Cap Willey gave the inspiration.
We all know the stories about Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Native Americans celebrating the First Thanksgiving in Plymouth. The menu for the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth in 1621 likely included lobster, seal, and swans.
A woman names Sarah Josepha Hale started in 1827 to lobby Congress for years to make Thanksgiving an official and permanent holiday. It was not until 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln finally declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday. This was in the throes of the Civil War and many view this as an attempt by President Lincoln to bring some peace back to the country. In 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a bill making the fourth Thursday in November. The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924 featured animals from Central Park Zoo. There were floats with puppets, celebrities, bands, costumed Macy’s employees of Santa Claus, but no balloons.
Thanksgiving leftovers led to the first ever TV dinner. In 1953 Swanson Corporation’s prepared Thanksgiving meals helped to create the birthing of prepackaged frozen meal industry.
Thanksgiving Day Football started in 1876 when Yale played Princeton. Yale won 2-0. The NFL started in 1920 and has been played on Thanksgiving every year.
According to the plumbing company, Roto Rooter, the day after Thanksgiving is far and away the busiest day of the year for them.
We will always speak about Thanksgiving in memory of our beloved late Margaret Kane, who would say, “May the turkeys be on your table this Thanksgiving not around the table.”
On Zoom
Anthony Hollingshead
Visiting Rotarians
Fall River Rotary Club, President, Stephanie Mancini, Jack Medeiros, and Dorothy Mahoney Pacheco
Induction of New Member
John Adams with Peter Loescher as his sponsor. John had been a member of Rotary starting in 2015 with two clubs in Florida. He is a retired Army Officer of 31 years. He still works as a national security consultant. He is originally from Washington DC. He is celebrating 20
th Anniversary with wife who is a doctor in Providence. He has two daughters with 2 grandchildren. He is very excited to be part of a club that embraces service above self.
Announcements
Bill announced the upcoming San Miguel Lunch on Tuesday, December 9th at The Marriott. Kris announced that our Santa from an East Greenwich Rotary Club will be coming to our event.
Bill thanked everyone who brought in coats for The Amos House. Pete Brock announced that his friends at Ocean State Job Lot who donated 120 winter coats delivered them to Amos House on Thursday on behalf of our club. Donations can still be brought in and collected by Anthony and Cheri. We will collect coats for the next couple of weeks.
Holiday Party is on December 6th at Mike Kelly’s home at 59 Rawson Road, Cumberland, RI from 1 pm to 5pm.
More Announcements: Request to do a Bell Ringing for Salvation Army on December 13 from 10 am to 8 pm. People will sign up. This year is the Walmart on Silver Springs.
Happy Bucks
- Pete Brock gave $20 Happy Bucks because the Dean of the Scholl of Arts and Sciences accepted his previous course work as a Foreign Language requirement. He is looking forward to graduating from University of Colorado on the 50th Anniversary of when he should have.
- Cap Willey gave a couple of Happy Bucks for his drive on 195 West when a big rock blew out tire on his 2007 car. The spare tire was in perfect condition. Time for a new car.
- Liz Messier gave 2 Happy/Sad Bucks for the successful dental surgery for her dog Rhett Butler who had 24 teeth removed. She was also happy to welcome our speaker Lynn Lefray, a published author.
- Our Fall River Club guests were happy to be at our meeting.
- John Adams is happy that his sponsor Peter Loescher encouraged him to join our club.
- Bill E was happy to welcome our Fall River Rotarian guests to our meeting.
- Kris David gave $5 Happy Bucks for the big Birthday celebration with 80 guests for her grandson, Austin. She is also excited about her upcoming family trip to Italy.
- President Bill gave 5 Happy bucks for the pre-Thanksgivng meal and to welcome our Fall River guests and thank you to welcome our newest member and thank you to Yani Hernandes for being our greeter today.
Speaker
Liz Messier welcomed our speaker, Lynn Lefray who happens to be a colleague at Residential Properties. She wrote a newly released thriller, The Lost Hours. She is a Rhode Island native and is excited to share her writing journey from owning a restaurant, Chez Pasqual on Hope Street in Providence to real estate and the circuitous route to realizing a lifelong dream of writing a novel.
