Our Speakers this week are Erik Cempel and Marshall Schmitt from Rotary Club One. They will be giving us an update on the Paul Harris Home project.
Erik Cempel, PE, PMP, has been a member of the Rotary Club of Chicago for 10 years. He is focused on having a measurable impact on the community, particularly in education. Erik has served as Programs Chair, on the International Service Committee, and as JOB1 Business Relations lead for our Club’s jobs and scholarships program for Chicago’s disadvantaged youth.
Erik joined Rotary at the urging of his wife, a Rotarian from South Korea, in order to network. He has stayed in Rotary due to the fellowship, service, and the ability to learn about diverse fields while surrounded by service-oriented individuals.
Professionally, Erik has 19 years’ local, national, and international experience in the planning and implementation of transportation infrastructure and policy. He currently runs his own consulting firm, Cempel International Transportation Consulting. He shares his transportation and global experience as a guest lecturer at DePaul University.
Marshall Schmitt has been a Rotarian for over 20 years. He is a partner in the Chicago office of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP. Marshall’s practice focuses on resolving disputes regarding scientific issues and counseling clients in chemical and biotechnology matters. A first chair litigator, trial lawyer, and member of the bar of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, his practice includes helping clients develop strategies for obtaining and effectively enforcing their intellectual property rights.
As President of Rotary/One, Marshall has helped the Directors of the Paul & Jean Harris Home Foundation navigate the many challenges of preserving our heritage as Rotarians. Marshall, Marshall’s wife – Linda -- and their three adult children are all Paul Harris Fellows of The Rotary Foundation.
You can join this week's program on your computer or iPad with this link:
So we begin another year, hoping that the ZOOM meetings will not be needed before the end of the year. Pres. Hanzlick called the meeting to order with a breakout room assignment of responding to the question, “What was your favorite part of the holiday season?” Some of our group enjoyed the company of relatives while for others, the holidays were not much different from other days of the COVID restrictions year.
Back together in the main ZOOM page, we sort of sang God Bless America and recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag (which had special meaning after the events of the last day or so in our country).
Henrik Andersen brought forth an invocation that focused on bringing us more together, using the analogy of magnetism: Magnets have powerful attraction for each other when the opposite poles come together. Likewise, we have the most opportunity to work together when we embrace people who are different from us – ethnic background, political leaning, status in the community, etc.
David Fritz, a guest from the Lee's Summit Sunrise Rotary Club was recognized.
Club anniversaries were noted for the following members, most of whom have been in the club a long time: Bill Buckner, Bob Lager, Dick McFarland, John Miller, Jim Porter, Don Seifert, Keith Smith, Matt Meyer, Dennis Chapman, Christy Chester, John Gillis, Bob Gamer, Robert Thompson, Tom Van Dyke, and Jane Lee.
Pres. H. thanked everyone, especially the members of the Music Committee, who put on the Tom and Jerry meeting before Christmas. A special note of appreciation to the Main Piano Player, One C. Bolte, who did a great job of accompanying a large number of tunes. And the Holiday Lights celebration went well also.
Pres. H. introduced our speaker for the day, John Herron, CEO and Director of the Kansas City Public Library System. His topic was “The Future of the KC Public Library (KCPL)”. Dr. Herron (with a Ph.D. in American History) came to the KCPL last July after serving in several teaching and administration positions at UMKC since 2003. He also happens to have been on Dr. Hanzlick’s doctoral committee. (Lots of PhDs running around.)
In the spirit of full disclosure, I should report that Dr. H.’s dissertation was about the history of women’s activism in Kansas City from 1870 to World War II. (The piano player remembers that era well.)
Back to Dr. Herron’s remarks. Bullet points included the following topics:
During 2020 the KCPL has served as a trusted source of information about COVID-19. It maintains a list of information links from local state and national officials about the pandemic and has partnered with hospitals, the urban league, the mayor’s office, and school districts to keep the public informed about the pandemic.
KCPL has participated in the census, assisted with mail-in ballots, and works with schoolteachers to provide resources for summer reading programs and the online teaching environment.
Dr. Herron looks to the future role of the library in two ways: “I want the library to be understood as a leading cultural institution in our community, in the same way that the Nelson or the symphony are inspiring their areas of the community. And I want the library to serve the community in ways that go beyond the traditional image of a library as a warehouse of books and information. We must work to fix the digital divide – the lack of Internet services for rural and underserved areas of the community.”
