Archives. See Buzzsaw for details and to sign up.
No meeting on April 27 (NBA draft in town)
District Conference, Apr. 28/29, sign up for a dinner at Camp.
April 1 – Sleep in Heavenly Peace Build Day, we need about 20 volunteers, (as usual, see the Buzzsaw.)
Pres. B. introduced the speaker for the day, one David King. At this point the reader of this report should be aware that the report has been prepared by one of the Club’s report writers, one David King. Yes, the same David King who is the topic of the report. If that doesn’t raise concerns about the report’s veracity, I don’t know what could. So, here goes:
Several months ago, the original intent of this report was, since Bro. King has an aviation background, he should be just the guy to tell us about the coming new KCI airport terminal. He suggested that the report might be more relevant if it was prepared after the new terminal opened. So, since that opening happened exactly 2 days ago, the time was here.
Further muddying the water was the fact that the local area has been deluged in the last couple of weeks by all the local media – newspapers, TV, and the Internet – with information about the new terminal. So what could this reporter bring to the table? Answer: Given that the new terminal is pretty impressive, why is it that Bro. King is so infatuated with it? Could it have something to do with his background in aviation?
Therefore, with numerous photos of various flying machines, he told war stories about their contributions to his growing love of all things aeronautical. It comes as no surprise that his admiration for the new terminal is over the top. Unfortunately, he did not adequately monitor the time and got carried away with his war stories. Thus, there was little time left to talk about the new terminal. So, let me conclude by saying that in Bro. King’s mind, the new terminal is an absolutely beautiful creation (but not without some flaws), and it will make a major contribution to the growth of airline service to the KC area and our image in the minds of people and businesses throughout the country.
The Rotary meeting, exhausted, closed with the 4 way test and the following quote: “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one.” John Lennon
**A special note about last week's meeting from Carl Bolte: Some airport connections involving Kansas City Rotarians - Lou Holland, who was a member at the same time as Carl Bolte Sr., was an instigator of putting the Downtown Airport in KC. The airport, named the Wheeler Airport, is named after another Club 13 Rotarian (and former mayor) Charlie Wheeler.
Also, our thanks and recognition to David King for his service during the Korean and Vietnam wars.