Pledge of Allegiance
Mike Kelly led the pledge.
On Zoom
Rob Brewster, Yani Hernandez, Richard Applebaum and Cap Willey
Inspiration
Anthony Hollingshead offered the following quote from Albert Schweitzer:
“You asked me to give you a motto. Here it is: SERVICE. Let this word accompany each of you throughout your life. Let it be before you as you seek your way and your duty in the world. May it be recalled to your minds if ever you are tempted to forget it or set it aside. It will not always be a comfortable companion, but it will always be a faithful one. And it will be able to lead you to happiness, no matter what the experiences of your lives are. Never have this word on your lips but keep it in your hearts. And may it teach you not only to do good but to do it simply and humbly.”
Announcements
Holly Applegate reported that plans are in place for the June 30 installation of Liz Messier as Club President. Please let Rob Black know if you plan to attend since this is a special plated meal and the hotel needs a count.
Happy Bucks
- Kevin Oates had $20 happy bucks because he’s happy being back.
- Mary Brewster was happy to complete her work with high school students and for heading to Little Compton.
- Barbara Harris was $5 happy to be returning from the French Riviera.
- Art Norwalk competed his final 4th grade tutoring and was happy to receive thank you notes from the students.
- Emily Bernstein is happy to have a new job.
- Liz Messier is happy because after a not-so-great garden last year, this year she is seeing broccoli, celery, and tomatoes.
- Anthony Hollingshead is happy to welcome speakers Kristin and Karin Sprague.
- Charles Donnelly was happy to spend the last month in Oregon visiting family.
- Anthony Landi was happy to receive another $2500 sponsorship for the Literacy Gala.
Speakers
Liz Messier introduced stone carver Karin Sprague and her daughter, Kristin.
Karin and Kristen presented their hand-carved stonework as the “art of remembering,” rooted in listening, craft, and personal story. Karin has carved stone since 1991, beginning with a gravestone for her father-in-law and later opening a studio in the woods of Scituate, where she now works with her daughter and a team of carvers. Kristin introduced a slideshow themed, “flowers and stone,” noting how visuals such as weeping willows, rosebuds, trees, and herbs connect older New England cemetery symbolism with contemporary memorial design. Karin emphasized that each monument begins not with a template but with attention: “99.9 of my work is listening.” She described hand drawing and carving each piece with mallet and chisel, calling the practice “more than a profession” and saying, “It is my ministry.”
Karin described a sacred stone bowl she created for Margaret Quinn Orlosky, who died on September 11, 2001. After becoming familiar with Karen’s work, Margaret’s husband, Dwayne approached Karen and said, “My wife died on September 11, and we never received a body. I need to honor and remember her.” Because Margaret loved early American history, open-hearth cooking, and Historic Deerfield, the memorial became a cook’s garden with a carved bowl at its center, encircled by eleven herbs and inscribed with the epitaph, “The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature.” At the dedication, her husband shared the words, “We are her everlasting garden,” along with the proverb, “Shared joy is a double joy. Shared sorrow is half a sorrow.” Karin closed by connecting this memorial to the broader purpose of her work: every stone is different, every family story matters, and remembrance becomes meaningful when it is shaped through patience, symbolism, and love.
Rotary Service at Station Meadow
Bill & Holly Applegate, Tracy Boothman, Mary Brewster, Craig Creller, and Yani Hernandez joined the Station Meadow planting crew, Providence Parks Department, and students from the E-Cubed School to add three new pots of flowers to the entrance to the Amtrak Train Station.