In response to numerous questions from Club members, Dr. Herron addressed a wide range of topics related to the library’s services and its collaboration with the other library systems in the community. He also provided some insights from the historian’s perspective about the events in our nation in the last 24 hours, and the implications of those events for our future as a democracy. In summary, he said, “The events of yesterday (the assault on the Congress building) fill me with as much despair as they do anger.”
Dr. Herron’s presentation held the rapt attention of this scribe, and I suspect that of everyone in the ZOOM meeting. He clearly is the kind of leader that the library system and the community need as we navigate these most troubling times.
Before closing our meeting, Brad Kleindl provided a report about service projects around the world that our club supported during 2020 and will continue to do so this year.
After hearing a quote from Rotarian Jan Armstrong, “Those we serve we come to love. Those we love we delight to serve.” and leading a recitation of the 4 Way Test of the things the say and do, Pres. Hanzlick closed the ZOOM meeting. It was a great start to the new year.
We had some very special visitors at camp today! These brothers stopped by camp to look around; they were campers themselves in 1947-1952!! They were delighted to see how the camp has improved and grown. The Youth Camp Association strives to make improvements to our facilities, both through volunteer projects and capital campaigns, so we can continue to impact the youth we serve well in to the future. The lasting impact our camp has on the campers we serve was clearly evident while listening to these men’s stories and memories of their days spent here. We love seeing campers all grown up, and treasure every memory made and life changed on our grounds.
Given Rotary's experience with the polio vaccine - and being "This Close" to eradicating polio from the face of the earth, it's not surprising that Rotarians are stepping up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when available. Here's Rotarian Dr. Ted Higgins receiving his vaccination. "I had the Pfizer shot. A second is scheduled in 21 days. No pain, no problems."
We meet Thursdays at Noon
The Kill Devil Club
31 E. 14th St.
Kansas City, MO 64105
*We are currently meeting virtually via Zoom*
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By David Hanzlick
The Work of Club 13 Continues
Rotary members are ‘people of action.’ The meeting of committee chairs (via Zoom) last week demonstrates that fact. In spite of the pandemic, the work of the club continues because the committees continue to meet, plan, and carryout numerous projects in Kansas City and around the world.
Club members will be briefed on the range of work the committees are doing on January 21. For the first time, the club assembly will be held during a regular meeting so all members will have the opportunity to learn about the scope of the club’s initiatives. Please make plans to be there. You will be inspired.
Speaking of committees, I would like to thank the Membership Committee, its chair – President-Elect Tony Andresen and Mandy Sheldon for producing the virtual Plaza Lights party on January 5. The team provided a tour of the holiday on the Plaza with roving reporter, Austin Klarin, as well as the lights at Swope Park, Union Station, the Renaissance Festival grounds, and others. What an inventive and fun event!
Rotarians are welcome to attend the Satellite Club meeting on Tuesday, January 26, 5:30 PM, via Zoom. Satellite Rotarian Evie Craig will moderate the meeting and Rotarian Linn Mills will speak on the Shoes for Orphan Souls project. The meeting will end with discussion of future service projects. Mark your calendar and plan to attend.
Bowling News
By Tim Tholen
Hello Rotary!
Bowling resumed after the holiday break on the 6th, and wow does it seem we are out of shape! It took a few games before some of the bowlers started to resume form!
300 games:
Will Patrick-200
Kenny Addison-231
Curtis Grimsley-220
Turkey's: (3 strikes in a row)
Steve Sopinski
Tim Tholen (twice)
Notable Spares:
Tim Tholen-5/7
Will Patrick-2/4/8/10
Peter Ho-4/9
We are in need of some bowlers, so if you are interested please contact me!
So we begin another year, hoping that the ZOOM meetings will not be needed before the end of the year. Pres. Hanzlick called the meeting to order with a breakout room assignment of responding to the question, “What was your favorite part of the holiday season?” Some of our group enjoyed the company of relatives while for others, the holidays were not much different from other days of the COVID restrictions year.
Pres. H. introduced our speaker for the day, John Herron, CEO and Director of the Kansas City Public Library System. His topic was “The Future of the KC Public Library (KCPL)”. Dr. Herron (with a Ph.D. in American History) came to the KCPL last July after serving in several teaching and administration positions at UMKC since 2003. He also happens to have been on Dr. Hanzlick’s doctoral committee. (Lots of PhDs running around.)
Given Rotary's experience with the polio vaccine - and being "This Close" to eradicating polio from the face of the earth, it's not surprising that Rotarians are stepping up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when available. Here's Rotarian Dr. Ted Higgins receiving his vaccination. "I had the Pfizer shot. A second is scheduled in 21 days. No pain, no problems."
@rotaryclub13
@rotary13
@rotaryclub13
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