Newsletter Date: Feb. 2
Meeting Date: Jan. 27
Reporter: Art Norwalk
INSPIRATION by Maxine Cohen
Eradication of wild poliovirus type 3 was celebrated by Rotarians everywhere on World Polio Day. Since we have already eliminated smallpox and the type 2 wild polio virus, we have only to eliminate wild polio virus type 1 to be totally polio free. Way to go Rotarians!!
ANNOUNCEMENTS, Etc.
Kris David introduced a new service project to collect personal care items for girls in foster homes – needed items include:
Twin size comforters & sheets
Throw blankets
Pajamas, slippers, socks, underwear
Hygiene products: washes, brushes, etc.
And Wendy Marcus asked members to donate used luggage that foster children can use when moving from one home to another. Please bring your donations to February meetings.
Art Norwalk reminded members to send in their ballots for club officers and directors by Feb. 7.
We watched a video of Bill Gates announcing that the 2:1 match for donations to PolioPlus will be continued for another year. Every dollar collected by Rotary will be matched by two dollars from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, up to $50 million.
About two dozen club members and guests enjoyed Thursday evening’s benefit performance of
The Country House by The Players. The pre-show reception included Holly Applegate’s fabulous antipasto, photographed before your intrepid reporter ate far too much of it.
HAPPY BUCKS
Pete Brock was very happy to celebrate his granddaughter’s 7th birthday.
Jim Gilcreast has a buck so he’s happy.
Steve Hug thanked Kris and Wendy for organizing collection of items that kids in foster care really need.
Randy Dittmar is happy about the sunshine heating up his new rooftop solar panels.
Kris David celebrated her mother’s 93rd birthday in Rhode Island and her father’s 94th in California. And she was happy that Bill was working with chess clubs at San Miguel and Kizirian schools.
Sharon Garland was happy about the reaction of Reservoir Ave. School 3rd graders when she passed out the dictionaries.
Guest Pat Moran gave a buck for her father, Paul Fournier – also a guest.
Richard Applebaum enjoyed five days in Florida with Hillary.
Bryan Cook gave a buck in memory of Kobe Bryant and other victims of the helicopter crash.
FOUR DECADES OF
FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH
Club member and Rhode Island College vice president Kim Dumpson told us about her 40-year fascination with genealogy and the wealth of information she discovered about her family. She started asking questions of her parents, grandparents and other relatives at about age ten and hasn’t stopped yet.
Following childhood as part of the only African-American family in a farm community on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, she traveled to Newport as a young adult to learn about her mother’s roots here in Rhode Island. She visited a house that her ancestors used as a stop on the Underground Railway and that is still owned by a family member. Her sixth great grandfather was a slave who purchased his freedom with lottery winnings supplemented by donations from local clergymen.
“I never knew there were free black people at that time,” she noted as one of many revelations from her research. She also learned that her ancestors included Native Americans.
Urging her audience to take interest in their roots, Kim recommended three steps:
- Ask questions of your older relatives.
- Document what you learn.
- Pass it on to the youngsters
